Hoop Kings

"Will have enormous appeal for all ages. . . . Readers will experience a wild ride!" — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

Tim Duncan cashes in double-digit points by banking it off the backboard. Kevin Garnett makes his new-and-improved moves in 3-D. As for Shaquille O’Neal, just see what it might take to fill his gargantuan shoes (shown actual size). With pumping, energetic, rap-inspired wordplay, Charles R. Smith profiles the distinctive playing styles of twelve of the best male players in basketball.

An International Reading Association Children’s Choice

A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

A Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices List Selection

Publishers Weekly

After paying homage to Hoop Queens, Charles R. Smith Jr. now focuses on 12 male NBA superstars in Hoop Kings. Memorable imagery and slick rhythms (not to mention an actual-size Shaq shoe print on a foldout) combine to create poetic portraits (such as the one for Allen Iverson: "Crooked cornrows/ cause chaotic/ and catastrophic collisions/ with precision"). Smith's signature bold photographs, playful type, and electric colors and design blend 1970s-era basketball, modern street ball and hip-hop influences. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Charles R. Smith, Jr. says that while growing up in California, he spent many hours reading anything he could get his hands on. "Reading books filled with stories and poems inspired me to write my own," he says. "The more I read, the more I wrote. And if I wasn’t reading a book, I was playing a sport: I played everything, particularly basketball, and spent many afternoons on the court, perfecting my jump shot." While working on his high school yearbook as a writer, Charles R. Smith Jr. was introduced to photography and immediately decided to make a career of it. He graduated from photography school and headed to New York to pursue his dream. "I continued with my writing, and, with a heavy influence of rap music, began writing more poetry instead of stories," he says. "Now, I have combined my photographic skills with my love of reading, writing, and sports to create an exciting career for myself!" In addition to the companion book HOOP QUEENS, Charles R. Smith Jr. wrote and illustrated the American Library Association Notable Book RIMSHOTS: BASKETBALL PIX, ROLLS, AND RHYTHMS, among other titles.