Gene Luen Yang Announces ‘Dragon Hoops’

Gene Luen Yang has announced his next graphic novel, and it’s about… basketball. Yang will write and draw the book, Dragon Hoops, the true story of a Catholic school’s attempt to win the 2015 California state championships:

Although Yang didn’t know much about basketball, he was fascinated by the dynamics of a diverse team at this Catholic school. The author focuses on six players on the squad, all of whom are seniors — including one member who is the only Sikh player in the league. “With him,” Yang tells The Post’s Comic Riffs, “I want to talk about culture and race and religion, and how those things have played into the history of basketball.”

Yang, who will use real names and games in the book, says his focus is really “on each of these kids,” from their struggles and cultural differences to their shared dreams and achievements. In writing the graphic novel, he adds, he is inspired by such books as “Friday Night Lights.”

The book is due out in 2018.

Filed under: Graphic Novels