Sports are a phenomenon that’s embedded in our language, fashion and media. Sports metaphors are so ubiquitous that we barely even notice them anymore; they’re used for everything from a first kiss to career trajectory.
Resilient in nature, athletes often share personal stories about breaking through barriers, beating odds and conquering significant challenges—stories that are often riveting and inspirational. We’ve compiled a list of some recent sports books that offer just that.
1. What You’re Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports
By George Raveling and Ryan Holiday (2025)
You have to be a pretty big deal to convince Michael Jordan to write a foreword to your book. Jordan took the request a step further in his foreword to legendary basketball coach George Raveling’s memoir (co-authored by philosopher Ryan Holiday), writing that Raveling “does not get the credit that I feel he deserves.” The book combines narrative reflections on Raveling’s tenacity and resilience, built from navigating a difficult childhood after being orphaned at 13, and becoming a trailblazing coach for one of the world’s most popular sports. Raveling shares stories from his life, recounting serving as security at the 1963 March on Washington, where he experienced the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. He also chronicles working closely with Jordan and Kobe Bryant at Nike. Raveling’s story is a riveting read that is quick and detailed, offering guidance through storytelling.
Buy this book on Amazon.
2. Mamba & Mambacita Forever
By Vanessa Bryant (October 2025)
After the 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, murals honoring the pair sprouted up all over the globe. Five years later, there are still hundreds of murals around Southern California and the world. Vanessa Bryant, wife of Kobe and mother of Gianna, is releasing a book of pictures and stories about the murals, which were a combination of commissioned art and graffiti. The cover of the book features New York street artist Andaluz’s vivid Costa Mesa, California, mural depicting Gianna resting on Kobe’s head, a somber yet affectionate picture of the father-daughter bond.
Buy this book on Amazon.
3. Just Add Water: My Swimming Life
By Katie Ledecky (2024)
The winner of nine Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship gold medals, Katie Ledecky is one of the most prominent swimmers in the world. Ledecky’s memoir examines her swimming career from its childhood start on a swim team, which she credits to her mother’s desire to help her make friends at the pool. Her talent for swimming was discovered early, leading to a record-breaking performance in the London Olympics at age 15. As she tells her story, Ledecky credits her success to her commitment to setting high goals for herself and the follow-through necessary to achieve them.
Buy this book on Amazon.
4. On the Edge: The Autobiography
By Martin Keown (2025)
Former Arsenal footballer Martin Keown, now a BAFTA-winning TV pundit, recounts playing for the world-renowned soccer club. Growing up the son of working-class Irish parents in Oxford, England, Keown realized that he was an outsider after the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 led to increased hostility toward the community’s Irish members. Keown became obsessed with football around age 7 and played his first game for Arsenal in the mid-1980s. Throughout his decades-spanning career, Keown played with greats like David Beckham and Thierry Henry. This autobiography of one of Arsenal’s all-time greats is a coming-of-age story about outsider persistence and resilience.
Buy this book on Amazon.
5. KLIM
By Michael Klim (2024)
In 2000, Michael Klim won two gold medals for swimming in the Sydney Olympics. In the 1980s, Klim’s family emigrated from communist-era Poland, eventually settling in Melbourne, Australia. Klim’s swimming abilities were noticed by the Australian Institute of Sport, and, at 15, he moved to Canberra, Australia, to train as a professional swimmer. In his storied career, Klim pioneered the straight-arm freestyle and broke the world record for the 100m butterfly—twice. In his memoir, Klim climbs out of the pool and offers a candid account of the adversity he experienced in his personal life, which culminated in a major crisis that forced him to change his life entirely in order to keep his future afloat.
Buy this book on Amazon.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by skynesher/iStock