Hear District

After returning to the team as a significant minority owner, Milwaukee Bucks legend Junior Bridgeman joins Hear District and reminisces with his former teammate Marques Johnson about their decades long friendship. From the time they played against one another in the NCAA Final Four to Junior's reaction to the team drafting Johnson, they provide incredible insight into the chemistry and commitment...

This week, former Bucks first round pick, T.J. Ford joins Hear District. After reaching the Final Four and being named player of the year his sophomore season at Texas, T.J. Ford was picked #8 in the historic 2003 NBA Draft. He dishes on his love for Milwaukee and why his relationship with the team and its fans is so special, even after all these years. He also talks about being a part of one of t...

Milwaukee Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton joined Marques Johnson & Kris Johnson to discuss his incredible journey with basketball and an inside perspective on Milwaukee’s offseason transactions over the past two seasons. Their conversation begins with a look at Newton’s basketball life, starting with the influential D.C. basketball scene and his early days as a player before transition...

Legendary sharpshooter and Milwaukee hoops legend Steve Novak joins Marques and Kris to break down the state of Wisconsin’s basketball culture, his journeyman NBA career, being Giannis’ teammate and much more. The crew begins with a discussion about coming from basketball families, what it’s like being coached by a father and how that influenced their coaching styles when it was their turn to coac...

Another week, another Naismith Hall of Fame journalist on Hear District. This week, Marques and Kris are joined by David Aldridge, senior NBA columnist at The Athletic. Aldridge was honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2016 by the Naismith Hall of Fame. He discusses what it was like growing up in Washington, DC, and the rich history of basketball greats from the region. He then reacts to Cha...

Naismith Hall of Fame journalist, Marc J. Spears, is the special guest on Hear District this week. Spears, who is a senior NBA writer for ESPN's race, culture, and sports platform, Andscape, was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023 when he was recognized with the Curt Gowdy Media Award. He chronicles formative moments in his two decade-plus journey as a sportswriter, and how his Bay Are...

It's a reunion on Hear District this week with former Bucks digital reporter, Zora Stephenson, joining the show. For four years, Zora worked alongside Marques during Bucks broadcasts, and even became the first woman in Bucks history to act as a play-by-play announcer. The six-time Emmy winner now does play-by-play and sideline reporting for NBC Sports, and recently covered gymnastics and men's and...

This week on Hear District, Marques and Kris celebrate Schedule Release Day! And who better to celebrate with than the NBA's SVP of game scheduling, Tom Carelli. Tom explains how he got into the wild world of scheduling games, and how it was at first done by hand one game at a time, and now the NBA sifts through billions of possible combinations before deciding on a final schedule for each team. T...

This week on Hear District, Marques and Kris are joined by 4-time NBA All-Star, Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson. One of the most promising and electric point guards of his generation, he was drafted #4 overall in 1978 by the New York Knicks and led the NBA in assists and steals in just his second season in the league. He opens up about what it was like being the only black player on the basketball...

This week, Marques and Kris are joined by ESPN's senior NBA writer, Ramona Shelburne, who sheds light on her Los Angeles roots and why she was such a valuable recruit for the Stanford softball team, where she played in college. As the executive producer of FX's hit show, Clipped, which airs on Hulu, Ramona details how she turned her reporting on disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald...

This week, Bomani Jones joins the show! The ESPN and HBO alum, Emmy Award winner, and host of The Right Time with Bomani Jones podcast speaks about what made Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's participation as flagbearer in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics so meaningful, why Giannis and superstar teammate Damian Lillard are the top duo in the Eastern conference, and how Bucks coach Doc Ri...

This week on Hear District, Marques and Kris share their takeaways from NBA Summer League and highlight the Bucks players whose performances they found most encouraging. They also break down the exciting additions GM Jon Horst has made to the roster, including Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr., and share why these three players in particular will impact the team on both ends of the...

This week, Marques and Kris are thrilled to host Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach, and the team's coach for this year's NBA Summer League, Pete Dominguez. Dominguez explains why his lack of basketball success on the court paved the way for his passion for coaching. Then, he speaks about how he first got into the coaching profession and how he was in the right place at the right time to begin his ca...

Fresh off their introductory press conference, Milwaukee Bucks rookie draft picks AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith join Marques and Kris for an exclusive interview on this week's episode of Hear District. Johnson opens up about the challenges of playing professionally in Australia, and Smith reveals how Overtime Elite and the G-League Ignite helped him develop his game. Then, Marques and Kris weigh the...

Bucks beat reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jim Owczarski, joins Marques and Kris this week to break down the Bucks draft picks, AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith. Marques does some reporting of his own and shares a revealing conversation he had with first round pick AJ Johnson's high school basketball coach. After getting into Jim's love for Wu-Tang Clan, the three of them discuss Giannis' r...

Bucks legend and Naismith Hall of Famer, Sidney Moncrief, is one of the greatest two-way basketball players in the history of the NBA. Alongside his former All-NBA teammate, Marques Johnson, the Bucks were perennial contenders under head coach, Don Nelson. This week, Moncrief joins Marques and Kris on Hear District to discuss how he became one of the toughest players of his era. Moncrief reacts to...

Naismith Hall of Famer, Olympian, and longtime broadcaster and executive for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, Ann Meyers, joins Marques and Kris Johnson this week. Meyers was so accomplished in her basketball career that she became the first woman to ever sign an NBA free agent contract. She shares what it was like to break barriers throughout her life, as well as how Caitlin Clark would benefit from...

It's a special Johnson family edition of Hear District this week as the King of NBA Twitter, and co-host of Gil's Arena, Josiah Johnson, and one of the stars of BET+'s All the Queen's Men, J. Marques Johnson, join their father, Marques, and brother, Kris, to talk about the pressures of growing up in the shadow of their All-Star father. Josiah also speaks about working with LeBron James on his new...

On this episode, Marques and Kris Johnson memorialize NBA icon and their dear friend, Bill Walton. They share cherished memories and reflect on the Big Red Head’s legacy on and off the court. Then, longtime Bucks fan favorite John Henson comments on the infamous Matt Bartnes incident and recalls his earliest experience with Giannis Antetokounmpo and how former coach Jason Kidd pushed him and Khris...

Longtime NBA player Matt Barnes is this episode's guest with Marques and Kris Johnson! The three UCLA alums talk about Matt's time under Doc Rivers in L.A., toughness in sports, how you evolve as an adult while being a high-level athlete, Matt's interaction with John Henson almost a decade ago, why paying attention to mental health is so important now, and what he sees coming up for the Bucks.

This week, Marques and Kris react to the NBA's pair of Game 7s with MJ diving into the mindset of playing in a Game 7. They hit on some other hot NBA topics before talking with Bucks Mental Performance Coach Dr. Craig Manning about his role with the team and how he sees athletes changing how they operate with mental health. The episode wraps up with some news about Jon Horst and a discussion about...

On this episode, Marques and Kris welcome everyone into Mental Health Awareness month by sharing their own personal experiences and having a discussion on the importance of recognizing when something's not feeling right. They also dive into the latest Bucks coaching staff news and recap some of the latest NBA Playoffs storylines!

Marques and Kris react to the Bucks-Pacers series, analyzing the series loss for Milwaukee. What were some of the missed opportunities, and what were some of the silver linings from guys like Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard? Plus, the guys start to take a look at the offseason ahead for the Bucks.

Marques and Kris Johnson react to Games 3 and 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks series against the Indiana Pacers. How did the team battle without their two leading scorers? What can they do to get back into the series and force a Game 6?

Three California Guys talking ball. That's what Marques Johnson coined a special episode of Hear District when he and Kris Johnson are joined by Milwaukee Bucks legend Brandon Jennings.