The Ringer NBA Show

As the restart of the NBA season gets closer and closer, there are rumblings among some players about how comfortable they will be about staying in the campus environment of Disney World without the freedom to leave for two months (0:33). Plus, we answer your questions about which underdog could win the title when basketball comes back, fixing the Knicks, ‘The Bachelor,’ and more (35:12).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that we have a date for when the NBA will be playing games again, the focus has narrowed to what happens in the interim. We discuss the NBA’s evolving thought process on COVID-19 testing, how many players will be with their teams in Orlando, and more (0:34). Then, we briefly discuss the wing prospects in the coming NBA draft that Kevin is most excited about (49:58).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Thursday’s board of governors call with Adam Silver, the NBA has almost unanimously approved the league’s plan to return with eight regular-season games followed by a play-in tournament for the 8th seed in each conference. Now all that’s left is for the players union to approve the plan and for each team to get to Orlando and ramp up to play. We discuss potential challenges the teams will face getting ready to play competitively again (0:49), and then we open up the mailbag to answer your questions about the return plan, the league’s openness to potential player protests during games or the national anthem, and more (21:03).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss the sweeping condemnation of police brutality from NBA players and the NBA community—in line with nationwide protests over the last week—and what it means to even think or talk about the return of basketball in this moment (0:39). Then we go over reports about the league’s plan to return in late July and the board of governors meeting tomorrow that will dictate the terms of that return (10:08).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve and Pete are joined by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to have a conversation about the state of our nation, how we got here as a country, our absence of leadership, and how we can take action to grow and bring about change following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.Host: Steve Kerr and Pete CarrollGuest: Gregg PopovichThis show is raising money for COVID-19 relief. You can help! Donate here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss Kevin’s report that the NBA GMs voted overwhelmingly against the group stage format floated by the league earlier this week (1:56). Then, we open the mailbag back up to answer your questions about the best and worst statistics in the NBA, players whose legacies would be most improved with a title, and our favorite type of player to create in NBA2K (23:06).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the NBA nears its return, we explore the benefits and drawbacks of adopting a World Cup–style group stage for the 2020 playoffs. Could this draw new fans? Could it be a precursor to future midseason tournaments or even playoffs? Does this shift the competitive balance in any way? Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Longtime Utah Jazz coach and NBA Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan died Tuesday morning. We remember his playing and coaching career and the legacy he leaves behind in the modern NBA (1:20). Then, we get into the nitty-gritty of Kevin’s reporting on the NBA’s COVID-19 testing plans in the event of a return this year (10:50), before answering more of your mailbag questions (27:19).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We run through the latest news around the NBA, including Tillman Fertitta’s comments to Donald Trump about the return of the NBA, Jazz wing Bojan Bogdanovic’s wrist surgery, and the Knicks’ new assistant GM, Frank Zanin (1:49). Then, we give our closing thoughts on ESPN’s Michael Jordan documentary ‘The Last Dance’ (35:30).Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices