The best in the game share why they love basketball, and speak about the players they grew up emulating, late nights practicing in the driveway, and how basketball provided a refuge from the realities of life.

A tribute to the role coaches have played in not just the game, but the lives of their players. Coaches speak candidly about how to motivate, teach and get the best from their players.

The story of a point shaving scandal in the college ranks that almost derailed the sport in the 1950s, as well as a profile of two of the first superstars of the sport: George Mikan and Bob Cousy.

Oscar Robertson and Jerry West lead the U.S. Olympic team in a symbolic win against the USSR during the Cold War in 1960. In 1968, players face a difficult choice to play or not to play when a boycott by prominent Black athletes is implemented.

One of the greatest rivalries in basketball - Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Russell and his Celtics continue to get the best of Chamberlain's teams, including in the iconic 1965 Eastern Conference Finals.

A look at gambling in the early days of the sport, and Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins who was wrongly accused of being involved in a point shaving scandal during his freshman year at University of Iowa.

Explore the tumultuous years of the ABA, where the league did everything it could to compete with the NBA, with differing levels of success.

Al McGuire won an NCAA title with Marquette in the last game he ever coached. The game's top coaches debate whether finally winning brings joy, or relief?

Oscar Robertson joins forces with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jerry West teams up with Wilt Chamberlain on the Los Angeles Lakers. Two of the greatest pairs ever to play together, but even with each victory, their past will haunt them.

The ABA and NBA merge in 1976 with the St. Louis Spirit owners taking a smaller buyout but a portion of the NBA's TV rights in perpetuity.

The Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton, win the 1977 NBA Championship against the Dr. J-led 76ers. Though it appeared a dynasty was being born, continuous injuries to Walton in the subsequent years derailed the team's chances.

Magic Johnson, then a rookie, puts himself on the map leading the LA Lakers to the 1980 NBA title. Johnson's brilliant career serves as a jumping off point to discuss whether basketball genius is born or made.

The creation of the Big East conference gave rise to the Georgetown Hoya teams under John Thompson. Led by Patrick Ewing, Georgetown showed its dominance on the court. Off the court, their importance to the Black community is explored.

5-Star Camps, started in the late 1960s by Howard Garfinkel, became the place where top high school players and college coaches showcase their talents. Later, Rick Pitino puts Providence on the map with an NCAA tournament run.

The ball, the common denominator, the object of a shared feeling is held, passed to and from, caressed, embraced, twirled, hugged, whispered to, and even kissed as the final act of an expression of shared emotion.