Howard Beck is one of the most distinguished basketball journalists in the country. He joins Mike Wise to discuss what he has seen on the court in Orlando, his feelings on the activism promoted by the NBA and its players, whether the Mavericks have a chance against the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, whether the Bucks are a lock to come out of the east, and why the Miami Heat are a scary matchup for any potential opponent. The guys also discuss the mental health aspects of life in t...
Aug 15, 2020•36 min•Ep. 82
Alton Byrd's basketball journey has taken him from San Francisco to New York to the United Kingdom to Sacramento to Atlanta and back to Long Island. Along the way, he was a three time All Ivy League point guard at Columbia University, the first African American general manager of a British sports organization, and in his current gig, he is running the Brooklyn Nets' G League franchise. This week Bruce Bernstein fills in for Mike Wise, and Alton shares his thoughts on basketball, life, race relat...
Aug 10, 2020•52 min•Ep. 81
Harvey Araton is one of the most influential basketball journalists of our generation. The 2017 recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame joins Mike Wise for a discussion of basketball and its place in society as we navigate these turbulent times. Topics include the meaning of "heroism," the many challenges facing Commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA's issues with the Communist Chinese government, how Harvey sees the LA Clippers' chances for an NBA championship, &...
Aug 03, 2020•46 min•Ep. 80
Dave Wohl is a unique basketball mind. Drafted out of the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, he has spent nearly a half century as a player, assistant coach, head coach, assistant GM, general manager, and commentator. He was on Pat Riley's staff with the Showtime Lakers, winning a ring in 1985. He was with Doc Rivers on the Celtics, winning a ring in 2008 as the Celtics' assistant GM. He was GM of the Clippers from 2014-2017 and has been a frequent guest on various Pure Hoops Media podcasts. Hi...
Jul 27, 2020•41 min•Ep. 79
Mike Wise welcomes six of basketball's greatest characters for some classic stories from their careers. Bill Walton on David Stern & John Wooden. Isiah Thomas on racial issues. Grant Hill on establishing credibility as a player and proving he was more than the son of successful parents. Chris Mullin on David Stern's vision for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. David Stern himself on the struggles of building a league composed of mostly African American players and the pride he had in his successo...
Jul 20, 2020•48 min•Ep. 78
Mike Wise shares classic stories from five legendary coaches. PJ Carlesimo on the 1992 Dream Team and how the Monte Carlo scrimmages were legendary, Mike Brown on how the Spurs and Warriors are similar organizations, Jeff Van Gundy on the day the Knicks fans almost made him cry (in a good way), Larry Brown on his favorite Allen Iverson memories, and George Karl on Phil Jackson's special brand of hospitality. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:/...
Jul 13, 2020•44 min•Ep. 77
Garrett Temple of the Nets is one of the most socially conscious athletes in the country. The striving for equality and understanding runs deep in his family. His father Collis was the first African American to play varsity basketball at LSU in 1971. His father attended LSU at the same time as notorious racist and antisemite David Duke and engaged in heated debates on campus with the future grand wizard of the ku klux klan. Garrett has a positive message of understanding between the races and he...
Jun 15, 2020•42 min•Ep. 74
Jason Whitlock, formerly of FS1 joins Mike Wise to debate some of the hot button issues facing the country. Among their topics: why sports is a meritocracy, how social media causes some people to "virtue signal," and much more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jun 08, 2020•57 min•Ep. 73
Mike Wise welcomes Monica McNutt of "Buckets, Boards, & Blocks" and Bruce Bernstein from Pure Hoops Media for a discussion of events shaking our world and where there may be some lessons from basketball that could help us through them. We have seen leadership and positive contributions from hoop legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, current player Jaylen Brown, and several others. Mike, Monica, & Bruce discuss important issues like diversity, leadership, societal tension, and the striving fo...
Jun 01, 2020•51 min•Ep. 72
Hall of Fame NBA writers Marc Stein and Sam Smith, legendary coach George Karl, and Phil Jackson's close friend Charley Rosen share classic stories of Michael Jordan, the Bulls dynasty, and their feelings about The Last Dance. The "gambling controversy," the "greatest shot ever made," and what Jackson told Toni Kukoc about his native country's military prowess are just a few of the great stories they share with Mike .... and you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...
