Decide whether you want to back Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the GOAT, and then only accept information that supports your stance and ridicule anyone with a differing opinions.

*It’s Jordan by the way

I’d say start with picking a team and go from there. You don’t really need to watch old games and such; it’s not like a tv show haha, no need to catch up on previous seasons. But YouTube has everything to get you started!

I’d look up fun content like Kobe’s old Detail show or breakdowns like that if you’re interested in the actual game. 30 for 30 documentaries can really highlight some great history like you mentioned.

And of course, get yourself a ball and go out to hit some shots. Even just on your own. Nothing better than the personal connection to the game to appreciate what these guys are doing

I use https://www.basketball-reference.com/to look at stats. Really useful for comparing players/teams/eras etc.

Fantasy basketball is another good way to learn a little bit more about individual players and keeps you current on who is trending. Lots of sites have free leagues

A channel like Thinking Basketball will help you ease into being a fan of the game itself at a higher level. It will make it more exciting to be a fan of any team, as you’ll be able to break down what’s happening. It is normally such a blur to the untrained eye, whereby you end up ball watching instead, while most of the game actually happens off ball.

1. Find a friend who loves basketball

2. Find out what team he or she supports

3. Become fan of the rival team

4. Done - you will endlessly trash talk with your friends and fall in love with basketball in no time

A lot of people have mentioned great tips for getting into playing basketball but theres one absolutely crucial one that hasnt been mentioned yet: footwork footwork footwork. Seriously. 99% of the people you will play recreationally will have terrible footwork on offense and defense but it is absolutely fundamental. The best way to improve your footwork is to play soccer or be a dancer lol

edit; Also, do your Mikan Drills! I cant tell you how many easy smoked layups I see from people who should be better.

edit 2: Okay last addendum: The two moves that opened up my scoring more than anything are the windmill crossover and this unnamed fake-into-crossover move. The windmill crossover is not too hard to pull off but the other move is much more advanced. But it shows how you can make a huge advantage just using a little bit of footwork. Heres two great videos that break down the two moves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWxAlZHwD6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mBkAdtkZ80

Play Nba2k. It really helps you learn all the players and rosters. I used to know pretty much every scrub in the NBA but since ive stopped playing I really only can remember starting lineups at best lol. You can also learn a lot about basketball plays from that game which should make watching the real game easier.