Podcasts about nba summer league

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick graded each team based on the GM job's they believe are the best. 0:00 - Intro 4:14 - Drop the Mike 21:00 - Grading NBA Team's GM jobs #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss which players they feel deserve to be first time NBA all stars this season. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 1/25/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: https://pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss the best possible destinations from Giannis to be traded to. They also give their reactions to Chris Paul being waved. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover how Kate Wik, CMO of Las Vegas, drives bold innovation and storytelling to transform the city into a global destination brand. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. Damian Fowler (00:00):I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing (00:01):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing.Damian Fowler (00:02):And welcome to this edition of The Big Impression.Ilyse Liffreing (00:09):Today we're joined by Kate Wik, chief Marketing Officer at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The team behind the city's newest brand campaign, which launched in September,Damian Fowler (00:20):Las Vegas, is known around the world for its energy, its entertainment, and its edge. But this ladies' campaign takes a closer look at what the city means today beyond the casinos and into its growing identity as a cultural and sports destination.Ilyse Liffreing (00:34):We'll talk with Kate about the ideas behind the campaign, how Vegas is connecting with new audiences, and what it takes to evolve one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Q,Damian Fowler (00:45):Frank Sinatra. It's okay. You have an unusual role in that you represent a city as an iconic one, but could you tell us about the role?Kate Wik (00:56):That's exactly right. So I work for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Nobody knows what that is or what that means. So really, I shorthand it and I say I am the CMO of four Las Vegas. Las Vegas is my product, which is very unique. It is a city, it's a destination. It's unbelievably dynamic. And what's so unique and thrilling for a CMO of Las Vegas is that our product is always changing, always evolving. If you think back, we were known as the gaming destination. We've evolved into, we're the number one hospitality destination in the US with more hotel rooms than any other destination. And we are the entertainment capital of the world. You've got the world's best artists coming and performing on stages across destination every single night. And we've worked really hard to evolve ourselves into the sports destination as well through a lot of recent things. So really the exciting thing for me in this role is no one day is ever the same. Our product is constantly iterating and evolving, and that is a marketer's dream come true.Damian Fowler (02:10):Just on that point about the evolution of the city and the perception of it, how fast has that happened in the last, say, five, 10 years?Kate Wik (02:20):Yeah, absolutely. Incredibly fast. And so today we are known as the sports and entertainment capital of the world, but less than 10 years ago, we did not have any sports teams. Yes, sports has kind of always been in our DNA. We'd host major boxing matches in the eighties, NFR we've had for decades. NBA, we hosted their in-season tournament, NBA Summer League, but really it was through infrastructure development that really led to the explosion of sports today. So what I mean by that is we had T-Mobile Arena, which was a joint venture between MGM resorts and a EG that enabled NHL to come to town with the Vegas Golden Knights in 20 17, 20 18, we purchased the WNBA team, which we renamed the Las Vegas ACEs. And so now we've got A-W-N-B-A team. And then in 2020, of course with Allegiant Stadium, we welcome the Raiders. And so now we've got the Las Vegas Raiders, and we are, so actually in four years, we went from having zero professional sports teams to having three, and we're actively working to bring our fourth to town, which is the major league baseball. We're welcoming the Las Vegas a,Damian Fowler (03:34):Not to mention Formula One.Kate Wik (03:36):Yes, exactly. And Formula One now an annual event on our calendar. So it's a lot. It's a lot. And it creates new reasons to come to Las Vegas for our visitors. And what we found through research actually, is that the sports traveler, number one, we know sports tourism has just exploded the sports traveler. Through our research, we found that it creates a new reason to come to Las Vegas for those that haven't been here before. It creates a reason to explore the destination, see it, consider it, and then ultimately come. And then most importantly, we find that they spend more money than the average leisure traveler. So it's a really rich new audience for Las Vegas. And F1 has definitely exploded that for us too.Ilyse Liffreing (04:24):Do you know by just how much more do they spend?Kate Wik (04:27):It's usually anywhere from 500 to 800 more per trip.Ilyse Liffreing (04:31):Wow, that's a lot. And the rest on gambling,Kate Wik (04:36):AnythingIlyse Liffreing (04:36):Extra? It'sKate Wik (04:37):Funny. Gambling hasn't been, revenue from gaming hasn't been the primary source of how consumers are spending their budget while they're in town. Hasn't been that for over a decade.Ilyse Liffreing (04:51):AndKate Wik (04:51):I think it speaks to the diversification of the experience in Las Vegas. And when I say we're the entertainment capital of the world, we absolutely are. People come here to see shows, to see comedians, to experience not just like a touring show, but unbelievable residencies where our property resorts will build these amazing theaters where Lady Gaga performs, Bruno Mars performs, Adele performs, they'll create these residencies, which is unlike nowhere else in the US or world.Damian Fowler (05:26):I mean, I've been aware of that. I mean, obviously it goes right back to the Rat Pack, but more recently, like Sting had a residency there. I've been aware, IKate Wik (05:34):Just saw Backstreet Boys at the Spear, which was probably mind blowing, which was mind blowing. That's a whole nother level to the entertainment experience where it's just completely immersive that has changed the game for live music.Damian Fowler (05:48):The perception of Vegas has changed or is changing, and maybe that teases up to talk a little bit now about the new brand campaign and why this is the right moment to do it.Kate Wik (06:00):Yeah, absolutely. So we just launched a new campaign September of this year, so just a couple of weeks ago really. And the intent behind it is this notion that there are so many different reasons to come to Vegas, but there are also so many different vacation options. What we wanted to do was break through the noise and make sure that people understood that Vegas is the ultimate destination regardless of the experience you're looking for. We have it all, the breadth and depth that exists within our destination iss, it's uncomparable to any other destination. So we needed to get out there and get that message out there in big form. And why now what we found was through a lack of big brand messaging over the summer, we actually took a hit with a lot of negative headlines. And so we needed to get in front of that. And I think one of the big takeaways for marketers out there is that if you're not actively talking about your brand day in and day out, you create room for others to create their own narrative. And so after we launched the campaign, it's been about a month in market, we've seen a lot of that negativity drop because now everybody's covering, oh, here's the new elements, here are the new promotions they're doing, here are the new experiences that you can find. So it's really about driving the narrative that you want for your brand.Ilyse Liffreing (07:29):Very cool. And could you tell us a little bit about the campaign itself, maybe the creative, and then what channels are you leaning into?Kate Wik (07:36):Yeah, absolutely. In looking at how we were going to develop the work around this new brand campaign, what we wanted first and foremost was to be really authentic about Las Vegas and be very unique to a message that only Las Vegas can deliver. And so we took inspiration from our iconic welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. So it's the sign that exists literally on Las Vegas Boulevard as you drive into town. And that sign, it's 65 years old today, but it is more iconic. And the awareness on that is it puts it as one of the highest elements assets within our portfolio. So you think Las Vegas, you think of Bellagio, you think of Wynn, even Luxor or all these amazing resorts. When we show that sign, the amount of awareness of what that is and where it is and what it's for just exceeds every other asset that we have out there. So we took inspiration from that. We took the neon, the lights, the really, the notion of setting the example of fabulous Las Vegas. That's the experience that our visitors can come to expect when they come to Las Vegas. So it truly has been our brand promise for over 65 years. So that's the inspiration behind the campaign.Damian Fowler (08:57):Yeah, I can see that sign now.Ilyse Liffreing (08:59):Yes,Kate Wik (08:59):That's right.Ilyse Liffreing (09:00):Yeah, that's right. Do you have a sense of the audience that you're trying to reach and through, I guess, which channels are you trying to reach them?Kate Wik (09:10):Yeah, so we have a really diverse audience set, which is very unique for a marketer, which usually has a single product or they've got a very specific audience for that product. Vegas is really the 21 and older adult playground. And so if you look at just an average audience, it's like a 45-year-old split, 50 50 male, female, et cetera. But what we offer is an unbelievable unbeatable experience at every single price point. So we absolutely cater to that high-end luxury market, that luxury traveler, all the way down to the entry level budget conscious traveler. And so we've got products from a circus circus all the way up to a win Las Vegas. And so for us, our audience is very broad, but generally it's adult travelers, people that have traveled in the past year looking to travel again,Ilyse Liffreing (10:11):We just had Marriott on the podcast and we were talking about how more travelers now are singles and single people. And I would think that might be particularly true for Vegas. For some reason, people are coming for a new experience and to get away.Kate Wik (10:28):I think that's exactly right. Not necessarily single travelers, but the idea of it's a getaway, it's a new experience. What we find from our visitors is number one, it's really high repeat visitation because every time they come, they're finding something new. So we usually get at least 80% repeat visitation from our visitors and really high satisfaction rate, but it's that mindset of wanting to try something new. For sure. Yeah.Damian Fowler (10:56):One thing that just occurs to me as we are talking is how the awareness of Las Vegas has been so kind of embodied in so many movies and TV shows. I was just thinking, I watched the studio recently, the Seth RoganKate Wik (11:09):Show,Damian Fowler (11:09):Which I think that has a combination in Vegas whileKate Wik (11:12):I actually haven't seen it yet. So no spoilers on my list.Damian Fowler (11:16):I mean, I was thinking about Oceans 11, you can go back and back. I have to see it. But that is all kind of part of the kind of braided cultural iconography as it were of the city, I guess.Kate Wik (11:27):Yeah, I think movies represent, you almost have to think of it as a channel for marketing. It represents an amazing opportunity to penetrate culture, reach new audiences that you wouldn't normally get to talk to. And so we have a history of iconic movies. Actually this past summer, you might've seen it, but the F1 movie, that was a partnership that we did with them to make sure that they filmed in Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit. That was really important. But again, reaching new audiences, keeping us sort of at the pinnacle and sort of leading culture. Also really awesome to have Brad Pitt lead in that. I'm not going to lie. That was pretty awesome. But a ton of movies. And it's kind of interesting to think of it as almost like a marketing channel, not a traditionalIlyse Liffreing (12:17):One, but yes. Yeah, like free marketing too sometimes, because a lot of things are based in Vegas,Kate Wik (12:22):Right? On the marketing channel front, I know you had sort of asked about how do we launch the campaign, and it was very much an integrated multi-channel approach. We did everything from brand marketing, product marketing, I call it value, but it's really promotional as well as experiential. So of course, from a brand marketing point of view, TV or movies are wonderful, but there's also tv. And we launched the campaign actually with NFL kickoff, so September 4th. We know that when people tune into tv, they're tuning in really into an NFL game. That's where the most eyeballs are at any single time. So from a marketing point of view, it's great return on your investment there. So we launched with a 62nd ad on September 4th on kickoff, but really it was about making sure that this is not just a TV campaign, but it's a platform that reaches the consumer at every different touch point throughout their travel journey or through their daily life.(13:27):And so we maximized the viewership by making sure that, yes, we had a TV spot, but we partnered with the Raiders to actually take over the tunnel walk. And so when players arrive at the stadium, any stadium across the us, it's usually sort of this gray back of house space. And what we did was we installed neon all over the wall as the backdrop. And so it gave our players the sense of pride as they're walking in where they see this huge fabulous Las Vegas neon sign, and then they get a bit of a swagger. And then we partnered with GQ to cover sort of the fit that the players are wearing because that's a whole thing, this sort of new cultural moment where you've got the intersection of professional sports and these athletes in fashion. And so GQ wants to cover that. And so now the backdrop for all of this is the fabulous Las Vegas neon sign that we installed.(14:22):And so then CVS and ESPN want to cover it because they're like, oh, what's going on with the Vegas tunnel walk? And so every time Vegas shows up, we want to make sure that we're sort of breaking through the clutter. We're doing something very unique, bold and different, and whatever we do, it's sort of Vegas worthy. So I guess another channel is outdoor. We don't just buy outdoor. We worked with media partners to find these super high impact spectacular units that just command attention. So around the corner, in Times Square, we have this huge 3D board where you've got a 3D view of the iconic welcome to Las Vegas sign that rotates and dice come out, chips come out, an F1 race car comes out, right? It's a showstopper. And when you walk into Times Square, you see people taking pictures of advertising and that blows your mind.(15:21):And then on the other side of the country, we've got an actual neon installation on Sunset Boulevard. So we took, quite frankly, one of the ideas behind the campaign is let's take the neon and export it. Let's take our Neon National. And so we've got these big neon relics all across the us and so this one on Sunset Boulevard is spectacular. And then you walk across any of our resorts in Las Vegas and you see our Neon Signs Launch week. We took over all of our, well in our top 10 markets, we took over our digital outdoor boards and we had a roadblock for the whole week of launch. So just doing these big spectacular moments to capture the attention of our viewers. Wow,Damian Fowler (16:08):That's a lot that you're doing a tremendous amount, but on the other side of it, how are you kind of measuring and tracking all of these moments that you've created?Kate Wik (16:18):Yeah, I think measurement is incredibly important for any brand. We are actually consistently in market every single week with a research tracker, a brand health tracker. We've been doing it for decades. Making sure that we're keeping a finger on the pulse of our consumer is really important to us. So before we launched the campaign, obviously we tested it to see, number one, does it break through? Does it resonate? Does it deliver on the message of escape? Does it make people want to go to Las Vegas? It actually tested stronger than any other campaign that we've tested, and we test all of our campaigns. So that was pretty exciting. And then post-launch, again, we're in the market every single week. We found that we continue to uptick in terms of likability of the campaign, the campaign that makes you want to travel to Las Vegas. Those metrics are really important to us, intent to travel, and so it's continued to climb every single week since we've been in market. That's really strong. I think outside of traditional campaign testing, something that we consistently do is social listening, and so understanding what the current conversation is on social, I had mentioned this summer was a little bit rough. There was a lot of negativity out there for us. What we found was we had peaked in terms of negativity online in, gosh, in August. We launched Campaign in September, and that number has dramatically reduced, which is fantastic. It goes back to this point of you have to constantly be talking and driving your own narrative.(18:01):Otherwise if there's a void, others are going to fill it for you. That's was aIlyse Liffreing (18:05):Quick turnaround time too fromKate Wik (18:07):InIlyse Liffreing (18:07):August to launching inKate Wik (18:08):September. Absolutely. So a couple weeks. So I would say early August was peak and then Campaign formally launched September 4th, but working with our property partners to seed components of the campaign before, that was a big part of it as well. And then I think a very tactical measurement is we launched actually the first ever destination wide sale, so we called it the Fabulous Five Day Sale. Our campaign is Welcome to Fabulous, so fabulous five day sale. We wanted to make sure that we were putting a spotlight on the value that exists across the destination. And what we found was we drove four times the amount of website volume that we normally do to visit las vegas.com and that we actually were driving more referrals, so people were coming in to see what these deals were, what the sale was, this first ever limited sale, and then the traffic, the referral traffic that we were sending out to the booking engines of each of our property partners. That was 120 times the normal weekly average that we have in terms of, oh my gosh, yeah, referral, wait. So really unbelievable. It was kind of mind blowing for us in terms of the results of that. Nice.Ilyse Liffreing (19:28):And what was the reception from businesses in Las Vegas too, because that involved all of them?Kate Wik (19:34):Absolutely. Yeah. We don't launch a campaign without the support of our property partners. The reception was fabulous to use a cliche, incredibly fabulous. They leaned into it, you'll see part of the campaign. We created these neon elements and literally handed over this toolkit to our property partners so they can push out on all of their digital signage, on all of their marketing elements, sort of reflections of the campaign work as well and tie into it.Damian Fowler (20:05):Great. Just out of curiosity, is