Nightcap - Hour 1: Thunder Win NBA Finals + Kevin Durant TRADED to Rockets

Summary

Club Shay Shay - Episode Summary: “Nightcap - Hour 1: Thunder Win NBA Finals + Kevin Durant TRADED to Rockets”

Release Date: June 23, 2025
Host/Author: Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, and Cedric “Cornbread” Cornbread
Description: NFL legend Shannon Sharpe sits down with the biggest athletes, celebrities, and influencers to discuss their accomplishments, challenges, and everything in-between.

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1. Celebrating the OKC Thunder’s First NBA Championship

The episode kicks off with Shannon Sharpe announcing the Oklahoma City Thunder's historic victory over the Indiana Pacers with a final score of 103-97, clinching their first NBA championship. Sharpe emphasizes the team's impressive regular-season performance, boasting 68 wins, and highlights Shay Gilgis as a standout player poised to win the MVP award.

Shannon Sharpe [02:23]: “The OKC Thunder cap off a great regular season with 68 wins and take home the championship 103-91 over the Pacers. What an outstanding game.”

2. Impact of Tyrese Halliburton’s Injury

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Tyrese Halliburton's injury early in the first quarter, which many believe altered the series' outcome. Joe Johnson and Cedric Cornbread delve into how Halliburton's absence affected the Thunder's performance and the Pacers' strategies.

Cedric Cornbread [04:02]: “When you lose your best player, it's hard as hell to win. Tyrese Halliburton going down changed everything.”

Joe Johnson [12:36]: “I'm just kind of sad because I thought Joe was a better friend. The Pacers were handicapped and he still took that money from me.”

The team discusses how the Pacers' turnovers in the third quarter—32 points off turnovers—played a crucial role in sealing the Thunder’s victory.

Shannon Sharpe [07:01]: “OKC had 32 points off their turnovers, and that was the biggest difference of the game.”

3. Turnovers and Game Strategy

Sharpe, Johnson, and Cornbread analyze the strategic elements that led to OKC’s triumph, particularly focusing on the Pacers' seven turnovers compared to OKC's none. They emphasize the importance of ball control, especially when a team is undermanned due to injuries.

Shannon Sharpe [09:17]: “You can't have careless turnovers like that. Especially when you're undermanned, you need to play a near-perfect ball game.”

4. Kevin Durant’s Trade to the Rockets

The conversation shifts to the shocking trade of Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets. Sharpe critiques the Suns' management decisions, highlighting the extensive trade package they offered and questioning its long-term benefits.

Shannon Sharpe [59:23]: “The Suns gave up too much to get Kevin Durant. Now they're trading him for Jalen Green and multiple draft picks. They didn’t have anything to offer Miami, so they had to bite the bullet.”

Joe Johnson defends the trade by comparing it to car depreciation, explaining that acquiring a superstar like Durant inevitably involves significant investment.

Joe Johnson [59:56]: “When you buy a player like Durant, you understand he depreciates. The Suns hoped it would pay off, but it didn't.”

5. NBA Finals Format and Fan Base Dynamics

Shay, Chad, and the team discuss Zach Lowe's proposal to revert the NBA Finals to a 2-3-2 format, debating its implications on competitiveness and team performance. They contrast NBA fan loyalty with that of NFL fans, noting that NBA teams in small markets like OKC benefit from dedicated local support, unlike in larger markets where fans can be more fickle.

Shannon Sharpe [22:44]: “NFL fans in small markets like Pittsburgh have been loyal for decades, but NBA teams in small markets like OKC don’t have the same history, making dedicated fan bases harder to cultivate.”

Cedric Cornbread [24:12]: “Miami isn’t a small market, but their fans aren't as loyal. Small market NBA teams rely on consistent performances to keep their fans engaged.”

6. Evolution of Basketball and Player Specialization

The hosts delve into how basketball has evolved over the decades, particularly the shift towards one-on-one play and the increased specialization of players. They compare current stars like Shay Gilgis to legends like Scottie Pippen, discussing how rule changes and playing styles have influenced player development and team dynamics.

Shannon Sharpe [31:01]: “The game is more ISO now, allowing players like Shay to thrive under different circumstances. It’s a different era with more offensive freedom.”

Cedric Cornbread [31:32]: “In the past, teams focused on post play and physical defense. Today, it’s all about perimeter shooting and individual talent.”

7. Challenges in Maintaining a Dynasty

The conversation touches on the difficulties of building and sustaining a dynasty in today's NBA landscape, where player movement is frequent due to lucrative contracts and market dynamics. The team debates whether OKC Thunder can maintain their championship status amidst potential roster changes following Durant's trade.

Joe Johnson [18:32]: “To have a dynasty, you need to keep your core together. With Durant out, it’s hard to say how OKC will sustain their success.”

Brad [19:01]: “How you gonna say dynasty when players start leaving for better offers? Everything changes.”

8. Concluding Remarks and Future Outlook

In their closing remarks, the hosts reflect on the Thunder's impressive performance, the strategic moves by both OKC and Phoenix, and the broader implications for the NBA. They express optimism for the Thunder's future while acknowledging the challenges ahead due to roster changes and the evolving nature of the league.

Shannon Sharpe [76:06]: “OKC played great defense and balanced their scoring effectively. With the depth they have, they can continue to thrive despite losing Durant.”

Cedric Cornbread [77:43]: “The resilience of teams and the depth of their rosters will determine who sustains success in this competitive NBA landscape.”

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Notable Highlights:

• Shay Gilgis's outstanding performance and MVP prospects.
• The critical role of Tyrese Halliburton’s injury in the championship outcome.
• Kevin Durant’s controversial trade to the Rockets and its impact on both franchises.
• The debate over the NBA Finals format and its effect on team performance.
• Insights into the evolution of basketball strategies and player specialization.
• Challenges in maintaining team dynasties amidst frequent player movement.

This episode offers an in-depth analysis of significant NBA events, blending expert opinions with firsthand experiences from former athletes. Whether you're a die-hard basketball fan or someone looking to understand the complexities of the league, Shannon Sharpe and his co-hosts provide a comprehensive and engaging discussion.

Transcript

[Shannon Sharpe]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

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[Cedric Cornbread]

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[Cedric Cornbread]

The.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Volume we have a new NBA champ the OKC Thunder take down the Indiana Pacers 103 to 97 to win their first championship. The celebration is going ongoing. Shay is probably going to win the mvp. Great series. It goes seven game. Tyrese Halliburton goes down late in the first quarter and you know, and I think that everybody's going to say had they had Halle, maybe the outcomes we would have been different. But we'll never know. The OKC Thunder cap off a great regular season. 68 wins in the regular season and they take home the championship 10391 over the Pacers. 437 game series. What an outstanding game. We have a jam packed show for you tonight. Y' all know me, I am your favorite uncle Shannon Sharp, my partner and co host, Liberty City's own bingo ring of fame honoree, Pro Bowler All Pro. That's Chad Ochocinko Johnson, the third member of our team. University of Arkansas alum, Arkansas native, born and raised. Here he is. ISO Joe. Hello Johnson. And joining us to cap off this championship week, y' all know him, University of Charlotte Finals MVP in 1981 Series 42 win over the Houston Rockets. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Cedric Cornbread.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Man, I really felt it was a great series. Nobody picked Indiana. Indiana deserves so much more credit. But you know, when you lose your best player, Chad would tell you, you lose your best player that early in the game you were never able to recover. I don't care what happened, that it was more like it was at the end of the game that's it was going to happen. My buddy Terry on kept telling me that no, no, they're gonna lose the best player. They can still win. No, when you lose your best player, it's hard as hell to win. I gotta use one of Chads last. The goddamn man got hurt. That's what he did. Goddamn man got hurt. Hey, hey, Bread.

[Joe Johnson]

Cornbread. I'm glad you. I'm glad you said that. And, and that, that speaks to the fact that obviously Joe and I had a bet on. I'm not sure if we put any money or we put a wage on it, but honestly, Joe, if you're a real one, if you're a real one, the fact that got hurt. Let, let me stay with me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Joe Johnson]

If you're a real one, if you was a real one, the fact that the Pacers were handicapped and Hal Burton got hurt, you taking my money, knowing that the Pacer was shorthanded and I.

[Brad]

I guess I ain't a real one. O. I need my. Run it, run it. I ain't trying to hear that, Bread. What are you talking about? What you Talking about, you know, what.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You doing show.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, let me. Guys, please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Let me get through the.

