Looking for awesome gift ideas for the NBA lovers and basketball fans in your life? Well, look no further! I’ve complied a list of over 50 of the best, most unique gifts that any pro-basketball fan would love to have. From 2009 Lakers Championship apparel and the hottest basketball kicks to NBA stocking stuffers and must-read basketball books, this list will give you an idea for every basketball fanatic on your list!

Please let me know if there is something you think should be added to the list. Also, let me know what you are hoping Santa (or the Holiday Armadillo) is bringing you this year! Leave a comment below or send me a tweet @StilettoSportsJ.

Don’t forget to check out 55 Gift Ideas for NFL Fans and 102 Gift Ideas for Yankees Fans. Stiletto Sports: One stop shopping for all the sports fans in your life!

Books

1. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy  “ From the review: “Bill Simmons, best known as ESPN.com’s “The Sports Guy,” explores the NBA with hilarious insight, brilliant analysis, and a bevy of irreverent footnotes. Simmons is a fan first  and writes from the stands, not the press room.  The Book of Basketball is not just a tribute to hardwood heroes, but also a celebration of yelling at TV sets, revering lucky jerseys, and holding our breath until the final buzzer sounds. Throw in pages of nearly-insane statistical breakdowns (including a projected boxscore from the movie Teen Wolf), and it’s easy to see why fans of all levels should clear shelf space for this instant classic.”
2. When the Game was Ours: The behind the scenes story of Larry Bird & Magic Johnson and the decades long rivalry between them.
3. Sports Illustrated: The Basketball Book Everything a basketball fan could possibly want in a book, done by the experts.
4. Shooting Stars The LeBron James Story
5. The Art of a Beautful Game: The Thinking Fan’s Tour of the NBA From the review: It’s fashionable to say that pro athletes don’t have anything interesting to say. Maybe that’s because they’re not being asked the right questions. Chris Ballard, who covers the NBA for Sports Illustrated, asks the right questions. Namely, he gets players to talk at length on what they’re most passionate about — the intricacies of the sport that is their life’s work.
6. Mindgames: Phil Jackson’s Long Strange Journey A peek inside the long, strange mind of Chicago Bulls/Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson.
7. Michael Jordan: A Biography. The man, the myth and the legend himself.
8. Let me Tell You A Story: A Lifetime in the Game the tales of Red Aurebach, the legendary leader of the Boston Celtics, written by John Feinstien, the legendary sportswriter
9. The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels. Not for Boston Celtics fans.
10. The Ultimate Basketball Book: More than 100 years of the Sports Evolution The name kinda says it all here! It’s the ultimate book of 100 years of basketball!

Basketball Movies & DVDS

1. One Love: The Game. The Life. One Love features the top NBA All-Stars of the day and gives the viewer a clear view of how they got to the top of the basketball world. Highlights include never-before-released high school footage of over 30 current NBA players, literally at the beginning of their career paths. Check out Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Rasheed Wallace, and many more.
2. NBA Ultimate Jordan 20th Anniversary Collector’s DVD There aren’t many basketball fans that  won’t appreciate an MJ collector’s gift. Even fans that claim to hate him because they were Barkley, Malone, Magic or Ewing fans can still appreciate the awe-inspiring Jordan and all he did for the game of basketball.
3. NBA Dynasty Series & Complete Histories: Collector’s DVDs of your favorite dynasty. See all the highlights and behind the scenes footage of the L.A. Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and other top teams during their peak years!
4. The Los Angeles Lakers 2008-09 Champions DVD: Relive the Lakers 2009 championship minute by painful minute. Don’t mind me, I’m a Celtics fan.
5. NBA: 25 Years of Champions: This is a great archive collector’s DVD of the last 25 years of NBA championships. There is locker room coverage and all the key highlights of the playoffs .

Also, basketball themed movies make great gifts like Hoosiers, Coach Carter, The Pistol or The Air up There. My post Basketball Movies for Guys Who Love the Shake and Bake gives a bunch of suggestions!

NBA Fan Gear

Official Basketball Jerseys are always a great gift, no matter what the occassion! Check out Stiletto Sports’ 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys for 2009-10 to see who’s hot right now!

Fashion Basketball Jerseys/Gear are also great, unique alternative gifts for basketball fans! Majestic makes great imitation jerseys for guys and gals!

