The Daily Zeitgeist - Getting Crossed Up with Jason Jones

Episode Date: July 21, 2022

Miles and Jack are joined by The Athletic’s NBA and Culture writer Jason Jones for today’s episode! The trio discussed Zion’s return and what that could mean for the Pelicans before getting into some of their favorite ball handlers and crossover moments from history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season,

we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. I'm Keri Champion and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore

the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry, Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Señora Sex Ed is not your mommy's sex talk. This show is la platica like you've never heard it before. sports. You might recognize us from our first show, Locatora Radio. Listen to Señora Sex Ed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. Welcome back, everybody. The off-season fun continues as we get into some of the latest news and notes before celebrating the art of one of our favorite moves, the crossover. I said the crossover. I meant the crossover.

Thank you so much. The Crosso- is was my nickname exactly so yeah like when you're doing sober february or sober january exactly and who better to have as a guest than nba news and culture writer for the athletic Jones. I'm Miles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien. And this is Miles and Jack got mad boosties. See, that was the sequence on point that time. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the show. Jason Jones, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for stopping by. Thanks for having me. This could be a whole lot of fun. I like to have fun. So let's do it. Exactly. You've come to the right place. You've come to the right place. We were just workshopping names that we should have done for the show. The three-man weave, man. Dang.

I know. That would have been, nobody's thought to call a piece of basketball media that. Or a tiny bit of smoke instead of all the smoke. A touch of smoke. Touch of smoke? I like a touch of smoke. It's almost like it's family friendly. It's not all the smoke.

It's like secondhand smoke. It's not all the smoke. Oh! Hold on now. I think that's the wrap-up show for all the smoke is secondhand smoke. I like that. A touch of smoke is like hot takes and hot ribs.

Because I feel like it's a barbecue show, too. Yeah, it sounds like a barbecue podcast. Yeah, A Touch of Smoke is definitely a barbecue type situation. Second Hand Smoke is definitely the wrap-up show. It's recorded at Johnny Reb's in Long Beach. There you go. Oh, man. So this was an interesting week. Obviously, we're still in the off-season for those who didn't get the note.

But the Summer League ended. We have some fun moments from there. But I think what caught a lot of people's attention this week is Zion. He's coming back. We've got our eye on Zion. He's back, baby. All I needed was one video. And I was like, see?

Everybody forgot about Zion. But I didn't. He's back. He's dunking in pants i need i need to see that in november december yeah exactly yeah i thought i'd love to see that in december yeah i'm right i'm like lighting my candles to be like please guard his body uh so we can watch this into the year i mean yeah that for for those that't know, you got to look up this dunk that Zion, he just pulled up casually, ripped a 360, like windmill. Cash 360.

Cash 360. And I don't know. I was like, yeah, okay. I forgot. I mean, I remembered, but you almost forget that this person is about to come back in the league on a pretty exciting Pelicans. Yeah, I mean, it feels like Zion really hasn't played yet. Right. is about to come back in the league on a pretty exciting pelicans yeah i mean it should be i mean it's it feels like zion really hasn't played yet you right it feels like we got a glimpse of him here and there but it doesn't really feel like he's played yeah right so i i really want to see

that team you know what another shooter like cj mccollum and just what can they you know what can they be because i i have a football background. So every time I look at Zion, I still think about him being like a dominant three technique or a, I just coming off. I mean, I just, you know,

but the fact that he's playing, you know, he's playing ball. I just, I really just would love this. I want to see him healthy and I want to see him play. I mean, I think,

I think it's good for the league. It's good for the city of New Orleans. They could have two all-stars on their team. So that would be a lot of fun to see. Now, we were talking before. Who is bringing the ball up the court on that team? Because they were at their best the year that Zion did play, even though he was on minute restrictions.

I have the same feeling. I'm like, oh, man, he was so good that one year when he was still on minutes restrictions and like getting back into shape still um but like when when he was bringing the ball up for the court up the court like he was they were pretty unstoppable offensively and now they have a pretty solid team without him bringing the ball up the court right i feel like it'll be interesting like on pell's fan twitter everyone's like i want to see brandon ingram i want to see big point brandon and you know like there's a lot of there's a lot of energy around that but yeah like what's so how are you looking at things jason i think he was bringing the ball

up a lot because they had no choice i mean mean, I don't think you want to spend 82 days of Zion bringing the ball up. I like Ingram bringing it up. I like CJ bringing it up. I think ideally, any team wants to have options, and I think Zion is

that was more out of necessity because people forget that B.I. missed a lot of time too, so this group really has not gotten a chance to really gel so i think the way i see it is you know if bi is bringing the ball up you can move zion around you know you can set cj up you know you can do a lot of different things but i think it's going it's going to be it's going to be it's going to be tricky just because zion hasn't played with CJ there'll be some figuring

it out but I think the way that offense has to revolve around he can do so many different things what is he 6'9", 6'10 and as an LA guy he was one of those guys where like can they make the trade for AD and keep him you didn't really want to

see him go no but you know but i think he can do so many different things that even if he's not the leading scorer he has to have the ball you know right i could see a scenario resign leave them in scoring and then tj seconds maybe brandon's like you know 21.7 assists just because he can do so many different things. Right. I know before we were talking, Jack, before we recorded, you were saying it's like, you know, they have almost an embarrassment of riches, you know?

