Basketball has always been a form of artistic expression.
Its a fitting representation of the game and the opening line of the new book Courtside Candy.
Everybody remembers their first time watching basketball. The satisfaction of swishing a jumper or using creativity to get to the rack. In a new book, former SLAM Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne explores the impact of the game beyond these core moments.
In collaboration with German independent publishing house gestalten, Courtside Candy explores how the game has transcended beyond the courthow its created new fashion, art and a subculture that brings all hoop fans together.
The photos are spectacular. Its basically a coffee table book that anyone who appreciates basketball culture will love, Osborne says.
There are five sections in the book. An introduction about basketballs impact beyond the court and a personal tribute to Stephon Marbury, a player whom Osborne believes embodies the books message. Displays of basketball fashion trends, the games global reach, artistic interpretations and the variety of courts found worldwide fill the pages.
Nearly 40 artists, photographers and fashion designers are featured, with each page draped in a myriad of colorful images and short essays that tell the unique backstories of each work.
Im not sure a book has been presented in this manner that kind of tries to touch all the different things that basketball has influenced, Osborne says. I think its really like a love letter to the game.
Courtside Candy is out July 1.
Photos courtesy of Wenpeng Lu, Walter Looss Jr., Maddy Talias, An Rong Xu and Jorge Espinoza.