the campaign driven from the ground up by businesses or does it come top down as it were, from what your office, what's the kind of interaction?Kate Wik (20:19):Yeah. Well, the interaction is we are the DMO, the destination marketing organization for Las Vegas. So what we do is we work closely with our property partners to understand what's the business needs, what are the trends they're seeing. We do research and provide them top level trends, and then we work with them on what do we need the advertising to accomplish, and then we develop the campaigns. We're funded by them. We're actually funded by a room tax, which is paid by our visitors. And so there is complete coordination with our property partners, and we really do all of the upper funnel marketing for them. That's kind of the role we play for them.Damian Fowler (21:00):Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. I want to ask you, actually, I guess this is a big picture question. Are there other big cities that kind of have similar outreach or similar marketing campaigns, or are you unique in lots of ways?Kate Wik (21:15):I think the big destinations like New York, la, they will have a tourism authority within their destination that we'll do it for them. I think what's unique about Las Vegas is how we're funded. Again, it is through this room tax. And so generally, I'm not out there every day trying to drum up membership funds or anything. Our job is to go market the destination 365 days a year. That is why we exist. And so I think other destinations have something similar, but not quite the structure or the support behind it. And I think what is unique for Las Vegas is tourism is the number one economic driver for southern Nevada, and so we're the engine behind that. We have to make sure we're continuing to fuel that. Tourism represents 55 million or 55 billion, excuse me, in direct economic impact. That's visitors coming, spending fueling the local economy. And so the role we play matters. The advertising that we do matters because it fuels the entire ecosystem and the economic climate for Southern Nevada. Wow.Damian Fowler (22:33):Another quick question, follow up question there because you keep making me think of things. You have a lot of international visitors. Do you have a sense of where the majority of them are comingKate Wik (22:42):From? Yeah. Yeah. So international visitors are really important to us. Interesting. Canada's typically is our number one market. We have seen a decrease this year from our Canadian visitors. That's true for the US overall. We love our neighbors to the north and we welcome them back. But Canada is generally number one. Mexico is number two. Mexico is still going strong. They've actually seen growth year over year. UK is our number three market. We love our UK visitors and our partnership with F1 continues to grow that, which is phenomenal. And then interesting, our fourth market is actually Australia, and we don't have a direct flight there today, but it's an easy stopover from la. But the Australians and the Aussies, they love coming to Las Vegas. Great cultural alignment, but in general, we love all of our international visitors, and it's about anywhere from 10 to 15% of our overall visitor mix,Damian Fowler (23:46):So Cool.Ilyse Liffreing (23:47):Well, so along with just how many changes Las Vegas has seen, how would you, I guess, describe the expectations around hospitality and how that has changed over the years?Kate Wik (23:59):Gosh, hospitality, not unlike marketing, it's really fueled by tech innovation. Everything from keyless check-in, you can check in on your phone, you can use your phone as your key. All of these things have been unbelievable accelerants to a great experience, but that's across the board in every city, across the world. Technology has fueled that. I think what's unique for Las Vegas is actually doubling down on the core of who we are. And that's about service, and that's about kind of going back to the brand promise of the campaign where the welcome to fabulous Las Vegas isn't just a sign. It is the brand promise of the experience you're going to have here. And before we launched the campaign, we actually went around to all the CEOs and all the presidents of all our resort property partners to say and to remind them, we're going to launch this campaign, we're going to go back to the roots of Las Vegas. And the roots of that is hospitality, and it's about making every individual feel like somebody special that is so uniquely Las Vegas. You can walk into a circus, circus, an Excalibur, and have this mind blowing unbelievable experience. You could also walk into a Bellagio, an aria, a fountain blue, and have a mind blowing unbelievable experience. It's not based on your economic value or your financial worth. It's based on who you are as a visitor coming. We're going to deliver that unbelievable experience, and that is service related, hospitality related for us.Ilyse Liffreing (25:39):Very cool. So what's next then? How are you planning to build on the success?Kate Wik (25:44):I think for us, welcome to Fabulous is not just like an A Flash in the Pan ad campaign. What we intended to do was create a marketing platform that will just stand the test of time that will continue to iterate off of it. We have three big announcements, not yet announced, but still coming out later this year that just continue to build on this platform. So it's a platform for us as the DMO, but it's also a platform for our property partners to continue to iterate because it is so unique to us.Damian Fowler (26:20):Now we've got some kind of quickfire questions now we've looked at that bigKate Wik (26:24):Picture.Damian Fowler (26:25):What are you obsessed with figuring out right now?Kate Wik (26:29):I am obsessed with figuring out how you hack the social algorithms. And I think what's super interesting is something that can go viral that isn't necessarily representative of the brand or the experience that you have. And so really making sure that for us, it's fueling a ton of content out there to make sure that we're dominating what that narrative is. And that's not just from brand voice, it's influencers or whatever, but that social algorithms I think is really important forDamian Fowler (27:05):Brands. Yeah, absolutely. I would love to figure that out too. It seems like a kind of a magic unlock.Ilyse Liffreing (27:11):Yes. Right.Damian Fowler (27:14):Okay.Ilyse Liffreing (27:15):This year you are included on the Forbes list of 50 Fierce Global leaders.Kate Wik (27:20):Yes.Ilyse Liffreing (27:20):Congratulations. Thank you. What is one piece of wisdom you'd pass on to other marketers?Kate Wik (27:27):Oh gosh. Constant learning, constant iteration. Nothing is ever done, right? You put something out in the world, there's always a chance to continue to iterate and learn and get feedback and continue to push it further. Yeah.Damian Fowler (27:44):Another is ai, a marketer's friend.Kate Wik (27:46):Yeah, absolutely. But actually, let's be careful with that. It's a friend, but it's like a starting point, right? I think using it as information, as research, as sort of an input but not a final output is really important.Damian Fowler (28:01):I like that. That distinction is important.Ilyse Liffreing (28:03):One last fun one for you, maybe outside of the Brad Pitt movie from the summer. What's your favorite movie set in LasKate Wik (28:12):Vegas? Oh, gosh. I love Oceans 11. I mean, how can you not? I mean, it's still Brad Pitt, butDamian Fowler (28:20):Oh, yeah.Kate Wik (28:20):But it's an icon. He can be at anything, everything.Ilyse Liffreing (28:27):And that'sDamian Fowler (28:27):It for this edition of The Big Impression.Ilyse Liffreing (28:29):This show is produced by Molten Hart. Our theme is by Love and caliber, and our associate producer is Sydney Cairns.Damian Fowler (28:36):And remember,Kate Wik (28:37):If you're not actively talking about your brand day in and day out, you create room for others to create their own narrative.Damian Fowler (28:45):I'm Damian, and I'm Ilyse, and we'll see you next time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Combo's Court, Lenny Cooke returns to breakdown the biggest misconceptions about his basketball journey, the truth behind the Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James games, why the car accident — not the LeBron matchup — was the real turning point, and how he rebuilt both his mindset and his love for the game. Lenny discusses early hype, ego, missed opportunities, Summer League with the Celtics, his relationship with Sebastian Telfair, and the lessons he now shares with young players. He also talks about New York City basketball culture, the difference between players then and now, and how social media would have dramatically changed his career. Niki Avery adds insight on mindset, accountability, and her upcoming trip to Dubai to represent Team USA in the 3-on-3 World Championships. Topics Covered: – Misconceptions about Lenny Cooke's story – Carmelo Anthony showdown and key lessons – Why the LeBron game did not change his career – The car accident and its aftermath – Losing and rediscovering his love for basketball – Boston Celtics Summer League and missed opportunities – Hype, ego, and accountability – Sebastian Telfair's situation and support – Social media's impact on young players – NYC basketball: then vs now – Coaching, mentorship, and “Lessons for Life” – Lenny Cooke vs today's top prospects USE CODE COMBO ON PRIZEPICKS! Sign up on PrizePicks using the promo code “Combo.” Make a deposit of $5 or more and receive $50 instantly here: prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/COMBO Support the show: Cash App $CombosCourt | Venmo @CombosCourt Drop a review wherever you listen! FOLLOW COMBO: IG: @onetwocombo X (Twitter): @itsonetwocombo Podcast: Combo's Court on Apple, Spotify, and all podcast platforms