Right. Yeah, they might. Like, I don't know. Because I do feel like they're both people who threat. Like, when Zion was bringing the ball to the court, it was working so well because I just think that that's, like, that is when he's at his most dangerous rather than like coming, getting the ball in the wing necessarily. Like that just seems to be what he's best at.

So it could be one of those teams that it's like, Oh man, now they're adding Zion and Zion's healthy. And then it doesn't fully add up. I'm hoping it's not that because that, that is probably the team i'm most excited about to like make that that grizzlies leap um and if you thought i got excited about jaw jaw highlights before uh earlier this season zion in a track suit street court

that is part of the video though him walking up he's in pants he he walks he doesn't even like jog he walks up which might be a bad sign i don't know but walks up and then just like flips the 360 uh and almost rips the rim off um and yeah i don't know that that leads that makes me like oh man he's not even trying and And that's part of it. I think you should play every game this season in a track suit is my pitch. You're the first one to wear pants on the court. They're like, hey man, you got to take your tearaways off. He's like, I don't. Pants on the basketball court are trending.

I've noticed in a lot of these clips, there's people hooping in long pants more than they used to. You sound like a high school principal. Like they're playing in their long pants. Pants on a basketball court are pretty hip. Pretty in right now. He could just wear one of his Jordan brand outfits. The whole get up. Jacket.

Why not? There was a picture of CJ, Zion, and Brandon all together at courtside. They're dressed how they do off the court and you can just tell like zion is so focused on sports because he's like uh what did jordan send me to wear like it's not everybody else is like check out my outfit my drip is impeccable and he's like i'm sorry i'm so focused on like other things fashion is not one of

them i will just here's my outfit and i always appreciate that when i picture him in street clothes i picture him in overalls for some reason did he like rock overalls to a game one time like i i feel like i always see him in overalls or have seen him in overalls a lot it wouldn't surprise me because fashion always comes back so it wouldn't shock i vaguely i want to say i remember something like that but who knows it could be could be anybody the way fashion is nothing will surprise me i always just picture zion like fishing so that i think in my mind i think of him in like coveralls that you'd wear like on a shrimping boat or something right but i don't know if i who knows what kind of memories i'm conflating with

that um but one thing that we should note is like talking about him being healthy he was asked recently at a press conference you know like how do you look at your longevity and is that going to affect your game and the answer is it's the stuff that makes all basketball fans smile for zion you know so you talk about longevity technically a dunk and a layup are worth the same amount of points. But we know you start dunking with the energy that it can bring. I mean, just curious as to if you can use that as an example of how you're thinking about longevity. I'm a competitor.

So when I'm on the court, I'm not thinking about, let this ball in hopefully it'll make me laugh my career will last longer no i'm thinking about putting that person through the rim yes so as far as me dunking that's good that's gonna always happen that's gonna stay happening there's no no matter what they're talking about i'm always dunking come on man you're a pro he said you're a pro to the journalist, I believe. Come on. And that was the post-game press conference from that one dunk he did. They then lined up the press

and they did a press conference. They're like, hey, man, that was sick. A couple questions. You in the back. Yeah. I appreciate the sentiment, but no. I kind of get as a reporter where he's trying to go with it, but nobody wants to see Zion come back and drive down the court and

lay it off the glass. Are layups that much safer than dunks? Dunks, you at least can stabilize yourself and hold on to something. Yeah, guys turn their ankles on ankles on a rebound so i mean yeah should he just never jump again yeah it's like mostly it's like do you know what dunking is like i it's i'm basically doing the same thing i'm attacking the rim i'm just maybe you know dunking it versus being like gently placing it but i still have to go the same distance upward and forward. It's got to be the shoes. It's got to put Zion and Chuck Taylor's. That way we'll prevent him from taking it. Chuck Taylor's

little shorts high socks. They haven't even invented the shoe that is right for him yet. I feel like they're still in a lab working on it. He ripped those Nikes in half. I feel like he needs those magnetic boots from Face Off when they went to that oil rig prison. That's the

only thing like made like strong enough for someone of that side he needs like a football cleat like like one of those offensive linemen high back to football football cleats and just you know put a basketball no bottom to it you know yeah jason you're just trying to like you're soft pitching hard pitching him being a football player like over and over it seems like you're like just put him in some football cleats see if he likes it see and if he and if he has an affinity for say las vegas you know hey right they got a team they got a team and the team i happen to like and you know if he can get, you know, 12, 15 sacks, you know, the NBA will be fine. Yeah, Zion, welcome to Raider Nation.

