OTL: Phil At Work

Yes, he had MJ, Shaq and Kobe, but go inside Phil Jackson's quest for a 10th title and you'll see he's a grinder at heart.

OTL: The Power Game

Washington's most influential are suddenly taking up hoops, all in hopes of getting a run with President Barack Obama.

The Rookie: Blake Griffin

The Rookie: Blake Griffin

OTL: The Disposable Superstar

Chauncey Billups has won an NBA title, been Finals MVP and is now driving Denver's playoff run. Not bad for a guy who has changed teams six times.

OTL: Lessons From My Father

Duke point guard Nolan Smith lost his dad at 8, but still hears him loud and clear.

OTL: The Worst Year Ever

Think the last 12 months were rough? It could be worse. You could be a sports fan in Seattle.

OTL: Reaching Out

Julius Erving and his daughter, Alexandra Stevenson, are forging a relationship, 27 years after her birth.

The Day Innocence Died

Len Bias has now been dead for as long as he was alive. So, how did that shocking day in 1986 affect the world he left behind?

By playing in Russia, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi earn big money and the kind of pampering expected by Shaq or D-Wade. But there's a larger price to be paid that could affect the future of the WNBA.

In a forgotten Final Four classic in 1983, Louisville and Houston put on a dunking display that ushered in the aerial era of college hoops .

With violence escalating on several fronts in the Mideast, many are wondering what, if anything, can ever stop the madness. Perhaps, basketball can do what guns cannot.