NBA: 11 30 for 30 documentaries that should be made down the road

30 for 30 documentaries are immensely popular across the sports community, but which NBA episodes should be aired in the next coming years

ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series has become a massive hit since being created back in 2009. For die-hard sports fans, the film series has turned into a must-watch, especially since viewers finally get to hear more sides to a particular story; not only is the main theme of the story explored, but coaches, teammates, friends, and family are there to share anecdotal experiences that went unreported as well.

Unless you’re an ESPN filmmaker, not many of us are aware of what projects are in the works for the next 10-plus years, so one can only imagine and hope.

However, focusing solely on the NBA, here are eleven 30 for 30 episodes, I believe Bill Simmons and Connor Schell should consider creating at some point in the future.

The “Lob City” LA Clippers

Besides being a talented Clippers team that never made it past the second round, there were also several reports leaked by various sports news outlets, following Chris Paul’s departure.

Diving deeper into these claims – including CP3’s comments in his documentary two summers ago – could provide somewhat of a better explanation as to what really happened inside that Clippers locker room, and how that disconnect might have had an impact on their lack of postseason success.

The 1993-96 Phoenix Suns

Following a disappointing loss to Jordan and the Bulls in the 1993 finals, Charles Barkley has briefly mentioned a handful of times, on Inside the NBA, why he knew that Suns core would never make it back to the NBA finals after that season. A 30 for 30 could discuss the disappointing three-year process, which eventually led to Barkley’s trade request to Houston.

The 2002 Lakers and Kings WCF matchup

It’s no secret that there have been plenty of conspiracy theories thrown out there, but hearing it from the people who were actually there would make the documentary a very intriguing watch.

Imagine interviewing Tim Donaghy, Chris Webber, David Stern, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and Rick Adelman, all within a span of 60 minutes. Surely there would be plenty for everyone to say.

The “Banana Boat” crew

Upon being drafted in 2003, the trio of LeBron, Wade, and Melo formed a bond that only continued to grow over the years, but once CP3 was drafted by New Orleans just two years later, the final member of the banana boat crew came into the picture and the trio turned into a quartet.

There are several questions NBA fans might be interested in knowing such as, what was going through LeBron’s mind when Wade won his first championship in 2006, while he sat at home following a second-round elimination? Did the early loss fuel him and was it vice versa the following year for Wade? What did Carmelo and CP3 think in the aftermath of the Decision? Or better yet, do any of them have any regrets about their career choices?

The NBA careers of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden

Both of these players are some of the biggest what-ifs in NBA/Blazers history, but once they were out of the league, they also went into complete obscurity.

Sure, Roy chose to pursue a coaching career and Oden is now a member of the BIG 3 league, but for a significant period, basically from the moment they left – 2013 for Roy and 2014 for Oden – they disappeared. Hearing what teammates and family members have to say about their short careers, as well as listening from Roy and Oden themselves could fill in that gap period.

2013 Spurs-Heat NBA Finals matchup

The Spurs ordered champagne into their locker room only to have the Heat come back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth, followed by the “shot that saved LeBron’s career,” as Skip Bayless loves to say.

After the Heat shocked the world with a Game 6 victory, the Spurs never recovered and went on to lose Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Popovich and the Spurs got their revenge the following year, but the 2013 series likely still haunts them to this day.

D’Antoni’s 7-Seconds-or-Less Suns

Unlike in 2019, given the post-centric time period, Mike D’Antoni’s 7-second offense was heavily criticized and viewed in the same manner as Don Nelson’s up-tempo playstyle once was (Nellie Ball). Until the Golden State Warriors won the 2015 championship, the sentiment amongst various players and executives remained the same: “jump-shooting teams can’t win championships.”

By never being able to defeat the Spurs, a team that relied heavily on Duncan post-ups, the consecutive playoff losses only fueled the narrative. However, despite falling short, D’Antoni’s offense still enabled Steve Nash to have back to back MVP seasons and push the Spurs to six games in 2007, in light of the infamous player suspensions after Game 4.

The transition period for athletes

Back in 2012, 30 for 30 aired, Broke: a 72-minute episode that discussed the challenges athletes face in financial management. I personally believe the transition towards retirement is just as important, but the topic doesn’t get talked about as often as it should.

From the outside looking in, it’s very easy for us to say that players x and y have made an x amount of money, so they’ll be perfectly fine. But these professional athletes have also been playing that particular sport since they were three or four years old. From grade school all the way to the pro level, the preparation on a daily basis involved waking up at a specific time frame, intensive training, diet regimes, and numerous gym routines.

Once those customs become scrapped, whether that’s due to injury, retirement, or just not being able to make a team’s roster, for many, there is a struggle to find a new identity as an adult since it is all they have ever known. Having former NBA players who dealt with an athletic identity crisis share their personal stories would be cathartic but also work towards publicizing the issue, which were likely the similar goals of Broke: education and prevention.

The relationship between Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan

Jordan and Barkley are no longer friends – or at least don’t have the same relationship they once had during their playing days.

But they also played during the 80s and 90s: an NBA period where player friendliness on the court was outside the norm – unlike today. Jordan and Barkley would go at one another and often get technicals but come summers after the basketball season was over, they played golf, pool, and cards together.

On the Oprah Winfrey show, Barkley shared with audiences some of the personal stories he had of their friendship — in the unintentional comedic manner that he is often known for – but he was only able to talk about their history for so long. Given Charles’ harsh but honest personality, I’m sure he would have even more great stories to share and elaborate on how their relationship changed so drastically over time.

The Celtics’ Big Three

During the summer of 2007, after acquiring Ray Allen from Seattle on draft night, only a few days later, Ainge was able to convince his buddy, Kevin Mchale, to part ways with his franchise forward.

The Celtics’ talented player acquisitions were arguably the first time the NBA world had ever witnessed a “super team” constructed via trade.

A 30 for 30 episode could cover a lot of pivotal moments: the Big Three’s 2008 title run, KG’s 2009 injury, the 2010 finals loss, Allen signing with the Heat, and finally end with Ainge trading away Pierce and Garnett to Brooklyn to start the post-Big Three era.

Though it might take a few more years before Ray Allen and the rest of the 2008 Celtics cast make amends, the sit-down interviews would definitely be worth the wait.

The Malice at the Palace

The 2004-05 Indiana Pacers team was arguably one of the most talented rosters in Pacers history. The previous year, Ron Artest had won Defensive Player of the Year and made his first all-star team, Jermaine O’Neal had been 3rd in MVP voting, and an older but still productive Reggie Miller was still around to give it one last hurrah before retiring.

However, during that 2004 offseason, in order to further improve the roster and simultaneously meet Harrington’s playing time demands, Larry Bird and his front office staff decided to trade Al Harrington to the Hawks for Stephen Jackson.

Many heartbroken Pacer fans still reflect on what occurred next during the first month of the season, but what made the altercation so polarizing was the impact it had on the league as a whole: enraged and humiliated, David Stern went on to attempt to improve the NBA’s image/perception by strengthening security and controversially creating a dress code for NBA players.