We wrap our story on Jerry West by reviewing his time as an NBA executive. He was arguably a better executive than he was a player, and was already one of the greatest players of all time. As an executive alone he went to the NBA Finals 14 times. That is some true excellence. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "50s Noir Jazz" by TaleKeeper Studios "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshisto...
Jul 22, 2025•17 min•Ep. 258
Jerry West played in the NBA Finals 9 times and won the championship only once. It was a career that frustrated him to the point that he threatened to retire several times CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "50s Noir Jazz" by Talekeeper Studios "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-10380158149...
Jul 15, 2025•17 min•Ep. 257
The life of Jerry West is one of triumph and torment. He is one of the greatest players of all time, but also quite tormented by demons from his childhood. In this first part we take a look at his upbringing. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "" by "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801...
Jul 08, 2025•14 min•Ep. 256
The job that Chuck Daly did with the Dream Team is nothing short of a masterclass in basketball coaching. How do you take a team full of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers and get them to form a real team with role players and pecking order? CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Rap Beat" by MaverickMyers "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-10...
Jul 01, 2025•17 min•Ep. 255
In today’s NBA, the level of scouting is incredible. Every team keeps a complete file on every other NBA player and every significant university and overseas player. But where did all of this scouting come from? It came from the mind of Bill Bertka, the first full time scout in the NBA. He was hired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968 and he still works for the Lakers today at the age of 97. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC...
Jun 24, 2025•17 min•Ep. 254
NDN All-Stars is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . EPISODE SUMMARY Welcome to the NDN All-Stars podcast! Join me, Bill Black, as we celebrate the many great Native American athletes who have made an impact in their sports! -------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT NDN ALL-STARS If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a...
Jun 22, 2025•4 min
Michael Jordan was famously cut from the varsity team when he was in high school. However, we rarely hear the full story. This is the full story of why he was cut and it made a lot of sense. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Take Care" by Julian Avila "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-10...
Jun 17, 2025•18 min•Ep. 253
Clair Bee is one of the greatest coaches in basketball history. But, he is rarely included in the conversation. He won 82% of his games as a college coach. He also contributed three new ideas that are still used today throughout basketball. And he wrote 24 novels for young readers. He might be the largest contributor to basketball outside of Naismith himself. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Happy Days" by Chuck Sims "Ho...
Jun 10, 2025•17 min•Ep. 252
The 2008 Boston Celtics were built in one summer and then won the championship. This is the story of the two trades that the Celtics made in the summer of 2007 to bring in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Broken" by AJ PRO "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-1...
Jun 03, 2025•20 min•Ep. 251
Today, Rick finishes his interview with Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and professor of Jewish-American history, as well as the author of recent title The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession. Here in the second part of this two-part interview, Rick and Zev dive into the qualities that define greatness for us, and how that impacts who we actually view as being the greatest. Buy Dr. Eleff's book here! CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jac...
May 27, 2025•26 min•Ep. 250
Today, Rick hosts an interview with Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and professor of Jewish-American history, as well as the author of recent title The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession. Here in the first part of this two-part interview, Rick and Zev dive into what qualifies something to be considered the greatest, how that applies to a discussion of basketball players, and the uniqueness this category seems to be to the United States. Buy Dr. Eleff's book ...
May 20, 2025•27 min•Ep. 249
Damon Bailey was probably the most hyped 13-year-old basketball player ever. In rural Indiana people were already predicting that Bailey would dominate the NBA someday. He even made the cover of Sports Illustrated. But he never played a single NBA game. Bailey is one of thousands of players who showed NBA potential, but did not make it. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Take Care" by Julian Avila "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS ...
May 13, 2025•20 min•Ep. 248
Only two players can say that they played for both the best team in NBA history and the worst team in NBA history. Leroy Ellis and John Trapp were those two players. They played for both the 1972 LA Lakers (69-13) and the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73). This is their story. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com...
May 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 247
The story of Len Bias is a modern tragedy. Coming from the University of Maryland, Bias was a player that had the potential to be another Jordan, or even better than Jordan. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead just 36 hours after being drafted #2 by the Boston Celtics. This is the story of that tragedy. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Take Care" by Julian Avila "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynet...
Apr 29, 2025•19 min•Ep. 246
Digits Dynasty is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . HIGHLIGHTED SHOW - DIGITS DYNASTY “Digits Dynasty” is an engaging podcast where we debate the greatest athletes to don each uniform number in sports history. Each episode focuses on a specific number, featuring passionate discussions, stats, and anecdotes across all of sports history, that highlight the legends who wore it. From iconic moments to personal stories, we break down the impact these athlet...
