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A nostalgic romp through modern NBA history as documented by basketball's most iconic and innovative magazine covers.
Every magazine cover is the result of a series of intentional decisions. Cover Story shares the behind-the-scenes stories of these deliberate choices, which led to the most iconic basketball-related magazine covers during a period from 1984 to 2003. Through 100-plus interviews conducted with writers, editors, publishers, photographers, creative directors, and the players themselves, the book explores Michael Jordan's relationship with Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O'Neal and the hip-hop generation's impact on newsstands, the birth of SLAM and the inside stories of their most iconic covers, how the 1996 USA women's basketball team inspired a new era of women's sports magazines, the competition among publishers to put high school phenom LeBron James on the magazine cover first, and much more.
Offering an immersive look at some of the most impactful moments in a golden era for modern basketball, this engaging read will appeal to basketball fans, pop culture enthusiasts, and those who want to take a deep dive into understanding how the individual components of a classic magazine cover come together. Features four full-color inserts showcasing a collection of notable magazine covers!
About the author
Alex Wong is a freelance writer and author based in Toronto. He has written about basketball and culture for various publications including The New Yorker, GQ, SLAM, the New York Times, Yahoo Sports, and The Atlantic. He co-authored the Canadian bestseller We The Champs: The Toronto Raptors' Historic Run to the 2019 NBA Title. Russ Bengtson is a basketball and culture writer. He is the former Editor-In-Chief of SLAM.
