Basketball: A Love Story

Players, coaches, and fans discuss their obsession with and passion for the game. NBA guard Latrell Sprewell's career was marred by a notorious 1997 incident in which he choked Warriors head coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice. From humble beginnings at a Massachusetts YMCA in 1891, basketball explodes into colleges, professional leagues, and American culture.

Against the backdrop of terrorism at the 1972 Summer Olympics, the U.S. men's basketball team meets the Soviets in a controversial gold-medal game.

The fledgling ABA attracts a distinctive roster of turbulent players and talented coaches in the years before its merger with the NBA.

College stars Lew Alcindor and Elvin Hayes square off in a 1968 match between UCLA and Houston at The Astrodome. For coaches as well as players, winning a championship is a deeply emotional experience.

The 1975 and 1976 NBA Finals as seen through the eyes of Rick Barry and John Havlicek. Widespread drug abuse leads to on-court and off-court troubles for many NBA players in the late 1970s.

The Portland Trail Blazers defeat the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers to capture the 1977 NBA championship. Georgetown Hoyas coach John Thompson redefines east-coast college basketball.