Shottakes

Following the soap opera of The Bubble's initial weeks was entertaining, but now we get the real show: actual, regular season, NBA basketball games! The league returned to official action last Thursday, and we jump on the air to offer our thoughts on the unique environment, quality of play, standout performers, and social justice demonstrations that have marked the first week of play (aka The T.J. Warren Era) in Orlando. 

ShotTakes often shouts out the WNBA in passing but, candidly, we've been negligent when it comes to giving the league its proper due over the years. So in this episode, it's all women's basketball all the time—and we have just the special guest for the occasion. We were honored to (finally!) welcome former Penn State Lady Lion Sarah McMurtry to the program to discuss her experiences in the women's basketball ecosystem and offer her perspective on the significance of the WNBA for girls across America. Plus, a look at the 2020 WNBA season, which kicked off over the weekend at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and features a heavy focus on Black Lives Matter + the broader social/racial justice movements. Tune in for a long overdue discussion! 

We're just over a week from the NBA's return, and while each of the 22 teams only has eight regular season contests on their slate, there's still plenty left to be decided in those games. We ran through the teams, players, matchups, playoff races, and miscellaneous storylines we've got our eyes on when the season picks back up—spoiler: the Sixers are mentioned. Plus, Zion leaves the bubble for a family matter (best wishes to him/them), Dwight Howard says some dumb stuff (who could have guessed?), Elena Delle Donne pens a powerful essay about her struggle with Lyme disease (take that, WNBA), and a wonderful announcement from Jrue & Lauren Holiday (#BLM). Tune in!

The NBA is hunkering down in Walt Disney World ahead of the league's scheduled July 30 return to play, and we are BACK on the airwaves to talk all things bubble. But first: we are very pleased to announce that ShotTakes has officially added former Charlotte and current Chicago correspondent Jesse Poljak to the rotation for the remainder of the season (with a mutual option for 2020-21....or whenever the next season is played). Big welcome to Jesse, who we're thrilled to have in the lineup on a full-time basis. Let's hope the NBA returns according to plan [fingers crossed].

ESPN's 10-part series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty has reached its conclusion, and we don't know what to do with ourselves now. Tune in for our thoughts on how the series wrapped up.

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than dedicating two more hours to studying the greatness of Michael Jeffrey Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? We've got takes on Jordan's first retirement, his sojourn into professional baseball, MJ's notorious ferocity, Scottie Pippen's infamous "1.8 seconds" moment, and more. Plus, Scott takes a break from roasting Hassan (eventually) and turns his fire on a new sworn enemy: Jerry Reinsdorf. 

Much like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were fueled by their contempt for Bulls GM Jerry Krause, ShotTakes feasts on the near-daily scorn we receive from our #1 critic: the Enemy of the Podcast, Mr. Hassan Halim. To maximize the success produced by this adversarial relationship, we invited Hassan on for this week's Last Dance breakdown. Tune in!    

The squad is back to break down parts 3 and 4 of ESPN's The Last Dance. (Spoiler: Dennis Rodman did some crazy shit.)

ESPN dropped the first two episodes of The Last Dance on Sunday night. We have thoughts about it. You don't have anything better to do. So tune in. Thank you. 

With the 2019-20 NBA regular season virtually over, it's as good a time as any to hand out our awards for this strange, truncated year. The MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year honors were predictable sweeps, but we got into some intriguing debates when it came to Sixth Man, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, top executive, and All-NBA teams. Tune in for a heady recap of perhaps the strangest season in NBA history—but one that we truly hope is not over, yet. 

As the NBA's coronavirus sabbatical continues, we've tapped our creative juices in order to fill the content void. Tonight, we drafted our post-lockout (2011-12 to present) "dream teams" in an episode that was equal parts parlor game, theoretical debate, and journey through some of the great performances in recent NBA history. Rules:  Each team drafts a starting five, two bench players, a coach, and a home court The team must be comprised of players and coaches from the 2011-12 NBA season to the present (snake draft) We are drafting specific player-seasons for which we believe the drafted player was at his apex (Example: in a 1990s draft, the first pick might be 1996 Michael Jordan, followed by 1993 Charles Barkley, 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon, etc.) No need to pick individual coaching seasons, unless you are really inspired by somebody’s work in a particular year. The home court can be located in any climate-controlled facility on Earth where an NBA-sized floor can be installed and spectators can attend (post-

You might remember the infamous night in February 2017 when former Knicks forward Charles Oakley was ejected and banned indefinitely from Madison Square Garden—it was quite the stir in the NBA world, as was the ill-advised Knicks PR campaign against Oakley that involved salacious press releases and James Dolan media appearances designed to sully the former All-Star's reputation. But you probably haven't delved into the amazing—amazing—litigation that ensued in Oakley v. Dolan, so we've provided our expert legal/basketball analysis for a very special episode of ShotTakes. We spend the bulk of the time unpacking Oakley's initial complaint against Dolan and various Knicks entities, because, well, it is a real treat! Enjoy, and stay safe out there, everybody.

The NBA has suspended its 2019-2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but ShotTakes is still here to fill the content void and serve as a refuge to a beleaguered nation. We react to the shocking events that have unfolded in recent weeks, answered some mailbag questions, and talked about our plans for the basketball hiatus. Tune in—and wash your hands! 

Eric gets up close and personal with Dr. J himself on the red carpet before Kenny Atkinson's final game as Nets head coach, coronavirus concerns grip the NBA (and world—wash your hands before reading the rest of the description!), Steph returns briefly before falling prey to the regular flu, and a trip to the ol' Discount Resale Market. Tune in—and seriously, wash your hands!

Throw out the usual agenda—this week, we reflect on the formative memories and experiences that set us on the road to becoming NBA lunatics. And, predictably, it was a blast. Because every now and then, you just have to talk about Allen Iverson. 

The best All-Star Game ever? Was Aaron Gordon robbed—again? How did John Beilein even last this long as Cavs coach? Guess you'll have to tune in to find out the answers! (Wow, really should have used this promo device more in the past....)

All-Star Weekend is upon us, and  Domantas Sabonis deserves to be there regardless of what King NBA Podcast Dork Nate Duncan thinks. Anyway, we have lots of other thoughts on the roster choices, new game features, and more. Tune in and remember: we don't do drip or money or fashion—we do art. 

After vigorously scrolling Twitter all day at work, Eric and Scott came ready to break down the action around the NBA trade deadline. (Elizabeth was a DNP - flu-like symptoms—she was NOT being shelved because she is the subject of trade discussions. Please stop propagating this false and pernicious rumor.) We cover the big deals, the small (but fun!) deals, the deals that could have been but didn't materialize, and more. We'll leave you with this: Kevin Love playing small forward. Enjoy!   Feel better soon, ELA! We need you in the lineup.  

Our reactions to the sudden, tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in yesterday's shocking helicopter crash, as well as reflections on the NBA legend's life and career. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the disaster, and fans around the world who have felt the impact of Kobe's passing. 

Elizabeth and Scott run the pick-and-roll through the NBA's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration/slate of (14!) games, file a ShotTakes game report from the FedEx Forum (spoiler: Scott really, really likes Ja Morant; is not quite as high on Collin Sexton), riff on some eye-popping performances of late, and brace for the much-anticipated Wednesday NBA debut of Zion Williamson.  Related episode reading: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From a Birmingham Jail (1963)