Professional athletes are now joining the book club trend, with NBA and NHL players starting their own literary groups. San Antonio Spurs players Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes are leading a book club, aiming to involve more team members. The NHL’s San Jose Sharks also boast a book club, with players like Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli participating, keeping their book choices a playful secret.
Athletes from the PWHL and the WNBA, including teams like the Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Toronto Tempo, and New York Liberty, have embraced book clubs as a means of bonding. Toronto Sceptres forward Claire Dalton shared her enthusiasm for reading, highlighting the positive impact of book clubs on team unity.
The Toronto Tempo, a new addition to the WNBA, initiated a book club led by guard Kia Nurse and teammate Nyara Sabally. Nurse emphasized the importance of building team chemistry through shared activities like book discussions. The book club’s first read was the thriller “It Should Have Been You” by Andrea Mara, setting the stage for engaging conversations among teammates.
For athletes like Nurse, reading serves as a valuable escape and a way to explore different identities beyond sports. The visibility of these book clubs has garnered significant attention, with fans eagerly following the teams’ reading choices. In a unique community initiative, the Toronto Sceptres collaborated with The Children’s Book Bank to promote literacy through events like Sceptres Storytime, inspiring young readers to engage with books and diverse role models.
