Netflix's 'Basketball or Nothing': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and everything you need to know about Navajo basketball docuseries
Netflix seems to be expanding its base when it comes to sports docuseries. It's recent 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive', a jointly-produced docuseries between F1 and the streaming giant was a whopping hit with fans.
And now, it has grabbed hold of Rickie Fowler’s Navajo basketball docuseries, 'Basketball or Nothing'. Filmed in Chinle, Arizona, the series follows the lives of the Chinle High School boys’ basketball team.
Here's what we know about the docuseries so far.
Release date:
'Basketball or Nothing' will premiere on Netflix August 2.
Plot:
The official synopsis reads: "Follow the Chinle High basketball team in Arizona's Navajo Nation on a quest to win a state championship and bring pride to their isolated community."
The docuseries follows the boys' basketball team at the high school situated on Navajo Nation reservation, the largest tribal area in America. As reported by Deadline, the series depicts the difficulties of life in the Navajo Nation, where the median household income is less than $30,000. Lack of running water and electricity are some of the problems, while alcoholism and suicide just add to the woes.
In its release, Netflix said: "For the Chinle High Wildcats, basketball played at a state-of-the-art gym is the ultimate escape from life’s troubles while balancing home, academics, and sports".
"With their aim set on an Arizona State Division III Championship, the Wildcats’ games attract more than 6,000 people to a town populated by only 4,500 residents. Some fans hitchhike to these games and others travel distances of up to 80 miles. The team’s up-tempo style of play is known as 'Rezball,'" it added.
Cast:
At the moment, there's not much info on the players or the cast members who have been part of the docuseries but watch this space as we update this info soon.
Writers/Directors:
The series was conceived by Matt Howley of WorkShop Content Studios. Along with Rickie Fowler, Tom Farrell and Howley, the show’s executive producers also include Todd Donnelly and Joseph Witthohn, as well as Notah Begay III - a former pro golfer and current golf analyst who was the first full-blooded Native American to play on the PGA Tour - and Sam MacNaughton, Fowler’s agent, according to Deadline.
Trailer:
The trailer talks about the Wildcat players describing what 'Rezball' is. “Rezball is just like running and gunning. It's just like pushing the ball, getting an open shot,” a player explains, while the footage gives a demo of the technique.
He goes on to explain that the Navajo people are not big in stature and this technique will be efficient when playing against the likes of opponents who are big. “We basically have to run them out of the gym,” he says.
This is followed by a player talking about their practice, their small town and how they live life on a daily basis. There are testimonies of how the sport in a way has shaped and changed the players' lives. The clip ends with a voice asking the players, 'How bad do you want it?'
News:
Talking about the docuseries, Fowler, one of the EPs told Deadline, "These Navajo kids face many obstacles and hardships both on and off the court. Working with Tom and The WorkShop Content Studios provided a great opportunity for me to help tell their stories."
Watch this space for more updates on 'Basketball or Nothing'.
If you are looking forward to 'Basketball or Nothing', then you can catch up with these in the meantime:
'Formula 1: Drive to Survive', 'Hoop Dreams', 'One in a Billion', 'Stop at Nothing' and 'The Battered Bastards of Baseball'.