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Don Hahn
This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Brian Rosenberg
That sounds like heaven to me.
Don Hahn
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.
Brian Rosenberg
Game time is brought to you by Telemardu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, no locals in action. You know what? Your response was exactly what it deserved.
Dave
Yeah, about that, right?
Brian Rosenberg
But we do have a college basketball double header on ESPN starting with 16th ranked North Carolina against NC State. I forget which son. Is it Ben or Alex that's a big North Carolina fan. Rothenberg's son Alex. Alex is a big fan.
Anthony
Alex is little Dave.
Brian Rosenberg
So he's kind of a fraud because he's not going to North Carolina nor I think will he go to North Carolina. But it makes sense because Dave is a Georgetown fan and believe me, he didn't have the grades for that place. They're going to take on NC State, followed by Georgia at Kentucky. Tullamore Dew. The original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Iris whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Telemore Dew. Honey, during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore do responsibly. I'm having brunch with Dave tomorrow. I'm excited about it. I'm coming.
Dave
Really?
Brian Rosenberg
I'm meeting him at 11. I'm meeting him at 11 and I'm trying to get. Because you guys speak Dave kind of what he meant by this because I wanted to confirm that we're on for tomorrow. So during one of my breaks at kickboxing, I text him, I want to punch it up here so I can read it to you so you can translate for me. I text him and I said, are we on for tomorrow?
Anthony
Okay.
Brian Rosenberg
And he said, if it's good for you, we are. He said we. So is he bringing maybe RJ and Rick or is he.
Dave
No, we is you.
Anthony
You and him. What are you and me?
Dave
No. No offense, Don. What are you saying? You sound like a yo yo.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah. What did you ask? What did you ask? When I read it back because I was in. I was during my water break.
Dave
You said, are we on he said, yeah, we are.
Anthony
You go, who's we?
Brian Rosenberg
Who's this we now? I'm just disappointed.
Anthony
What are you French now?
Dave
I try to cover it up. I don't like it.
Brian Rosenberg
No, I'm not covering up. I was like, I would. It would be nice if I met there were more than just him.
Dave
Guys, tell me that right now.
Anthony
You didn't want anybody.
Dave
Guys, look, when you look up at your tv, tell me, tell. They went to highlights. Mike Tannenbaum. Mike T. Looks like so many different. Like, he could be like such a perfect character from a 70s or 80s TV show.
Anthony
He's Taggart from Beverly Hills Cop.
Dave
I was gonna say. I was gonna say he could just be like the super and. Oh, look, right now that's not the super in the building for your 70s TV show. Like, he's got so many people he could be from. Like, just so he could outfit on him.
Anthony
Character actor, any movie, any. Like, he could be a principal.
Dave
Oh, my T is a princess.
Anthony
Throw a leisure suit on.
Brian Rosenberg
No, no, no.
Dave
The short sleeve white T shirt with the top.
Anthony
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
So if. All right. Saved by the bell, people.
Dave
Belding's out, so. So.
Anthony
And what we've heard. Belding should be out so well.
Dave
So they were showing top 10 Jordan highlights for. For his birthday, of course. Is it just my childhood? I guess. I guess the people to ask are Anthony and Jacob. Is it just like us being there for it? Or are Michael Jordan's true highlights legitimately much better than anyone else has ever? Is it just us?
Anthony
No, he. He is. I still say he is the most compelling, breathtaking athlete you could ever watch.
Dave
But, like. But to me, the gap is pretty big now. Kobe had his moments of highlights that.
Anthony
Were amazing, but it always felt like.
Dave
It always felt like a Jordan impression.
Anthony
Thank you.
Dave
Like, he knew and Kobe was so great that he was good enough to actually impersonate Jordan. And I don't think he'd argue any. I think he would tell you. Yeah, that's what I was doing.
Anthony
Pretty good guy to emulate.
Dave
So. But like Jacob, for example, you're much younger than us. Anthony doesn't have any use for the NBA. But Jacob, like, is it. Do Jordan highlights for you also stand above every other basketball player?
Jacob
I think it stands above most. I've seen enough Jordan highlights where I'm just like, kind of numb to it at this point. Between that and, like hearing stories of Jordan, like, it's all right. All right. Like, I know he's the greatest and like, I've seen, like, People's reactions who've never watched the NBA, like, watch people, different people, highlights. And every time they see a Jordan, like, or like a Westbrook or guys like that who play with, like, ferocity, they always like, wow, this is probably like, the best thing I've ever seen.
Dave
So even you say, like, a Westbrook completely lost me. Like, Westbrook doesn't have, like.
Anthony
Yeah. Of all the players you could.
Brian Rosenberg
I don't know who you'd name, but.
Jacob
I'm just going based off, like, highlight. Like, if we just showing highlights and you just see Russell Westbrook going down the lane full speed, you like, why.
Brian Rosenberg
Don'T more guys do it? Like.
Dave
No, I hear what you're saying, but for me, it's the.
Anthony
When.
Dave
When I see it, I could spend all day watching Michael Jordan up and under. Layups, like, all day. They go up on one side of the rim, float to the other side of the rim, flip it. No one else has done that.
Brian Rosenberg
Well, think about his contemporary. I guess he came into the league as Jordan was drafted, what, 84. 84.
Jacob
84, yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
So Dominique came in the year before, and he was considered the human highlight.
Anthony
Yes.
Brian Rosenberg
Wrong. Wrong nickname. Right, Right.
Dave
Even though he was Jordan.
Anthony
He was.
