Hello and Welcome

It’s the October Banter Pod! Will, Alex, and Jerome debate whether it’s ever acceptable to wear a Yankees cap in Toronto, recap their celebration dinner with Bobby Webster, and share the highs and lows from their trip to Calgary for Raptors training camp. Later, Alex delivers his latest takes on why guys should hype up guys more, imitation crab, the comeback of business cards, and his decision to...

Will Lou breaks down the Toronto Raptors' 130-122 win over the Sacramento Kings in preseason. He discusses the heater that Brandon Ingram continues to be on, the impressive showing by rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, and the strong performances of Ja'Kobe Walter and Gradey Dick. To close, he reacts to the Toronto Blue Jays beating the New York Yankees 6-2 to advance into the ALCS. Three stars: Brandon...

Will and Alex are joined by Joseph Casciaro of theScore to draft their locks for this season’s NBA over/unders. They debate whether the Raptors can crack the top six in the East, if it’s finally safe to trust the Clippers again, whether Denver can challenge OKC for the West’s top seed, who the true favorite is in the East, if Detroit can build on last year’s success, and whether Wemby and the Spur...

Will Lou goes live to discuss the Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of 2025 NBA preaseason. #raptors #torontoraptors 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. Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our...

Toronto Raptors shooting guard Ja'Kobe Walter sits down with Will Lou to discuss his memorable rookie season and what he expects heading into Year 2. Walter opens up on watching Kawhi Leonard in 2019, his game-winning shot in Orlando, his bond with Jamal Shead, how he can earn minutes at a heavily contested position this season. #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail...

Will and Alex recap the Raptors open practice and scrimmage live from the University of Calgary and discuss Collin Murray-Boyles’ impressive debut, Brandon Ingram’s fit with the starters, standouts from the second unit, and more.  Three stars: Collin Murray-Boyles, Brandon Ingram, Sandro Sandro Mamukelashvili Gerald Henderson award: Chucky Hepburn #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the sho...

Will and Alex sit down with Matt Devlin to discuss whether the Raptors are ready to win this season, Bobby Webster’s new role leading the team, and the challenges of covering a rebuild. They also get into Kyle Lowry’s potential future as a TV analyst, Devlin’s favorite Asian athletes, his top four movies, career advice, and more. #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemai...

Will Lou and Alex Wong are joined by Joseph Casciaro of theScore to break down the three biggest storylines coming out of Toronto Raptors training camp. They discuss who will be the first option will be this season, a new role for Scottie Barnes, and expectations for Immanuel Quickley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Lou and Alex Wong go live from Hotel X after the Toronto Raptors' media day for 2025-26. They discuss the team's excitement for Brandon Ingram, defense as a main priority heading into pre-season, playoff expectations, RJ Barrett winning media day, and Bruce Brown confirming he never wanted to be in Toronto. #raptors #torontoraptors #nba Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowel...

Will and Alex react to Bobby Webster’s season-opening presser, covering his expectations for the year, Brandon Ingram’s fit, and the urgency for the Raptors to win now. Later, they dive into Sam Presti’s headline-making media day quote, Kyle Lowry working two jobs, and Draymond Green sampling baijiu in China. #raptors #nba #brandoningram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will and Alex are joined by JE Skeets of No Dunks to re-draft the Raptors’ starters and debate Scottie Barnes’ next leap, Immanuel Quickley’s future as a full-time starter, and more. Later, Skeets takes on the Basketball Reference game. #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys info@hellowelcome.show Check out our merch! Visit hell...

Will and Alex are joined by Vivek Jacob to break down what excites them about the upcoming Raptors season. They get into Brandon Ingram’s impact on offence, RJ Barrett’s long-term future, a full year of Immanuel Quickley, and whether Gradey Dick can make a leap. Plus: potential rivalries in the East, Matt Devlin calling meaningful games again, a pivotal year for Darko Rajaković, and more. #raptors...

Indiana Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard sits down with Will Lou for the second summer to discuss another very eventful season. Andrew opens up about losing in Game 7 of the Finals, how his role will change with Tyrese Haliburton's injury, and Team Canada's run at the 2024 Olympics. Then, Andrew breaks down his signature moves, and answers spicy questions about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Bru...

