Hello and Welcome

Will Lou breaks down the Toronto Raptors' 130-119 win over the Indiana Pacers. He discusses RJ Barrett's season-high 39 points, Darko Rajakovic's timeouts to snap runs, and Jakob Poeltl's underrated importance to the Raptors. Three stars: RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Garrett Temple Gerald Henderson award: Quenton Jackson Most Important Guy: Garrett Temple Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail...

Will Lou talks to draft expert Sam Vecenie about the loaded 2025 NBA draft class, which includes blue chippers Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey. They also discuss other potential top-5 picks and hand out early grades on Toronto Raptors rookies. 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 clic...

Will Lou and Samson Folk recaps the Toronto Raptors' 126-123 OT loss to the Boston Celtics. They discuss RJ Barrett's stellar passing performance, Jakob Poeltl's career-high of 35 points, and how Gradey Dick can counter aggressive defenses. Three stars: Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, Davion Mitchell Gerald Henderson award: Sam Hauser Most Important Guy: Whoever designed the Raptors VC city edition jers...

Will Lou recaps the Toronto Raptors'99-85 loss against the Detroit Pistons. He breaks down Jakob Poeltl's two-way performance, RJ Barrett's improved offense, and how the Raptors blew another fourth quarter lead. Three stars: Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, Jamison Battle Gerald Henderson award: Malik Beasley Most Important Guy: Alvin Williams RR feedback survey: https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/contests/...

Will and Alex are joined by Ben Golliver of the Washington Post to discuss how the NBA can improve the present-day product and chat about: the attention span of fans, the lack of rivalries, how the sport is discussed in mainstream media, the volume of three-point shooting, the marketability of today’s stars, and more. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the g...

Host William Lou breaks down the Toronto Raptors' 99-85 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks from Greta Bar YYZ after the sold-out Hello and Welcome watch party. He breaks down Gradey Dick's 32-point effort, RJ Barrett's struggles, and a general outlook on the team. Three stars: Gradey Dick, Bruno Fernando dunking on Giannis, crowd favorite Jamison Battle Gerald Henderson award: Brook Lopez Most Impor...

Will and Alex are joined by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer to chat about Joel Embiid’s suspension, Nick Nurse and Kyle Lowry’s role on the Sixers, and the direction of the franchise. Later, Keith provides behind-the-scenes stories about Bryan Colangelo, Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, James Harden, and the craziest moments from covering the Sixers over the past decade. Reach out to the sho...

Will Lou recaps the Toronto Raptors' 123-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He discusses how RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are performing post-injuries, Chris Boucher's importance, and sets the record on how he stands with Darko Rajakovic. Three stars: Chris Boucher, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick Gerald Henderson award: Austin Reaves Most Important Guy: Laker fan who helped LeBron get a triple-d...

Will Lou recaps the Toronto Raptors' 105-103 loss to the LA Clippers. He discusses Darko Rajakovic's strange play call at the end, Immanuel Quickley's return, and gives a review of the Clippers' newly opened Inuit Dome.  Three stars: Ochai Agbaji, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick Gerald Henderson award: Norman Powell Most Important Guy: Jerome Cheng and Alex Wong Reach out to the show by leavin...

Will and Alex are live from Los Angeles and joined by The Ringer senior staff writer Mirin Fader to chat about her new book “Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon,” and specifically: the impact Olajuwon left on the Muslim community in Toronto after 9/11, inspiring Masai Ujiri and Giants of Africa, how he was covered by the American media during his playing career, and more. Reach out to th...

Will Lou recaps the Toronto Raptors' rematch against the Sacramento Kings. He breaks down Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett seeing new defensive coverages, Davion Mitchell's promising effort, and how this team can close out fourth quarters. Three stars: Davion Mitchell, RJ Barrett, Chris Boucher Gerald Henderson award: Keegan Murray Most Important Guy: Camera man who spotted Vivek Ranadive's corny shirt...

Will Lou comes live after the Raptors visit the Nikola Jokic in the Mile High City. He breaks down why RJ Barrett struggled, Gradey Dick's continued excellence, and Darko Rajakovic's late-game management. Three stars: Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick, Davion Mitchell Gerald Henderson award: Russell Westbrook Most Important Gal: Kianna (H&W hat seen on broadcast) Reach out to the show by leaving a voi...

Will and Alex discuss takeaways from the first two weeks of the season including Gradey Dick’s year two leap, RJ Barrett as the number one option, defensive struggles, the lack of three-point shooting, and big picture questions about the Raptors this season. Later, they chat about the annual team Halloween party and whether the Milwaukee Bucks are in serious trouble. Reach out to the show by leavi...

Will Lou breaks down the Toronto Raptors' 131-128 OT win over the Sacramento Kings, and then is joined by co-host Alex Wong to discuss Vince Carter's emotional jersey retirement and complicated legacy. Three stars: Chris Boucher, Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett Gerald Henderson award: Malik Monk Most Important Guy: Vincent Lamar Carter (bonus: Jordan Hayles and Michael Grange) Reach out to the show by le...

Will Lou is joined by Samson Folk to react to the Raptors' 131-125 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. They discuss Gradey Dick's third career-high in four games, RJ Barrett thriving in a lead role, and take questions from listeners. Three stars: RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Jakob Poeltl Gerald Henderson award: D'Angelo Russell Most Important Guy: Masai Ujiri Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail a...

We’re live from the Red Bull Canada Studios! Will and Alex sit down with Olympic gold medalist Phil Wizard for a behind-the-scenes look at his run at the men’s breaking competition, the music selection at the event, his impressions of the athlete village, what the win means to him personally and professionally, how he’s dealing with the post-Olympic blues, and more. Reach out to the show by leavin...

Will hosts the Reaction Podcast after the Toronto Raptors' 138-133 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He discusses Gradey Dick's new career-high of 30 points, RJ Barrett looking sharper, and defensive adjustments that need to be made. Three stars: Gradey Dick, Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett Gerald Henderson award: Cody Martin Most Important Guy: Jeff Regular (owner of PAI restaurant) Check out our merch! Vi...

Will and Alex sit down with TSN analyst Jevohn Shepherd to chat about Scottie’s adjustment to becoming the face of the franchise, early-season progress from Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji, encouraging signs from the incoming rookie season, his relationship with RJ Barrett, and more. Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out o...

Will recaps the Toronto Raptors' 127-125 OT loss to the Denver Nuggets. He discusses Scottie Barnes' eye injury, RJ Barrett's rusty return, and Darko Rajakovic's strange decision not to call timeout down the stretch. Three stars: Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Davion Mitchell Gerald Henderson award: Christian Braun Most Important Guy: Matt Devlin ----- Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail a...

Will Lou and Samson Folk recap Toronto’s 112-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and discuss Gradey Dick’s shotmaking, the team’s lack of three-point shooting, an Ochai Agbaji-Norman Powell comparison, Darko’s rotation decisions and Scottie’s underwhelming performance. Later, the two take listener questions. Three stars: Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Jamison Battle Gerald Henderson award: Julius R...

Will recaps Toronto’s 115-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He discusses: Scottie Barnes' bounce back game, breakout performances from Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle, and the bigger picture importance for this draft class. Three stars: Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamison Battle Gerald Henderson: Kelly Oubre MIG aka Most Important Guy: Assistant GM Dan Tolzman Reach out to the show by lea...

Will, Alex, and Jerome get together for this month’s banter pod. They open with a recap of their team bonding trip during Raptors training camp in Montreal, Will taking his dad to watch Lionel Messi in Toronto, Joe Cash’s wedding, and a behind-the-scenes look at Alex’s surprise 40th birthday party. Later, they answer listener questions about whether any players have taken issue with their podcasts...

Will recaps Toronto’s 136-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their home opener. He discusses: Scottie Barnes' struggles, Darko Rajakovic's struggling rotations, and Jamal Shead's promising debut. Three stars: Chris Boucher, Jamal Shead, Immanuel Quickley Gerald Henderson: Ty Jerome MIG aka Most Important Guy: TJ Ford (guest of honor) Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome...

Will and Alex are joined by James Herbert of CBS Sports to discuss Jayson Tatum’s case for MVP, Reed Sheppard as a Rookie of the Year contender, how many awards Victor Wembanyama might win, the Executive of the Year race, why Thanasis Antetokounmpo dessrves the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year, and more. Later, it’s the first “Who He Play For?” segment of the season as Alex has to figure out who...

Will shares his main takeaways from preseason with Alex including: the team’s defensive emphasis, encouraging signs from Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji, Jamal Shead becoming a guy, injuries to monitor heading into the season, and the watchability of the Raptors. 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...