Okay. We all heard. I don't think that's tampering. I don't think I broke any rules by saying that. No, not at all. I want what's best for Zion. Absolutely. Super producer Jabari is pointing out that Zion might be just like our glimpse of an

alternate universe where 90s bo jackson just decided to be a one sport athlete and play basketball instead of football or baseball like please keep those hips safe please keep those hips please keep those hips safe yeah um elsewhere this week i think a lot of people were also talking about the Drew. Yeah, man. Because we got to see LeBron in action. Also, who else was there? DeMar? Yeah.

Yeah. DeMar DeRozan and LeBron were on the same team. They only won by two points, but they seemed to have fun doing it. What did LeBron put up? 42 and 16 and whatever. I forgot how many he says yet. But that was wonderful to watch. I always enjoy the Drew.

Yeah, how can you not? But my favorite clip from that is Stanley Johnson locking up DeMar on that one possession. Yeah, that's what I was trying to... Oh, that's who that was. Okay. And it was funny reading the comments.

They were like, hey, some random guy just locked him up. And it was like, that guy plays in the comments they're like hey some random guy just locked him up and it was like that guy plays in the nba and the fans their people just saying man demar just got locked up you know by some guy off the street it's like no stanley johnson you know plays for the lakers yeah like that guy should play with lebron like yeah and as a a LA guy, that made me smile. I said, well, maybe we'll see some of that

next season. So I was just like, you know what? I'll take that. DeMar's not a Laker, so maybe Stanley can lock up DeMar and everybody else next season. Yeah. It did seem like DeMar might have forgotten

he was an NBA player because he was kind of just messing around a little bit. He seemed like he was playing at 80% speed and Stanley Johnson was just poking it out of his hand every time over and over. Getting to watch NBA players against

even maybe half of the roster were not NBA players, like half the opposing roster. Yeah, it's always like a pro-am kind of thing. Yeah, like that's... Man, that's fun. I think they should take what happened

during the pandemic, like when teams would have half of their roster be out. They should take that and have some rule thing where you just have to put in for people who've never played an nba game before uh on your roster at all times and just because it's just so

it it's the best way to like fully appreciate how amazing like the rest of the actual players are yeah like lebron it was it was like a lebron highlight reel watching him in that game like just the the step backs the fadeaways the footwork was he was just doing it all in slow motion and making it look so easy who was that number 21 guarding him that was maybe someone we know because i'm just it's all that's the other part i love about watching the drew is like when people are like i have to play out of my skull right now like to be able to hang with these players and it's like there's this one picture of this guy turning d lebron and he looks like he's like looking to the ark of the covenant or something he's like

it's like it's gonna take everything in me to stay with this man yeah that's one of those you're looking at it go i'm gonna tell my kids and my grandkids this happened yeah absolutely get a picture get a picture. Hurry up. Hurry up. Yeah. Hurry, hurry.

While I'm low, while I'm low, before he goes by me, I think the other thing that's that I love though, too, is like, there was so much chatter too. When people who would like,

don't understand the drooly or maybe basketball, we're like, why would LeBron James play in a game like that? He could get hurt. And like, this is, there's not even the league going on. I'm like,

do you understand? These are, these are hoopers at the end of the day. These are people whose greatest joy is to play basketball. So if there's an organized game somewhere that they can play there, like their first compulsion is going to be, I would love to play basketball right now. And I think that's the other part of watching those games too.

I just like to see the joy in everybody too. I've just been like, ah, yes, just get me out there exactly all right let's take a quick break we'll come back we'll talk the crossover have you heard of this move the crossover uh-huh the crossover i've seen it on a video game yeah oh okay cool

i'm carrie champion and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil. I ain't really near them boys.

I just come here to play basketball every single day and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black.

I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better. This new season will cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network,

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And we're back. Jason, you're from Southern California. Prior to working for The Athletic, you spent 16 years working for the SACB. When did you start? You started the SACB or the Athletic or... The SACB, was it

June of 2000. 2002. Yeah. So I arrived. Wow. I arrived there fresh out of grad school wearing a Laker hat about a week or so. So after game seven of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Wow.

