3. “One Time, I Was Gone” | What If? The Len Bias Story

In this episode, we examine the life and career of Spencer Haywood, a basketball Hall of Famer and one of the sport’s biggest stars of the 1970s. Haywood spent the latter half of his career battling a cocaine addiction at a time when the league lacked both an understanding and a policy for how to deal with a growing drug problem. We explore the climate around cocaine in basketball in the lead-up to the mid-'80s, and how that climate informed the public’s reaction to Len Bias’s death.

Host: Jordan Riter Conn
Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner
Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely
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In this episode, we examine the life and career of Spencer Haywood, a basketball Hall of Famer and one of the sport’s biggest stars of the 1970s. Haywood spent the latter half of his career battling a cocaine addiction at a time when the league lacked both an understanding and a policy for how to deal with a growing drug problem. We explore the climate around cocaine in basketball in the lead-up to the mid-'80s, and how that climate informed the public’s reaction to Len Bias’s death.

Host: Jordan Riter Conn

Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner

Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices