Since brash new series Basketball or Nothing landed on Netflix on Friday, August 2nd, it has ticked all the right binge-watching boxes: eye-catching location, nail-biting moments on the court and compulsively watchable characters (particularly coach Raul Mendoza). But there’s one key thing that this show—which follows a high school basketball team in a dusty pocket of Arizona’s Navajo Nation—has that other sports documentaries lack: a genuine sense of hope.
The series follows the Wildcats of Chinle, a community where the state championship is more than just a sporting achievement. It’s a way for these players to secure college scholarships, jobs and better lives for their families. In a town where alcohol and drug abuse are common, this is an important outlet.
It’s also an opportunity to showcase a unique style of basketball—a run-and-gun, pass-cut-shoot game known as “rez ball” that makes up for the teams’ relative lack of size with speed and sharp shooting. The players are a far cry from the peaked-in-high-school variety: Cooper Burbank is a quiet, Kevin Durant-like point guard who crosses up bigger dudes; Josiah Tsosie is a 5’4, humble-as-hell sharpshooter who wears his emotions on his sleeve.
Though Basketball or Nothing doesn’t touch on politics, it is clear that the reservation is a place where hope can be hard to come by. For the players on this team, however, basketball offers a chance for a better life. They’re all looking forward to the day when they can leave the reservations and go their own ways.
Discover more from Basketball Stuff
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.