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY The Enjoy Run Club collection OUT NOW - get yours while supplies last at www.enjoybball.com On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss what every NBA team should be thankful for. 0:00 - Intro 12:19 - Drop The Mike 19:57 - Ja Vs. Klay 48:29 - DraftKings Pick 6 50:48 - One Thing Every NBA Team Should Be Grateful For 1:56:02 - Unplugged Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick determined what teams are Contenders and what teams are Pretenders 0:00 - Intro 2:19 - Drop the Mike 9:01 - What college he go to? 15:06 - How do y'all feel about the Timberwolves 30:42 - Mill's Man of the Week 40:02 - Who do you think is stronger? 45:43 - D Mills, the Color Commentator 1:00:00 - NOTB News 1:03:25 - Around the league 1:13:34 - The Greatest Peaks 1:39:40 - Contenders or Pretenders 2:01:35 - Unplugged Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick created the perfect 2028 Olympic roster. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick describe NBA teams using one word. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick do the first edition of Cap or No Cap this season. 0:00 - Intro 1:58 - Drop the Mike 9:36 - Cap or No Cap 9:50 - Detroit chances to win the east 14:52 - AD to the Bulls? 19:29 - Will Zion play 50 games? 35:00 - Pick 6 40:12 - OKC will win 70 games? 42:44 - Will the clippers make it to the playoffs? 45:27- Another coach will be fired this season? 48:05 - Will MPJ finish with a career high in assist? 49:43 - Will Shai win back to back MVP awards? 51:35 - Is this the last year of the Cav's core? 53:06 - 8 teams will finish with 25 wins or less? 57:33 - Are the Hawks better without Trae Young? 1:04:05 - Are the Nuggets the biggest threat to OKC? 1:06:16 - 3 point volume vs. efficiency 1:13:55 - Do the Spurs need Fox? 1:14:59 - Should we worry about Wemby's injuries? 1:16:44 - Is Cade the best player in the East? 1:17:57 - Can the Raptors turn into a high level playoff team? 1:20:50 - Should we blame GMs more? 1:27:12 - Are you confident in the Hornets rebuild without Lamelo? 1:28:44 - Do the Warriors regret not getting Lauri? 1:36:00 - Unplugged Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss everybody around the association that should be in panic mode already this NBA season. 0:00 - Intro 4:30 - Drop the Mike 12:20 - NOTB News 34:14 - Teams still going 42:50 - Mill's Man of the Week 59:10 - Potential ROY candidate update 1:16:01 - NBA Panic Meter 1:49:25 - What is sagging off? 2:00:00 - Unplugged #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss the perfect fit for Anthony Davis to get traded to. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick graded every NBA city jersey for this season. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick answer the hardest questions around the NBA so far this season. 0:00 - Intro 8:48 - Drop the Mike 12:12 - The 2021 Re-draft 31:39 - Last night's recap 1:11:29 - Mill's Man of the Week 1:51:10 - Questions for NBA teams? 2:08:00 - Unplugged #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick bring back the tier lists and rank which teams are the best to watch or worst to watch. Do you agree or disagree with their list?   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick debate on if there are how many true contenders for an NBA title this season after watching the first few weeks of the season. Plus - Pierre kicks off talking about who to watch this NCAA College Basketball season! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in Pick6 Credits. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick give their take on who will be first time NBA All-Stars this season after seeing some standout performances so far. Do you agree with some of the names? Who's missing? Let us know in the comments! 0:00 - Intro 12:30 - Drop the Mike 15:57 - Announcer Moments 22:30 - How bad is the Ja Morant Situation? 38:30 - DraftKings Pick 6 43:42 - The Dwight Howard trade 44:58 - Last nights recap 1:10:58 - First Time All - Stars 1:30:00 - Unplugged Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as Pick6 Credits that are non-withdrawable, single use, have no cash value, and are used prior to any cash or DK Dollars and expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 12/2/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick give out their 'WAY TOO EARLY' NBA Awards after only two weeks of the NBA Season! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in bonus picks. Sign up using dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick did a random draft to see who could draft the best squad! Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Picks that expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 11/3/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back, friends! In this episode, I sit down with Logan Kelly-Sullivan, Senior Performance Physical Therapist for the San Antonio Spurs.  Logan and I connected at the NBPTA networking event during Summer League this summer and I really enjoyed chatting with him (over a Dos Equis of course).  He mentioned he was studying cartilage injuries as part of his PhD and I knew I had to get him on here to share more about that!  We get into cartilage diagnosis, treatment decision making, load management and biologics, along with some other thoughts from Logan on career development.  Yall are in for a good one!   Clinical Athlete FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1D5aW17jxG/