Brian Rosenberg
But then there's Jordan. It's like, how is he the human highlight film when there's Jordan? But think about now. I understand LeBron's a different player because LeBron's not the same type of player.
Dave
No.
Brian Rosenberg
Size.
Dave
His size also makes him feel less special.
Brian Rosenberg
But there's always certain players that just kind of fit. Like, I show. I show these guys the Lawrence Taylor highlights. There's no. Nobody's doing that. Nobody's taking a quarterback by the scruff of the neck and throwing him five yards like Ray Lewis never did. Nobody ever did that. He's Lawrence Taylor, the best to ever do it. And Barry Sanders. There were better running backs, but nobody ran like Barry. Making people miss. Nobody does that.
Dave
Really?
Brian Rosenberg
No, I can't think of any. Even. Even Jim Brown kind of ran through people. Right? I mean, listen, sweetness. Walter Payton, but he was still there.
Dave
He was still Barry.
Brian Rosenberg
Like, there's just certain guys, right, that just. They're great, but they also do things that just seem inhuman.
Dave
Well, you're right.
Brian Rosenberg
Perfect for highlight.
Dave
It doesn't always. The difference with Jordan is the best highlight guys don't always equal the best players.
Brian Rosenberg
Right.
Dave
Great example. No better highlight to watch of boxing than Tyson. But he's not. No one's arguing he's the greatest fighter of all time. Same thing you Just said with Walter Payton, I mean Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders is up there. Most people wouldn't argue he's the greatest football player who ever lived. But the highlights are the greatest. Jordan is both greatest highlights you'll ever see.
Anthony
The rare combination.
Dave
Greatest play. And we were there. I was telling. So last night on ESPN2, we were all hanging out, me and my, my wife and her brother's family and his son is getting really into basketball. He's 8 years old and whatchamacallit came on the Jordan doc. Why am I Last dance came on the last dance is. I realized guys, the last dance is like Goodfellas of docs.
Anthony
Correct.
Dave
When it comes on, you just keep watching. You're just like, it doesn't matter where, it doesn't matter where it is. And the way their timeline works. You don't even quite remember how many.
Anthony
Documentaries got like would you could say we had no sports going on and we once a week knew we had something to talk about.
Brian Rosenberg
Oh, it was like Harry that saved us during COVID But.
Anthony
But the point you're making though is to me what also should be part of the greatest of all time conversation. Right. Because LeBron has breathtaking highlights.
Dave
He does, he does.
Anthony
You could do a highlight package where you're just like, wow. But it doesn't, it pales in comparison because what Jordan does feels like. It's like he's in orbit. His movements are like a. You know, it's. It's like watching a ballet, watching someone who defies gravity, watching someone who has this look on his face like he's a killer, like he knows exactly what he's going to do. There's so many things about you. He's theatrical and I think that's the difference. It's why when you watch Anthony Edwards and all you do is think, man, he looks just like Jordan because he has a little bounce to him and stuff. But the problem is he's a highlight guy. But if you watch him 48 minutes, there's times where you're like, he's not.
Dave
He'S not the best player.
Anthony
He's really good.
Brian Rosenberg
Really good.
Dave
And literally looks like Jordan.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah.
Dave
He's got all these things that make.
Anthony
Him feel everything that you would think could be.
Brian Rosenberg
But it's.
Anthony
Everybody wants to make him the next face of the league. And I'm telling you, no, no, no, he can't. He like. Cuz there's more to Jordan.
Dave
It's, it's, it's so intangible. And I can't do you Know, I was showing off last night because my wife is 10 years younger than me, so she's. She's born in 89. Right. So I'm saying to her last night as they're getting up to the elo shot and I say to her, I'm like, babe, not to show off. And I legitimately felt cool about this. She wasn't that impressed.
Anthony
All right.
Dave
Even though she loves Last Dance and Jordan, I was like, babe, I remember where I was when he hit the shot over elo. I remember when Michael Jordan couldn't win in the playoffs. He was just great player who was losing in the playoffs. And I remember standing in front of the TV in my parents basement when I watched every minute of every NBA playoff game with no rooting interest, seeing Jordan hit the shot over Elo and going, oh my God. They were down one series on the line, three seconds left. The legitimate true back against the wall buzzer beater. And he hung in the air as the defender flew by and. And hit a 20 foot jumper.
Anthony
Yeah, that play.
Dave
To have actually lived through because that's the beginning of Jordan becoming.
Anthony
Yeah, Jordan, the 63 points was a first moment that you.
Dave
I don't remember that. And I was this guy I just.
Anthony
Missed like in terms of Celtics by himself.
Rich Eisen
Right.
Dave
And lost.
Anthony
Right. People don't want to talk about that. But it's like that was like the first. Like, okay, this guy's special. But that moment was, this guy's a winner.
Dave
Well, they also said one thing they focused on that I didn't remember that. You probably do is that Doug Collins first game was at MSG to open the season. And Jordan drops 50 on the Knicks, setting the record for an opposing player at Madison Square garden. Now it's 20, 25, 20, 26. Y' all have heard 50s and 60s and Clay gets 50 and this one back then there was no getting 50. It was like all I heard was.
Anthony
Larry Bird got 50 and Wilt Chamberlain.
Dave
You just heard stories of it. Like you didn't see. See it just happen. No, even Larry, it only happened a couple times. Like. So it's just when you, when you re watch the Last dance, you are reminded of why the obsession with him never goes away. It's completely on a different level.
Brian Rosenberg
Right.
Anthony
Which is why it's to me absurd to try to make an argument about anyone being better.