So big shot, Bob. Yeah. Haunted the office. Yes. I was very popular in the office when I walked in. Okay. So big shot, Bob. Yeah. Haunted the office. Yes, I was very popular in the office when I walked in. Okay, so this is like at the height of the Kings-Lakers rivalry. What's your process? You know, you're like, well, I want to write about the sport, but this is where I'm reporting from.

But in your mind, you're still like, I still got to let it know, you know, it's purple and gold all day. You see, what made it weird was that, honestly, I didn't want to be an NBA guy. I want to be an NFL guy. So I kind of figured, you know what? Who cares? You know, I'm an L.A. guy. I'm going to do what I do. And then I covered the NFL from covered prep.

Then I moved over to covering the NFL. And then they took me off the NFL. And here's here's what made it so funny uh they decided at that point you know the internet's blowing up now this is a big deal now guys we got to start putting stuff on the internet and so they had all of us do a bio it's a basic bio where they had us like no form name college favorite team so i'm covering the raiders my girl like no one's gonna care so i say my favorite athlete all the time magic johnson my favorite team is the lakers within a month or so they moved me to the nba wow and so of course the fans are like what are you doing putting this guy on our team and then i happen to say things like it's not really a rivalry because

people in LA don't wake up thinking about the Kings. At this point, the Kings aren't winning. You happen to. You happen to say those things. I would say things like that. They're like, well, our rival is the Lakers. And I said, there's not one Lakers fan worried about the Kings right now. But at that point, 2009-10,

when I got on the beat, they had just won 17 games. And the Lakers were on their way to a championship. That's like me being like, yeah, my financial rival is Jeff Bezos. I was like, this is not a rivalry, people. And I didn't think that was saying that was crazy. Oh, but the fans hated me. I'm like, okay, we'll be mad. And it got funny for a while because i would know whenever the kings would play the lakers my twitter feed would be

full of my alleged bias for saying things like kobe bryant has 20 points in the first half someone would reply and say you're throwing it in our face i'm like i just told you the stat that's all i did and what fans never understood it was much easier for me to write those games when the kings won right as like i got no joy out of watching the kings lose 50 plus games like it wasn't like i was sitting there going yay they're losing right right yeah but it was you know it was a it was quite the adventure and you know i spent 12 years on that feet so by the end you know what's it was a interesting ride you know a lot of people i made a lot of friends along the way i didn't meet one kings fan i didn't like yeah you know

yeah i mean all the fans i actually talked to were great it was just you know you let you figure out people on the internet are going to say things because they actually meet you and then they realize i'm like 6'2 250 and they go oh wow if you're a little guy i'm like nah not a little guy they're like hey can i help you they're like no big fan of your work can i take a picture with you i was like why i thought you didn't like me yeah no because it turns out i really think you're cool and i want to show my friends that that's the conclusion I've arrived at. And then, you know, I remember one of my old colleagues,

when I first met Doug Christie, he goes, hey, Doug, you know, Jason's a Laker fan. And I say, you know what? You do realize Doug played for the Lakers. Right. And like Vlade was a Laker. So, I mean, I've had some real things what's what's a wild reaction that you've had that you can recall of like of you know just from being an outwardly you know person talking

about sports one of the weirdest ones i had was i might have a couple but here's one weird one i was a game at staples center i don't ever know if they were playing the Lakers or the Clippers. I don't remember. But I was talking to the woman who would become my girlfriend and outside. And so the next day I'm checking my mentions or whatever. And someone goes, hey, man, saw you outside Staples. Oh, she's a keeper, man. And I was like, dude, this is creepy. And then another time. Pretty cool. Like, hey, man. Yes. I'm like i'm like hey man let me put my business out there like that man you know right you don't know what i got going right now

right right right internet and then someone like randomly took a picture of me at the airport and they sent it to me and it was like i was sitting on the computer typing because the king the jet scientist carter. And so someone took... I'm like, you could have just said hi. Why did you take a random picture of me and send it to me weeks later? Well, look, you're in the

spotlight. Internationally known and locally respected. That is how I say hi to all my friends. I hide in their bushes usually, take a picture of them, send it to them, and then they know that I was there and close by but usually long gone by the jack stop lying what you do is you text me and you say hey what you're doing right now and i said oh i'm busy and then you take a picture of me playing video games in my house you say oh really is he damn okay okay and i'm like what and then i look out and you're like hey i'm here uh it's very

unnerving but it is what it is okay so just to pivot we were talking we wanted to talk about uh crossover because this video came out uh with isaiah thomas you know he's watching this two-time champion is watching the famous clip of alan iverson on Michael Jordan hitting him with that crossover and first of all it's just a brilliant clip because you love to see the rivalry continue uh but also just got us thinking about crossovers in general but like let's just let's just watch this Isaiah Thomas clip really quick to refresh the top to keep one the crowd is a double crossover wide open shot iverson crossover jordan which is you know i mean when he came in with this crossover no one had seen this type of crossover in a game before take a look at the crossover mike said oh ellen said yes the buck

