The Ringer NBA Show

After the final two episodes of 'The Last Dance' premiered Sunday night, Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey break down the key takeaways and share their overall thoughts on the popular sports documentary. They talk about how a document like this could be made for modern players and what this doc does to Michael Jordan's legacy as a whole. Hosts: Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey Learn more about your ad ch...

News about the NBA’s potential return continues to trickle out. This week, we discuss whether NBA players would feel compelled to complete the regular season if it meant they'd make their full salaries, and the timeline for the league’s return (5:01). Then, we reach back into the mailbag to answer questions on Lonzo Ball’s basketball preference, our all-time 3-point shootout and dunk contest lineu...

We go through the news leaking out of the conference call between the National Basketball Players Association and commissioner Adam Silver (1:17). Kevin shares his insights and reporting into the return ideas the NBA thinks are most feasible. Then, we discuss the emotional impact of episodes 7-8 of ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance,’ the only stain on Scottie Pippen’s career, and Jordan as a baseball player...

JJ and Tommy sit down with filmmaker Jason Hehir to talk about his Michael Jordan/Bulls docuseries 'The Last Dance' and explore what went into making the immensely popular project. They break down the animosity between players during that era (23:07). Jason reveals what went down during the supposed "Jordan freeze-out" in 1985, and then they draft their favorite quarantine comforts (48:09). Subscr...

We discuss Kevin’s article about the debates going on within the league office about the best plan to bring basketball back this summer (1:42). Then, we open the mailbag back up to answer your questions about Matthew Dellavedova, which teams should blow it up, and whether Steph Curry could score 101 points in a game (37:16). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices....

Steve and Pete are joined by manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts, to discuss how they look at and assess multisport athletes, and how a player's expertise at one sport can translate to another. Later the guys chat about how analytics factor into their respective coaching strategies, how analytics are being utilized for player development, and getting players to live in the present. Ho...

We run through some league news, including the discussions about whether Kevin Durant would be ready to come back by the time the NBA is ready to ramp up again (1:41). Then we go deeper into episodes 5-6 of ‘The Last Dance,’ including the concept of the “role model” athlete (30:00). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Verrier and Rob Mahoney come to you immediately after the conclusion of the fifth and sixth episodes of ‘The Last Dance.’ On this week’s pod: an examination of Michael Jordan’s trip to Atlantic City during the 1993 playoffs, a window into the unique pressure Jordan faced every time he stepped out of his hotel or home, and what NBA Twitter would have to say about the ascension of Jordan the...

With news swirling about the NBA's continued exploration of potential return options, we discuss the complexities of restarting basketball in a bubble in Las Vegas or Orlando (1:23). Then, we open the Friday mailbag to answer your questions on ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance,’ teams that could make a leap next season, and whether or not Kevin is secretly British (23:39). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Con...

We react to the news that the NBA is considering opening its practice facilities up to players starting as soon as May (1:40), before discussing Marc Eversley’s hiring as the new Bulls general manager (7:06). Then, we close by giving our biggest takeaways from episodes 3-4 of ‘The Last Dance,’ including some revelations about Dennis Rodman and intriguing moments with Phil Jackson (18:40). Hosts: C...

Justin Verrier and Rob Mahoney gather to discuss the second week of ESPN’s Michael Jordan documentary, ‘The Last Dance.’ This week, we got a peek into the fascinating life of Dennis Rodman. Plus, we’re starting to peel the layers of the onion back on the real Jordan as he shows his past frustrations with Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, and the Detroit Pistons. Hosts: Justin Verrier and Rob Mahoney L...

We discuss the short list (read: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s list) for Kenny Atkinson’s replacement in Brooklyn (2:13). Then, we take a look at NBPA president Chris Paul’s reluctance to bring the NBA back without giving players at least a month to get their bodies ready (7:19). Finally, we open the 'Mismatch' mailbag again to answer your questions about the draft, the Grizzlies, our dream 3v3...

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll discuss all things draft, including how they are preparing for a virtual draft, how they scout players, and drafting late-round guys like D.K. Metcalf and Draymond Green (3:25) before talking about the coaches in both the NFL and NBA who innovated the game like no one before them (39:30). Hosts: Steve Kerr and...

Kevin and Chris are joined by Bill Simmons to react to Draymond Green’s Warriors-Bulls comparisons (1:48), discuss episodes 1-2 of ‘The Last Dance,’ recount some of the lesser-known stories of the late-’90s Bulls, and discuss the feasibility of the NBA's return from quarantine (54:44). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Guest: Bill Simmons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey convene for a special recap of ESPN's new Michael Jordan documentary, 'The Last Dance.' Episodes 1-2 bring us back to the beginning, where Michael Jordan was a fresh young face at the University of North Carolina. What memories did the documentary evoke, and what were the moments that gave us goose bumps? Hosts: Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey Learn more about your ad c...

Top prospect Jalen Green is the next player to join the G League rather than go to college. Is he the next wave in a trend or an outlier (3:20)? Plus: The Ringer NBA Draft Guide has launched. Which players does Kevin have higher or lower than the NBA community consensus (55:15)? Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss the successes and failures of the NBA’s H-O-R-S-E broadcast (2:30), before talking about Taiwan bringing basketball back with mannequins and cardboard cutouts in the stands as fans (12:25). Then, we jump back into the mailbag to answer a handful more of your questions (33:04). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll sit down for the premiere episode of their new podcast ‘Flying Coach With Steve Kerr & Pete Carroll,’ in which they offer up their unique perspectives as championship-level coaches in the NBA and NFL. Hosts: Steve Kerr and Pete Carroll This show is raising money for COVID-19 relief. You can help! Donate here!...

We chat about whether the proposed NBA H-O-R-S-E tournament will be entertaining or a bust (1:31), before reviewing the news that the Bulls will hire Arturas Karnisovas as their new executive vice president of basketball operations (6:15). Then, amid uncertainty about the rest of the regular season, we look ahead to the NBA draft and give four prospects we think you should be familiarizing yoursel...

The guys discuss the emerging ideas about how to bring back the NBA, including a H-O-R-S-E competition and rapid testing to resume the season (0:41), before answering more mailbag questions on: potential expansion team locations, greatest teams to never win a championship, Giannis destinations, and more (14:01). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

With basketball still shelved, we revisit our biggest hits and misses in previous draft coverage: Dragan Bender, Jaylen Brown, Mario Hezonja, and more. Plus, are you in or out on Julius Randle? Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We review comments by Mark Cuban and Adam Silver that make it seem like the NBA is still focused on finishing the 2019-20 season (3:52), before discussing the news that ESPN has decided to move up the release date of its much-anticipated 10-part Michael Jordan documentary (7:09). Then we open back up the Mismatch Mailbag to a whole new list of your questions (11:00). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin...

We revisit some of the stories and players that we dropped the ball on covering this year—including Goran Dragic (the unsung anchor of the Miami Heat), Victor Oladipo’s return to form, Alex Caruso, and more. Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We look to other countries’ professional basketball leagues and wonder whether the NBA can develop a model to return that works in the United States (0:42) before discussing a bevy of college players that have declared for the NBA draft in the time since basketball’s hiatus began (12:46). Then, we revisit some of the questions we didn’t get to from last Friday’s mailbag, including basketball book...

We sifted through all your questions and picked our favorites: What were our most memorable arguments? Which teams are primed to blow it up next season? What music are we listening to? And much more. Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices