NBA History Conversations: Basketball Record

Jeff Sanders is the first of numerous former players - that I had the pleasure of meeting in Chicago (All-Star Weekend 2020) - to guest on the podcast. Sanders was one of the Chicago Bulls' three first-round picks in the 1989 NBA Draft. The other two? Stacey King and B.J. Armstrong. Jeff shares fond memories of his time running with Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Jeff is a member of Georgia So...

Andrew Bernstein and Nathaniel Butler - Senior NBA Photographers - detail iconic photos from their respective careers behind the lens. This is the audio of our Zoom recording from May, 2020. Watch the video of our conversation on YouTube - including each of the iconic photos that Andy and Nat discuss herein. We cover Michael Jordan’s final shot – and the moments thereafter – from the 1998 Finals,...

Detlef Schrempf was a large part of the first wave of European-born players to make their mark in the NBA. He is a three-time NBA All-Star, back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year and two-time Olympian. We discuss his formative years in Germany and the foreign-exchange program that would change his life forever. We cover his standout tenure at the University of Washington, the ups-and-downs of his earl...

Legendary sportswriter, Jack McCallum, discusses a wide range of hoops-related topics. We begin with his eight-part podcast series, The Dream Team Tapes . We cover its origin story and Jack's original (Dream Team) audio recordings with superstars such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Jack shares great insights from his books - Golden Days (the remarkable through line between J...

My guest is long-time Birmingham Barons Radio Broadcaster, Curt Bloom. This is a special episode as it’s the first devoted purely to Michael Jordan’s baseball career. This conversation was recorded after episode eight of the The Last Dance had aired. Curt talks about first hearing the news that MJ could be headed to Alabama, how Jordan adjusted to life as a Minor League player, his interactions –...

My special guest is three-time NBA Champion of the Chicago Bulls, Bill Wennington. Bill was the first guest to appear on my podcast way back in 2012. A big thanks to another great friend of the show, Steve Kashul, for helping me reconnect with Bill. This conversation was recorded after episode four of the The Last Dance aired. We discuss numerous topics including the Bulls’ preseason trip to Franc...

Regular co-host, Aaron , joins me to recap episode three of The Last Dance docuseries. Send Adam a text message or voicemail. Support the show Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast Follow: Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook Adam's free Substack / newsletter | Buy Adam a coffee

Marc Grossman - the Bulls' Head Statistician since 1977 - discusses the creative ways that Chicago's stats team maximized Michael Jordan’s playing time in 1986, when MJ had a (so-called) "seven-minute per half" restriction as he recovered from a broken foot. Steve Kashul - Anchor and Host of Bulls Basketball on SportsChannel and Fox Sports Net Chicago (1991-97) / Bulls Radio Ho...

We're back. Aaron joins me to recap episode two of The Last Dance docuseries. Check out my podcast feed - I've now released the first in a series of The Last Dance bonus shows, with two great guests who can personally relate to series: Marc Grossman - Head Statistician of the Bulls since 1977 (still working for the franchise today). Steve Kashul – for most of the 1990s, Anchor and Host o...

It's here. Aaron joins me to recap episode one of ESPN's 10-part documentary series, The Last Dance. Its focus is Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 season. After the recap, I'm joined by 1998 NBA Champion, Scott Burrell . In episode one, Scott features in a memorable exchange with teammates Ron Harper and Michael Jordan at the 1997 McDonald’s Open in France. We cover that,...

Let's welcome Nate Bellamy Jr. and Nigel Miguel back to the show. They joined me on episode 75 to discuss Space Jam’s 20th anniversary. Prior to that, Nigel was my guest for episode 68. I encourage you to check out those great episodes, too. Today, we’re chatting about ESPN's highly anticipated, 10-part documentary series, The Last Dance. Its focus is Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls...

Pueblo High School legend, Arizona State University Hall of Famer and two-time NBA All-Star, Lafayette 'Fat' Lever. Fat discusses his storied career and offers plenty of great insight into his fantastic on-court exploits. Near the end of the conversation, I mention Chicago, as it pertains to 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend (Feb 15-16). There’s a strong possibility that I’ll have an opportunity...

Syracuse University great and 18-year NBA veteran, Danny Schayes. The longest-tenured Syracuse University player in NBA history, Danny Schayes, reminisces about his unique life in basketball. His father, Dolph Schayes (RIP), was one of the NBA's pioneering stars. Dolph, a 12-time All-Star and 1955 NBA Champion (Syracuse Nationals), was the NBA's all-time leading scorer (19,249 points) wh...