and the crowd loves it it's like an optical illusion mixed in with the crossover, the Iverson one. What shows how Isaiah is saying, no one was really crossing the ball like this. And the way even Michael is defending it, it's like playing 2K where the animations are used to one way of defending a crossover. And he's like, oh, they added a new step. And he's like, oh, I must update my software. What did he add to it? they added a new step and he's like oh i must update my software what did he add to it like if you had to use like words to describe is it like a fluidity of the body like of the it's just that hezy you know yeah yeah it's it's the it's the head fake and just giving you another bite

of the apple to be like i got it right here you ready it's going back and whiffing and alan has crazy long arms people don't realize that oh really i never thought about yeah yeah his so you know just the when you see it it's just like he's low to the ground but the ball i mean he just yeah it i think that's a big part of it too the people don't realize that he's really a little under six feet tall with like the wingspan of a guy much taller than that oh okay yeah so i think i got us thinking just ball handling as i think one of our favorite skills to watch because it's you know it's truly an art form but i'm curious jason who like just going in your mind who are your top three favorite ball handlers of all time if you if you had you didn't have to be

in a particular order but if there are three people whose dribbling skills you would mind. Kyrie Irving. I think Kyrie is just like, it's like watching a New York street ball point guard out there sometime with him. I got a second guy, people don't make me talk about a lot, Lamar Odom.

Wow. Yeah. To be 6'10 and to be able to handle the way he did at his peak. I mean, people forget how big lamar was doing that you know right the 610 lefty bringing the ball up you know bringing the ball you know the way he did so i got him and then the third one i think about some different guys i mean i a lot of guys whose ball handling i think is really fun to watch you know but i don't know

it's a tough one i can go outside the box so if i go outside the box i'm gonna say dream i'm gonna say akima lodge one damn okay yeah i'm gonna go outside i mean it's easy to pick guards easy to pick right right right right i mean you know just the footwork and the things you know the dream shake and all that yeah it's not traditional crossover type stuff but just talking about ball handling to be to be a center and then after you retire you're working with guards on their footwork and everything to me that says a lot that says a lot about just what he was able to do with his footwork and with the ball is he candidate for best footwork ever footwork oh definitely oh definitely miles who you got okay Okay, so I love Tim Hardaway as a kid.

Like, that was, I think, I'm going to have a lot of guards. Killer crossover? Oh, the killer crossover. Like, the Air Bacon was, like, one of the shoes I always wanted but could never get my hands on. And, like, you know, I was about to wear, like, heat colors while being a Laker fan, and that outfit would have looked terrible. Then, I mean, Kyrie,

I love to watch just for the same reasons. It's he, he goes where he wants, how he wants to. And just that way of movement. It's like Jack, what you were saying earlier, like he's like messy kind of dribbler with the soccer ball.

Like the, the way that messy just like has the ball on a string and does it, it seems like there's a, like it's just second nature is just on a string and does it seems like there's a like it's just second nature it's just on a string connected to him like kairi seems to have that where he's he's like improvising in the moment and it's not even the way that like you're not thinking about taking the next step as you're going down the stairs like at top speed you know your feet are just like kind of moving in and your unconscious is doing it like that feels like how he does some of the wildest things I've ever seen someone do with the basketball.

Like he's like, oh, wow, that was pretty cool. Exactly. I also, I mean, I love I love Steph, too, but I would say personally, just to just to bring it back to my 90s brain, Jason Williams. He like got I was so excited to watch a Kings's game you know just just for a glimpse of like maybe i'm gonna see something like super fun and entertaining so i'll always carry that with me because i i remember at a tryout i tried to threw the ball off my elbow for a pass and the dude was like get out of here you're off the team he's like get out of what are you doing he's like that went out of bounds immediately like you didn't even execute i'm

like i'm sorry i'm too hopped up on that commercial him and randy moss right we don't do that here get out we don't do yeah exactly there was like a lynn sanity moment where like he came on all of a sudden all at once and it was like you, he went to school with Randy Moss, too. Yeah, that was wild. That was a whole phenomenon. That one clip we were watching before we started of him crossing up Gary Payton. Oh, we got to watch that here, just for good measure. This is a fantastic...

