The Ringer NBA Show - Bronny James’s Massive NIL Valuation, the Angel Reese–Caitlin Clark “Drama,” and Austin’s Thoughts on the New CBA | Off Guard

Episode Date: April 8, 2023

Austin and Pausha are back and drop their thoughts on Bronny James’s NIL valuation (5:23), react to both NCAA tournaments and more specifically, the media-driven “drama” surrounding Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark (13:44). Then, they discuss the evolution of the game with thoughts on the changes coming to the new CBA (24:44). Later, they make the case for Joel Embiid as MVP (30:22), and then wrap things up with another round of Story Time and Austin Rivers’s Pet Peeves (37:50). Hosts: Austin Rivers and Pausha Haghighi Producers: Erika Cervantes and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's official. One Shining Podcast is back, and I am your host, Tate Frazier. And as March Badness begins, we're covering everything from Selection Sunday all the way to the championship and beyond. We're going to have great guests that are coming through on the show. And look, if you're a friend of the program and you're already subscribed, you don't have to do anything. OSP is back. It's going to be right back in your feed. And if you're not a friend of the program, and this is your first time on the rodeo, then let me tell you this. You need to go to Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast. and smash subscribe today because the OSP show is back.

All right, everybody, welcome back to another episode of Off Guard. I'm in one of your hosts, Austin Rivers, with my guy, Pasha Hagigi. What's up, man? I'm fresh out of the hospital, man. I'm back. I'm healthy. It's good to have another episode, man. You were down bad, huh? I didn't believe it when you told me last week that you were sick.

And then I found out you were in the hospital. So my apologies. Yeah, I wasn't. haven't been feeling the best. We had the flu kind of going around and I ended up getting influence of B which really knocks me

knocked me back a little bit. This is like my second day back to normal. So health is wealth, man. All you think about when you're sick is just being healthy. I could care less about honestly basketball or anything in life.

I just wanted to be healthy to be with my kids and stuff. So I'm very grateful to be back. Were you in a quarantine situation? Were you with your families? I know it was your kid's second birthday. It was. I ended up missing it.

I had to miss his birthday party, which really sucked. I was at home sick. I just didn't want to risk getting him or my other son. And, you know, obviously, in fact, it's the last thing I'd want is them to end up getting the flu too. So they're good. They're healthy. I'm good. So, you know, I'm going to keep pushing forward, bro.

You know, I think I'm going to go ahead and purchase after we got off the pod today. a blue verified check on Instagram because everybody has him now and I think I can get one and no one's going to know if I bought it or if it just kind of was granted to me I think that's what I'm going to go with would you judge me?

I don't really care I think it's really weird that they're doing that but I guess in today's world everyone gets a ribbon everyone gets everyone's first place everyone's special everyone has a story everyone has a pod

that you just have to listen to Did you see that in North Carolina? They're thinking about banning participation ribbons in sports. Good. They should ban it. For you listening out there, not all of you, your kids aren't all winners. Some of you have losers. I was one of the people getting those participation ribbons. You're telling me, I'm going to go home trophyless.

It sets you up for failure in the real world, hasn't it? Not everything's sunshine and rainbows. No, I found out early on I wasn't going to make the NBA when I started hanging out with guys like you or Chandler and you guys were so good. And I found out really early on, okay, I'm not good enough to ever make the NBA. And when other kids have all these dreams,

I can be whatever I want to be, I knew immediately in the beginning. I am not. I cannot be whatever I want to be. I cannot be in the NBA. You know, all jokes aside, it's just one of those things I've never believed in. The participation awards is really just a joke.

I mean, if you want to have it in pre-K or kindergarten, up until like age eight or nine. I guess that's cool. But after that, like participation awards are absolutely ridiculous. I don't even believe in anything past third place.

Do you want to brag about being fourth? It's a joke. It depends on how many people are in it. If I'm fourth out of a hundred, then yeah, I want some kind of an award. Sure, man. Are you going to be one of those guys

that coaches your kids when they're in youth sports? I would like to, yeah. I think so. You know, because that's the fun age to coach and once they get older, you want to kind of let them grow

and do their own thing by themselves. But when they're like, like I said, that early, early age, four, five, six, seven years old. Yeah. I coached my son a little bit last summer. I could see you ending up being like one of like the T Morant kind of father, courtside, maybe with a red cup, kind of having a good time. I don't even know how you meant that and nor do I know how to take that. Well, first of all, I'm assuming that your kid's going to make the NBA, both.

And then I'm assuming that you're going to be courtside right there. I don't think you're going to be like in a box seat or a suite somewhere. I feel like you're going to be out there vocal. If my son was in the NBA, I would not sit courtside. So where would you sit? Not in the seats of the team give you. Yeah, I would sit in the normal. The seats that the team give you are never that good.

Staples Center gives the play. They don't give you a good seat to them. I would be in the seats that my kid got, you know what I mean? Like that he actually has for himself. Yeah, I would be like six, seventh row, man, in the middle of the crowd, like just kind of ducked off watching my son play. I want it to be about him. I don't want the camera to see me.

I don't want to be courtside. when I see parents sitting courtside, man, it's just, it's really, you know, I don't, I don't get that. You know, I, no thank you. Speaking of kids of NBA players, did you see that Bronny's NIL was 7 million? Yeah, that's just, high school? Insane. Is that, how do you feel about that? Seven million dollars for a high schooler?

There's guys, so LeBron could tell people that are guarding them, my son makes more than you. I mean, we know why he got that. because he's the son of LeBron James. But it doesn't change the fact that he's getting it, though. I think it's crazy. Seven million? Does that make you mad? You were a top...

Imagine if this was going on when you were the number one player in high school. Yeah, if this was going on while I was in high school, I probably would have signed a $50, $60 million deal with Under Armour. I'm not even kidding. You were that tie with Under Armour? Yeah. So what made you sign with Adidas when you got to the NBA? Well, I ended up going to...

I ended up going to Duke, which kind of burnt the bridge of the Under Armour because that's such a big Nike school. So at that point, you just become like a free slate. And then Adidas just ended up coming with the best deal for me. And obviously 11 years later, I'm still with Adidas. But if they had these type of deals in high school when I was playing with my, you know, I was a number one player in the country at the time. You know, Bronny's not even, I don't even, what is Brody ranked?

I don't know. I think it fluctuates, but let's say he's top 30. Okay, so that's what I'm saying. I was, there was no fluctuation with me. I was one. You know what I mean? It's a very easy number to remember. I was number one in the country

and with the mixtape era that was out then if they had deals then in high school I would have probably added an extra $20 to $30 million on my net worth I mean that's just the fact but you know what though like we had to walk so they could run man you know what I mean like it's just everything's a part of progression

if I sounded bitter towards Brani that would just be just I don't know when I hear guys talk negative about how NBA players are currently making their money. It's just like it never looks good. It never sounds good. I'm actually happy that these kids are making money. Brani might not be a top tier player in his class, but he's definitely gotten better over the past couple of years. He performed well in the McDonald's game

and showed that he was at least in the same categories, those other guys that were out there with him. he's now i think in the nike hoops summit right now and he's playing well and most most impressively with brawny uh to have that type of shadow cast it over him and the type of expectations and media you know just really looking over him you know it's a magnifying glass just looking at everything he's done he's been able to handle it really really well so i tip my hat off to him for that you know is seven million dollars a little extreme probably for a guy that's ranked 30 but at the end of the day his dad's you know, the, got the relationship with beats.

He's got the relationship, his dad already has a relationship laid out for him. To kind of, you know, like you say, his dad has everything kind of laid out for him to, to walk into. And then Brunny's handled it well, man.

Like, you never see him really say anything ignorant or get in trouble. He's a very, you know, mild manner dude, just handles his business. And,

you know, you can see that, you know, Brani and his other brother, Bryce, you know, have learned well from his dad and his mom. You know,

they've raised him well. So I'm actually, happy for the kid. I'm happy for all the college kids and high school players out there making their money, man, because most of them won't make the NBA. Brani probably will, but a lot of these guys won't make the NBA and won't make a lot of money outside of or after, you know, college is over. And it's nice to see them get a little bit of checks because before that money was going to, God knows who, and these colleges and the NCAA were feasting off of these talented kids. So it's about damn time. You mentioned that Brani's in Nike Hoop Summit right now. Do you, you know, you know,

what I think of and I think of your Nike Hoops Summit game? I think of Bismack Beomba. Bismack Beomba. I already knew where you were going with it. He's a dominant performance, though. I thought he was Matumba. What did he have that game? He was the closest thing, too.

Would you say that, and this is no disrespect, but take it how you want, are you the reason that he might have gotten a top 10 pick? He had a lot of blocks on you, played really well. He only had one block on me. I also let us and score. I also had like 20 that game. I had like 21, and we beat him. But after that game, he ended up being a top 10 pick for sure.

Before that game, there was no way he was going lottery. It wasn't because of me. I outperformed every guard that I played against. Did you know about him going into the game? Did you know they had a guy that? I had absolutely no idea who that dude was. He looked like you're running the mill overseas player. I had no idea who that guy was.

And then he just starts dominating the game. And yeah, like you said, he was looking. like DeKembe out there. It was ridiculous. Last night, the Lakers played the Clippers, and they lost. It wasn't really close at all. And LeBron, the Lakers run a back-to-back, and LeBron basically said, you know, he said, they had an overtime game in Utah the night before, and that's kind of the reason. Are back-to-backs, do you really feel it on a back-to-back, or is it overrated at this point? Like, is it being overblown, like, the way you feel on a back-to-back?

I mean, no, it's just, I mean, a back-to-back is tough, you know, especially with, it's hard for me to comment on that because I don't have the same I don't have the same weight on my shoulders as LeBron James does this is a guy who plays 30 plus minutes a night and there went overtime the night before too in Utah you know with the elevation you know it's it's a lot and then you get out of there in that environment and go straight to L.A. to play like a waiting Clippers team who was really amped to play obviously especially you could see Russ's energy that's a really tough situation to be in but it's part of

the NBA we all go through it we we play play Saturday. We've had four days off this entire week doing nothing. And then they make us play Saturday in Austin and play a back-to-back Sunday versus New Orleans. The NBA scheduling is a fucking joke. I don't know who's in charge of that and who puts that together, but they need to fire themselves. It makes zero sense. These games coming up for you are pretty tough. Well, they're super important. I wouldn't say tough. I don't know if the spurs are tough. Every game matters. How do you feel about you guys potentially being in the playing? Is there a team that you want to see? I don't know if you even want to say that, but

I mean, the teams out there. I mean, I'm at that point now. And I think the best way to be as a basketball player is just just line them up, man. Just play, play, play whoever, bro. Like at the anytime you're trying to start finesse, like, who you want to play and, oh, if we lose this game, we'll play this team. Or if we win, we'll play that. Like, bro, just, just just play the game the right way. and then whoever you play, you play. You got to beat the best anyway, so who cares? Well, people are definitely avoiding the suns at four.

It seems like no one wants to be five, or that's what everyone thinks at least. Well, it looks like the clippers are trying to get in there. The Clippers' Sons would be a good series, by the way. That's a seven-game series. That can go either way. The Clippers are loaded. They're deeper than the Sons. The Sons are very top-heavy.

They just have, you know, they have high-level star power. That's what the Sun's strengths are. but they're not as deep as the clippers. So take what you want with that. But the clippers don't have Paul George, and that's a huge thing. That's a huge deal, obviously. And they're saying he might come back.

