NBA History Conversations: Basketball Record

Utah Jazz great, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and NBA All-Star, Mark Eaton.

Few players have ever experienced a rise from near-obscurity to NBA All-Star, like Mark Eaton. We discuss Mark's incredible transition from auto-mechanic to NBA-draftee and ultimately, Defensive Player of the Year (twice) and All-Star honors.

We chat about Mark's two seasons at Cypress Junior College, that led to him accepting a scholarship at UCLA. During his time with the Bruins, Mark had a brief, yet crucial encounter with all-time great, Wilt Chamberlain. The future-impact of that meeting forever changed Mark's focus on the game of basketball.

We cover Mark's early years in the NBA and how he adapted to playing at the highest level. He details his strong relationship with coaching great Frank Layden - the man who coined the phrase, "You can't teach height" - Layden coached Mark in his first six-plus seasons with Utah.

Mark talks about his defensive-prowess that led to him being named a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. We also discuss the 1989 All-Star Game, where Mark was honored by the coaches and named as a reserve.

No conversation with a Utah Jazz great would be complete, without discussing John Stockton and Karl Malone - two Hall of Fame players that Mark was teammates with for almost ten seasons.

We also chat about Mark's post-NBA career and his involvement with the television, radio and restaurant industries. Since 2006, Mark has been a sought-after business and motivational speaker. Learn more about the life of one of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history.

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Adam & Aaron celebrate the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan's (1984) arrival in the National Basketball Association. This episode covers:

- Team USA 1984 Olympic Training Camp

- 1984 NBA Draft

- NBA TV's Original Documentary: 'THE84DRAFT'

- Roland Lazenby's book - Michael Jordan: The Life

The most prominent players mentioned in this episode, include: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Chuck Person, Charles Barkley, Terry Cummings and Julius Erving.

Topics / articles discussed (every effort has been made to confirm exact dates):

84-05-23 - Rockets win coin flip with Blazers

84-05-23 - Rockets win flip again, will draft Olajuwon

84-06-05 - Pros consider draft picks

84-06-14 - Jordan's draft is June 19

84-06-15 - Person hoping to make team

84-06-16 - NBA files suit, seeks to replace Clippers

84-06-17 - Rockets expect to make Olajuwon first pick

84-06-17 - U.S. Olympic basketball tryouts a sports fan's delight

84-06-17 - Preps to attend summer camps

84-06-19 - Predicting first-round draft picks a guess past top three

84-06-19 - Olajuwon's parents have worries over son's education, not draft

84-06-19 - NBA (Draft predictions)

84-06-19 - Stockton Jazzed at Utah's choice

84-06-20 - NBA draft underlines strength of U.S. Olympic team

84-06-21 - 76ers Reject Erving Deal

84-06-22 - Jordan might own a city

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Adam & Aaron celebrate the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan's (1984) arrival in the National Basketball Association. Our special, debut episode covers:

- Michael Jordan's final season (1984) with the North Carolina Tar Heels

- Team USA 1984 Olympic Trials (including a chat with Roosevelt Chapman)

- Lead-up to the 1984 NBA Draft

A wide-array of players are mentioned in this episode. The most-prominent, include: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Terry Porter, Danny Manning, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Wayman Tisdale and Sam Perkins.

Topics / articles discussed (every effort has been made to confirm exact dates):

84-03-14 - AP All-America

84-03-22 - Jordan's final game for North Carolina

84-03-28 - Jordan player of year

84-03-31 - Michael Jordan: Final Four - in 1985

84-04-04 - Olympic Trials

84-04-14 - Bowie, Turpin won't attend Olympic trials

84-04-18 - Olympic cagers begin practice

84-04-21 - U.S. Olympic basketball tryouts a sports fan's delight

84-04-21 - Point's Porter fights for berth

84-04-21 - Knight to make first cut of Olympic hopefuls

84-04-22 - Jordan, Barkley Pace White To Victory

84-04-22 - Olympic trials characterized by rugged play

84-04-23 - Olympic Team Aching

84-04-23 - Tisdale Paces White Win

84-04-23 - Ewing, Jordan on list of final 20 on Olympic team

84-04-23 - Knight assesses survivors

84-04-24 - Knight Cuts Olympic Squad Down to 20

84-04-24 - Knight's basketball boot camp ends

84-04-24 - Men's pre-Olympic schedule

84-04-25 - A Golden Team

84-04-28 - No fooling: Akeem to turn pro

84-05-06 - Michael Jordan to turn pro; Wayman Tisdale to stay in school

84-05-06 - Smith wants best for players

84-05-06 - Jordan awaits pro future

84-05-07 - Jordan follows advice

84-05-08 - NBA postpones draft coin flip

84-05-10 - Pullout won't dim Jordan's desire

84-05-14 - Knight enjoying mini-camp

84-05-14 - Porter among 4 cut from Olympic cage team

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Dayton Flyers' all-time leading scorer and NCAA star, Roosevelt Chapman. Adam & Aaron welcome Roosevelt to the podcast, with an in-depth discussion of his very successful, well-traveled, yet largely-unheralded basketball career. If ever a guest warranted featuring on the show, Roosevelt 'Velvet' Chapman is that guy. In 1984, within the span of just three months, he starred in the NCAA Tournament, was invited to the Team USA Olympic Trials and was selected in the NBA Draft.

Roosevelt talks about his early years in Brooklyn and how his game developed on the playgrounds of New York City. He discusses some of the future NBA stars he grew up with, including Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland, to name a few. The development of Chapman's game earned him the opportunity to attend the University of Dayton. We chat about his incredible senior season at college, where he led the Flyers to the Elite Eight in the 1984 NCAA Tournament - overcoming Wayman Tisdale and Detlef Schrempf in the process; finally succumbing to Patrick Ewing and his Georgetown Hoyas.

Roosevelt discusses his involvement in the Team USA Olympic Trials in 1984, including two great stories involving Michael Jordan and John Stockton. He opens up about his selection in the 1984 NBA Draft and what led to him pursuing opportunities to play professionally - achieving great success - traveling around the world.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the show, to date. Roosevelt's story is fascinating; discovering the history and importance of players who often fly under the radar, is a passion of mine.

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Michael Jordan's lifelong friend and confidant, David Bridgers. A unique episode. Ross Franco is a North Carolinian friend of mine. We connected, through my podcast - one of the many great outcomes I've experienced, since creating the show. Ross is a great friend of David Bridgers. Ross and I have previously discussed the possibility of inviting David on the podcast, as a guest. When the opportunity presented itself, we were both very pleased. The three of us had a great chat.

Prior to speaking with Ross and David, I wasn't sure if our conversation would necessarily make for an interesting podcast episode. However, five minutes into proceedings, that all changed. This is simply three guys, talking all-things Michael Jordan, from a perspective you'd be very hard-pressed to top. You'll learn the origins of Bridgers' relationship with Jordan. The two first met, at just seven years of age! We cover David's enduring friendship with Michael and his experiences with the Jordan family, plus, David's close bond with Ross.

Ross tried his best to not be involved in this audio recording. He suggested that David should speak solely with me. From my point of view, that was never going to happen. Thanks again Ross, for making this conversation possible.

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One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Rick Barry. Rick discusses his first sporting love of baseball - he talks fondly of his hero - the reason behind his choice to wear the iconic jersey number 24. Incredibly, as a high-school senior, Rick almost gave up on his future Hall of Fame career, due in large-part to his then-coach.

We chat about the origins of his unique, underhanded free-throw shooting technique and its impact on his overall game. Rick talks about his passion for basketball and his immense desire to win. We talk about his outstanding college career at the University of Miami and how it prepared him to make an instant impact at the next level. We discuss the 1965 NBA Draft, where Rick was one of 10 future All-Stars selected.

We cover Rick's NBA Rookie of the Year triumph, playing against Wilt Chamberlain in the 1967 NBA Finals and Barry's decision to join the fledgling ABA (he won the 1969 ABA Championship) for its inaugural season. Rick talks candidly about being forced to sit out the entire 1968 season, when he was arguably in the prime of his career. We chat about his All-Star Game memories (eight in the NBA, four in the ABA) and his 1975 NBA Championship glory.

We talk about Rick's last two NBA seasons in Houston and how injury prematurely halted his career; interestingly, an NBA rule-change possibly denied Rick's plan to join the Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers.

Rick discusses his Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement, his foray into coaching (1990s) and the opportunities missed at NBA level. We round out the conversation, learning about Rick's current-day interests, including a love of fly fishing and his business pursuits.

We run the gamut of discussion topics that shed light on the competitive nature of a true basketball great.

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High School All-American, NCAA great and NBA All-Star, Jeff Ruland. Jeff discusses his early sporting life and the major growth-spurt that coincided with his decision to focus on basketball. He was named High School All-American in the same class as Magic Johnson and was heavily recruited across the country. We chat about his decision to remain in New York and commit to Iona College, led by future luminary, Jim Valvano.

Jeff opens up about the 1980 NBA Draft and why he opted to head overseas and play in Spain, before commencing his rookie season in 1982. We talk about Jeff's excellent first three full seasons, that resulted in NBA All-Star selections in 1984 and 1985. Jeff recalls Michael Jordan's debut game in the NBA and the rude awakening that MJ would receive on his first dunk attempt in Chicago Stadium.

We chat about the impact of the Showtime Lakers and Boston's Big Three, plus, the onset of injury issues that began to halt Jeff's career. We also talk about one of the most memorable trades in NBA history; the Bullets' decision to trade Jeff to Philadelphia, in exchange for Moses Malone. Jeff details his (first) retirement from the NBA in 1987 and how he went back to college to complete his degree, before making his remarkable comeback attempt in the 1992 season.

We also learn about the successes of Jeff's coaching career, that are also mixed with trials and tribulations you need to hear to fully comprehend. Our conversation covers a broad-range of interesting topics and is an open and engaging look at one of basketball's most underrated careers ever.

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Adam and Todd discuss Michael Jordan's record-breaking Playoff game - April 20th, 1986 - MJ scored 63 points in the Chicago Bulls' double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.

We discuss all the key aspects of the game. We talk about the CBS broadcast and its commentary team of Dick Stockton, Tom Heinsohn and Pat O'Brien. We chat about the contrasting nature of Boston and Chicago's respective seasons, leading into their first-round Playoffs meeting. We talk about each team's roster and our memories and opinions on this incredible match-up - arguably one of the top 10 NBA games ever played.

As per usual, the conversation is scattered with humor and plenty of insight. Todd also updates us on the status of his forthcoming book on the late, great, Drazen Petrovic. A must-listen, for die-hard NBA fans, regardless of the team you support.

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NCAA All-American, All-Star and five-time NBA Champion, Bill Cartwright. Bill discusses his early years, growing up in California and playing baseball - his first sporting love. He became a highly-recruited basketballer, but chose to remain in his home state, developing into a standout at the University of San Francisco. We also chat about Bill's first memories of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. In his senior season, Cartwright was named 1st Team All-American.

Bill talks about the 1979 NBA Draft and his (very) underrated rookie season - where he was named an All-Star and All-Rookie 1st Team selection. He recalls some of the all-time greats he played with and against, including Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe, Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving, Dave Cowens and many others. We learn about Bill's career in New York, the legendary coaches he played for and the interesting details behind his trade to the Chicago Bulls.

We chat about The Jordan Rules and its impact on the Bulls' unity. We break down Bill's career in Chicago - including his role as team co-captain. He offers his thoughts on each of his three NBA Championships (as a player), the Bulls' (1994) season without Michael Jordan and more.

We learn about Bill's coaching career, too. He talks about his varied roles within the NBA, plus, his move to Japan, where he was Osaka Evessa's head coach, in the Basketball Japan League. This conversation is wide-ranging and covers Bill entire career. We even talk about his future coaching plans and the chat concludes with a discussion of Australia's own - and Cartwright's former teammate - Luc Longley.

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Illinois Fighting Illini great and NBA star, Kendall Gill. He talks about growing up in the city of Chicago - where he played baseball and took up boxing - before his family moved to the suburbs and he started playing basketball. Kendall starred at Rich Central High School and played four seasons at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was named 3rd Team All-American, his senior season.

We chat about Kendall's memories of the 1990 NBA Draft, where the Charlotte Hornets selected him with the fifth overall pick - he was named All-Rookie 1st Team, in 1991. We discuss his three seasons in Charlotte and his involvement in the 1991 All-Star Weekend.

Kendall talks about his trade from Charlotte to Seattle, where he played two seasons on one of the most exciting and up-tempo franchises of the 1990s. He discusses his trade back to Charlotte - where he played a further 36 games - before learning the shock news that he was traded to New Jersey. Kendall played six seasons with the Nets. We cover his final four seasons in the NBA. Kendall talks about playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls and the experience of playing with - rather than, against - Scottie Pippen.

Kendall discusses his post-NBA career, where he spent seven seasons as a studio analyst for the Chicago Bulls - he candidly reflects on the (2013) altercation that led to Comcast SportsNet (CSN) Chicago, not renewing his contract.

This is a conversation packed with great discussion topics. A little teaser, too - Kendall offers up an awesome story, relating to one of the NBA's biggest trades of the 1990s.

Note: due to audio issues, our first attempt to record this podcast episode failed. I then planned to feature - as a transcribed interview - our conversation, on my website. However, Kendall generously offered for us to re-record the chat, the following day. I was most grateful for the opportunity. A transcription of parts from our first chat, that didn't make it into this episode, will appear on my website. If you enjoy this chat, I’d be most appreciative if you take a moment to drop Kendall a line and thank him for his generosity.

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