ESPN
The latest entry in the award-winning “30 For 30” documentary series is “The Luckiest Guy in the World” about NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
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The movie premieres Tuesday, June 6, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, and it will be available on ESPN+ immediately following the initial premiere.
Here’s a full rundown of all the different ways you can watch “The Luckiest Guy in the World” online:
ESPN+
If you can wait until after the TV premiere, “The Luckiest Guy in the World” will be available on ESPN+ after it premieres on ESPN:
ESPN+ includes every 30-for-30 documentary, dozens of different live sports and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 per month (or $20.97 for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch “The Luckiest Guy in the World” on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch “The Luckiest Guy in the World” live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “The Luckiest Guy in the World” live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can get your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch “The Luckiest Guy in the World” live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
‘The Luckiest Guy in the World’ Preview
Directed by Steve James of “Hoop Dreams” fame, this four-part series “tells the colorful story of a true sports original: iconic basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton,” according to the ESPN press release.
It continues:
[Walton’s] life is the stuff of legend: a high school basketball phenom and game-changing big man for the UCLA dynasty; an injury-plagued NBA lightning rod defined by championships and setbacks; a Grateful Dead devotee who remained true to himself, no matter the cost.
Athletes often talk about the love of the game; Bill Walton lived the concept. The Big Redhead, a true free spirit in every sense, lived his life with his emotions and beliefs at the forefront of everything he did. He played basketball with an infectious joy, he embraced nature and spiritual pursuits with the same enthusiasm, and through it all, he carved a path unlike any other superstar in team sports. The film is a kaleidoscopic trip through Walton’s life and memory, accompanied by the soundtrack of his life: the music of the Grateful Dead.
In James’s hands, the story winds back and forth through time and space, from the heights of the NBA in Portland and Boston to the wilds of Oregon, from the chaos of civic unrest and antiwar protest at UCLA to the simple pursuit of being able to live a pain-free existence. Through it all, Walton’s life serves as a colorful, tie-dyed answer to the deeper questions we all face: what does it mean to be happy? What does it mean to be free? Unifying themes across decades and various cities, it is a story of the times – tied together by the perfect soundtrack of the era and, as always, Walton’s ebullient spirit.
“Growing up, I was a big fan of UCLA’s basketball teams, none more so than during the years that Bill Walton was such a dominant player,” said director James in a statement. “I continued to follow his career in the NBA and always felt that he’d had great misfortune to suffer countless injuries, and be vilified for it in the press and public. Walton was also criticized for his outspoken political beliefs and alternative lifestyle. So when ESPN approached me about telling his story, I saw it as a great opportunity to dig into his remarkable career and life. Walton is a true original, and proves the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote wrong – Bill Walton has had not just a second act in his American life, but maybe a third, and fourth as well.”
The four-part film features interviews and commentary from such NBA greats as Lary Bird Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kevin McHale, Artis Gilmore, World B. Free, Robert Parish and more, plus Walton’s family, Lionel Hollins, Jack Ramsay, Ralph Lawler, and Brent Musburger.
ESPN’s “30 For 30: The Luckiest Guy in the World” premieres on Tuesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on ESPN.