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in bonus picks. Sign up using dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick discuss which coaches are on the hot seat so far this season! They also cover which players are needed back by their team the most. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Picks that expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 11/3/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in bonus picks. Sign up using dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick over react to players they think have been impressive and disappointing. They also give a recap on how teams have looked in the first few games. 0:00 - Intro 02:00 - Drop the Mike 04:23 - Last night Recap 21:24 - Out East struggles 36:00 - DraftKings Sponsor 40:53 - Trae Young and the Hawk's struggles 52:12 - The Blazers' defense has been great 55:25 - What are the Grizzlies doing? 59:35 - 1st pick-a-thon 1:00:25 - The Raptors are disappointing 1:05:20 - The 76ers are interesting 1:13:30 - Should the Pacers and the Celtics tank? 1:23:00 - Unplugged Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Picks that expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 11/3/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick give their honest thoughts so far on the start of the NBA season for each team! 0:00 - Intro 3:21 - Drop the Mike 15:45 - Mills' Man of the week 18:37 - NOTB News 36:58 - Reacting to NBA teams starts 36:58 - Bucks 44:40 - Mavs 52:30 - Lakers 58:28 - Rockets 1:02:50 - Cavs 1:08:08 - Nets 1:08:41 - Bulls 1:13:43 - Thunder 1:18:20 - Hawks 1:18:44 - Knicks 1:20:30 - Magic 1:21:54 - Hornets 1:22:52 - Celtics 1:26:04 - Grizzles 1:27:00 - Spurs 1:29:36 - Warriors 1:31:27 - 76ers 1:34:10 - Raptors 1:40:41 - Heat 1:43:23 - Jazz 1:47:25 - Clippers 1:48:13 - Suns 1:51:19 - Timberwolves 1:54:14 - Trail Blazers 1:56:20 - Nuggets 1:57:43 - Pacers 2:00:12 - Pistons 2:01:27 - Kings 2:02:42 - Overall recap #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in bonus picks. Sign up using https://dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick talk about seeing some of the veterans in the league like Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, DeAndre Ayton and more are looking on their new teams. Also the guys highlight the Finals rematch between OKC and IND in that crazy double overtime game. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit https://ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see https://dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Picks that expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 11/3/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New DraftKings customers Play just $5 on your first pick set and get $50 in bonus picks. Sign up using dkng.co/enjoy or through promo code ENJOY On this episode of 'Numbers On The Board' - Kenny, Pierre, Mike and Darrick give their selections for which NBA Player will exceed their expectations. Plus - they preview tonight's NBA 2025-2026 Tipoff Games between the Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets v Oklahoma City Thunder. 0:00 - Intro 06:36 - Drop the Mike 10:49 - NOTB News 11:00 - Ranking the Latest NBA Deals 40:10 - Draft Kings Pick 6 Selection for 10.21.25 Games 45:00 - OKC Thunder / Houston Rockets Preview 50:50 - Los Angeles Lakers / Golden State Warriors Preview 57:46 - Who did he play for? 1:09:53 - Entrance interviews/Expectations Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ (19+ AL/NE, 21+ AZ/MA/VA). Valid only where Pick6 operates, see dkng.co/pick6states. Void in NY, ONT, and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first Pick Set to receive max. $50 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Picks that expire in 14 days (336 hours). Ends 11/3/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: pick6.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings. #NumbersOnTheBoard #NBA #Basketball #Hoops #NBATipOff Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter and Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The report that both Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara signed four-year contract extensions on Sunday• Why it makes sense to settle business before the start of the regular season• The Trail Blazers now having a wing rotation of Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija under contract for the next three seasons• Portland now having 18 players (15 on NBA contracts and three on two-way contracts), the maximum number of players under contract• Why Shaedon Sharpe's contract, reportedly worth $90 million over four seasons, is a good deal for both the player and the team• Toumani Camara going from a late second-round pick to one of Portland's most important players over the course of two seasons• Both Sharpe and Camara being rewarded for what they've already done and getting paid for what they could be• The Trail Blazers signing Javonte Cooke to their third and final two-way contract