I doubt it. You know, to miss that much time and then come back in mid-series in a playoffs is usually just doesn't happen. So, but still, they're still deep, man. Yeah. So basically what you're saying, There's no team that you'd rather play.

You don't care, line them up. Because I remember talking to you before about potentially playing the Thunder in a playing game. And you were like, dude, they're even sneaky. Like, anything goes in one game, the Thunder? Like, they're very tricky team. Yeah, Thunder's a very tricky team. They're very young. They're playing free.

They play with a, it looks like just like a sense of nothing to lose. And they have talented young players. I mean, you got Shay and Jalen and Giddy and that whole little roster that they have. Isaiah, the Joe kids played really well, bit of surprise pickup for them. They've had a lot of guys that have performed well. You know, that's a team that you play in a situation where it's only one game, man. That could go to anybody. You've seen the NCAA tournament. Anybody can win. Anybody can win in a one game scenario. So, you know, you just can't sleep on anybody at that point. Well, did you watch the NCAA?

Did you watch the Final Four? I had zero interest. I had zero interest with the teams that were left. I had no interest of watching Yukon play San Diego State Tech. I don't even know who was in it or Whoa. Disrespect to San Diego State is nuts. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Shout out to San Diego State for you being getting that far. But no, I have no interest.

That's the thing about upsets, right? It's like, it's great and all that there's upsets, but then you don't get Duke. 100%. I always say that. Everyone wants parity and everyone wants these teams to be upset

until you get the final four where there's a bunch of five seeds, eight seeds. You don't know what's going on. And you want to get, like, last year, they had Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Nova, basically all blue bloods, and everyone loved it.

This year, yeah, people complain, but that's what happens when you go for all these upsets. 100%. You end up kind of getting like, you end up getting, you know, like you just said, not the top guys. And, you know, again, I tip my head off to Yukon because they blew everybody out. But it's like when you look at their players, personnel-wise, it's like I didn't really, I would have much rather watched like a Duke, Carolina, Kansas, a Villanova, you know, whatever, whatever, you know what I mean. But, you know, again, they beat everybody handedly, man,

that they dominate the NCAA tournament. I didn't even realize that coach was Hurley. Oh, yeah. I played against him in high school. He cussed me out in a high school game. Really? That coach, yes, the Yukon coach. Was he the coach at St. Patrick's?

Was that one? St. Benedict's. We played St. Benedict's. We played, I played St. Benedict's in the city of Palms. And I had 47. And I, you know,

I was talking my shit, man. I had 47 points and we beat the hell at him. So I'm talking my shit. And he like just like starts going, like just starts cussing me out. Uh, to the, like,

not like seriously. What was he saying? He said, what the fuck, don't you talk trash over here, motherfucker. Nah, da, like something's crazy like that.

Because I was talking crazy. He seems kind of like an amped up guy, for sure. Yeah, man, he's one of those guys that just talk a lot. I don't know, man. But he's done well with Yukon. It looks like he has a good spirit over there with those guys. He's done a hell of a job. They dominated the NCAA tournament.

His brother's amazing. His brother Bobby is a legend. His dad's obviously a legend, so it's good to see the youngest brother get his little shine as well. He just won a national championship. That's a big deal. So, you know, tip my hat off to him for that. That's their fifth title, and they've all been in the last 25 years. Do you think UConn's a Powerhouse?

Would you put them up there with the Dukes? I mean, no, they're not up there with Duke, but they've... No, no, no, no. But what I'm saying is you put them up there, though, as a top-tier program. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. No doubt. No doubt. Speaking of City of Palms, is that where you played Brandon Knight in high school,

where you guys both had 40 or 50, some crazy game? No, no, no. No, that was just like a regular season, just scheduled game. Yeah. She grew up playing against Brandon, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I grew up playing against Brandon. Florida, as you know, is a hotbed for talent, man.

We're very slept on. There's a lot of pros that come out of Florida. For sure. And speaking of the NCAA tournament, I know you saw the women's game. I know you know what's going on with the Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, all the drama. Can't get enough of it. You can't see. Yeah.

People can't get enough of it. What were your thoughts on that? What side are you on? Are you, do you think it was over the top, excessive? Do you think it's all fair when you're talking trash? What do you think? I don't think it was a big deal. I don't think it's a big deal.

I think we live in an era of media blowing things out of proportion. I think we live in an era where ESPN and Fox or whoever have now become TMZ of sports. It's everything gets blown out of proportion. Everything has to get talked about. Everything gets incited and gets magnified and gets blown out of proportion. and they add gasoline to everything and light a match. I mean, that's just every single thing. Oh, my gosh, a girl waved your hand and pointed to her finger to another girl that was talking

trash to her earlier in the game. Like, that's part of sports. For the history of competitive sports, there's been trash talk. No matter if it's girls or boys, there's been trash talk. I do think this was a little bit unique in the fact that it was women's basketball and people aren't maybe used to women acting like that. But at the end of the day, they're competing out there just like men are. It shouldn't have been a big deal.

they made the biggest deal of this and ESPN and everybody just every analyst and news person TV personality couldn't wait to talk about who's in the wrong and why she was doing too much

and people were trying to make them hate each other they were really trying to pick apart Angel Reese's character which was wrong and they were trying to pin her against Caitlin and then obviously Caitlin put that the bed when she came out and was like

I had nothing against her what she did was totally fine I'm a big fan of her and it just killed the whole thing right there. So it's just so silly, man, but that's just like the era we live in. It's like you go on Instagram and because there's so many media outlets,

there's so many podcasts, there's so many TV shows covering sports, the only way that yours can get ahead in today's day is to have drama. And it's to get clicks and views and likes and they're going to use anything and everything to blow up anything. That's why the Lakers are talked about

an annoyingly amount. That's why the Dallas Cowboys are talked at an annoying amount. That's what they do. They cover what they know gets attention. And in this situation, you had two women just talking simple trash to each other. Well, one reason it was a big deal, too, is it was the most watched women's college basketball game of all time. So everyone was seeing it was a big deal.

