As a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, Knicks and Rangers, Gabe Honig ’01 likes to joke that one reason he picked Syracuse University was that he could access the MSG Network and keep up with his teams. Sports obsession aside, Honig majored in film/drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and followed his creative instincts, driven by a passion for storytelling and exploring life through film. Inspired by movies like Pulp Fiction and experimenting with mockumentaries, he focused on producing artistic films.
However, Honig’s career truly took shape when he realized he could combine his love for sports with his filmmaking skills, establishing himself as a sports documentary filmmaker. “I love delving into different worlds and uncovering the humanity in people—and understanding the ‘why,’” he says. “Anyone can tell you what happened; it’s the ‘why’ that matters. That’s how everything came together for me.”
Gabe Honig ’01 and his wife, Kate Dumbrys Honig ’01, with their children, Isaac and Hannah, on a visit to campus.
Honig credits his professors for teaching him to be a “total filmmaker,” and he gained an appreciation for teamwork. “During my time at Syracuse, I learned a tremendous amount about storytelling, the notes process and peer review. That prepared me for the real world, where you’re constantly receiving feedback and being critiqued in various ways—both constructive and otherwise,” he says. “I also learned the art of compromise, collaborating with others and understanding that my ideas won’t always align with those of my friends or colleagues.”
Honig (right) speaks with bestselling author and pop culture essayist Chuck Klosterman during an interview for Celtics City. Boston fans may remember Klosterman’s entertaining essay on the Celtics’ rivalry in the ’80s with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Exploring Life Through Sports
For more than two decades, Honig has looked at life through the lens of sports, producing numerous documentaries and TV series ranging from poker and golf to college basketball’s March Madness and Texas youth football, Friday Night Tykes. “To us, that was never a show about youth football,” Honig says. “That was a show about parenting.”
Honig also realized “a dream come true” as a producer of ESPN’s 2022 seven-part documentary series The Captain, chronicling the life of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. “If I went back and told teenage Gabe, ‘Hey, in a couple of decades you’ll actually be telling the story with this guy and get to meet all these players who you’re living and dying with on every pitch and every swing …’ There’s no way.”
Celtics guard Bob Cousy was known for his electrifying playmaking skills, including no-look, behind-the-back passes. A Hall of Famer and member of six Celtics’ NBA championship teams, Cousy was 94 at the time of interview and spent three hours sharing stories.
Documenting an NBA Dynasty
In his latest project, Honig served as executive co-producer and showrunner for Celtics City, a nine-part HBO docuseries on the 77-year history of the 18-time world champion Boston Celtics, the NBA’s winningest franchise. The series, which premiered in March, chronicles the Celts’ dynasty, from its rise to prominence in the late 1950s under legendary coach Red Auerbach and all-time greats Bill Russell and Bob Cousy to the team’s 2024 NBA title run.
Along with the championships, rivalries, unforgettable plays and all-stars, the documentary examines the tragic deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, the impact of Larry Bird, the Celtics’ relationship with Boston and its reputation—both real and perceived—of racial strife, and the team’s progressive approach to integration. The Celtics, Honig points out, were the first NBA team to draft a Black player (Chuck Cooper, 1950), to have an all-Black starting five (1964) and to hire a Black head coach in Russell. “There were a lot of things happening outside the arena that were difficult,” the late Russell is quoted. “But the time I spent in the locker room and on the floor with my teammates was like heaven.”
Honig appears at the Celtics City premiere with director Lauren Stowell and executive producer Bill Simmons.
As showrunner, Honig was responsible for keeping all the project’s moving parts on track while helping shape the creative. He worked closely with director Lauren Stowell and collaborated with the NBA, the Celtics, HBO and executive producers Connor Schell and Libby Geist of Words + Pictures, and Bill Simmons of The Ringer. Honig also worked with two Orange alumni on the project: lead series editor Eric Barchie ’97 and editor Matt McCormick ’98. “Everything is a puzzle, and I love figuring that stuff out,” he says.
Robert Parish was one of Boston’s “Big Three” with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, helping the Celtics collect three NBA titles in the ’80s. Parish played 21 seasons in the NBA, including 14 with the Celtics, and holds the league’s record for most games played.
Creating a Fun Career
Honig made his first connection between sports and film in summer 2002, landing work as a production assistant with a documentary team producing short features as part of the coverage for the U.S. Open tennis tournament. “I just fell in love with it,” he says. “I’m like, wait a second. I can scratch that storytelling itch while also living in this world I love, which is sports.”
Honig meets with Parish during filming for Celtics City. Parish was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
All these years later, he’s still inhabiting the world of sports, searching for interesting stories. Reflecting on Celtics City, he recalls one of the memorable interviews among the 98 they conducted. It was with Robert Parish, the stoic former center known as “The Chief.” Once Parish started talking, he didn’t stop for three hours, Honig says. “He’s hilarious, he’s engaging, and he’s really forthright.”
As it turns out, the first NBA game Honig ever attended was on Christmas Day 1985: The Knicks vs. the Celtics in Madison Square Garden. Down by the court during warmups, the young Knicks fan made eye contact with Boston’s dominating center, and they acknowledged each other with a shared hand gesture. “I was always a fan of Parish the player because of that,” Honig says. And when they met for the documentary interview, he let Parish know.
For Honig, it was yet another example of why he loves what he does. “I’m very lucky that I created a career where I can go play in the sandbox every day and tell great stories,” he says.