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• Finishing up training camp with the season opener scheduled for Wednesday• Recapping losses to the Warriors and Jazz in the last two games of preseason play• Both Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday having their best offensive games of preseason versus Utah• What, if anything, to make of statistics during the preseason• Shaedon Sharpe extension eligible until Monday afternoon• Trail Blazers waive Javonte Cooke through he could come back on a two-way• Rounding up all of Portland's current injuries • The Trail Blazers starting their 2025-26 regular season Wednesday night versus the Timberwolves at Moda Center

On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...• The Pacific Northwest being the center of the sporting world at the moment• Brooke's Mariners fandom (If you are watching the Mariners on tape delay, skip this podcast)• Thoughts on the Trail Blazers' first two preseason games versus the Warriors in Golden State and versus the Kings at Moda Center• The Trail Blazers looking like a team that is ready for the regular season• Chauncey Billups is pushing the right buttons• The play of Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Yang Hansen and Blake Wesley• What to watch for in the last two preseason games versus the Warriors (again) and Jazz• You don't get to complain about "spoilers" in live sports

Send us a textOn the latest edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter and Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers getting to 1-1 for the preseason by beating the Kings Friday night at Moda Center• Portland doing Friday night versus the Kings what they couldn't do Wednesday night versus the Warriors in San Francisco• Deni Avdija gets the start versus the Kings after coming off the bench versus the Warriors• Jerami Grant coming off the bench versus the Kings in the first half and the starting in the second half• Trail Blazers rookie center Yang Hansen putting on an absolute show during a six-minute stretch of the third quarter versus the Kings• Hansen's confidence seemingly growing every time he does something right• Hansen bouncing back from a lackluster debut versus the Warriors and a so-so first half versus the Kings, which will serve him well throughout his rookie season• Understanding the comparisons between Yang Hansen and Nikola Jokic• The upcoming games versus the Warriors on Tuesday and the Jazz on Wednesday• Making wild guesses about what lineups Chauncey Billups might try in the final two preseason games 

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers losing to to the Warriors in the first of their four-game preseason schedule• The game goes down as a loss, but it was really a win for the Trail Blazers• Chauncey Billups following through on his promise to "tinker" with the starting lineup by starting Shaedon and Jerami and bringing Deni off the bench• The play of Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija in Wednesday's loss to the Warriors• Everything that we've heard from Shaedon Sharpe 's performance in training camp being reflected in the game versus Golden State• Yang Hansen's first preseason game

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• Portland having, by all accounts, a great first week of their 2025 training camp• Building off what they've already done on defense and installing a retooled offense• New assistant coaches, efficiency and intensity • The play of Shaedon Sharpe and Yang Hansen at training camp• The 2025 Toyota Fan Fest that saw Shaedon Sharpe win MVP (again)• Jrue Holiday, Yang Hansen, Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija stand out at Fan Fest• Trail Blazers begin their four-game preseason schedule Wednesday versus the Warriors in San Francisco 

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider discusses...• Trail Blazers' executives having discussions with Tom Dundon, who is heading up a group that has agreed to purchase the franchise• Injuries to Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III and how those might effect the start of the season• Both Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara being up for contract extensions• Everyone loves Yang Hansen• Who starts on Opening Night with four of the five spots seemingly secured• Comments from Chauncey Billups and numerous players about Portland's defensive potential • Fan Fest is Saturday at Moda Center