[Brad]

We got two hours.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Brian, please, please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the like button. And guys, go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcast from. Thank you for joining us. We really appreciate your support. You've been with us, man, for the last two years. You guys roll with Ocho and I think and thin. Last year our basketball analyst was Gil. This year is Joe. Hopefully we can get Joe back again. Bread chimed in three or four times for us and we greatly appreciate everybody and we appreciate you tuning in to watch each and every one of these guys. Please make sure you check out shave by La Portier. We do have it in stock now. If you can't find it in the city or state near you, order it online. We'll ship it directly to your door. The best tasting VSOP cognac on the market. Please drink responsibly and stay safe. Go follow my media company page on all of his platforms, Shay Media and my clothing company, 84. With 84 being spelled out, that link is pinned in the chat. Supplies are limited and once they're gone, they are gone. But. All right, so Joe had a big win today. We'll talk about that a little later. But OKC wins his first championship. Now, they do have a championship. They left the Seattle name up in Seattle. They did win a championship. What was that, 70?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Something like that, man. Dennis Johnson was there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So the Wizard, Jack, Sigmund, Barbie, Webster.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Them some bad boys.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But OKC caps off a great regular season. 68 wins in the regular season and they finish it off the way they were supposed to. They have the MVP of the league and Shay Gilgis and they win it 103 to 91. 437 game series. Joe, I'm gonna go to you first. I thought the serie. I thought the game turned in the third quarter. Seven turnovers by Pacers, none by the Thunder, 34 to 20. If you do a better job of taking care of the basketball. I thought they got out rebound. I mean it was simple stuff. You know, you go around the two break and you let the guy punch the ball out from the back. You get the rebound and then all of a sudden you lose it out of bound on your own. You can't have careless turnovers like that. As Brad said, when you're undermanned, your best player is down, you nearly. You need to play a damn near Perfect ball game. And the one thing you can't do is, is turn the ball over. Joe, when you saw this early in the game, Tyrese Halberton seemed like he had it going early. Three deep threes was playing extremely well. But we talked about this. I said, man, we got to be careful with this calf, because the same thing they said about kd, oh, it's his calf. Is his calf. And you saw him went to make that certain burst, and then all of a sudden, you could see it when they showed it show slow motion in the replay roll up. Um, it is very, very unfortunate. He's probably gonna be gone until the 2026 season, um, because it happened so late, he's not coming back. But OKC Joe, they were the best team from start to finish, and they finished.

[Brad]

Yeah, they did. It was. Hey, look, it's been a great series, man. First off, we gotta give. We gotta get a pace of credit. You know, I'm talking about throughout the whole postseason. Unc Ocho Red, you know, they've been obviously resilient. They've been counted out and still been kicking and finding ways to. I felt it was going to be tough for him to win this game when Halleberg went out, but I thought he came out aggressive, and, you know, Indiana came out like they. You know, like they knew what time it was. I thought him. Jockam was pretty aggressive. They were making shots, and it was a teeter totter game early. And like you said in that. In that third quarter, all of a.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sudden, you lose it out of bound on your own.

[Brad]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You can't have careless turnovers like that. As Brad said, when you're undermanned, your best player is down, you nearly. You need to play a damn near perfect ball game.

[Brad]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the one thing you can't do is turn the ball over. Joe, when you saw this early in the game, Tyrese Halliburton seemed like he had it going early. Three deep threes was playing extremely well. But we talked about this. I said, man, we got to be careful with this calf, because the same thing they said about kd. Oh, it's his calf. It's his calf. And you saw him went to make that certain burst, and then all of a sudden, you could see it when they showed in slow motion in the replay. You see that thing roll up. Um, it is very, very unfortunate. He's probably gonna be gone until the 2026 season, um, because it happened so late, he's not coming back. But OKC Joe, they were the best team from Start to finish. And they finished it off.

[Brad]

Yeah, they did. It was. Hey, look, it's been a great series, man. First off, we gotta give. We gotta get a pace of credit. You know, I'm talking about throughout the whole postseason. Unk Ocho, you know, they've been obviously resilient. They've been counted out and still been kicking and finding ways to. I felt it was going to be tough for him to win this game when Halliburg went out, but I thought he came out aggressive and, you know, Indiana came out like they, you know, like they knew what time it was. I thought him. Jockam was pretty aggressive. They were making shots and it was a teeter totter game early. And like you said in that third quarter, the separation was. They beat him 32 to 10. Off point points, off turnovers. OKC had 32 points off their turnovers. And I think that was the biggest difference of the game. But give OKC a lot of credit. They did what they had to do. They closed them out on their home court, man. It was a great series, fellas. A great series.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Joe, I can't believe you didn't give glory to God when you were about seeing all that. That's why he always thought that, are you. Glory to God.

[Brad]

But you didn't even go there.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You know, I think it was. It was a tremendous series. It was a series. I think Carlisle coached his ass off. I think TJ McConnell was what Joe would say. Joe, he was a water bug. And I know. I could hear you. I know you in your damn. Your house. Get his ass, somebody. I know that's what happened. Oh, Joe. When. When games go like this, to me it's almost scripted at the end. OKC had nothing. I mean, I look at Indiana had nothing to lose. They had nothing to lose. They played early. They played well early. But you can see the bubble. All the air just go out of the bubble when. When it happened and the injury. Same thing happened with the Celtics when Tatum went down. It was just a matter of time before the team was over.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Great.

[Joe Johnson]

Ocho, man, I'm hurt, huh? I'm hurt. Obviously, Halliburton coming out as aggressive as he did, I really felt. And I whole lot. I wholeheartedly, really felt good. Not just about this game, but about them coming away with that win. And I think that would have been the outco had he not gotten hurt. T.J. mcConnell played very well. Siakam played very well. And the fact once he went down, they still competed, huh? They still competed. You know, they kept the game very close, but the turnovers, it, it, it hurt. Not only did the turnovers hurt, they score. I mean, the Thunder were able to score points on those turnovers. And I mean, it is what it is. I'm. I'm just. I'm.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm.

[Joe Johnson]

I'm just kind of sad. I'm kind of sad because I thought Joe was a. A, A better friend. The fact that the paces were handicapped and he still is willing to take. Take that money from me, you know, it just. I mean, it is what it is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey. Hey, Joe. Joe, tell him. You lose your job. The mortgage company still. Won't they pay?

[Brad]

Hello?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hello?

[Brad]

Yeah, they still want their payment. Hey, look, I understand, you know, some unfortunate has happened, Ocho, but I, I gotta tell you, bro, I'm sorry, but they ain't got nothing to do with me. You hear me?

[Shannon Sharpe]

To no one's surprise, Shay was just named Finals MVP. So he's the regular season MVP, Western Conference MVP, Finals MVP. Averaged 30 points, five and a half assists, one. Almost two steals a game, one and a half block shots per game. And he's only 26 years of age.

[Brad]

I got a question.

[Joe Johnson]

I'm glad you just said that. Now think about everything you just named off. He's won a ring already. He was the MVP this season. Now, we talked about this for a very long time all throughout the NBA season. You said you would take Joker of sga. Now would you still take. Would you still take Messier still?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Cause Jokic got a ring too. You remember? Jokic did all that.

[Joe Johnson]

I wanted to see if your mind had changed.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Joe Johnson]

Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. And that's not. And that's not to take away anything from. From Shay.