Will and Alex continue to follow the Kawhi Leonard–Clippers scandal (2:39), debating whether it signals a larger trend of cap circumvention across the league, if Kawhi should take the same blame as Uncle Dennis, and revisiting past and present other potential cases of tampering (22:10). Later, Alex lays out five ways the league could actually punish Steve Ballmer and the Clippers (35:31). Hos...

Will is joined by the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur to discuss his article on the attempted dealings for Kawhi Leonard through his uncle Dennis in the summer of 2019 following the Toronto Raptors championship. (read here: https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/inside-kawhi-leonard-s-bizarre-list-of-secret-demands-from-raptors-and-how-they-line/article_9f1b0398-0ebd-4193-bc06-798efda95023.html) How c...

Toronto Raptors guard and Brampton's very own AJ Lawson joins the Hello and Welcome podcast for an in-depth interview. AJ gives us a look behind the scenes on the Toronto Raptors' offseason, reviews his inspiring journey to the NBA, revels in pride of his Canadian roots and coming up through Brampton, and shares his stories about playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Along the way, the boys s...

It’s the annual Hello and Welcome off-season tradition as Alex predicts all 82 games of the upcoming Raptors season, diving into career-high performances, surprise twists, a new rivalry with the Washington Wizards, and more. Later, Will and Alex discuss Jeremy Lin’s retirement (1:13:23) and share personal stories from the 2019 championship run. #raptors #torontoraptors #jeremylin Reach out to the...

Will, Alex, and Jerome recap their summer travels to Europe (6:00), sharing their favorite moments, the Oasis concert in Edinburgh, and Will’s first trip to Anfield to watch a Liverpool game in person. Later, they discuss behind-the-scenes stories from the Serge Ibaka interview and attending the Skechers Canada event with Norman Powell, as well as seeing Oasis again in Toronto (2:00:18). After tha...

Will Lou and Alex Wong return to discuss Bobby Webster's new position leading basketball operations for the Toronto Raptors. They discuss why MLSE decided to give Bobby the reigns, the underwhelming list of external candidates, and 5 things that should be on Bobby's to-do list for 2025. #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys inf...

Serge Ibaka finally joins the podcast to reflect on the Raptors’ 2019 championship run. He opens up about the pain of getting swept by Cleveland the year before (1:40), Nick Nurse’s impact, and adjusting to fewer minutes after the Marc Gasol trade (8:53). Serge shares his memory of Kawhi’s iconic Game 7 shot (15:00), thoughts on Kevin Durant’s Finals return (20:42), and why he believes Toronto cou...

Will, Alex, and Jerome break down Toronto’s Game 6 win over the Golden State Warriors to secure the 2019 NBA title. They break down Kyle Lowry's exhilarating start, Fred VanVleet's courageous fourth quarter, and the devastation of Klay Thompson's ACL injury. Three stars: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam DJ Augustin award: Draymond Green #raptors #torontoraptors #nbaplayoffs #nbafinals Reac...

Will, Alex, and Jerome break down Toronto’s Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors, which includes the harrowing Achilles injury to Kevin Durant and reflect on how big of a "what if" moment this was for the entire NBA. Three stars: Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka DJ Augustin award: DeMarcus Cousins #raptors #torontoraptors #nbaplayoffs #nbafinals Reach out to the show by leaving a voicema...

Will Lou interviews Toronto Raptors rookie Chucky Hepburn at Las Vegas Summer League 2025. Chucky discusses studying Jamal Shead and training with Fred VanVleet in college, and how he approaches the game on defense. Chucky also details his upbringing in Omaha and also being home-schooled until Grade 8. #raptors #torontoraptors #nbasummerleague Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellow...

Will Lou discusses the latest round of reported candidates for the president of the Toronto Raptors, makes the case for why Bobby Webster is the right choice, and the three biggest questions facing the Raptors beyond who will be president. He discusses reports of Dwane Casey, Chad Buchanan, Marc Eversley, Monte McNair, and Kevin Pritchard (19:00). #raptors #torontoraptors Reach out to the show by...

Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead sits down with Will Lou of the Hello and Welcome podcast to discuss how the Raptors can get back to the playoffs, who taught Jamal how to play defense, his close bond with teammate Ja'Kobe Walter, and Jamal's love for Toronto and Canada. #raptors #torontoraptors #nbasummerleague Reach out to the show by leaving a voicemail at hellowelcome.show or email the guys in...