May 25, 2020•40 min•Ep. 71
No member of the media was more present during the Bulls dynasty than journalist Sam Smith. He was the Bulls beat writer for the Chicago Tribune, author of The Jordan Rules, and still covers the team for Bulls.com. His memories are vivid and he has plenty of them. Sam's description of how Michael Jordan and David Stern settled the whole "gambling investigation" was not in ESPN's documentary but Sam reveals some stunning details of their meeting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 70
Mike Wise and his producer Bruce Bernstein share thoughts on Michael Jordan and his leadership skills. Included is a clip from Mike's October 2019 interview with late NBA Commissioner David Stern, which was David's final in-depth interview. At the 18:55 mark, Mike and David discuss MJ's retirement where David shot down the idea that he forced Michael into retirement. We also hear David's reaction to MJ's memorable Hall of Fame speech in 2009. Another great story at 26:19 comes from Mark Jones of...
May 11, 2020•36 min•Ep. 69
George Karl coached six NBA teams and 1999 regular season NBA games between 1985-2016. His 1996 Sonics battled Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals before losing in 6 games. But there is so much more to George than just the games he coached. He has survived cancer twice, played in the ABA, spent time with Phil Jackson in Montana, raised a son who walked on at Boise State, played in the NBA, and will be a future NBA coach. George calls Michael Jordan a friend, and has learned to appreciate rap artist...
May 04, 2020•53 min•Ep. 68
Marc Stein has been covering the NBA for more than 30 years. He has been a beat writer for the Lakers and Mavericks, was embedded with the Warriors for an entire season for ESPN's SportsCenter, was a national NBA columnist for ESPN.com, a panelist on numerous ESPN NBA shows like NBA Tonight and NBA Coast to Coast, and is currently a national NBA writer for the New York Times. He's even in the Basketball Hall of Fame as the 2019 recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award, the highest honor a basketb...
Apr 27, 2020•33 min•Ep. 67
Phil Jackson dubbed the 1997-'98 season "The Last Dance," because everyone on the Chicago Bulls knew it was their final chance to win another NBA Championship. Charley Rosen has been Phil's friend since the early 1970s, has written books with him, and has many stories about their time together. In the show, Charley discusses (@13:35) Michael Jordan's obsession with winning, (@ 31:10) his thoughts on the Jackson/Jerry Krause relationship, how Phil's dismissal and MJ's retirement likely cost the B...
Apr 20, 2020•56 min•Ep. 66
Roger Mason Jr is simply one of the most thoughtful and brilliant basketball personalities anywhere. In his conversation with Mike Wise, he discusses his incredible personal story, the perfectly calibrated moral compass of the NBA leadership, his role as a Union executive in providing health care for NBA legends and their families, how his time leading and guiding the Big3 was a great experience, and why the loss of Kobe Bryant "The Dad" affected him so much. See Privacy Policy at https://art19....
Apr 13, 2020•30 min•Ep. 65
Jamal Crawford should be a future Hall of Famer," but is definitely a Hall of Fame human being. He joins Mike to discuss some of the initiatives he is involved with to help others during the Corona Virus crisis and his message is very inspirational. At the 21:30 mark, Jamal shares the incredible story of how he found out about Kobe Bryant's death. He has 7 solid minutes of great Kobe stories. Jamal also addresses some of his plans for the future and tells a great childhood story about his friend...
Apr 06, 2020•53 min•Ep. 64
ESPN's Tim Legler is one of the brightest hoop minds in the country. He is deeply appreciative of the high school coach who shaped him, his beloved dogs, the importance of setting aside politics in a time of crisis, the leadership shown by the NBA's management and players, and why the movie Hoosiers still resonates more than 30 years after its release. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Mar 30, 2020•54 min•Ep. 63
Mark Cuban spends 30 minutes with Mike Wise and you'll come away from this show with a renewed appreciation of his leadership skills and properly calibrated moral compass. At the 2:20 mark, he describes having replaced Donald Trump as President in 2015. Other highlights: (9:25) No Mavericks personnel have asked for special treatment during the crisis. (12:00) How sports will lead the way in overcoming the crisis. (13:50) The advice he has for small businesses and his Shark Tank partners on how t...
Mar 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 62
Mike Wise welcomes Eric Newman and Bruce Bernstein of Pure Hoops Media for a discussion of how our sport fits into a world forever changed by the Corona Virus. Topics include how Rudy Gobert and "Jazz Nation" will reconnect, how players and management are opening their hearts and wallets to help those workers who are in financial trouble due to the cancellation of games, and how the lack of sports at a time of crisis is a completely new phenomenon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...
Mar 16, 2020•51 min•Ep. 61
Michael Sweetney was the 9th player chosen in the legendary 2003 NBA Draft that produced LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. After a brief career that saw him battle weight problems and depression, he sought help and has recovered to the point that he is now an assistant coach for the Yeshiva Men’s team that has reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament. He shares his story and hopes others will follow his lead and seek help instead of suffering silently. S...
Mar 09, 2020•39 min•Ep. 60
Mike Breen has made some of the most iconic calls in recent NBA history. As the "Voice of the NBA" on ESPN and ABC as well as the longtime voice of the New York Knicks on MSG Network, he has electrified audiences with his signature "BANG" call which has punctuated some of the most exciting moments in basketball. Mike will join fellow ESPN icon Michael Wilbon as co-recipient of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award this coming September in Springfield. "Breeny," as he is known to h...
Mar 02, 2020•33 min•Ep. 59
Today, 2/24 is when the hoop world celebrates the lives of Kobe Bryant, his precious daughter, and the other friends who are gone. Howard Beck covered every step of Kobe's career starting with his rookie year back in 1996-'97 season when Beck was the beat writer for the team. From his LA Daily News days through his career at the New York Times, and now at Bleacher Report, Howard's stories are incredible. On this day of the memorial service, Howard and Mike examine why Kobe meant so much to so ma...
Feb 24, 2020•39 min•Ep. 58
In Part Two of Mike Wise's conversation with Larry Brown, the Hall of Fame coach discusses how his own identity was forever tied to Allen Iverson. Larry also explains the real story behind Iverson's famous "Practice" rant, why he felt the late commissioner David Stern was disappointed in him as a coach, why his "coaching tree" is really a "forest," how Raiders owner Al Davis steered the son of a famous player to Kansas, and more classic hoop stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...
Feb 17, 2020•47 min•Ep. 57
In Part one of this two part conversation, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown shares stories of Kobe Bryant, why Allen Iverson would have never accepted "Load Management," his biggest regrets as a coach, and why he wishes he had built a better relationship with Knicks owner James Dolan when he was Knicks coach. All this and so much more in the first half of this epic conversation! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...
Feb 10, 2020•52 min•Ep. 56
Kobe Bryant's death leaves a giant emotional void in the city of Los Angeles and in the Lakers organization. In the week since his untimely death at the age of 41, the outpouring of emotion across the basketball universe has been staggering. From Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, to GM Rob Pelinka, to LeBron James and all the players, Ohm Yougmisuk explains how the Lakers organization is emotionally gutted. Ohm's comments are always insightful and fans of Kobe and the Lakers will understand exactly what...
Feb 03, 2020•25 min•Ep. 55
Mike Wise had many encounters with Kobe Bryant starting with Kobe's very first days as a Laker in 1996. Over Kobe's 20 year NBA career, Mike racked up many vivid memories and along with his producer Bruce Bernstein, they have a late night conversation where Kobe is the only topic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 27, 2020•43 min•Ep. 54
John "The Chief" Martin has produced over 4200 events for ESPN Radio over a 25 year career at the sports network. He has worked with Hall of Famers like Dr. Jack Ramsay and Hubie Brown and had close encounters with players like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, among many others. He can tall a story with the best of them and remembers events in great detail. His story about nearly being mugged in New Orleans with John Madden is an absolute classic. The Chief will keep you entertained and share...
Jan 20, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 53
Tamir Goodman was known as “The Jewish Jordan” when he was a top 25 high school basketball player in 2000 but turned down a scholarship from the University of Maryland because his Jewish beliefs forbade him from playing on Friday night and Saturday before sundown. He eventually settled in Israel where he became a professional player and is now a coach. There has been a recent spike in anti Semitic crime in the NY area where some Jews have been attacked by Blacks. Tamir is a a passionate believer...
Jan 13, 2020•56 min•Ep. 52
Youth will be served and 9 year old Oliver Wise shares his perspective on the sport. Mike tells Oliver the timeless story about being Magic Johnson's personal chauffeur as a 15 year old in Hawaii. Once "Dad" grabs the mic back from the kid, Mike and "Producer Bruce" share their unique takes on the best stories of 2019 and some of the craziness that lies ahead in 2020. Here's a sample: Why load management builds stronger teams, why James Harden is an offensive genius, and why LeBron James is the ...
Dec 30, 2019•57 min•Ep. 50