[Joe Johnson]

Yes, sir.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He's a phenomenal player. Yeah, but I mean, you're talking about. I mean, and you like really splitting hairs. So you looking at Shane, you're looking at Jokic, you're looking at Giannis, I think. I think those are the three best players. Maybe you sprinkle in Luke or something when he's healthy and going. But Shay, I mean, to be 26 years of age, they brought him in. He's kind of learned under Chris Paul. And then they turned the organ, Brad. They turned the organization over to a kid that was, what, 22, 23 years of age.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But here's the thing. You should say, Shannon, when you talk to Ocho, the supporting cast, you look at the best supporting cast. At the end of the day, you can look at OKC with the supporting cast. Lou Dork looked like he should have been playing with the, with the Cleveland Browns. The way he was knocking gas, that big body, way he was able to do things. The big question we're going to talk about later on, gentlemen, is this. You talk about three guys who were the MVPs when they were with the Thunder. They couldn't get it done. Harden, Westbrook, in the ring, they couldn't get it done. But now they've gone to a smaller, more effective lineup. Not as big as stars, but they still won. But those three guys that you talk about, that supporting cast they had, they should have won one or two.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They should. They kept. Well, they let James Harden. You remember they went to the championship, they lost to the Heat, and then the next year, for $5 million, they let James Harden go to the Rockets. And that was kind of the beginning. And we're going to talk about this a little later. Every last one of those guys that started in OKC somehow find a way to get to get to the Rockets. You know, it started with Harden, then Russ and now kd. So we'll get to that a little later. But you're absolutely right because you look at these two teams, what do they have? Bench plays? Yeah, their bench players play extremely well. They're a very deep team. You look at Obi Top and didn't play well tonight, but he normally plays well. But you got Matford, he gave you 24. TJ McConnell gave you 16. So that's 40 points. You got 42 points from your bench. You really can't complain like that about that. McAuliffe just didn't have a good game. He played well offensively, but the turnovers. He had a lot of careless turnovers tonight. He had seven, they had 21. They had seven turnovers in the third quarter when OKC really opened up the game. I mean. Cause they had a one point lead and now all of a sudden you start the fourth quarter and you're down 13. So you go from plus 1 to minus 13. And a large part had to do with the turnovers. You lost the turnover battle in that. They did a great job of taking care of it. And you know, this is how OKC played. They are very active with their hands, especially at home. That crowd is raucous. And you just got careless with the basketball. OKC this season, number one in net rating, number two all time. First in defensive rating, third in offensive rating, second youngest championship team in NBA history, only behind the 1977 Portland Trailblazers, led by big Raiders.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You didn't mention one guy who was particularly effective in that thing, and it was really Alex Caruso. Nobody's going to talk about the bald eagle. I know, Shannon, that hurts you because there used to be a faker over there to get me out. But Alex Caruso was huge for them defensively, offensively, he is able to shut the door and really contain guys. And he made it extremely tough for them, especially. Talk about those steals. He was part of that steel thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm everybody. He was.

[Brad]

Hey, hey, Unc Bread. I think y' all make great points, especially about they bench. You know, the others they play well. Obviously, you know, the more likely whoever bench plays well, they team win. But to me, if you look at Chet Holbridge, I think he was averaging 11 points throughout this. Throughout this finals run tonight. He had 18 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, and he was 6 for 8 from the field. Very efficient. So probably his best game.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep, I agree.

[Brad]

If he plays well, plus Shay, and you got Williams playing well, it's hard to beat them. They just hadn't got consistent play from Check Holmgrid, you know what I mean? So if he give him five blocks, he giving you 18 to 22 points a night. And I think that's his next ceiling to where he can be consistent on a night to night basis with these guys. That's what's going to make him a dynasty and make him hard to beat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But, you know, think about this.

[Brad]

Yeah.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Okay, Joe.

[Joe Johnson]

Nah, that. Hey, hey, hold on. Hey, before you go, cornbread. I mean, Joe, listen, you talk about dynasty right now, after. After. The one way to have a dynasty, right, is to be able to keep your core group of guys together. Now, they just won a championship. Now, what happens when you have players that deserve and want to get paid, that don't want to stay there because they know Shay's getting.

[Brad]

No, no, no.

[Joe Johnson]

Shay getting ready to get paid. So players are gonna leave. So how you gonna.

[Brad]

How you gonna.

[Joe Johnson]

How you gonna say dynasty? Everything's gonna change.

[Brad]

I don't. I don't get that feeling from okc and those guys, they.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Look, I don't either.

[Brad]

That's a close niche group. And I think when, when you win Ocho, you. You have to go on a luxury tax. You know, everybody gets paid.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's.

[Brad]

You know what I mean? They're a small market, but the fact that they done won. You mean to tell me you gonna let one of these cornerstone guys get outta here? You can't.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You know, it's good, it's good to say, Joe, but them dead presidents, they change your mind. A lot of times they ain't looking at. They might think that, they might say that. But when you talk about that luxury taxes, you paying the guy 10 million but now it projects out that you're paying in 30 million a year. Now teams get a chance in their mind sometimes they might want to pull back. I just like that when you talk about dynasties, I look like just last year what people said about the Celtics. The Celtics are going to win the championship again with Tatum and Brown and all those players. What happened? They didn't win. This is where and the NBA loves it in the fact that you have different teams winning championships because it promotes all this just equilibrium among the teams.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

The fans. Don't like it though. The fans. Because the thing is, Red, the fans in the NBA are different than the fans of the NFL because small market team Pittsburgh, small market, but they got ravenous fans and they've been cheering for the Steelers for 50, 60 years. Green Bay, small market, been cheering up 10 years. The NBA don't have that. You gotta go LA, you gotta go New York, you gotta go Boston, you gotta go to these, Chicago, these massive markets to get a following. Because if not, it's just regional. Because think about it, your grandfather rooted for the Steelers and so when he had kids and they moved away, they don't live in Pittsburgh, they're somewhere else. But they're still Steelers fans. Green Bay, they don't live in Green Bay. They're still Packer fans though. The Cowboys, they just. So that's how it has to be. But I think the thing is what the NBA can do, the players, the team oo that you're on Joe and Brad, you know this. Yeah, I can give you that extra. I give you that fifth year. Yeah, I get, hey, you go somewhere else. You only go get four, right? I can give you five fully guaranteed. Now do you want four years at 160 or do you want five years at 200?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Now you say that about small market teams in the NBA. What is, what was Miami? Is that a small market? And let's talk about is San Antonio. Was that a small market? Those teams and the ratings were for those.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The ratings were terrible. Go look at, look at Freddie Todio, Brad, look at Fedio, what they play.

[Meta AI]

Look.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And they had. Great. Look at. You had Duncan, you had Robinson, you had Parker, you had Ginobili. It's different. NFL market, small market versus NBA small market.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah, I give you that.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I look at Miami. Is Miami a small market? No. What?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, no. It's not like, like when I'm looking at small markets, I'm looking at like Indy. I'm looking at, I'm looking at like.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Right now. And you talking about them are some of the most fair weather fans I ever saw in my life who go to the game in Miami.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, oh yeah, for sure. Oh, I mean, yes.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Listen, they, they, them people left the game early on show. They left the game early and then when Ray Allen hit the shot, they wanted to get the ass, they tried to come back in. Yeah, you tell me about a damn small market and your loyalty and this heat culture. I believe what Shannon is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But Brett, Brett, but you know how this work now. It's same thing with la. If you don't win, them fans not coming because there's too much to do. See when they're going. What, what? Let me ask you a question. What else are you going to do in okc? What else are you going to do in Indy besides go to a damn basketball game and watch the Indianapolis 500?

[Cedric Cornbread]

That's true.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So now in Miami I got the beach until I got South Beach, I got so much I can do la, you know how much is going on. So if you don't win in. Oh bro, I ain't coming.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, listen, the only people that will go, we talk about hardcore fans, fans that you win and losing, that they will die and ride by you whether you win or losing. But when it comes to Miami or with any of the big market teams, the new, the New York, Louisiana's, the Miamis, maybe, maybe Houston, I'm not sure. Chicago, oh, Chicago, another one. And the fans ain't coming. They're not sitting through that. They're not spending their hard earned money, especially in this goddamn economy. You mean to tell you the economy messed up and we losing? Nah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It says small markets. New Orleans, okc, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Utah, Indiana, Charlotte.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, does that change? Hey, uncle TV markets.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We talk about TV markets now.

[Joe Johnson]

I got you. Hey, I have a question too also. Right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, with.

[Joe Johnson]

Okay, like where people always want to go and play no matter what. They love to go play in Houston, they love to go play In Miami, they love to go and play in la or play.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Joe Johnson]

Does. Does the Thunder and NGA winning the championship, does that affect suitors from the outside wanting to go play in okc?

[Shannon Sharpe]

There's only one thing. What else am I going to do there if I don't go? What. So other. What other pro sporting event can I go to in Oklahoma City besides see the sun? See, in Miami, I can go. Can I go see something? Can I see football? Yeah. Can I see the marble?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Go to the rodeo, Shannon. Go to the next rodeo.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because remember San Antonio. Have to hit the road every year, Brad. Cause they got the. They got the. What you call them coming. The rodeo coming through. Yeah. Indiana. So it's like Milwaukee. What else are you gonna do in Milwaukee besides go see the bucks play? Go to the Harley Davidson Museum? If so, there's only. I mean, when people have families and kids, they don't just want it like, hey, hey, babe, I'm home. What are we gonna do tonight? Everything's boarded up. I mean, you got kids, they want to do stuff, and if it's cold, they can't do anything after September, they inside.

[Cedric Cornbread]

How did Pittsburgh use such a follower since it's such a small market? And you talk about the NFL, but how did they do it, considering that's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ain't nothing like football fans, Brad, Late at night.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Well, what you gonna do?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ain't nothing.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, hold on, Brent.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got the Pirates. You got the Pirates and you got the Steelers. And when the Steelers came up, the Steelers think about the early 70s. They dominated. And so now they're putting that imprint on you. Man, the Steelers. Man, the Steelers, the Steelers, the Steelers. And so kids that had kids, they grew up Steelers fans. I grew up a Steelers fan. My mom was a Steelers fan. Cause they always on tv. Same thing with the Raiders. Oakland. Oakland. Small is small, but they. Hey, that's all you saw. And so once you got up age and you had kids, what do kids do? Take you to the game. Hey, they got a Cubs jersey on or they got a Celtics jersey on. If so you just. It just passes down. Passes down. I like it. Look, Brad, you said the NBA like this, but we've seen. We haven't seen anything like this. Seven consecutive different champs.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Wow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We haven't seen anything like this brand.

[Cedric Cornbread]

How were the ratings for this particular series?

[Shannon Sharpe]

They were Love Island. Love island got better ratings. I'm gonna keep it a stack with y' all, man. I'm just saying, hey, it was a good series. Hey, Chad, don't get Upset with me. Chat. But I'm just saying. Look, look, that really happened. Let me give you a stat right here, J Dub. This season he was an all star, all defense, all NBA and he's a champion. He's the youngest player since Kobe Bryant to achieve all four of those in the same season. This is what Scottie Pippen said about Jalen Williams. I don't even want to put a cap on him and say that he's going to be me. I see him being greater if I can say that just because where the game is today, they have offensive freedom. We didn't have that. We mostly ran out of us out of a system. These guys have the freedom to shoot the three balls and do things of that nature. Players are playing in today's game have a chance to be better than players in the past because of the ability to shoot the ball. Wow. Wow. Somebody said it. Oh, never mind. But anyway, if this kid continued to shoot the three ball the way he shoots, I'm going to sit here and say, and argue with nobody and say he can't, he can compare to us because you can't. He wins. Go ahead, Joe. Let Joe try me first. Then you go Brandon, then oh Jon. Hear what you got to say, Joe, you muted.

[Brad]

Can y' all hear me now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree with Pippen saying because back in his day, you know, they played with two traditional bigs and now, now in today's game, especially okc, they don't have nobody posting up. Seriously, you know those guys are picking pop guys and J Dub and Shay, they kind of get the, they get free will as opposed to when they shoot how they want to shoot so they can give it to you however they want. I think the game is a lot more wide open now and yes, they do have a lot more freedom than guys had back when Scotty was playing.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Joe, I think the game is tailor made for you right now because it is an ISO game. It is a one on one game and if you are a guy that can put the ball on the floor, you can score from the outside. It's almost impossible to stop you. There's a time that I played when we had Mikhail Parrish, myself, Bird, we were post up guys and we stayed right on that block. So we didn't, we weren't trying to trick you. We're just going to beat the hell out of you in the damn post. Nobody does anymore. Shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Anybody post area anymore, it's a dead game. So because of that, the game has changed so much. In a way. And Scotty, I appreciate Scotty giving up like that. But I tell you what I like to see. And this is Joe and Ocho and I would love to see what would happen if he'd been playing during the 80s when guys were throwing his ass to the ground. Now all this, he getting you up in the air, faking you doing all this stuff. You know how Detroit played like that? Detroit used to play two fouls. One guy will hit you and once the other guy, you know a joke that gave the other guy freedom to knock the hell out of. So, yeah, so it would take another special guy. And I'm not taking away from what Shake does. I'm really not. But I'd like to see what he do with hand checking Joe, the era you played in. Yeah, I like to see what he would do right now when it came to hard. But then you see some of these fouls they call today. The guy said belay file when the guy brushed him and hit him. And during my particular era, they would have laughed at your ex like, right, right. No, no, you ain't bleeding when your eyes say now, Ocho, you ain't. If you ain't missing the tooth or nothing, you won't believe it from the nose, they won't call in that. So I would love to know how Shay. I'm not taking away anything from him. No hatred at all. But I love to see how he played during the physical game, the way he was played during that time.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, right. I. I like what Pippen said, Uncle Joe and Brad, I like. I like what he said. But the funny thing about it is there are certain players, regardless of e regards to era based on skill set and DNA and what they bring to the table in that specific era with regardless of what area you put certain individuals in, they're going to succeed regardless of how the game patrol. Whether it's in the 80s, whether it's in the 90s, whether it's in the 2000s or whether it's now. A player like SGA, he will thrive. He will still thrive and just adapt to the circumstance and the environment and the style of playing which they played. If he was in the 80s or in the 90s when they were a lot more physical. The same thing goes for Pippin. It's hard to compare errors. You really can't do it. You can't compare error, Uncle. When you play football, the rules changes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The rule change.

[Joe Johnson]

Exactly. The rule changes. Obviously you think about the game of basketball, right? Everything is ISO now. Back then, the Jordan era, the Pippen era. They played with two bigs back in your day, Unc. God damn, look at the yards you got. You got a goddamn jacket. You got a bus in the hall of Fame and goddamn can right? And you've played during the running game era. Imagine if you play right now, you in your prime, and they throwing the ball 20 million times every goddamn game.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You laughing like you about to get that paid or something right now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, hey, I see them guys making tight ends making 17, 18 million dollars a year. I do see that. Hey, I mean, just goes to show you just how well the Thunder play defense. Yeah, Indiana shot the ball better from the field, better from the three point line, better from the free throw line, and they out rebounded them. But they had one glaring stat. They tripled them up in turnovers, 21 to 7. That is the difference in the ball game.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Turnovers will kill you in any game you play. And I don't care what sport it is, you play football, you turn that ball over, you play basketball and you turn it over and it's going to be a recipe for you to lose. Because those are wasted opportunities. A lot of people laughed when they talked about the Celtics shooting the threes. And I talked to Joe Missoula about this. He said, max, I rather form to shoot the three than turn the damn ball over because therefore you wouldn't get a shot opportunity. And I'm like, damn, that does make sense though. At least you shoot it, you get an opportunity to go in. But when you turn the ball over in a live situation, your defense is lopsided going back the other way and it just kills you. And you can see it hurt Indiana all day long. TJ McConnell was a smart player. Joe didn't surprise me when he crossed the court that time at half court.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he got double and he punched the ball out. Yeah, I know exactly what you talked about.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But you're smaller than that. It's a point guard. You ain't supposed to cross that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he kept getting pinned on the sideline. He got kept. He kept getting pinned in the corner. He's only so tall. So when they come with a double team, he's not getting out of that because he can't see over him.

[Brad]

Hey, look, you had to know that he was going to make some mistake, guys, they asked an awful lot of him, you know, when they did went down.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So he.

[Brad]

He probably. He ain't accustomed to play since the first quarter. Tyrese went down the first quarter and now TJ had to step in and.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Be the guy against the starters. He ain't going against their backups now. Now he's going against J Dub. He's going against Dor. He's going. He's in there with the trees with Chad. So it's a. You're asking him to do. You asking him to be tj. But I need more of that from you. And I need you to give it to me. Against their warrant. The rain. Joe. Let me.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Let me ask you this, Joe. What happened to some of them players you used to play with when you were playing on your team? And they be talking all that shit and then they get in the game?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Give me a real game. You go, man, what happens?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Hey, hey, listen. That damn pressure is too much for you.

[Brad]

Hey, hey, hey, look. Hey, Brian Ocho, let me tell y' all something. I was in college, man. I'm telling you. When I first got to campus, I wanted to play in the hype. That's where everybody used to play at. And I had dudes on my team, bro, who averaged two points, three points a game. Who in the hype looking like Jordan, you hear? But once that popcorn go to pop and them lights come on, I'm like, damn, what happened? Yeah, it ain't the same no more. It ain't the same with them lights come on. That popcorn. Go to popcorn.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Ocho said the right thing. It's DNA based. It is for some people and it's showing for some other people. Because when those damn big lights come on and they damn. Put a little bit more butter on the damn popcorn, some of these people gonna fall like a damn cheap shit. That's what they gonna do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's funny that y' all say that. Cause my freshman, we had a guy, they were roommates, and one of the guys was a starter wide receiver. His roommate go tell the coach. He like, coach, if you gave me some run, I can catch just as good as my roommate. I can catch just as good as this guy. Sure enough, coach put him in the game. Drop everything. He threw it. Coach, after the game, he say, son, you came to my office and tell me you better than Barney. We put you in the game. He put him on blast. Yeah, your roommate. I'm better than him. You done told the coach I'm better than my roommate. He put you in the game. You lay an egg. And then the coach called you out in front of everybody in your room. And sitting there looking at you like.

