Court Of Gold's Director Told Me He And His Crew Had ‘Full Access’ To Olympic Teams, But One Major Condition Was Agreed To Early On

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were filled with memorable events, like the triumphs of “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik and the performance of breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn. I personally enjoyed watching the men’s basketball teams, which is deftly chronicled in Netflix’s Court of Gold. The docuseries debuts amid the 2025 TV schedule this month and, as part of it, the creatives were granted full access to several teams. Yet, as the director told CinemaBlend, a key condition had to be decided upon beforehand.

Jake Rogal had the job of helming this six-part show, which details the exploits of the Olympic basketball players competing for the gold. I was fortunate enough to speak with Rogal about his latest venture, which will soon be streamable alongside the best shows on Netflix. After watching the doc, I wondered if he and his collaborators truly had full filming access amid production, and he confirmed that they did. However, Rogal also told me that he himself made something very clear with the coaches from the jump:

I appreciate how upfront Jake Rogal was with the coaches. What his comments indicate to me is that while making the documentary series, he had a great level of respect for his subjects. I’d also imagine that such a stipulation took some of the pressure off the teams as well. Considering the agreement, none of them would have to worry about trying to dodge cameras while in the midst of a stressful moment. Despite that, Rogal and his crew did still manage to capture some truly tense situations.

Honestly, it probably shouldn’t be all that surprising that the filmmaker approached Court of Gold in such a thoughtful way. He’s had plenty of experience when it comes to sports documentaries, as he’s served as a producer on excellent productions like Biography: WWE Legends and André the Giant. On top of that, he also co-produced ESPN’s Emmy-winning docuseries The Last Dance (which is currently available to stream with a Netflix subscription).

When it comes to Jake Rogal’s latest series, fans will follow the players and coaching staff of four men’s Olympic basketball teams – USA, Canada, France and Serbia. Each squad includes a collection of unique players and personalities from Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nicholas Batum. Viewers also get to see and hear from Victor Wembanyama – the French basketball phenom who’s currently on the rise in the NBA.

The creative team’s high level of access, which is how they were ultimately able to pack so much into the show. As the Court of Gold trailer teases, there are some truly raw moments to behold. You can check out the docuseries for yourself when it hits Netflix on February 18.