But I agree. The trash talking, it's fine. I was told because I haven't seen a lot of women's basketball this year. I haven't watched LSU that much. was told that Angel Reese actually has been doing this all year. And that's just how she plays and she talks a little bit and she does that. So she's been doing it all year. So instead of making it about either race or something against Caitlin Clark,

that's kind of the way she acts apparently acts all the time. That's just her game. So I think people are just overblowing it now and making it a big deal and bringing race into it. I think it's ridiculous. But I will say, Joe Biden should not have said that Iowa basketball team's invited to the White House. I think it was Jill. You don't invite to lose. I think it was Jill.

I said, Joe, you don't invite the losing teams. They lost by 16 or something. You don't, what about the teams in previous years that lost by four? Like, they don't get invited, but the team that lost by 16 does. That was a mistake. Come on. Well, we both know what that was about. You want to say it or I do?

I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I think it's ridiculous that they end. And then Andrew Huss came out and said that, we'll go to the Obama's. You can't invite yourself to the Obama's house for dinner. Could you picture of Barack Obama just at home eating a salad and just seeing that being like, oh shit, like people are coming over? Like they're going to get to invite yourself over. So that was kind of nuts too.

So Jill came out and said, I'm going to talk to Joe because I would like to have both teams come to the White House. That's what she said. There's a video of it. And it just rubbed everybody the wrong way, especially. the LSU team just because they're like, first off, it's never happened. Secondly, we blew them out. And third, if we lost, there's no way in hell they would have been invited. No way.

No chance. I agree. That's a good point. And I thought about that. And that's because of what? Exactly. We all know what we're thinking. We all know what we're thinking right now.

And we all know what that is. And that's why it rubbed everybody the wrong way. And it irritated a lot of people because that's why. That's just bottom line. Yeah, but I do think that now, like, okay, let's put it all to bed. LSU, just go to the White House, do your thing. Like, everyone else has done in the past. Hopefully we could just move on from because now we are,

I feel like taking away from what was an exciting game. I mean, Kailen Clark is unlike any. Must see TV. Like, yeah, unbelievable. Like, I think she's got the next star of women's basketball for sure. She's made women's basketball relevant. She really did. And so did Angela Reese.

That whole team did. The LSU's run. There's a lot of exciting girls basketball players right now in college basketball to the point where, honestly, people would rather watch college basketball for women rather than the WMBA. They make more money in college anyway, so most of them are staying. And most of them, they stay 40 years anyway. But you got Buckers, Buckner's, the girl from Bukers. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

She comes back because she's off of an ACL injury. So she'll be back next year, which will be exciting. You got Van Leith over at Louisville. Then you got LSU that's going to run it back. South Carolina's always a powerhouse and you see what they've been able to build with their coach, who's really turned into like a household name. There's a lot of excitement when you talk about college basketball.

There was more this year with women's than there was for men. The women's college basketball tournament was more exciting than the men's. Right. And I'm of the belief that basketball is always evolving. On the men's side, everyone talks about it. Like Jordan versus LeBron, I think that basketball is evolving. Go watch a game from the 80s. no one's doing Euro steps or it's just not that advanced.

And that's not their fault. That's just the way it is. And I'm happy to see that. It looks like women's basketball is also evolving. They're part of it too. And Caitlin Clark, she's a bucket. Now, what I'm thinking is when she gets to the WMBA, the way she plays, like that usage rate of like a Trey Young,

Luca, James Hardin on the Rockets, is she going to be allowed to do that in the WMBA with all those good players where she has the ball in her hands where she's shooting the shot or making the past? Because I haven't seen that in the WMBA yet. No one does that. That's it. It's more of an NBA thing. And people don't like it in NBA.

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's, that's a good point, man. You know, I don't, I don't really have the answer to that one. What do you think? I just, I would like to see her with the ball in her hand and do those things, but it's just going to be tough. I don't know. We have to see what people, if she's on a team with other good players. When you see it, when you see Caitlin Clark, do you see a little Jimmer Fredette?

Well, I just, I don't know. You see a little, you see a little Adam Morrison? Or do you see Steph Curry, where it translates. I thought Steph Curry. I thought Steph Curry. I thought like three-pointers. teammates love playing with her. She was making the right pass.

I don't remember Jim for that being a good passer. Like, Kaelin Clark was doing like Alonzo ball throwing it ahead a lot. Her passing was really good. I think she broke the record first. Her skill level seems so superior to the people around her. I just, I still see it translating

to the NBA, as well as her confidence. She's such a high confident. Her swag was insane. Yeah. She has. And it's very infectious. And it's very, you, you just end up wanting to kind of cheer her on and watch her play.

So I would have to, I would lean towards the stuff. I see it translating into the NBA. All right. I want to switch gears here a little bit. I really wanted to get to this with you. I don't know if you saw it, but the new CBA, they changed a couple of roles. First, they said that they're going to stick with the one and done rule.

Players can't come straight out of high school to the NBA. Do you like that or do you miss the days where people were coming out of high school? I know you would have went out of high school if that was the rule. that rule wasn't a place for you. So do you like that the NBA is going to stick to it? I needed college. You know, I needed a year of college. You were the number one player in the nation.

I don't, at the time where people were going straight from high school to the NBA, the number one player rarely went to college. Yeah, probably would have been out. Probably would have went to the league. So do you like the one and done rule? I do. I do. You know, go to college for one year.