[Cedric Cornbread]

They'Ll call him out. He's sure call him out. If you go all that honking, all that damn noise. Oh, till you've seen enough of that. All them damn guys backing you up. We used to tell guys in practice sometimes, what the hell? You following me like that? You can get in the damn game. You ain't gonna be playing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, listen, I don't. I don't think. I don't think people understand how difficult it is. It's one thing to be playing on the park. It's one thing to be having fun, recreational with your friends. But I'm talking about at the highest level, Bread and uncle. I'm talking about at the highest level when them lights turn on. Especially if you a talker. You was a talker, Joe. If you're a talker and you've got to back it up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, you gotta back it up.

[Joe Johnson]

I don't think people understand how much pressure that is. And obviously, when you see the finished product on a Sunday, you'd be like, well, damn, they make it look easy. But what you don't get to see is all the work these motherfucking got to put in before time cut it on Sunday, it just look easy.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But, you know. But out of the four of us right now on air, three of us I know. Talked a lot of shit. I know Shannon did, Ocho. I know you did, and I know I did. But George say nothing. George just played. He played the game and gave you exactly. That's what he's gonna do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I got to let you know, I'm killing you. Let your work speak for itself. No, I'm gonna let my work speak, and I will speak. My work can't talk, but I can't tear your ass up tonight. Yeah.

[Brad]

Hey, hey.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They were.

[Brad]

Hey, hold on. They work to say volumes now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Not a lot of. I can't. Oh, yeah, you. You go be in the waiver. Wildlife.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I got one for you, Shannon. This was my best story. I was playing against the Lakers, and we had some. Some of them guys over there, Larry Spriggs and some of these guys really hadn't played that much. And they were screaming and yelling at me, and I was taking the ball out. So I was about to get the ball from the referee, and I said, hold up a minute. I said, hold up. He said, what do you want? I said, pat Riley would stand beside me. I said, pat, put one of them motherfuckers in down there. Pat Riley turns around going, hey, you going the game. This guy comes in the game to guard me. I score about 10 quick points. And going out the game, I said, Next time you'll sit your ass down and be quiet. I love that Raleigh for that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I love the. Thank you man.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I appreciate it. All those damn talking you doing like running your damn mouth over here. You ain't, you ain't. You should just be quiet and watch the damn game. Yellow critique each other.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We had three stars go down in the postseason with torn Achilles. Dame Lillard went down first, Jayson Tatum went down next and then Tyrese Halliburton. They all were the number zero. Jeff Stotts tweeted if Halliburton deed and tear Achilles, which he did, that would be the eighth Achilles tear this season. The previous high was five in 14:15. That does not include Thanasis Antetokounmpo who tore his in the off season or prospect Jalen Moore who injured his in a recent pre draft workout. Unbelievable. So hold on. That's who Tom Hamstroke, James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson. Two of theirs too, right? So what is Joe Bread you guys play? I heard people say, man it's the low top shoes, but boy, with the way technology is now, ain't nobody was carrying no Achilles with them Chuck Taylors.

[Cedric Cornbread]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now they got all this technology. What's going on with the Achilles guys?

[Cedric Cornbread]

I think it's just Joe. I believe the fact that these guys never rest. The guys you named Tatum played in the Olympics last year. Never had an opportunity to rest. Halliburton played in the Olympics, never had an opportunity to rest. We know what Dame does. He plays all this basketball because you don't rest your body. Shannon Ocho, Joe, your damn body is going to rest you one way or the other. And it might be the Achilles. And you remember that Achilles is one of those things. How do you really protect it? Because you can stretch it and do it, but you can't build it up like one of these strong muscles. That's the thing that happens.

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[Brad]

Yeah yeah. Go ahead Ocho. Go ahead.

[Joe Johnson]

I'm gonna say I see a lot of comments, a lot of people talking about, oh, you know, people are wearing low top shoes. And, and I mean, listen, having a high top shoe is not. Not going to prevent that. It's not going to prevent that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That.

[Joe Johnson]

That's something that's. That's on the interior. And listen, it just happens. It just happens. Why it happened, I'm not sure. Obviously, we know Halle had had an injury. I'm not sure if the compensation for that area caused that. The keys to rupture. But it's just unfortunate that it is happening. But I keep seeing the comments about o. Because the low had nothing to do with low top shoes. And just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't believe so either.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Absolutely.

[Joe Johnson]

Absolutely not. High top shoe ain't fixing that. It's not preventing that.

[Brad]

Yeah, I don't. I don't think so neither. Brie, you could be right. It could be the wear and tear on these guys. But if y' all listen to Hallimburton after game five, he said that this will probably. If this was regular season, this would be a two week, you know, layoff for him. He would be out for at least two weeks. Yeah, and the fact that you can't get that, and you can't get that kind of rest when you have those calf injuries, man, I hate to say it, but this is the next thing that comes from it. You know, when you look at all the guys from, excuse me, Durant, whether it was Dame, they all had these calf injuries. And you know, you playing in the post season, you want to try to be there for your team and give them everything you got. And honestly, it just becomes too much. It just becomes too much because the game is idle. There's such a high level playing in the finals. Like, bro, like, you ain't, you ain't going to get no rest on that. Like. Cause we gonna test it every play down court, every play offensively, he trying to get to the rack, he trying to make a play. You gotta push off on that. So I just think it was unfortunate for a man I hated for him too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, but who, who is going.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Who's gonna make that call, though? Who's gonna make that call for you to sit down because, you know it's not gonna be the player because, you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Know, and it's not gonna be the coach either. Cause I'm trying to win.

[Cedric Cornbread]

The teammates are looking at you, you know, halfway like, yo, man, wrap that shit up.

[Joe Johnson]

We.

[Cedric Cornbread]

We got to go. We got to go. So I don't know how you prevent that when it gets down to players and what they're able to do. A lot of times you said during the regular season, Joe, what would happen. Only thing I think can happen is if you have an independent doctor that has to look at players when they have the injury, that's the only way you can sit them out and protect them. Because you can't protect the player from himself in those situations. Because he's going to want to go. He's going to want to go.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let me ask you a question. Let me ask you a question, Brian. Who playing for that independence? Because if the team paying for it, it ain't independent.

[Brad]

Wow. Wow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If you pay it for it, they keep saying, oh, it's independent. Somebody gotta pay because he ain't doing no. Doctors don't do pro bono work unless there are doctors across borders. They got a service.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But other than that, with, with the Bill Walton trade that happened with me and Bill Walton, I passed it. I didn't really pass the test in LA when I went there, but when, when Bill Walton got to. Got to Boston, Renault back, blowed a little smoke and said, bill, you passed his. His damn knee wasn't as good as. As your grandma's knee way back in the day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But they. That.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But the power of coaches GMs at that time is so different than it is. So I don't know how he protect the player from himself.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let me ask you this, guys. Is it a situation? Because now guys are so specialized, guys play. All they play is basketball, all they play is baseball. All they play is football. So you get. No. So all you're doing is you're stressing that. And then you got these tournaments. Joe, they play basketball year round.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm like, damn. I thought everything was a season. I thought football had a season, I thought basketball had a season. I thought baseball had a season. I thought track had a season. They do all this stuff year round.

[Brad]

And that's why us as Americans, the basketball Hoopers nowadays, we're behind because all we do is play, play, play. And the guys overseas, they teaching the game. They teaching these dudes the game at a young age versus just throwing them out there. Now, man, listen, we in a whole totally different era to where now. Ocho bread. Hey, look, if I want y' all to play on me, okay, Look, I got 100 grand for y' all this song, man. I need y' all to come play with me. That's all these people care about. They ain't trying to develop. They ain't developing these kids and teaching them really how to play the game. So therefore as they get to the next level, whether it's college or pro, you know, a lot of them be lost and you don't really hear about them no more because it takes time. Because when you get to a team and you're not the man, and you have to learn how to play and you have to learn how to start in a role, and you ain't never had to do that. Oh, man, you lost in the sauce. Oh, damn.

[Cedric Cornbread]

That's about as true as it gets. I hadn't thought about it, but over in Europe, the skill set that they teach with the three points and the Euro step and all this, they have that down before they get here. Our players utilized one thing, it was Duncan and the foot speed. And you can't utilize that the whole time. You have to push down the back burner. So I think you are a thousand percent correct when it comes to. But, but, but it's AAU basketball. That's what's killed a lot of that damn kid going. I ain't never seen a damn kid in the damn sixth grade go to damn California from Lower Carolina to play some damn basketball.