Brian Rosenberg
You can't.
Anthony
It's impossible because you can't just make it about basketball.
Dave
My opinion, it's not just one of the things, not just the basketball. It's not just the highlights. It's not just. It's all of it.
Anthony
He did all.
Dave
It's why last year I was desperate in the World Series for Shohei to have a lights out game when he came back and pitched Game 7. Because if show had pitched like a 2 hitter in Game 7, then we're going, oh, my God, we found him.
Anthony
Because he had a moment.
Dave
He was right. He was right on the verge. And instead he stays at that top ilk where him and Judge are just phenomenal. But they're not like, literally the greatest player we've ever seen.
Anthony
Like legendary.
Dave
They're right there. They're amazing.
Brian Rosenberg
But I just don't think it'll ever get to where Jordan is. The world's different now. The way we consume is different now. Like, we didn't have a lot of options, a lot of things to watch. Like, right? Because even though Shohei didn't get there, Shohei's pitching and hitting home runs in the World Series that we never seen anything like that before. And yet there's still kind of a. Not a yawn. But it's like, why aren't we going ballistic? We don't go ballistic anymore for stuff.
Anthony
Do you think it's like what happened to the dunk contest to a point where nobody wants to be in it because it's all been done? What am I going to do? Like, but.
Brian Rosenberg
But that's the thing.
Anthony
It's where we've seen. It's like you've seen it all. There's nothing.
Brian Rosenberg
There was. I think it was your text because I was on the road. I think I was in. I was in Colorado with the Devils trying to remember the timeline where Ohtani. Ohtani pitched and won a game. And then he. No, he had the monster game, the monster game at bat and then he pitched the next game and he went like six innings and he gave up three runs.
Anthony
Right?
Brian Rosenberg
And the feeling was like, yep. And I'm like, why? He just had a monster game at bat and then he ended up pitching like a quality start in the World Series. And our first reaction is it just didn't. We've never seen that before in any sport. Like the equivalent I gave when it would. Because we were on the road. And I remember Sheldon Keefe was like, tell me about this Ohtani. Like, what is it like? I'd be like, it'd be like, Jack Hughes scores three goals in game four of the Stanley Cup Final and then he is in net for game five.
Anthony
Right?
Brian Rosenberg
Like, it's at that level Right. But yet the Ohtani. Because we're so. Because we're so numb to it. I don't think it got the dues.
Dave
It should have.
Brian Rosenberg
Because we're like, eh. Yeah. I wish I'd go back to. I think it was you, Peter. I was like, yeah, he kind of, you know, pitched a dud. I was like. Just the fact that he pitched okay.
Dave
It was okay. He was fine. He got them to where they needed to get to.
Brian Rosenberg
But that's still nothing you've ever seen in your life.
Dave
I know.
Brian Rosenberg
And yet we're like, from one night.
Anthony
To the other, you mean. Yes.
Brian Rosenberg
Oh, my God. Jordan dunked from the foul line. It's all anybody could talk about for, like, a solid year. Meanwhile, a guy hit three home runs in a World Series game and then pitches the next game is like. He pitched, but he only went six innings. He did okay. No, he did something you've never seen in your life. And yet you're like. Because that's how much we've seen if you're a certain age.
Dave
So who was the last one? Who is the last athlete that completely captivated everyone? Is it Brady?
Brian Rosenberg
Did Brady captivate from a winning standpoint, but not from a watch, but not from like a. I guess because he was doing an older age. How about Mahomes?
Dave
Mahomes.
Brian Rosenberg
But that's winning. We've seen guys wins.
Dave
Play wise, he's Steph. So you think Steph over Mahomes? Because I think Steph is pretty close.
Anthony
As good as Mahomes is Steph. Until 2022 to finally get an MVP in the finals.
Dave
That's true, too. It's not like he dominated.
Brian Rosenberg
Brady dominated because of all the Super Bowls he won and. But he's the only one we could actually think is the greatest quarterback of all time. I mean, nobody's gonna say, Patrick, what.
Anthony
You'Re talking about is he's close. Here's what you're asking. Who's the last athlete to give us a show we can't ever forget?
Dave
Right?
Anthony
I mean, a show.
Dave
And it's like, what? It's consistent. It's not like one season.
Anthony
Well, if it's in the playoffs, if it's a series, it's the whole. Like, it's the whole championship.
Dave
No, but I mean, like, they. They. They became. Just Must see all the time. Like, that's what Jordan was. It was.
Anthony
He literally was.
Dave
That's what.
Brian Rosenberg
But like. But even then, when it was over a decade, we have a chance to see it, Tiger. When Jordan was maybe It's Tiger. What was it? 90. What year was it when they won the 71 games? Was it 92? The Bulls, they're big.
Anthony
Their best 72 win. 96.
Brian Rosenberg
96. Okay, so it's 1996. That's 30 years ago.
Anthony
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
So when Jordan came to the Garden or came to the metal land.
Anthony
96, 97.
Brian Rosenberg
You had to go see it. I couldn't watch. I was lucky enough. I worked at Sports Phone, we had the satellite. But you'd see a couple of games on NBC, maybe espn, have a game. You couldn't watch it like it is now. If there is a great player. I literally can watch every bat at bat for Ohtani if I wanted to.
Anthony
Mike Greenberg covered that team.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah.
Anthony
And he talks about how he traveled. Yeah, he was with them and he said it's the most incredible experience he's ever had.
Brian Rosenberg
But when we're sitting here in New York City to city where you're living in the Tri State area, when Jordan's going off, you didn't get to see him every night. You saw the highlights. You saw. You didn't get to see him every night. You know, but now if somebody's going off, I can watch every game if I want.
Dave
So no kid's going to ever get to have that level. You think again.
Brian Rosenberg
Well, will there ever be. Here's what I. Here's the question, because I can ask my kids, is there anybody where you like. I have to see him live. I have to say that I saw him play. Like, I had to see Jordan. I remember my brother had partial season tickets to the Nets. It was the night that Rodman headbutted the official. But I had to go because I wanted to at least say I was in the. I saw.
Anthony
Yeah, Jordan.
Brian Rosenberg
I want to be able to tell my kids I saw Jordan. I saw.
Anthony
I can tell you it's wembanyama.
Dave
You think it could be?
Brian Rosenberg
Not yet, but not yet, maybe.
Anthony
No, no, no.
Dave
It's gonna happen.
Anthony
I'm telling you. Like, I had the. Again, I got the opportunity to call the game.
Brian Rosenberg
One of the games I called was.
Anthony
Him too, sitting courtside in San Antonio. And that game was like a 138, 135 kind of game. He got knocked out of the game, but it was an up and down wild game.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah, but.
Anthony
And he just watching him move, he.
Dave
Does look like no one you've ever seen before.
Anthony
There's just something about like, I. And then I'm watching, you know, an all Star. And that first game, like he was Bringing. He was. And I'm. It. It's just. It doesn't hit the same as if you watch him in person and you're like, you got to see this guy.
Brian Rosenberg
But I'm not just talking about. Because you're a basketball player.
Anthony
He's not there yet.
Brian Rosenberg
Listen. I'm a hockey guy. I listen. Connor McDavid is one of the greatest players I've ever seen.
Anthony
He's another.
Brian Rosenberg
But he's.
Anthony
But he's not.
Brian Rosenberg
He hasn't the magnetism there.
Anthony
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah.
Anthony
He doesn't have the magnetism where I need.
Brian Rosenberg
Like when I was doing the games, when Michael was doing the shows in the trailer and I had to go to the trailer. Jeter's last season. I made sure there was one game that I stayed. So like to see Jeter for the last time. Like, I. I wanted that just for me.
Anthony
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
You know. So it was a game against the Royals. It was like in September, early September wasn't his last game. But just to say I saw him. Is there ever going to be. I think we saw it with LeBron. How much they're paying, like. But once LeBron's gone, I. Like you said Wemby. I think for an NBA file, a guy that really love.
Anthony
But at some point he will. I'm not.
Dave
I think he could.
Anthony
I think he.
Dave
But he could, but not there yet.
Anthony
He's incredibly compelling physically. Then he's got a magnetism about him. See, that's. McDavid is missing that because he. When you watch him, I mean, he's insane, but he doesn't have a showmanship or magnetism about him. And while, you know, humility is something we all respect, there is something to be said about those players who don't need.
Brian Rosenberg
Sometimes. Gretzky didn't have a ton of personality, but he was just off the charts. You had to see him.
Anthony
But when he played, there was.
Dave
So the play was the mag.
Anthony
He had the shirt, the jersey tucked in. He had the whole look about him. There was some silver stick that he had.
Dave
You know. You know what? You know what? You know, I thought had it.
Brian Rosenberg
And.
Anthony
And.
Dave
And you're going to remember that I thought this. And you may disagree, but in the moment, I thought it's where we were going.
Anthony
Who's that?
Dave
I thought Zion was going there.
Anthony
Yeah.
Dave
Senior year of Zion. I thought this just must see tv.
Anthony
Like he flies.
Dave
He's different.
Brian Rosenberg
He.
Dave
He looks. His body type is different. Everything about him is different.
Anthony
He assaulted the room and then.
Dave
And then it just.
Anthony
And then you know what happened?
Dave
He assaulted his, his legs got assaulted and it just didn't work.
Anthony
He. He. It. No, it, it just was. It. It all was too easy. And he lost. He'd never had the killer. And that's again, why mj, why Kobe, why Mahomes, why Wemby? I think one day they never stop. They have something that no matter how much money they have, it means nothing to them because winning and dominating people is the ultimate currency to them. If you want to know what's different about one player to another, it's less skill and more that little whatever that thing is in the DNA. Right.
Dave
Well, that's what we're seeing with this version of the NBA.
Brian Rosenberg
That's.
Dave
We'll get to it. But that's like full circle how we landed here on this all Star weekend that no one's talking about. Unless something ridiculous happens because so few of these guys seem to have the killer piece.
Anthony
That's correct. It's not easy to have that.
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Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
Dave
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Sometimes you just can't take it anymore. This is let's Talk About Tuesday.
Dave
With.
Don Hahn
Don Hahn and Rosenberg.
Brian Rosenberg
That's right, talk about it Tuesday. Get it out of your system and I think we can all collectively get on board with this particular Mark Cuban.
Anthony
But we need to get. I mean, the first words of a tweet that said, why the NBA should embrace tanking. And then he turns it into having nothing to do with tanking, but saying, focus more on making tickets more available, affordable. Which, of course, yes, is like, that's Captain Obvious stuff, but that's apples and oranges. No one has nothing to do with the other. Nothing.
Dave
He's. The point he was making is that that should. That's why you're losing fans.
Anthony
Oh, no.
Dave
Not tanking.
Anthony
No.
Brian Rosenberg
I mean, this is poorly written. I'm trying to figure out you're not.
Anthony
Losing fans because of that.
Brian Rosenberg
The NBA is misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It's never been that way.
