Basketball History 101

 Back in the 1930s Ned Irish would out on college basketball double-headers in Madison Square Garden. These matchups pitted some of the best teams in the country against each other. This led to two outcomes. First, teams with radically different styles of play were scheduled in dream matchups for the fans. Second, it led to Irish making a small fortune that allowed him to be a key figure in the c...

 Magic Johnson’s greatest performance as an NBA player came in his rookie year, and in the most clutch moments against the Philadelphia 76ers. Not only did he have to fill in for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he scored 40 points in a closing Finals Game and took the Finals MVP trophy for himself. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher &nbs...

 Spencer Haywood was the first player to try to enter the NBA early. There was a rule at the time that a player could not enter the NBA until he was four years removed from high school, but Haywood was already playing in the ABA and wanted to jump to the NBA. In the end the U.S. Supreme Court had to decide the matter. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, p...

 The Oakland Oaks were able to make a huge splash by signing Rick Barry away from the San Francisco Warriors. The reason they were able to do this was because the guy that ran the Oaks was Barry’s father-in-law. The team would later become the Washington Capitols and then the Virginia Squires where they brought in Dr J. and George Gervin. It was a wild history. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researche...

 Michael Jordan once lost a game of 1-on-1 to a 45-year-old business man. And this was in 2003 just after Jordan played his final NBA All-Star Game. It was an incredible game that will live forever. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Rap Beat" by MaverickMyers Radio "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK spo...

 The NBA would be what it is if the early professional leagues had not proved that basketball was entertaining enough to sell tickets. These early leagues were the toddler phase of pro basketball development. Most of these leagues were each based in one city and the play style was closer to pro wrestling. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and...

 Lew Alcindor was one of the most hyped high school players of all time. He was nationally famous at the age of 15. If social media and ESPN existed back in his day he would have his highlights all over the place. Even Wilt Chamberlain predicted greatness for Alcindor. Of course, Alcindor is known today at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest players of all time. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head res...

 Today, we share the story of the New Orleans Buccaneers, who later moved to Memphis, and then Baltimore. In all they had six different names in just eight seasons of play. But they also had some great players come through the organization like Doug Moe, Larry Brown, and Steve “Snapper” Jones. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher &n...

The Buffalo Germans were the original powerhouse team in basketball history. They started out as 12- and 13-year-old German immigrants from a YMCA in Buffalo, New York. They later won the Olympic Tournament in 1904 as grown men. They were miles ahead of other teams. But things changed as the original players started to retire and were replaced by younger players.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head resear...

 Just about every basketball fan knows about the University of Michigan Fab Five. But nearly 50 years earlier, the University of Utah had their own Fab Five that won the 1944 NCAA Tournament. And Utah was last minute replacement when another school dropped out. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940's Slow Danc...

 Dave Stallworth of the New York Knicks suffered a heart attack during a game against the Warriors in 1967. His doctors forced him to retire immediately. However, after two years of working out and increasing his activity, his cardiologist cleared him to return to the Knicks in 1969. He was the first NBA player to return to his sport after a heart attack. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, wri...

 Today we share the story of the Pittsburgh Pipers who later became the Pittsburgh Condors. The team only lasted five seasons before going out of business, but they relocated twice, went through 8 head coaches, and 3 name changes. But they will always be the original ABA champions when they featured Connie Hawkins as their leading scorer. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Ja...

 Bobby Plump went on to have a full life after winning the 1954 Indiana State Championship. He played in the NIBL, then started a successful company, opened a restaurant, and won a seat to the Indiana State House of Representatives. He came to represent hope for the underdog. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Happy...

Bobby Plump is the real life player that was the basis for the character of Jimmy Chitwood in the movie “Hoosiers.” But his life far more than a single game winning shot. In part one of Plump’s story, we will go through the end of high school and the Milan Miracle.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Happy Days" by C...

When basketball was first invented, nobody thought about height being an advantage. Most coaches looked for players who were fast and athletic. It wasn’t until the 1930s that some coaches started looking for height. Today, the NBA has 70 players that are 7-feet tall or taller. We go through the history of how we got from pro players who averaged 5-foot-8 in height to today’s average of 6-foot-7 in...

 The Minnesota Muskies could not catch a break. After one year they relocated to Florida and became the Miami Floridians. No matter how hard they tried, they could not get people to come watch the games. In the end they only lasted five seasons before closing down. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Ja...

 The 1960 Olympic Basketball Team was selected using a tournament format where four NCAA teams, three adult amateur teams, and a military team competed in hopes of getting their players on the Olympic roster. The AAU was in charge of the selection process, but they saw their power diminish when the college players dominated the AAU players. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice...

Pete Newell was one of the greatest coaches of all time. In the summer of 1976, he took time to help Kermit Washington improve his low post skills. That became the start of his Big Man Camp that he ran for nearly 30 years. Every summer some of the greatest players in the NBA took time to learn from Pete Newell; players like Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Oakley, and Chr...

The ABA started in 1967, and one of the original teams was the Anaheim Amigos. They later changed their name to the Los Angeles Stars and then moved to become the Utah Stars. Unfortunately, they did not make it to the merger with the NBA, but we tell their story anyway...  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Disco Fun...

 In Indiana, high school basketball is the most popular sport -- and for good reason. In many rural towns, it is what brings a community together. Fans still talk about the Milan Miracle in 1954 when a rural team upset a big city school for the state championship. So when the state legislature decided to split the state up into four divisions, it was a huge deal to everyone in the state, and a co...

 In order to compete with the dominant NBA, the old ABA had to get creative with their contracts in order to attract players. To do this, the ABA promised their players massive amounts of money, more than even the NBA could offer. What most players did not understand is that they would not get most of that money until 20 years in the future... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voi...

 NBA refereeing was wild in the early days of the league. Each ref would develop his own styles and tendencies. Some were known to allow fighting, and others were friendly to the away team. There was a lot more flair to the job. Sometimes after games, the referees would even grab a drink with the players and coaches from both teams. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Lo...

 Today, we complete our series on the Lost Teams of the NBA. On this episode we cover the Sheboygan Redskins, the Waterloo Hawks, and the original Denver Nuggets. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940's Slow Dance" by Doug "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork...

 For our 200th regular episode, we are sharing the story of Kobe’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors. He was on fire that night, and for some weird reason the Raptors never double-teamed Kobe... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Flashing Lights" by MokkaMusic "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK s...

Bill Garrett is the only person to win an Indiana State High School basketball championship as both a player and a coach. He was also the first black player at Indiana University and the Big 10 Conference. He broke barriers for future players and was one of the best people around.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "...