A Radical Retelling of NBA History
Edge of Sports
Dave Zirin / The Nation
4.8 • 616 Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2023
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week we speak to Theresa Runstedler, author of the book Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA.
We'll have Choice Words about what Caitlin Clark has taught us throughout the fallout after the NCAA women’s championship game. We also have Jake’s Takes on the NBA finals and more.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.
Theresa Runstedtler
Twitter: @DrTRunstedtler
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/theresa-runstedtler/black-ball/9781645036951/
Zirin, Caitlin Clark’s Lesson for White Athletes: Don’t Be a MAGA Pawn
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/caitlin-clark-basketball-ncaa/
—
http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: [email protected] | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-426-3343 (EDGE)
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The weather. Tomorrow, expect a... |
| 0:03.8 | Biting cold front. Hmm, how naughty. I wonder what I'll be wearing or taking off. |
| 0:09.7 | The night will be wild and untamed. Expect heavy, lashing rain that'll soak you to the skin. |
| 0:15.6 | By Monday, temperatures will rise, slowly but surely, reaching their peak in the afternoon. |
| 0:21.8 | Not in the mood for miserable weather? |
| 0:24.0 | Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express. |
| 0:26.9 | Sun Express, non-stop sunshine. |
| 0:42.5 | Welcome to the edge of Sports podcast. |
| 0:43.5 | I'm Dave Ziron. |
| 0:50.4 | This week we are speaking to somebody that has taken NBA history and turned it on its head. |
| 0:56.0 | Yes, I'm speaking to Teresa Runstettler about her new smash book, which is receiving an enormous amount of play. It's called Black Ball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, |
| 1:02.8 | and the generation that saved the soul of the NBA. In this book, Runstetler takes the period |
| 1:08.8 | of the 1970s and argues that far from being the decade that almost killed the league before, according to popular history, it was revived by Magic, Larry, Michael, and Commissioner David Stern that we couldn't imagine today's NBA without the style, flair, labor militancy, and unapologetic blackness of the 1970s. |
| 1:32.2 | It's quite a thesis. It is really spinning a lot of brains, and we are thrilled to have her here on the show. |
| 1:39.6 | And my goal is to not ask her question she has heard a million times. |
| 1:44.0 | That's the goal. |
| 1:45.0 | Here she is, Teresa Runsteadler. |
| 1:50.9 | Hey, Teresa, is that you? |
| 1:53.1 | Yes, it is. |
| 1:54.6 | First of all, my goodness, talking to me twice in three days. |
| 1:58.1 | I really... |
| 1:58.5 | I know. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dave Zirin / The Nation, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dave Zirin / The Nation and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.