Hoop Cities

Full episode about the city that the world knows as the Food Capital, but that the locals call Basket City. This is where Ettore Messina, former assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, has grown and made a name for himself; it is where Argentinian Manu Ginobili made Europe fall in love; it is also where the only Italian player to ever win an NBA title, Marco Belinelli, took his first steps both on and off the basketball court.

Full episode about a true basketball powerhouse in the heart of the Balkans. Vlade Divac and Zarko Paspalj talk about flying overseas and opening the NBA doors to a big wave of talent from their region.

In the fourth instalment of Hoop Cities, we learn the important role that basketball played in Lithuanias fight for independence. Sarunas Marciulionis and others recall the special moments at the Barcelona 92 Olympics when the team managed to win the bronze medal, while Sarunas Jasikevicius and Rokas Jokubaitis take us to the future of basketball in Lithuania, where this sport is considered a religion.

In the fifth episode of Hoop Cities, we learn about the rise and fall of two neighbouring towns that once were the basketball stronghold of Germany. Detlef Schrempf and Tibor Pleiss talk about growing up as a basketball player in Cologne and Leverkusen, and how the future is bright for the young basketball talent in this part of the world.

In the sixth episode of Hoop Cities, Kristaps Porzingis of the Washington Wizards recalls his first impressions of this sunny and hot Spanish town and how hard it was to adapt to the new environment. Through his memories and those of local soccer stars, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Canales, the story of a basketball club that was saved by the fans takes shape.

The seventh instalment of Hoop Cities sees Turkish star Furkan Korkmaz of the Philadelphia 76ers share his fondest memories of growing up in the Turkish city, with its busy markets and colorful bazaars. Here the rivalry among 4 super teams is extremely felt, and a few big names from the local basketball world help us understand why being a fan in Istanbul is different than the rest of the world.

In the eighth and final instalment of Hoop Cities we travel to the cradle of basketball in Greece, where the sound of the victories from the Golden Era with Hall of Famer Nick Galis is still echoing on the historic walls of the town.