Basketball: A Love Story
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.
Season 1 Episodes
EP 1
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…
EP 2
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…
EP 3
The 1997 incident where Latrell Sprewell choked his coach, PJ Carlesimo, sparks the conversation about the relationship between player and …
EP 4
The beginnings of basketball are traced from James Naismith to the expansion of the game across the country - leading to the development of…
EP 5
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…
EP 6
The Art of the Game and how some of the greatest mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Chris Paul, Wes Unseld, Diana Taurasi, Allen I…
EP 7
The NBA's first dynasty, the Boston Celtics, powered by Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. And an introduction to Wilt Chamberlain, a giant eve…
EP 8
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…
EP 9
How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", this time featuring Steph Curry, Bernard King and Hakeem Olajuwon.
EP 10
The American Basketball Association became one of the first upstart leagues to challenge the dominance of the NBA. A hilarious and nostalgi…
EP 11
One of the greatest rivalries in basketball - Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Russell and his Celtics continue to get the best of Cha…
EP 12
How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Lebron James, Walt Frazier and Dirk Nowitzki.
EP 13
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 …
EP 14
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…
EP 15
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…
EP 16
An introduction to the UCLA Bruins, arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of men's college basketball, and their coach John Wooden.
EP 17
Some of the game's greatest female players, including Cheryl Miller, Ann Myers, Nancy Lieberman, and Carol Blazejowski discuss their love o…
EP 18
There are endless stories of racism, but also humanity, in the early days of college basketball, including the era of Adolph Rupp at Kentuc…
EP 19
Explore the tumultuous years of the ABA, where the league did everything it could to compete with the NBA, with differing levels of success.
EP 20
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…
EP 21
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 …
EP 22
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 …
EP 23
Oscar Robertson joins forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jerry West teams up with Wilt Chamberlain on the Los Ange…
EP 24
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…
EP 25
The debate over eligibility and "one and done" started well before John Calipari and the University of Kentucky - Spencer Haywood was one o…
EP 26
After winning six national championships, the UCLA dynasty continued through the Bill Walton era. The Bruins dominated until they came up a…
EP 27
Bobby Knight, one of the most prolific and vilified coaches of all-time, led his Indiana program to glory.
EP 28
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.
EP 29
The league continues its intense ways during 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns, which culminated in a Celtics…
EP 30
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 …
EP 31
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 …
EP 32
The Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton, win the 1977 NBA Championship against the Dr. J-led 76ers. Though it appeared a dynasty was …
EP 33
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…
EP 34
Lenny Wilkens is the consummate underdog. Despite a childhood of poverty, racism and the untimely death of his father, Wilkens fought his w…
EP 35
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…
EP 36
The creation of the Big East conference gave rise to the Georgetown Hoya teams under John Thompson. Led by Patrick Ewing, Georgetown showed…
EP 37
Former NBA commissioner David Stern is profiled, and the Stern era - considered to be the time in which the NBA's popularity exploded - is …
EP 38
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…
EP 39
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…
EP 40
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…
EP 41
5-Star Camps, started in the late 1960s by Howard Garfinkel, became the place where top high school players and college coaches showcase th…
EP 42
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…
EP 43
A great history of small players - from Bob Cousey to Becky Hammon, to Chris Paul, Spud Webb, and Muggsy Bogues.
EP 44
Michael Jordan takes over the NBA: the building of a player, brand, and a pop culture icon.
EP 45
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…
EP 46
The success stories of Jim Valvano at NC State, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Denny Crum at Louisville opened the door for other uniqu…
EP 47
After a disappointing performance at the 1988 Olympics, USA Basketball negotiates to get NBA players into the Olympic Games. The Dream Team…
EP 48
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…
EP 49
The rivalry between the University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut is magnified because of the tension between the schools' …
EP 50
Following the impressive gold-medal showing from the 1996 USA Women's Basketball Olympic team, NBA commissioner David Stern launches the WN…
EP 51
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs embrace the globalization of basketball to create a dynasty in San Antonio. Pop's coaching roots are traced ba…
EP 52
With the NCAA an ever-growing, billion-dollar industry, the debate continues about whether the players deserve to be compensated financiall…
EP 53
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 …
EP 54
A celebration of the greatest big men to play the game: from international players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki to …
EP 55
From his time as a high school prodigy in Akron, Ohio, to being selected first overall in 2003 by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron …
EP 56
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…
EP 57
With stifling defense, the early 2000s Detroit Pistons become the model for how franchises can be dominant without a true superstar. Off th…
EP 58
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…
EP 59
The role of analytics in the contemporary game.
EP 60
Selecting future superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green through the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors emerge as a dom…
EP 61
A celebration of both the fully immersive experience of modern basketball ‒ complete with daily games across the globe, social media intera…
EP 62
The ball, the common denominator, the object of a shared feeling is held, passed to and from, caressed, embraced, twirled, hugged, whispere…