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Episode 297 - What Position Should Magic Johnson Play?
Back in 1979, Magic Johnson defied basketball convention. Analysts at the time could not figure out which position he would play when coming to the NBA. Would he play point guard? His dribble wasn’t…
Episode 296 - A Cinderella Story: Villanova 1985
In 1985, Villanova University did the improbable. As the 8th seed, they toppled the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas, led by the player of the year, Patrick Ewing. They are still the lowest seeded…
Episode 295 - Johnny Beckman: The Original GOAT
Johnny Beckman was one of the greatest players of the 1920s and 1930s. In fact, at the time he was considered the greatest player of all time and that is rarified air. Only a very few players ever…
Episode 294 - The NBA is 8 Teams Again
What if the modern NBA went back to just 8 teams like they had in the 1960s? Only 16% of the current players would still have a roster spot in a reduced league. Everyone else would have to play in…
Episode 293 - Oscar Schmidt
For decades Oscar Schmidt was the greatest scorer in basketball history, amassing over 49,000 points for club and country. He played for 29 years at the professional level. For many years he was…
Episode 292 - Charles "Tarzan" Cooper
Charles “Tarzan” Cooper was the best center of the 1930s. He was only 6'3, but a hundred years ago that meant you were a big man. He played the center position like few others and scored almost at…
Episode 291 - Team USA vs. the NBA All-Stars
The 1984 Olympic Team played eight exhibition games against a team of NBA All-Stars to prepare for the LA Olympics. The Olympic team, made up of college amateurs, won all eight games. The NBA…
Episode 290 - The Reign Man
Shawn Kemp should be in the Hall of Fame, if only his prime years could have lasted longer. He was unstoppable in the open court, but weight issues derailed his career when he should have been at his…
Episode 289 - How Julius Became "The Doctor"
Julius Erving is better known as Dr. J, or just The Doctor. But where did that nickname come from? We answer that in today’s episode.CREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voiceJacob…
Episode 288 - Connie Hawkins: An Interview with Bo Belanger
Connie Hawkins has a fascinating story of initially being banned by the NBA and later suing the league to be allowed to play. And it all started with a simple loan he took from gambler, Jack Molinas.…
Episode 287 - David Robinson's High School Years
David Robinson was an incredibly gifted student who had walked away from basketball at the age of 13 to focus on his studies and playing the saxophone. However, three years later the basketball coach…
Episode 286 - Mike D'Antoni's Italian Adventure
Mike D’Antoni grew up in West Virginia with a dream of someday playing in the NBA. He achieved his dream by playing with the Kings. But he was out of the NBA in only three years. Then he had a chance…
Episode 285 - Magic Johnson to the Kings
In 1978 Magic Johnson nearly left college early to go to the NBA. The Kansas City Kings were ready to take him with the 2nd pick in the draft. So what led to him waiting until 1979 before leaving for…
Episode 284 - Max Zaslofsky
Max Zaslofsky led the NBA in scoring during the second season of the league in 1947-48. He put the Chicago Stags on the basketball map. Later he led the Knicks to three straight NBA Finals. He was…
Episode 283 - Thump & Bump
Thump & Bump was one of the most obscure duos of NBA basketball. It was a short lived era for the Philadelphia 76ers featuring Charles Barkley and Rick Mahorn. They never came close to a title,…
Episode 282 - The Rebound
Prior to 1950 the NBA did not even keep records of rebounds. Why was it not considered worthy of tracking? Why was the rebound under appreciated? We try to answer that question in this…
Episode 281 - Learning the Skyhook
The Sky Hook is arguably the most famous shot in NBA history. But how did Kareem Abdul-Jabber learn it in the first place? That is our story for today.CREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer,…
Episode 280 - The NBA Territorial Pick
From 1949 until 1965, the NBA employed the concept of the Territorial Draft Pick, which allowed team to automatically take a player that played their university basketball within 50 miles of the NBA…
Episode 279 - The First Game REDUX || Ep. 177 Re-Air
For this Christmas week episode, we're re-airing Episode 177 from January 2, 2024. We had done a redux of our very first episode, telling the story of basketball's first game, and if you missed it…
Episode 278 - The Very First Pro Game
Basketball’s first professional game was played in New Jersey in 1896, just five years after the game was invented. That is an incredibly short window. And the fouls were rough.CREDITSRick Loayza:…
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Basketball History 101 has published 300 episodes since September 2020, covering topics in Basketball, History.
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