Warriors have free agency commitments from Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II on the eve of NBA media day. However, still no resolution for Jonathan Kuminga's contract situation. Dalton Johnson and Monte Poole break down the impact of these moves on "Dubs Talk."(02:00) - Warriors finally make free agency moves with commitments to Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II plus add second round draft pick Will Richard to the roster as well(08:00) - Al Horford adds veteran leadership to the "Olden" State Warriors(11:00) - De'Anthony Melton is a great backcourt compliment to Steph Curry(15:30) - Bringing back Gary Payton II adds much needed defensive versatility for Steve Kerr and Warriors(21:30) - Deals won't officially be signed until Jonathan Kuminga situation get sorted out(23:30) - Will Richard was most NBA ready Warrior at Summer League earning himself a roster spot(28:00) - Has Warriors complicated offseason hurt the team? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• Portland's 2025 training camp starting on Monday with Media Day• The main storylines, including whether Shaedon Sharpe starts and if Yang Hansen cracks the rotation, heading into training camp• The team announcing on Friday that Scoot Henderson will be out for at least a month with a torn hamstring and what that means for the Trail Blazers • Fan Fest, presented by Toyota, scheduled for October 4• The Damian Lillard Reunion Rally last Sunday at Pioneer Courthouse Square and why it was important• The upgrades to the Moda Center big screen and the new video boards installs on the end zones

En este episodio les comparto el reporte de lo que aconteció durante el verano del 2025 con nuestros jugadores activos en el exterior, mayormente durante los meses de julio y agosto. Summer League, firmas y mucho más. ¡Que Disfrutes!

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Damian Lillard reunion rally this Sunday at Pioneer Courthouse Square• The Rip City Rally is underway• Deni Avdija earning "All-Star Second Team" honors at EuroBasket 2025• Brian Grant and Terry Porter reportedly taking on new roles with the Trail Blazers and the franchise making a concerted effort to bring former players back to the organization

Send us a textOn this edition of the Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The competition at EuroBasket (aka the European Championships)• There being no dominate European teams despite the number of MVP-caliber international players• The play of Deni Avdija and Israel advancing to the knockout round by going 3-1 in group play with one game to go• The possibility of both Deni and Luka Doncic sitting in the last group game for both Israel and Slovenia• The Rip City Remix releasing their 2025-26 regular season schedule• Whether Yang Hansen might see some times with the Remix during his rookie season

John Hollinger & Nate Duncan take a look back at the 2024 NBA Draft after Summer League and redraft the top-10 picks. Where does #1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher land? How about RoY Stephon Castle? What does Nate think of his top tier Reed Sheppard and Alex Sarr a year on? Which guys have moved up a lot?Then we give out a few more of our fake awards from Summer League, and attempt to answer the question of how many more championships OKC will win with this core? Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM Subscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see the key moments from the pod each week.Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.

Combo sits down with Coach Nick of BBall Breakdown live from Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas to break down Dylan Harper's game and NBA outlook. They also dive into the Spurs' new look and discuss how good Wemby can be this upcoming season! Recorded in July from Vegas!!

John and Nate pick their standouts from summer league in the following categories:Who will be the best rookie this year, and who will have the best career?Who changed your opinion the most for the better?Most disappointing player?“I nailed this one,” guys who looked exactly like we thought they wouldWho are you worried about?Best defensive player?Best rookie in the 2nd half of the first round?Best “sleeper,” 2nd round or undrafted?Premature victory lap guy Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM Subscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see the key moments from the pod each week.Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.

Nate and Danny look at Summer League prospects for the Portland Trail Blazers, including Yang Hansen.⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠⁠Warriors-Josh GiddeyChicago BullsJoe MazzullaCoachesImmanuel QuickleyRookie-scale extensionsNikola JokicSophomores⁠Full Daily Duncs with links⁠ Join Dunc'd On Prime! It's the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FMSubscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see watch this free pod twice a week.Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.

John and Nate discuss the Mikal Bridges extension and potential implications for the Knicks before answering listener mailbag questions covering NBA comparisons to tennis legends, potential first-time All-Stars, NBA expansion updates, Summer League standouts, and salary cap complexities.Timestamps:Intro and Mikal Bridges Extension Analysis: 00:00Mailbag: NBA Comparisons to Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray: 13:19Mailbag: Most Likely First-Time All-Stars for Upcoming Season: 19:56Mailbag: NBA Expansion and Possibility of Relocation vs. New Teams: 25:47Mailbag: NBA's Potential New European League Plans: 29:26Mailbag: Former Summer League Standouts Still Worth Watching: 33:46Mailbag: How the Hawks Should Use Their $13 Million Trade Exception: 42:05Mailbag: Reevaluating the 2024 Draft Class After One Year: 43:55Mailbag: Pathways for Spurs to Reach Finals in Next Three Years: 50:16Mailbag: Explanation of NBA Salary Escrow System: 54:55Mailbag: Should the NBA Adjust Second Apron Rules for Teams Retaining Drafted Players?: 55:50 Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM You can get 35% off a year membership to Dunc'd On Prime in honor of the legendary Mock Offseason episode with code mockoffseason2025. DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FMSubscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see the key moments from the pod each week.Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe fresh off Summer League to discuss the hottest NBA news, including rumors of a new international basketball league, the Pelicans, and the Kings (3:17). They also react to the Clippers making some significant offseason moves and L.A. being a possible landing spot for Giannis in the future (30:13). Finally, they talk about the Heat in the upcoming season, LeBron James, and more (55:04). Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Zach Lowe Producers: Chia Hao Tat and Eduardo Ocampo The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit⁠ www.rg-help.com⁠ to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Verno and Jacoby congratulate the Charlotte Hornets on winning this year's Summer League and briefly discuss why Nikola Jokic's brother was still in Las Vegas watching a random game between the Grizzlies and Clippers. Next, the guys each share two teams that they want to see more of and less of after watching all of Summer League. Lastly, they discuss Chris Paul's possible last run in a return to the Clippers, Marcus Smart signing with the Lakers, and Damian Lillard's homecoming. (0:00) Welcome To The Mismatch!(0:20) Kon Knueppel Leads Hornets Winning Summer League(2:15) Was Jokic's Brother Looking for Verno?(8:22) Teams We Want To See MORE(9:45) Verno: Utah Jazz(14:25) Jacoby: Atlanta Hawks(18:05) Verno: Charlotte Hornets(28:05) Jacoby: Dallas Mavericks(36:55) Teams We Want To See LESS(37:10) Verno: Miami Heat(41:55) Jacoby: Sacramento Kings(44:05) Verno: New Orleans Pelicans(48:35) Jacoby: Toronto Raptors(51:15) Chris Paul Returns To The Clippers!(57:00) Marcus Smart Signs with The Lakers(58:30) Dame Returns to Portland(1:03:20) Verno's Going to NYC Leave us a message on our Mismatch Voicemail line! (323) 389-5091 Hosts: Chris Vernon and David JacobyProducers: Jessie Lopez and Tucker TashjianSocial: Keith Fujimoto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Stretch we start by discussing Bears training camp and how you can't get tickets anymore (1:08). Then we get into how we just love watching WSD exist (8:07) and how Moneyball ruined baseball (10:52). WSD doesn't agree with Cubs fans that think the sky is falling (13:18) and he couldn't be prouder that his White Sox swept the Pirates (23:57). Next we get into the NBA Summer League and the Bulls new signing, standing at 5'8 (25:14). Then we talk about the WNBA new upcoming CBA (27:10) and how the MLS is a pyramid scheme (29:30). We discuss how Steven Cheah will make anyone hate anything, specifically the Chicago Sky (39:54) and talk about the upcoming Baldstool reunion (44:55). Big Cat addresses Dave about how he schooled him in the home run derby (48:29). We close things out by discussing the Rob Ford doc, our weird internet obsessions (52:19) and a shoutout to Dustin Poirier (55:43).You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/redlineradio

Live from Summer League in Las Vegas, Bomani Jones is joined by Kid Mero. They discuss some of the unseen activities of NBA players at Summer League (2:49), react to Clipse's newest Album Let God Sort Em Out (16:33), Drake's latest shenanigans overseas (19:56) and break down the New York Knicks' chances of winning the NBA Finals. (23:31) . . . Subscribe to Supercast for Ad-Free Episodes: https://righttime.supercast.com/ Buy 'The Right Time' merch: http://therighttimebomani.com/ Subscribe to The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok for all the best moments from the show. Download Full Podcast Here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6N7fDvgNz2EPDIOm49aj7M?si=FCb5EzTyTYuIy9-fWs4rQA&nd=1&utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-right-time-with-bomani-jones/id982639043?utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Follow The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Social Media: http://lnk.to/therighttime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most comprehensive pieces of journalism surrounding Joel Embiid drops out of nowhere. Please, set an hour aside and give it a read. The Corner Three's very own, Zo, joins Mike to break down the article. Plus, Paul George gets an arthroscopic procedure and Summer League is still happening. The Rights To Ricky Sanchez is presented by Draft Kings Sportsbook.Kornblau and Kornblau is the official law firm of the Process.Get 20% off anything at Body Bio dot com with the code mentioned in pod.Surfside Iced Tea & Vodka is the official canned cocktail of The RickyGambling problem? Call one eight hundred Gambler. In New York, call eight seven seven eight HOPENY or text HOPENY (four six seven three six nine). In Connecticut, Help is available for problem gambling. Call eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit ccpg dot org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (Kansas). Twenty-one plus age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire seven days after isuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see D K N G dot CO slash AUDIO.

Verno and Jacoby recap this weekend's action and buzz around Summer League. Verno shares the slights and sounds of being in Las Vegas for the event, from the vibes around Thomas & Mack Center, to watching Kelly Clarkson, and finding the elusive “Target guy” who predicted Cedric Coward will become the best player in this draft class. Next, the guys each share three players who impressed them over the weekend at Summer League. Then, the guys briefly discuss some of the news around the league including what the Lakers will do with LeBron James, Paul George's latest surgery, Wemby's return, and more. (0:00) Welcome to The Mismatch!(0:25) Verno's Summer League Takeaways(5:05) Verno Met Jokic's Brother(10:05) Verno's Summer League Takeaways(18:15) Target Guy Met Verno In Vegas (Cedric Coward Prophet)(30:28) Verno's Summer League Takeaways(35:40) Favorite Summer League Player: Joan Beringer(42:00) Favorite Summer League Player: Tre Johnson(47:08) Favorite Summer League Player: Kyle Filipowski(52:00) Favorite Summer League Player: Drew Timme(54:40) Favorite Summer League Player: Ron Holland(57:50) Favorite Summer League Player: Yang Hansen(1:02:30) Reaction to The LeBron Drama(1:04:20) Joel Embiid + Paul George Health Updates(1:06:35) Wemby's Back to Training(1:09:10) MPJ: "Well, I'm Traded."(1;11:00) Love Island Finale Reaction Leave us a message on our Mismatch Voicemail line! (323) 389-5091 Hosts: Chris Vernon and David JacobyProducers: Jessie Lopez and Tucker TashjianSocial: Keith Fujimoto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VJ Edgecombe still isn't playing at Summer League, so we briefly discuss the play of everyone else, then go deep into Daryl Morey's comments at Summer League about the roster, Edgecombe, the CBA and Joel Embiid, including whether the Sixers achieved their goal of getting younger and more athletic. Finally, we talk about the CBA and its implications on team building and how the NBA could change it to make it both simpler and more interesting. The Rights To Ricky Sanchez is presented by Draft Kings SportsbookGet Customer Support that doesn't suck with Ethos Support at ethossupport.com/ricky or text or call Blair at (240)-593-2485Briggs Auction is the official auction of The Ricky at briggsauction.comKornblau Law is the official law firm of The Ricky at https://kornblaulaw.com/Surfside Iced Tea & Vodka is the official canned cocktail of The Ricky