Fantastic show: "Black Magic" on ESPN. Part 2 tonight from 9 to 11 pm -- without commercials

Hats off to State Farm Insurance and Russell, sponsors, for the ESPN show, Black Magic. The show ran last night (part 1) from 9 to 11 pm. Part two is tonight. Tune in. It is very good.

The show looks at blacks in basketball from high school, to college, to pros and even some mentions of Olympic Teams and the Globetrotters.

It fits well with the Hollywood movie I saw a couple of weeks ago about the fictional team -- Flint's Tropics, an ABA Team. The movie was humor, rated R. Okay.

But the TV show was historical. Lots of first person interviews with lots of game changing players and coaches. Lots of talk about the Black Colleges: Grambling, Southern, Tuskegee, Tennessee A&I, etc. Lots of talk of the stars we all know -- and many we don't.

Historical context too to with the teacher who invented basketball, Springfield's Dr. Naismith. He went to Kansas later and hated to see half-court basketball.

James Naismith

Powerful historical video too of celebrations in 1963 after the killing of JFK.

The Pipers were mentioned -- with Cleveland roots. There was a Pittsburgh Pipers. The team must have moved? George Steinbrenner was the owner. Humm... Lots of talk of city players going south for college.

The show aired without commercial break. Wish I had it on tape to show my kids. It was just too late. Hope it is put onto Google Video soon.