Join celebrated UNC professor Matt Andrews to learn how sports have reflected various facets of American identity throughout our nation’s history. Whether you love sports or find the American sports obsession confounding, this course will help

Listen to "I Am Kobe"

Nov 16th, 2021 1m 36s

Introducing a new podcast from Diversion Podcasts & iHeartRadio. What if we could go back in time, before he became the icon, and ask him: how did you become Kobe Bryant? “I Am Kobe” tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s early life through his coach

Bonus

Bonus Episode pt. 2

May 4th, 2021 30m 44s

In this second bonus episode, Jeff Van Gundy suggests that Pat Riley's political battles with the NBA might've had something to do with the fact that he never coached the national team, while Zach Lowe theorizes that we're bound to have a reduc

Bonus

Bonus Episode pt. 1

Apr 27th, 2021 44m 57s

Special guests Jeff Van Gundy and Zach Lowe agree on whom they would choose to take the last shot between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. (It might be a surprise.) That and many other topics, such as the uphill battle the U.S. faces in the upcomi

La Busqueda Para El Oro (The Search For Gold)

Apr 20th, 2021 46m 38s

At last the gold medal game is here, and Spain, led by Kobe Bryant’s new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, is the formidable opponent. Back and forth they go, and at crunch time it’s going to be up to LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and, of cour

Cruising and Snoozing

Apr 13th, 2021 55m 18s

As the Redeem Team tears through the Beijing Olympics, we meet some of the lesser-knowns on the team, like Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd; deconstruct the quarterbacking and athletic brilliance of LeBron James and even ponder the relative mer

No Excuses

Apr 6th, 2021 48m 41s

In the days leading up to the 2008 Games, Kobe Bryant gets away (barely) with tardiness but not with questionable shot selection. Once in Beijing, Yao Ming hits an opening shot heard throughout the land, but the U.S. at last gets the chance to

Lucky 7's

Mar 30th, 2021 39m 48s

LeBron James led a so-so team into the Finals during the regular season, but Kobe Bryant, by the measure of most, including Coach Mike Krzyzewski, is the league’s best player. So when Mamba joins the Redeem Team in the summer of 2007, which one

Redeem Team BK: Before Kobe

Mar 23rd, 2021 40m 15s

While an injury keeps Kobe Bryant away from USA Basketball after his highest-scoring season, newly crowned champion Dwyane Wade joins LeBron James for version 1.0 of the Redeem Team. But trouble awaits in the semifinals of the FIBA World Champi

Coach K's Ways

Mar 16th, 2021 44m 26s

We unlock the secret of why players like Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and Chris Bosh buy into the coaching style of Mike Krzyzewski. Why, Coach K’s not some gentleman from Duke; he’s a swearing machine from the mean streets of Chicago. Learn mo

The Godfather

Mar 9th, 2021 37m 50s

With USA Basketball in shambles, they turn to "The Godfather," Jerry Colangelo, who proved to be instrumental in reviving the program. There are other "Great Men" with courage, intellect, and leadership that made The Redeem Team great, includin

The Future King and The Greek Tragedy

Mar 2nd, 2021 48m 44s

After a memorable 2003 NBA draft that included four eventual iconic champions that would enrich the 2008 Redeem Team including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, three of these young stars are thrust into the spotlight

Kobe's 1st Quarter

Feb 23rd, 2021 38m 16s

The creation story of the 2008 Redeem Team begins in the residue of the 1992 Dream Team, as does the redemption story of Kobe Bryant, who played such an important role when he later not just joined the Redeem Team but played the pivotal role of

On Top Of The World

Feb 23rd, 2021 28m 55s

In an often-overlooked story, the 2008 US Men's Olympic basketball team made magic. Led by two NBA superstars, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (who many thought couldn't play together) and coached by Mike Krzyzewski (a “college guy” many first dis

Trailer

Introducing Season 2: Kobe, LeBron & The Redeem Team

Feb 16th, 2021 1m 47s

Get a preview of Season 2 of the #1 New Sports Podcast of 2020. Sports journalist vets Jack McCallum and J.A. Adande take listeners through an insider's study of the 2008 US Olympic Men's Basketball Team and the legendary players that defined a

Bonus

Introducing "The GOAT: Tom Brady" (Episode 1)

Oct 26th, 2020 31m 50s

If you loved The Dream Team Tapes, check out another original sports podcast from Diversion Podcasts and iHeartRadio. This is Episode 1 of "The GOAT: Tom Brady," which takes a look back at the career of Tom Brady and his unparalleled success wi

Bonus

Introducing Whistleblower: The Biggest Scandal in NBA History

Oct 8th, 2020 9m 44s

In 2007, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for betting on games he officiated. It was the biggest scandal in American sports history, but it quickly faded from the headlines. Why? Because everyone in this scandal has something to hide. This

Lasting Impressions

Jun 29th, 2020 28m 4s

Some of the Dream died quickly. Larry Bird retired right away. Magic’s HIV became big news again, a year later, Michael was gone…to baseball, after one of sports history’s most mysterious retirements. But what remains is the Dream Team’s enduri

Vive Barcelona

Jun 22nd, 2020 40m 6s

The Dream Team reaches Barcelona and the circus never stops, featuring: The Charles Barkley elbow. The internecine battles between USA Basketball and USOC. The famous “Kukoc Game” in which Jordan and Scottie Pippen made life miserable for the C

The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw

Jun 15th, 2020 22m 19s

Ever since the book Dream Team was released in 2012, fans have been curious about the intrasquad scrimmage the Dream Teamers played in Monte Carlo, a few days before the Olympics began in Barcelona. “The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw” is what M

The Once and Future King

Jun 8th, 2020 19m 7s

It was a feeling like no other when the Dream Teamers took the court for a real game in the qualifying tournament in Portland. Hearts stopped when they first ran onto the court together—and, as a matter of fact, so did warm-ups, as the Dream Te

A Magic Act Like No Other

Jun 1st, 2020 19m 31s

Barely two months after most of the Dream Team roster was announced, Magic Johnson seemed like he would have to drop out. The jaw-dropping news of Magic’s HIV diagnosis, the gradual resumption of his rightful place on the team, and some of the

The Cool Kids All Sign On...But They Don't Include Isiah

May 25th, 2020 26m 9s

The public was skeptical of top pros surrendering their summer to play Olympic basketball. That changed with a couple important early sign-ons, Magic Johnson among them. Also: why the selection committee ignored past transgressions of Charles B

Boys To Men

May 18th, 2020 19m 23s

Throughout most of the 20th century, that our Olympic basketball teams were represented by college players was mandated not only by FIBA—which specifically forbade NBA players from participating—but also by our own hidebound tradition. Almost e

Why I Had to Pull Out the Operation Card to Get Larry Bird

May 18th, 2020 29m 36s

Talking with Karl Malone in the space that amounted to his wildlife museum, strolling the streets of Spokane with hometown tour guide John Stockton, guilting Larry Bird into sitting still for an interview, and silently wondering why Clyde Drexl