POWER PLAY
A NEW FILM IMAGINES AN NBA LOCKOUT AND AN AUDACIOUS PLAN TO UPEND THE LEAGUE'S HIERARCHY
STREAM
HIGH FLYING BIRD
Available Feb. 8 on Netflix
Star players have more power than ever in the NBA. So in that sense, High Flying Bird, a new film from director Steven Soderbergh, feels pertinent. In the movie, a shrewd agent, played by André Holland (Moonlight, 42), helps a rookie client navigate an NBA lockout. But he's also scheming for players to seize power.
High Flying Bird doesn't feature much actual basketball, but the struggle between owners and labor makes for compelling drama. Holland, the executive producer, is careful to say the film isn't attacking the NBA—if anything, its revolutionary outlook reflects the growing clout of stars like LeBron James. "I think this movie is the beginning," Holland says. "The very beginning of a much larger conversation."
WATCH
THE MANY LIVES OF NICK BUONICONTI
Feb. 12, 10 p.m. ET on HBO
A new documentary explores the Pro Football Hall of Famer's descent from star Dolphins linebacker to a dementia patient who likely has CTE.
READ
GOOD TO GO
By Christie Aschwanden, out Feb. 5
Do sports drinks work? How about Tom Brady's recovery pajamas? The author, a writer for FiveThirtyEight, separates myth and reality in this book examining the science of recovery.
WATCH
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Feb. 13, 3 p.m. ET on TNT
American star Christian Pulisic, bound for Chelsea this summer, will get a taste of English soccer when his current team faces Spurs in the Champions League.
