Nightcap - Nightcap - Hour 1: Celtics beat Bucks, Lakers' Playoff Push, Gil defends Kobe's parents

Episode Date: March 21, 2024

Shannon Sharpe & Gilbert Arenas discuss the Celtics beating the Bucks without Giannis, whether the Lakers can make another NBA Finals run, and ongoing drama between Kobe Bryant's estate. 0:00 Intr...oduction04:10 Celtics beat Bucks without Giannis takeaways18:00 Anthony Davis says every game is a playoff game for Lakers -24:50 Draymond says Kyrie is the most skilled player in NBA history32:00 Kobe’s parents sell his championship rings #Club #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 The volume. North Carolina listeners, don't forget, DraftKings Sportsbook is now live in your state. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code SHANNON. New customers can bet $5 and get $150 instantly in bonus bets. Only at DraftKings Sportsbook with code SHANNON. The crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Or in West Virginia, visit 1-800-GAMBLER.net. In New York, call 877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPE-NY 467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling.
Starting point is 00:00:50 Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.co slash bball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.
Starting point is 00:01:18 I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:02:00 In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran-Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. I am your host, your favorite uncle also, Shannon Sharp. He's your favorite number
Starting point is 00:02:46 zero, agent zero, Arizona Wildcat legend, wizard, great, Gilbert Arenas. Thank you for joining us. Please make sure you subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed. You can listen through us, Nightcap, through Club Shay Shay,
Starting point is 00:03:01 but we would greatly appreciate it if you subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed. Thank you guys so much for selling out shea by laporte uh we're taking pre orders only as i said we got a shipment of about four and a half five thousand cases i think it's five thousand cases about fifteen thousand bottles uh five thousand cases six so how much if there's three thousand we got three thousand cases in there's 3,000, we got 3,000 cases in. We got 3,000 cases in. We got a little over 14,000 bottles, so we got 3,000 cases in.
Starting point is 00:03:32 And we're only taking pre-orders on Shade by La Portier, but that should be enough to fulfill the obligation that we had with the pre-orders first, and so we will definitely get through to you. So thank you guys so much. I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making Shade by La Portia such a huge
Starting point is 00:03:50 success. Also, please subscribe to the Gil Arena channel. It's on YouTube. He has a show that airs every Monday through Thursday, 1130 a.m. Pacific. That's Gil's Arena channel on YouTube every Monday through Thursday, 11.30 a.m. Pacific time. Also, you can subscribe to his personal page, and it's called No Chill Gil. That's Gilbert Arena's personal YouTube page, No Chill Gil. Let's go and get those subs
Starting point is 00:04:18 up. We got to get them. I think it was like, what you at, Gil? Like 533, 535? Somewhere around there. We got to get you to 600. That's the goal. We got to get Gil to 600. Let's get him to 600. So thank you, guys. Gil, thank you for joining us tonight. The Celts beat the Bucs without Giannis, 122 to 119.
Starting point is 00:04:41 Gil, what were some of your takeaways from this game? It seems like Bucucks is so comfortable. Like Dame seems so comfortable without Giannis. He does. Which is bad because that's his whole career, has been playing without that type of player. Right. So going to the playoffs in the last month, they need to finally get their chemistry together.
Starting point is 00:05:07 Because right now they don't have chemistry. When the games they've won, they've won off them. They're just a good team. Boston, the biggest flaw is they stand around a lot playing ISO basketball. Yep. Right? When one has the ball, the other star just sits there in the deep corner, you know, waiting for the ball to come around to his area. So then he can play one-on-one. That's how they lost to Miami,
Starting point is 00:05:38 and they would not beat Denver playing that type of basketball. When you look at it, Boston shot 29 29 free throws the Bucs shot 14 and it was and and there are one point where I think the the Celtics ran up the score 17 18 maybe even 19 points but they were never able to put the Bucs away yeah the Bucs come back and whittle it down and I agree what you said about Giannis and I I think the thing is with Dame, Dame is so used and so comfortable without playing with a super, super mega superstar that he's like, okay, I'm just
Starting point is 00:06:12 back in Portland. This ain't nothing to me. I'm used to having a supporting cast and I get to do my things. I'm going to run guys I pick. I'm going to put guys in the pick and roll. They're going to get me the ball and I can do my thing. The concern that I have is that, look,
Starting point is 00:06:27 we understand what Giannis says. It goes without saying. In playoff, the game's going to come down to clutch time. The last five minutes, the game within five points. Who should have the ball in their hands versus who will have the ball in their hands, Gil? Those are two
Starting point is 00:06:44 those are totally two different questions with two different arguments. Yeah. At this point in time, I mean, I hope everyone's smart enough to know that Dame needs the ball at the end of the game. He needs to be making all the plays, making all the decisions. It's no different than Kobe and Shaq. Yeah, Shaq, we know you're dominant.
Starting point is 00:07:07 Just not at this point because we don't need you to get fouled unless you are making free throws at a high rate during that game. Other than that, we don't want you shooting free throws. That benefits the other team that you're going to free throw line. But what you're going to need, and you've seen it today, you're going to need free throw attempts. So what ends up happening is you're going to need Giannis into the offense at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Starting point is 00:07:35 So he can team into the penalty. He's in the rhythm. Yeah, he has to do his – everyone has to do their part understanding their roles. And until they get that, it's going to be one of those win a game, lose a game, win two games, lose two games. I don't see them getting out of the East just because I don't see that their chemistry is not going to be there. Middleton just coming back. Giannis is not there.