Anthony
Stop right there. Just please read that again, Listen carefully and tell me why that's anywhere close to the target. Say it again.
Brian Rosenberg
Say it again. He's been misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. They don't. Never been that way.
Anthony
It's never been that way. So fans don't care about seeing a team win. What he's not talking about is fans. He's talking about. And this is why Mark, who's a brilliant businessman who thinks only about customers, he's talking about somebody that will just walk in randomly and go, who's that? Right. You see the warriors and go, that number 30. Wow. He really can put the ball in the hoop a lot. Like they don't know. So he's saying those people don't come to see the team win and compete. They don't care. The problem is you're not trying to get a once, a once in a while customer. You're trying to draw someone in, keep them well.
Brian Rosenberg
He goes on to say, when I got into the NBA, they thought they were in the basketball business. They aren't. They are in the business of creating an experience for fans. Few can remember the score from the last game they saw or went to. They can't remember the dunks or shots. What they remember is who they were with, their family, friends, a date. That's what makes the experience special. Fans know their teams can't win every game. They know only one team can win a ring. What fans that care about their team's record want is hope. Hope that they will get better and have a chance to compete for the playoffs and then maybe a ring. The one way to get closer to that via the draft and trades and cap room, you have a better chance of improving via all three when you tank. He goes on, but I think he's talking about the fans that I never was able to relate to. Maybe Peter could.
Dave
Okay.
Brian Rosenberg
Because I think Peter is a little bit more open minded when it comes to fandom and why I love Knick fans so much. Knick fans don't care about the rest of the league. They care about their team and they care about winning. They want to see their team win. When they go to the game, they remember the score, they remember the dunks. They're passionate about it. But let's also face it, guys, there's a lot of people that are into the NBA that are just into it for all the ancillary stuff, right? That they maybe aren't. They don't have a favorite team, they have a favorite player. But even those people care about the dunks and the score because ultimately or.
Anthony
The other team not even trying to win.
Brian Rosenberg
Right? Because let's not forget how compromised. All right, you go ahead and tank, but that means you're handing victories to other teams and they can benefit for home court advantage and help them win a championship. It's bogus, man. Listen, when I take my family to a game, yeah, I remember, I remember the games that I took Nancy to or that I took my dad to. I never. The pride I felt where I was able to go out and buy a ticket and take my dad to a Giant game. That was special. But I remember the game. I remember what happened in the game. I remember the moments because that's why you're there, to experience those moments with the family. But too much of it comes to, oh, I'm just schmoozing a client. I'm bringing the kids and they're running around and I'm trying to, you know, have a conversation. It's almost like the game doesn't matter. You're not. You don't care about those people. You should care about the people that care about your sport, that want to cultivate your sport, that want to nurture the sport. That's who you want to care about. Those are the people that are just in it for everything else but the sport are the people that aren't going.
Dave
To really help forward your sport.
Anthony
They are literally the come and go people that you can't put that much energy into because again, what you're trying to do is draw them in so they're repeat customers. Now, I think this was very political.
Dave
What do you mean this was trying to accomplish.
Anthony
This was a, I should say it's more political strategy. I don't think it's involving politics, but it's a very typical strategy that a lot of politicians use. Because again, when he owned the Mavericks, they were accused of tanking. They had to pay a fine. So he's going to, like, suggest that, yeah, we did it and we need to do it. But you should worry. See, it's the. It's the distraction. It's the. It's the wag, the dog. Don't worry. Don't look at this. Don't see this as a problem. You know what the bigger problem is? The economy. You know what I mean?
Dave
Right.
Anthony
So something terrible is happening, but let's not talk about that. I'm going to put this in your face.
Dave
You know, there's some people thinking that's going on right now.
Anthony
You think so that's what he's doing. It's making the game more affordable so people can come. They don't care about the score. They don't. They just want to have a good time. And that's what we provide. So pay no attention to the fact that we sat five starters in a game that mattered to the other team and other teams, if that team won or lost, pay no mind to that because what we're trying to do is bring you and your good family a great time. See what he's doing. He is normalizing losing on purpose as a business strategy. That's what he's trying to do. And I don't like it. Now he has a part 2 tweet saying why it's worse now. And this is, I agree. Complete with everything he said. Number one, college basketball. That's professional basketball, too.
Brian Rosenberg
Mm.
Anthony
Right. That's, believe it or not, the J2G league. Then there's college basketball, then there's the NBA.
Brian Rosenberg
Right.
Anthony
And so you're getting players who are paid. You're getting teams that are really good. You're getting a compelling. It's essentially college football, right? How college football has become super compelling because they're big brands who have big TV deals who play each other, and the audience is bigger sometimes than an NBA game. He said that the players are more skilled because this training now has gone all through the roof and in all professional sports. That's true. And the last thing he brings up, which is completely right, is this second apron thing that now is restricting teams so you can no longer build and maintain great teams anymore. You have to make business decisions. If you draft well, you're still penalized. If I have to pay all of my great draft picks, what they're worth on the market. I can't do it because the league won't let me. So he makes a good point all there. I don't like, though, this notion that tanking has been in the league and it's not going anywhere and it's actually a good thing. If there's a fan out there that wants to tell me that they are content with watching their team lose year after year, like some of these teams do, and throw your hands up and say, hey, but you know what? You can go to a Wizards game for $16.
Dave
Right. They'll never compete.
Anthony
Nobody cares that they're losing. They're just happy because, man, the entertainment's great at that game.
Brian Rosenberg
I don't condone it. I hate it. You know how much I hate it. But I kind of understand where a football fan comes from. It's like, because you're guaranteed the top pick.
Anthony
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
You know how important a quarterback is. And because it's football, you'll still go to every game. You'll still watch everything. There's only 17 of them.
Anthony
Right.
Brian Rosenberg
But when you do it in basketball and hockey and in baseball, like, you're just giving up on an entire season of all these games, like, I don't know how you could consider yourself a fan and just give. If you're a Utah Jazz fan, I'm just throwing a whole season away. Listen, maybe because I'm 58 years old, but I don't feel like throwing whole seasons away. Maybe if you're 16, you're like, I'm going to be a fan for the next 60 years. What does one season matter if we can get a great player? But there's so many games. Plus, you're not guaranteed the pick if you end up dead last. You're not guaranteed the first pick.
Anthony
Well, you saw Adam Silver has been talking about ways to curb tanking, and there's several things that they're reportedly kicking around as an idea. One of them, which I think is the worst of all, and I hope it never happens. But it's another way to make money, of course, for the NBA is to have a late season tournament among the lottery teams and have them play each other to see who can get the first pick. I don't know about you, but if you were on a team and the lottery coming, let's say, let's say I'm the point guard of the team and we suck, and the best player coming out in the draft is a point guard. You talk about throwing the Game. They already have problems with this. Right. Point shave and everything else. Like I'm the pointer. Oh yeah. I'm going to play my ass off so this guy can come replace me.
Brian Rosenberg
Or what do you do if you've got like two or three free agents who know they're gone? Why would I care about you getting the first overall pick? I haven't signed a contract too, you know. But if you abolish the draft, which has also been talking about, I don't know, then it just becomes like the old time teams where the bigger market team bid for play.
Anthony
I have been pushing this for years.
Brian Rosenberg
What do you do?
Anthony
Well, you've seen this in fantasy. This is done. Everybody gets the equal amount of money to spend, right. Maybe more. Maybe the lottery teams get a little bit more than a playoff team.
Brian Rosenberg
Right.
Anthony
But for the most part it's all equal. The difference is you can spend it any way you want. I'm going to use one. I'll use a crazy $10 million. I can either give all $10 million to the, to one player, okay. And make him say, well I'm gonna take the 10, take all the money I can and go to that place. Or I could say I'm gonna use 7 million on this guy, 3 million on this guy. Maybe there's two guys that want to team up, want to be teammates. I'll give you each five come to come to my team. Right. Like you do it that way. And the, the difference is this. Say two teams want to offer me 10. Now I can decide just like in college, where have a better chance to win, where's a better chance to develop. You know what that puts, puts the onus on the franchise don't suck.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah.
Dave
Have a good infrastructure.
Brian Rosenberg
I like that.
Anthony
Like I understand that. Well, no one will want to go to Milwaukee or no one will want to go to Memphis, would they? If you're a really well run franchise with great facilities and you know you have, we know in Memphis it's a great fan base. It's a loud building. If you have a great coach and a great fan base and a great organization that's run well, why wouldn't someone want to take the 10 million and be the next star in your market?
Brian Rosenberg
So all in all, certainly Mark Cuban, that guy. Now you might have heard Tony Clark has resigned. Talk about that guy as the executive of the players association.
Anthony
That's.
Brian Rosenberg
And many people thought this was tied into the pending work stoppage coming up at the end of the 26 season.
Anthony
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
Jeff Passon says the MLB PA executive director Tony Clark resigned after an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister in law who had been hired by the Union in 2023.
Anthony
Yikes.
Brian Rosenberg
Okay, that's.
Anthony
That's sketch.
Brian Rosenberg
You're good.
Dave
No, I'm just confused.
Anthony
What's there to be.
Brian Rosenberg
He.
Dave
He had. He had an inappropriate relationship with his sister in law.
Anthony
In law.
Dave
But the sister in law had been hired by the league.
Brian Rosenberg
By the union. By the union that he ran. So that there's the impropriety.
Kodiak Advertiser
Right?
Dave
Well, the being a bad guy.
Anthony
That's part of it.
Dave
Part of it, Part of it.
Brian Rosenberg
But worse.
Dave
It was business too.
Anthony
Yeah. Yeah.
Rich Eisen
What?
Dave
Can you imagine the level of mess you are?
Anthony
That's how you paid her.
Dave
Can you imagine the level of. I mean, assuming that this was like as messy as it sounds. I suppose we don't know everyone's personal business. Maybe him and his wife had already broken up and it's as bad as it is. Maybe it's somehow not as bad as it sounds. But if it's as bad as it sounds.
Anthony
Bad business.
Dave
You were stepping out on your wife with your sister in law.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah.
Dave
Who also worked for the union.
Anthony
Yeah. And again. And got her paid through a job that you gave her. Which is.
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah. Well, when they throw hired. She didn't work in the union. By saying who had been hired by the union in 2023 suggests that maybe that's why she got the job. Thus the impropriety. So that straightens that out.
Rich Eisen
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Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Dave
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
Brian Rosenberg
You know John Winthrop, our pinhead suit is so great because the program directors part of his job is to by the way, in the Barrett, he finished 20th in the major markets which is great. Being in the top 20 in the world be way higher program directors in major markets from Barrett.
Dave
Oh, that's. That's a bad job. But I love 20 who's voting on this.
Brian Rosenberg
But hey, he made it to the top 20. But it should have been higher. But because we're talking about Tony Clark and with his sister in law. Now sister in law could be two people.
Dave
Do we know which it is here?
Brian Rosenberg
Don't know. All we know is it's sister in law. So it could be his wife's sister or it could be his brother's wife. We don't know which one. And not that it matters, he cheated and he deserves to be forced to resign. But just for sake of conversation, which would be worse if you had an affair with your wife's sister or your brother's wife? I think your brother's wife. Because now you've hurt two people, right? Your wife is disgusted you cheated on her and she'll probably divorce you. And now you've lost your relationship with your brother. Whereas if it's just your wife's sister, she may feel more hurt because it was a member of her family, but it's only the one person. You're divorced, and, you know, your mom could be upset with you, but she might find a way to forgive you. Rest of your family say, oh, you know, that was not the right thing to do. But if you break up two marriages, yours and your brother's, the now your mom is even more mad about it. Right. And your parents are even more mad about it because you broke up too. Married. I think it's way worse if it's your brother's wife. More so than your sister's sister. Just so your wife's sister.
Anthony
The Internet is having this same debate.
Brian Rosenberg
Of course. Of course.
Anthony
Because, you know, this is on Reddit, this is on Facebook. Everybody's asking the same question.
Dave
What's the worst one?
Anthony
It's it. Which one is it? Because, you know, like, it's almost like making a case for one over the other.
Dave
Here's the thing. What it's really about is, is which pain do you prioritize? Because if. If it's the. If it's your wife's feelings that you're thinking. Thinking about, I'm in. Nothing is going to be worse than her sister.
Brian Rosenberg
Right.
Dave
That is as bad as it could.
Brian Rosenberg
Be because now she's done with her.
Dave
Sister, or at least maybe not forever, but. But at least in the moment, you've torn apart, too.
Brian Rosenberg
I just. I'm just. Because Nancy has a sister and my brother's married. So I. I just know that if. That if I cheated on Nancy with Susan, she'd be done with me and Susan. Because Nancy's scorched earth.
Dave
Yeah, I could, I can gather that.
Brian Rosenberg
Well, I mean, I think that's the normal reaction for most people.
Dave
It's the reaction.
Anthony
Yeah. I wouldn't imagine any other reaction.
Dave
No, I mean, not everybody. Some people are more willing to move on than others, but for this one, I think either way, you know what.
Brian Rosenberg
You know what they call those people? People with less options.
Anthony
No.
Brian Rosenberg
I mean, let's see if you're that forgiving, you know.
Dave
Well, for this, maybe you're. This in particular is a different level than you went on a business trip and something happened. This is as bad as it gets.
Brian Rosenberg
So.
Anthony
So what would.
Dave
So you're telling me you don't think. For example. I guess it's tough, though, because you're saying Nancy would be scorched earth either way?
Brian Rosenberg
Yeah, she's. She's divorcing me either way. If I cheated on her with anybody, I think she'd be Done.
Anthony
Naturally.
Dave
But. But you. You don't think you'd have a better chance of making the comeback if it was your brother's wife versus her own sister?
Brian Rosenberg
Yes, I would. But now on top of that, maybe I save the marriage because it's not her sister.
Dave
But you've lost your brother.
Brian Rosenberg
But I've lost my brother. Yeah. Either way, that's still worse. And again, your parents. My father would just. Would beat me with a baseball bat if I did this. Right. But the parents are going to be way more disgusted that you broke up your brother's marriage because your parents may not have any relationship with your wife's sister. Yeah, they see each other here and there, but that's not somebody that always comes to Thanksgiving. Right. But Thanksgiving at the Lagrecas. My brother's gonna bring his wife Thanksgiving at the Lagreca's. Susan's not necessarily coming. She might, but she might, you know, she might be married and be with his family. You know, like.
Anthony
So important, important question.
Brian Rosenberg
Yes.
Anthony
Do we know if they were separated?
Dave
We don't. That. That's what.
Anthony
We don't know anything because we're living together. But, you know, hush, hush. You know, because he's a public figure. We don't say anything. But, you know, you, you stay living here, I'm gonna live here, work, whatever.
Dave
It's still weird.
Anthony
And she's. Now we're working closely together and maybe sister's just like, yeah, my sister was tough to deal with. I totally understand. Right. Like that kind of thing. And then something happened.
Rich Eisen
We don't.
Anthony
We don't know these.
Dave
There are a lot of variables that could make it way more relatable than any of us imagine. But on paper, without knowing those variables. Paper.
Anthony
Which is worse?
Brian Rosenberg
I think with the brother. Sister. I think it's worse because at the end of the day, you're breaking up two marriages.
Dave
Yeah.
Anthony
But potential and a family to family.
Brian Rosenberg
And a family.
Dave
I just. I just can't help but get past the level of damage you're doing to the wife. I'm not focusing on the brother part because I feel like in some cases you'd be able to recover your brother relationship.
Anthony
But the damage to the wife is happening either way. No, no.
Dave
Her sister' a different level. Yeah, that's such an icon level.
Anthony
But it's bringing.
Dave
I'd almost rather deal with the drama of my stuff with my own brother.
Anthony
What?
Dave
I'd almost. No, I'd rather deal with family.
Anthony
What could completely, like, excommunicate you.
Dave
But either way, that could Happen my.
Brian Rosenberg
Brother could forgive me just as easily because of we're blood.
Dave
Right.
Brian Rosenberg
You know, I just think at the end of the day, flip it.
Anthony
No, there's no chance.
Rich Eisen
No.
Anthony
So you think your brother would be like, you know what? Don't get it. But I guess she's hot.
