Big Game, Small World. That's what sportswriter Alexander Wolff titled his 2002 book about his global tour in search of hoops enlightenment. Wolff found basketball infiltrating cultures far beyond the United States. In the intervening decades, the game has gotten bigger, and the world has gotten smaller. Where once the US strode across the basketball universe like a colossus, now the game flourishes at a high level on every continent besides Antarctica. At last count, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has 125 players from forty nations beyond the US, including the crème de la crème such as NBA Most Valuable Players Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.The Olympic Games reflect the shifting bases of basketball power. Although the US men's team has won the last five gold medals, it has faced stiffening competition. It barely prevailed, for instance, in title-game squeakers against Spain in 2012 and France in 2021. The United States entered the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as strong favorites, but the quality and depth of its international rivals threatened the possibility of another gold medal.Court of Gold, a six-part documentary series streaming on Netflix, documents the rising forces in global basketball with sweeping drama and personality profiles. It chronicles four teams through their preparation and competition in the 2024 Olympics: the United States, Canada, France, and Serbia. It possesses all the blessings associated with a high-status, big-budget documentary production: polished storytelling, behind-the-scenes access, and personal insights.Barack and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers, through their company Higher Ground Productions, and the documentary includes footage of the former president chatting with players, even teasing Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. A separate camera crew was devoted to each team, building familiarity and trust. Cameras show the players in locker rooms, during practice sessions, in social settings, and attending other Olympic events. Several players and coaches sat down for “talking head” interviews, as did NBA veterans and media personalities, including Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Malika Andrews, and Michael Wilbon.The United States assembled one of the most talented rosters in history—the players labeled their group chat “The Avengers.” But Court of Gold trains its eye on veteran legends Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, along with coach Steve Kerr. A few scenes reveal their larger excellence within small moments. It is one thing to read about James's professional commitment—it is quite another to see him sprinting around and calling out defensive switches during an early practice session in Las Vegas. Most basketball fans know that Kerr has a gift for connecting with players, but the viewer appreciates that gift on a deeper level, as he coaxes Edwards to the next level of greatness by honing his work ethic and doing “the boring stuff.”The most emotionally laden moment occurs in an interview with Durant, a four-time gold medalist in Olympic basketball, as well as Team USA's all-time leading scorer. As he tears up, he discusses growing up Black, poor, and raised by a single mother. “I come from a neighborhood where people don't even talk to each other. So much hate in the world, too,” he says. Basketball delivered him the camaraderie of his teammates and the prospect of a better life. He yearns for the sport in its purest form—played in synchronicity, against top competition, at its best. “The game,” he insists, “has saved my life.”The documentary adds depth to other figures from the basketball world. One segment highlights a family dinner with Canada's Dillon Brooks, whose on-court persona resembles that of a pro wrestling heel. In this setting, however, Brooks appears sincere and reflective, loved by those around him.By devoting significant attention to teams besides the United States, Court of Gold shines even brighter. Canada, coached by the Spaniard Jordi Fernández, is an emerging power, full of youth and confidence. After going undefeated through a difficult group stage, it loses to France in the quarterfinals. In a powerful moment in the losing locker room, it strikes Gilgeous-Alexander, all at once, that the opportunity is lost for another four years.Serbia is the film's most endearing squad. Team captain Bogdan Bogdanović does most of the talking, exuding sincerity, pride, and drive. Legendary seventy-five-year-old coach Svetislav Pešić is full of foul-mouthed wisdom (“Fuck the coach,” he berates his team while down at halftime. “Fuck everyone.”). Nikola Jokić is caught in moments that illustrate his cooperative spirit and strategic savvy. During halftime of the semifinal against the United States, Jokic grabs a chalkboard and teaches how to defend Steph Curry, at least until Pešić tells him to go away. After the Serbians beat Germany for the bronze medal, they all proceed to get, in Bogdanović’s words, “historically drunk.”Most compelling, however, is France—a skilled, well-honed team that beat the United States in the group stage at the 2021 Tokyo Games, only to fall in the final. Captain Nicolas Batum personifies the resolve and ambition of a team that believes it can capture gold. Fiery swingman Evan Fournier beefs to the press about the philosophy of coach Vincent Collet. The nation's superstar-in-waiting, 7′3″ Victor Wembanyama, explains how he started asserting himself on the court: He never had the chance to be normal, because of his height, so he decided to stop worrying about fitting in. “I'm dictating the game,” he declares.The final episode's treatment of the gold medal game revolves around the off-balance, last-minute, over-two-defenders three-pointer by Steph Curry that clinched gold for the United States—his eighth three-pointer of the game. As it juxtaposes the game action against France with Curry's interview, the film captures this champion's mindset. He discusses how he seeks to acknowledge both his fear and his confidence, to confront the pressure of the moment, to breathe deeply and steel himself, to accept the possibility of failure, to “try to be as present as possible.” Reflecting the best aspect of Court of Gold, the segment stokes appreciation for an extraordinary performance by going deep with its subject, lending an astute personal context.But this same quality is the source of the documentary's limitations. Given its mass-market audience and its cooperation with the major institutions of global basketball, Court of Gold is invested in painting heroic portraits. It sidesteps issues that might highlight controversy. After mentioning Fournier's gripes and Collet's response, the film never circles back to address the impact of the statements. It does not delve into the limited playing time for France's Rudy Gobert or the United States’ Jason Tatum, both of which generated buzz during the Olympics. It barely hints, even, at Curry's shooting struggles in the initial stages of the tournament, lest it tarnish his golden polish.Scholars might yearn for more historical context. The documentary does examine shifts in global basketball since the USA's “Dream Team” at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It considers, for instance, how Tony Parker's success with the San Antonio Spurs influenced the next generation of French players, including Wembanyama. But people seeking more in-depth history might turn to Carson Cunningham's American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Beijing (2009) and Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff's Basketball Empire: France and the Making of a Global NBA and WNBA (2023).Court of Gold is nevertheless a riveting account of a special moment in basketball history, depicting the deep passion of these competitors. Even Steve Kerr—winner of five NBA championships as a player, and another five as a coach—called the semifinal comeback victory over Serbia “probably the greatest game I've even been a part of.”The last words belong to Wembanyama, the young emblem of the sport's future: “I'm worried for the opponents in a couple years.” The game keeps expanding. The world keeps shrinking.
Aram Goudsouzian (Thu,) studied this question.