There isn’t much time before the 2023-24 NBA season begins, but if you just can’t wait to start watching basketball and need a little snack in the meantime, bite off of any one of these ESPN+ documentaries on the sport. It’s not quite the same as watching a live game, but it’ll get you through.
The Last Dance
The essential basketball documentary, if you’ve seen anything on this list before, it’s more than likely The Last Dance. But if you haven’t, consider this your sign. Telling the story of one of the greatest athletes of all time, the incomparable Michael Jordan, The Last Dance will have you wishing you could relive the ‘97-98 NBA season – or it’ll have you wishing you had been alive to see it. Documentaries don’t get much better than this one.
The Luckiest Guy in the World
An episode in conjunction with ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, “The Luckiest Guy in the World” revolves around Bill Walton, a talented basketball player who played at UCLA, and then in the NBA for multiple teams for over ten total seasons. That summary alone is the stuff of sports lore, but Walton’s career was so much more than that, and “The Luckiest Guy in the World” goes deep into what took him from basketball icon to bona fide sports legend.
Without Bias
Another episode of 30 for 30, “Without Bias” tells the heartbreaking story of Len Bias, the second overall draft pick for the NBA in 1986 who tragically died of a drug overdose just days after being selected by the Celtics. The episode focuses on Bias as a player and a person and the career he should have had, but it by no means shies away from his ultimate fate. The documentary episode will have you mourning the loss of a career that never happened while expressing gratitude for your own life.
Bad Boys
We mention 30 for 30 episodes a lot, but it’s because they’re so damn compelling. “Bad Boys” covers the team that comprised the Pistons in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The roster was stacked – Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Joe Dumars, and John Salley made for one heck of a combination. And they didn’t waste their opportunity. The Bad Boys, as they were known, took home titles, accolades, money. You name it, they had it. And “Bad Boys” dives into exactly what it was that they had.
Each of these documentaries is streaming now on ESPN+.