Search - Nba All Access (Std) on DVD

A nice NBA-authorized view of the workdays of NBA players.

V. Moulton | USA | 01/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An insightful look beyond the games into today's NBA personalities. There's a great section on training camp that emphasizes the work required to get the players to get back into playing condition. The extras are pretty nice too, showing inside stories on a range of NBA players, from a guy coming up from the NBDL, to a veteran on a young team (Baron Davis), to the development of the next great center (Dwight Howard). The DVD emphasizes stories revolving around the sweet-hearts of the league, so also expect to see a lot of LeBron James, the Suns, and Dwayne Wade.

Remember that this disc was constructed before the 2007 playoffs, as no coverage of LeBron's 25 point explosion is documented, no mention of Golden State's first round dominance of the Mavericks is made, and the 2007 Spurs aren't celebrated as NBA Champions. You will, however, be treated to a look at the Miami Heat locker-room celebration of their 2006 championship win.

One gripe I have is that the "behind-the-scenes" language is censored, and it seems clear that we aren't getting the raw scenes "NBA all-access" might suggest. If you want a more candid view on players and their lifestyle, check out Paul Shirley's book "Can I Keep My Jersey" or read up on Gilbert Arenas' blog. Although there's clearly a highly-processed sheen to the presentation (it has clearly seen its share of PR folk and lawyers during production), you still get a better idea of what the work-life of an NBA player is like.

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