By all accounts, James “Fly” Williams was one of the best streetball players in New York. Even when in middle school, he was holding his own against grown men on the playground. Unfortunately, a long series of bad luck and bad decisions started to affect his focus, and -- though talented -- he was a difficult player in college. Join us next week for part two of the Fly Williams story.﻿CREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voiceJacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC"Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan"Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK<a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sportshistorynetwork.com</a><a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/</a> FACEBOOK<a href="https://m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/</a> BUSINESS CONTACT<a href="mailto:bballhistory101@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bballhistory101@gmail.com</a>

By all accounts, James “Fly” Williams was one of the best streetball players in New York. Even when in middle school, he was holding his own against grown men on the playground. Unfortunately, a long series of bad luck and bad decisions started to affect his focus, and -- though talented -- he was a difficult player in college. Join us next week for part two of the Fly Williams story.﻿ CREDITS Rick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voice Jacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher MUSIC "Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan "Horizons" by Roa SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK sportshistorynetwork.com sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/ FACEBOOK m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/ BUSINESS CONTACT bballhistory101@gmail.com

By all accounts, James “Fly” Williams was one of the best streetball players in New York. Even when in middle school, he was holding his own against grown men on the playground. Unfortunately, a long series of bad luck and bad decisions started to affect his focus, and -- though talented -- he was a difficult player in college. Join us next week for part two of the Fly Williams story.﻿CREDITSRick Loayza: Head researcher, writer, and voiceJacob Loayza: Editor, producer, and publisher&nbsp;MUSIC"Disco Funk" by Jam Morgan"Horizons" by Roa&nbsp;SPORTS HISTORY NETWORK<a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">sportshistorynetwork.com</a><a href="https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/" rel="noopener noreferrer">sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/basketball-history-101/</a>&nbsp;FACEBOOK<a href="https://m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/" rel="noopener noreferrer">m.facebook.com/Basketball-History-101-103801581493027/</a>&nbsp;BUSINESS CONTACT<a href="mailto:bballhistory101@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">bballhistory101@gmail.com</a>

Episode 130 - The Tragedy of James "Fly" Williams, pt. 1

I am your author and host, Rick Loayza. This is the blog and podcast where we bring to life some of the forgotten stories from basketball history.
I love basketball. I love watching it. I love reading about it. I love learning about its history. I am, for all intents and purposes, a basketball junkie. I’ve coached all three of my kids in youth basketball. In fact, I still coach my youngest each winter. Something just happened to me when I was 11 where I was bitten by the basketball bug. And starting then, I just couldn’t get enough of this amazing game.
And the purpose of this podcast and blog is to bring back some of the old stories from basketball’s history. I want to bring you a new story each week from the older days of basketball before there were 22 cameras and instant highlights on your device. Of course, any story from anywhere in basketball history is up for grabs. But I want the focus to be on those stories that are interesting and impactful but long forgotten.
I’ll be covering stories going all the way back to the invention of the game in the 1890s, to the barnstorming days of basketball in the 1920s and 30s, to the creation of the current NBA in the 1940s and beyond.
So, if you love basketball as much as I do, or you just want to hear a few stories from basketball’s past, then go ahead and subscribe to the podcast and come back to this blog to hear or read a new story each week.
For me, this is a labor of love as I get to work with my older son, Jacob Loayza, who serves as my editor and producer. Until next time…

Sports

History

Basketball

I am your author and host, Rick Loayza. This is the blog and podcast where we bring to life some of the forgotten stories from basketball history. I love basketball. I love watching it. I love reading about it. I love learning about its history. I am, for all intents and purposes, a basketball junkie. I’ve coached all three of my kids in youth basketball. In fact, I still coach my youngest each winter. Something just happened to me when I was 11 where I was bitten by the basketball bug. And starting then, I just couldn’t get enough of this amazing game. And the purpose of this podcast and blog is to bring back some of the old stories from basketball’s history. I want to bring you a new story each week from the older days of basketball before there were 22 cameras and instant highlights on your device. Of course, any story from anywhere in basketball history is up for grabs. But I want the focus to be on those stories that are interesting and impactful but long forgotten. I’ll be covering stories going all the way back to the invention of the game in the 1890s, to the barnstorming days of basketball in the 1920s and 30s, to the creation of the current NBA in the 1940s and beyond. So, if you love basketball as much as I do, or you just want to hear a few stories from basketball’s past, then go ahead and subscribe to the podcast and come back to this blog to hear or read a new story each week. For me, this is a labor of love as I get to work with my older son, Jacob Loayza, who serves as my editor and producer. Until next time…

Share Episode 130 - The Tragedy of James "Fly" Williams, pt. 1

Sign up to save your podcasts

Episode 130 - The Tragedy of James "Fly" Williams, pt. 1

Episode 130 - The Tragedy of James "Fly" Williams, pt. 1

More shows like Basketball History 101

The Bill Simmons Podcast

Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective

The Ringer NBA Show

Good Seats Still Available

History Unplugged Podcast

This Week In Baseball History

The Athletic NBA Daily

The Big Picture

The Ryen Russillo Podcast

Wax Museum: A Basketball Card Podcast

Past Gas by Donut Media

All The Smoke

Pigskin Dispatch

Hello Old Sports

60 Songs That Explain the '90s