{"type":"video","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Dailymotion","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com","title":"The NBA got its first Soviet player through the power of friendship","description":"Can't wait for more? Get the whole miniseries here. https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/collection\/2140601?view=expandedFor a long time, there were NBA-caliber players playing basketball in the Soviet Union. For a long time, NBA teams drafted them and tried to bring them over. But until the late 1980s, nobody ever succeeded. This is the story of the first-ever breakthrough, an all-out battle between one of the most powerful men in America and a player-turned-missionary-turned-scout.","author_name":"SB Nation","author_url":"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/sbnation","width":480,"height":269,"html":"<iframe frameborder=\"0\" width=\"480\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/geo.dailymotion.com\/player.html?video=xae7ewi&\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/s1.dmcdn.net\/v\/bTdqo1gAAn0U3fmL3\/x240","thumbnail_width":427,"thumbnail_height":240}