Overview
'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.
Created by: Dan Klores
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Episodes - Season 1
Episode 1: Love of the Game
Sep 18, 2018
The best in the game share why they love basketball, and speak about the players they grew up emulating, late nights practicing in the driveway, and h...
Episode 2: The Teachers
Sep 18, 2018
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 motivate, teach an...
Episode 3: The Choke
Sep 18, 2018
The 1997 incident where Latrell Sprewell choked his coach, PJ Carlesimo, sparks the conversation about the relationship between player and coach.
Episode 4: Origins
Sep 18, 2018
The beginnings of basketball are traced from James Naismith to the expansion of the game across the country - leading to the development of college le...
Episode 5: Scandal
Sep 18, 2018
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 first supers...
Episode 6: Signature Moves: The Feel
Sep 18, 2018
The Art of the Game and how some of the greatest mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Chris Paul, Wes Unseld, Diana Taurasi, Allen Iv...
Episode 7: The Spring of '57
Sep 18, 2018
The NBA's first dynasty, the Boston Celtics, powered by Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. And an introduction to Wilt Chamberlain, a giant even in a...
Episode 8: Patriots to Protest
Sep 18, 2018
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 face a dif...
Episode 9: Signature Moves: The Touch
Sep 18, 2018
How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", this time featuring Steph Curry, Bernard King and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Episode 10: ABA: The Red, White, and Blue
Sep 18, 2018
The American Basketball Association became one of the first upstart leagues to challenge the dominance of the NBA. A hilarious and nostalgic look at s...
Episode 11: The Dipper and the Winner
Sep 18, 2018
One of the greatest rivalries in basketball - Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Russell and his Celtics continue to get the best of Chamberlain�...
Episode 12: Signature Moves: Discipline
Sep 18, 2018
How some of the greatest in the game mastered their "Signature Moves", featuring Lebron James, Walt Frazier and Dirk Nowitzki.
Episode 13: Mayhem in Munich
Sep 18, 2018
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 with the US...
Episode 14: Brotherly Love
Sep 18, 2018
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 tragedy grew a ...
Episode 15: The Witch Hunt
Sep 18, 2018
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 shaving scand...
Episode 16: Birth of the Bruins
Sep 18, 2018
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: Tomboys
Sep 18, 2018
Some of the game's greatest female players, including Cheryl Miller, Ann Myers, Nancy Lieberman, and Carol Blazejowski discuss their love of the ...
Episode 18: Rupp's Reckoning
Sep 18, 2018
There are endless stories of racism, but also humanity, in the early days of college basketball, including the era of Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, the int...
Episode 19: Renegades
Sep 18, 2018
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: The Eighth Wonder of the World
Sep 18, 2018
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 Houst...
Episode 21: Title IX: Immaculata
Sep 18, 2018
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 consec...
Episode 22: Joy or Relief?
Sep 18, 2018
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 joy, o...
Episode 23: Oscar and the West: Bittersweet Victories
Sep 18, 2018
Oscar Robertson joins forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jerry West teams up with Wilt Chamberlain on the Los Angeles Lakers....
Episode 24: Self Expression
Sep 18, 2018
Walt "Clyde" Frazier was one of the first to become a cultural icon off the court. Players like Pete Maravich and Calvin Murphy continued th...
Episode 25: One and Done
Sep 18, 2018
The debate over eligibility and "one and done" started well before John Calipari and the University of Kentucky - Spencer Haywood was one of...
Episode 26: David vs Goliath
Sep 18, 2018
After winning six national championships, the UCLA dynasty continued through the Bill Walton era. The Bruins dominated until they came up against Davi...
Episode 27: General Knight
Sep 18, 2018
Bobby Knight, one of the most prolific and vilified coaches of all-time, led his Indiana program to glory.
Episode 28: Deal of the Century
Sep 18, 2018
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: Wild Days: Upsets, Brawls, and No-Calls
Sep 18, 2018
The league continues its intense ways during 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns, which culminated in a Celtics championsh...
Episode 30: Do or Die
Sep 18, 2018
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 fracti...
Episode 31: Tailspin
Sep 18, 2018
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 g...
Episode 32: Portland's One Year Dynasty
Sep 18, 2018
The Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton, win the 1977 NBA Championship against the Dr. J-led 76ers. Though it appeared a dynasty was being born,...
Episode 33: The First Lady
Sep 18, 2018
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 Olympic head c...
