Basketball: A Love Story

Episode 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 driveway, and how basketball provided a refuge from the realities of life.

Episode 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 motivate, teach and get the best from their players.

Episode 3 · The Choke

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

Episode 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 college leagues.

Episode 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 first superstars of the sport: George Mikan and Bob Cousy.

Episode 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 Iverson and Earl Monroe.

Episode 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 even in a sport of big men, during his time at University of Kansas.

Episode 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 face a difficult choice to play or not to play when a boycott by prominent Black athletes is implemented.

Episode 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 · 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 nostalgic look at some of the tactics used by early executives and players to gain attention.

Episode 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 Chamberlain's teams, including in the iconic 1965 Eastern Conference Finals.

Episode 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 · 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 with the USSR, in one of the most controversial finishes in Olympic history.

Episode 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 tragedy grew a bond between he and teammate Jack Twyman.

Episode 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 shaving scandal during his freshman year at University of Iowa.

Episode 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 · Tomboys

Some of the game's greatest female players, including Cheryl Miller, Ann Myers, Nancy Lieberman, and Carol Blazejowski discuss their love of the game and challenges they faced as pioneers of the women's game.

Episode 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 Kentucky, the integration of the college game at Texas Western, and the strength of Charlie Scott.

Episode 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 · 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 Houston. The Houston upset is seen as paving the way for college basketball to be widely televised.

Episode 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 consecutive NCAA Titles from 1972-1974 and played in the first ever televised NCAA Women's CBB.

Episode 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 joy, or relief?

Episode 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 Angeles Lakers. Two of the greatest pairs ever to play together, but even with each victory, their past will haunt them.

Episode 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 that trend, but their popularity stemmed from their play on the court.

Episode 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 of the first to challenge the rules.

Episode 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 against David Thompson and his NC State team, who finally knocked them off and claimed a title of their own.

Episode 27 · General Knight

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

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

The league continues its intense ways during 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns, which culminated in a Celtics championship and produced a triple-overtime Game 5, which is considered by some to be the greatest NBA game ever.

Episode 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 fractions of a point in scoring average entering the last game of the season, and both put on a show.

Episode 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 greatest individual rivalry in the sport's history could keep it afloat: Magic Johnson v Larry Bird.

Episode 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 being born, continuous injuries to Walton in the subsequent years derailed the team's chances.

Episode 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 Olympic head coach, to the dynasty she built at the University of Tennessee.

Episode 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 way to the top of professional basketball, eventually coaching the Seattle Supersonics to their first and only title.

Episode 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 jumping off point to discuss whether basketball genius is born or made.

Episode 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 its dominance on the court. Off the court, their importance to the Black community is explored.

Episode 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 explored. One thing that helped: the star-studded "NBA: It's Fantastic" advertisement campaign.

Episode 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 over the Celtics. A look into the rivalry that was fierce on the court and acrimonious off it.

Episode 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 Ewing went to the New York Knicks, rampant conspiracy theories began to emerge.

Episode 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 flopping.