The Ringer NBA Show - Kristen Ledlow (Ep. 97)

Episode Date: April 13, 2017

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by NBA TV's Kristen Ledlow to discuss the end of the NBA regular season (5:00), the Cavs' playoff switch (11:00), Raptors-Bucks (16:00), Ahmad Rashad giving his blessing to her hosting ‘Inside Stuff’ (22:00), the best shoes in basketball (27:00), and advice for aspiring female broadcasters (31:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Major League Baseball is finally back as the season gets underway. The Ringer Podcast Network has baseball fans covered with the Ringer MLB show playing for free on the Tune-in app for the month of April. Download the Tune-in app for free and listen to Ben Lindberg and Michael Boughman, break down baseball's biggest stories throughout the opening month of the MLB season. And as an added bonus for Ringer listeners, the Ringer Podcast Network has partnered with Tune-in to give baseball fans a free 60-day trial of Tune-in premium to listen to every live home call from every MLB game. around the league. Catch the Ringer MLB show only on Tune In for the entire month for free.

And when you upgrade to Tune in premium, you can listen to live MLB games. Just go to Tunein.com slash Ringer and subscribe. Download the Tunein app for free and start listening today. Also want to remind everybody tomorrow on the NBA show, make sure you keep a lookout for Bill Simmons joining me as we are going to do a mega playoff preview in preparation for this weekend. games. Welcome to the Ringer NBA show. I'm Chris Vernon and joining me today is Kristen Ledlow. She is on Turner Sports as an NBA reporter and co-host of Inside Stuff. TNT is the exclusive home to more NBA playoff games than any network beginning with a triple header on Sunday, featuring the first and second round action and exclusive presentation of the 2017 NBA Eastern

Conference finals. NBA TV's also going to have up to nine originally produced telecast during the first round of the NBA. playoff. She is Kristen Ledlow. Ledlo. Ledlo! Longer, that would be great. If you could just add some more to my resume, I'd prefer it. I do what Turner makes me do. I appreciate that. We all appreciate that.

All right, so now we're going to throw you in the fire immediately. Kristen Ledlow, if you had to vote for the MVP, you would vote for who? Russell Leap, simply because it is an individual award. A lot of people talk about the wins that matter, and I do think that that does matter, and I think that James Harden has done an incredible job, especially with his supporting cast out in Houston. But Russell Westbrook averaging a triple double to set the triple double record over the big O. We haven't seen that in decades. He would get the trophy if I were the one handing it out.

Who have you gotten in the most spirited debate about this? Well, it can be you right now if you want. No, no. No, I'm Russ. I'm Russ. I think you're going to. going to look in 10 years and if you didn't vote like we will look back and like you know what I almost want everybody to go full bore on this right he didn't he wasn't an all-star starter don't make him the MVP and then don't make him any of the all-NBA team so we can just be stupid across the board but I don't think in like 10 years we're going to look back and if you didn't vote for

Russell Westbrook it's going to look goofy that's my opinion well indeed even a heightened level of played next season like is he the chip on your shoulder kind of guy like does he need that in order to continue improving because if so, I'll vote for anybody else so we can watch a quadruple double next season. Well, and that's the good. That's the thing I can't stand about. I just found out earlier this week that they weren't announcing the awards until after the finals. I couldn't hate that more because I want the chip on the shoulder for whoever. I want the chip I want, you know, if LeBron gets fourth in MVP voting, I want the chip on his shoulder and hardens and everybody else. But like, we're not even going to find out until all of this is all

wrapped up and we don't really care as much anymore. And Russ going head to head in the first round, how much more fun would that be for the guy who didn't get it in order to watch that first? I mean, come on. I'm with you on that. I would prefer for the award show to be like, I don't know, now, five minutes ago. Is anybody on your turner set, you know, have they really stumped for anybody else hardcore? Like, everybody's pretty torn across the board. And it's not like there's a wrong answer this season. It's tough because it almost feels like the right answers are even the wrong answers, because you could make an argument for or against any of those guys.

You know, it would make sense if LeBron was given the MVP. It would make sense if Kawhi Leonard was given the MVP. Same with James or Russ. So it's tough to get in a really heated debate because it feels like everybody is wrong but also right. Right. So before I get into all the playoffs series, I do want to ask you about your role on inside stuff and you're dealing with players all the time. Sometimes you have co-hosts that fill in for Grant Hill.

You do it with Grant on a regular basis, but you are around all kinds of different teams, all kinds of different players. In your opinion, the one that you have been around or the few that you have been around that you are convinced is going to make a great analyst post-career. Well, okay, Vince Carter, I think we'll make an excellent one. That kind of could be considered a cop-out answer

because he has worked with us on NBA TV a handful of times already. He did the finals with us last season. I think that he's going to be great. Also, isn't he already, like, 52 years old-ish, right? So he's already, like, kind of well into him. I'm kidding, obviously. I love this. But, no, he is, so I think that he'll make an excellent analyst.

I also think that a guy like C.J. McCollum, who actually studied broadcast journalism in college would make a great one as well. But what's funny is, I think a lot of the guys, especially hanging out with them on inside stuff, is the ones who aren't trying very hard to be great on TV are really. great on TV. So I would even go with a guy like Draymond Green, a guy who wasn't afraid to say what it is that he thinks or feels, or even Tristan Thompson. Tristan and I had what we called the Tristan and Kristen show, which turned out to be about a three-minute episode, just one time. But he was excellent as well. So I think it's guys who are really personable that aren't even really trying that hard that would make great ones. It seems to me that a ton of them want that now post-career. Like more so than maybe 10 years ago. It feels like there's

a lot of guys in the league that their goals after basketball are to be a broadcaster, because clearly, I mean, there's a ton of jobs for it. You see former players everywhere on every different network. But it just feels like that's a goal now for a lot of these guys is to get into broadcasting after their career's over. Right? Why not? Why wouldn't you take that check to go ahead and criticize the younger generation?

I'd do it. All right. What series are you assigned to? Do you know yet? Yes, I do. Got my assignment last night, and in the first round, I'll be with the calves and pacer's. Cavs, Pacers. All right, so you're going to have, do you buy that the calves can just flip a switch?

We know the record post-all-Star break. We know the defensive metrics are bad. They had that big night in Boston about a week and a half ago that made everybody think, oh, well, maybe they can just flip a switch. And then, of course, they gave up, whatever it was, 44 points to the Atlanta Hawks. in that game just less than a week ago in a fourth quarter. What do you buy about Cleveland? Do you think we're going to see the playoffs start?

We get playoff LeBron and they start, you know, destroying people, or do you think that the Pacers can make a series of it? The idea that the Cavs have an on-off switch. I think that a lot of the regular season was not a huge concern for them. I don't think that LeBron was gunning for that MVP award, and I don't think that the Cavaliers really were bothered too much as to whether or not they set in the one seat the entire Eastern Conference. long. But, I mean, I hate to say it. I really do believe that they have that on switch that they can

turn on during the playoffs. And like LeBron said, before that Celtics game, you just mentioned, I mean, I'm the last guy you should ask about a regular season game on a, what, a Wednesday. You know, it's a guy who's been to six straight NBA finals. So I think that this is a team. If it were anybody else you were asking me about, I'd say, well, I'm concerned about a playoff on switch. But because it's the cabs, and we've watched them do it already a few times, yeah, I do think that we're going to see playoff LeBron from the get-go starting what, is that Saturday? Yeah, there we are. Even if Lance Stevenson pulls his shorts down around his ankles?

Or if you don't want on tying shoes or those J-R. That was, I like that. That right there ranked pretty highly on my pettyweight champion of the world rankings. If he blows in his ear again, though, I think Lance may take the belt from Russ. That's why I did the whole pull down the shorts because Lance has to up the ante now. Like, we're counting on him. Right, exactly. Right.

And especially with Vine gone. Like, he was like the king of Vine. And now we need, we need him to do something just totally preposterous. Vine gone. It means that he has to come up with some foolishness that can last at least 59 seconds. Because who else is going to watch a video that long on Instagram unless the foolishness is at least 59 seconds? So he's got to come up with something that can top the ear blowing thing. That was about what, that was six or so seconds, obviously, because it fit in a vine.

The shoe untying thing, that's about three seconds. So he's got to come up with something that can last a solid 59 in order for it to entertain us now. All right. So you are, you totally buy that the Cavs can just flip a switch and we're going to see a different, a totally different level of play, even in round one from them than what we have seen over the course of the last month and a half. I do. And maybe my opinion is swayed because I was assigned to the Cavaliers last year during the entire playoff season, so I actually saw it in person happen. And then I read things, you know, I'm

scrolling through my timeline and see things like, you know, no team that has had a losing record since the All-Star break has ever gone on to win the NBA finals. Okay, well, no team had ever dug out of a three-one hole in the NBA finals to win either until LeBron James came around. So I don't know, all those stats and all that history and all those analytics you young kids like to use. It just doesn't really seem to apply to LeBron or the Cavs. Okay, so what is unique? You talked about being with them through their whole playoff room. What is, what did you think outside of obviously having the greatest play in the world?

What is especially unique about the Cavs, their organization, being around them during playoff time, in your opinion? Is a guy like LeBron James, who is hands down the most obsessive and passionate person that I have ever met in my life. But a guy like that, what he does to the people around him. It's such a cool thing to watch because covering a series, it's not just like I show up for game time. I see them all the time. I see them at their practices. I see them at their shootarounds and their hours before the game actually start. So I get to watch the way that they respond to him.

And a leader like that, I mean, I wouldn't say that his leadership is underrated, but perhaps overlooked from time to time because we've become so accustomed to seeing greatness from LeBron James that we forget how great it really is, how great he really is. And there's not a stat yet, and don't tweet at me if there is a stat, folks, that says, okay, how much better this guy makes everybody around him? Actually, there probably is a stat for that. I wouldn't put it past the analytics kids anymore. But, you know, how much better everybody around him is because he's there.

And I'm not just talking about on the floor. I'm not talking about how much better their offense or defenses because he's on the floor. I'm talking about how much significantly better the lives of the men around him are simply because he's the one at the helm. That is the most special thing to me about the cavaliers. It's interesting you say that because I know there's probably going to be a lot of people out there that are a slave to the analytics that go, but I think you give an interesting perspective because you are around these guys all of the time, right? And so sometimes it feels as if the numbers get in the way somewhat of the human element, right? The things that you are talking about.

Because, you know, listen, I cover a team all time. some guy's wife is pregnant is about to have a kid or some guy just has twins or somebody you know earlier this year Zach Randolph's mother passed away or whatever there's so many other things that go into whatever performance is and so I think it's interesting that you bring up how those guys respond to him which is something that honestly can never be measured but I the one thing that you did say that stood out to me is you said you've never been around somebody more obsessive than him which is fascinating because we have have described, Michael Jordan was described as that, and Kobe Bryant was described as that. I've never really heard anybody describe LeBron as that. So why do you? Yeah. Let me hear. Some of that is because we don't see as much behind the scenes with LeBron. He lives, for the most part, a pretty quiet life. You know, we've never seen a huge injury. We've never seen him have to rebound from some devastating loss. We've never really seen it up close in person who go through some personal life-altering. So it's tough to say because we don't get to see behind the scenes

with him as often unless you are with the small handful of people like me around him all the time. So I think that's one of the reasons why maybe his obsession gets overlooked. But the reality is he was born, I mean, he's obviously born with a genetic gift. And there are people who could work around the clock every single day their entire lives and not be as good at anything as LeBron James is at basketball. He obviously has a gift. He obviously has a gift. God-given gift. But there's also something about him that is so obsessive to turn that into something as great as he has turned it into. There are a lot of genetic freaks, for lack of a better word, in the NBA, and those guys are incredible, and they're just naturally incredible at it.

But I think without that obsession like LeBron has, you won't become great like he's become. And, you know, we talk about the stats that the offense is better when he's on the floor, the defense is better when he's on the floor. But the things that the people don't see, J.R. Smith, through an actual personal tragedy during the week of the NBA finals that I think to this day still hasn't been reported publicly, but he wanted to stay instead of leave because he wanted to be there for LeBron and for the Cavs team. Tyree Irving told me right after he took that shot in Game 7

that ended up going down as one of the most incredible and clutch in all of NBA history, that LeBron gave him the confidence to be able to even pull up and take the shot. So we talk about, okay, well, is he clutch? Does he want to be the last guy to take the shot? It doesn't matter. That conversation pales in comparison to the reality that he's given the guys around him the confidence to step up and be there in those moments as well. And I think that's what makes him so great. I see you don't think the Cavs are going to have a big problem with the Pacers.

What about the other three Eastern series? Could you foresee if somebody is going to give one of the higher seeds a problem? Is it Chicago against Boston? Is it the Bucks with the Raptors? Is it the Hawks with the Wizards? The Hawks Wizard series could go either way. and I think we'll know after those first couple of games which way that it's actually going to be headed based on the consistency of either one of those teams, because both of those teams are teams that have seen a lot of ups and downs this season.

But I think if any lower seed were to upset anyone, it would be those young and long. And speaking of freaks, Milwaukee Bucks against the Toronto Raptors. I hate to hold the Raptors' playoff experience against them, but we've seen them crumble in playoff series in the past. We've seen a much lesser version than the regular season Raptors once the playoff start. And I think that the Milwaukee Bucks with the athleticism that they have on that team going into this playoff series, help me with Chris Middleton back in that lineup. And Yanos Ancantacinpa, who I am convinced will be a superstar in this league. I think if anybody's going to get upset in that first round, it could be the Raptors. Yeah, when you're talking about the, when you're talking about the Hawks, Dwight has to be just immense, right?

Like that, that's the thing. If Dwight is like 20 and 20 Dwight, then they got a shot at that thing. Yeah, no, I agree with you there, absolutely, because that's going to be where they can take advantage. I think in the John Wald in a Schrooter matchup, it's not really a conversation. I think that they're going to have to take advantage inside. They're going to have to run their offense through Paul Milsap and Dwight Howard and otherwise. I think the Wizards could run away, no pun intended, but that one. All right, with the buck, you know, you can't help but think, man, if they had Jabari Parker, imagine.

I mean, listen, nobody really wants to see them now, but good grief. I guess what you're saying is if you could see anybody, if I told you there's going to be a Raptors Bucks game seven, that would not surprise you at all? It would not surprise me, no. And Javari actually had my most improved vote until that injury. So I think he'll be, I mean, he's one to obviously watch in the coming years. But I think that those bucks even without him, as they head into this. I mean, they finally have a healthy lineup, a healthy roster, of course, apart from Javari. And that was something that they struggled with all season.

And inconsistency is something that young players are going to struggle with anyway. But I think that they hit the high note at the right time, and I think that they're going to give the Raptors a run for their money. Did you have an actual vote? I did not have a vote. No. You did not have a vote for everything. Like, you don't have to turn something in. No. I did not have to turn anything in.

Well, let me ask you the rest of them then, because you said you would give Russ the MVP. who would you give coach of the year to? I think a lot of people thought it would be Spolster if they could have pulled off making it to the playoffs and it sounds like that's... Well, obviously that's not in the cards, but it feels like Spolster's probably not going to get the award just because the team is going to miss the playoffs.

Who would you give Coach of the Year to? Yeah, I'd be a little bit torn on that one between Steve Kerr and Mike Dan, Tony. Steve Kerr simply because, of course, a lot of people would say, well, look at that roster. Anybody could go out there and put that on the floor, but to be able to combine superstars when some of those guys have to sacrifice statistically and still be as successful as they were from the jump and still end up with the best record in the NBA yet again.

I think that Steve Kerr would have, well, half my vote. I can go havesies because I'm not having a real vote. And Mike Danton, I would give it to it simply because he's handed James Harden to reins, and it turned out that was kind of the key to unlocking his greatness, not that we haven't seen him be great in the past, but the way that he has run that offense, and what's funny is it's the way that he has wanted to run an offense in the NBA for a long time. It's just that now the league play has kind of caught up to the kind of offense he wants to run. But what he's done with that supporting cast

surrounded by James Harden and really giving him the reins to be great, I think that he would have the other half of my vote. M. Bede was going to run away with Rookie of the Year, but then he went down so he didn't end up playing enough games. Who would you give a Rookie of the Year vote to? Yeah, I mean, could we still give it to Joel, Embed? He was phenomenal. I just don't. I think it's just too few games, right? I mean, you wouldn't give it. Yeah.

You couldn't give it to a- 31? Yeah, you couldn't give it to a coach, a coach 31 or you couldn't, I mean, it would be ridiculous to give an MVP to a guy that played 31. So, I mean, I don't think we can, I don't know.

I just don't, if you played 31 of the greatest basketball games ever, you still wouldn't be in contention for the MVP. So I know he's like super likable. He's the best guy on social media. It was all really fun, and he was totally awesome. It's just not enough games.

I think that his teammate, Dario Sarich, may get my vote then. I think so. Because he was great when he had to step up. You agree? It feels like Sarich or the kid at Milwaukee, Brogden. One of those two will get it. Yeah. He told the bucks not to campaign for him.

And in lieu of a campaign, he wanted them to donate the money they would have spent on it to charity, which I think is a really cool thing. And it doesn't seem like a publicity stunt because I've met that kid and I've been around him. And I just call them a kid, which means that I'm getting old. There are grown men playing in the NBA that I believe I am old enough to be their mother now. So that's where we are. Defensive player of the year, Gortot or Dremont, that's what's going to come down to. Oh, yeah.

No, I'd have to give it to Drey. He changes things defensively. It also would be, I mean, Kauai has to be in that conversation as well, simply because he, every single night, has to guard the best player on the floor, one to five. I mean, he's one of the few guys that has to do that and does do it well. When you watch him, I love watching him on off ball assignments when he just locking a guy down and not even allowing him to sniff the ball offensively, I think is an incredible thing as well. So yeah, can I go have these on a vote again? And by the way, Marcyne Gortat just jumped out of his chair when I said him instead of Rudy Gaubert, of course. Oh, hi.

Is he there? I said, no, no. I said, no, I said he's listening to this and I said Gortot or Draymond. Oh, yeah. question. I meant. He's one of my favorites, by the way. If, of course, he is listening, if he is a devoted listener of Chris Vernon's Ringer podcast, I'm Martin, I really, I love you, and I miss you. No, I got to tell you a funny March and Gortat's story, though, because we absolutely cannot miss this. So he and I actually played a little game with, um, with flashcards on inside

stuff, um, where, where he had to translate whatever I said in Polish. It did not go well, obviously, because I don't speak Polish, and so whatever it was that I was reading didn't go well either. And so we have guys say all the time on Inside Stuff. They look into the camera and they say, I'm fill in the blank, and I want the inside stuff. So I had an index card that said, in Polish, I want the inside stuff. Well, I guess there was something wrong with Google Translate because it translated to something far less appropriate than that. And as soon as I said it in Polish, whatever it was that I said, he looked at me crazy, like it was time to cut the cameras. And he's like, do you know, are you, wait, what?

And I was like, wait, what? I just say, I don't know. That obviously did not make air, but that was one of the funniest moments of any interview that I have ever been in. How did that not make air? Come on. I know. Well, I mean, inside stuff. It's a kid show, you know, like hot.

I got you. I got you. Do you feel like you have, do you have a, by the way, do you have a mod Rashad's blessing on, on inside stuff. Yes, we do. And I've seen him maybe five, yeah, five or six times, I think, in the four years since we brought inside stuff back. And he's been so cool. He has been overwhelmingly helpful, has answered a lot of questions that both Grant and I had because he was part of the original announcement. We were in New York at one of the NBA's press conferences right before we brought it back. And he was the one that sat down with Grant and I

to help make the announcement. So he's been really cool. And I've heard from two of the former female host since then also Willow Bay sent me a message in Summer Sanders I've gotten to talk to as well. So, yeah, all of the former, the throwback host of Inside Stuff have been awesome to us. Let me take a quick break and I want to ask you about your thoughts on a Western conference if there's a team that can give one of the top seats a problem in the Western Conference and also some of your thoughts on being a female broadcaster in the NBA. We'll do that after these words. Major League Baseball is finally back and as the season gets underway, the Ringer Podcast Network has baseball fans covered with the Ringer MLB show playing for free on the tune-in app for the month of April.

Download the tune-in app for free and listen to Ben Lindberg and Michael Baumann break down baseball's biggest stories throughout the opening month of the season. And as a bonus for Ringer listeners, the Ringer podcast network has partnered with tune-in to give baseball fans a free 60-day trial of Tune-in premium to listen to every live home call from every MLB game around the league. Catch the Ringer MLB show only on Tune in for the entire month for free. And when you upgrade to tune-in premium, you can listen to live MLB games. Just go to tune-in.com slash ringer and subscribe. Download the tune-in app for free and start listening today. Ringer MBA show is also brought to you by HBO. Shout out to Shea Serrano on this one.

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Jay Cole, the special, tune in Saturday, April 15th from 10 to 11, Eastern Time for the premiere of Jay Cole, Four Your Eyes Only, a Dreamville film exclusively on HBO. All right, Kristen, the Warriors are playing the Blazers, spurs are playing the Grizzlies, Rockets are playing the thunder, Clippers are playing the jazz. If one of the lower seeds is going to give a big problem to a higher seed, do you think it could be who?

Do you think that I have to go with the grit and grind Memphis Grizzlies because you're the host here? Like that kind of feels like, like if you just slip me a 20 later into the address we discussed off air, that would be good. I do think that the Mrs. Mrs. Chrislies will give the Spurs a handful. But I'm also really excited to watch Portland Golden State, not because I think that Portland will upset Golden State, but because Damian Lillard with a chip on his shoulder,

you talk about chip on your shoulder kind of guys, he is so fun to watch. That guy, I mean, you snub them for anything, and he comes out and makes you pay. So I think the fact that they had to play down until what, the last two or three days at the regular season to know if they were even going to be in the playoffs, I think that one's going to be fun,

and I believe that he's already predicted Blazers in six. So that one's going to be worth watching. Yeah, that's a... That's a tough spot if you're Damian Lillard, right? Because that, we're never going to forget that. Like, you either become, when you do a guarantee like that, you either become like Mark Messier or you become Benny Ogbionni, right? Like, one of the other.

But the thing, what he's not going to say, Blazers is in seven, because it's not realistic that if it goes to seven, that the Blazers are going to go to Oracle Arena and win it. So, you know, I mean, at least he went in six. He could have said Blazers sweep, and we'd think, oh, well, what's this guy doing? But, you know, Blazers and Six, it feels, well, I don't know if I'd say believable, but it feels, it feels fun to watch, Chris.

All right. All right, Ledlow, you are a huge sneakerhead. You many times you will put up pictures of new sneakers that you got. You're in that world. How many pairs of tennis shoes does Kristen Ledlow earn? You guys, it's embarrassing. I really don't want to talk about it. I feel like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City when she says,

I like my money where I can see it. hanging in my closet. That's my problem. I'm trying to think if I could count in my head, I can picture, let's see, I don't know, a lot. Can I just say a lot? No, no, you can't say a lot. How many? Would you say over 200? No, no, no, no. I don't have that many pairs of sneaks. No, I don't have more than 200 pairs. I have enough to fill every shelf in the current closet that I have at home and enough to fill a closet in my parents' home as well. I doubt that that is 200 pairs of sneakers. But I'm also like a throwback sneakerhead.

So, like, I still have all my sneakers from high school basketball as well. So, you know, I mean, it's not like I spend it all. I'm trying to justify. Can you tell I'm trying to justify this in my answer? Like, I'm dancing around my answer because I'm trying to justify. Well, I know you like the Jordans. I know you like the Jordans. I know you like the LeBron.

I mean, listen, you like all these shoes. Kristen Ledlow's three favorite pair. Favorite Jordan is the throwback fours. I actually have some on my feet as we speak right now. You don't know that because this is audio only. I could be barefoot if you don't know. But I do have on some throwback fours right now. I love the fours.

I love LeBron's 12 and I love the 12 low as well. But you know what pair I have been rocking pretty regularly over the last, well, it's been a couple of years now since you released it, I guess, is the Kyrie 2. That's like the most comfortable sneaker that exists, well, for my foot anyway, and those have become some of my favorites as well. Wow, this was, this was, you were ready for that question. I didn't even prep you for that. Throwback Jordan. No, I know.

Wow. You got your bona fides. Listen, you threw out Jordan, throwback, fours. LeBron 12's, Kyrie, too. Yeah, it kind of tells you, it kind of gives you a hint into like what I'm thinking about around the clock on a regular basis. Like when I'm just looking like I'm dazed and kind of just looking into that, that's the kind of stuff I'm thinking about. If you have any Justin Timberlake questions also, I'll be prepared for that as well.

These are the kinds of things that fill my thoughts throughout the day. Oh, that meme that goes around where you were sitting at the press conference, you're actually thinking about shoes. No, you know what I was thinking about in that picture in the Sad Ledlo meme? Yeah. I was thinking about Rice Krispies. But the reason I was thinking about them is because we were at, Summer League, and have you been to

Summer League out in Vegas? No. You can watch it on NBA TV, as can everyone else that's listening, because it is long days. It's so hot out there. I have to wear that blue polo, and I'm sitting there, and they brought lunch to the guys. So I believe it was Smitty, and a couple of the guys were calling the game, and I'm the

sideline reporter on the broadcast, and they bring lunch to those with the sandwich and the soda, but then they bring them a rice-chrispy treat, and I'm looking at them from across the way and they put the camera on me without my knowledge and they asked me how I felt about being the one snubbed out of the Rice Krispy Treat Inn. Boom. There's your sad lead looming. You have so many young girls that now look up to you.

I'm sure there's not a day that goes by that somebody doesn't ask you for advice or how did you get into this or what should I do if I want to do your job? What are the pieces of advice that you find yourself giving the most to young aspiring female broadcasters. Yeah, and it's so crazy that you even asked that question because I feel like I was on the other side of it just a few years ago. It's just such a short time ago. And there's no, it feels like there's no real humble way to answer this.

Because knowing that there are young girls who look at the things that I do and want to do them is just an overwhelming thing to me. But one of the things that I tell them all the time, especially college students who are looking to get into this business for the very first time and looking to get their foot in the door is that if there is any other thing, you know, that if there is any other thing, you on this planet that you want to do more, do that thing. Because this role, this position, this career is something that requires all of what you have. But it's something that I wanted and I wanted to pursue from the time that I was a little girl.

So it always felt worth it to me. And I always know the girls who are going to be the ones who make it who are going to be the next me, the next Beatle, the next sage, the next Rachel, the next Doris, the OG. I always know who's going to be the one to step into that place because it's the one who knows that this is the thing that she wants more than any other thing. And so, I mean, again, it doesn't seem like there's any humble way to say I feel humbled to be in this position and that little girls even pay attention to what I'm doing at all. But yeah, every time that I have a young woman reach out to me and ask me how to do what it is that I do, that's one of the many things that I tell them. What is the biggest challenge for you as being a female broadcaster? I mean, obviously it feels like when you watch you on TV, you know, nobody treats you

any differently or whatever, but I know that, you know, you see this stuff and stories are written all the time, that female broadcasters have, they have a different life than do their male counterparts when it comes to audience and when it comes to feedback. I think the toughest part about it is there's no room or little room for error. I think that there is a lot more leniency given to men in these positions. Not that there shouldn't be because most of the men in these positions played in the NBA for a whole lot of years. So if one of those guys mispronounces a name, it just seems like he mispronounced a name. But if I do it, it seems like, oh, okay, well, she got her job because look at her.

You know, so I think that the margin for error is so much smaller, and you have to work harder, I believe, in order to prove your worth there, in order to prove that you are meant to be in that position rather than just look at that girl in that position and she's there, obviously, because, well, it's TV and we've got to have something to watch on mute. So I think that that's probably the toughest thing, among many other obstacles, that I think is the biggest one. Kristen Ledlow with Turner Sports NBA reporter and co-host of Inside Stuff, and she is going to be on the sidelines for the Cavs and the Pacers. TNT, you're going to be able to watch all kinds of playoff games. They're going to have more games than any other network, beginning with the triple header this Sunday,

first and second round action, an exclusive presentation of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, and NBA TV is going to air up to nine originally produced telecast during the first round of the playoffs. I know you're going to be super busy. Thanks for taking the time to come on today, Kristen. I've been wanting to get you on this show all season. I'm glad we made it happen. By the way, the year that you and I were seated next to each other at SEC Media Days,

and look at us now, Chris Vernon. I do. I told, and in fact I told Tate Fraser before you came on, I said, you know, I've, known Leadlove for years. I said she did sports radio in Atlanta. I don't know how many people listen to this know that, but you were on sports radio in Atlanta years ago. Just like me covering SEC media. I mean, we're interviewing like, you know, whoever it was, Cam Newton or whoever was there at the time, right? It was AJ McCarran that year, Aaron Murray. That was a good

year for SEC. You're the best. Thanks, Kristen. Thanks for having me, but I'll talk to you soon. All right. It's going to do it for another ringer NBA show. If you dig with you're here and go give us a rating and review on iTunes. And remember Bill Simmons going to come on tomorrow. Big playoff preview blowout on the Ringer NBA show. We'll talk to you then. Thanks again to this episode sponsor, Jay Cole, For Your Eyes Only, a Dreamville film. The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star's second HBO special, which debuts Saturday, April 15th, from 10 to 11 Eastern.

This exclusive presentation is a multi-narrative that combines music performances with intimate interviews documented through Coles lens. The special showcases, songs from his fourth album, as well as revealing footage containing the heartfelt confessions, concerns, and struggles of people in the South. Jay Cole, connecting with the community, and you're going to hear his music too. Tune in Saturday, April 15th, 10 to 11 Eastern for the premiere of Jay Cole, For Your Eyes Only, a Dreamville film exclusively on HBO.