ESPN has announced the upcoming debut of Basketball: A Love Story a 20-hour film embracing the beauty, art, politics, ethics, and more of this classic pastime. Directed by Dan Klores this 10 part documentary will begin airing in October.
What’s happening:
- Award winning director Dan Klores is bringing the world of basketball to fans through an amazing 20-hour film. Basketball: A Love Story is a 10 part documentary series consisting of 62 shorts on topics such as:
- NBA
- ABA
- College Hoops
- Women’s Game
- International Basketball
- Socio-Cultural Issues
- Basketball: A Love Story features interviews with over 160 athletes, celebrities, and legends including:
- Bob Cousy
- LeBron James
- Kevin Durant
- Dr. J
- Yao Ming
- Stephen Curry
- Diana Taurasi
- Magic Johnson
- Oscar Robertson
- Bill Russell
- Larry Bird
- Chris Paul
- Kobe Bryant
- Narrators include:
- Chadwick Boseman
- Julianne Moore
- Chris Cuomo
- Ashley Judd
- Michael Che
- Ansel Elgort
- Ahmad Rashad
- Robin Quivers
- Daveed Diggs
- Fisher Stevens
- All 62 short stories will be available on the ESPN app on Tuesday, September 18.
- The 10 part series will begin airing on ESPN over five Tuesdays:
- October 9, from 7-11 pm
- October 16, from 7-11 pm
- October 23, from 7-11 pm
- October 30, from 8 pm-12 am
- November 13, from 8 pm-12 am (all times ET.)
- Prior to the film’s weekly release a special preview will be shown in two installments on ESPN2 on September 25 (9 pm – Episodes 1 through 5) and September 27 (9 pm – Episodes 6 through 10)
What they’re saying:
- Connor Schell, EVP, Content, ESPN: “With ‘Basketball: A Love Story,’ Dan Klores weaves together the threads of many current and historical elements in a way that has never been done before, and it brings people inside the game in a fascinating manner. This is a special labor of love for Dan, and that comes through in the remarkable stories he chooses, the intricate way that he intertwines them, and how he tells them with care and humor – exploring the game of basketball, the cultural themes around it, and our own connection to it.”
- Director Dan Klores: “I’ve wanted to do this for many years. I first pitched it more than a decade ago to ESPN. These are ‘short stories’ to which I think millions around the world can relate. The game, for me and others, has been an escape, a chance to pretend, feel safe, learn, love, lose and even despair. It has an obsessive quality to it, whether one is a player as great as Jordan or LeBron, a fan, a park player, a team member – and to me, “obsession” is a form of love, so in a real sense each of these stories touches upon that feeling.”