Basketball History 101

Panic ensued in the locker room. Team USA was about to take the court for the Gold Medal Game of the 1984 Olympics, and Michael Jordan had just realized he had left his shoes at the hotel. It would take hours for anybody to drive through Los Angles traffic to retrieve his shoes, especially with a million extra people in town for the games... or would it? CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, write...

Nat Clifton was the first black player to sign an NBA contract in league history. He was a 28-year-old rookie, but he had already played five years of basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters and the New York Rens. This is the story of how he made history. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "" by "Horizons" by Roa &nb...

Nobody expected to see Spud Webb's name in the 1986 NBA Dunk Contest. He was only 5'6, the shortest player in NBA history at the time. But in the span of about 40 minutes, he became the most popular player in the league. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "80's Synthwave" by MokkaMusic & Synthetic Pleasures "Horiz...

 Most Larry Bird fans know that he played his college basketball at Indiana State University -- but few know that actually spent a few weeks at Indiana University under Coach Bob Knight. This is the story of how he ended up playing as a Hoosier, and why he left it behind. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Country In...

 In 1957, Bill Russell and Tommy Heinsohn were rookies together on the Boston Celtics. They were both excellent players, but it was obvious to everyone that Russell was the best rookie in the league. However, Heinsohn won the Rookie of the Year award, along with a check for $300. So, how did this happen? We answer that question in today’s episode. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and...

Despite the fact that the New York Knicks have existed for all 77 seasons of the NBA,  Red Holzman is their only coach to win a championship -- and he claimed two, one in 1970 and the other in 1973. He was a fierce point guard for the Rochester Royals in the early days of the league, before becoming one of the NBA’s greatest coaches. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob L...

 Billy Cunningham is on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, yet he is rarely talked about as one of the great players in league history. His leaping ability earned him his nickname, The Kangaroo Kid. A rebounding machine, he once averaged 13 rebounds per game while playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Here is his story. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, pro...

 Wilt Chamberlain was the NBA’s unstoppable force and Bill Russell was the immovable object. Something had to give when they played each other. In all, they played 143 games against each other. This is the story of their 10-year rivalry in the NBA. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "This or That" by Reks "Horizons" b...

 At one time Tom Gola was considered the greatest college player of all time. Not only is he the all-time NCAA leader in rebounds, but he also led LaSalle University to both NIT and NCAA championships -- winning MVP in both tournaments! Even 70 years since his graduation, he is still the only player to have accomplished this. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: E...

 Today, Rick interviews Dave Zarum, author of the basketball history book NBA 75: The Definitive History. He is a Toronto-based sports journalist specializing in the Toronto Raptors and the wider NBA, including the history of the league. Dave and Rick walk through a variety of impactful moments from the history of the NBA, sharing in their love of basketball history. Buy Dave's book here! CREDITS...

 Although it has since been taken over in size by the NCAA, the National Invitational Tournament was once the most prestigious collegiate basketball tournament in the nation. Created by the lack of a national championship, Ned Irish founded the NIT as a way of bringing some of the best teams in the nation to play against one another to determine a final victor. Today, the NIT has lost some of its...

In all ways, Paul Mokeski did not look the part of an NBA player. His body shape and appearance gave him the image more of an accountant than a professional athlete. All ways, that is, except for one: Mokeski was 7 feet tall. A rare trait in the 1980s, he stayed in the league for 12 seasons and averaged 4 points per game for his career. He was the quintessential journeyman, a representation all of...

Sonny Vaccaro changed the advertisement game forever when he paid college teams to wear Nike shoes, inventing the idea of endorsements in basketball, and for the upstart company's next big play, the bosses wanted to sign 20 NBA players to contracts for generic Nike shoes like Converse had done. Vaccaro, however, had an idea. A young player named Michael Jordan was just entering the league, and whi...

 Recently, we here at BBH.101 did a two-part episode on the great Bob Cousy, the role model for the modern point guard. Today, Rick sat down with Dana Auguster, the founder and host of Historically Speaking Sports , another podcast on the Sports History Network. Dana is a die-hard Celtics fan, and he and Rick had a conversation about the legendary Bostonian player who changed the game of basketba...

 Back in 1955, college coaches were tripping over each other to land the most prized high school player of the day -- Wilt Chamberlain. Schools offered him money, jobs, houses, cars, and anything else he wanted. Even NBA teams were getting involved and trying to guide Chamberlain to a school in the same city as their team because of the territorial pick. It was like a circus to recruit Chamberlai...

Today, we conclude our two-part story on Bob Cousy and his struggles to prove himself at the NBA level. By the time he retired, he was a 13-time All-Star, 8-time Assist Champion, the 1957 MVP, and is now a Hall-of-Famer. He proved all of the doubters wrong. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Happy Days" by Chuck Sims...

 Bob Cousy had to prove himself at every level of his basketball career. He barely made his high school team and did not play significant minutes until his senior year. The same thing happened in university at College of the Holy Cross. And when the NBA draft came around, he was still largely unwanted, only landing with the Celtics on accident. This is the story of an underdog. CREDITS Rick Loayz...

 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer in 1984 because of his famous Skyhook shot. Nicknamed the Unstoppable Shot, Kareem used it to incredible effectiveness. But since his career in the NBA, no one else has ever used that shot as their primary weapon, despite its utility. Why would no one adopt this proven weapon? Today, we answer that question. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head r...

 During the 1980s, the NBA expanded the All-Star Game into a full-blown All-Star Weekend. Saturday night now held a host of new events, one of which was an Old Timer’s Game formally known as the NBA Schick Legends Classic. As much fun as it was to watch these retired greats battle it out on the court again, players suffered serious injuries every single year, forcing the NBA to rethink the future...

 On two different occasions, the NBA decided to widen the lane to specifically limit the effectiveness of George Mikan and then again for Wilt Chamberlain. The very fact that their talents needed rule-changes shows just how good these two players were. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Happy Days" by Chuck Sims "Hor...

As of February 7, 2023,  LeBron James is the NBA’s new scoring king, taking the long-standing record from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In this special edition of BBH.101, Rick goes back in time and takes a look at every player who has held the title in NBA history. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Horizons" by Roa   S...

 Fly Williams had the level of talent to become an NBA All-Star, but found himself floundering unexpectedly due to his poor decisions. After pulling his name from the NBA draft, he earned a spot in the ABA, but was cut after only one season because of his ballhogging tendencies and how difficult he was to work with. He later spent two seasons in the much smaller Eastern Basketball Association, bu...

By all accounts, James “Fly” Williams was one of the best streetball players in New York. Even when in middle school, he was holding his own against grown men on the playground. Unfortunately, a long series of bad luck and bad decisions started to affect his focus, and -- though talented -- he was a difficult player in college. Join us next week for part two of the Fly Williams story.  CREDITS Ri...

 In the history of the NBA, there have been 40 players who doubled as the team's coach, including Bill Russell, Dolph Schayes, and Lenny Wilkins. But in 1984, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed between the players and owners, and the position was no longer allowed. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "Hor...

 Have you ever wondered what it takes to start a brand new NBA team from scratch? Today, Rick shares the story of the founding of the Chicago Bulls in 1965. What they did back then is still a solid blueprint for what new teams are required of today. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher   MUSIC "50's Music" by Dar Golan "Horizon...