Basketball: A Love Story poster

Basketball: A Love Story

TV Show 2018 7.3/10 62 episodes
Documentary

Synopsis

'Basketball: A Love Story' is a series of 62 interconnected short stories that creates a vibrant mosaic of the game, featuring 165 exclusive interviews. The cast encompasses basketball's most prominent figures and explores the complex nature of love as it relates to the game.

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Season 1 Episodes

Episode 1 EP 1
Love of the Game

The best in the game share why they love basketball, and speak about the players they grew up emulating, late nights practicing in the driv…

Episode 2 EP 2
The Teachers

A tribute to the role coaches have played in not just the game, but the lives of their players. Coaches speak candidly about how to motivat…

Episode 3 EP 3
The Choke

The 1997 incident where Latrell Sprewell choked his coach, PJ Carlesimo, sparks the conversation about the relationship between player and …

Episode 4 EP 4
Origins

The beginnings of basketball are traced from James Naismith to the expansion of the game across the country - leading to the development of…

Episode 5 EP 5
Scandal

The story of a point shaving scandal in the college ranks that almost derailed the sport in the 1950s, as well as a profile of two of the f…

Episode 6 EP 6
Signature Moves: The Feel

The Art of the Game and how some of the greatest mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Chris Paul, Wes Unseld, Diana Taurasi, Allen I…

Episode 7 EP 7
The Spring of '57

The NBA's first dynasty, the Boston Celtics, powered by Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. And an introduction to Wilt Chamberlain, a giant eve…

Episode 8 EP 8
Patriots to Protest

Oscar Robertson and Jerry West lead the U.S. Olympic team in a symbolic win against the USSR during the Cold War in 1960. In 1968, players…

Episode 9 EP 9
Signature Moves: The Touch

How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", this time featuring Steph Curry, Bernard King and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Episode 10 EP 10
ABA: The Red, White, and Blue

The American Basketball Association became one of the first upstart leagues to challenge the dominance of the NBA. A hilarious and nostalgi…

Episode 11 EP 11
The Dipper and the Winner

One of the greatest rivalries in basketball - Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Russell and his Celtics continue to get the best of Cha…

Episode 12 EP 12
Signature Moves: Discipline

How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Lebron James, Walt Frazier and Dirk Nowitzki.

Episode 13 EP 13
Mayhem in Munich

The 1972 Olympics will forever be remembered for the tragedy that took the lives of 11 Israeli athletes. That year, the US again faced off …

Episode 14 EP 14
Brotherly Love

The tragic story of Maurice Stokes, a former all-star who was injured during a game and debilitated for the rest of his life. But from trag…

Episode 15 EP 15
The Witch Hunt

A look at gambling in the early days of the sport, and Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins who was wrongly accused of being involved in a point sh…

Episode 16 EP 16
Birth of the Bruins

An introduction to the UCLA Bruins, arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of men's college basketball, and their coach John Wooden.

Episode 17 EP 17
Tomboys

Some of the game's greatest female players, including Cheryl Miller, Ann Myers, Nancy Lieberman, and Carol Blazejowski discuss their love o…

Episode 18 EP 18
Rupp's Reckoning

There are endless stories of racism, but also humanity, in the early days of college basketball, including the era of Adolph Rupp at Kentuc…

Episode 19 EP 19
Renegades

Explore the tumultuous years of the ABA, where the league did everything it could to compete with the NBA, with differing levels of success.

Episode 20 EP 20
The Eighth Wonder of the World

Lew Alcindor, one of the greatest players of all-time, led UCLA in the "Game of the Century" against Elvin Hayes and the University of Hous…

Episode 21 EP 21
Title IX: Immaculata

Title IX gave rise to the women's game at the college level, and the first great team emerged from Immaculata University. Immaculata won 3 …

Episode 22 EP 22
Joy or Relief?

Al McGuire won an NCAA title with Marquette in the last game he ever coached. The game's top coaches debate whether finally winning brings …

Episode 23 EP 23
Oscar and the West: Bittersweet Victories

Oscar Robertson joins forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jerry West teams up with Wilt Chamberlain on the Los Ange…

Episode 24 EP 24
Self Expression

Walt "Clyde" Frazier was one of the first to become a cultural icon off the court. Players like Pete Maravich and Calvin Murphy continued t…

Episode 25 EP 25
One and Done

The debate over eligibility and "one and done" started well before John Calipari and the University of Kentucky - Spencer Haywood was one o…

Episode 26 EP 26
David vs Goliath

After winning six national championships, the UCLA dynasty continued through the Bill Walton era. The Bruins dominated until they came up a…

Episode 27 EP 27
General Knight

Bobby Knight, one of the most prolific and vilified coaches of all-time, led his Indiana program to glory.

Episode 28 EP 28
Deal of the Century

The ABA and NBA merge in 1976 with the St. Louis Spirit owners taking a smaller buyout but a portion of the NBA's TV rights in perpetuity.

Episode 29 EP 29
Wild Days: Upsets, Brawls, and No-Calls

The league continues its intense ways during 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns, which culminated in a Celtics…

Episode 30 EP 30
Do or Die

George Gervin and David Thompson competed down the wire in one of the NBA's tightest races for the scoring title ever. The two were within …

Episode 31 EP 31
Tailspin

In the '70s, the NBA's image was at an all time low due to rampant cocaine use and an increase in on-court violence. Only the birth of the …

Episode 32 EP 32
Portland's One Year Dynasty

The Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton, win the 1977 NBA Championship against the Dr. J-led 76ers. Though it appeared a dynasty was …

Episode 33 EP 33
The First Lady

Pat Summitt, one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball, is profiled - spanning from her time as a player, to her role as Oly…

Episode 34 EP 34
Don't Call Me Buckwheat

Lenny Wilkens is the consummate underdog. Despite a childhood of poverty, racism and the untimely death of his father, Wilkens fought his w…

Episode 35 EP 35
Genius Gene

Magic Johnson, then a rookie, puts himself on the map leading the LA Lakers to the 1980 NBA title. Johnson's brilliant career serves as a j…

Episode 36 EP 36
Georgetown Culture: John Thompson's America

The creation of the Big East conference gave rise to the Georgetown Hoya teams under John Thompson. Led by Patrick Ewing, Georgetown showed…

Episode 37 EP 37
NBA: It's Fantastic

Former NBA commissioner David Stern is profiled, and the Stern era - considered to be the time in which the NBA's popularity exploded - is …

Episode 38 EP 38
Contempt: LA vs. Boston

Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA's greatest team rivalry included a tough coach named Pat Riley leading the Lakers to titles o…

Episode 39 EP 39
The First Lottery

A look at the first NBA Draft Lottery in 1984, made all the more interesting by the prize awaiting the first winner: Patrick Ewing. When Ew…

Episode 40 EP 40
Signature Moves: The Mind

A look at the strangest free throw shooting techniques in the sport's history, followed by a breakdown of the pick and roll, and the art of…

Episode 41 EP 41
Born to Coach

5-Star Camps, started in the late 1960s by Howard Garfinkel, became the place where top high school players and college coaches showcase th…

Episode 42 EP 42
Glasnost: The Walls Come Down

A look at how the game of basketball became international, starting with coach John McLendon and later a wave of stars. In light of the eme…

Episode 43 EP 43
Little Big Men

A great history of small players - from Bob Cousey to Becky Hammon, to Chris Paul, Spud Webb, and Muggsy Bogues.

Episode 44 EP 44
Air Jordan

Michael Jordan takes over the NBA: the building of a player, brand, and a pop culture icon.

Episode 45 EP 45
Magic

Magic Johnson becomes the most well-known person in the world to be diagnosed with HIV after announcing his retirement at the age of 32. Hi…

Episode 46 EP 46
College Coaches: The Changing of the Guard

The success stories of Jim Valvano at NC State, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Denny Crum at Louisville opened the door for other uniqu…

Episode 47 EP 47
Dream Team

After a disappointing performance at the 1988 Olympics, USA Basketball negotiates to get NBA players into the Olympic Games. The Dream Team…

Episode 48 EP 48
The Coach and the Killer: Phil Jackson and MJ

Phil Jackson brings outside-the-box thinking and tactics to his role as the coach of the Chicago Bulls. His blend of psychology and the tri…

Episode 49 EP 49
Pat Versus Geno

The rivalry between the University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut is magnified because of the tension between the schools' …

Episode 50 EP 50
The W

Following the impressive gold-medal showing from the 1996 USA Women's Basketball Olympic team, NBA commissioner David Stern launches the WN…

Episode 51 EP 51
The Spurs Way

Gregg Popovich and the Spurs embrace the globalization of basketball to create a dynasty in San Antonio. Pop's coaching roots are traced ba…

Episode 52 EP 52
NCAA: Pay or Play?

With the NCAA an ever-growing, billion-dollar industry, the debate continues about whether the players deserve to be compensated financiall…

Episode 53 EP 53
Triangle: Kobe, Shaq, and Phil

The Master takes on his next challenge: trading in MJ, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman for the glitz and glamour of LA and his next pair …

Episode 54 EP 54
Size Matters

A celebration of the greatest big men to play the game: from international players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki to …

Episode 55 EP 55
LeBron Enters

From his time as a high school prodigy in Akron, Ohio, to being selected first overall in 2003 by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron …

Episode 56 EP 56
The Decision

Seen as one of the most ill-conceived public relations events in sports history, LeBron James ends his first free agency by choosing his ne…

Episode 57 EP 57
America's Game

With stifling defense, the early 2000s Detroit Pistons become the model for how franchises can be dominant without a true superstar. Off th…

Episode 58 EP 58
Battles Royale

When LBJ took his talents to South Beach, some thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Miami Heat would easily walk away with a champ…

Episode 59 EP 59
Analytically Correct

The role of analytics in the contemporary game.

Episode 60 EP 60
Golden State Emerges

Selecting future superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green through the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors emerge as a dom…

Episode 61 EP 61
Basketball Hysteria

A celebration of both the fully immersive experience of modern basketball ‒ complete with daily games across the globe, social media intera…

Episode 62 EP 62
Basketball Pass

The ball, the common denominator, the object of a shared feeling is held, passed to and from, caressed, embraced, twirled, hugged, whispere…

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