Apr 24, 2025•4 min
Immaculata College won the first three women’s national championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974. It was a tiny school with only 500 students and they did it with virtually no budget. They did not even have their own gym. They had to play their home games at a local high school. This is the story of those three championships. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK...
Apr 22, 2025•20 min•Ep. 245
Earvin Johnson was only 15 years old when a local sportswriter started calling him Magic. The name caught on quickly and soon everyone was referring to this young basketball phenom as Magic. This is that story. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basket...
Apr 15, 2025•19 min•Ep. 244
Sam Bowie was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1984 while Michael Jordan still available. Bowie then suffered a series of significant leg injuries who severely limited his playing time and overall production. He gets a bad rap for being taken ahead of Jordan, but we take a fresh look at his story and realize it was not such a bad idea, at the time. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Take Care" by Julian Avila "Hori...
Apr 08, 2025•21 min•Ep. 243
Yao Ming’s journey to the NBA was filled with roadblocks and other problems. We share how Yao overcame legal and political hurdles to reach the Houston Rockets and the NBA. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Ancient China by Mostakim Harun" by "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-10380158149...
Apr 01, 2025•23 min•Ep. 242
GP Soccer Podcast is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . HIGHLIGHTED SHOW Giovanni Pacini is a noted expert in the game with significant expertise in the areas of player and coach development. He is a United Soccer Coaches Master Coach, member of its National Staff, and National Goalkeeper Staff. He is a USYS East Region Staff Coach and is the GK Coach at Regis College (MA). Learn more about the show on the Sports History Network. Mentioned in this episo...
Mar 30, 2025•3 min
The two most entertaining players of the 1970s were Pistol Pete Maravich and Dr. J. For about a week they were teammates on the Atlanta Hawks. In this episode we cover how this pairing happened and how it quickly fell apart. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.faceb...
Mar 25, 2025•16 min•Ep. 241
When it comes to team chemistry, the 1989 Detroit Pistons epitomized the concept of a complete team. They had the perfect balance of offense, defense, team leadership, and commitment to winning above individual statistics. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Rock You" by RockSounds "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook....
Mar 18, 2025•17 min•Ep. 240
What is the perfect body type for an NBA player? You might be thinking really tall, right? Well, that is part of it. In this episode we will look at wing span, long legs, and narrow hips as physical patterns that we see all over the NBA and have a direct impact on performance. 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 sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynet...
Mar 11, 2025•18 min•Ep. 239
Why does the NBA have a draft in the first place? And which draft class was the best and worst? We will answer those questions in today’s episode. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/ BUSINESS CONTACT bballhistory101@gmail.com Mentioned in t...
Mar 04, 2025•21 min•Ep. 238
We share the story of the Lakers' 18th championship, or rather, their first of 18 championships. This is the story of how the Minneapolis Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the NBA where they won 17 more championships. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Slow Dance" by Doug "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m....
Feb 25, 2025•18 min•Ep. 237
Over the course of their time together on the Celtics, Bill Russell and Red Auerbach became incredible friends. The two could not be more different. However they were both incredibly competitive and wanted to win championships. They recognized in each other a partner that could help win games. 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 sportshistorynetwork.com spor...
Feb 18, 2025•18 min•Ep. 236
Marty Blake is not well known to the casual NBA fan, but he is considered a genius within the professional basketball community. He was the NBA’s first Director of Scouting and advanced the science of scouting a player to heights never known before. His contributions to basketball are immeasurable. 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...
Feb 11, 2025•19 min•Ep. 235
I n Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals, there was one play that turned the entire series around. Kurt Rambis was on his way in for a dunk when Kevin McHale clotheslined him and nearly injured him. This one play changed the series momentum from the Lakers to the Celtics. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Rock You" by RockSounds "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/b...
Feb 04, 2025•20 min•Ep. 234
Julius Erving, better know as Dr. J, was one of the most entertaining players of all time. He spent his first five seasons of his pro career in the ABA. Unfortunately, there is painfully little video of his time in that league. Stories about his exploits grew into mythical status because there was no video to prove otherwise. Some claimed that he dunked the ball from the 3-point line. The stories began to grow out of control until he joined the NBA and people could see how good he really was. An...
Jan 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 233
The Spirits of St. Louis was one of the wildest teams in the ABA, and that is saying something. They had so much talent, but could not find success on the court. They had players like Marvin Barnes, Moses Malone, Mike D’Antoni, and Fly Williams, and still could not win consistently. This is their story. CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwor...
Jan 21, 2025•19 min•Ep. 232