It's like it has everything a great clip has because you got the OG Gary Payton, and he's getting crossed up by the young kid Jason and there's a moment where even Gary Payton is like ah basketball a fantastic sport Jason Williams brings it up cross over one side and then leaves Gary Payton and Gary Payton tries to trip him right there

yeah Gary Payton sticks his foot out to try and trip him while making a face that is the exact face of the boyfriend from the boyfriend meme where he's a distracted boyfriend yeah I just love how Gary Payton

is trying to look at him he's like you yeah you've got me and he's grinning and jason williams is trying to be like on his gangster like yeah uh-huh but he's also kind of like yes it's like gary's going i can't believe he just did that yeah like yeah yeah he just has to shake his head and say hey hey, he got me. He got me. I do love when an NBA player is laughing at themselves and is just having fun with it. And it's not having an ego about it, pulling a face or looking at the court like, what's on the parquet? No. Jack, what about you?

Top three. I mean, Kyrie. I've done a whole episode just like of Kyrie poetry, just watching him play with the ball is so fun. Followed up with the shot making, like he will put a dribble move together with like the most impossible shot. You know, my answer, I'm going to go boring. I'm going to go Iverson, you know, just watching the top 10 of his best crossovers.

And it's always followed with him pulling up and shooting something that was just as pretty as the dribble move. And it's going in. Iverson did this thing to people where he would get them on the wrong side of a screen and set them up in a way that they would go flying backwards at top speed. Like they,

I mean, he would put them on a skate, but it's, it's almost like they are falling backwards in an action movie. Like they're just like their arms are like waving to their side. Oh yeah. Maybe the most iconic was what he did to Antonio Daniels, Philly versus the wizards. Maybe the most iconic was what he did to Antonio Daniels,

Philly versus the Wizards, and he just puts him on his knee and then puts him on his back. It's bad. First cross over. Let's go! First he crosses right to the left, and when he goes back to the right to finish he's almost like alan iverson's like man i i had two for you but i guess the first one did you in so sorry i have to do it it's like antonio tried to get back up and say no i mean then he falls again

yeah it's that that's definitely like a hard one watch. It feels like the closest thing to if Gladiator was about basketball and Maximus was just like, oh no, two! He's fully vanquished is what it feels like when Antonio Daniels is really trying for that second one. Yeah, but I think of the top 10 crossovers, like Iverson had people moving in the most dramatic, embarrassing ways trying to guard his crossover. Strickland, we could give a I'd put Strickland on there too. I loved watching him.

That's a good one. That's a good one. You guys didn't go weird like me and start picking seven-footers. No, look, it's all balanced now. It's all balanced now. But yeah, it's all it's all balanced now it's all balanced now but yeah it's just watching these moments it's just so funny and i think again it's just like getting dunked on getting crossed up like that too is just like a pure just like me versus you moment that i love to see and it's always encapsulated in the best clips now alan back here uh you know speaking of longevity uh i just wanted to say like the crossover is just as good as a standard uh stutter step dribble um do you think you'll stop doing the crossover for the purposes of uh longevity and just friendliness

of your image sir nah man jamal crawford lasted, almost two decades with a crossover. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, Jamal Crawford had some amazing, like, just when he was feeling himself, it was one of the most fun people to watch play basketball. That's what I'm saying. Like, it's so hard to even say this because as we're talking about, oh, yeah, him too. Okay, add all nine of these people to my top list, actually, because they're all fantastic. But I do prefer to watch a like highlight

reel of crossovers by a player who played after iverson so that's why i'm giving it to iverson because he he added something that was like a little bit of like theater to the crossover and that fluidity that is a thing of beauty 100 all right let right. Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back to, you already know what time it is. It's time for the rapid fire, very quick segment that we do at the end of the show. We'll be right back. I'm Carrie champion.

And this is season four of naked sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil. I ain't really near them boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on.

From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black. I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better.

This new season will cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Señora Sex Ed is not your mommy sex talk. This show is la plática like you've never heard it before. We're breaking the stigma and silence around sex and sexuality in Latinx communities. This podcast is an intergenerational conversation between Latinas from Gen X to Gen Z.

We're covering everything from body image to representation in film and television. We even interview iconic Latinas like Puerto Rican actress Ana Ortiz. I felt in control of my own physical body and my own self. I was on birth control. I had sort of had my first sexual experience. If you're in your señora era or know someone who is, then this is the show for you. We're your hosts, Diosa and Mala, and you might recognize us from our flagship podcast, Locatora Radio. We're so excited for you to hear our brand new podcast, Señora Sex Ed.

Listen to Señora Sex Ed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? Like what's the history behind bacon-wrapped hot dogs? Hi, I'm Eva Longoria. Hi, I'm maite gomez our podcast hungry for history is back season two season two are we recording are we good oh we push record right and this season we're taking an even bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history saying that the most popular cocktail is the margarita, followed by the mojito from Cuba,

and the piña colada from Puerto Rico. So all of these... We thank Latin culture. There's a mention of blood sausage in Homer's Odyssey that dates back to the 9th century B.C. B.C.? I didn't realize how old the hot dog was. Listen to Hungry for History

as part of the My Cultura podcast network. Available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. You know what? I think it's time for the rapid fire round of questions. Jasonason here's the deal

this segment is one of the fastest segments in podcasting it's very quick we're gonna ask you questions and we just need you to reflexively just hit us with an answer okay we're not gonna expand upon it we're gonna keep it moving we gotta run the clock run the clock okay start the clock jack you want to start first yeah sure let's do this okay let's go and get three three triple triple threats position all right um we already said the part about it being quick right so he and i started the clock oh yeah so i think he's not wearing a hat so that that's good because sometimes it is distracting when the hat starts spinning around on people's heads. I was going to put a hat on, but I won't put one on.

Perfect. Ready? Ultimate one-on-one matchup could be NBA player versus NBA player. Probably NBA player versus NBA player, but you can take it across. You can say peak this person

versus peak that person, but I'm not going to tell you how to answer the question. This is rapid. What goes through your mind? One-on-one matchup, ultimate, those words hit your brain.

What do you think? Kobe LeBron. I mean, Kobe Jordan, not Kobe LeBron. Kobe Jordan. Whoa. Okay.

Pete Kobe. What year is Pete Kobe? 2006. Okay. Now, what year is Pete Kobe? 2006. Okay. That's the same answer as Superducer Jabari. Yeah. Pete Jordan. I want to see 88, 89.

So like scoring. I want to see young scoring Jordan. I don't want to see the mature he's been with Phil. Right. Jordan, I want to see that young dunk contest Jordan against... At that point, they're not that far apart in age,

I guess. Hair lines are similar. That'd be a good question for our episode where we're going to interview Michael Jordan, where we ask, like, who would win in a game between 88 Jordan versus 93 Jordan, you know? Yeah. He just won't return our calls. That's the one thing.

We're still trying to get over. Anyway, this is rapid. I'm sorry. We digress. Rapid questions. Fantastic. Jason, please keep us on track. Question number two.

What's your in-arena music after you make a three? What's blaring out the PA system? I have no idea. Something by Ice Cube. Something by Ice Cube. Okay. How early are we talking? Bottles and B-sides?

Are we talking NWA? Probably a death certificate. Actually, you know what? Nothing but a G thing. We're going to go with Long Beach. Oh, yeah. There you go. Compton, Long Beach. Everyone goes crazy on the three. Something just real mellow.

Yeah, right. Because it goes and it's Yeah, exactly. Yeah, okay. I like that. One, two, three. Like a line of his from Ride Along 2. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, okay. I like that. One, two, three, into the pointer. I was going to say, like, ride along two. Like, a line of his from ride along two. Speaking of, like, things that people play, baffling things people played in NBA arenas,

I once went to a Cavalier Celtics game in Cleveland with my friend who lived in Cleveland. And I think it was every time something like bad happened for the calves they would have somebody who was doing i think an austin powers impression come over the loudspeaker and go hey hey hey what is this and it wasn't a line from anything recognizable it was like a canned piece of audio it was so weird and my friend and i still will just text each other every once in a while hey hey what is this hey hey hey this is the rapid fire round jack continue exactly okay game of thrones style scenario you can select any shooter from history to knock down a half-court shot on your behalf, trial by combat.

You will die if they miss it. But you cannot select either of the Splash Brothers because they have both had their heads squished like grapes by the mountain. The mountain. Who's taking the shot for you? Played by Bryant Reeves. Yes. Kobe's taking it. Kobe.

Put your trust in his hands. Put your trust in his hands okay yeah i love it i wish i had more to say if even for the bit of extending the rapid fire question but that sounds about right moving on what's the next great rivalry teams or players that you can see developing over the next few years? Next great rivalry, Memphis-Golden State. Yeah, because they're kind of chippy, kind of mad at each other. Speaking of Jordan Poole, who is my answer to the previous question? Oh, that's who will be your champion? I can't believe you didn't even mention the best friend of the podcast, Robert Keith Ory.

Robert Ory is definitely the right answer because he's gonna knock it down and because he's one of my best friends in the world so he's definitely gonna want to save my life you're gonna save my life right robert please man i'll die yeah yeah you got it john or jason or jeffrey whatever your name is i'm jack yeah all right is, I'm Jack. Yeah, alright, whatever. Clank. Ah! No way is he clanking it. Okay, Jack, going on? Yeah, top three SportsCenter anchors of all time today

would have been Stuart Scott's 57th birthday. You don't have to choose him. I was going to say Stuart, Keith Olbermann, I was going to say Stewart, Keith Olbermann. That's a tough one. I don't know. Yeah, I'm just trying to go off the top of my head.

I got the same first two. I got a third one that's nailed on for me. Is it? What's the third one? Kilborn. Good one. There you go. There you go. Deep cut.

Loved Kilborn. I liked Kilborn so much, I went to see his show on the CBS lot when he had that late night show. For real? Watched him interview Clint Eastwood,

and all of his questions came from the perspective of like, you're the most grizzled badass of all time. And Clint Eastwood's, all of Clint Eastwood's answers were like, I'm a jazz musician. I don't know what you're talking about. A very awkward interview, but he was still nonetheless very funny. All right, this is Doug. Okay, we digress.

This is all about rapid fire questions. Next question. What are some realistic expectations for the Kings this year under Mike Brown? What'd you think? What'd you feel? Uh, definitely top 10 in the West.

That's realistic. Top 10 in the West. Yeah. I'm not going to, I'm not going to put them in the playoffs just yet, you know, which would end the longest streak ever. But if they're,

if they're in the play in that base, they should be in the play-in. I think there are enough teams below them that aren't going to have the incentive to win based on their roster and the youth they have in those rosters. So I think if the Kings can't get in the play-in this year, I don't know when they will.

Wow. Yeah. I like that. And I'm sorry, Jason, just to remind you again this is a rapid fire question segment so that was a little bit of a long answer okay um yeah my bad um maybe just maybe we'll just cut it short then jack just ask the last question okay best restaurant bar and or after our spot in long beach oh man i can't think of the name of it there's a bar over by lakewood mall right by long beach city college cheap drink i can't i'm blanking on the name but i know how to get there i can navigate you there blindfolded i know how to get there all you need is 20 bucks and you'll

have a great time yeah and what about food like what's the what's the spot that you know because i know you are you're not because you don't live in but long beach anymore is there a place that you have to go back and eat at something that you you always miss eating i have to go to louis burger on uh atlantic and sixth street okay they got these chili cheese fries that are outstanding i have to get them every time i go and then if you want to if you want to upgrade get the pastrami chili cheese fries that are outstanding oh i have to get them every time i go and then if you want if you want to upgrade get the pastrami chili cheese fries oh pastrami chili cheese fries yes i love all those words individually and collectively um so that sounds fantastic wait

where is this bar at how do you get there there? Is it on Candlewood? Was it on Clark? Delama? It's right across the street from the flower shop. It's just named it. I'm talking about Lakewood Mall. There's a flower shop right across the street from it. This would have been funny if you just kept naming streets in Long Beach. Lakewood?

Is it down the street off Bellflower? First street? Second street? Is it the Seahawk? No. Is it Boomer's Cocktail Lounge? No, it's not that. Snug Harbor? No.

I guess I can't remember the name. This is crazy. Okay, that's fine. But I know when I'm home, I know how to get there and meet up with my friends. Right. It's like your antennae just bring you there seamlessly. I find my way there. The bartender

tends to be a little heavy-handed, which is fine with me. Especially when the drinks are all like five, six bucks. I know. That's my favorite thing. Just growing up in LA and living in LA and you go somewhere where drinks are cheap, you're like, is this

allowed? The beer was $3. Do you know how drunk I'm like, oh my, is this allowed? The beer was $3. Right. And they're like, do you know how drunk I'm going to get? Yeah. They're like,

this is the most expensive beer in the state. I'm like, wow, I am being abused in California. Anyway. Oh,

Jason Jones, such a pleasure having you. Thank you so much for having me. Miles and Jack, I'm at Boosties. Anytime. Where can people find you,

follow you, all that good stuff? Okay, on Twitter, it's Mr. underscore Jason Jones. Instagram, Mr. Jones LBC. Now the LBC is obviously Long Beach, California. Okay. I've heard of it. Jason Jones LBC.

That's all right. Nice. Oh, it's Mr. Jones LBC. Okay. Mr. Jones LBC. Yeah, Mr. Jones LBC. Mr. Jones LBC used to tell me fairy tales like he used to play football.

Okay, anyway. Shout out to y'all, the listeners. We'll be back next week, right, Jack? Yeah, I believe so. We're thinking very serious. We're strongly considering returning next week for another episode of Miles and Jack got mad boosties. That was beautiful.

All right, y'all. See ya. Bye. Bye. I'm Carrie Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil.

I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese on the way we consume women's sports. Listen to The Making of a Rivalry, Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore The Making of a Rivalry, Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball

just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps,

or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. There's so much beauty in Mexican culture, like mariachis, delicious cuisine, and even lucha libre. Join us for the new podcast, Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of lucha libre.

And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, Emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE Superstar. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts.