Hello and Welcome

One week away from the start of training camp, Will and Alex discuss Vince Carter’s retirement ceremony in November, the city edition jerseys, Bruce Brown’s injury, Christian Koloko signing with the Lakers, Rogers taking over the Raptors, Woj’s retirement, and more. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit...

Will, Alex, and Jerome share their respective 15-song playlist for the summer and chat about their evolving music tastes, how they’re still finding ways to discover new artists, Will’s love for Dead Prez, and more. Listen to the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B6qDFMAAsIdKViKC1gEvh?si=4bc822068bd94926 #playlist #music #summermusic #chappellroan #newjeans #oasis #mamushi Reach out...

Will and Alex sort all 30 teams into their respective tiers and discuss what might derail Boston’s chances at a repeat, who should be the favorite in the West heading into the season, whether the Mavericks’ Finals run was a fluke, the Grizzlies and Pacers as potential surprise teams, what’s going on with the Clippers and Heat, which rebuilding team has the best young core moving forward, and more....

Welcome to the official end of the summer. We’re less than 50 days from the start of the regular season and Will is ready for the Raptors season to start. On this episode, Will sits down with Alex and proposes 10 reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. They discuss Scottie’s All-NBA case, rookies most likely to break out, 30th anniversary plans, and more. A Raptors and NBA podcast hosted by...

Will, Alex, and Jerome answer questions about biggest player leaps on the Raptors roster, niche former players appearing for 30th anniversary celebrations, best pregame fits, most memorable Raptors games, what it means to have generational talent, and share emails from listeners on their fandom. Later, they chat about: tattoo ideas, generational wealth, Letterboxd, if podcasting is cool, favorite...

Will and Alex review the Raptors’ 2024-25 schedule and predict the results of all 82 games (spoiler: they go pretty far in the Emirates NBA Cup tournament). Later, they chat about how fans are going to approach watching a basketball team go through a re-tooling process.  Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our me...

Will and Alex wrap up their Olympic coverage with Lindsay Dunn, as she shares her favorite memories from Paris her run-in with friend of the program Yuta Watanabe, where Team Canada’s basketball programs go from here, and much more. Later, Will, Alex, and Lindsay chat about Guerschon Yabusele’s surprise run, the legacy of LeBron/Steph/KD, Jayson Tatum’s benching, and their favorite sports to watch...

Will is joined by Oren and Libaan to recap Team Canada’s senior men’s basketball team’s run at the 2024 Summer Olympics and discuss: whether their quarterfinals loss to France was more of a disappointment or failure, Jamal Murray’s struggles, whether the team needs a second option next to Shai, potential prospects who might solve their big man problem, if Team Canada should look into naturalizing...

Will and Alex recaps Canada’s 82-73 loss to France in the quarterfinals and take questions from the live audience at their Annex Hotel watch party.  Three stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Khem Birch/ the Annex Hotel watch party fans.  Gerald Henderson award: Mathias Lessort/ Guershon Yabusele  Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the...

Will recaps Canada’s 88-85 win over Spain to finish 3-0 in group play.    Three stars: Andrew Nembhard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett  Gerald Henderson award: Dario Brizuela Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click on the merch link. Original Music by DIVISI...

Will and Alex preview Team Canada men’s national basketball team’s Friday matchup against Spain, look ahead to potential opponents in the quarterfinals, and discuss Jamal Murray’s bench role and RJ Barrett’s impressive tournament run so far. Later, they chat about the Raptors’ 30th anniversary logo. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelco...

Will recaps Canada’s 86-76 win over Australia and answers questions about Andrew Nembhard’s role off the bench, a potential matchup against Team USA in the knockout round, and more.  Three stars: RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort.  Gerald Henderson award: Jock Landale.  Will recaps Canada’s 86-76 win over Australia and answers questions about Andrew Nembhard’s role off th...

Will breaks down Canada’s senior men’s basketball team’s 86-79 win over Greece to begin the 2024 Summer Olympics. Three stars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks Gerald Henderson award: Kostas Papanikolaou Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click on the merch lin...

Will is joined by Oren Weisfeld to chat about Jamal Murray’s role on Team Canada, the absences of Andrew Wiggins and Zach Edey, Jordi Fernandez’s coaching approach, why Dillon Brooks excels in the FIBA environment, and more. Later, the two look at expectations for the senior women’s basketball team, the potential of younger players on the roster including Syla Swords and Cassandre Prosper, and the...

Will, Alex, and Jerome recap their weeklong trip to Las Vegas Summer League and discuss former Raptor run-ins, no limit poker at the Golden Nugget, favorite food spots, media parties, casino bans, being stranded at the airport, and much more. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and c...

Will and Alex discuss the Raptors’ decision to waive Sasha Vezenkov and Javon Freeman-Liberty and run through potential remaining free agency options for the roster. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click on the merch link. Original Music by DIVISION 88. Hello and Welcome is p...

Will recaps Toronto’s 86-76 summer league loss to Utah and discusses Ulrich Chomche’s unique journey to the NBA, Ochai Agbaji’s development, and more.  Three stars: Ja'Kobe Walter, Branden Carlson, DJ Carton Gerald Henderson Award: Cole Swider Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show...

Will recaps Toronto’s 86-76 summer league loss to Utah and discusses Ulrich Chomche’s unique journey to the NBA, Ochai Agbaji’s development, and more.  Three stars: Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jamal Shead, Ulrich Chomche Gerald Henderson Award: Kyle Filipowski Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hello...

Will and Alex discuss Gradey Dick’s development for year 2, Jamal Shead’s impressive start at summer league, and their initial takeaways about the Raptors incoming rookie class after two games in Vegas. Later, they chat about Christian Koloko’s potential return to the NBA and where Gary Trent Jr. might end up. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info...

Will recaps Toronto’s 84-81 win over the Denver Nuggets at Summer League and answers listener questions.  Three stars: Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Javon Freeman-Liberty Gerald Henderson Award: Julian Strawther Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click on the merch link. Ori...

Will reacts to the Raptors’ impressive summer league win over the Thunder and shares his first impressions of the team’s new rookie class. Three Stars: Gradey Dick, Branden Carlson, Jamal Shead Gerald Henderson award: Ajay Mitchell  Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click...

Will reacts to Team Canada’s 86-72 loss in Las Vegas against Team USA and talks about the absence of Andrew Wiggins and Zach Edey, toughest opponents at the Olympics, and more.  Three Stars: Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk.  Gerald Henderson award: Jrue Holiday. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out...

Will and Alex discuss Masai’s presser on Monday and what’s next for Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley. Later, they rank the league’s best young cores. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hellowelcome.show and click on the merch link. Original Music by DIVISION 88. Hello and Welcome is presented by...

Will and Alex answer listener questions about: Bruce Brown (again), Gary Trent Jr.’s free agency market, the Raptors’ timeline for contending, the team’s identity for next season, if Gradey Dick should start, what Davion Mitchell can bring to the team, what to expect from the upcoming 30th anniversary season, and Jakob Poeltl’s future with the team. Later, the two discuss assorted topics including...

Will and Alex are joined by theScore’s Joseph Casciaro to grade the Raptors offseason and answer key questions from this year’s free agency including: the long-term impact of the second apron, the second-best team in the East, the Thunder as favorites in the West, what the Clippers are planning to do in the post-Paul George era, the most underrated move of the offseason, and more. Reach out to the...