Best Memoirs Sports (2026): 5 Compared and Ranked

The best memoirs sports are the ones that put you in the athlete’s shoes: all five of these are memoirs by athletes. We compared five memoirs by what each Amazon listing states: pages, sport, publication date and author, so you can pick the right one for your shelf.

ShelfAnswers earns a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

The picks

#	Product	Shelf Score	Buy
1	Uncommon Favor	9.8/10	Buy
2	The Mamba Mentality	9.8/10	Buy
3	When The Game Was Ours	9.7/10	Buy
4	Running for My Life	9.7/10	Buy
5	Talk About Running	9.7/10	Buy

1

Uncommon Favor

Dawn Staley·9.8/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A Dawn Staley memoir, 256 pages, 2025.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 256 pages stated
• 2025 edition stated
• Dawn Staley stated

Cons

• Basketball focus
• Atria publisher
• Coach story

2

The Mamba Mentality

Kobe Bryant·9.8/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A Kobe Bryant memoir, 208 pages, 2018.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 208 pages stated
• 2018 edition stated
• Kobe Bryant stated

Cons

• Basketball focus
• Illustrated
• MCD publisher

3

When The Game Was Ours

Larry Bird·9.7/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A Bird and Magic Johnson memoir, 368 pages, 2010.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 368 pages stated
• 2010 edition stated
• Bird and Magic stated

Cons

• Basketball focus
• Reprint
• Dual memoir

4

Running for My Life

Lopez Lomong·9.7/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A Lopez Lomong memoir, 240 pages, 2016.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 240 pages stated
• 2016 edition stated
• Lopez Lomong stated

Cons

• Running focus
• Reprint
• Sudan story

5

Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami·9.7/10 Shelf Score

i

The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

A Haruki Murakami memoir, 192 pages, 2009.

Check price on Amazon

Pros

• 192 pages stated
• 2009 edition stated
• Murakami stated

Cons

• Running focus
• Reprint
• Writer story

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

More picks to compare

• Where Tomorrows Aren't PromisedSuits readers wanting a Carmelo Anthony memoir, 208 pages.Check on Amazon
• My Losing SeasonSuits readers wanting a Pat Conroy memoir, 402 pages.Check on Amazon
• DriveSuits readers wanting a Larry Bird memoir, 304 pages.Check on Amazon
• Most Incredible Sports StoriesSuits readers wanting 22 sports stories, 174 pages.Check on Amazon

Compare the picks

Listing details as published, collected 17 October 2026.

How we scored them

The Shelf Score weighs sports fit, story, depth, safety and warranty. How we pick explains the weights.

Scores run from 9.2 to 9.8: each book’s point total is placed on that range, so more points always means a higher score. Reading age or level counts on a list where at least one listing gives one, and a book whose listing gives none then scores zero on it. Where no listing gives one, the score is taken over the other 85 points. Books carry no warranty, so warranty is not scored.

How to choose the best memoirs sports

Sport

Sports run from basketball (Uncommon Favor, The Mamba Mentality, When The Game Was Ours) to running (Running for My Life, Talk About Running). See our history biography books for more nonfiction.

Pages

Pages run from 192 (Talk About Running) to 368 (When The Game Was Ours), with 208, 240 and 256 in between. Pick the length that fits your shelf.

Author

Authors run from Dawn Staley to Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Lopez Lomong and Haruki Murakami. Pick the voice you like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the newest?

Uncommon Favor, 2025.

Which is Kobe Bryant?

The Mamba Mentality.

Which is Bird and Magic?

When The Game Was Ours.

Which is Murakami?

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

Still deciding? Our top pickUncommon Favor

Check price on Amazon

Related lists

See every nonfiction list and all reading guides.

More lists: memoirs to listen to, memoirs to read in your 20s and uplifting memoirs.