[Brad]

I couldn't, right? I couldn't go.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I couldn't go across the damn street. It's another side of town.

[Brad]

Six or seven. Hey, when I was growing up, man, we played AAU ball. I played for the Arkansas Rockets pretty much my entire AAU season till last year. I played with the Arkansas Hawks. And these were all guys straight out of Arkansas, bro. Now you get guys, they gonna be from somewhere, everywhere. They probably ain't gonna even know each other until they get together, until get ready to play, you know what I mean? So that's. That's the biggest difference.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. And Brad, when we were coming up play what? Oh, you better get. You got to work in the summer. You got to buy summer clothes. Hey, hey, but see, I want. Hey, but see, I wanted. We were so poor, I wore summer clothes year round. Some of my brothers, some of my cousins, some of my uncles.

[Brad]

Hey, hey, hold on, hold on. We were working too, man. When I was young, playing for aau, man, we threw so many swim parties, car washes, ticket raffles.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Spaghetti dealers. You got to feel those spaghetti dealers too. Joe.

[Cedric Cornbread]

And Joe, I know you guys have some. That you have a Sunday suit. Don't tell me that. Everybody had a Sunday suit and the beds and some suit that we could go church in on Sunday. So we have something special and that would hand me down because we bread one thing. When they had down Easter, everybody was at Damn church.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, we got an Easter suit. Yeah, you know, you get two suits. You get two suits for 29.

[Brad]

Hey, listen, my girl was my. Hey, my grandma was the lead here in the choir, man. I spent a lot of time with my grandma. I was in church leave three, four times a week. You hear me?

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Brad]

Oh, yeah, something about a long while. I was Baptist, man. And down. Down there Higgins in Arkansas, man. Listen, Reverend Payne, I'll never forget, man. Church lasts so long, Guys. Hey.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, my God.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, Joe. Grandma was just like that, too. I never forget. In Overtown, Grandma went to Mount Oliver Baptist Church.

[Brad]

She had that hat. Oh, Joe. She had that hat.

[Joe Johnson]

Well, her hat collection was those jokes, right?

[Brad]

You hear me?

[Joe Johnson]

Listen, it's only one person. It's only one person in the church who had a better hat collection than Grandma. And that was the pastor wife collection was the real deal.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I want to see how honest all of you are when they pass the collection plate. In your role, did you ever get more money out than you put in? Nah.

[Brad]

Hey, hey, hold on, hold on, hold up. Grandma made sure we had a couple dollars to put in. But I ain't gonna lie to you. Sometimes I put mine in, sometimes I kept it in my pocket.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, hey, hey. And be all beyond. Hey, Brad. Ocho, Joe. You know, the black church was started to wave. They passed that pan around the pants going, come on through. Hey, got nobody.

[Brad]

We.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They keep talking about this. The wave started Sports arena. No, it didn't. It started the black shirt because they passed that p. That pad around. Let me ask you this, then.

[Cedric Cornbread]

How about that Marvin sat. When he closed the doors, they closed the damn door.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We talked about that. Yeah, come on, man.

[Cedric Cornbread]

That was funny.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'd have been in charge. How God gonna get in here? We got him locked out. I mean, we wanted to come in, and we don't lock him out.

[Brad]

Hey, listen, man, I'm talking about Sunday school. 8, 8:30 in the morning. We ain't getting out of church, man. Four o' clock, man. They already hooping up there at the park. By the time I'm riding on, I'm looking out the window like gotta.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You know, let's be honest. That was the only time your parents. If you had a lot of kids. That's the only time your parents could really get busy because they send y' all to church. They had about before they had used to go to Sunday school. And then that was about three hours up in there. Now I'm just doing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, I'm doing the. Oh, for sure that was all, you know, Fourth Sunday. Four Sunday was all day thing. Four Sunday, you're not getting out of there. You not getting out of there till like 4:30. You go at 9, you ain't getting out there till 4:30 for sure.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Yeah, and. And how. How hungry are you ot coming out of the church?

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, hey, bread. Listen, I'm happy, I'm hungry when we get out of church, but I know we'll be going.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We going to church.

[Joe Johnson]

We going to church of chicken right down 54th street and sit right there on the corner. I get the same thing. Hey, hey, I'm not even gonna lie to you. I know, me, three legs fries with the apple pie and the strawberry juice. A strawberry soda with no ice. My grandma, she love them goddamn okras.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Huh?

[Brad]

You don't eat okra?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Absolutely not.

[Brad]

I probably eat gizzles and all that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right out the grease. Right out the grease.

[Joe Johnson]

What you know about gizzards, Joe? I eat some gizzles there.

[Brad]

I mean, ocho bread, man. My grandpa cooked everything under the sun. Do you hear me? Yeah, I know something about some gizzards now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. I don't like no liver, but I ain't beginning. Let me know. But Zach Lowe wants the NBA Finals to return to the 2, 32 format.

[Cedric Cornbread]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What you think, Joe? What you think?

[Brad]

No, no, That's a tough one, man. Look, because if you go in there and win on somebody home court, just like Indiana did in game one, and you got three games at home, man, a lot of teams ain't coming back from that, Right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

They did that because they used to fly commercial. So they wanted to make sure it was not. Everybody got their own private plane. So you get two games, you just stay there, you stay there in the city, blah, blah, blah. And then when you pack it up, you come on back. But now with everybody got their own flight, Brad and Joe. Nah, I mean, two, two, one, one.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Why does he want that? That make no sense to me. Because if you are, if you won all these games, you put yourself on the line, you put yourself in a position where you want those first two games at home, the next two went the other places home. And then this back and forth. I'm not feeling that. I'm not. Because as you said, during the 80s, it was hard because we had to fly commercial. We had to go from LA to Boston. Playing the Lakers at that time, I remember Jack Nicholson being in first class with us. And, you know, we just kind of hanging out, having a good time. Them flights were difficult, man. They.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They they.

[Cedric Cornbread]

They were, Joe. They didn't want to give you no damn food. I mean, you stuff that. And on top of that, you have people damn smoking cigarettes right beside you. So don't. Shannon, you don't know nothing about that. You won't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, no, no, but I. I've heard that you guys that regular people. We was regular people. On your flight though, wasn't it?

[Cedric Cornbread]

Yes. Sitting beside you.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Brad]

Hey, listen.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Hey, look.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Asking you asking.

[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

Yes.

[Brad]

Yeah.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Because we were coming to the airport. We'll come to the airport with no security. Here was the security right here. These things right now, you run up on somebody out there, but no security. And none of this other stuff? No. Being protected by the NBA. No. It was a different league then. And you had to protect yourself. You had to be more of an adult. You had to really focus on what you did. Because I'm telling you.

[Brad]

What?

[Cedric Cornbread]

The 80s, the women in the 80s, they were predators, man. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We had breaking news today. Kevin Durant has been traded to the Rockets. The Suns traded Katie to the Rockets for Jalen Green. Dylan brooks, the number 10 pick in the 2025 draft. Five second round picks. KD was at Fanatics Fest when someone captured the moment when KD and his agent, Rich Kliman, found out. Let's take a look at this video, guys. So I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised by this. There's only a handful of teams that had maybe some players in the pick. The compensation. The Suns messed this up. Look, I like Matt Ishba. I've met him several times. He's a great guy, but he gave up too much to get Kevin Durant and he was never gonna reciprocate that because he's two years older than when you got him. So now you're not gonna be able. What you gave up to get him, you're not gonna be able to get that back. We know you want him gone. He knows you want him gone. And everybody else know you want him gone. And so Ocho plus Miami, they turned down Miami's package because I told you they didn't have enough to give. They didn't have anything. Jaime Hawkes, Harvard Highsmith. What?

[Joe Johnson]

I have a question, though. Something you just said. Something you just said, Right? We talk about, yes, Kevin Durant, one of the prolific scores of all time. You said Ishba did too much to get him, but gave up too much. But because of the player he is. That's why he did what he had to do. To actually get a player that magnitude. Now the reason you got them was you hope what you put and invested into him, you hope it turned out and came to fruition, it just didn't. And normally when you buy a car, when you buy a car off the car lot, right? And as soon as you drive it off, what does it do?

[Shannon Sharpe]

It depreciate well.

