When Jackie started covering the NBA, it was every player for himself. But during Kobe Bryant's final season, he revealed to Jackie a secret mentorship with Michael Jordan, unlocking the door to a club that only the game's greatest players have access to.

Host: Jackie MacMullan

Producers: Bobby Wagner, Noah Malale, Jonathan Kermah, Isaac Lee, Justin Verrier, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Scott Somerville

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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From The Ringer and Spotify, ‘Icons Club’ will examine how an exclusive group of NBA superstars made the league what it is today. These icons were not just the best of the best on the court, but they also changed the NBA’s culture. Host Jackie MacMullan interviews Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Isiah Thomas, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dwyane Wade, and a host of other NBA icons about their relationships with each other, their places in the club, and how much superstardom has changed since the early days of the league.

‘Icons Club' premieres on March 18.

Host: Jackie MacMullan

Producers: Bobby Wagner, Noah Malale, Jonathan Kermah, Isaac Lee, Justin Verrier, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Scott Somerville

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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In the finale, we examine how the passing of time has changed the way we process the memory of Len Bias, what his death meant to the city of Boston and the Celtics franchise, and why his story lingers for sports fans and non-sports fans alike.

Host: Jordan Ritter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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By the summer of 1986, America’s relationship with drugs was already at the brink of combustion. And in the highly publicized death of Len Bias, policymakers found a spark to light the flame. The draconian legislation introduced on Capitol Hill thereafter, especially the ratification of mandatory minimum sentences, disproportionately targeted Black citizens — one of whom, ironically, was Len’s childhood friend.

Host: Jordan Ritter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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Despite the ongoing Brian Tribble investigation, there was still a question the press and public had no answer for: Who was to blame for the tragic cocaine intoxication of Maryland’s star basketball player? The spotlight shifted to Maryland University and the man who had built the basketball program up in his image: Lefty Driesell.

Host: Jordan Ritter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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Before the fallout from Len Bias’s death could ripple through society, the facts surrounding the night of his death had to be established. So why was that so difficult? In this episode, we examine Brian Tribble’s trial on charges of cocaine distribution, the public’s need to assign immediate blame for Bias’s death, and the ensuing chaos caused by that need.

Host: Jordan Ritter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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In this episode, we examine the life and career of Spencer Haywood, a basketball Hall of Famer and one of the sport’s biggest stars of the 1970s. Haywood spent the latter half of his career battling a cocaine addiction at a time when the league lacked both an understanding and a policy for how to deal with a growing drug problem. We explore the climate around cocaine in basketball in the lead-up to the mid-'80s, and how that climate informed the public’s reaction to Len Bias’s death.

Host: Jordan Riter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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On June 17, 1986, Len Bias was picked second overall in the NBA draft. He was the next chapter in the book that was the 1980s Boston Celtics dynasty. Then, just two days later on June 19, 1986, he was dead of cocaine intoxication. In this episode, we talk about the 48 hours leading up to one of the sports world’s most crushing losses.

Host: Jordan Riter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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By his senior year at the University of Maryland, Len Bias was thriving. He was perhaps the best college basketball player in the country, earning burgeoning Michael Jordan comparisons, and going second overall to the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA draft. In this episode, we set the stage for how Len Bias, the Maryland kid, became Len Bias, the basketball phenom; how a dark premonition weighed on his mother in the months leading up to his death; and how one night in 1986 left an imprint on American culture that lingers to this day.

Host: Jordan Ritter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

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From The Ringer and Spotify, this is the story of Len Bias: University of Maryland phenom, second pick of the 1986 draft to the Celtics, and just two days later, one of the most tragic and shocking deaths in sports history. Over the next seven episodes, we’ll investigate how Bias’s death changed the trajectory of NBA history, sparked America’s cocaine panic, and made a lasting impact in the world of sports—and far beyond.

‘What If? The Len Bias Story’ premieres June 9 on the Book of Basketball 2.0 feed.

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