Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul

Episode: Super Bowl Stars, Bad Bunny’s Big Night, and Kevin Durant’s Decision
Date: February 9, 2026
Podcast Host: The Ringer

Episode Overview

This lively episode finds Max Kellerman and Rich Paul dissecting the aftermath of the Super Bowl—breaking down the lopsided Seahawks-Patriots result, debating stars versus champions, unpacking the social impact of Bad Bunny's halftime show, and diving deep into how championships shape player legacies. The conversation weaves through football, basketball, and broader sports culture, peppered with nostalgia, philosophical takes, friendly jabs, and candid insights from two of the most thoughtful minds in sports media and management.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Super Bowl Recap: Seahawks Dominate the Patriots

• Both hosts got their predictions close—but the game ended 29-14, more one-sided than even they expected.
  • Max: “The Seahawks were in control the whole time... It was not competitive.” (12:08)
• Patriots Overachieved, Faced a Soft Schedule
  • Max: “The Patriots had maybe the softest schedule of all time... they built up against a super soft schedule.” (16:08)
  • Rich: “Exactly, but you play who’s in front of you.” (17:00)
• What This Means for Sam Darnold
  • Max: “Is this Super Bowl a referendum on Sam Darnold? … He was shaky early... but as the game went on, made responsible choices and emerged as a Super Bowl winner—but not the MVP and not exactly a superstar.” (39:53)
  • Theme: The game didn’t provide clear answers on Darnold’s ceiling.

2. The Murray & Culture Conversation: The 'Rise of the Black Quarterback' Doc

• Max celebrates Maria Taylor executive-producing a new doc (“Rise of the Black Quarterback”) and reflects on lessons from his father about race, sports, and camera narratives.
  • Max: “Something my father told me... look where the camera goes. It always went to either the quarterback or the coach. He told me, always a white guy. Not that anyone’s twirling their mustache in a back room, it’s unconscious, maybe.” (01:33)
• Rich and Max recall past and present Black quarterbacks, highlighting shifting representation.

3. Super Bowl Standouts: MVPs and Missed Storylines

• Kenneth Walker III—Super Bowl MVP
  • Rich: “Kenneth Walker was a monster. Deserved the MVP.” (19:49)
• Christian Gonzalez on the Losing Team
  • Both argue Gonzalez may have been the best player on the field, even without the win.
• Defensive Coordinator AD Dird
  • Max: “He’s the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks... British-born, speaks with a British accent. No one talks about Dird at all.” (24:11)
  • They discuss under-recognized contributors to team success.

4. Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show: Cultural Power and Social Context

• Rich gushes over Bad Bunny’s performance, emphasizing the vibe and energy.
  • Rich: “Say what you want. I don’t care if you couldn’t understand what he was saying or not. You felt it.” (20:49)
• Max contextualizes the show’s social resonance given current US politics.
  • Max: “There is something significant... the Super Bowl halftime show, dude singing in Spanish... people, you know, stupid people had a reaction, a bad reaction to it. Everyone else was like, stop. It’s fine.” (22:40)
• Rich shouts out Bad Bunny's team, noting their excellence in management and business. (23:34)

5. Nostalgia & Sports as Escape

• The guys riff on their old obsessions—bowling, pool, chess.
• Rich discusses missing out on extracurriculars in high school due to sport pressures, sparking a critique of single-minded sports specialization.
  • Rich: “This is why kids being pressured to play a sport, to monetize from it… I was so focused... that I did not experience everything that my school had to offer.” (07:48)

6. Star vs. Champion: Rethinking Greatness & Championship Windows

• They debate the sports media tendency to obsess over “stars” rather than “champions.”
  • Max: “So the big broad category… is this evidence from the Super Bowl an outlier? ... We have evidence that doesn’t neatly fit into that category.” (39:53)
  • Rich: “What you’re describing is exactly what our issue is in sports. Everyone wants a star and everyone looks past the champion. I’d much rather be... a Super Bowl champion. Keep your star, keep your stats, keep your magazine covers.” (40:04)
• Rich argues teams shouldn’t be urged to panic-move for players who haven’t at least made deep playoff runs (conference finals at minimum).
  • Rich: “You can’t rush for somebody that’s never won... or never even got close to winning.” (41:32)
  • Ties back to LeBron, Ewing, and others’ team building pressures.