Dominate college first, if it would be that good. Yeah, or the G League or whatever you want to. Now they got all different types of routes, you know, but now that money's not an issue and these kids are able to get paid and help their families straight out of high school, even in high school, then, you know, I think the rule is a good rule. I really wasn't against either or, but I think kids going to college. And for the sake of college basketball, man, I'm happy it happened because then nobody would watch. If the best players just weren't even going to college anymore, man, like, why the hell would I watch? I have no interest in watching college basketball already is in trouble. because a lot of these guys are going to the, you know,

overtime league or G league or whatever league that they have overseas. They got all these different avenues for players to get to the NBA now. College basketball is the worst it's ever been, man. You know how boring it is to watch college basketball these days, bro? Like, nobody watches. Unless it's women's. And then you're watching it. That's my point.

Like, I'm very happy they made this rule. It'll navigate talent, I think, back to the end. CAA or not back, but it'll keep talent. It'll keep it. It'll keep talent in the college basketball. So, yeah, I'm happy they made the rule. Another rule that they did was you have a 60, you have played 65 games minimum to get an award in the NBA.

People didn't like that, you know, guys. So did you agree with that? I think that's stupid. So if you miss, so if you play 62 and dominate all 62 games, you don't get it, you can't make the first team. Can't make it on. People are mad about the load management. Players are playing, you know, star players are playing.

less than ever. Short in the season. Short in the season. Sure. Then they're losing money, though. That's not going to happen. That's, that's what the NFL's gaining games. NBA's not going to go shorter. Well, that's because they play like 12 or whatever the fuck it is. It's like week 16 and these guys have played 13 games and they're like, we play 82, man. Like, I'm not saying you got to shorten the season to 60 games. I'm not saying you got to cut 22 games, but you could short the season to 72 games. Just 10 games would make a difference in players sitting out games. It just seems like the NBA keeps making so many rules, man, to incentivize guys sitting out. It really does. Well, they're trying to adapt to what's going on in the NBA.

I mean, like 20 years ago, people weren't load, there was no load management. People were playing it out the end of the year. Exactly. And then after their careers are over, they're walking around like Kenny Smith. You, you, you, nobody wants to, I, listen, I, I see my dad walk up and down a staircase, man. It's brutal. It's brutal. Because back then they didn't have the same medical, uh, science that they have now. They didn't have the same treatment.

They didn't have the same help. These guys wore out their bodies, man. Like, and that's why they didn't have load management. Okay. Guys didn't load manage. They went out there and they played game after game after game after game. Practice for three hours. practice for two hours, no off days,

and it really hurt these guys' bodies, man. You would be shocked by the medical bills that are after a guy's done playing. And it looks like certain players have forced the hand to have these rules in place. But there's all different types of things now, man. A mid-season playing, there's a mid-season tournament?

The fuck does that mean? What does that even mean? Just, I mean, it happens in other sports. So they have it and, you know, they do other tournaments and soccer. Why can't we do what's been going on for the past however many years? Like, why do we have to reinvent the wheel? It's a beautiful game.

Everything's set up the same. Why can't we just continue on the way everything's going? And I like Adam Silver. I think he's done a good job. But my goodness, man, this guy's like trying to fucking rival, trying to like change the game of basketball, bro. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

Like, just, it's some of the stuff's getting out of hand, bro. It's just get, mid-season tournament? Like, where does this shit end? You already got the play in at the end of the guy. damn season, which again, they talk about trying to get guys not to sit out games so they make this rule where you have to play 65 games minimum to be on an all NBA team, but then you have playing tournaments and mid-season tournaments. So you could be a goddamn temp seed and still have a chance to make the playoffs. If you wanted to make the playoffs, then why didn't you get your

ass in the first eight seeds in the first place? Well, I don't want you to say that because that might come back to bite you. Timberwolves might be in the playing here. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Yeah, even if it's, even if it's in the benefit of us this year, even if it's in the benefit of us this year, I would rather it be the best eight teams to get in. If you don't get in, you don't get in. Then guess what? I'm at Coachella this year. We're a little old to be at Coachella. I am. Yeah, I'm a little, I'm not. Speak for yourself. I'm 30. You're like, you're like 42 and counting. Okay, we'll take a break. I'm 36, and I think that's a good place to take a break for a minute. I wanted to ask you about

Joel M. B. The other night. Your father said that he locked up the MVP award. Do you agree with that? First of all, what a performance dominated? I haven't seen a big...

It took me back. It took me back to like when Shaq was dominating. He obviously did it in a different way. He shot mid-range shots, things like that, but just seeing someone dominate like that get 50 in a big game against a rival.

And it felt important. What were your thoughts on that? Do you lock it up? Yeah, I think so. He's the most dominant player this year in the NBA. We think it's just time, too, because Yokic won the last two. We all know it's a popularity contest as well, man. It just is, especially with the media involved.

It is a popularity contest, and it seems like the narrative. It's a narrative-based award. And it seems like the narrative. They like storylines, it's storyline. Like, you know, the year that KD left the Thunder, Westbrook was carrying the team without him, average triple-double, he won MVP that year. I thought James Hardin probably should have won it. And they like the stories.

Everyone likes the Like you said a narrative Yeah And it just seems like right now The narrative is You know People want Jojo man You know what I mean

And he is deserving I mean They have the same record Essentially as Denver They're like 52 and 27 Or something like that They have the same record as Denver So

You put the record aside And the team aspect aside You know Joe's He's been an incredible But in the way he's doing it, man, it's just, it's so dominating. It's just so dominating. And you could argue that, you know, Yolkich has a better supporting cast overall, you know, he has.

You think so? The six, I thought the Sixers maybe with, you know, you got James, you got Tyrese Maxie, you got Tobias Harris. And that's a squad. Sure, man. Okay. I mean, I know Aaron Gordon's your guy. Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray. You were on the Nuggets, so I know you're going to big them up.

but the best of 20 castes better? I think, I think, I mean, I think obviously, Joe Lambeed has the second best player out of all that. He has James Harden, who's better than every player on Denver, other than Yokic. But outside of that, from top to bottom, I think they're a deeper team. Yes, I do think so.

