The Game Rules - by Jiba Anderson & Jon Robertson (Paperback)

About the Book

Being the son of a former pro basketball player, Jarius Finch could dribble a ball as soon as he could walk. His father, Chauncey, gave up the game years ago and spends his days managing the family hardware store, bitter about the life he left behind. But Jarius won't be like Chauncey. He's determined to write his own legend on the hardwood.

Book Synopsis

The Court tells the story of Jarius Finch, a talented but injured college basketball player living in the shadow of his father, Chauncey Finch, a former NBA pro whose career and pride collapsed after walking away from the game. Struggling to recover from a devastating knee injury, Jarius also faces growing family pressures when his father's hardware store is robbed and threatened by a corporate superstore takeover.
Haunted by failure yet desperate to reclaim his future, Jarius encounters a mysterious, seemingly supernatural gym called The Court, led by a mentor named Space. There, Jarius experiences miraculous healing and begins to rediscover his strength, speed, and confidence. The gym and its players appear and vanish without explanation, testing his grip on reality as his performance improves beyond human limits.
While Jarius's newfound power reignites his dreams of greatness, it also pulls him toward dangerous choices--especially when an old friend, Fame, lures him into a high-stakes streetball tournament for quick money. Torn between ambition, loyalty, and morality, Jarius must decide what kind of man--and player--he wants to become. The Court blends sports drama, urban realism, and mysticism into a story about legacy, redemption, and believing in something greater than oneself.

About the Author

Jiba Molei Anderson is a Detroit-born illustrator, writer, designer and educator with over 20 years of experience in the creative industries. He earned a BFA in Illustration & Photography from University of Michigan in 1994 and an MFA in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1998. In 1999 he founded Griot Enterprises, a publishing and visual-communications studio, through which he launched his flagship graphic-novel property, The Horsemen. His work explores African-diaspora mythologies, culture, identity and representation, and his graphic novel The Horsemen: Book of Olorun is featured in the exhibition "Heroes: Principles of African Greatness" at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Anderson also teaches at Chicago-based institutions and acts as a community voice on comics, culture and creative industries.

Jonathan Robertson is an award-winning screenwriter who specializes in character-driven horror and action stories. After his script, CRADLE LAKE placed in the top 5% of the Academy's Nicholl Fellowship, Jonathan was tapped to adapt the sci-fi epic RED STONE for J&J Studios. Subsequently, Jonathan was selected to write the unfinished George A. Romero script MAMERTINE for Rogue Matter. Next up for Jonathan, the WWII Horror-Adventure BLOOD COMPANY and SILENT RUN, an Action-Comedy set in the underbelly of New York City.