Starting point is 00:08:05 When they all three get together, they got to find that rhythm. Yeah. I thought Chris Middleton looked really, really good tonight. They didn't get much out of Jay Crowder. Played 15 minutes. They didn't get much out of Malik Beasley. Played 26 minutes. Between those guys and Brooke Lopez, you only got, what, 21 points.
Starting point is 00:08:23 You need more than that from your starters. Especially with Dame doing what he did. Chris Middleton played really well. Only 33 minutes tonight. Bobby Portis is Bobby Portis off the bench. Gave you a double-double 24-10. But you need more. If Giannis is going to be out, let's just... I don't know how long he's going to be out.
Starting point is 00:08:41 But you're going to probably need 35 points between those three guys. Now, however you want to divvy it up, long he's going to be out, but you're going to probably need 35 points between those three guys. Now, however you want to divvy it up, because Dame is going to give you Dame numbers. If Chris Middleton is going to give you 20, Bobby Porter is going to give you what he gives you off the bench, I can't have three guys playing those kind of minutes giving me 21 points, Gil.
Starting point is 00:08:58 I can't. Now we see what the three amigos look like. See, the three amigos for Dame is him, Bobby, and Middleton. Right. The ones that suffer is Lopez, Beasley, Crowder. When Giannis is there to stop Giannis, you need Brooke Lopez's man to be in the lane. You need Crowder's man to be in the lane. You need Crowder's man to be in the lane. And that's how they get their open shots.
Starting point is 00:09:28 Right, right. So it's one of those. Both teams got a set of three. They're the three amigos. So you got to figure out how all of those guys can play well together. I just think, look, it is what it is. I look at it like when we play, whether I win or lose, I was trying to gather as much information as I possibly can,
Starting point is 00:09:47 just in case I had to see this team down the road. So I wanted to see in certain situations down in distance how they played me because I realized they're going to play me different than they play any other tight end. So I'm trying to gather as much information, five catches for 50 yards, 10 catches for 120 yards. It didn't matter. I'm trying to gather as much information as I can, win
Starting point is 00:10:09 or lose. I think the Bucs looking at this and say, look, guys, look how they shot the three. And they got a bunch of them up. And we know they're going to get a bunch of threes up. But we were right there. Now, Giannis, Giannis is going to get 30 and 10. I don't give a damn what you do. Boston, you, Yannis is going to get 30 and 10.
Starting point is 00:10:26 I don't give a damn what you do. Boston, you can't stop that. He's getting 30 and 10. The question is, can Dane give me 27 to 30? For the whole series?
Starting point is 00:10:44 Yes, he's going to have to be there. Nah. Well, you know how you say you collect information? Yes. Well, that's Doc's weakness. Oh, Lord. Nah, because exactly what you said, you said they're looking at this game and said,
Starting point is 00:11:01 we didn't have Giannis. That is his speech in that locker room as we speak. Hey, you know, guys, we kept fighting back. We played hard. You know, we didn't have Giannis today. Look what we did. We put him on the bricks. They made this.
Starting point is 00:11:17 We did that. And then play them exactly the same damn way the very next game. He doesn't adjust well because he makes up an excuse for why they lost. So he's okay with we fought hard instead of going in there and saying, we didn't do this well, we need to clean
Starting point is 00:11:35 this up, we need to clean this up, and then go into the next game with a different game plan. He's going to go into the same, the next game, with the same exact game plan and wonder why he can't win a round. Well, how about this? Even if Dame doesn't – well, because if Dame – look,
Starting point is 00:11:55 I need to get somewhere between 55 and 65 points between Dame and Giannis because I can't count on the other three starters to give me 25 to 30. So I need at least that because if Dame gives you less than 20, can I expect Beasley to have a game where he goes for 25? Can I expect Crowder to have a game where he goes for 25? Now, Lopez, Lopez, he hits a miss. I mean, there have been games he goes 12 or 14,
Starting point is 00:12:27 makes four, eight from the three. So he can give you 20. The X factor is going to be Chris Middleton because you know, come playoff time, Gil, them games happen
Starting point is 00:12:36 every other day. Ain't no two days rest. Ain't no, the biggest risk you'll get is between games two and three. Got to travel. You get a couple of extra days, and then boom, you back out. So if Giannis and Dame do what they do,
Starting point is 00:12:54 and Middleton can give me 20, I like their chances. Because Bobby Portis is going to give me 15 to 20 off the bench. Yeah, you will hope. When it comes to playoffs, it's a little different because you get that playbook, huh? You get that playbook and know exactly what everyone does.
Starting point is 00:13:15 It's more like football now. We know exactly what you do. We know when Giannis goes left, his passing percentage is 10%. So we're going to push him left knowing that he don't pass the ball going left. He's going to take that shot. Right? So all of that is going to be put into it.
Starting point is 00:13:33 So you do need a Bobby Portis. We just need one game of you being good. Right? Lopez, we just need one game of you being good. And that's what the playoffs do. So you take your three guys, right? And you say, all right, we have Giannis, Middleton, and Dame. Between the three of you, this is how it goes.
Starting point is 00:13:55 We need at least 60 points from the three of you. Everybody else chip in. We're expecting out of the other five players, one of you guys have 15 to 25. One game. Just be great for one game, and that's how the series goes. You just got to be great for one game during the season. Now, if you want to have three or four games and help us get out of the series, perfect, right? But for the most part, you're not expecting your bench to be dominant like that because it's a four-game series.
