Basketball History 101

About Basketball History 101

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…

Publisher

Rick Loayza

Category

history · sports · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Aug 2020

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 of 336 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Point of Potential & Damon Bailey

   Rick Loayza explores Damon Bailey's incredible hype and unfulfilled NBA potential, revealing the realities of basketball stardom.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Larry Costello: The Last Set Shooter

   Rick Loayza explores Larry Costello's unique two-handed set shot and his groundbreaking use of game film analysis in this interview.

3. 

   1 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The History of the Big Man

   Rick Loayza explores basketball's evolution from prioritizing speed to valuing height, tracing the rise of the "big man" in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

The Point of Potential & Damon Bailey

Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Those of you who know the story will say that technically, he did make the NBA. He collected an NBA salary for two years from the Indiana Pacers, but never played in an actual NBA game. Therefore, he is completely absent from the NBA record books. In order to be officially considered an NBA player, you have to play at least one game, which Bailey unfortunately did not. But I am getting a bit ahead of myself. This is one of those abstract stories that I have wanted to do for a long time. I could not get the thought out of my mind in regard to the thousands of players who displayed NBA potential in either high school, college, or playing for an overseas team but for one reason or another did not make it to the NBA. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

39 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

55 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

87

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact Basketball History 101

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Freakonomics Radio

• 

  Revisionist History

• 

  The Steam Room

• 

  Pigskin Dispatch

• 

  The Rewatchables

• 

  The Athletic NBA Show

Questions about Basketball History 101