Stories have been used throughout history to help us connect, share, and understand the world we live in. Today, stories are told on an unprecedented scale, with images, videos, data, and social media reaching audiences across the globe. These stories connect people in ways never before possible, and evolving technology has given rise to new and exciting careers in storytelling. Join Discovery Education and the Jr. NBA for an exclusive NBA Storytellers All-Star Virtual Field Trip and meet the people who are sharing professional basketball’s most compelling narratives—from its powerful history, to its exciting present, to its inspiring future.
During this 30-minute program, your students will go behind the scenes to meet these NBA storytellers, learn about their careers, and explore how they use creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication to capture the game like never before.
Having trouble viewing? You may be outside of North America, or your school may have blocked our video player. You can also view this video on Vimeo. For help, contact our support team at Education_Info@DiscoveryEd.com.
This VFT will help students:
Ryan Arcidiacono
Point Guard/Shooting Guard, Chicago Bulls
Ryan will share how NBA players can be storytellers, who has been most influential in his story so far, and what important lessons he has learned along the way.
Michelle McComas
Senior Director of Entertainment and Events, Chicago Bulls
Michelle will talk about how she combined her three passions – dance, business, and basketball – into a career path and how perseverance and determination have impacted her life.
Luka Dukich
Director of Digital Content, Chicago Bulls
Luka will discuss the ever-changing digital landscape, the power of creative collaboration, and the importance of taking pride in the stories you put into the world.
Michelle Farsi
NBA Contract Photographer
Michelle will share how she turned her passion in to a career through determination and hard work, and the unique ways she tells stories from behind the lens.
Mike Callahan
Digital Product Management, NBA
Mike explain how the league uses data to innovate and inform the direction of the NBAs digital products to reach a global audience.
John Hareas
NBA Vice President of Editorial & Daily Content Management
John will discuss his 24-year career inspiring audiences as both a preserver of the NBA’s past and a content creator for its future.
Rosalyn Gold-Onwude
Broadcast Basketball Analyst
Rosalyn will talk about her storytelling career as a sports analyst and broadcaster and how she uses that to inspire young women to believe that anything is possible.
Use this Companion Guide to explore concepts related to the Storytellers Virtual Field Trip (VFT). Educators may choose to complete one or all of these activities before, during, or after the VFT.
Download the Companion Guide
Once you’ve logged into Discovery Education, type “basketball” in search to access our dynamic basketball-themed content channel, loaded with unique digital content, images, videos, and instructional activities. Plus, you’ll have access to primary source images and videos directly from the NBA archive.
Math Techbook users have access to the NBA Analysis Tool, which allows students to gather and analyze NBA and WNBA statistical categories, follow a favorite player or team, and predict player performance throughout the season. Students will have fun as they grow their understanding of how essential math is to the game of basketball.
Simply log in to Discovery Education with your username and password to find more ways to explore these resources. Not a current Discovery Education user? No problem! Request a demo today.
Sample Apply Problem 1 of 4 (Middle School)
When the score is really close, and time is running out, coaches need to decide which player has the best chance of making a game-winning shot. In this problem, students play the role of coach and decide which player should take a technical free throw to win the game. Students use real-time statistics and their knowledge of percentages to figure it out.
Try It Out
Sample Apply Problem 2 of 4 (Middle School)
An NBA basketball court is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. Those might be the right dimensions for a player who is 6’10”, but is it the right size for a middle-school student? Using estimation and proportion, students will determine a court size that’s more appropriate for their height and stride length.
Sample Apply Problem 3 of 4 (High School)
A bank shot is a shot that hits the backboard first. They can be very effective—sometimes, even more effective than straight-on shots. But bank shots aren’t possible from every spot on the floor. Using their knowledge of geometry and reflections, students will analyze the situation to determine the spots from which bank shots are possible.
Sample Apply Problem 4 of 4 (Middle School)
Is the number of three-pointers a player makes related to the number of three-point shots that she attempts? That seems likely. Is the number of blocks related to free-throw percentage? Maybe not so much. In this problem, students will choose two stats that they think have a strong positive correlation, and then create a model to determine if there’s any relationship between them.
< >
From the classroom to the court, the NBA is committed to providing education and fun opportunities for youth to engage with the game of basketball. The Jr. NBA is the NBA’s youth basketball participation program for boys and girls ages 6-14, which helps grow and improve the youth basketball experience for all. The Jr. NBA teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game, including teamwork, respect, determination and community—values that are critical on the court and in the classroom. Schools can register for the Jr. NBA program at no cost, and participating schools will receive up-to-date information about opportunities and resources that are available to official Jr. NBA member organizations.
Learn More