Starting point is 00:14:25 So people are getting cut off, and it's basically stars being stars. Right. Well, I'm going to need, listen, I'm going to need the Bucs big three, Middleton, Giannis, and Dame. They got to give me at least 70 because I know Giannis is going to give me 30. So if Dame, Dame's going to give me 25. So can Middleton give me somewhere between 15 and 20 on a nightly basis, Gil? Playing 30 to 35 minutes.
Starting point is 00:14:52 I think he can give you 15. It all depends on what team you guys are playing first. If you're playing Miami, right, it needs to be switched around. Giannis needs to be at about 20 to 25. Giannis is going to give you 20 to 25, you lose it. If Giannis scores 20 to 25 points,
Starting point is 00:15:14 you lose it. Unless Dame goes, hey, why give you 40 to 45? Giannis can't give you. He has to give you his average. No, if he gives you 30, 35, that means he's playing into Miami's defense. Be selfish. That's why he can't beat them.
Starting point is 00:15:30 Because that defense is designed to cut off everybody else and just let you score. So he is going to have to become a passer just for that series. He's going to have to let everybody eat. And he'd be the decoy. Some of these playoff games, it's just like a receiver, right? Sometimes you got to be a decoy, run your route hard to make everybody look,
Starting point is 00:15:54 and then we're going, we're going, we're going to beat up on this side a little bit, right? He's never learned. He thinks he can just, I'm going to get it this year. I'm going to get it this year.
Starting point is 00:16:04 They, you know, they've been playing me great. I'm going to keep them. That. I'm going to get it this year. They, you know, they've been playing me great. I'm going to keep it. That's not how it is. They have your number, and the number they have is you trying to score 30-35. And if you score 30-35, your team loses. If you score 15-25, your team wins. Pick it.
Starting point is 00:16:21 He's never picked the 15-25. Well, they do a good job. They they got bam and bam does a good job uh obviously they're gonna help some but bam does a good job of defending him but i think now you can't load up on it because they've never had to defend somebody like bang that was running riding shotgun with it so them loading up trying to build that wall. Okay. Yeah, look, we know he's going to get one or two charges a game because he gets in his mind like, I'm putting my head down, I'm going to the rim. But he's never had a guy like Dane.
Starting point is 00:16:56 As great as Holiday was, he ain't Dane on the offensive end. And so I think that's where they could, the Bucs has an advantage this time around if they were to meet because the Celtics are living clear of Milwaukee. They're 55-14. Milwaukee is 44-25. There's only six games separating 2-3 in the East. Miami's in the 8th seed, in the 8th slot, 38-31,
Starting point is 00:17:22 and Milwaukee's in the 2 spot, 44-25. And, you know, the team that's in the seventh and the eighth, they had trouble with both of them. Because, look, Indiana ain't looking to play no defense. Make, miss, out of bounds, foul, they looking to push.
Starting point is 00:17:39 In the playoffs, that plays to the bucks. You know, everyone's going to look at, oh, man, Indiana, it in the playoffs, that plays to the Bucs. You know, everyone's going to look at, oh, man, Indiana is the playoffs, right? In the playoffs, the game naturally just slows down. It becomes a little tougher. You know, those refs really let you play hard. You know, they play to the stars.
Starting point is 00:18:03 So, Indiana is going to be at a disadvantage in the playoffs against the Bucs, even though their record in regular season has been dominant against them. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there,
Starting point is 00:18:49 and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide, and hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair.
Starting point is 00:19:44 And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane,
Starting point is 00:20:10 I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, Gil, time for our next segment. It's called a news cap. Let's see what the news cap
Starting point is 00:20:36 brings for today. Anthony Davis admits every game is a playoff game for the Lakers. AD said, Braun is Braun, obviously. It's that time of the year. Shooting the ball extremely well. In attack mode. Finding guys. He's been locked in defensively.
Starting point is 00:20:56 So it's this time of year, especially for us, where every game is a playoff game. So the time of year, extensively locked in and get the job done. We see them go on the road and beat Boston without LeBron. We see them at home beat Milwaukee without LeBron. We see them win some games, but then we see AD gets hurt and then they blow it. They had a big lead against the
Starting point is 00:21:27 Warriors and end up losing on Saturday. Do the Lakers have another gear that they can get to, like last year, that can get them to the Western Conference Finals? Yeah. They do. It's all dependent on
Starting point is 00:21:44 LeBron. It's LeBron's it's LeBron's next year it ain't the Lakers next year it's LeBron's next year he's gonna carry the load you know he's gonna come out and try to turn it up a notch it just made me laugh that this is
Starting point is 00:22:00 playoffs for Anthony Davis but he went out with an eye injury man that man elbowed a man I was right there he got hit hard this is playoffs for Anthony Davis, but he went out with an eye injury. Man, that man elbowed a man. I was right there. He got hit hard. His eyes swole up. I mean, I know you can't really tell because, you know, he kind of got, like,
Starting point is 00:22:14 googly eyes anyway, but he took a good shot. He took a good shot to that. I mean, he came back with 25 and, you know, 22 and 15. It's all positioning now. it's all positioned at this point right now we're we're at about the 10th seed so we'll play let's say golden state and at uh the end season game we will beat them right that's gonna be we're just gonna hit the glass and
Starting point is 00:22:41 ad and lebron attack the rim because they don't know how to defend the rim at this point. They're not going to shoot any free throws. Then we're going to play, what, between Dallas and Phoenix. And then if we get that 8-C, You got Denver. Oh, you got Shea.
