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Speaker 1: What makes a compelling sports story? Is it a tale

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Speaker 1: about bitter rivals.

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Speaker 2: Fighting for a chance to even the score.

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Speaker 3: Larry Burn to Paris.

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Speaker 4: They give it a magic He's got Pooper on his.

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Speaker 5: Right time perfectly, the past was high, perfectly the bass.

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Speaker 1: Is it the underdog story, the team that mounts a

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Speaker 1: comeback against all odds.

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Speaker 2: That's over, that's over. Cleveland is a city of champions.

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Speaker 4: Once again.

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Speaker 1: In the forty years I've covered this league, I've seen

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Speaker 1: those portrayed as villains.

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Speaker 4: It's been Detroit and they open up with a hate

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Speaker 4: to nothing leaves.

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Speaker 6: Do you think the Pistons have gained a little respect.

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Speaker 1: As comedic protagonists?

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Speaker 7: I don't know anything about Angola.

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Speaker 4: Angola's in trouble.

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Speaker 2: New characters introduced. Oh about destroyed.

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Speaker 1: And the occasional superhero who, of course can fly.

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Speaker 8: Michael taking off the patented tongue comes out just in

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Speaker 8: front of that life.

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Speaker 2: Look this the devil clutch, the.

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Speaker 4: Reach out and the stuff you got forty.

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Speaker 2: Nine here's Bob Costas.

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Speaker 1: We covered these stories together on the NBA on NBC.

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Speaker 9: It was an ongoing soap opera, not just basketball drama,

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Speaker 9: but personal drama. And you think of how vivid the

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Speaker 9: characters were Jackson and Jordan and Pippin and Rodman, and

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Speaker 9: then the antagonists Isaiah and the Pistons, Barkley on the

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Speaker 9: Sons who gave.

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Speaker 1: Them a run triple overtime in the finals. I remember

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Speaker 1: on my birthday in Chicago.

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Speaker 10: Two minutes ago, I us third overtime open champers James

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Speaker 10: we in our sub track.

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Speaker 1: Now the field goal, now the shock shot kJ Barkley. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: that was unbelievable or.

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Speaker 9: Even even think of their battles in the Eastern Conference

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Speaker 9: with the Knicks.

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Speaker 2: For help, but caught what's up.

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Speaker 4: A great corner as.

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Speaker 11: The biggest star wasn't doing.

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Speaker 9: The biggest star was Riot, you know, right off the

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Speaker 9: page's and GQ came from the Lakers, and he was

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Speaker 9: going to pose a challenge and he did.

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Speaker 2: He scared me.

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Speaker 1: Pat Riley though. He was so intimidating. I had to

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Speaker 1: interview him all the time, and you know, at halftime,

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Speaker 1: and I.

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Speaker 2: Remember on the way to the locker room interviewing him.

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Speaker 2: He was he was intimidating, Yes, he was.

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Speaker 9: I always got along with him because I had that

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Speaker 9: buffer year in between the Lakers and the Knicks.

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Speaker 11: He was with us on the first NBA showtime.

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Speaker 6: Do I have to go first?

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Speaker 9: Yeah, the basket actually been moved a bit closer.

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Speaker 11: I don't mean to throw you off.

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Speaker 4: Riley does not get the boone an opportunity to move

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Speaker 4: into a tie.

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Speaker 11: Wait a minute, I get to spin around on the wire.

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Speaker 4: Here, all right.

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Speaker 9: The one I remember with you in ninety four, the

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Speaker 9: Knicks take on Elijah on and the Rockets and game

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Speaker 9: seven is close, but lose it. They went to Houston

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Speaker 9: up three games to two, and Houston wins six and seven.

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Speaker 9: And we know how dejected Pat was, and it was

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Speaker 9: your job to find him. And you actually walked into

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Speaker 9: the locker room, into the coaches room and opened the door,

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Speaker 9: and I remember that his back was to you, and

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Speaker 9: he turned around and he realized, you know, he couldn't

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Speaker 9: blow you off. But that was pretty gutsy on your

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Speaker 9: part because you didn't know what reaction you would get.

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Speaker 2: We're coming in the next locker room right now to

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Speaker 2: talk to coach Pat Riley.

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Speaker 12: Pat, we're live on the air. If you can come

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Speaker 12: up here, please.

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Speaker 1: Dick Eversaw, who at the time was the chairman of

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Speaker 1: NBC Sports, so it was so involved behind the scenes, says,

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Speaker 1: tell Hannah she has to go in the locker room

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Speaker 1: live on the air.

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Speaker 2: I was terrified.

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Speaker 1: We came out of commercial and so I remember as

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Speaker 1: I'm opening the door, I said, coach, we're.

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Speaker 2: Live on the air. Just somebody wouldn't kill me.

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Speaker 11: That was important.

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Speaker 2: Literally ask the John Starks question. Thanks coach, Bob. And

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Speaker 2: then you had like fifteen seconds to get us off

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Speaker 2: the air. Boom, We're done.

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Speaker 1: And at those times we used to fly charter, and

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Speaker 1: so I remember getting on the plane and Dick Eversol

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Speaker 1: standing up and slowly clapping, and I was like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: I have a job. So many stories make up the

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Speaker 1: fabric of professional hoops in our country. Here's longtime basketball

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Speaker 1: writer Peter Vessie on the ABA days.

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Speaker 13: You know I can tell you stories off the record.

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Speaker 14: Nuts.

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Speaker 2: Oh come on, how about how about what come out?

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Speaker 2: A couple on the.

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Speaker 5: Bring me upside gets inside of me?

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Speaker 13: So so I remember, you know, the league's fighting for talents,

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Speaker 13: players jumping Rick Barry jumping cutting him the other way,

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Speaker 13: Spencer Haywood, Brisker McDaniels, you know, going both ways. But

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Speaker 13: then it's seventy again, I think seventy two Charlie Scott

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Speaker 13: jumped from the Virginia Squires to the Phoenix Suns, and

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Speaker 13: he gave me the story. And and so I go

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Speaker 13: out to Phoenix, and and before I could even like

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Speaker 13: pick up my bags, this Suns knew that this ABA

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Speaker 13: writer was in Phoenix. Jerry Colangelo was the president of

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Speaker 13: the team in and he wound up telling me years

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Speaker 13: later that a baggage handler had spotted me and had

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Speaker 13: called him.

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Speaker 11: And I guess who else was in town?

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Speaker 4: Your father?

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Speaker 13: Oh, okay, and Johnny Kerr. Johnny Kerr was the general

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Speaker 13: manager of the of the Squires at that time and

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Speaker 13: also had coached the Sons in the NBA.

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Speaker 2: So so we're all in town.

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Speaker 13: So I go to the game, and I go to

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Speaker 13: their practice. I'm allowed to interview him, and I remember,

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Speaker 13: I remember Contind Simmons was the coach, and he didn't

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Speaker 13: like the line of questioning. Throw me out of his office,

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Speaker 13: throw me out, that's hard to imagine.

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Speaker 9: Throw me out of the.

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Speaker 8: Why that's what they were practicing at the Wye Christ

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Speaker 8: And anyway, so your dad says to me, he calls me,

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Speaker 8: he knows I'm there, calls me up. He says, look

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Speaker 8: would you. He's going to get me in trouble.

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Speaker 4: I know.

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Speaker 13: But he says, would you mind cornering Paul stile Us

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Speaker 13: and ask him if he'd like to jump to the ABA?

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Speaker 2: Wow?

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Speaker 13: I said, yeah, okay, no problem, sure, totally.

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Speaker 2: Unethical, but I said, so I got Paul.

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Speaker 13: I got Paul on the side, and he was with

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Speaker 13: Clem Haskins, you know, vividly remembered saying that, you know,

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Speaker 13: you guys, you guys could make an awful lot of money.

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Speaker 13: The ABA is dying to get even with Jerry Colangelo,

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Speaker 13: and you guys would easily, you know, make a fortune

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Speaker 13: if you decide you want to go the next game,

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Speaker 13: the next Sun's game. I'm at court side and I'm

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Speaker 13: sitting next to David Wolf, two white guys sitting next

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Speaker 13: to each other at this game. And during the first half,

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Speaker 13: a guy comes up to David and he hands them

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Speaker 13: an envelope and then he just runs and David opens

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Speaker 13: it up.

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Speaker 3: He says, he says, this isn't for me, this is

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Speaker 3: for him. It was a stubpoena whoa whoa. Colangelo had

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Speaker 3: me subpoened, but he gave it to.

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Speaker 4: The wrong guy.

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Speaker 2: So hilarious. So you weren't served.

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Speaker 13: No, I wasn't shot. I left it halftime and went

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Speaker 13: to the air. It's time to leave, Dodge.

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Speaker 1: I heard so many of these stories from my dad,

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Speaker 1: Mike Storren, former ABA commissioner, and from my friends in

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Speaker 1: the business, like former NBA entertainment boss Don Spurling with

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Speaker 1: this from the Barcelona Olympics and the Dream Team.

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Speaker 4: I have a story that I actually beat Michael Jordan

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Speaker 4: in a pig pong game and he got so angry

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Speaker 4: that the next game I kind of had a play halfway.

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Speaker 4: So the next game he won.

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Speaker 11: Because the next day we went.

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Speaker 4: Out on that famous shoot you know for his home video,

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Speaker 4: and we walked around the street to Barcelona and went

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Speaker 4: to the you know, and he played cards all night

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Speaker 4: till five in the morning, and I was so upsetenting,

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Speaker 4: Oh my god, he's going to crash and sleep. We

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Speaker 4: only have one day to shoot with him. It was

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Speaker 4: the day of the gold medal game. I followed him.

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Speaker 4: I'm standing over the card game watching these guys play,

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Speaker 4: and it's burned and it's magic and it's and you know,

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Speaker 4: Mod's in the room and Barkley and they're all teasing Michael.

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Speaker 4: Michael your babysitters here, your babysitters here. I was getting

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Speaker 4: crushed by all these guys. So finally, at five am

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Speaker 4: he stops. He goes. She goes, I'm going to my room.

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Speaker 4: I'll be out in a half out. I said, don't

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Speaker 4: fall asleep on me. Comes out in that crazy Nike outfit.

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Speaker 4: We walked the streets and then he goes, do me

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Speaker 4: a favor, drop me off at the golf There's one

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Speaker 4: golf course right outside. I got my clubs there. I'm

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Speaker 4: all set. He goes, what do you mean, how are

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Speaker 4: you going to get back? He goes, I'll get a

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Speaker 4: ride back. I said, Michael, you got a game tonight.

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Speaker 4: You got the gold medal game against Croatia. He stayed

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Speaker 4: up all night. He was up for twenty four hours,

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Speaker 4: shot with us all morning. Then he played thirty six

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Speaker 4: holes of golf thirty six thirty six, showed up at

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Speaker 4: the hotel five minutes before the bus left, walked out,

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Speaker 4: got on the bus and played the gold medal game.

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Speaker 4: Guy was up for forty eight hours. He truly is superman.

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Speaker 2: Larger than life. Characters have been the backbone of basketball.

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Speaker 5: Dolan I think by the doctor.

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Speaker 4: Yes, he's got it p carry count.

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Speaker 2: They rock the baby to sleep and slammed dump swung

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Speaker 2: that baby.

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Speaker 1: And telling these stories in a deeper way was something

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Speaker 1: Commissioner David Stern was determined to do alongside former NBC

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Speaker 1: Sports president Dick Eversall.

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Speaker 9: But you know, you and I were both lucky enough

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Speaker 9: to be smack dab in the middle of maybe the

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Speaker 9: greatest ear Bird and Magic set it up on CBS

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Speaker 9: and then handed it off and the NBA on NBC.

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Speaker 9: In the nineties and early two thousands, you had the

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Speaker 9: six Jordan Bulls Championships, you had the Dream Team in Barcelona,

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Speaker 9: and then you think that almost immediately after that, when

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Speaker 9: Michael retires from the Bulls, you get Robinson and Duncan

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Speaker 9: with the Spurs, Kobe and Shaq on three championship run

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Speaker 9: in the early two thousands with the Lakers. That was

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Speaker 9: a golden era and when you look at the ratings

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Speaker 9: of those games, you know, I've often said this when

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Speaker 9: people talk about Lebron and Michael. Statistically, you can make

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Speaker 9: a case for Lebron, agreed, But in terms of impact,

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Speaker 9: it's no context. No little old lady in Omah ever

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Speaker 9: said I'd love to play bridge with you tonight, Mildred,

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Speaker 9: But I have to watch Lebron. But a million little

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Speaker 9: old ladies like that all around the world said out

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Speaker 9: about Michael Jordan, and they might not have known a

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Speaker 9: pick and roll from a backdoor play.

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Speaker 1: The NBA became must see TV. Players were pitchmen, movie stars,

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Speaker 1: and household names. As of twenty twenty three, the NBA

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Speaker 1: is broadcast in more than two hundred countries and fifty languages.

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Speaker 2: The average NBA team is worth three point eight billion dollars.

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Speaker 2: So how did we get here?

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Speaker 4: Now?

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Speaker 2: That's a good story. From the NBA and iHeart podcast.

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Speaker 1: This is NBA DNA with me Hannah Storm, Episode eleven,

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Speaker 1: The Inside Stuff. May fourteenth, nineteen eighty one. It's Game

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Speaker 1: six of the NBA Finals, Moses Malone's Houston Rockets against

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Speaker 1: a young Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.

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Speaker 6: Don Anderson, Doctor Willoughby, Dobin.

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Speaker 10: Garrett shot.

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Speaker 6: Y lelev was six seconds off the shot block.

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Speaker 5: Robert Lee?

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Speaker 4: Why will Rutor again?

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Speaker 2: The Rockets shouldn't be here.

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Speaker 1: They have the unfortunate distinction of being the third team

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Speaker 1: in history to make it to the finals with the

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Speaker 1: losing record. Tonight they're playing for their basketball lives. Boston

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Speaker 1: leads the series three games to two. At the start

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Speaker 1: of the fourth quarter, they're up eighty four sixty seven,

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Speaker 1: but the Rockets go on a tear, scoring thirteen unanswered

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Speaker 1: points to pull within three.

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Speaker 10: Unable hope by this, just dude, Boston is called tie up.

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Speaker 1: It's peak playoff basketball electric to watch, Hey.

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Speaker 10: Bird, and he's gonna hit those question shots now eighty

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Speaker 10: eight eighty three, four minutes.

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Speaker 1: But there's just one problem. This game is tape delayed,

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Speaker 1: meaning if you don't live in Houston or Boston, you're

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Speaker 1: watching the latest episode of Magnum Pi. The Rocket Celtics

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Speaker 1: game will air later at eleven thirty pm Eastern, and

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Speaker 1: thanks to the eleven o'clock News, you'll already know the

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Speaker 1: outcome one a.

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Speaker 7: World chappion by Boston Celtics.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the NBA of the early eighties.

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Speaker 1: Between nineteen seventy nine and nineteen eighty one, seven finals

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Speaker 1: games were tape delayed. One of the league's many issues.

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Speaker 1: Attendance numbers were lagging. Drug use among players tarnished the

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Speaker 1: league's reputation, but along came Deputy Commissioner David Stern to

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Speaker 1: change the narrative. As the league changed networks from CBS

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Speaker 1: to NBC, David Stern approached you, it was in nineteen

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Speaker 1: eighty two about creating NBA Entertainment.

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Speaker 2: What was his vision for the brand In those early conversations.

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Speaker 4: David really was a visionary. We used to have these

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Speaker 4: meetings this is waiting for Inside Stuff. We would have

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Speaker 4: these marketing meetings at the league and I would come

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Speaker 4: over from NBA Entertainment.

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Speaker 1: Don Sperling ran NBA Entertainment for fifteen years. He's the

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Speaker 1: brains behind the iconic show NBA Inside Stuff.

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Speaker 4: We would talk about how to change the look of

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Speaker 4: the NBA. I mean at the time when I got

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Speaker 4: to the NBA. I got there in eighty two eighty three,

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Speaker 4: that was my first season, the year before the finals

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Speaker 4: were on in you know, take delay. David's goal was

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Speaker 4: to make sure we never had to go backwards again.

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Speaker 4: So we talked about all the things that we do

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Speaker 4: and how entertainment could support sponsorship, and how entertainment could

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Speaker 4: support properties, and how properties and sponsorship can support our

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Speaker 4: network relationships. And we just kept building and we had

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Speaker 4: CBS at the time, and then of course eighty four

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Speaker 4: Burden Magic happened, Bird and Magic took the NBA Finals

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Speaker 4: to another level.

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Speaker 15: Still by Magic Johnson, he anticipated that play by Bird.

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Speaker 6: Don't see Bird throw too many away?

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Speaker 9: Magic looking for Caren quickly back right over.

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Speaker 2: Sure, So that's what.

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Speaker 1: Moved the needle initially, was that rivalry. Did you see

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Speaker 1: it coming? And how did you take advantage of it?

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Speaker 4: One of David's great sayings was it's better to be

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Speaker 4: lucky than smart, And I've stuck by that because that's

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Speaker 4: I think, that's my career. I've been in the right

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Speaker 4: place at the right time. But you do need a

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Speaker 4: little luck, but you also have to have smarts like

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Speaker 4: David had. Okay, and when this rivalry which started in

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Speaker 4: seventy nine when they played in college, and then they

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Speaker 4: were kind of watching each other as Bird one in

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Speaker 4: eighty one and Magic one in eighty two. But then

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Speaker 4: eighty four the world's collided and we got arguably the

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Speaker 4: greatest NBA Finals of all time.

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Speaker 10: Magic Johnson goes up off the ball and here's Dennis

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Speaker 10: Thompson two on one break and.

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Speaker 9: A rock by Cooper.

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Speaker 4: What a play by Cooper. He saved the basket. I's

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Speaker 4: your basket by off seven games, really crazy, bitter rivalry

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Speaker 4: took the Hot Garden, the Laker, you know, showtime pat Riley,

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Speaker 4: who was really something to witness. And at that same year,

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Speaker 4: let's not forget who was drafted.

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Speaker 15: The Chicago Bulls picked Michael Jordan at the University of

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Speaker 15: North Carolina.

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Speaker 2: Right, Michael Jordan.

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Speaker 4: So you know, if you want to talk about timing, okay,

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Speaker 4: that's I think that's timing.

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Speaker 1: During Stern's thirty years as commissioner, the league saw unprecedented growth,

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Speaker 1: seven new franchises, the creation of the WNBA, a fortyfold

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Speaker 1: increase in television revenue, zero tolerance for drug use. For

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Speaker 1: years before becoming commissioner in nineteen eighty four, David had

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Speaker 1: laid the groundwork for free agency, established revenue sharing by

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Speaker 1: owners and players, and helped negotiate the merger with the ABA.

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Speaker 15: The app salute explosion, the proliferation of outlets to our

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Speaker 15: fans provides new non game programming opportunities every time they

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Speaker 15: are not watching us, because if they're not watching us,

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Speaker 15: there's always a.

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Speaker 2: Danger they might be watching somebody else.

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Speaker 1: David understood the league was only as marketable as it stars,

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Speaker 1: and the NBA set about taking fans behind the scenes

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Speaker 1: to get to know them. That didn't actually start with Jordan,

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Speaker 1: It started with his biggest nemesis.

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Speaker 10: Last year, the Pistons had a three two lead, couldn't

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Speaker 10: weave one of the last two.

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Speaker 11: Now they'll do it.

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Speaker 4: Without Detroit Pistons, NBA entertainment would not have ascended to

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Speaker 4: the reputation and the heights they did. Chuck Daly, Isaiah,

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Speaker 4: they invited us in, let us go inside the huddle,

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Speaker 4: let us go inside the locker room. It was the

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Speaker 4: first time any team had allowed that. This was literally

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Speaker 4: the first access, which is obviously a huge term right

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Speaker 4: now in this day and age. So kudos to the

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Speaker 4: Detroit Bistons and Chuck Dally love that guy love Big

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Speaker 4: Daddy Rich as exactly the one of the greatest coaches ever.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Olympic head coach of the Dream Team. I mean

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Speaker 2: just he was. He was amazing.

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Speaker 1: What is it because now we see everything from you know,

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Speaker 1: Hard Knocks to these access shows that lead up to

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Speaker 1: Season X in Sport X.

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Speaker 2: You know, everybody's doing it.

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Speaker 1: But when you think back to the Bad Boys being

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Speaker 1: the first team that allowed that kind of access, what

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Speaker 1: do you think it was about them that they were

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Speaker 1: confident enough to do.

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Speaker 10: That outside sixty shoot du Mars against Jordan's spins, in turns, fakes.

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Speaker 4: Lean in shot, got it.

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Speaker 5: What a bucket by Joe Dumars.

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Speaker 4: It was the world against them. I mean the bad boys.

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Speaker 4: They were the bad boys. They loved it. They took

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Speaker 4: that nickname and ran with it. You had even one

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Speaker 4: of the greatest players in the history NBA, Isaiah Thomas,

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Speaker 4: but there was that edge right bat Nol Lambert. You

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Speaker 4: had Dennis Rodman. The cast of characters, the personalities was incredible.

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Speaker 4: Plus at that time, they were playing against Jordan every

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Speaker 4: year and they were They were the ones that Michael

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Speaker 4: had to get passed, which he finally did in ninety one.

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Speaker 4: But every year, you know, people talk about you need

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Speaker 4: a team. The Pistons needed the Celtics to teach them

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Speaker 4: how to win, right right, and then the Bulls needed

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Speaker 4: Pistons to teach them how to win. And it was

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Speaker 4: it was like that. I mean the rivalries. You watched

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Speaker 4: the eighty fourth NBA Finals, you watch eighty six, you

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Speaker 4: watch the Celtics Pistons. Every single play was life and death.

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Speaker 14: He's got it, the two five seconds to go, Thomas

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Speaker 14: wants to get it in quickly.

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Speaker 5: You know what it does to Lamberska.

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Speaker 2: You called David a mentor of yours. I mean, what

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Speaker 2: kind of boss was he?

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Speaker 4: He was really tough. Okay, I mean I love him

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Speaker 4: to death, but he was a tough, tough boss. But

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Speaker 4: he was the kind of guy that would pull you

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Speaker 4: back in. You know, if there was something going wrong,

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Speaker 4: he would let you know in spades. He would he'd

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Speaker 4: great you a little bit, but he'd build you back up,

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Speaker 4: you know, so you would learn, and you learn from adversity. Right,

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Speaker 4: things would go even things that weren't under control, you know,

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Speaker 4: network games that would happen and we had nothing to

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Speaker 4: do with it. The network ran the games. Something would

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Speaker 4: happen during the network games and Sunday night that phone

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Speaker 4: would ring. If David was yelling, we were okay. If

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Speaker 4: he was whispering, then I know I was in trouble.

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Speaker 4: He could start a conversation of like, let me ask

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Speaker 4: you something. When I hired you, Was I the one

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Speaker 4: who made the mistake?

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Speaker 9: Or were you?

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Speaker 4: And then here it comes, here it comes. But then

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Speaker 4: by the end of the conversation, he'd build you back

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Speaker 4: up and go out there and you know, so you

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Speaker 4: would want to go out there and just to do

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Speaker 4: it three hundred percent better. And he was brilliant and

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Speaker 4: he was amazing Marketer. He spotted the international opportunity before

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Speaker 4: anybody did. Okay, I mean it is just incredible what

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Speaker 4: he's done to set the stage for the NBA to

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Speaker 4: be successful on a worldwide basis.

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Speaker 11: Hi, my name is Michael Jordan.

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Speaker 14: I want you to take a trip with me and

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Speaker 14: discover the secrets that I've known for many years.

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Speaker 11: The man was truly destined to fly.

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Speaker 1: Under your leadership, the league started to numberly think about

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Speaker 1: these games right, and how to broadcast the games? But

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Speaker 1: these are How did to focus on feature production and

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Speaker 1: nobody else was doing that at the time. You launched

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Speaker 1: something called NBA Home Videos, and one of them was

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Speaker 1: Michael Jordan Come.

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Speaker 11: Fly with Me.

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Speaker 6: A resplentless competitor fears No, he overwhelmed the opposition.

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Speaker 16: Patrolling the Airway.

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Speaker 1: Which was released in nineteen eighty nine and sold over

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Speaker 1: a quarter of a million copies.

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Speaker 2: I mean, how do you view the legacy of those films?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and I want to answer that still today because

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Speaker 4: obviously they don't make his sell as many home videos.

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Speaker 4: That's the largest selling sports home video all time.

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Speaker 11: It still is.

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Speaker 4: Michael Jordan, Wow, Wow. Now of course it's the production.

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Speaker 4: It's something.

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Speaker 2: Right, It's that eighties production.

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Speaker 4: I mean that video really changed the home video business

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Speaker 4: in sports. We had a great partner CBS Fox. We

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Speaker 4: had Sports Illustrated using these videos to sell magazines, right,

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Speaker 4: you know, you'd say, and if you get a subscription

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Speaker 4: to Sports Illustrated, you'll get a copy of you know,

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Speaker 4: you remember those commercials.

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Speaker 1: I remember that, yes, very well. And no other league

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Speaker 1: was doing this at the time. There was the NBA

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Speaker 1: was was way ahead of the game.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, NFL Films was putting out more football hardcore.

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Speaker 2: Like right, right, right, but not like feature videos music videos.

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Speaker 4: Superstars was a music video. We had Charles Barkley the Warrior.

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Speaker 4: You know, we had you know, Magic Johnson Control, Larry Bird,

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Speaker 4: you know with John Cooper Mellencamp song small Town Right.

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Speaker 15: I would also would like to thank you as a

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Speaker 15: team for supporting this throughout the year.

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Speaker 14: It's been a great honor to be out here.

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Speaker 11: There's only one place I'd rather be, Frenchly.

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Speaker 4: We fit the player there to the pop song and

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Speaker 4: this was the precursor to NBA inside Stuff.

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Speaker 15: I'm pleased to announce today that starting with the nineteen

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Speaker 15: ninety ninety one NBA season, the NBA would be seen

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Speaker 15: on the NBC television network.

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Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty nine, NBC purchased it's broadcast rights for

445
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,200
Speaker 1: six hundred million dollars. I joined the network in nineteen

446
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:30,480
Speaker 1: ninety two. David Stern had teamed up with a perfect

447
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,400
Speaker 1: collaborator in My boss Dick ever saw I'll.

448
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,720
Speaker 4: Never think it at our first meeting, we went into

449
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,600
Speaker 4: the room and Terry O'Neill was there, who was the

450
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,080
Speaker 4: executive producer, and he was sort of like all sports guy.

451
00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:46,680
Speaker 4: I'll never forget David and Dick kind of conducting the

452
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,720
Speaker 4: interview with Terry O'Neill, who you what a pretty big

453
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,440
Speaker 4: reputation at the time, is like going like this and

454
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,240
Speaker 4: looking back and forth and go, am I in the

455
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:55,720
Speaker 4: right room?

456
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:56,160
Speaker 11: Yeah?

457
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,760
Speaker 4: I mean David, And we're just talking about what we

458
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,360
Speaker 4: what we really should be doing with our sport more

459
00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:02,840
Speaker 4: off the.

460
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,120
Speaker 2: Court than on the court, right, Okay, Exactly.

461
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:08,040
Speaker 4: The game is pretty solid on the court at this time,

462
00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,840
Speaker 4: and that's where NBA and you know the idea of

463
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:17,240
Speaker 4: a television show that would appeal to teens, casual fans, women,

464
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,960
Speaker 4: marrying pop music to sports, marrying pop culture to sports,

465
00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:27,840
Speaker 4: taking personalities and putting it on a national time slot.

466
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,879
Speaker 1: Through the years, David Stern became my mentor, and it

467
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,280
Speaker 1: all started with weekly lunches in his office with the

468
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,920
Speaker 1: NBC crew. You know, I can't believe that when I

469
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,440
Speaker 1: think back on it now, before games, like before a

470
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,760
Speaker 1: weekend of games, you know, because we would air tripleheader

471
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:51,080
Speaker 1: and a doubleheader on NBC, myself, Ah Mod, Dick Eversol,

472
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,200
Speaker 1: Bob Costas. We would go to the NBA headquarters to

473
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,560
Speaker 1: David Stern's office, which he never went out for lunch,

474
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:00,919
Speaker 1: so we would have lunch there and we would literally

475
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:05,920
Speaker 1: go over features with the commissioner of the NBA. His

476
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:11,800
Speaker 1: attention to detail and prioritization of telling those stories. You know,

477
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,520
Speaker 1: when I think back on it, that was incredible.

478
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:18,800
Speaker 4: That just shows you how much he cared. I mean, Han,

479
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 4: did you know this? In this business, you know a

480
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:22,960
Speaker 4: few young people for work and this and that, and

481
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,400
Speaker 4: you know they come from a good school and you say, hey,

482
00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:27,919
Speaker 4: you're smart. That's great, but if you want to succeed

483
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,359
Speaker 4: this business, you have to have passion. Everybody who was

484
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:36,639
Speaker 4: around that NBC NBA relationship we had passion. We wanted

485
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,440
Speaker 4: to make this game better than anything. We wanted to

486
00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:44,280
Speaker 4: change the way sports was broadcast game wise and also

487
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,160
Speaker 4: looked off the court. And your example was perfect right there.

488
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, And we always had turkey sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies,

489
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:52,720
Speaker 1: and diet coke.

490
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:54,640
Speaker 2: Does that sound familiar?

491
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:58,720
Speaker 4: I love cooking. Let me tell you what we would

492
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,000
Speaker 4: do with David when we go to meeting. We'd always

493
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,080
Speaker 4: put decaf in the container. He said, if you cassed

494
00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:08,560
Speaker 4: him up, you were done. No, so I say, Linda, Linda.

495
00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:21,760
Speaker 1: Remember for the NBA on NBC, I was both a

496
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:26,119
Speaker 1: reporter and a studio host with analysts including doctor j

497
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,479
Speaker 1: John Sally, Bill Walton, and Isaiah Thomas.

498
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 4: Yes, Isaiah, let's see what we got all the way up.

499
00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:36,280
Speaker 4: You know.

500
00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:40,000
Speaker 14: I laugh about the days that we spent together, you know,

501
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,800
Speaker 14: at NBC. I was talking to Bob Costas, believe it

502
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,280
Speaker 14: or not, the other day. We were just laughing about

503
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,680
Speaker 14: some of the stories that was going on back then

504
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,040
Speaker 14: and how we all worked together and how we all laughed.

505
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 14: And I don't and I don't know if you remember.

506
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,680
Speaker 14: Do you remember my first my first game. It was

507
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 14: Christmas Day.

508
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,560
Speaker 9: We'll check the opening up here from a Madrashaan and

509
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:03,600
Speaker 9: I have the tip off in just a few moments

510
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:05,760
Speaker 9: on Christmas night in Chicago.

511
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,000
Speaker 11: We have all we have our meeting, you know, our

512
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,560
Speaker 11: morning meeting and everything else.

513
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:18,120
Speaker 14: And so now we get to the game and it's

514
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,040
Speaker 14: Bob and I I got, you know, David Neil in

515
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:21,440
Speaker 14: my ear.

516
00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,160
Speaker 11: I had never you know, I didn't know what buttons

517
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:25,080
Speaker 11: to push or anything.

518
00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 5: They've been in They've been in eight of the last

519
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,720
Speaker 5: ten finals. End up taking different paths to get there.

520
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,479
Speaker 5: Righty believes in hard nose, in your face defense. Phil Jackson,

521
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:36,400
Speaker 5: on the other hand, believes in a triple post.

522
00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:38,920
Speaker 11: But in the opening and this was was this was great.

523
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 4: This was great.

524
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,400
Speaker 14: So in the opening, right, Bob is going on about hey,

525
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,560
Speaker 14: we're here lovely Chicago, and Michael Jordan so forth and

526
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,960
Speaker 14: so on, and he's just going on and on, and

527
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 14: I hear David Neil go, okay, Bob, wrap it up,

528
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 14: wrap it up, wrap it up. And Bob is just

529
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,080
Speaker 14: going on and I haven't talked, right, I haven't spoken.

530
00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:00,800
Speaker 14: I have just said anything. Wrap up, Bob. And so

531
00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,240
Speaker 14: now David is like really like screaming in Bob's ear

532
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,440
Speaker 14: by Isaac like this be I don't know what's going on,

533
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,560
Speaker 14: and Bob is just like, oh yeah, it's so great.

534
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,680
Speaker 17: And then he goes, so zeke, my man, what do

535
00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:22,680
Speaker 17: you I'm like, uh, oh man, So that was my

536
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:24,280
Speaker 17: rookie moment when he broke me in.

537
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's Bob. I mean, you know you can't get

538
00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:28,560
Speaker 2: a word in edgewise, right.

539
00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:33,440
Speaker 15: And listen to the roar at Market Square Arena, sro

540
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:35,120
Speaker 15: Brout sitting in on History.

541
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 4: Let you folks can join us too.

542
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:39,000
Speaker 11: Hi, everybody, I'm Bob Costas.

543
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,800
Speaker 9: What Michael Jordan does today and what he will attempt

544
00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,040
Speaker 9: to do in the next several.

545
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:45,280
Speaker 2: Months and maybe years is truly unprecedented.

546
00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:47,080
Speaker 4: It's never happened in team sports.

547
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:48,960
Speaker 11: How great was the whole bunch.

548
00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,640
Speaker 9: But when we walked into an arena for those games,

549
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,480
Speaker 9: or sometimes we were in the studio together and we

550
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,200
Speaker 9: have a triple header, a triple header of playoff games

551
00:30:58,240 --> 00:30:59,520
Speaker 9: on a Saturday, your Sunday, and.

552
00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,960
Speaker 2: We told fun early round, early.

553
00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,440
Speaker 11: Round playoff games, not just the finals, in prime time

554
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,200
Speaker 11: on the Netflork. And you know when you mentioned like

555
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:10,280
Speaker 11: must see Thursdays. It wasn't just the games.

556
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:14,440
Speaker 9: The promos are on during Seinfeld, they're on during Letterman

557
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 9: and Carson and brons whose cast.

558
00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,880
Speaker 11: It's just in the water supply in a way that

559
00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:21,040
Speaker 11: it isn't anymore.

560
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:21,480
Speaker 2: Okay.

561
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,760
Speaker 1: One of my favorite, speaking of promos all time things

562
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,920
Speaker 1: that you did is so one of the hugest movies

563
00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:29,280
Speaker 1: box office movies, was.

564
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:30,880
Speaker 2: The original Jurassic Park.

565
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:40,320
Speaker 18: And you said, you know where I'm going, right, So

566
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:44,600
Speaker 18: you said, you said, do we have something special coming up?

567
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,200
Speaker 2: You bet Jurassic Right.

568
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,280
Speaker 9: We ran down the whole lineup which had the NBA

569
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,640
Speaker 9: playoff games, and then in prime time Jurassic Park is

570
00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:55,040
Speaker 9: one of them.

571
00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,360
Speaker 11: And so I'm like, is it a big day and

572
00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,160
Speaker 11: night at NBC? You bet Jurassic Everybody, it was like,

573
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:02,400
Speaker 11: my god, did you say that?

574
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,800
Speaker 2: I know that was Edgy back then, Bob.

575
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:14,400
Speaker 4: Everybody.

576
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,360
Speaker 12: John, you have been all over the place on this

577
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,000
Speaker 12: next team without Patrick Ewing. On Christmas you said they're

578
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,880
Speaker 12: not going to make the playoffs, and then a week

579
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,240
Speaker 12: ago you said they're playing great team basketball, which is it?

580
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,480
Speaker 16: Well, I'm a New York about heart. That means I'm

581
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:32,000
Speaker 16: an overreactionary, right, so I'm gonna go away ever to

582
00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:32,880
Speaker 16: win Shakespeare.

583
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:38,360
Speaker 1: Here's another one of my former analysts, John Spider Sally.

584
00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,320
Speaker 16: David gave me a shot. David Stern, God rest his soul,

585
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 16: gave me a shot. And everything you can possibly do wrong,

586
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,640
Speaker 16: I did wrong. And the colors I was wearing, the

587
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,960
Speaker 16: suits I was wearing. You know, It's just it was

588
00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:55,840
Speaker 16: I was showing you what not to do, so I think,

589
00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,200
Speaker 16: and then when guys came out doing the same thing,

590
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,920
Speaker 16: I was like, oh my God, like what I.

591
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:02,000
Speaker 2: Mean, what do you feel?

592
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,440
Speaker 1: So you replaced Julia serving as a studio analyst, and

593
00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,720
Speaker 1: you wanted to quit basketball, you wanted to go You

594
00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:12,720
Speaker 1: have this grand plan, right. David start was so intimately

595
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,480
Speaker 1: involved in every segment of what happened on TV.

596
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,040
Speaker 2: Yes, he would haul us.

597
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,720
Speaker 1: Into his office and talk about what features are you running?

598
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:23,800
Speaker 1: You know, how are you covering this? Here's what I

599
00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,920
Speaker 1: think about what happened here. So was this a discussion

600
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:31,320
Speaker 1: between you and him initially that you were like, hey, Commissioner,

601
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:32,360
Speaker 1: this is what I want to do.

602
00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,240
Speaker 16: You guys had auditioned certain people, and I remember my

603
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,040
Speaker 16: agent at the time, John Ferreda. He was like, do

604
00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:40,480
Speaker 16: you want to do this, and I was like yes,

605
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:42,600
Speaker 16: and he was like, well, you got an audition.

606
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:43,400
Speaker 4: I was like cool.

607
00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:46,920
Speaker 16: I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, Bill Walton can do this.

608
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:47,520
Speaker 4: I can do this.

609
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,680
Speaker 16: Peter Vessi is right there. I've been reading him and

610
00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,040
Speaker 16: writing it forever, like he's a New Yorker and to

611
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,760
Speaker 16: get in there and do something. Because doctor j is very.

612
00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,920
Speaker 1: Control measured, very very measured, and he was very He

613
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,080
Speaker 1: had a very kind of elegant way of doing things.

614
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,040
Speaker 2: He didn't want to make anybody mad.

615
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:09,680
Speaker 4: I like that.

616
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:11,680
Speaker 5: Now he'll tell you what he thinks now.

617
00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:17,120
Speaker 16: But back then he realized, well, I realized I wasn't

618
00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:20,320
Speaker 16: trying to be a player of apologists, but I also

619
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:25,360
Speaker 16: understood the mentality of trying to be civil or human

620
00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:29,960
Speaker 16: and also be a superhuman by being a professional basketball player.

621
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,279
Speaker 16: When you got a coach yelling at you and you

622
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,440
Speaker 16: do something wrong, you deserve to be yelled at, even

623
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:37,480
Speaker 16: if you're a superstar. I know Bill Amber was kind

624
00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:39,200
Speaker 16: of sensitive, but he knew when he did things wrong,

625
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:41,520
Speaker 16: and Grant playing forty five minutes and being that kind

626
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:43,880
Speaker 16: of star, he has to be bulletproof. He has to

627
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,839
Speaker 16: let it, you know, just roll off. So I knew

628
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,120
Speaker 16: the difference. I knew it was hard to do, and

629
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:53,680
Speaker 16: I knew it was needed. And I walked in and

630
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,680
Speaker 16: I David was like, you can say this and this

631
00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:58,960
Speaker 16: and this, but don't ever do it this way, this

632
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,000
Speaker 16: way and this way. And he was building the brand.

633
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:05,160
Speaker 16: I had to remember since nineteen eighty four, he's been

634
00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,279
Speaker 16: building this brand to what it is.

635
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:13,280
Speaker 1: The NBA on NBC provided a perfect opportunity for players

636
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,719
Speaker 1: to get into the broadcast business. For me, it was

637
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:19,759
Speaker 1: also a chance to work closely with people who knew

638
00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:24,000
Speaker 1: my father, like Doctor j and Peter VESSI points and

639
00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:26,399
Speaker 1: just two rebounds and eight minutes of plays and early

640
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,399
Speaker 1: foul trouble, just like he was in Game four.

641
00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:30,440
Speaker 13: Peter, the way I read his game plan, hatter is

642
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:31,719
Speaker 13: he's just determined to make it.

643
00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:34,920
Speaker 1: Peter Vessie would literally sit around and tell us all

644
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,800
Speaker 1: these war stories from back in the day, and he

645
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,319
Speaker 1: would also, it's a good thing you have a good

646
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,759
Speaker 1: sense of humor, because Peter would always try to crack

647
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:50,000
Speaker 1: jokes on the air, and he has a very specific

648
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:56,600
Speaker 1: sense of humor, you know, so luckily, you, being you,

649
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,319
Speaker 1: you would always laugh and make it work.

650
00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:03,719
Speaker 14: Which was I I love best, right and the thing

651
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,120
Speaker 14: that I used to always loved, like like he could

652
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:08,440
Speaker 14: never say your name right.

653
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,640
Speaker 11: Remember it was always Hannah, that's right.

654
00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:20,120
Speaker 2: He called me Hannah with this accent Hannah, and you

655
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:21,919
Speaker 2: used to think that was hysterical.

656
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,840
Speaker 4: And he was trying so hard to.

657
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,080
Speaker 11: Like say your name right.

658
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:28,400
Speaker 14: He was like, and Hannah.

659
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:31,359
Speaker 13: Every time.

660
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:32,600
Speaker 14: A great times.

661
00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:33,640
Speaker 11: That was a great time.

662
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:39,240
Speaker 1: NBC had a huge opportunity with the Barcelona Olympics, able

663
00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,760
Speaker 1: to lean fully into the superstar power of the Dream

664
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:47,960
Speaker 1: Team and the Jordan years, culminating in the Bulls sixth title.

665
00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:52,360
Speaker 9: Seventeen seconds from gage seven or from Championship number.

666
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:58,760
Speaker 10: Six Michael against Russell twelve seconds eleven Chen Jordana.

667
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:00,719
Speaker 13: Dry thanks yes.

668
00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:06,200
Speaker 10: The scores for balls lead eighty seven eighty six were

669
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:07,160
Speaker 10: five at two.

670
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,560
Speaker 9: Cats game six in ninety eight in Salt Lake City.

671
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,600
Speaker 9: It's still the highest rated NBA game ever. You couldn't

672
00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:18,680
Speaker 9: ask for more drama than that. But almost forgotten. Early

673
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:21,520
Speaker 9: in the game there was no replay. Then Howard Eisley

674
00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 9: hit a three for Utah that beat the shot clock

675
00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:27,480
Speaker 9: and was waved off. Would have been reversed easily today.

676
00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:28,520
Speaker 11: The second half.

677
00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:31,399
Speaker 9: Ron Harper hits two that didn't beat the shot clock,

678
00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,600
Speaker 9: and they allowed it. That's a five point swing. Now

679
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,919
Speaker 9: the game ends. You couldn't script it any better. We're

680
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,160
Speaker 9: all celebrating it for thegetable.

681
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:41,920
Speaker 2: You knew you were witnessing history.

682
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,560
Speaker 9: Yes, yes, I hope that we did a good job

683
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:48,400
Speaker 9: document And then David is in my ear and I know,

684
00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:52,280
Speaker 9: now this is coming from Dick mention Issley and harping.

685
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,879
Speaker 11: And then you know, oh, Dick, long enough, I knew

686
00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:57,320
Speaker 11: what he was thinking. Damn it.

687
00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,920
Speaker 9: I don't care about Jordan's drama. If those two shots

688
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 9: aren't reversed. We're playing a Game seven on Wednesday to

689
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:05,800
Speaker 9: an even bigger rating.

690
00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:06,840
Speaker 2: A game seven.

691
00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,320
Speaker 9: The only guy outside of Jazz fans that isn't happy

692
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:17,400
Speaker 9: about this. I figured the whole thing out in a

693
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:19,319
Speaker 9: practice of a second. I figured the whole thing out.

694
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:21,880
Speaker 9: So I take a beat and I say something like

695
00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,799
Speaker 9: when a series in a game is this quose? There

696
00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,680
Speaker 9: are so many things to look back on during the offseason,

697
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:32,200
Speaker 9: but the Jazz, for sure, we'll think about the Isley

698
00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:34,800
Speaker 9: three that was disallowed and the harp or two that

699
00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:36,080
Speaker 9: was allowed that might have.

700
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:38,520
Speaker 11: Changed the outcome of this game and set us to

701
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,040
Speaker 11: a game seven next day.

702
00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:43,439
Speaker 9: In the New York Times, Richard Sandomir, why is Bob

703
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:44,759
Speaker 9: Costas talking about that?

704
00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,080
Speaker 11: Well, the bulls are pumping each other and flipping each

705
00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,880
Speaker 11: other on the back. I'll tell you why, because my

706
00:38:51,080 --> 00:38:51,920
Speaker 11: woff wanted to be.

707
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,239
Speaker 1: At the time, NBA Entertainment was documenting every minute, much

708
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:08,880
Speaker 1: of which would be used on their flagship show, NBA

709
00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:10,120
Speaker 1: Inside Stuff.

710
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:15,799
Speaker 15: Now on NBA Inside Stuff. As he makes the move

711
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,399
Speaker 15: to Golden State, Ronnie Ceygele's Loving is New City had

712
00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:20,520
Speaker 15: his new teammates.

713
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:22,239
Speaker 5: Those guys are so good.

714
00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:22,880
Speaker 19: It's scaring.

715
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:24,000
Speaker 4: It's really scary.

716
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,120
Speaker 15: And it's high noon in Dallas. As a cowboy named

717
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,120
Speaker 15: Jason arrives in the wild West, it is a new kid.

718
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:34,839
Speaker 2: Yeah, how did you come up with the name?

719
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:39,120
Speaker 1: I know, like you filmed a pilot in nineteen eighty

720
00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:43,480
Speaker 1: nine and James Brown he was the host and it

721
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,320
Speaker 1: didn't have a name at the time. How did you

722
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,280
Speaker 1: guys come up with Inside Stuff?

723
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,920
Speaker 4: There's a lot of revisionist history on this one. I

724
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:55,680
Speaker 4: bet them. Yeah, we all really sat in rooms and

725
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:58,360
Speaker 4: went over this said, you know, we wanted this to

726
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,160
Speaker 4: be something inside and then I think it was either

727
00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:05,239
Speaker 4: myself or Greg or somebody throughout the word. You know,

728
00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:08,040
Speaker 4: there's a lot of stuff here, and we were kind

729
00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:11,560
Speaker 4: of like inside stuff, insides, and all of a sudden

730
00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,680
Speaker 4: we started saying it and then that's the inside stuff

731
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:19,000
Speaker 4: would be the tail end of the promos. And we said,

732
00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:21,320
Speaker 4: we think this can work, and we went to David

733
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,759
Speaker 4: and we went to Dick and they kind of looked

734
00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:25,759
Speaker 4: at us and said, all right, you guys think so.

735
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,440
Speaker 4: Obviously if it if it worked great for everyone. If

736
00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,200
Speaker 4: it didn't, Greg and I probably would be looking for work.

737
00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,719
Speaker 4: But we just kind of like ran with it.

738
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,520
Speaker 7: Hi, everyone, I'm a little bit man, I'm a mad shod.

739
00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,640
Speaker 7: We were addressed like because earlier this morning we had

740
00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:42,920
Speaker 7: an appearance where we sang Michael rollebot ashore to some

741
00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:46,839
Speaker 7: children that we did the show. Now today I'll catch

742
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:48,839
Speaker 7: up with Ronnie Slackly, a guy who's been all over

743
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,320
Speaker 7: the world vacations.

744
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,000
Speaker 1: The show was hosted for sixteen years by a Maud Rashod,

745
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:58,600
Speaker 1: half of those with my longtime friend will Obey, who

746
00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:03,000
Speaker 1: auditioned for the role with no TV experience. Is it

747
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,320
Speaker 1: true that preparing for your interview, did you read like

748
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:07,960
Speaker 1: a year's worth of Sports Illustrated.

749
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:09,799
Speaker 2: Yes, I did.

750
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 20: I did, because you know what, back then, we had

751
00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:17,560
Speaker 20: these things called magazine, right, that was our bible pages

752
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:18,080
Speaker 20: of them.

753
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:20,600
Speaker 2: You held them in your hands, you know.

