The NBA’s biggest stars are back on Netflix following the latest release of “Starting 5” for this documentary. Modeled after the highly successful “Quarterback” Netflix series, Season 2 of Starting 5 dropped on October 16th, 2025.
Featured players include 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jaylen Brown, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. This follows Season 1, which focused on LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Edwards, and Jimmy Butler throughout the 2023-24 NBA season.
Recent arrests made against NBA players and coaches related to sports betting and illegal poker ring scandals could wind up being featured if Starting 5 returns for Season 3. NBA fans may be wondering is sports betting legal in Missouri? Not yet. However, online sports betting is expected to launch soon in the Show Me State on December 1st, 2025, meaning Missouri’s licensed sportsbooks will be heavily regulated to continue fighting corruption and maintaining sports betting integrity.
Let’s unpack and react to some of the biggest storylines and moments captured during Season 2 of Starting 5 on Netflix. It culminates poetically with Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton taking their respective teams to the NBA Finals, including the untimely Achilles injury that the Pacers’ star point guard suffered in Game 7.
“I knew what it was,” Haliburton tells viewers in regards to his torn Achilles. After attempting to shake off the injury by walking off the court, Haliburton’s true feelings of despair and frustration broke through. “…I became overcome with emotion just because that’s when the reality really set in.”
Despite this unfair ending to a Cinderella run, Haliburton’s best moments were also captured. Game 1 of the NBA Finals was where he helped Indiana mount an epic comeback to beat Oklahoma City on the road.
The behind-the-scenes cuts from Starting 5 Season 2 allow fans to gain more empathy and grow more aware of each superstar’s personality. One of the primary narratives, due to the presence of Kevin Durant and James Harden, focused on the dissolution of their partnership in Oklahoma City.
Both Harden and Durant knew that the Thunder, with Russell Westbrook, were on the cusp of winning an NBA Championship. “Overall, I was mad as hell, too,” Harden stated. “I was hurt. It was sad, for real.”
Season 2 of Starting 5 has been met with overall satisfactory ratings due to the way the producers of the show narrated and wove storylines together. The Harden-Durant saga was prominent, while Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander’s trials and tribulations during the playoffs were a strong way to end the latest release.
Jaylen Brown took over for teammate Jayson Tatum, who was featured in Season 1. Representing the Boston Celtics and playing for one of the league’s most iconic franchises can be a tough gig, especially in a passionate sports town that expects titles and banners every single season.
Brown’s journey included a knee injury that wound up being an obstacle to taking the Celtics back to the NBA Finals. A lot of this show deals with how players responded to their injuries and other adversity on and off the court.
If you’re looking for a sports documentary covering a league’s biggest stars in public and personal settings, Starting 5 is a great choice following its Season 2 release earlier this month.
