In 2017, Viceland released “The Last Shot,” a series focusing on American and Mexican basketball players using somewhat organized tournaments in Mexico for income and/or a chance at a professional contract in the country.
Only recently, though, did Vice Sports publish “The Last Shot” on its YouTube channel, making the six episodes available easily and without commercials. Each episode runs for roughly 42 minutes and follows around three main groups of players in their paths through these cutthroat tournaments.
One group is called the rookie team, consisting of American players who have come to Mexico to play in these tournaments with the goal of being discovered by scouts from the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP), the nation’s top league. The second is a Mexican family who have been playing basketball together for decades and used their winnings in various tournaments to help build their homes, buy their babies diapers and feed their families. The final group is mercenaries, Mexicans and Americans, who find events around the country and join whatever teams they can purely for financial reasons.
I am someone who has loved basketball for my entire life, and for an American, I think I’m fairly in tune with how hoops work in other countries. But before finding “The Last Shot,” I had no idea these tournaments even existed in Mexico, let alone that there are Americans who move south of the border and essentially turn these events into their full-time jobs as their main sources of income.
There is a catch, though: you have to win, or at least finish in second or third depending on the tournament, to get paid. As you can imagine, people will do whatever it takes to get that money, and in a country with a well-known streak for corruption, those things aren’t always nailing jumpers and playing good defense.
The show takes you inside the minds of those participating in the tournaments and showcases a strong basketball culture in Mexico that many outside of the country aren’t likely familiar with. If you’re a hoops junkie, “The Last Shot” is for you, and if you’re a talented baller who wants a chance at a professional contracts or wants an avenue to profit off your work, it might also serve as an informational video for your next adventure.