And are we overthinking it? Janus, best player, best record, best player on the best team. he could also win. Janus could also easily win. I mean, those three could win. I mean, I don't think there's any wrong answer. I just, like you said, we both know it's a popularity contest

and a narrative-based award. And the narrative right now is that Joel kind of deserves it, which he does, especially since Yokic's won it two years in a row, bro. It would be kind of disappointing, almost if you won it for the third time. And Joel Embed,

who's done what he's done this year in the style that he's done it, doesn't win it, man. You know what I mean? And I'm not saying that's why he should win it. I'm not up for, I don't believe in CIPA The Awards, but he's played so well and dominated so well that I think, you know, I think he should win.

So we both agree that Joel is going to win. Zach Edy from Purdue won, you know, he swept the awards in college basketball. The number one pick's going to be, you know, a 7 foot 4 guy. Big men back? Is this, are we officially there? Maybe. It's a copycat league. You know, the big man went out of style just until it comes back around again.

I think what will change a lot is if someone wins with the big man. It's one thing for Yogers to win MVP. It's one thing for Joel and B. to win an MVP and dominate the regular season. If someone wins an NBA championship with the center at the focal point, it'll change everything. Once again, why did it change before? You know, because you had a team like the Warriors come in and have the success that they've

had with the shooting that they've had and the league has changed to where now you've got small basketball, you know, you got teams just hosting. and firing up threes, the whole game has changed. Analytics have changed a lot of that. But analytics don't always tell the whole truth. They don't always tell the full side of things. And, you know,

someone would have to win with the big for, I think things have changed heavily. I saw a post that you liked on Instagram the other day. It said, Reggie Bullock bought an island and was going to make it a resort for his family. And I saw that you liked it. What are your thoughts on that?

I'm a baller. Say, what? Roller, baby. How big? time is that this guy bought an island that's pretty reggie reggie bullock island shout out the shot out the bullock island i just hope i get the invite man is that something that you would like what would want to do

buy an island no no no but i think it's really cool it could be end up being a very lucrative investment for him you know i mean i you always read stories about athletes blowing through your money and here's a guy trying to build a resort on an island and put some more money in his pocket i think it's pretty good uh i think it's for his friends and family though. I don't know if he's making a resort that people go to and spend money. Oh, then. I think it's a place for Yeah, I think. I'm not shopping. It's still an investment. It's still a piece of

land. It's an island. I wonder how much you bought the island for. Yeah, I don't know. I think you should go island shopping after we get off here because that would be kind of nuts. And I would like to go to an island. But what would you call your island? Hmm. It's good question. I'll get back to you on that one. I don't know what I'd call it. It's going to be something. It's going to be something with rivers.

Two million. He paid two million for the island. That's not, I feel like the average NBA salary is like $7 million. I think that it's definitely doable. It's definitely doable. It's definitely doable. It's just, I think when people see Reggie Bullock owns an island, it just really blows people's minds. But. Well, because no one else has done it.

Yeah, he's the pioneer. No, he's the first guy to do it. Like, I don't know an NBA player that's, yeah, it's crazy. The Ringer had, they do this, were watchables. They had, he got game, and they kind of went over. that and talked about how it aged and everything, best parts of the movie. Was that your favorite sports movie or do you have another one?

He Got Game is my second, probably, favorite sports movie? And your first is, Space Jam. Remember the Titans is my favorite movie. Okay, that's not a bad one. You weren't old enough to watch He Got Game when it first came out, though, right? I mean, there's some pretty graphic scenes there. Which one? He Got Game?

Yeah. I used to get so nervous when that scene came in with Ray Allen those two college girls, that my mom was gonna walk in the room when I was like in fifth, sixth grade, and I would rewind that scene like four times because I'd never seen,

I had never seen tities that big. I've never seen tities that big on a woman's chest. That scene is so insane, him with the two women, I couldn't wait to go to college. Couldn't wait. And it's perfect casting with Rick Fox is the one that's showing him around.

Yeah, Rick Fox is shown him around the campus. I mean, that scene is just like, I remember watching that, with my fiance and she's like, is that what the college visits were like? I was like, if you're a big time recruit, sort of, kind of. I'm not going to go into my experiences, but they're not too far off of that. Well, yeah, we're not going to get you in trouble here. I don't think Duke University was throwing that at you.

Well, you said what? What did you say? Duke University is, I don't think they were having a Rick Fox. He got game moment. I mean, you'd be surprised what Duke's got going on. I mean, it's a college like anything else, and this woman at every college. I wanted to ask you a question. You and me were on the phone yesterday,

and I talked to you a little bit about it. If you had a dinner with four people, anyone living, and you could have a dinner, it's five people including you, who would be at your dinner? This will tell me a lot about you. You didn't answer when I asked you yesterday. I know you were thinking.

Hopefully you've had time to kind of come up with something. Probably go, MJ. But like, what I want, MJ at my dinner? Like, most people are going to be like, Obama, Dave Chappelle. Look, I'm already

I'm already two for two with you. You don't think Dave Chappelle would be a really good person to have it at dinner? Also, it depends on what kind of dinner am I having. Are we going out after? Is it like a fun? Are we a party dinner?

If we're going out after, if it's for pure entertainment, if it's for pure entertainment, I would have Isaiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Chris Rock, and Will Smith, and I just sit back and eat my meal and watch. that's really good. Then for me there's not that at all.

For me, if there's a version of the dinner where it's going to be a great conversation, I'm going to learn a lot, it's very enlightening. And there's a version of the dinner where it's a Friday night we're maybe going out after. And I went like Connor McGregor there, like, rip in shots and we're like, it's a party dinner. Dave Chappelle, Connor McGregor, Michael Jordan, and, like, Barack Obama or something would be, like, nuts. I mean, I don't even have it. anybody. I don't know. I can't answer that question, man. What would you want as the cuisine? What would be, what's your favorite restaurant? What would be the dinner? What would be the meal?

I'm good with just simple. I'm just good with Craigs, man. I'm good with just some good old Craigs, man. Craigs, Craig's right there in, I don't even know what city is. Melrose. Melrose. That's what's Hollywood. Yeah, right there on Melrose, man, is pull up to Craigs, order my favorite meal, have some good company, a glass of wine, a couple glasses of wine. Craig's is known for the chicken parm. Are you going chicken parm or are you going on steak? I'm going chicken parr. I'm going to start out with the little piggyies in the blanket, get the pigs in the blanket, end up with a chicken palm, maybe a nice little dessert, a couple glasses of wine.

My night's set. Nothing more. I'm going to tell you right now, the thing I hate the most on earth is because this reminded me with the pigs in the blanket, or you said pigies. The thing I hate the most on earth is ketchup. I hate it. I don't even want it on the table. I don't want it near me.

It's disgusting. And I feel like you're the kind of guy that's going to drown it in some ketchup. I love ketchup, but I don't drown food and ketchup. but I don't put pigs in a blanket at ketchup. I just go straight for it. Do you remember growing up when people would do the mayonnaise and the ketchup and mix it up at a cafeteria and dip their fries in it? It's just shocking stuff.

I'm Persian. I grew up in a foreign household. We weren't mixing up ketchup and mayonnaise, and that just wasn't a thing. No, no. That's not a thing ever. I hate ketchup. What do you hate? What do you hate?

Anything with white cream. Anything with white sauce, blue cheese, ranch. So you don't like ranch. It's disgusting. It's disgusting. It's gross. And when I see people eat it, I'm repulsed by it because what happens with the white cream, it's like in the corner of their mouths. And I can't tell if it's, I can't, they're like eating it. It looks like baby spit up. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life. I don't like people that eat white sauce-based foods. I won't eat it. Everyone knows my family. I don't eat it. I'm

repulsed by it. And this is what people do now, too. And I think I'm weird. They love to do the pizza and then dip it in ranch. And I've never got on board. It's so ridiculous because it's a thing that everyone does. And I'm a pizza guy. That's like my guilty pleasure food. And to see someone ruin a good piece of Zah and throw it in some fucking ranch sauce is just gross.

It's gross. Okay, so I know you're a pizza guy. And that is, by the way, that does ruin. If the pizza tastes good, you're ruining the flavor by adding a ranch to it. Yeah, that's insane. How do you taste the damn pizza if it's covered in a ranch? Yeah, I don't think in Italy when you're going to go get the best pasta pizza, they're like, how else had a ranch with that?

Exactly. That's exactly great point. That's exactly, you don't even say anything else. Actually, we might as well transfer this into the pet peeves in mind. Let's hear it. Are you a public bathroom goer? Number two. And I'm not talking about number one.

You told me before, and I think actually on a on a past pod, you said that you only go at home or if you're on the road a hotel and you'll hold it in and you'll only go in your own home base. You want the home court advantage. Home court advantage is a must. I'm not pulling over at a damn sit go and unlocking that door and going to the bath. What if it's an emergency?

What if you're on a road trip? So I'm telling you right now. I mean, an emergency is emergency, man. If emergencies and emergency is an emergency. I don't want to get graphic, I don't want to get graphic, but I'd rather have it out of my body than in my body. People who go to the bathroom number two

in an airplane should absolutely be ashamed of themselves. What if it's in L.A. in New York flight? We're talking six hours. you're going to hold it in, you're going to be in pain. That's worst case scenario. If you got to go, you got to go. But it's still just so ridiculous, man.

It's so disgusting, too. I'm also so grossed out by people. Like, I'm such a not, I'm not a people person. I'm not. I don't even like, I like my people. I like my kids. I care about my kids. Someone else's kid, I don't give a shit.

I don't, don't, don't, a little, I don't. I don't. I want to take that out of the pod. I don't care. I like my kids. I like my children. Okay. So you find people who are repulsive.

I'm not a man of the people. I'm not a man of the people. What does that have to do with people going number two on a road game? It adds everything to it. I'm so grossed out by people that if I ever went to a bathroom where I smelt someone else's bathroom, I would immediately just be like offended. So would you go at your local gym? Would you have to go?

Would you go number two? It had to be a state-of-the-art gym. You know, we're talking about a nice equinox where it's like a nice clean, well-taking care of bathroom. Yeah, I'll go in there. Am I going at a- I think you're thinking, I think you're thinking of like- Am I going to L.A. Fitness? Am I going to L.A. Fitness? Am I going to L.A. Fitness?

We're like, you know, three TikTokers in there just blew that shit up. Like, no, I'm not going in there. I don't, I mean, no, thank you. No interest in doing that. Okay, we got to just say something really quick. I thought that I'm like this big L.A. Fitness. You are at L.A. Fitness. Yes, you are. Go ahead. You're about to go ahead.

I want to say, I want to say, it's not like I'm going in there, and I'm just going to, like, close my eyes and hope for the best. For the first five to ten minutes, I'm in there, I'm working for, I'm a custodian. I'm working for L.A. Fentice. I'm cleaning up, putting paper down. I'm doing the whole thing. Brian Cardinal, the custodian, I am cleaning the whole thing. And then on layers of toilet paper, maybe I would go. But I got you acting like I'm just going to go and do my thing. And by the way, L.A. Fitness, it happens because that is where the marriage of pre-workout and protein shakes, unfortunately, lied. And yeah, people go to the bathroom at the gym. It happens. It's disgusting. But it's a road game and you got to do it. And this is gross. I kind of want to take this out of the pod because I want people

to think I'm some big like, like big shitter out there that she's out there dropping juices everywhere I go. No one's going no one's going to invite me over to their house ever again. Going at someone else's house is a no-no. I mean, if you have like a no man, if you're sleeping over someone's

house, that's different, man. If you're like, if you're a guest at someone's house, then you're using their their guest room, that's no problem. If you're going to hang over someone's house and take a shit in their house, who the hell do you think you are? I'm telling you right now, Pasha, you come over my house this summer and just take a shit in my guest bathroom downstairs by the kitchen. I'm going to be hot.

