Hoop Muses

An Insider's Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women's) Game

By: Seimone Augustus, Kate Fagan, Sophia Chang

Narrated by: Kate Fagan

“In vibrant color and style, Hoops Muses tells the vital stories that celebrate the history and tradition of our game.” —Sue Bird, WNBA legend

Hoops Muses is an homage to the game, bringing style and flair to all the details, moments, and people who have shaped the collective world of (women’s) hoops.

Hoops Muses will take us through time – literally. We begin in the future, in 2072, on the night of the WNBA’s 75th Anniversary, as New York Liberty phenom Jacklyn Jones is paid a visit by one of basketball’s long-ago (wink, wink) greats. This unlikely duo then goes on a sweeping, roundtrip adventure through basketball history, starting at the very beginning: Springfield, 1891. As the years pass, they learn the roots of the game (think: the first-ever collegiate game between Stanford and Cal, where men scaled the walls for a peek inside, or, the legend of Chicago’s Club Store Co-Eds, the all-Black barnstorming squad of the 1930s). AND as the early 20th century morphs into modern times, they see the game grow, the milestones reached. On their journey, they learn about the teams and the women (along with a few men) who helped build the foundation on which The Future will be built:

-Fort Shaw and the 1904 World Championship
-Pat Summitt and the early years of the Lady Vols
-Delta State, featuring Margaret Wade and Lusia Harris
-Cheryl Miller and Hollywood’s USC Trojans
-UConn-Tennessee and the “Sliding Doors” moment that sparked their rivalry

Plus, they have front-row seats to a whole lot of quirky, blissful fandom, including …

The Movies That Should Have Been
WNBA Jam
The Moments
The Shots

To be a (women’s) hooper is to be part of a long and proud tradition … but one not often celebrated in popular culture. Hoops Muses is here to change that.

Critic reviews

“In vibrant color and style, HOOP MUSES tells the vital stories that celebrate the history and tradition of our game.”—Sue Bird, WNBA legend

"There is nothing like this book in existence. Seimone Augustus has been a curator of culture and a bedrock of women’s sports for decades. This gives us the history lesson and future dreams we’ve deserved all along."—Megan Rapinoe, two-time FIFA World Cup champion

"HOOP MUSES is the perfect gift for every basketball fan. This book really does justice to the incredible history, culture, and style of the women's game."—Chris Paul, 12-time NBA All Star & inaugural recipient of the Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award

I love this book

I love everything about this book. The rich history triggered some awesome memories of my experience as a title IX tomboy that needed the gym rat life to make it through the day. Shout out to A Touch More for recommending this Author.