Legendary Milwaukee Bucks broadcaster Jim Paschke joins his former partner, Marques Johnson, and Kris Johnson to discuss the team's NBA Cup victory. Jim reflects on Giannis Antetokounmpo's growth as a vocal leader for the Bucks and how that galvanized the team after a slow start. Then, Paschke peels back the curtain on his relationship with Giannis and how they bonded over losing their fathers. Finally, Marques and Kris break down Andre Jackson Jr.'s stellar defense against Shai Gilgeous-Alexand...
Dec 24, 2024•55 min
This week on Hear District, Bobby Marks, NBA Front Office Insider for ESPN, joins the show and dives into the Milwaukee Bucks' turnaround this season. First, the crew chats about Marks' 20 years in the front office for the Nets, & how NBA front offices have changed over that time. They pivot into a discussion about the Bucks' cap sheet, and navigating the Second Apron. Later on Marques and Kris break down the Bucks' NBA Cup Quarterfinal win against the Orlando Magic before dissecting how Mil...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This week, Marques & Kris welcome Hall of Fame journalist, J.A. Adande to break down what he sees from this year's Milwaukee Bucks. The conversation begins with his induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and how Adande's decades of experience covering the league translates to his role as Director of Sports Journalism at Northwestern University. After swapping stories about Pat Riley and Kobe Bryant, they reflect on Giannis Antetokounmpo's incredible start to the season and where ...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 15 min
This week, Marques and Kris dive into the Milwaukee Bucks’ excellent late-November stretch with Justin Garcia, host on the Bucks Radio Network & the Locked On Bucks podcast. They take a look at the steps toward the team's defensive resurgence and how a difficult early stretch helped them solidify rotations and depth. Marques, Kris and Justin then dissect how Andre Jackson Jr., AJ Green, Brook Lopez and of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo, fueled the team's success. They turn their attention to ...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Twitter legend & SiriusXM NBA Radio host Rob Perez a.k.a. WorldWideWob joins Marques and Kris to break down the Bucks’ recent turnaround, commitment to a defensive identity and how the young Bucks, Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green are crucial to their recent success. That leads to a discussion about where Giannis Antetokounmpo stacks up in the way-too-early MVP rankings. To close out the episode, we answer three pressing questions submitted by Bucks fans in our Marques’ Mailbag segment For mor...
Nov 26, 2024•54 min
This week, former Bucks star, NBA champion, and current head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University, Mo Williams, joins the show. Williams, who won a title playing alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, describes why they are a perfect comparison to Bucks superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. He speaks in detail on how the Bucks can get the most out of their leaders, and put themselves in position to do something special. Then, Marques and Kris introduce...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Milwaukee Bucks legend & broadcaster, Marques Johnson & his son/co-host, 1995 NCAA Champion Kris Johnson are back to talk all things Bucks basketball, beginning with some hilarious antics before dissecting the team's home-and-away series vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. That launches a discussion about the youth movement across the NBA and how that relates to the young Bucks — Andre Jackson Jr., AJ Green and AJ Johnson. In 'About That Action,' Marques & Kris break down how the young fellas' ...
Nov 12, 2024•51 min
Milwaukee Bucks TV play-by-play announcer, Lisa Byington, joins Kris and her on-air partner, Marques Johnson to break down their observations from the team’s start to the season, life as NBA broadcasters, and areas of improvement through five games. In the wake of recent comments from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the crew considers how the team can re-establish identity, Khris Middleton’s meaning to the team and how Andre Jackson Jr. could impact the team moving forward. In ‘About That Action,’ MJ, Kr...
Nov 05, 2024•59 min
This week, The Athletic’s senior NBA writer, Sam Amick, joins Marques and Kris to discuss the viral reaction to his latest article about the team, and provides insight into Giannis Antetokounmpo's mentality entering the season & how he's responding to offseason chatter. They also analyze the importance of role players in the golden age of NBA parity, along with the type of coaching Giannis responds to best and how Doc Rivers can learn from Greek national team coach, Vassilis Spanoulis. After...
Oct 29, 2024•50 min
The Athletic’s Eric Nehm joins Marques & Kris to wrap up the summer and prepare for the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2024-25 season. They begin by discussing how the team will respond to outside noise before breaking down Bucks Training Camp. Then, Eric provides insight into Damian Lillard’s mentality and training regimen for his second year in Milwaukee. The crew projects how Giannis & Dame’s two-man game will evolve this year before chatting about the chip Khris Middleton has on his shoulder going...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr
This week, NBA Champion, Hall of Famer, and current EVP and Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA, Joe Dumars, joins Marques and Kris on Hear District. Marques and Joe discuss coming from the same small town of Natchitoches, LA, and Joe details how he went from playing in AAU with Karl Malone, why they both chose to commit to lesser known colleges, and how surprised he was to get drafted by the Pistons. Joe also explains how he was so effective at guarding Michael Jordan, what it was like pl...
Oct 15, 2024•57 min
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 that made their teams so successful. Bridgeman also details his journey as a businessman, and what m...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 10 min
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 the greatest draft classes of all time, and his infamous draft day suit. Then, he discusses mentoring...
Oct 01, 2024•30 min
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 transitioning to his college years with the 1988 NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks. He shares stories from ‘Da...
Sep 24, 2024•52 min
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 coach their family. They turned to the shooters that inspired Novak, who is the tallest member in the To...
Sep 17, 2024•55 min
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 Charles Barkley's recent remarks about Milwaukee Bucks superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo. After covering...
Sep 10, 2024•50 min
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 Area roots, college basketball career, and on-court inspirations helped him become who he is today. He ...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 12 min
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 women's basketball at the Paris Olympics. She reminisced about her time in Milwaukee, the historic ...
Aug 27, 2024•39 min
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. Tom also addresses why the Bucks won't play on Christmas this year, and how narratives and storytelli...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 27 min
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 team at the University of Montana, having his college coach leave to go coach Magic Johnson at Michi...
Aug 13, 2024•54 min
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 Sterling, into an award-winning podcast and then a fictionalized high profile television series. Ram...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min
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 Rivers has clearly shown he is a top tier coach in the NBA. Bomani, Marques, and Kris discuss the off-...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr
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 floor. The episode wraps with a discussion on reports of the WNBA's media rights negotiations and ho...
Jul 23, 2024•51 min
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 career on Coach Doc Rivers' Clippers staff. There he became part of a long lineage of great coaches wh...
Jul 16, 2024•30 min
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 costs and benefits of the variety of paths available to prospects, and which will best prepare playe...
Jul 09, 2024•41 min
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' return to live game action in the last warm-up game before Greece begins their win-or-go-home Olympic...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 7 min
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 reports that Jerry West wanted to select him with the number one overall pick in the NBA draft over...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 9 min
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 a spot on Team USA. Marques and Kris also reminisce on their experiences with the late Jerry West, ...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 4 min
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 film, Memes and Nightmares, and J. shares the advice Tyler Perry gave him on set that he will never ...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 23 min
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 Middleton to become the stars they are today.
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min