I'm going to be angry. That's my issue with your house, by the way, is that your guest bathroom is right next to the kitchen where everyone likes to meet up and hang up. Exactly. It's meant to be there. It's meant to be there. Don't shit in here. It's a pee and wash and get out.

It's not a stick around, close the door, and then bomb the bathroom, and then I'm over there cooking eggs and bacon, and I smell what you got cooking. I don't want nothing to do with that. Do we have time to talk about how your father kicked me out of your house about seven years ago? Or is that not for this episode? Well, you brought it up. We might as well wrap it up with that.

Let's wrap it up with that. First of all, I wanted you to know that the other day I was talking to your sister, and when she was talking about your dad's Instagram, and I said, doctor doesn't have an Instagram. There's no chance. It's appalling. It's appalling that my dad has an Instagram, and it's just, Guess what? I looked it up. I searched it. Couldn't find. She goes, it's Doc Rivers. That's it. Couldn't find it. Come to find out your dad had me blocked.

Your dog Rivers had me blocked on Instagram. So I had Callie reach out to him. Days later, I had to sit there for days thinking that your dad just, by the way, I sat next to him on Thanksgiving this year. For days I thought your father just blocked, you know what it takes to block someone on Instagram? You don't have to really not want to see what they're doing or hate them. And he had me blocked, and Callie actually talked to him, and he unblocked me, messaged me. We follow each other all as well. So that was a small win the other day. There you go.

Well, we all know how you got there. How did I get there? You got there because your boys with Chandler Parsons, who was a huge role in trying to poach DeAndre Jordan from that Clippers team when DJ verbally committed to the Mavericks. It says 2016. No, 2015. 2015. That's 15. This is my side of that story really quick. I'll give you the quick one.

Me and Chandler were hanging out with DeAndre for weeks at a time. We're at his house, playing pool basketball. We're doing the whole thing. Chandler's obviously doing his best, very charming guy. He's talking to DeAndre and come to your own team, forget the Clippers. DeAndre commits and we leave L.A. Chandler's girlfriend at the time, had a birthday in Vegas. He left. I came back to Orlando. I was hanging out with you. He committed. And at that time, no one's ever reneged on a commitment. We thought we were good. Chandler sending DeAndre Zillow like houses in Dallas setting them up And I remember we're at your house Your family's house to play pool basketball Which you claim to be the go-da And we're at your house to play pool basketball

And your brother Jeremiah went upstairs to talk to your dad Came down Said Austin daddy wants to talk to you You guys, you go up there Do you say daddy or dad? I didn't say daddy Do you guys say daddy or dad? Do you guys say daddy or dad?

No one at my mom my house calls him daddy. I mean, maybe when I was five, I called him daddy. Who the hell calls him, do you call your dad, daddy? Absolutely not. But I just thought for some reason when I think about the story in my head that you guys said daddy, he wants to talk to you. That is just the most insane thing I think I've ever heard you say. The only person that should be calling me daddy is your girlfriend can call me dad. My girl called me daddy. That's about it. Okay, we don't need to go there either. So anyways, you go upstairs, you come back down and you're like, hey, let's go to the gym and shoot. and I said, well, I thought we were going to play pool basketball.

I'm on my bathing suit. Like I'm not going to the gym. What the hell? You go, all right, man, I'm going to keep it real with you. My dad knows you're here and you got to go. And I was like, holy shit. So we left and I text Chandler immediately. Bro, I just got kicked out of the river's house.

I think they're trying to get DeAndre back. I think they're flipping. And Chandler said, oh, yeah, he hasn't answered my text in a few days. I think he was gone, man. Let it go. And then that's how I was kicked out of your house because you guys were in the motion. of getting him back.

We already knew. We secured it before you came over because when you came over, you're like, yeah, man, DJ, da-da-da-da-da. We were like, yeah. But I remember telling you like, man, I think, you know, you guys will have Spencer Hawes at center

and you guys will figure it out. You know, DJ would be gone, but you have a stretch five and it would be okay. And I was like, yeah. I was gloating. You were gloating. And little did you know, we knew we were like,

this dude's not going anywhere. That whole situation had been. And then the emoji thing happened. And remember the emojis on Twitter, they started tweeting on the Paul Pierce's the Paul tweeted a cartoon like a giant

like the same rocket that was in Toy Story like a big ass rocket is ridiculous I yeah I remember like the whole team started tweeting about it

or tweeting emojis I think I even tweeted emoji and I wasn't even involved in the original emoji thing it was the whole thing was all over the place and it was funny And to put a

to put a bow tie at the end of that story he ends up playing for the Mavericks in a couple of years Yeah. It was a different DeAndre though. Yeah. I mean, were you guys happy to have him back? Did you know, like what was that? What was going on?

Was it like a big celebration? Or was it just? Well, at the time he was instrumental to the team's success. And, you know, this is like fresh off an Olympic, I think gold medal at the time where I think he was, yeah. You know, so it was a big deal, man, you know, for him to remain in, in L.A. Yeah. All right. Well, I love talking.

I know you got to catch a flight. You're going to Austin and meet with the team. You guys are playing the spurs there. Yep. Every game's important. So good luck. Hope you feel better. Appreciate you, man. Thank you.

And I just want to end the pod by saying, you got to go. Daddy wants to talk to you.