As I am always on the prowl for new podcasts, I was pretty delighted to get a text from RD a few weeks back about one I might like. You all know my love for basketball, and especially the NBA. I am really into the history of the NBA as well, specifically the late 80's and early 90's history. So when RD told me that director and writer Adam McKay had a new podcast about that era, and the players that were lost that could have been great, I was pumped. I immediately subscribed to "Death at the Wheel", and to this day I have listened to every episode, some of them more than once.

This podcast is about some players that could have been great, were great and lost it, or never had a chance. All the people he talks about died or had the game taken away from them over political affiliations or religious beliefs. It is really a fascinating listen. Each episode focuses on one or two guys, usually just one, and McKay talks about them and how they lost the game or their lives. He also talks about the politics that were going on during that era, and how that played into the NBA trying to grow its game and image. I am forever intrigued by the politics since I am so green in that era. I will say it is very eye opening, and it makes my dislike for Ronald Reagan even more than I ever imagined. He was an absolute puppet and a real monster. McKay portrays that perfectly.

The most important stories are the ones about the players, and how they ended up where they ended up. Some of the players I know about, or at least have heard of. We all know what happened to Len Bias. That was such a surprise, and it was something that didn't have to happen. Unfortunately it did happen, and now we are all left to wonder what could have been. The way McKay tells the story makes it even more intriguing. He is so good at weaving the story and telling all sides of it. I could say the same thing about the Benji Wilson and Drazan Petrovic episodes. Benji Wilson could have been a super duper star, but young kids make mistakes. Unfortunately for Wilson it was a horrific, life altering mistake. But what made this episode so interesting was the fact that McKay was able to talk to the man who shot and killed Wilson. He is a completely rehabilitated person, who knows the error of his ways and now he works to help stop gun violence. Petrovic's story was something that also could have been avoided, but it was a terrible accident. Again though, I learned so many things about Petrovic and Yugoslavia and so much more than I ever thought I could know about the basketball played overseas back then, and why Petrovic was so great. Then we have the players I do not know about or never heard of. I had no idea who Terry Furlow was, but Magic Johnson sure as hell did. He was an all time great in college at Michigan State. Magic looked up to him. He was a walking bucket, a player before his time. He died because of the opulence of cocaine in the 80's in the NBA and driving a car erratically. It is a wild, ABA esque story. We also have the story of Ricky Berry. Berry clearly was a person that suffered from depression, but back when he played, you didn't talk about that stuff openly. This was a guy that had everything going his way, seemed like he was going to take over the league, and then the next day he is dead because of a self inflicted gunshot wound. If he could have spoken openly and honestly, he may still be alive today. Hearing Jerry West talk about him, and West's own problems, was very eye opening. Then we have the most recent episode which talks about Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul Raouf. These gentlemen are not dead, but the way they expressed themselves pushed them out of the league. Hodges was an advocate to stop police brutality after seeing the Rodney King outcome. He was another person, a peaceful protestor before his time, that was blackballed because he questioned the super stars of the game back then, the Larry Bird's and Magic Jonhson's and Michael Jordan's, on why they weren't more outspoken This guy was a knockdown shooter, but after going after these players, no one wanted him. That's very unfair. With Rauof. He was just a man who converted to Islam and decided to not put his hand on his heart and look at the flag during the anthem. He was Colin Kaepernick before Kaepernick. But the league all but ousted him after hearing why he didn't want to acknowledge the song, and this guy was an all NBA player and an all star. This was clearly a politically charged move by the NBA. These men were unfairly pushed out of the league.

I cannot wait for another episode. I look forward to the new one every week. This podcast is perfect for a basketball nerd such as myself. I love everything about it and I cannot recommend it enough. I owe a huge thanks to RD for letting me know about it too. "Death at the Wing" is awesome. It is one of the best podcasts out right now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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