Starting point is 00:23:01 If they get OKC, they'll beat OKC. In the playoffs? Yes, sir. Yes, they'll beat OKC. In the playoffs? Yes, sir. Yes, they'll beat OKC. You beat OKC, and then now you have the number one slot, which means you play 4-5, which 4-5 is Pelicans or the Clippers. If you get the Clippers, for the Lakers, that is amazing because, one, you don't have to leave. Two, that's a Laker crowd on both sides.
Starting point is 00:23:25 The only time it turns into a Clippers crowd is if the Clippers is winning in the last four or five minutes. Then their fans is engaged. Other than that, it's damn near a Laker game all seven games. And then you get Denver in the Western Conference Finals. And hopefully, you know, they're beat up by then. If not, well, you know, see you next year. Yeah, because, man, the last five minutes, man,
Starting point is 00:23:55 that two-man game with Yoke and Murray, either dribble handoff, the pick and roll, or Murray breaks you down and then he hits Michael Porter Jr. and he hasn't been missing lately for that three ball. Yoke is going to be Yoke. You concede, you concede. He's like, well, damn. Because who did they play?
Starting point is 00:24:13 The Mavericks. No, who did they play the other night? Who did they play last night? They played Timberwolves. Timberwolves. Timberwolves say, you know what? We're going to let you score. We're not going to let you get 26 and 15 assists. So we're going to neutralize some of this. He's like, okay.
Starting point is 00:24:30 I'll drop 35 to 16 on your hands with three assists. And then you got Michael Porter Jr. He got it going late in the fourth, and then he couldn't miss, and then they ended up holding off Minnesota, even though Ant-Man had a great look at a three to send the game into overtime. But that's the thing with the Nuggets.
Starting point is 00:24:51 The last five minutes, they make you execute every possession because they execute every possession. They get every shot that they want. They ain't taking no bad shots. And even when the clock's running down
Starting point is 00:25:07 and you think it's a bad shot for Yoke, when he's stepping back off one foot, throwing it up there and you can't see the ball, it's a great shot for him. You know what? I think the last five minutes, Lakers need to switch their offense. Yes, you want the ball in the bronze hands,
Starting point is 00:25:21 but it seems like when we're playing them, that's where we lose the game. It's the execution of the last five minutes. I think that we should be playing D'Lo and Davis.
Starting point is 00:25:38 No, D'Lo and AD. They need to play pick and roll and two-man game like Murray and Yoke. And then have LeBron in that dunker spot, lob spot. So if you're trying to help on AD's role, you have LeBron James on the backside, ducking in and coming to the – because for the most part, if he can't get to the lane, he's going to do a step-back three,
Starting point is 00:26:04 which you don't need heat checks the last five minutes, right? And then you don't really need no bomb passes where he's trying something, he don't have it, then he'll throw it to Reeves. Reeves just shucked that three up. So it seemed like it'd be more
Starting point is 00:26:18 a better type of offense if you have LeBron playing like Gordon in the last five minutes where because it's LeBron on the backside, we really actually have to pay attention to him. And that's how we beat the Golden State last year when LeBron was picked. He was the picker.
Starting point is 00:26:44 He was playing slash and cutting because he didn't plan for it. Yeah. Or put D-Lo and LeBron in the pick and roll. Because LeBron, you don't like LeBron to pick? No, because I need, unless LeBron is diving, I need Anthony Davis. I need Anthony Davis. If they switch it, Anthony Davis is posting up against a little guy. So now he can just shoot over him.
Starting point is 00:27:15 I like that idea better. Him and LeBron, LeBron's going to step back, and then that's going to end up turning into a jumper. Yeah, I don't. Nah, no thank you. Draymond Green says Kyrie Irving is the most skilled player in NBA history. Dray said there's actually
Starting point is 00:27:35 nothing you can do to stop Kyrie from scoring. You just try to do all you can to make it tough, make a tough shot and live with the results. Dame literally tweeted Kyrie Irving is the most skilled player in NBA history. And quite frankly, I'm not sure who can argue against that. The thing that
Starting point is 00:27:51 Kyrie is capable of are unreal. Boogie Cousins says, also Kyrie Irving is the most skilled, is more skilled than Kobe. I might put him over Cole. I have to put him over Cole. That mofo 5'11", posting them up.
Starting point is 00:28:07 I can argue against it. The question is, what is skill? I guess we talk about ability to handle the ball. I think it's a skill
Starting point is 00:28:25 to be as small as he is can finish at the rim. You can't use height to determine if you can finish. Either you can finish or you can't. So if he can finish at the rim, he can finish at the rim. You don't think there's a skill
Starting point is 00:28:41 to be able to do this and kiss it off the glass up under here or spin it? Yeah, that's all skill. So the question is, how many categories are we putting in the skill department? Right? How many categories? And from there, you look through history and see who checks off. Because Larry Bird was skilled. Colt was skilled.
Starting point is 00:29:09 Jordan was skilled. Wimby is skilled. Right? So when we're talking, like, I think everyone just sees the flashiness. And that's what you had her skill and he's the most skilled player because of how his array of moves which is only unlocked because of the rule calling now but when we're talking about skill offensively skilled posting up mid-range passing dribbling lay a package, dunk package, right? There's at least five to seven boxes that you have to check these players off.