7. Player Workload, Life, and Perception

• Conversation turns to the relentless demands on pro athletes in basketball and football—breaking down the myth that offseasons are restful or that athletes live ‘easy’ lives.
  • Rich: “When you work a job for everyone else, you have to find time for yourself... But being on the golf course, doing the pod, is that what this is for you? ... This is my happy place.” (03:55–04:24)
  • Max: “I understand it could sound tone deaf... People experience their lives subjectively...” (31:22)
  • Discusses vacations vs. ‘trips’ for families with young kids, and how sponsorship, playoffs, and Olympic demands eat up limited time off. (28:26–30:26)
  • Rich, referencing his own rough upbringing, defends the right of successful people to discuss these challenges. (34:54)

8. Basketball Deep-Dive: Kevin Durant, Legacy, and Team-Building

• Extended, passionate back-and-forth over KD’s championships, LeBron’s legacy, and whether “stacked teams” diminish the value of a ring.
  • Max: “He [KD] parachuted in to a 73-win team that came a play away from winning the title... There’s no way they can’t win... That’s reverse engineering.” (44:17)
  • Rich (pushing back): “Why should Kevin Durant care to get credit from Max Kellerman? ... Listen, the goal is to win. So if I have the opportunity to go—to win, I’m going.” (44:49–49:06)
  • Rich points out that all dynasties stack rosters; Max argues the context/degree matters—KD doesn’t get the same credit for Warriors rings as LeBron does for Cleveland.
  • Rich: “That’s discrediting what happened... I’m not going to discredit Kevin Durant for making a smart choice. He made the same choice you would make with your money.” (58:33)
  • Max (stubbornly): “As great as he is, he doesn’t get the same kind of credit.” (58:48)
  • Segment closes with “agree to disagree” and good-natured sparring.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Max, on the “Wisdom of Crowds” in sports betting:
  “None of us is smarter than all of us. The smartest person in the group is not smarter than the entire group.” (11:41)

• Max, on bad bunny halftime show’s deeper meaning:
  “With what’s going on in our country… the Super Bowl halftime show, dude singing in Spanish… that’s unavoidable.” (22:40)

• Rich, defending player empowerment and legacy decisions:
  “Why should Kevin Durant care to get credit from Max Kellerman?... the goal is to win.” (44:49, 49:01)

• Rich, on living both hardship and success:
  “I had a hard upbringing... to be behind the walls of this business and see what the athlete has to go through… Not only just from a plan perspective, but also like, they can’t say no. They’re in position where if they ever say no, it’s like the world is ending.” (34:45, 35:48)

• Rich, summing up player priorities vs. public expectations:
  “Nobody has ever won by themselves.” (49:29)

• Max, poking at the never-ending debate:
  “As Will Ferrell said in Anchorman—agree to disagree.” (56:55)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:01] – Max announces Maria Taylor’s “Rise of the Black Quarterback” documentary
• [12:08] – Super Bowl recap & game flow analysis
• [16:08] – Patriots' “soft schedule” and football analogies to boxing
• [20:35] – Transition to Bad Bunny’s halftime show and its significance
• [24:11] – Spotlight on Seahawks’ defensive coordinator AD Dird
• [28:20] – The grind of “getting back” in pro sports: player workload and offseasons
• [39:53] – Sam Darnold, the Super Bowl, and the star-vs-champion dynamic
• [44:17] – KD/LeBron “stacked teams” debate
• [58:33] – Rich’s final summary on team-building and evaluating what “counts” in legacy
• [59:38] – Tease for next episode: tanking in the NBA
• [60:31] – Invitation for listeners to submit mailbag questions

Tone & Style

The conversation is conversational and rich with personal anecdotes, playfully combative when discussing basketball legacies, and reflective when tackling representation and athlete wellbeing. Both hosts are candid, opinionated, and comfortable challenging each other, while also slipping in moments of levity, nostalgia, and respect for the culture and community of sports.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• You’ll walk away with fresh takes on the nuances of football stardom, why championships matter (and how much), how player mentalities and league narratives shape legacies, and the unseen toll of athletic excellence.
• The episode is rich in both sports analysis and cultural commentary, elevating familiar debates with sharp insights, humor, and occasional heat.
• If you want smart, unfiltered, and sometimes fiery conversation—this episode delivers. And they promise a deep dive on NBA tanking next time.