Coming December 2026 · Join the Waitlist

The ABCs OF BASKETBALL

A fine art children’s book for the next generation of hoopers and the families who raised them.

🏀 Cover Art Coming Soon 🏀

Fine art watercolor by Natalie Woo

Every player remembers the moment basketball stopped being a game and became a language: a way of loving, competing, and belonging. Mickey Lai and Natalie Woo speak that language fluently.

Two Bay Area natives. Two competitive players. Two parents. One beautiful book built letter by letter from the game they’ve given their lives to.

The ABCs of Basketball traces the game from hardwood to heart, from the first dribble to the final buzzer, and all the lessons that live between the lines. Each letter carries a piece of the game they grew up playing and a piece of the story they now want to pass down.

Natalie brings her signature fine-art watercolor style, expressive, layered, and luminous, to every page. The result is something you’ll want to frame as much as read aloud.

26 Letters. 26 Lessons. 2 Players. 1 Vision. DEC 2026 Release.

“We didn’t just play basketball. We learned how to show up, how to trust your teammates, how to fall and get back up. This book is our love letter to that education, written for the kids who are just beginning theirs.”

Whether you’re a parent who lived for Saturday morning rec leagues, a coach who has given everything to the game, or simply someone who wants to give a child a book as beautiful as it is meaningful, The ABCs of Basketball was made for you.

✦ Meet the Creators

✍️ Mickey Lai — Author · Coach · Hooper

A Bay Area native who grew up playing competitive basketball through high school, Mickey has spent years coaching young players from kids to college-age adults. His deep knowledge of the game, on and off the court, shapes every word of this book. The ABCs of Basketball is his love letter to the sport and to the next generation ready to carry it forward.

🎨 Natalie Woo — Illustrator · Artist · Hooper

A Bay Area native and fine art watercolor painter, Natalie played competitive basketball through high school and college before channeling that same discipline into her art. She has been commissioned by the White House, Google, and partnered with leading global brands.