Episode 34: Don't Call Me Buckwheat
Sep 18, 2018
Lenny Wilkens is the consummate underdog. Despite a childhood of poverty, racism and the untimely death of his father, Wilkens fought his way to the t...
Episode 35: Genius Gene
Sep 18, 2018
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 jumping...
Episode 36: Georgetown Culture: John Thompson's America
Sep 18, 2018
The creation of the Big East conference gave rise to the Georgetown Hoya teams under John Thompson. Led by Patrick Ewing, Georgetown showed its domina...
Episode 37: NBA: It's Fantastic
Sep 18, 2018
Former NBA commissioner David Stern is profiled, and the Stern era - considered to be the time in which the NBA's popularity exploded - is explor...
Episode 38: Contempt: LA vs. Boston
Sep 18, 2018
Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA's greatest team rivalry included a tough coach named Pat Riley leading the Lakers to titles over th...
Episode 39: The First Lottery
Sep 18, 2018
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 Ewing went to...
Episode 40: Signature Moves: The Mind
Sep 18, 2018
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 flopp...
Episode 41: Born to Coach
Sep 18, 2018
5-Star Camps, started in the late 1960s by Howard Garfinkel, became the place where top high school players and college coaches showcase their talents...
Episode 42: Glasnost: The Walls Come Down
Sep 18, 2018
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 emerging inter...
Episode 43: Little Big Men
Sep 18, 2018
A great history of small players - from Bob Cousey to Becky Hammon, to Chris Paul, Spud Webb, and Muggsy Bogues.
Episode 44: Air Jordan
Sep 18, 2018
Michael Jordan takes over the NBA: the building of a player, brand, and a pop culture icon.
Episode 45: Magic
Sep 18, 2018
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. His announcem...
Episode 46: College Coaches: The Changing of the Guard
Sep 18, 2018
The success stories of Jim Valvano at NC State, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Denny Crum at Louisville opened the door for other unique styles of...
Episode 47: Dream Team
Sep 18, 2018
After a disappointing performance at the 1988 Olympics, USA Basketball negotiates to get NBA players into the Olympic Games. The Dream Team went on to...
Episode 48: The Coach and the Killer: Phil Jackson and MJ
Sep 18, 2018
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 triangle offen...
Episode 49: Pat Versus Geno
Sep 18, 2018
The rivalry between the University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut is magnified because of the tension between the schools' head c...
Episode 50: The W
Sep 18, 2018
Following the impressive gold-medal showing from the 1996 USA Women's Basketball Olympic team, NBA commissioner David Stern launches the WNBA in ...
Episode 51: The Spurs Way
Sep 18, 2018
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs embrace the globalization of basketball to create a dynasty in San Antonio. Pop's coaching roots are traced back to ...
Episode 52: NCAA: Pay or Play?
Sep 18, 2018
With the NCAA an ever-growing, billion-dollar industry, the debate continues about whether the players deserve to be compensated financially for their...
Episode 53: Triangle: Kobe, Shaq, and Phil
Sep 18, 2018
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 of supersta...
Episode 54: Size Matters
Sep 18, 2018
A celebration of the greatest big men to play the game: from international players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki to the United ...
Episode 55: LeBron Enters
Sep 18, 2018
From his time as a high school prodigy in Akron, Ohio, to being selected first overall in 2003 by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James seeme...
Episode 56: The Decision
Sep 18, 2018
Seen as one of the most ill-conceived public relations events in sports history, LeBron James ends his first free agency by choosing his new team live...
Episode 57: America's Game
Sep 18, 2018
With stifling defense, the early 2000s Detroit Pistons become the model for how franchises can be dominant without a true superstar. Off the strength ...
Episode 58: Battles Royale
Sep 18, 2018
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 championship. &q...
Episode 59: Analytically Correct
Sep 18, 2018
The role of analytics in the contemporary game.
Episode 60: Golden State Emerges
Sep 18, 2018
Selecting future superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green through the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors emerge as a dominant force...
Episode 61: Basketball Hysteria
Sep 18, 2018
A celebration of both the fully immersive experience of modern basketball β complete with daily games across the globe, social media interaction, an...
Episode 62: Basketball Pass
Sep 18, 2018
The ball, the common denominator, the object of a shared feeling is held, passed to and from, caressed, embraced, twirled, hugged, whispered to, and e...
