The latest original NBA TV documentary is debuting this Sunday. That would be the two-part special Ready Or Not: The 96 NBA Draft Documentary, part of their ongoing Basketball Stories series. It will air as back-to-back hour-long episodes, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. Here’s more from a release on what’s ahead:
The latest Basketball Stories retrospective – airing as back-to-back hour-long episodes – documents the behind the scenes stories and celebrated careers for a collection of players that would go on to usher in a new era of basketball while amassing an astounding 61 NBA All-Star appearances.
Four future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers were selected in the 1996 NBA Draft, starting with first overall pick Allen Iverson, followed by Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Other notables selected include NBA All-Stars Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojakovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, plus NBA veterans Marcus Camby, Derek Fisher, Kerry Kittles, Erick Dampier, Lorenzen Wright and Tony Delk.
…Ready or Not – themed after the chart-topping 1996 Fugees song of the same name – features rare pre-Draft footage, candid moments from the green room, plus interviews with more than 30 former NBA players, coaches and executives, including Iverson, Allen, Nash, Jerry West and Rick Pitino.
The documentary (along with other Basketball Stories content) will also be available on NBA.com and through the NBA app. We’ll see how this one turns out, but it’s certainly an interesting topic, and they have participation from several of the key figures here.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.