Jesse Karp, writing for Booklist, applauded Yang's artwork: 'Combining visual flair, like speeding backgrounds, with nearly diagrammatic movement, he creates pulse-pounding game sequences.' Karp continued, noting, 'Most important, through recurring visual motifs that connect a champion basketball player to a self-questioning artist to a Russian immigrant with a new idea, he illuminates the risks that every one of us must take and has, once again, produced a work of resounding humanity.' Publishers Weekly complimented the book's writing: 'Using a candid narrative and signature illustrations that effectively and dynamically bring the fast-paced games to life, Yang has crafted a triumphant, telescopic graphic memoir that explores the effects of legacy and the power of taking a single first step, no matter the outcome.' The Horn Book's Eric Carpenter drew attention to how 'Yang skillfully juggles the stories of multiple players and coaches as well as his own journey from basketball novice to avid fan.' Yang discovers a basketball coach named Lou Ritchie, and they begin to discuss the sport.ĭragon Hoops received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and Booklist, as well as positive reviews from Kirkus, San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times. Yang is inspired by the basketball team at Bishop O'Dowd High School from Oakland, where he is a teacher. His family celebrates the book, but Yang quickly starts running out of ideas for the next graphic novel. In 2013, Yang publishes the graphic novel Boxers & Saints. He was interested in comic books, and he created comic stories after graduation. Gene Luen Yang says he was not interested in sports when he was a child. Dragon Hoops is a nonfiction graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Gene Luen Yang and Lark Pien, and published by March 17, 2020, by First Second.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang