Basketball History 101
Basketball History 101

Basketball History 101

Rick Loayza

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Episodes

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I am your author and host, Rick Loayza. This is the blog and podcast where we bring to life some of the forgotten stories from basketball history. I love basketball. I love watching it. I love reading about it. I love learning about its history. I am, for all intents and purposes, a basketball junkie. I’ve coached all three of my kids in youth basketball. In fact, I still coach my youngest each winter. Something just happened to me when I was 11 where I was bitten by the basketball bug. And starting then, I just couldn’t get enough of this amazing game. And the purpose of this podcast and blog is to bring back some of the old stories from basketball’s history. I want to bring you a new story each week from the older days of basketball before there were 22 cameras and instant highlights on your device. Of course, any story from anywhere in basketball history is up for grabs. But I want the focus to be on those stories that are interesting and impactful but long forgotten. I’ll be covering stories going all the way back to the invention of the game in the 1890s, to the barnstorming days of basketball in the 1920s and 30s, to the creation of the current NBA in the 1940s and beyond. So, if you love basketball as much as I do, or you just want to hear a few stories from basketball’s past, then go ahead and subscribe to the podcast and come back to this blog to hear or read a new story each week. For me, this is a labor of love as I get to work with my older son, Jacob Loayza, who serves as my editor and producer. Until next time…

Recent Episodes

Episode 294 - The NBA is 8 Teams Again
APR 28, 2026
Episode 294 - The NBA is 8 Teams Again
What if the modern NBA went back to just 8 teams like they had in the 1960s? Only 16% of the current players would still have a roster spot in a reduced league. Everyone else would have to play in the G-league, Europe, Australia, or just get a regular job. We took the top 80 players from the 2024-2025 NBA and placed them on 8 teams. Here is what those teams would look like:Team 1 - San Francisco WarriorsShai Gilgeous-AlexanderKyrie IrvingZion WilliamsonBrandon IngramDeMar DeRozenMiles BridgesPascal SiakamEvan MobleyNikola VucevicKeynote GeorgeTeam 2 - Boston CelticsGiannis AntetokounmpoAnthony DavisSteph CurryJames HardenJaylen BrownCoby WhiteAustin ReavesSharron SharpeCollin SextonDeni AvdijaTeam 3 - New York KnicksNikola JokicDamian LillardKarl-Anthony TownsJa MorantJaren Jackson Jr.Jordan PooleKristaps PorzingisTyrese HaliburtonMichael Porter Jr.De’Andre HunterTeam 4 - Los Angeles LakersLuka DoncicLámelo BallLeBron JamesZach LavineNormal PowellDarius GarlandScottie BarnesJulius RandleBam AdebayoBradley BealTeam 5 - St. Louis HawksAnthony EdwardsDevin BookerVictor WembanyamaDe’Aaron FoxJalen WilliamsJalen GreenAnfernee SimonsCameron JohnsonOG AnonubyImmanuel QuickleyTeam 6 - Detroit PistonsJayson TatumPaolo BancheroTrae YoungJoel EmbiidKawhi LeonardBrandon MillerDesmond BaneJalen JohnsonAndrew WigginsMalik MonkTeam 7 - Philadelphia 76ersKevin DurantJalen BrunsonFranz WagnerTyler HerroJamal MurrayRJ BarrettDomantas SabonisJohn CollinsMikal BridgesDejaunte MurrayTeam 8 - Cincinnati RoyalsTyrese MaxeyCade CunninghamCam ThomasDonovan MitchellTrey Murphy IIICJ McCollumAlperen SengunLauri MarkkanenJaden IveyJimmy ButlerCREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voiceJacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC"Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORKsportshistorynetwork.comsportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOKm.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/ BUSINESS [email protected]
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15 MIN