High school star, Kansas University standout and 12-year NBA veteran, Paul Mokeski. Milwaukee Bucks’ cult hero, Paul Mokeski, discusses his life in basketball. As a youngster – whilst not always comfortable in his surroundings – Paul found his calling in basketball. A burgeoning star at Encino’s Crespi Carmelite High School, he was recruited by countless colleges – some went to extremes to land hi...

High school great, University of Texas at San Antonio star, NBA player and European standout, Derrick Gervin. Derrick Gervin is a Detroit native. He starred at Martin Luther King High School in his home state of Michigan. Twice, he was named to Detroit's All-Public School League first team. Following high school, Gervin moved cross country to play at a college where his jersey is one of just...

Remembering Michael Jordan's iconic 1989 moment. This episode covers: - Jordan's heroics in Round 1 of the 1989 NBA Playoffs Behind the Game. The inside story - from MJ's defender, Craig Ehlo - on the moments that culminated with Michael Jordan's amazing, series-clinching jump shot to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers. People mentioned include Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, Ron Harp...

Adam and Aaron dissect Michael Jordan’s comeback game at Indiana - March 19th, 1995 - the Pacers hosted the visiting Bulls, at Market Square Arena. We discuss the circumstances behind Jordan's return, uncover great tidbits that preceded this much-hyped match-up and of course, offer an in-depth recap of the game itself. We chat about Michael's post-game presser, too. In the podcast archiv...

Michael Jordan isn't immune to hi-jinks. This episode covers: - Jordan's role in a few (1980s) April Fools' Day pranks Behind the Game. Learn of three instances where Michael Jordan was involved in April Fools' Day stunts. We begin with Laney High School (1981), then move to the University of North Carolina (1982) and conclude with the Chicago Bulls (1987) of the NBA. People me...

NBA Creative Director (former), Gameplan Creative CEO and Sports Design Trendsetter, Tom O'Grady. During the 1980s, Tom worked as an ad agency art director on the McDonald’s business. Simultaneously, McDonald’s began to devote resources to sports marketing. This was the perfect opportunity for Tom – he combined his love of sports with his passion for design. He met and worked with Michael Jor...

Adam & Aaron celebrate the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan's fourth season in the National Basketball Association. This episode covers: - December 5 through December 18, 1987 - Insightful minutiae, all but lost to the annals of basketball history Notable: - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s streak of 787 straight double-figure scoring games ends - Larry Jordan (Michael’s brother) drafted by the IB...

Brothers, Sean and Brad Malone, are co-directors and producers of Wild About ’88 – The Rise of Arizona Basketball. In 1988, Sean and Brad caught basketball fever. As fate would have it, the Arizona Wildcats were firing on all cylinders, advancing to the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Tucson loved their Wildcats and the city relished in its team’s dominant 35-3 season. Arizona’s roster fea...

NCAA great, 12-year NBA veteran and 1988 All-Star, Xavier McDaniel. The X-Man joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion about his life in basketball. Few players in NBA history were as physical as McDaniel. However, there's much more to Xavier's bow than simply being an enforcer. He was the first-ever player (1985) to lead the NCAA [Division I] in scoring and rebounding in the same se...

Indiana Pacers staffer (Media Relations / Publications: 1991-2007), MaryKay Hruskocy. Though a native of Whiting, IN, MaryKay grew up a fan of Chicago sports. As the Bulls were celebrating their 1991 NBA Championship at Grant Park, MaryKay was driving to Indianapolis to commence her career in media relations for the Indiana Pacers. Our conversation covers behind-the-scenes memories from MaryKay’s...

Washington Mystics Head Coach and General Manager, Mike Thibault. Our wide-ranging conversation examines a multitude of great topics. Thibault's (pronounced Tee-bo) coaching career began in the 1970s. Before the decade ended, he was scouting for the L.A. Lakers and contributed to the team’s 1980 and 1982 NBA championships. We discuss Mike's move to Chicago, where he was an assistant coac...

My friend, Mike Fraler , host of Forgotten Maverick (now Mavs Archives ) invited me on his show. We discuss how our podcasts came to be and reminisce about our love of NBA history. I also discuss my 1994 and 1995 trips to the USA, and how luck wasn’t on my side – both times I visited the States, Michael Jordan was in the midst of his first retirement. Fancy some NBA trivia? Listen in and test your...