1. Majestic NBA Imitation Jersey Tees
2. Majestic NBA Imitation Jersey Tanks for Her

Basketball  Sneakers

I had no idea just how popular basketball sneakers were to NBA lovers until the 2009 All-Star Game. That’s when I discovered that All-Star Weekend is like the Spring Fashion Show for NBA Sneakers. Seriously, that’s when all the new hot shoes premiere. I even did a post called the NBA All-Star All-Shoe Team, going through the best sneakers of all time.

Actually, basketball shoes debut constantly. There is always a new hot pair of kicks hitting Finish Line. Never let a guy make fun of how many shoes you have because let me tell you, they have the same shoe fetish. It’s just for sneakers not stilettos.

Here are some of the most popular brands and NBA player sneakers.

• Nike Zoom LeBron
• Nike Zoom Kobe
• Converse Wade Dwayne Wade’s signature line
• adidas TS Bounce Commanders: Who wears them? Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett
• Nike Huarache: Tim Duncan
• adidas Lightening Creator
• Air Jordans: Michael Jordan, despite being retired, still has one of the hottest sneaker lines in the industry. New releases in his line (in most divisions) are always highly anticipated and gobbled up like Manolo Mary Janes. And the retro collection is highly coveted

Fun Basketball Gifts & Games

1. NBA Monopoly If you haven’t checked out the other gift guides, then you don’t know how obsessed I am with customized monopoly games. I think they are such a great idea.
   Choose 22 of the 30 NBA teams and place the labels on the game board. Which teams will you choose? Which team will you put on Boardwalk, Park Place, Illinois, Baltic etc.? It’s your say which teams play! Then. . . buy, sell and trade your favorite teams in an effort to own and control the NBA, a basketball fan’s fantasy
2. Lakers Monopoly: Perfect for Lakers fan, this special-edition Monopoly board features famous Lakers players throughout history. Also contains six collectible Lakers-themed pewter tokens, including: Lakers Logo, Basketball Hoop, NBA Basketball, NBA Championship Trophy, Defensive Player and Offensive Player.
3. NBA Officially Licensed Poker Chip Set: This NBA set is sure to be one of the hottest items for poker players. It includes: 500 assorted 11.5g NBA branded chips, 2 full decks of officially licensed playing cards, “Referee” Dealer, “Big Blind” and “Small Blind” Buttons, 5 translucent red dice and a basketball leather wraped aluminum case. And reviews say they are all really high quality and very impressive
4. NBA Team Mr. Potato Head: I first game across this guy when doing research for my 102 Yankees Gift Ideas post and thought he was so stinkin’ cute! Such a fun, original gift idea for a sports fan!

NBA Stocking Stuffers

So maybe you don’t want to to turn the holidays into an NBA All-Star Christmas with jerseys and books and sneakers. That’s okay! How about fun little NBA themed stocking stuffers instead? These five ideas are guaranteed to put a smile on your basketball fan’s face!

1. NBA Team Bottle Openers
2. NBA Team Key Chains
3. NBA Team Magnets
4. NBA Team Coffee Mugs & Glasses
5. NBA Team Jewelry & Cufflinks

Ultimate NBA Lover Gifts

1. Tickets to a Game. Tickets to a game are really the best gift idea for any sports fan. Always get at least two tickets: one for them and one for you, whether you like the sport or not. It’s a great way to share on something you friend, father or significant other enjoys. Make it extra special by putting the tickets in an awesome Ticket Scrapbook Holder and then wrapping it up! Definitely a great suprise!
2. Gift Baskets: For this I recommend finding a fun basket, ceramic basketball shaped dish or a NBA team waste basket to start. Then fill it up with all sorts of goodies. I like doing basketball movie or book themed baskets. If you do the movie one, don’t forget to throw in some popcorn and popcorn seasoning! If you do a book one, add an NBA team mug so they can curl up and read with a cup of chocolate or coffee!
3. NBA Leather Recliners Yes the team colors can be garish and probably don’t go with your home decor, but there’s got to be a room somewhere in your house that it would fit in! This chair is super comfy and will make your basketball lover super happy—and the envy of all his other basketball loving buddies!
4. NBA Collectibles

• Signed Basketballs: For true NBA Fans, the best gift you can give is an autographed basketball from their favorite player. But be forewarned, if their player is any good, it’s going to cost you big bucks for the basketball. And the case to keep it in.
• Framed Memorabilia: I know this is a bit vague “memorabilia” but it covers it all. Because there is so many different kinds of collectibles, everything from framed game winning shots to pieces of hardwood floors of iconic basketball stadiums like Boston Garden.

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