What are basketball's made out of?
Basketball (ball)
Nearly all basketballs have an inflatable inner rubber bladder, generally wrapped in layers of fiber and then covered with a surface made either from leather (traditional), rubber, or a synthetic composite. As in most inflatable balls, there is a small opening that allows the pressure to be increased or decreased.
The Book of Basketball
While the book's Hall of Fame-related sections comprise about half the pages used (from 263 to 627, spanning chapters six through 11, in the paperback), the book leads into this by covering several key matters in NBA history. These involve Simmons' recounting of his father (Bill Sr.) purchasing a season ticket for only $4 a game as the Celtics rose and fell and rose (and critically rose when Larry Bird arrived in Boston); a meeting with Simmons' non-fan Isiah Thomas that turned into a surprisingly friendly discussion about "The Secret of basketball"; an overview of how Bill Russell was the greatest center of all-time (and NOT Wilt Chamberlain); a history of how the NBA evolved between 1949 and 1984 into what it is today; dozens of what-if scenarios for the NBA (including "What if the Detroit Pistons had drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko Milicic in 2003?" and "What if the 1984 NBA Draft had unfolded differently?"); and a breakdown of past Most Valuable Player awards that were divided into completely deserving winners (all five trophies won by Michael Jordan), winners who were questionable but ultimately all right (such as Bill Walton's win in 1978) and winners who were travesties of justice (Jordan losing out to Charles Barkley in 1993 and Karl Malone in 1997). Stories are included of "The first time I witnessed this player live" moments that Bill recounts from his childhood, as well as anecdotes from his professional career in sports writing.