
Video
The NBA got its first Soviet player through the power of friendship
General Sports
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For a long time, there were NBA-caliber players playing basketball in the Soviet Union. For a long time, NBA teams drafted them and tried to bring them over. But until the late 1980s, nobody ever succeeded. This is the story of the first-ever breakthrough, an all-out battle between one of the most powerful men in America and a player-turned-missionary-turned-scout.
Directed and edited by Ryan Simmons
Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal
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20 minutes.