By Ben Jenkins, Newswire Intern

The documentary-style show “Starting 5” follows five NBA players throughout the course of a season and the cast is fantastic for season two. 

The show centers around Tyrese Haliburton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Brown, James Harden and Kevin Durant. The player selection could not have gone better for Netflix this year.  

The show opens with Brown, fresh off an NBA season going through the challenges that come with trying to be a repeat NBA champion. Durant’s story focuses on his legacy, as he is arguably one of the greatest players of all time. This storyline is paired with the pressure on him to succeed in Phoenix. 

Gilgeous-Alexander, coming off a second place finish in the MVP race, tries to get Oklahoma City Thunder over the hump. Haliburton tries to prove the Indiana Pacers run to the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals was not a fluke and Harden searches for a ring to cap off his legacy as one of the greatest two guards in NBA history. 

As the season unfolds, the stories for the players begin to develop. Brown and the Boston Celtics are cruising through the season once again. Brown discusses the struggles of being an NBA star and running a new clothing brand, showing how these guys are more than just basketball players.

Durant battles injuries the entire season. The show portrays his true feelings of dealing with nagging injuries. The Phoenix Suns struggle heavily through the season, capturing the effects that losing has on players.  

Haliburton struggles to start the year and the emotions of the slow start was felt by viewers. Tyrese discusses what he was feeling throughout the seasons at some of the lowest points of his career. 

Harden, generally a closed off guy, gives a look into his personal life and his career reviving year in Los Angeles, demonstrating how Harden, who had a reputation as partier, has become a family man raising his son.

Gilgeous-Alexander was having yet another fantastic year. He was leading the MVP race and the Thunder were having a historically great season. He addresses many of the struggles that the immense pressure that being the face of a city brings.

The drama picks up once the playoffs start. Durant and the Suns miss the playoffs and Durant shares his grievances regarding the situation in Phoenix. Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers fall to the Denver Nuggets in round one. 

Harden struggles again in game seven, which is a common theme of his career. This profoundly affects Harden. Brown and the Celtics fight hard in the playoffs but lose to the New York Knicks. Brown showed the world just how much the pressure of being the defending NBA champs affects a team. 

It was the stories of Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander that made the show something special.

Haliburton hit four game winning shots throughout the playoffs and the Pacers had a miraculous run to the Finals. For Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, it focuses on the team and Gilgeous-Alexander trying to overcome obstacles and win the title.

The season ends with game seven in Oklahoma City. Haliburton and the Pacers come out hot, but disaster strikes five minutes into the first quarter. Haliburton goes down with a torn achilles. Haliburton is shown in the locker room dealing with one of the most heart wrenching moments in sports history.

“‘Starting 5’ truly captured all of the emotions of that heartbreaking moment,” first-year sports management and economics major Jacob Halbesma said. 

The Thunder ends up winning the title and Gilgeous-Alexander’s celebration is pictured in the final minutes of the show. The relief of finally getting to the mountain top is shown beautifully. 

Season two of “Starting 5” follows the highs and lows of some of the best players in the league, getting the full range of emotions these stars felt throughout the year.