Starting point is 00:29:50 And, you know, there's a lot of very skilled players. Yeah, for the most part, they can't dribble at a level 10, but some of them are at eight, nine. There's things that Kyrie is an eight and nine that people are a 10 in. For Wimby, Wimby dribbling is a 10 for big man. So what can he do that Wimby can't do? Right?
Starting point is 00:30:14 I think the thing is that when you look at... One-legged from the three. He's throwing it between people's legs. He's doing a... You know what I mean? So his skill level is very high, too. So right now it's just the flashiness of the dribble that there can i say i i gill i honestly think people when
Starting point is 00:30:31 they say skill they think they just look at the offensive side so i think we're just gonna put it in the offensive bucket i think they look at his handle his ability to handle his ability to finish with either hand equally uh as well uh his ability to shoot the ball ability to finish with either hand equally as well. His ability to shoot the ball from three, to shoot the ball from the mid-range. He's on pace to do another 50-40-90. I think only two guys have ever had two seasons with that, and that's Kevin Durant. Lad Bird has had a 50-40-90.
Starting point is 00:30:58 I think Dirk Nowitzki has had a 50-40-90. Steph Curry has had a 50-40-90. Kyrie Irving is on pace to have another 50-40-90. Steph Curry's had a 50-40-90. Kyrie Irving is on pace to have another 50-40-90. And so you look at him, he's a three-level scorer. He got the three. He has the mid-range. Obviously, he has the layup package
Starting point is 00:31:15 from either side with either hand. I got to update you on five-level scores. What is it? So he gets free throws? So three levels is layup, mid-range, and three. Three, he's five, though. So he gets free throws. No, no, no. So three levels is layup, midrange, and three. Three, you're right.
Starting point is 00:31:29 Five levels is the ability to post up and ability of logo ISOs. So, yes, he is considered five levels. So someone like Kirby is only a three level because he don't post up
Starting point is 00:31:41 and he don't ISO. Right? So there is different tiers to basketball. But when you just say offensively, then Larry Bird, two, right? Played a whole game, scored 40-something with his left
Starting point is 00:31:56 hand, said, I'm too bored tonight. I'm going to be lefty. I got to say the right for the Lakers. To really say who is and just stand on it, we got to put it in categories. All right, dribbling, give it a rating,
Starting point is 00:32:10 shooting, mid-range shooting, this, this, this, and then go from there and see who is actually the best. Tyree is the best dribbler, 10, right? Moves creating, him and Kobe, right? James Harden.
Starting point is 00:32:28 I think people forgot about James. When James had that five, six-year stretch, Gil, man, people were saying he better scored than Jordan. Yeah, I mean, people, yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:44 I mean, the dude, he had like 30-something games where he had at least 30 points a game and he was getting 60-point triple-doubles. He'd get 50-point triple-doubles. I mean, and he had developed that step back. There was nothing you can do with it.
Starting point is 00:33:00 Kyrie is one of the most skilled players that's walked through the league. Best dribbler by far. So, you know, but when we're talking about who's the most skillful, you know, there's more attributes to the game than dribbling and the flash part of it, right? Like, Steve, what can he do better than Steve Nash?
Starting point is 00:33:26 Besides dribble? I mean, can he do better than Steve Nash? Define his dribble? I mean, can he? Yeah, I mean, he has a better finishing package. Well, you know, Steve Nash shoots the mid-range better, shoots the three better, pass better, right? So you see how some wins here, he wins here, so it depends on what we're using. Okay.
Starting point is 00:33:44 Speaking of Kobe, Gil, you defended Kobe Bryant's parents for selling his championship ring. Gil, you said, you can't be mad at the parents on this one. They broke. They got no money. You can't be mad because they're selling the rings. The money wasn't left to them. They trying to eat.
Starting point is 00:34:00 Kobe gave his father, Joe, his very first championship ring. Joe and Pamela didn't attend the couple's weddings. When Kobe married Vanessa, Kobe's parents did not attend the wedding in 2001. Over the years, there have been a brief reconciliation. We documented, but that came to a halt in 2013. When you give and they take, that's what I said. Givers must put limits on what they give because takers will never put limits on what they take. This is what Kobe said.
Starting point is 00:34:28 When you give, give, and they take, take, at what point do you draw the line in the sand? Kobe tweeted with hashtag, hurt beyond measure, gave me no warning, and finally, love. Now, remember, they tried to hawk all this high school stuff. All the trophies and all the stuff. I mean, oh, I mean, how much is us in our community?
Starting point is 00:34:55 Somehow, we feel that no matter what our parents do to us, no matter what some family member do to us, man, you got to be there. Now, hell with that. I know my mom ain't sold anything. She ain't about to get nothing. I hope she got $20 million for it. Because she never getting another dime from Shannon. Sister, brother, no, you're not finna do me like that.
Starting point is 00:35:18 Just because you my blood, that should be more of a reason that I cut your ass off. Because you know what I went through to get to where I got. No, I can't. I can't. I can't rock with Kobe Pant. I mean, I don't know. You said it. But what ends up happening is if you kick him out the house and you cut off the food supply, they got to eat, right?
Starting point is 00:35:42 They have to eat. The question, I got a better question. Why did he cut your ass off to begin with? Well, we can't actually go through that live. But let's say they had his best interest at heart. Yes. Gil, how old is your oldest son? 17.
Starting point is 00:36:05 Okay. There's going to come a point in time that he's going to be 21, 23, 25, 27. At that point in time, he's going to be grown. You can say, son, I don't think she's going to grow. Half the team done been with her. But if he love her, you can say it. At that point in time, my son got married. My son got married.
Starting point is 00:36:27 I think my son was 27, 28. Hey, I had a conversation with him. I said, hey, bro, what's going on? Like, dad, hey, I love her. I want to be with her. That's who I want to be with. I said, you sure? It's the happiest I've ever seen it.
Starting point is 00:36:45 Take off with it. But you know that's not how that works, right? You know, this is actually the real life, how it hurts. I mean, it works. If the parents disagree, like, I don't think you should marry her. Like, if you're young, you need a prenup. And the father who's been an NBA player before is giving his knowledge to his son, right?
Starting point is 00:37:07 Well, yeah. If his girlfriend knows the parents don't like him, what happens when they get married? What does the girlfriend stand, or the wife now stands? The wife stands, I don't mess with them. Right. But they're cut off. So the wife cuts off the parents no matter what so now toby is trying to feed them in the back end eventually the wife is making all the decisions
Starting point is 00:37:32 so guess what if that was if that was the dad's money if the dad was a multi-billionaire and he says you know i'm about to leave this company i'm about to leave this fortune to you son and if you're well get no prenup, I can't do it. Kobe made that money. His mom and dad ain't got anything to do with that. If I got 500 million and I say, you know what, I'm about to have the world
Starting point is 00:37:55 biggest barn fire in L.A., that's my damn money. Ain't nobody got up and shot them shots with me. Ain't nobody run with me. Nobody did that. So what Kobe doing with this money? I get parents. You want the best interest of your child. I get it. I'm a parent. But sometimes, Gil, the only way your child is going to know his head hurt is to bump it and damn himself. And that's a hard lesson to learn when you're dealing with that kind of money. But that's okay.
Starting point is 00:38:26 That's him. But that's the problem. It's not like they're saying give it to me. They're saying that was their stance. So it's not like him and Kobe had a fallout. Vanessa is the one who's saying they don't like me. Well, I don't like them. They can stay over there.
Starting point is 00:38:42 They can't see the kid. It's her stance now because she's the wife. So she is the one who put the bridge in between the two of them. Factor that in. Factor that in. Man, I'm being a jerk to this girl.
Starting point is 00:38:57 What if this is my son's wife and they have kids? How am I going to see the grandbaby? Gil, what person you know you can give them your ass to kiss and when they get into an advantageous situation now all of a sudden you want to do you want to be nice you want to be nice to them they're gonna turn around and give you their ass but when did but again you don't you don't have to you got to factor in that you you thought these two parents was gonna think their son would just pick a woman over them.
Starting point is 00:39:27 You didn't, you don't, you don't factor that in. You're just being parents. Yes, you don't. A son is a son until he takes a wife. A daughter is a daughter for life.
Starting point is 00:39:38 Don't you forget that Gilbert Arenas. You remember that? Okay. Okay. So, you know, what the, I don't know how,
Starting point is 00:39:45 but the Bible says when a man chooses a wife, that is now his home. But this is before the wife. This is before she's a wife. He's in the process of- They're giving their father and parent advice.
Starting point is 00:39:57 Okay, he didn't take it. No, he didn't take it. You can't be mad at him. It wasn't mad at him. It's just like you give your son hey, son, you need to go and get some shots. Now you need 500. He do 250. Son, I'm telling
Starting point is 00:40:12 you now, you take the 500, it's going to greatly increase your chances of being what you want to be. You want to be the number one crew in 2026? That's what you're going to need to do. You need to get up and get this run in. You need to eat like this. You can give him all the advice that you want, but you can't want something for your child more than they want it for themselves.
Starting point is 00:40:31 He wanted Vanessa more than he wanted the advice from his parents. You can't be mad. Who said they're mad? They're not mad. There's nothing to be mad about. You chose her. Oh, cool. We here living.
Starting point is 00:40:44 But we got to live, right? You're not talking. We're not talking to each other. We got $5 in our bank account. Bills is coming up. All we have. Oh, look. What, he in the NBA?
Starting point is 00:40:55 He didn't have no job. So what? When Kobe retired, when Kobe got to the NBA, he retired. Kobe was in the league. He was in the NBA when they made $62.
Starting point is 00:41:06 Well, he should have kept 24. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core.
Starting point is 00:41:43 It's this idea that there are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No.
Starting point is 00:42:38 It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today.
Starting point is 00:43:04 The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The thing is, Gil, sometimes parents think, when my son make it, I'm straight. I'm going to get him to kick my heels off.
Starting point is 00:43:34 That's a nice gesture if your son retires a parent or a grandparent. That was me and my brother's objective. But my grandparents would have never done... My grandparents always said, Grant, I got a baby. All right. All right, boy.
Starting point is 00:43:50 Grant, I got another. All right, boy, you take care of them. That's all she ever said. Whatever makes you happy. Because she said, you like it, I love it, because I ain't got to spend one day with them. Okay? The parents ain't got to spend no one day with Vanessa.
Starting point is 00:44:05 Whether they liked her or not, your like or dislike doesn't outweigh Kobe's love. That has nothing to do with the love and survival. No, I'm just saying, something caused this break, Gil. Yeah. Something caused this break. Yes, it did. It was Vanessa caused the break, so they had to be on the out.
