Episodes

Last week marked the 45th anniversary of Game 5 (3OT) of the 1976 NBA Finals. Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics. It's often called The Greatest Game Ever Played. Let's welcome back legendary Basketball Hall of Famer, Bob Ryan. Plus, my good pal from Phoenix (who lives in Los Angeles) - Suns Super Fan - Adam Beechen. We discuss the iconic game, the series in general and numerous other topics from NBA history. Though it was the early hours of June 5th here in Australia, for Bob and Adam, our conver...

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the NBA's 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Chicago versus back-to-back NBA Champion, Detroit. Chicago and Detroit had met in each of the previous three postseasons. In 1988 it was the ECSF (Pistons 4-1). In 1989, Chicago went one better, meeting Detroit in the ECF (Pistons prevailed 4-2). In 1990, Chicago took Detroit to the brink of extinction in the ECF, before Detroit’s experience saw the Pistons advance to - and win - the NBA Finals for the second time...

My friend, Joseph Corr - host of NBL Pocket Podcast - invited me on his show. We recorded this evergreen conversation in August of 2019. The episode was released on his podcast feed in early 2020. This is my edit of the hour-long episode that Joe released. Fans of my show may be interested to hear me mention a few guest episodes that have not yet come to fruition. We also discuss plenty of 1990s NBA topics. Joe's podcast is primarily focused on Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). Our...

Hey, it's Adam here. A quick update for you on the lack of podcast episodes over the past month or two. [Support: Buy Adam a coffee | Amazon: USA / Australia | Audible | Booktopia | PayPal] My health hasn't been great recently, so I chose to take a break for the first time in more than eight years. New episodes will return later this month and I plan to be back bigger and better than ever. Thanks for including my show in your podcast rotation. Remember, you can always reach me via e-mail. Al...

Eight-time Emmy Award winner, Mandy Cohen, witnessed NBA history as a vital member of WGN-TV Chicago in a decade where the Bulls won six NBA titles in eight years. This is a fun and insightful conversation about Mandy’s life in sports. Her unique first conversation with Michael Jordan, to the continued impact and influence of Phil Jackson on her life. We discuss the 10-part docuseries The Last Dance, Mandy’s link to the series and a magical moment she witnessed involving Michael Jordan and Sco...

Let's welcome iconic Boston Globe columnist and Basketball Hall of Famer, Bob Ryan. His excellent book, Scribe: My Life in Sports (2014), will be the framework of our multi-part conversation. In this first instalment, we cover Bob’s early life in New Jersey - his parents’ influence on his love of sports, the first column he released as an 11-year old, his transition to grade school and on to Boston College where he’d first meet recently-retired NBA star, Bob Cousy - and a few years hence - the ...

Danny Manning has a storied career in basketball. We cover lots of topics, including his formative years of watching and learning the game, his family’s move to Kansas where he starred for the Jayhawks in college and ultimately was selected first-overall pick of the 1988 NBA Draft. Danny describes his terrifying transition of moving from Kansas to Los Angeles to begin his new life as the L.A. Clippers' number-one draft pick. We discuss his tenure with the Clippers, his back-to-back All-Star se...

Hey, it’s Adam here. A quick podcast update for you as we near the end of 2020 – a year like no other in our living history. To the super fans out there – I won’t single anyone out, but I’m confident you know who you are – your messages of support, podcast reviews and appreciation over the past eight years continue to stoke my passion for the show. I am asked from time to time how fans can monetarily support the podcast. Now, this is a possibility. Completely optional, of course. Your support ...

Andrew Goldberg's mission? To collect each-and-every ticket from Michael Jordan's NBA career - regular-season, postseason and All-Star games included. You’ll be surprised at the unique, delightful ways Andrew has obtained some of the tickets in his collection. He also shares a great story about his brief encounter with Michael Jordan during the 1993 NBA Finals. Support: Buy Adam a coffee | Amazon: USA / Australia | Audible | PayPal Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast ...

Alfred 'Butch' Beard was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1965. He paints a picture of life in 1960s Kentucky - the civil rights movement and his exposure to racism. Butch starred at the University of Louisville and is a member of their Athletics Hall of Fame. Butch was named an NBA All-Star in 1972 and played a key role in helping the Golden State Warriors secure their first NBA title in 1975. After retiring as a player, Butch was an assistant coach with the Knicks (1979-1982) and Nets (1989...

Jeff Turner was a standout - on-and-off the court - at Vanderbilt University. Before turning pro, he had played internationally and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. This is a fun, insightful chat about Jeff’s life in basketball. We do a deep dive on his NBA career. You'll also learn how Jeff became an original member of the Orlando Magic - a team he enjoys strong links to today. Support: Buy Adam a coffee | Amazon: USA / Australia | Audible | PayPal Listen: Apple Podc...

Steve Johnson starred at Oregon State University and was selected by the Kansas City Kings with the seventh-overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. He was named an All-Star in 1988. This is an enlightening chat about Steve’s unique rise from high school to the NBA. He truly took a path that very few pro players ever have. Johnson is a great storyteller and the conversation features numerous laughs, plus, a fantastic story about Steve, Michael Jordan and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Steve entered the...

Eldridge Recasner is a member of the Washington Huskies' Hall of Fame. His rise from college to the NBA is filled with plenty of twists and turns. We discuss the unique path that led to him enjoying an eight-year run at the highest level with teams such as the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks. I had the pleasure of meeting Eldridge earlier this year in Chicago during NBA All-Star Weekend. Support: Buy Adam a coffee | Amazon: USA / Australia | Audible | PayPal Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google P...

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 Southern University's Hall of Fame. He is one of the school's all-time greats. This is a fun chat that I’...

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, Magic Johnson’s "Junior Junior Sky Hook" at Boston Garden from the 1987 Finals, Jordan’s locker-ro...

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 early-pro career with the Dallas Mavericks and the 1989 trade to the Indiana Pacers that ultimately all...

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 Jerry West and the history of the NBA), Seven Seconds or Less (his season on the bench with the 2006 Phoen...

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 – and later, a special one-on-one interview - with Michael and more. Plus, Curt gave me the thumbs-u...

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 France in 1997, Bill’s relationship with (GM) Jerry Krause, some Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman memori...

Regular co-host, Aaron, joins me to recap episode three of The Last Dance docuseries. Support: Buy Adam a coffee | Amazon: USA / Australia | Audible | PayPal Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast Follow: Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook Subscribe (free): NBA-history newsletter [as an Amazon Associate, Adam earns from qualifying purchases - you'll be supporting his podcast at no extra cost]