[Joe Johnson]

So you understand when you get a player that magnitude, as great as he is, as great as he is in and he's older now, you still not going to get back what you bought for him or what you pay for him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I think the thing is o is that when you look at what you look at, you got KD and book. Did you really need Bradley Beal? Did you really need Bradley Beal or do I need to secure my, do I need to get depth for my bench? So now I take trade more draft capital and give up more players. So now they don't have a first round pick until 2031. You do realize it's 2025, right?

[Cedric Cornbread]

And that's why I think it's a good trade of Phoenix stuff. If you're talking about Phoenix is going to be able to do some of these things and possibly get a pick and all this again, Kevin Durant to me goes there, I think instantly to me he makes them more viable. When I think about having a score with them young, them young bulls he got playing with him up there, I don't, yeah, I, I, I give, I make that trade off that I love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I, I like him better and I like him better in Houston than I did in, than, than in Phoenix, you know, because you got sh, you got Shingoon, you got Armin Thompson, you re signed Van Fleet, you were able to keep Jabari Smith Jr. So now, and plus the problem that Houston had, they had the second best record in the West, 52 wins. But they didn't have a guy that you can give the ball to late in the ball game and go get you a bucket. You now have that how long ago Joe?

[Cedric Cornbread]

I know you I some Joe, but to be about 36, 37. He 37 telling me you're gonna let, and I love KD, but you're, you're putting him in a position where you're going to have him carry your team late to go get buckets.

[Brad]

I think I, I think he's gonna be, I think he's naturally gonna do that late in games. I, I, I love the fact that he's with a bunch of young cats like some grimy young cats who gonna work hard, play hard, and he ain't gonna have. I don't think he gonna have to do a lot of heavy lifting. Guys, they got some guys who can play over there, you know what I mean? They got some guys who are going to come into their own. Obviously they going to play through Sengon and Unk, like you said. I'm glad they kept Jabari Smith, another tall, long, long guy who can shoot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The ball, who can post up, who.

[Brad]

Can play multiple positions, and led by Van Fleet. I think they have a great team over there and I think KD can put them over the hump. I don't think it's going to be rigorous on them as far as him trying to carry that team. I think collectively they going to do a great job. Now, naturally he's going to be the cream of the crop when it comes to scoring the basketball because he does it so come so easy to him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. I mean, and plus you got three guys, 610 or better. Yeah, you got 611. You got 611. KD, you got 611. Shingon, you got 610. Jabari Parker, you got Thompson at 67. You got Van Fleet that can run the. I, I like this. I like, I like. Like I said, I like KD here more than I like them in Phoenix because all you had was offense. They didn't have rebounding, they didn't have rim protecting. They didn't have great depth. Because think about what you gave up to get it. You gave up your best defender in Mikhail Bridges. You gave up a young Cam Johnson. You gave up what, three first round draft picks. That's an awful lot to give up for a guy. And now you go trade for Bradley Beal, which weakens you even more as far as draft compensation and depth on your bench. These teams that played in the NBA Finals, what do they have? Depth. Depth. Now, they might not be as good as the big three for Phoenix, but Phoenix said once you got. Once you got Book and KD out of the game. Yeah. Now what?

[Brad]

Hey, look, my question is, what is Phoenix gonna look like with Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Bradley Beal? I mean, them three are pretty much the same guy. You know what I mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I said that when they got. I said that when they got Bill. Yeah, Bill and Booker the same guy.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Watch out, Joe. One of the things could happen, and I've been hearing this, that there might be a possibility of Boston making moves. What's going to happen? Are you going to keep Porzingis here. We have a big hole over there in Phoenix right now. Can you go out and get one of those guys for Boston and make and get that pick or want to give that pick up for maybe Porzingis to put him in that position? You know, Joe, that once you get traded to a team, doesn't necessarily mean you need to stop. You know, your bags don't need to be unpacked. You need to keep. You might be moving on in the new NBA, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Rocket Fans don't seem to be happy with the KD trade, one tweeted. It happened Today was my last day as a Rocket fan. I wish the worst and the absolute worst of this franchise. Trading a 23 year old superstar for a washed 40 year old and genuinely the worst thing you could ever do. I hope KD retires next season and that the franchise completely crumbles. Damn kd. KD also spoke to K Adams today and said Phoenix wanted him gone. Let's take a listen to what Katie had to say.

[T Mobile]

Last one for you. A lot of heartbroken Sons fans right now. What would you like to say that's not true? No, literally heartbroken Sons fan right over there.

[Brad]

I just, I just felt like yeah, that means they wanted me to go. So it's like I'm glad we both, you know, they got what they wanted, you know what I wanted so we can move on and good luck to them going forward and always remember my time there. But we on something else. Hey well yeah, I don't see nothing wrong with what he said because it wasn't him who came to them asking and looking for a trade. He found out they were trying to trade him. So as athletes we know when you it's basically saying you don't want us. Okay, it's somebody out there who will take me. It's somebody else out there who do want me. And he was able to give him a few teams that he wanted to go play with. So give the Sons credit for Even trading him to Houston. Texas. To Texas. Because that was one of the stops that he wanted to go.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What? He knew the Suns. Excuse me, the Rockets. The Spurs. No. Yeah, the Rockets. The Spurs. Brooklyn were really the only the handful of team that had the draft capital to go get it. So he had no choice. I mean, he. He couldn't go to Miami because Miami don't have anything to offer for him. Your two best players are untouchable. Tyler Hero and Bam. And you see the package. Jaime Hawkez Jr. Hobbits High, Smith. They're like, absolutely not.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Absolutely not dudes. What did we think then? Because they had to make that move, how bad they were offensively.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Indeed.

[Cedric Cornbread]

And the only person other than Book that you're going to get anything for when that team was kd. So in his case, they had to make that move. They had to go out and say, dude, you can go on. And here's the thing that me and Joe love about this. So where they go? Oh, I know to a damn state that they ain't got no damn state income tax. How about that? How about that?

[Shannon Sharpe]

There was a back and forth boogie Cousins a few days ago regarding the report the sons had multiple fist fights in the locker room. Kevin Durant says, I have to contest this 94 footer. This some bull jive to throw on us. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were trash this year. Ha ha ha. But we never got close to this. Never. The Phoenix sun reportedly had multiple fist fights in the locker room. Her Boogie cousins. The boogie says the source was one of your teammates. Killer. I ain't referencing you referring to. You save that ish for the other homies. Damn.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, anytime. Hey, Unc Joe Bread. Anytime. Something like that get out, you know, it always come from. From one of the players. It only come from.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it come from the locker room always.

[Joe Johnson]

That's the only. That's the only time. I hate when stuff. I hate when stuff like that happen too, man. You know, I hate when. Dude, I hope when dudes be chatty Patty. When something goes on the locker room, it's supposed to stay right there. Supposed to stay right there in the.

[Shannon Sharpe]

End because guys be pillow talking.

[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

And.

[Joe Johnson]

Okay, if this fight, man, everybody fight who don't fight. It happens. Unc. In training camp. Did y' all fight in training camp?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Joe Johnson]

You know, I mean, it happens all the time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Whatever happened in the locker room, it stayed in the locker room. Whatever happened on the field, if you didn't cap, if they didn't capture.

[Cedric Cornbread]

No, it doesn't. No, it Doesn't. It doesn't stay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, I'm saying I didn't.

[Cedric Cornbread]

You didn't. But here's what happened. As you're saying right now, it's pillow talk. You go tell your wife something. You go tell your girlfriend. You know how those stories go. You tell her, she tells somebody else. And then it's all. It's gone in the woods. So a lot of times what we have in the NBA are wives and girlfriends. And now it's moms who get. Who have a lot of shit going on because of.

[Brad]

They have.

[Cedric Cornbread]

They have a lot of power now, Joe. It's not like back in the day. Back in the day, girlfriends were quiet. They used to nothing about little damn basket. They talk about everything else, but not about basketball. Now they playing the damn game. I'm like, really? You don't play? I didn't see you on the other side sitting up there doing that thing. I didn't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Reports say the Suns will look to reroute Jalen Green to another team. I can see that. That makes sense. Hey, hold on. I need a draft. Huh?

[Joe Johnson]

Hold on, I'm tripping now. You trade KD for Jalen Green. Now you want to ship Jalen Green somewhere else. And then I see reports that they also about a buyout with Bradley Beal. What the hell going on?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause Ojo Bradley. See, Bradley Bill and LeBron are one of the two players. Two players that have no training. They want. So you can't move Bradley Bill where he doesn't want to go. So the best thing is like, you know what? Let's just go ahead and bite this bullet. Get up off this and move in a different direction.

[Joe Johnson]

So how would Bradley Beal look down here? Miami, since he is a prolific scorer. He is a scorer.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He's gonna get 80, 90% of his money. He can look good wherever he choose to go.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Come on.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, let me. Let me. Let me text Bradley real quick, man.

[Brad]

They're trying to get people in Miami.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, well, hey, listen, we could use a score like that. Now look at what he did on the Wizards and look what happened. It's too many people touching the goddamn ball.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It don't take nothing to be a good score on a bad team.

[Joe Johnson]

You talking about the Heat?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, it don't take anything. Bread, you know this. On a bad team, it don't take much to be a top notch scorer. Who cares? You getting your eyes beat out anyway. So don't nobody care.

[Cedric Cornbread]

That's the one where they'll say, I said that one time. To Coach Patino one time, I was talking about Paul and I was talking about Antoine. And that's when they were beating the hell out of the damn Celtics. And I was one of the reporters. I said, so Paul and Antoine, they got their numbers tonight, Coach. And he turned to me. I was just embarrassed I've ever been. He said, turn to me. He said, numbers are to losers. I don't give a shit about them scoring no basket.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So.

[Cedric Cornbread]

So you're right. In the NBA, on a bad team, you can look really good scoring the basketball because you're the only thing they have. But when you plug that into a good team, you get wins because of that. And you can see what happened with Bradley Beal. He leaves Washington and goes to. Everybody said, oh, that Phoenix, they're going to be in. They're going to be in because he's in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Score.

[Cedric Cornbread]

He goes now to Phoenix. And he ain't shooting that way no more. He ain't getting what you say, Joe? Back in the. He getting touched like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't get to take all them bad shots. You don't get to come down and say, you know what? I'm going to get me 25, 30 shots a night, no matter what. On a good team, with other good players. It's not like that. Especially when you have multiple good players on said teams. Now, maybe if he goes. If it could be a situation like okc, J Dubs and Shay gonna get the lion's share of the shots. Like Tonight, Shay was 8 of 27. J Dub was 7 of 20. Now they got 47 of the 87 shots. Two guys took over half the shots. Okay, but now you put Bradley Bill, you put it with KD and Book. Ain't enough bad shots to go around. Yeah, they're gonna be looking at you crazy. You come down taking bad shots. Some of the bad shots that you were able to take and get away with when you with the Wizards.

[Brad]

Yeah, I agree. When you playing with other great players, man, you have to try to find a way to be efficient. I'll take y' all guys back to 2005, 2004, when I was playing with the Phoenix Sun. Nash was an MVP you had. Maurice Stoudemire was a Premier All Star. Sean Marion was a Premier All Star. And as your fourth option, which was me, I wanted to be efficient. I shot. I shot 48% from the three. And every time I took a shot, I wanted to make it count. Cause I knew I wasn't gonna get many of them. You know what I mean, I wanted to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Brad]

Possible. I did. I knew. Listen, I knew the ones that I did get bread. I had to be inefficient. You hear me? So I did what I had to do that year. And I only got a chance to play on that with them guys. Were Nash for one year. And I thought we had a special. A special team, but unfortunately we got some new ownership that came in and, you know, thought otherwise.

[Cedric Cornbread]

But, Joe, that made it. That made it possible for you to go to another team, though, because you had. Because you had highlighted what you were able to do on that particular team with not a lot of shots. And I think that's why you able to go someplace else. And all of a sudden, you know, you get the ISO Joe thing.

[Brad]

But look, it goes back to what Unk said. Hell, I got when I got to Atlanta. My first couple years, I'm averaging 20, 25, 26 a game. But hel, the calorie. Cause we getting the nose bleed beat up.

[Joe Johnson]

Hey, Joe. Hey. When you was in Phoenix starting my with the five.

[Brad]

Yeah, man, he was way before his time, Ojo. The boy was so raw when he came. Came in straight out of high school.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brad]

He came in, man. I'm talking about just running through cats.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He was going through you.

[Brad]

It wasn't no around you. He was going through you. I'm talking about. I seen him go head to head with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garcia at Chris Webb. I'm talking about the elites.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Brad]

Hey, that boy was special, man. He was special. Oh, that's what. That's your partner. That's Lake Whale. That's all you holler by is Lake Whale.

[Joe Johnson]

Lake Wales?

[Brad]

Yeah. Florida. Lake Wells Florida. And Lake West Florida.

[Joe Johnson]

Yeah, that must be. You mean Lakeland, Lakeland or Lake Wales?

[Brad]

Which one? I think, because he always talked about him. Roy Jones, all this. All the dogs.

[Joe Johnson]

Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Yeah, that's right up the road. That's right up the road.

[Cedric Cornbread]

How do all these damn athletes come out there in Florida?

[Joe Johnson]

Oh, it's the water, baby. It ain't nothing but the water. You know, listen, we. We produce them different down here. We. We produce them different down here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Weather.

[Joe Johnson]

The weather.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Look at the best athletes. They come out of what warm weather. California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana. Yeah, look, I mean, because you got. You got like ideal cl. You got ideal climate. And you know, us, we like warm weather. We don't like the cold.

[Joe Johnson]

I like it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We like warm weather. And for the most part, you can do a lot of things A lot longer.

[Joe Johnson]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, you know, you get warm weather a lot longer and you don't get those, you know, those, those long winters and short summers you get. Long summers.

[Brad]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But if you go back, look at that. Look at the book. Look at basketball. Let's just take basketball, especially football. It ain't even close. All the football players from the outside, California, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, stuff like that. But I think that's what it has to do. It has to do with. If you go back and look at it, look at where most of the athletes come from.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Damn, I was from North Carolina. I'm sorry.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Come on, you get a little basketball. Y' all got a few.

[Cedric Cornbread]

I guarantee you North Carolina might have the greatest basketball allotment of basketball players.

[Brad]

Ever put together outside more than Chicago.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Oh, hell yeah. I'm taking Jordan. Jordan. Where is he from? Where, Where?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Where y' all got a few? Well, you. Hey, it used to be New York, you know, used to use. New York was the hotbed, back 60s, early 70s.

[Cedric Cornbread]

Dominique. Dominique. Where is he from? North Carolina. Buck Williams.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dominique. James Worthy.

[Cedric Cornbread]

That Sleepy Floyd.

[Brad]

Floyd.

[Cedric Cornbread]

There's a ton of guys you don't even talk about. Bob McAdoo, one of the greatest of all time. He's from Greensboro. I mean, there were so many great players like hey, David Thompson that people won't even talk about it anymore. He was before Jordan. He was damaged. I tell you what, I was gardening one time and I was swiveling and I was going back and forth and somebody said lob. And I'm guarding it pretty good. And then I turn around, I look. I tell you what, I can tell you what size shoe he wore because I was Shannon. You wore size 13.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's all I saw you get up.

[Cedric Cornbread]

The volume.

[Jeff Teague]

This is Jeff teague from the Club 520 podcast. Yeah. We're taking over Times Square's JD Sports for a special draft takeover. We're chopping it up with the next generation of hoop stars. Top picks, fresh fits and real talk. Catch exclusive interviews, behind the scenes vibes and the crew checking out the latest heat in JD Sports. It's all going down on Club 520 podcast. Powered by the volume. Don't miss it. For excitement and check out their new collection. Visit jdsports.com or download JD app.

[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

When it's tip off time at my house, there are a few things that are must haves on my checklist. My fellow friends and fans. Check my favorite jersey. It is good luck. Check. An iconic drink that's a fan favorite. Check Hypnotic can turn any cocktail into an iconic creation. With its game changing color and tropical flavor, Hypnotic should be in everyone's starting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

5.

[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

I consider hypnotic the point guard of my game day roster because not only is it versatile, like having it on the rocks or as a base for cocktails, it also finishes smooth. So grab a bottle of Hypnotic and make your next basketball watch party iconic. Enjoy the vibrant taste with friends and turn every game into a memorable celebration. Hypnotic where every sip is a slam dunk. Hypnotic Liqueur Bardstown, Kentucky 17% alcohol by volume Hypnotic reminds you to think wisely, drink wisely.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

That's a lot of games all for free.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through June 24th. Score hot summer savings and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags on items like Kraft Mac and Cheese, Celsius Energy drinks, Quaker Chewy Bars and sparkling ice flavored water. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online. For easy drive up and go, pick.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Up or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply.

[Chad Ochocinco Johnson]

Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This is an iHeart podcast.