754
00:41:20,719 --> 00:41:23,120
Speaker 20: I approached the show as a fan. I didn't pretend

755
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,120
Speaker 20: to be anything other than that. But I knew that

756
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:26,920
Speaker 20: I had to go to the NBA and be interviewed

757
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:29,839
Speaker 20: by the NBA. And so I went to the New

758
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:34,680
Speaker 20: York Public Library and read, literally read through a year's

759
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,400
Speaker 20: worth of back issues of Sports Illustrated, just the basketball sections.

760
00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:44,160
Speaker 2: That is classic. That is exactly like something I would do. Exactly.

761
00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:46,680
Speaker 2: Do you remember your interview and did you have to

762
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:50,319
Speaker 2: talk to David Stern Commissioner Stern before taking the job, Like.

763
00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:51,719
Speaker 13: What was that? Like? I did?

764
00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 20: My final interview, final round interview was with Commissioner David

765
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:59,200
Speaker 20: Stern and his deputy at the time, Gary Bettman, who

766
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:03,000
Speaker 20: was now NHI Commissioner. And I thought it was sort

767
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:07,560
Speaker 20: of interesting that these two highest ranking officials who were

768
00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:11,880
Speaker 20: lawyers were interviewing the TV person. I thought it was

769
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,480
Speaker 20: a little unusual, but still, how cool is that to

770
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:19,000
Speaker 20: go meet with Commissioner Stern and now commissioner Betman, super

771
00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:22,920
Speaker 20: cool experience, and we have this interview and I'll never

772
00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:27,120
Speaker 20: forget David saying to me, you know, we have these

773
00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:32,480
Speaker 20: two women both okay on television, but you have an MBA,

774
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,359
Speaker 20: so we're going to I think, go with you because

775
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,440
Speaker 20: if the TV gig doesn't work out, we'll find a

776
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,000
Speaker 20: spot for you in the marketing department.

777
00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:41,759
Speaker 2: That's fascinating.

778
00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:46,319
Speaker 1: Inside stuff was part of the NBA's push to draw

779
00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:49,440
Speaker 1: young kids and women to the sport of basketball.

780
00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:51,920
Speaker 20: I paid a visit to Michael's Golf Center to check

781
00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:52,560
Speaker 20: out the tournament.

782
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:53,520
Speaker 5: He held a loose kids.

783
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:55,000
Speaker 20: Well, I give him some lessons.

784
00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:56,759
Speaker 2: Actually think he is trying.

785
00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:59,239
Speaker 20: To promote golf among young people since many of them

786
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,359
Speaker 20: have never had a chance to discover the game.

787
00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:04,000
Speaker 2: I'm not being able to go for my favorite.

788
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,160
Speaker 1: But back then, there were only two women covering the

789
00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:12,200
Speaker 1: league on a national basis, and we sort of looked alike.

790
00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:16,480
Speaker 1: Everyone used to call me Willow and pull Willow. Hannah,

791
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:20,799
Speaker 1: you're being very you're being very circumspect.

792
00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:23,880
Speaker 2: As you know. The way I used to describe it

793
00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:25,440
Speaker 2: is two.

794
00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:29,080
Speaker 20: Tall, skinny, white girls with banks covering the NBA. You

795
00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:33,640
Speaker 20: were interchangeable interchangeable in the minds of something.

796
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:37,839
Speaker 1: Hilarious, because to this day I always have people hit

797
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:40,320
Speaker 1: me up on X or Instagram or whatever and they're like,

798
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,920
Speaker 1: oh my god, I loved you so much on Inside Stuff,

799
00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:43,920
Speaker 1: you were so great.

800
00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:46,879
Speaker 20: Do you ever have people to know all the time

801
00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:50,680
Speaker 20: all the time, some of them with names that everybody

802
00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:52,960
Speaker 20: would recognize, I won't out them.

803
00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:54,640
Speaker 2: It's really funny.

804
00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:57,880
Speaker 1: I actually consider that a great compliment to be confused

805
00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:03,279
Speaker 1: with you and I am just going to ride. So

806
00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:08,880
Speaker 1: Inside Stuff was the brainchild of something that doesn't exist

807
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:12,360
Speaker 1: really anymore in terms of making content, but it was

808
00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:17,759
Speaker 1: NBA entertainment, and it was really derivative of David Stearn's

809
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,279
Speaker 1: idea of how to market the league. Since you were

810
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,520
Speaker 1: there from the beginning, can you take us through the

811
00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:24,839
Speaker 1: inception of that show.

812
00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:25,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I.

813
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:29,440
Speaker 20: Arrived in year two, and really the idea of the

814
00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:32,120
Speaker 20: show was, you know, in the way that I would

815
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:34,520
Speaker 20: describe it now, to open the aperture on what it

816
00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:38,120
Speaker 20: means to be an NBA fan. It was a show

817
00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:44,360
Speaker 20: designed for all fans, not just hardcore sports lovers, and I,

818
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:47,680
Speaker 20: as a fan, was paired with a mad Rashad former

819
00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:52,360
Speaker 20: athlete sportscaster to really again broaden this perspective of what

820
00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:55,640
Speaker 20: it meant to be a fan, and the focus was

821
00:44:56,360 --> 00:45:00,800
Speaker 20: on the players and the human experience of those players.

822
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:03,440
Speaker 20: It was really and it's impossible to even like when

823
00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:05,719
Speaker 20: we think of it from today's vantage point, it seems

824
00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,200
Speaker 20: impossible to think that back then there really wasn't a

825
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:14,240
Speaker 20: program that was designed to take you into the lives

826
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:17,560
Speaker 20: of the players off the court, to understand who they

827
00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:20,520
Speaker 20: were as people, what motivated them, how they grew up,

828
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,400
Speaker 20: where they went to school, what their hobbies were, what

829
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,520
Speaker 20: they cared about off the court. And that's what was

830
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:29,960
Speaker 20: so revolutionary about it, And I think that's what was

831
00:45:30,160 --> 00:45:33,520
Speaker 20: what is so foundational to the changes that we're seeing

832
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:37,560
Speaker 20: in the way players present themselves, the way players communicate

833
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:39,840
Speaker 20: directly with their audiences and their fans.

834
00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:40,320
Speaker 11: Today.

835
00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:45,000
Speaker 2: Here's Don Spurling.

836
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:48,279
Speaker 4: We did the testing. The chemistry was great between her

837
00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:52,680
Speaker 4: and between her and a mod Hello, everybody, I'm will

838
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:55,640
Speaker 4: obey and I am very upset that feeling it's taken

839
00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:56,120
Speaker 4: shat to me.

840
00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:58,600
Speaker 7: I usual would challenge right here now, me and him

841
00:45:58,719 --> 00:46:01,799
Speaker 7: one on one, bringing his brother Richie, because he'll need

842
00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:03,840
Speaker 7: him when he plays me. Because he doesn't remember that.

843
00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:06,200
Speaker 20: Shot and he doesn't know they call you ironbod shot.

844
00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:09,040
Speaker 7: That's right because of the shape. I mean I almost

845
00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:09,960
Speaker 7: forgot that because.

846
00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:13,160
Speaker 4: It just seemed to It really seemed to work. And

847
00:46:13,239 --> 00:46:15,600
Speaker 4: I do want to say something about a MOD. People

848
00:46:15,719 --> 00:46:18,800
Speaker 4: now associate him with basketball. At the time when we

849
00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:21,960
Speaker 4: hired a MOD, people were like, isn't he a foot?

850
00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,120
Speaker 4: He's a foot and he's a great football player, exactly unbelievable. Yeah,

851
00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:28,560
Speaker 4: isn't Ay a football player? He does football? He does football. Mod.

852
00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:32,800
Speaker 4: You know, when he hits that camera, it's magic, okay,

853
00:46:33,080 --> 00:46:37,080
Speaker 4: And the audience and interfacing with kids. Once once we

854
00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:39,239
Speaker 4: talked to a MOD, we knew he was the guy.

855
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:43,600
Speaker 4: And then he became kind of the face and voice

856
00:46:43,719 --> 00:46:46,840
Speaker 4: of you know, entertainment basketball from there.

857
00:46:46,719 --> 00:46:50,560
Speaker 1: On it And he was very close to Michael Jordan

858
00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:55,360
Speaker 1: and so that didn't hurt. You know, Michael trusted a

859
00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:57,320
Speaker 1: MOD and he would always talk to a MOD, and

860
00:46:57,360 --> 00:46:59,520
Speaker 1: a MOD would cover the Eastern Conference and I would

861
00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:03,000
Speaker 1: cover the Western Conference. But that was you know, I

862
00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:06,279
Speaker 1: think besides the mods, like you said, incredible presence and

863
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:10,360
Speaker 1: just personality. It also so happened that he had a

864
00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:12,879
Speaker 1: great relationship with the preeminent player of the day.

865
00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:16,560
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was really helpful. I will tell you something.

866
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,960
Speaker 4: We didn't totally focus The great thing about Insight stuff.

867
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,040
Speaker 4: We were able to dig into the second and third

868
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,600
Speaker 4: tier players. Oh yeah, I'd showed that they have police

869
00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:28,920
Speaker 4: because you didn't really need to promote Michael. He's facing

870
00:47:29,239 --> 00:47:31,840
Speaker 4: Nike and Lada Reide and all the other all his

871
00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:34,640
Speaker 4: other partners were doing a pretty good job at that.

872
00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:38,799
Speaker 4: So yes, of course we featured Michael whenever we could,

873
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:42,560
Speaker 4: but we really went after, like, you know a lot

874
00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:45,080
Speaker 4: of those you know, Tim Hardaway and you know and

875
00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:49,080
Speaker 4: Charles Barkley and yeah, guys, we're ready made for insight off,

876
00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:49,759
Speaker 4: let's face it.

877
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, and you had a lot of signature segments.

878
00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:55,400
Speaker 1: You had rewind right, so that recap the games that

879
00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:57,960
Speaker 1: have been played that week, including bloopers. You had the

880
00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:01,680
Speaker 1: jam session, so you set the highlight to music and

881
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:06,720
Speaker 1: longer features which really followed players off the court, again,

882
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:10,560
Speaker 1: something that hadn't been done maybe outside of the Olympics.

883
00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:13,719
Speaker 1: Right when we got to know athletes as people. This

884
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:18,319
Speaker 1: really sort of borrowed that that Olympic philosophy. How did

885
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,359
Speaker 1: you come up with the segments, and some of them

886
00:48:20,440 --> 00:48:22,880
Speaker 1: were addressed very serious issues.

887
00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:25,920
Speaker 4: Most of them were liked. But obviously, when you know,

888
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:29,240
Speaker 4: it was our first year of the show when Magic

889
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,279
Speaker 4: had to retire and so forth, and we covered that,

890
00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:36,160
Speaker 4: you know, and followed that as the story progressed.

891
00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:36,560
Speaker 19: Because of.

892
00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:43,560
Speaker 14: HIV buyers that I have attained, I will have to

893
00:48:43,640 --> 00:48:46,400
Speaker 14: retire from the Lakers today.

894
00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,239
Speaker 4: There was no you know, there was no nothing to

895
00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,080
Speaker 4: sweeten up there because at the time, as you as

896
00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:56,839
Speaker 4: everybody well remembers, people thought AIDS was a death set.

897
00:48:56,920 --> 00:48:59,400
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was terrifying, terrifying.

898
00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:04,400
Speaker 4: Terrifying, and and the NBA family was shook and the

899
00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:09,000
Speaker 4: world shook. But obviously Magic being Magic and every and

900
00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:13,680
Speaker 4: the story everybody knows he's you know, he's obviously gotten

901
00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:16,960
Speaker 4: through all that and and and going beyond that. But

902
00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:19,799
Speaker 4: the going to the other side, like for instance, where

903
00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:22,560
Speaker 4: Shack was drafted, I will tell you something to me

904
00:49:22,680 --> 00:49:26,360
Speaker 4: the most memorable memorable part of NBA in side stuff.

905
00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:29,400
Speaker 4: Before Shaq ever played an NBA game, we did a

906
00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:32,520
Speaker 4: feature with him. Okay, he was drafted by Orlando. We

907
00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:34,680
Speaker 4: went to this he was at this gym and he

908
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:38,239
Speaker 4: was practicing at a Mod and Shaq are playing one

909
00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:38,719
Speaker 4: on one.

910
00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:40,480
Speaker 7: Right, I'm gonna show you what it's gonna be like

911
00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:41,680
Speaker 7: in the NBA. Are you ready?

912
00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:45,640
Speaker 9: Huh?

913
00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:49,200
Speaker 4: And a Mod goes out and he hits the shot

914
00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:52,520
Speaker 4: from way out and Shack goes really so he says,

915
00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:55,240
Speaker 4: come in here, come in here, and Shaq like backs

916
00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:57,400
Speaker 4: the Mod down. What's he gonna do? Right? And he

917
00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:01,480
Speaker 4: goes up in dunks and he pulls the basketball the

918
00:50:02,040 --> 00:50:06,759
Speaker 4: basketball hoop and the glass shatters falls on his best

919
00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:14,080
Speaker 4: We're all there like this, Oh no, we just named

920
00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:18,080
Speaker 4: the number one draft pick. We're all getting fired tomorrow.

921
00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:20,359
Speaker 4: And this is That's what Shack all of a sudden,

922
00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:23,640
Speaker 4: he just kind of like gets up, shake, smiles. Amad

923
00:50:23,719 --> 00:50:27,040
Speaker 4: comes over, leans over and says, is that all you got?

924
00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:29,319
Speaker 11: Is that all you got?

925
00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:33,600
Speaker 4: And that became more open to that whole season, and

926
00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:36,080
Speaker 4: it came and it became a video that we played

927
00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:37,840
Speaker 4: over and over again. I would say it's one of

928
00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:41,200
Speaker 4: the first viral videos that you know that was in sports.

929
00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:45,800
Speaker 1: Inside Stuff helped change the way sports were covered.

930
00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:49,760
Speaker 20: First of all, the team at Inside Stuff, the producers

931
00:50:50,239 --> 00:50:53,600
Speaker 20: were insanely talented. Amad and I were front and center.

932
00:50:53,960 --> 00:51:00,520
Speaker 20: But that production team was made up of incredibly talented shooter, editors, writers,

933
00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:05,400
Speaker 20: thinkers who also shared a love of the game and

934
00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:08,920
Speaker 20: a love of the sport, but a real appreciation of

935
00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:14,359
Speaker 20: the people that they were covering. And I honestly think

936
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:17,400
Speaker 20: that was so foundational. And they brought the spirit of

937
00:51:17,480 --> 00:51:20,720
Speaker 20: fun to the storytelling. Not that the stories weren't serious often,

938
00:51:20,840 --> 00:51:24,040
Speaker 20: and not that we didn't get into often, you know,

939
00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:28,680
Speaker 20: the challenges and the struggles that you know players encountered

940
00:51:28,719 --> 00:51:32,440
Speaker 20: in their lives, because that's important, But I think this

941
00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:36,719
Speaker 20: sense of joy, the sense of fun, really shaped the

942
00:51:36,800 --> 00:51:37,960
Speaker 20: storytelling that we did.

943
00:51:38,640 --> 00:51:41,480
Speaker 1: A part of that foundation is the league taking on

944
00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:46,120
Speaker 1: social issues head on. David Stern's support of Magic Johnson

945
00:51:46,280 --> 00:51:49,680
Speaker 1: after he announced he was HIV positive set the tone

946
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:54,280
Speaker 1: at the highest level, and Adam Silver has continued that legacy.

947
00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:58,440
Speaker 20: He's taken the legacy that David built and left to

948
00:51:58,520 --> 00:52:00,960
Speaker 20: him and made it his own and advanced it in

949
00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:05,160
Speaker 20: truly significant ways, right both in terms of league operations,

950
00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:07,839
Speaker 20: in league business and league cultures. It is Adam's league,

951
00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:10,840
Speaker 20: but you know, David and his leadership in the league

952
00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:15,880
Speaker 20: provided kind of cultural guidance at some very important moments

953
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:19,000
Speaker 20: and I think specifically of Magic Johnson announcing that he

954
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:21,319
Speaker 20: was HIV positive in the fall of nineteen ninety one,

955
00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:25,759
Speaker 20: which was my literally first weekend on the job of

956
00:52:25,800 --> 00:52:27,440
Speaker 20: the show. I mean, I'd worked there for the summer,

957
00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:30,239
Speaker 20: but it was our very first show and this news broke.

958
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:33,680
Speaker 20: But what was so interesting to me was the way

959
00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:37,480
Speaker 20: in which David and his team determined they were going

960
00:52:37,520 --> 00:52:41,160
Speaker 20: to follow the science, and they brought in the very

961
00:52:41,360 --> 00:52:45,560
Speaker 20: best AIDS researchers, doctor David Hoe among them to really

962
00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:50,120
Speaker 20: help guide first the League but secondly like the American

963
00:52:50,239 --> 00:52:53,920
Speaker 20: public through the realities of what it meant at that

964
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:58,480
Speaker 20: moment to be HIV positive, using science and facts to

965
00:52:59,239 --> 00:53:03,040
Speaker 20: deepen our unders standing and erased stigma, and for me

966
00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:05,320
Speaker 20: that that is one of the most powerful kind of

967
00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:08,440
Speaker 20: cultural touchstones in the in the legacy of the League,

968
00:53:08,520 --> 00:53:11,600
Speaker 20: and by the way they did the same thing through COVID.

969
00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,200
Speaker 19: There were three themes we focused on. Number one, of course,

970
00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:19,960
Speaker 19: was can we bring the NBA back? Number two was

971
00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:23,480
Speaker 19: the health and safety of everyone involved, And then as

972
00:53:23,719 --> 00:53:27,279
Speaker 19: events unfolded in the country, social justice became one of

973
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:28,680
Speaker 19: those themes as well, and.

974
00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:32,280
Speaker 20: So just interesting and reflective of the of the power

975
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:36,240
Speaker 20: of sports, I think, and the power of a sport

976
00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:41,719
Speaker 20: run exceedingly well as the NBA is to really not

977
00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:43,840
Speaker 20: just reflect culture, but to shape it.

978
00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:51,600
Speaker 11: That's a moment we got to keep pushing forward.

979
00:54:01,520 --> 00:54:07,120
Speaker 1: Looking back, NBA entertainment, namely Inside Stuff, created a model

980
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:12,800
Speaker 1: for tackling social issues, and other broadcasters ran with it. Today,

981
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:16,880
Speaker 1: players are visible on all platforms. We care about their lives,

982
00:54:17,120 --> 00:54:20,880
Speaker 1: their personalities, their passions, and their opinions.

983
00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:25,279
Speaker 4: Let us be perfectly clear, Black lives matter.

984
00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:34,680
Speaker 20: The kind of humbling responsibility of telling the stories of

985
00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:38,320
Speaker 20: these players, I mean, that's a responsibility that somebody is

986
00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:41,560
Speaker 20: trusting you, sitting down with you, opening up their home

987
00:54:41,640 --> 00:54:44,279
Speaker 20: to you, opening up their heart to you. That's a

988
00:54:44,360 --> 00:54:48,799
Speaker 20: responsibility that I always took incredibly seriously, regardless of how

989
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:52,200
Speaker 20: much fun we were having. And the way I think

990
00:54:52,239 --> 00:54:55,640
Speaker 20: I demonstrated that is I didn't come to this sport

991
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:58,359
Speaker 20: as an expert. I had to study all the time,

992
00:54:58,960 --> 00:55:02,120
Speaker 20: and I I know that when you go into a

993
00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:06,280
Speaker 20: situation where trust is essential, and particularly when somebody doesn't

994
00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:08,200
Speaker 20: know you that well, doesn't have a history with you,

995
00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:12,000
Speaker 20: coming in really prepared demonstrates your respect.

996
00:55:12,719 --> 00:55:17,040
Speaker 1: I've not only found that preparedness is essential to what

997
00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:20,759
Speaker 1: you're saying, to storytelling, to respect for your subject and

998
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:21,520
Speaker 1: your audience.

999
00:55:22,320 --> 00:55:25,000
Speaker 2: But that the more prepared you are, the more comfortable

1000
00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:25,279
Speaker 2: you are.

1001
00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:27,360
Speaker 20: Yeah, I wonder how gendered that is.

1002
00:55:28,080 --> 00:55:29,160
Speaker 2: It must be. What do you think?

1003
00:55:29,880 --> 00:55:30,000
Speaker 3: Oh?

1004
00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:32,000
Speaker 20: I think it is for sure. I think there is

1005
00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:36,360
Speaker 20: a tendency for women to say, oh, I'm not prepared

1006
00:55:36,400 --> 00:55:40,040
Speaker 20: to do that. Oh I've never done that. Oh boy,

1007
00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:44,800
Speaker 20: and then to prepare and maybe even over prepare in

1008
00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:46,040
Speaker 20: order to get ready.

1009
00:55:46,400 --> 00:55:50,280
Speaker 1: I think there's a notion and I think you know, obviously,

1010
00:55:50,360 --> 00:55:53,879
Speaker 1: you and I were really in the national spotlight as

1011
00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:58,040
Speaker 1: the two women who are covering the NBA, and there's

1012
00:55:58,320 --> 00:56:05,520
Speaker 1: a fear of failure or being criticized, and maybe some

1013
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,560
Speaker 1: of the over preparedness can come from that. But there's

1014
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:14,520
Speaker 1: also this huge feeling of responsibility that if you don't

1015
00:56:14,560 --> 00:56:17,120
Speaker 1: do it and you're not successful, that down the road

1016
00:56:17,800 --> 00:56:21,400
Speaker 1: another woman might not get that opportunity. So that's a

1017
00:56:21,480 --> 00:56:24,480
Speaker 1: pressure that I've always felt. I'm wondering if you felt

1018
00:56:24,520 --> 00:56:25,640
Speaker 1: that absolutely.

1019
00:56:25,719 --> 00:56:30,400
Speaker 20: I mean, I suspect that that's somewhat universal for women

1020
00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:32,840
Speaker 20: who were the first or even the seconds or thirds,

1021
00:56:34,200 --> 00:56:37,200
Speaker 20: you know, going in going into spaces, and you know,

1022
00:56:37,360 --> 00:56:42,279
Speaker 20: I'm very mindful of that when you and I kind

1023
00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:44,719
Speaker 20: of came of age in our careers when we were

1024
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:48,359
Speaker 20: the first. But you know, in relative terms, we are

1025
00:56:48,719 --> 00:56:51,280
Speaker 20: women of privilege, right, we are white women of privilege,

1026
00:56:51,400 --> 00:56:55,720
Speaker 20: and there are women following in our footsteps who today

1027
00:56:56,040 --> 00:56:58,359
Speaker 20: have to fight those fights, you know, have to fight

1028
00:56:58,440 --> 00:57:00,560
Speaker 20: those fights to be accepted, have to fight those fights

1029
00:57:00,600 --> 00:57:07,479
Speaker 20: for opportunity. And it makes me very mindful of ways

1030
00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:10,640
Speaker 20: in which we can all work much more effectively having

1031
00:57:10,760 --> 00:57:13,920
Speaker 20: done it to open doors, to open doors for others,

1032
00:57:14,120 --> 00:57:17,080
Speaker 20: and to make sure that the opportunity is universal.

1033
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:23,200
Speaker 1: I began this series by talking about the challenges of

1034
00:57:23,320 --> 00:57:26,880
Speaker 1: covering this sport and others as a woman, and the

1035
00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:30,320
Speaker 1: fact that growing up around basketball gave me the strength

1036
00:57:30,400 --> 00:57:33,720
Speaker 1: and desire to follow a path that was not traditional

1037
00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:37,440
Speaker 1: for women at the time. Along with my dad, former

1038
00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:42,240
Speaker 1: ABA commissioner Mike Storren, the NBA's commissioner. Stern was a

1039
00:57:42,400 --> 00:57:46,240
Speaker 1: sounding board for me throughout my career. I miss him,

1040
00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:50,160
Speaker 1: me too, me too. I miss him and would see

1041
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:51,120
Speaker 1: him every year.

1042
00:57:51,160 --> 00:57:53,160
Speaker 20: We would always go to a conference every year in

1043
00:57:53,200 --> 00:57:56,280
Speaker 20: the summer together, so I would get you know, my

1044
00:57:56,520 --> 00:57:59,480
Speaker 20: NBA career is long over. I would always get a

1045
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:02,920
Speaker 20: check in with him, And famously one day we were

1046
00:58:03,160 --> 00:58:05,560
Speaker 20: I was with my son, who was a toddler at

1047
00:58:05,600 --> 00:58:09,040
Speaker 20: the time, and we were near a pond, and from

1048
00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:15,120
Speaker 20: across the other side, I hear, hello, watch.

1049
00:58:15,080 --> 00:58:19,800
Speaker 21: That child, because he was worried that that toddler was

1050
00:58:19,840 --> 00:58:22,880
Speaker 21: too close to the pond. And people said to me, oh,

1051
00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:26,040
Speaker 21: is that your husband? And I said, uh no, Not

1052
00:58:26,200 --> 00:58:26,560
Speaker 21: only is.

1053
00:58:26,560 --> 00:58:30,760
Speaker 20: That not my husband nor this child's father, but he's

1054
00:58:30,800 --> 00:58:32,040
Speaker 20: not even my boss anymore.

1055
00:58:32,120 --> 00:58:35,840
Speaker 2: He hasn't been my boss in decades. He had no

1056
00:58:36,080 --> 00:58:39,040
Speaker 2: problem telling you what to do, right, worrying about.

1057
00:58:38,880 --> 00:58:42,080
Speaker 20: Worrying about you know, that child, that child I was

1058
00:58:42,120 --> 00:58:44,439
Speaker 20: going to, let you know, dive headfirst into the duck pond.

1059
00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:46,840
Speaker 20: And it was just it was so David, because like

1060
00:58:47,080 --> 00:58:50,880
Speaker 20: David was right there alongside you. Yeah, I just jump

1061
00:58:51,000 --> 00:58:53,560
Speaker 20: right in the mix, in the mix, which I so

1062
00:58:53,720 --> 00:58:55,960
Speaker 20: love about him, and I miss I really miss him.

1063
00:58:56,560 --> 00:58:58,320
Speaker 2: Here's my dad, Mike Storn.

1064
00:58:58,520 --> 00:59:03,040
Speaker 6: When I think about David Stern and his legacy, I

1065
00:59:03,280 --> 00:59:06,600
Speaker 6: think about the fact that always in the back of

1066
00:59:06,720 --> 00:59:10,720
Speaker 6: David's mind is the development and the creation of the

1067
00:59:11,040 --> 00:59:16,800
Speaker 6: history of basketball and what that means as a commissioner,

1068
00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:22,880
Speaker 6: your background and the things that you do are always

1069
00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:26,560
Speaker 6: done under the theory of what can I do that

1070
00:59:26,760 --> 00:59:30,120
Speaker 6: is in the best interests of the league, or in

1071
00:59:30,240 --> 00:59:33,760
Speaker 6: David's case, what can I do that is singularly in

1072
00:59:33,880 --> 00:59:37,560
Speaker 6: the best interests of basketball. As I look at his legacy,

1073
00:59:38,080 --> 00:59:41,160
Speaker 6: I think the highest compliment that I can pay to

1074
00:59:41,280 --> 00:59:45,720
Speaker 6: David is that he always did everything in the best

1075
00:59:45,880 --> 00:59:50,959
Speaker 6: interests of basketball. He never deterred from making those kinds

1076
00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:51,640
Speaker 6: of decisions.

1077
00:59:54,560 --> 00:59:57,720
Speaker 1: It's crazy how my life has come full circle from

1078
00:59:57,760 --> 01:00:00,840
Speaker 1: a little girl the city courtside to becoming the first

1079
01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:04,480
Speaker 1: woman to solo host a major sports league on television.

1080
01:00:05,160 --> 01:00:10,320
Speaker 1: The NBA, ABA and WNBA are truly part of my DNA,

1081
01:00:10,920 --> 01:00:13,720
Speaker 1: and I'd like to thank all the guests and storytellers

1082
01:00:13,920 --> 01:00:17,560
Speaker 1: who took us along on this great journey. This has

1083
01:00:17,720 --> 01:00:22,960
Speaker 1: been NBA DNA with me Hannah Storm. Thank you for listening.

1084
01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:37,800
Speaker 1: NBA DNA with Hannah Storm is a production of iHeart Podcasts,

1085
01:00:37,960 --> 01:00:41,840
Speaker 1: the NBA and Brainstorm and Productions. The show is written

1086
01:00:42,000 --> 01:00:45,920
Speaker 1: and executive produced by me Hannah Storm, along with Julia

1087
01:00:46,000 --> 01:00:50,040
Speaker 1: Weaver and Alex French. Our lead producer and showrunner is

1088
01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:54,840
Speaker 1: Julia Weaver. Our senior producers are Peter Kouder, Alex French,

1089
01:00:55,200 --> 01:00:59,360
Speaker 1: and Brandon Reese. Editing and sound design by Kurt Garrin

1090
01:00:59,520 --> 01:01:03,600
Speaker 1: and Julie Weaver. The show's executive producers are Carmen Belmont,

1091
01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:08,720
Speaker 1: Jason English, Sewan Ttone, Steve Weintraup, and Jason Weikelt.