Brian Rosenberg
But could there be a raging Bull moment that like 10 years later we run into each other somewhere and we can kind of like hug and maybe rebuild something that he remarried and there could be a world in which there could be. By the way, again, you're blocked. By the way, all this. He's my only brother.
Dave
For the record, everything we're saying here has happened. And including. Including the full blown reconciliation with people at holidays together. It's all happening.
Brian Rosenberg
And listen, as far as Tony Clark is concerned, he had to resign because he put her on the payroll.
Don Hahn
Yeah.
Brian Rosenberg
That's probably what did it.
Dave
We don't know. We need more of the order here. When did she get on the payroll? When did the relationship start?
Anthony
Yeah.
Dave
Was he with his wife?
Brian Rosenberg
Is.
Dave
There's so much that could change this.
Anthony
Where's Don Van Nada? We need him on.
Dave
Yeah, we need Don Van Nada.
Brian Rosenberg
I don't think Tony Clark is Don Van Nada level. No offense to Tony Clark. No offense to the player.
Anthony
You don't think he cares enough to die.
Brian Rosenberg
You start getting into union heads that have been retired for 15 years. I think. I think he's got better.
Dave
Fair point. But what a dramatic and amazing this is.
Anthony
Passing's on the byline with Don Van Naata.
Brian Rosenberg
By the way.
Anthony
I told you. Told you.
Brian Rosenberg
Passing knows all this stuff. But he's above. He's above. You know.
Anthony
Well, he doesn't. He does. He can't. He can't drag himself in these mud.
Brian Rosenberg
He's got words. But we can. We can because you know, it's interesting conversation. That was all started by our boss. So we know we're not taking it.
Dave
I want to hear. I want to now hear from listeners.
Brian Rosenberg
We're not in trouble.
Dave
I just want to hear from listeners now.
Anthony
All right.
Dave
Who have experienced both sides of this.
Anthony
Oh my God.
Dave
Yeah, both.
Brian Rosenberg
I'm sorry. You're a bad.
Anthony
It is a talk about a Tuesday.
Dave
No, it is. It is.
Anthony
Can you would be something when I.
Dave
Hear about stuff like this. And again, we're making huge assumptions. Because it could be a little less dramatic than it sounds.
Anthony
Yep.
Dave
Not much less because.
Brian Rosenberg
No, because even if they separated.
Dave
Yeah, but even still could have been.
Brian Rosenberg
A step sister even.
Dave
Guys, there's no come on, but. So it's all bad.
Anthony
Half sister. Really.
Dave
I just have to know, like, listen, sex is great.
Brian Rosenberg
We.
Dave
I'm one of the biggest fans of refinement. Been doing a long time proud. Proud of how long I've been with others, too, and even including others at times. But, like, I'm amazed when adults do things that are this dumb. Like, this much embarrassment.
Anthony
It's defeated.
Dave
It's.
Brian Rosenberg
But how.
Dave
Like, I mean, listen, we've all done dumb things.
Anthony
See what happens.
Dave
This level of dumb. No, no, this.
Anthony
Oh, that.
Dave
You mean.
Anthony
Yeah, doing.
Dave
I mean, this level.
Anthony
You remember the Eme Udoka thing?
Dave
Yeah, but I never. We never knew what it was. We never had the full answer.
Anthony
You probably know we have some idea. But it. That's one of those where you're like, you had reached a height.
Dave
Oh, my.
Brian Rosenberg
It was.
Anthony
You can't even describe where you started.
Dave
To where you are. Plus, your girl's a celebrity and you lost all that.
Anthony
Right. And you had, like, one of the.
Dave
Baddest in the game and all of it was that you still couldn't resist. Still, like, there. I will say there is. There's part of the. Like, some people's brains never gets to the next level of where they go.
Anthony
It's the conquer complex.
Dave
Yeah, I guess so. And they don't realize that it's never going away.
Jacob
No.
Dave
There's no amount. And there's been.
Brian Rosenberg
It's been a day.
Dave
So far.
Anthony
This has been a day.
Brian Rosenberg
This has been a day.
Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Anthony
I don't want to know how sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good.
Don Hahn
Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers from 30 for 30 podcasts.
Brian Rosenberg
Did you say someone got shot? Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami.
Dave
Gunned down the key to this case.
Anthony
It's Brian.
Rich Eisen
An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody. This might be a hit. You want the truth? They just want a conviction.
Brian Rosenberg
Being placed under arrest. We had a killer amongst us.
Rich Eisen
Murder at the U.
Dave
Listen now.
Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Don La Greca
Episode Theme:
This hour delves into the enduring legacy and unique greatness of Michael Jordan, the shifting landscape of sports fandom due to modern consumption, the NBA’s tanking debate (sparked by Mark Cuban’s comments), and the workplace scandal involving MLBPA’s Tony Clark. The hosts thoughtfully balance nostalgia, sports analysis, fan psychology, and off-beat, character-driven conversations with their trademark New York authenticity and banter.
[03:32 – 20:46]
[25:15 – 36:49]
[36:49 – 39:32]
The episode combines nostalgia, sharp sports analysis, and comedic personal riffs with salty language and classic New York storytelling. The hosts play off one another’s generational perspectives and sports allegiances, creating a lively yet insightful environment fit for die-hards and casual listeners.
This hour captures the timelessness of Michael Jordan’s greatness, the evolving fan experience in an on-demand world, and the complicated intersections of sports, business strategy, and personal morality. It’s a discussion about what makes someone “must-see,” the amorphous line between sports as competition and entertainment, and the human flaws that can topple even those at the top.