Basketball History 101

 The old NBL paved the way for the NBA in American professional basketball. The efforts of the older league should never be forgotten. The NBL started in 1937, while the NBA did not start until 1946. Today we take a look back at the history of the NBL. Four of their teams are still alive today on the NBA. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and...

In the mid 1940s, college basketball was dominated by George Mikan and Bob Kurland. They played at the same time at DePaul University and Oklahoma A&M University, respectively. During their three years they combined for three championships and three national player of the year awards. But once they left college, their careers went in different basketball directions.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head...

 In today's edition of The Lost Teams, we cover the Baltimore Bullets -- who were the 1951 NBA champions -- along with the Indianapolis Olympians and the Anderson Packers. These teams all came to the NBA different ways and all left in different ways. However, all three were able to give the league steady footing that later led to success as a league. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer,...

From the start of the NBA until the mid-1990s, there existed a role in professional basketball known as an enforcer. Before technical fouls and flagrant fouls, some teams would try to intentionally injure the opponent's star player since it only counted as a normal foul, so enforcers arose to protect those stars and punish anyone who tried to injure them. Then in the 1970s, the “One Punch” rule wa...

 Dennis Johnson was one of the most underrated players in the NBA. The man was a 9-time All-Defensive Player, a 5-time All-Star, and a starter on 3 NBA championship teams. What's unique is that he was neither a starter in high school nor recruited to any colleges. He was a classic late bloomer who grew six inches in height after he graduated high school and turned into a well-deserving Hall-of-Fa...

James Naismith invented the game in 1891. In doing so, he followed 5 basic principles for developing his idea. We go through those five principles today and show that they are still being used today in modern form.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa "Horizons" by R...

 Elgin Baylor retired in 1971 due to his diminishing skills. However, the timing could not be worse for Baylor. The day that he retired, the Lakers started their famous 33-game winning streak and went on to win the championship... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa   S...

In today’s episode we cover the Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and the Indianapolis Jets. All three teams only lasted a single season in the NBA. They were all dysfunctional and struggled for wins and fans, leading to their eventual demises...  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940's Slow Dance" by Doug Maxwe...

 Today, we conclude our story on Red Auerbach and his 16 champions, which is more than anyone else in NBA history. From his 8-year championship run on the 1960s to his rebuilding of championship teams in the 1970s and 1980s, we cover the conclusion of his time with the Celtics. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940...

 In Part 2 of our story, we share how Auerbach became the coach of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had never had a winning season in their history before hiring Auerbach. That changed quickly. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940's Slow Dance" by Doug Maxwell "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportsh...

 Red Auerbach is arguably the most influential coach in NBA history. He grew up in Brooklyn as the son of Jewish immigrants, and he was obsessed with basketball. It was the only thing that mattered to him. Join as we follow his story from his upbringing to his first job in the NBA with the Washington Capitols. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer,...

Dean Tolson, former Seattle SuperSonic, has an incredibly powerful story of being illiterate through his professional playing days before going back to earn his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as an adult. He now speaks to thousands of kids on the value of an education. Click here to purchase Tolson's book, Power Forward: My Journey from Illiterate NBA Player to a Magna Cum Laude Master's Degree!...

LeBron James just reached 40,000 regular-season career points. In order to commemorate this living moment in basketball history, Rick discusses the guys that first reached 10k, 20k, and 30k points, as well as what would be required in order for LeBron's record to ever be broken...  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "...

 In the early 1900s, basketball was at risk of branching off and developing into very different versions of the game all over the world. If it had not been for the early rules committee, who oversaw the game's development and ensured its safety, the game could have developed into different sports in different parts of the world. Because of their efforts, we have one game which allowed for it to b...

Danny Ainge was an incredible all-around athlete. He was only a 1x All-Star with the Celtics, but in high school he had scholarship offers for basketball, football, and baseball. He was the first high school player to be named an All-American in three different sports. He also played as a 2nd baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza:...

 In today’s episode we cover the Chicago Stags, the St. Louis Bombers, and the Cleveland Rebels. All three teams were original NBA teams that went out of business within the first four years of the league. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "1940's Slow Dance" by Doug Maxwell "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NE...

 Jerry West won the very first NBA Finals MVP award in 1969 despite having played for the losing team. Even today, over 50 years later, that is the only time that has ever happened... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Funky Retro Funk [Funk Music]" by MokkaMusic "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sports...

Today, we conclude our profile on Pete Newell, The man won an NCAA championship and the Olympics, and then later moved into the NBA. He was everywhere in coaching, and truly one of the geniuses of the game.  CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "60s and 70s Rock" by Hyde "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK s...

 Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell refined and popularized the full court press and weak side defensive help styles of defense in basketball. His ideas are still being used today at all levels of the game. He was one of those basketball geniuses who advanced the game by leaps and bounds. This is his story. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and pu...

 In the history of the NBA, there have been 15 teams who went out of business and had to fold their operations. In this episode, we cover three of those teams and what happened to them: the Washington Capitols, the Providence Steamrollers, and the Toronto Huskies. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Big Band" by SOUND...

 The 33-Game winning streak by the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers is the longest winning streak in North American team sports history, not just the NBA. This story involved a decades-old rivalry and the mid-season retirement of a legend, but it produced an unbroken record that has stood the test of time. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publishe...

 Back in 1967, the San Francisco Warriors sued Rick Barry because he tried to jump to the Oakland Oaks of the ABA. This sent shockwaves through both leagues. What was Barry going to do... stay with the Warriors, or go with the Oaks? Vote for BBH.101 in the Sports Podcast Awards here! CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC...

 Today we go back a revisit our very first episode on the invention of the game and the first game ever played. After trying several ideas, James Naismith had an epiphany that would make his game exciting and a huge hit. In this episode, we go back to December of 1891 for the second time on this show... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and pu...

 It was 1959 and the Minneapolis Lakers were in Charleston, West Virginia to play against the Cincinnati Royals. As the Lakers were checking into their hotel, Elgin Baylor, Boo Ellis, and Ed Fleming were denied rooms because of the color of their skin. Baylor took it personally and chose to sit out the game. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, a...

 Merry Christmas! In today's bonus episode, Rick shares the short story of when Wayne Embry showed up for his very first NBA game without his uniform... CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Christmas Village" by Aaron Kenny "Horizons" by Roa   SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.co...