Starting point is 00:44:27 Right? So since they're on the out, all the stuff that he did for them before this break, the house and all that, they can't keep up with it, right? They don't have a job. They're in their 60s and 70s,
Starting point is 00:44:38 so Kobe was taking care of them. Now they're cut off. Now, what do they do to survive? The only thing they have is memorabilia. So if you... They were selling it before. You were selling that Kobe high school stuff. Yes, when they got cut off. So the first time you
Starting point is 00:44:55 witnessed, the first time that was seen, the first time... Gil, that's not yours. Gil, that's not yours. No, that's his. So what do you want him to do? I want him to give him an ish back. Okay. Give you an ish back and still the house that we have
Starting point is 00:45:11 still, the bills don't get paid. When you see it the first time, when you see your parents are selling this the first time for money to survive, that right there, you should have bought all the stuff out of the house. Give it all to me.
Starting point is 00:45:28 We're not going down this road again. Here's $500,000. Here's a million dollars because I don't need some regular person sending it because when you guys get desperate again for money, what are you going to do? Sell it. Yeah. And then when does it stop? Once you got all your stuff.
Starting point is 00:45:44 Hey. Because that's what I tell kids. Get your mom or your grandma, your parents a house that they can afford to upkeep. If you got to pay for somebody to cut the grass every week. If you got to pay for somebody to clean the house every week. If you got to. Bro, what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?
Starting point is 00:46:06 Your parents don't need a $3 million crib. That you got to have the upkeep. The upkeep on a $3 million crib is what? Get you something. They can afford the upkeep and keep it moving. Now, I'm in a different situation. Yeah, but at the end of the day, Gil,
Starting point is 00:46:24 being a parent and you're a parent, you know. And what do we know about kids? The more you tell them not to do something, what are they going to do, Gil? Little do they know, if they were trying to pull them apart, they were actually pushing them closer together. I don't know
Starting point is 00:46:39 if they knew that. It wasn't a whole bunch of fighting. It was just one time. That was it. Man, you know that woman loved it. The parents got pushed out of the relationship and that was the end of it.
Starting point is 00:46:55 There was nothing. That was it. There was no... Do a part of me feel bad? Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I hate to see families bicker. I'm fortunate. I'm very fortunate. I'm not to buy you a very nice home and the response is that's not good enough then you're selling my ish
Starting point is 00:47:29 Kobe told ESPN our relationship is an ish I say I'm going to buy you a very nice home and the response is that's not good enough so you get ready to buy your mom and dad.
Starting point is 00:47:46 You know what, mom, dad, I appreciate y'all. Cause y'all was great to me. Y'all made sure me and my brother and sister, we had roof over our head. Y'all gave me everything I needed. This is what I got for y'all. You see, I'm a firm believer and you've heard me say it. The one thing I hate more than anything from a person is ungratefulness now i got i was uh you know steph curry i went to the game uh saturday and during the time my steph came
Starting point is 00:48:13 over there dabbed me up hey at that halftime it got a half because they was in front of and where i was sitting steph came on i said hey what you got for you what you got for your um he said okay i got you what you need i said whatever bro i ain't i ain't picky i. I don't say jerseys, sweatpants, whatever you give me, bro. I'm good. So he said, after the game, come to the tunnel. OK, I got to go through the tunnel where they are. Anyway, so cool. No problem.
Starting point is 00:48:34 I go back, talk to Savannah and Rich Paul for a minute. Then I head over there. He's working out. So I'm waiting for him to finish working out. He come out. He said, appreciate it. We just talking to you in the family. So I guess somebody was recording it and posted it.
Starting point is 00:48:53 And somebody said, man, I wouldn't want no shoes. I'd ask for the jersey. Think about that. He didn't have to give me anything. He gave me the shoes. He didn't have to give me anything. How can you say if somebody is giving you something, they should have given you something else?
Starting point is 00:49:14 How do you say if somebody is buying you something, that's not good enough? That's not enough? Now, I'm just saying, that's what Kobe said. Now, I don't know, I wasn't there. And let me tell you something else, Gil. People are like, oh, you gossiping. You do realize anytime that you sit down with one person and the person they're saying something about isn't there to refute what they're saying, it's gossip or hearsay. Because you weren't there to hear the conversation in its original format.
Starting point is 00:49:41 So how do you know? So this notion that, oh, somebody went, they've gossiping. No. Anytime you ask somebody and they tell you a story and you weren't there to hear it firsthand
Starting point is 00:49:51 or the person that they're talking about isn't there to refute it, it's gossip. So this is what Kobe told ESPN. I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm just saying something forced him
Starting point is 00:50:03 to feel this type of way about his parents. And I don't know. It's hard for me to believe. Look, I understand that sometimes, you know, a woman or a man can feel some type of way. But you got to be in a relationship with the parents. You got to understand that. But at the end of the day, no matter the fight or not, the house they got, if they still have that house, right?
Starting point is 00:50:28 I don't know if they sold the house for money, but just like anything, you buy it, you buy someone a house. Congratulations. Thank you. I appreciate it. And you're telling me I got to upkeep it myself. How? How? If you buy your sister right now
Starting point is 00:50:45 a $3 million house and then tell her she has to upkeep it herself and you're not going to give her nothing else. Can she? No. But you know what? My sister better not be acting a damn fool and talking about Shannon crazy.
Starting point is 00:51:00 What I'm saying is if she starts selling you shit to pay some of these bills around here where I'm going now like if she starts selling you shit, these bills around here. I didn't get where I'm going now. Like if she's already cut off and she, she's like, Oh shit, I got to pay the water bill. This,
Starting point is 00:51:12 this, this, this Shannon going to kick my ass. Now I got to start selling some of this shit in here to pay some of the bills. Like sometimes doing something good for somebody is still putting them in a bad situation. And that's where they are.
Starting point is 00:51:23 They were in a bad situation. I'm pretty sure they don't want to sell the shit. They got a ring that's sitting there. There's $90,000, $100,000, $200,000 right there that we can use today. It's on the shelf. They're not part of the Mamba legacy.
Starting point is 00:51:43 They don't have the $300,000, $400,000, $100,000, $100,000. They're not part of the Mamba legacy. They don't have the $300,000, $400,000 million. These shoes, they're not getting a percentage of nothing. All the money is on the shelf. Kobe's legacy. She got to be lonely because, I mean, think about it. The grandparents on one side, you remember her mom tried to sue her. So the parents on hers, I don't know if her dad is in her life or anything like that. But the mom on one side tried You remember her mom tried to sue her. So the parents on her, I don't know if her dad is in her life
Starting point is 00:52:06 or anything like that, but the mom on one side tried to sue her. The in-laws on the other side selling your husband stuff and you, so you don't have a relationship. So you're kind of like isolated. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if she has any brothers and sisters, so I don't know that kind of relationship. So I don't want to speak to that, but I know
Starting point is 00:52:22 it's hard for me to believe that she has a relationship with a mom when a mom tried to sue her. I don't want to speak to that. But I know it's hard for me to believe that she has a relationship with her mom when her mom tried to sue her. I don't know anybody that has a relationship with a family member after you tried to sue me. You ain't fit to get job. But Gil, let me tell you a funny story. When my brother went to the league
Starting point is 00:52:38 and we were living in the house, my grandma said, well, we ain't got to move. You can fix this up. Granted, it's a thousand square foot cinder block. No paneling. A tin roof. Fix up what?
Starting point is 00:52:55 But you see how her mind was thinking? She always thought she's like, well, what happened if we have to come back? That was her biggest fear. That was my greatest motivation to make sure she never had to go back. I just, you know, like I said, yeah, I've been blessed. I've been very fortunate. I got a brother, got a sister. And we are close.
Starting point is 00:53:18 When I say we close. Now, don't get me wrong. We disagree. You damn right. We disagree. But we are close we're close close close and so and then my mom she's my only my only parent to steal her my dad died a long time ago and then my grandpa my grandmother passed in 2011 but we're close i couldn't imagine
Starting point is 00:53:41 i just couldn't i couldn't i couldn't imagine it I just couldn't. I couldn't. I couldn't imagine. It's beyond the realm of my comprehension because knowing how close we were growing up and knowing that my mom did all that she could, even though she was in Chicago, she made sure for birthday and Christmas and holidays and events that she could get there. She got there. And my grandmother did everything that she possibly could. I couldn't imagine being that way with my, well, I can imagine being that way with in-laws,
Starting point is 00:54:13 but I couldn't imagine being that way with my own family. Yeah, but what happens is you never had to go. His parents probably never thought the same way until a girl got involved. See, a girl got involved with you, and your mom said, I don't think you should marry her. And then you marry anyway. Now, that girl is saying, hey, I don't like
Starting point is 00:54:30 your mom, and I don't want nothing to do with your mom. Now, that puts a wedge between you and your mom. It's not you two. It's your new wives. And that's where the problem becomes. Right? You probably should have kept that to yourself.
Starting point is 00:54:47 Well, son, hey, if you happy, hey, Gil, you know how you, if you happy, son, if that's what makes you happy, know all of my Lord, please have mercy. Watch over my son. I mean, you think one thing, but you say something else, Gil. Yeah, I mean that.
Starting point is 00:55:03 Because knowing if they're in love as much as you believe they are, you know he's going to go back and tell. Yeah. You know that, now. Yeah, it was... And he ain't got no reason to lie. Those are his parents. Why would he make up
Starting point is 00:55:20 a fallacy about his parents or what they said? So now, I might have been feeling some type of, well, I know Vanessa was 17 and you know, Hey, you're 17. You're like COVID probably.
Starting point is 00:55:31 You never really had a real girlfriend. Maybe did, maybe didn't, but that 17, the newness of it, you're like, ah, this ain't gonna last.
Starting point is 00:55:41 Well, well, and they inseparable. Well, I mean, you hit, you hit the problem to last. Well, well, and they inseparable. Well, I mean, you hit, you hit the problem right there without realizing it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:55:54 Yeah. And the thing was, Gil, I guess, and guess what? He had a ton of vision. He had a singular focus. He found someone that could understand his singular focus.
Starting point is 00:56:04 We heard Bron to say, you got to sacrifice a lot of time with loved ones to be great. He found that person that understood and could say, you know, hey, go. Go be great. And we'll be, and
Starting point is 00:56:20 I'll be here. And hey, everybody, everybody, everybody could have did it. People, hey, everybody could have did it. People are, oh, I could beat Savannah James. No, you couldn't. No, you couldn't. Or I'll beat Vanessa Bryant. No, you couldn't.
Starting point is 00:56:32 No, you couldn't. Everybody could always say after the fact. But I'm sure there are some times, I don't know, this might not be for me. And Vanessa might have said the exact same thing. But kudos for them for hanging in there. But me, Gil, I don't know, Gil. I don't know. I guess that's why you and I ain't married, Gil. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi.
Starting point is 00:57:20 We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
Starting point is 00:58:01 The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.