You don’t need to be a basketball fan, even in the lightest, to become infatuated with the new podcast “Death at the Wing” from Adam McKay.
McKay, a former head writer of Saturday Night Live who won an Academy Award for The Big Short (2015), is best known as the director of Anchorman (2004), Talledega Nights (2006) and Step Brothers (2008). McKay has also had his hand in notable shows including HBO’s Succession and Eastbound & Down.
Following his podcast “Broken: Seeking Justice,” about Jeffrey Epstein and from McKay’s Hyperobject Industries and Three Uncanny Four productions, “Death at the Wing” uses basketball as its muse to describe the ways politics, economics, racial relations and so much more changed in the United States during the 1980s.
The series is currently on Episode 5, with new releases coming out on Wednesdays, and you can listen via Apple Podcasts. While the subject matter is dark, as it explores various star basketball players in the 1980s who all tragically passed away, it is also presented in a way that is both tasteful and informative.
Imagine if your AP U.S. History teacher taught you about the Reagan Revolution through the lens of the NBA and that said teacher also founded comedy website Funny or Die and famed improv group Upright Citizens Brigade. That should give you a decent idea of what to expect in these episodes.
If you are someone who loves sports, you will be hooked by some of the fascinating details that McKay unearths about some of the game’s biggest legends, including an incredibly candid interview with Jerry West. Or you may find yourself shaken to the core learning more about would-be stars like Len Bias or Benji Wilson.
But even if you have no interest in sports whatsoever, these stories are deeply human and help contextualize an important moment in our American history. This podcast has captivating storytelling, well worth exploring with a curious mind.
McKay spoke to For The Win so that we could learn a little bit more about this project. Please note that this interview was conducted before the tragic death of NBA prospect Terrence Clarke on April 22, 2021.