Podcast Summary: Pablo Torre Finds Out – "Share & Cool & Tell" with David Dennis Jr. & Mina Kimes
Episode Date: May 30, 2025

Overview

In this lively episode, host Pablo Torre is joined by writer David Dennis Jr. and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes for a “Share & Tell” session focused on the elusive concept of “cool” — especially as it applies to athletes in different eras and sports. The trio dives deep into what makes someone cool (or not), ponders the generational and cultural shifts affecting perceptions of cool in the NBA, and drafts the coolest current athletes from football, basketball, and baseball. The episode is a playful yet smart mix of cultural critique, nostalgia, and spirited debate with plenty of laughs and quotable moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Is “Cool” — And Have Any of Us Ever Been It?

• Early Banter & Vulnerability

  • The group jokes about missing “Around the Horn” camaraderie, then turns to Pablo's bad influence leading others to skip conference calls ([01:03]).
  • “Are any of us cool? If people did the exercise we're about to do, would anybody say any of us are actually cool?” – Mina Kimes ([00:18], [01:57])

• Defining Cool & Personal Peaks

  • Mina, Pablo, and David recall moments when they felt cool — often tied to context or environment (e.g. college, being different in a new setting). David jokes about being "the coolest" at a small liberal arts college.
  • “How cool you are is a product of your surroundings.” – Mina ([02:46])

The NBA, Culture, and the "Crisis of Cool"

• Viral Substack Essay as Starting Point
  • Pablo introduces an essay by an anonymous writer (“Oxsportello”) suggesting the NBA is facing a "crisis of cool". The group discusses contemporary stars being “uncool” — with Anthony Edwards as a notable exception ([06:17]).
  • “The NBA has served as a cultural North Star. These NBA playoffs portend a crisis of cool.” – (Essay, paraphrased by Pablo, [07:00])
• What Actually Is Cool?
  • The group lands on these elements of cool:
    • Authenticity/originality (not imitation)
    • Effortlessness (“try-hard” is anti-cool)
    • Anti-authority/subversiveness (e.g., Allen Iverson, Marshawn Lynch)
    • Limited exposure (the less access, the cooler)
    • Being elite at your craft enhances cool, but isn’t enough on its own
  • “If I had to isolate one variable, it is authenticity and originality. Would you guys agree with that?” – Mina ([10:08])
  • Pablo adds: “Try hardness, like somebody who really wants to be cool... transparency of effort feels like another anti-cool aspect.” ([10:18])
• Changing Packaging
  • David suggests that shifts in sports marketing have changed cool. Slam magazine covers and Nike ads “created” cool personas for ‘80s and ‘90s players, whereas today’s athletes are more “unfiltered” due to social media ([11:37]). He notes that overexposure diminishes coolness ([19:33]).
• Generational and Perspective Bias
  • The group acknowledges that “cool” is linked to who you admired growing up — and that it’s harder to see young people as cool when you're older. “For us as near 40-year-olds… there’s not going to be a 24 or 25-year-old that I will ever think is cool again.” – David ([15:15])

The Coolest Athletes Ever: Personal Mount Rushmores

• Allen Iverson (unanimous basketball pick for cool), Marshawn Lynch (football), Ken Griffey Jr. (baseball). Each hits the authenticity, anti-authority, and aura marks.
• “Ken Griffey Jr. is on the Mount Rushmore of cool athletes in any sport of any generation… You just saw him and you wanted to be him.” – Mina ([14:38])

The Draft: Picking the Coolest Current Athletes (41:40+)

• Each host picks the coolest active athletes in football, basketball (NBA & WNBA), and baseball. Rules: must be active; cannot pick the same.

NFL Picks

• Mina: Joe Burrow (“The way he presents on and off the field is legitimately cool.” [20:32])
• Pablo: Jalen Hurts (debated, Pablo defends his aura, others call him ‘uncle’-ly, [22:18])
• David: Lamar Jackson (“The test is an unfiltered interview, and also he has an unfair advantage. His name is Lamar Jackson!” [25:32])

Basketball

• David: A’ja Wilson (WNBA; “the coolest person in basketball right now” – [26:15])
• Pablo: Ja Morant (with caveats about going too far with ‘anti-authority’, [29:09])
• Mina: Damian Lillard (“One of the hardest NBA photos of all time – looking into the camera after the OKC game-winner.” [31:45])
• Discussion note: WNBA players are “definitely cooler” as a collective than NBA contemporaries; women drive culture in ways male athletes don’t.

MLB

• Mina: Mookie Betts (closest thing to Griffey Jr’s aura, [35:09])
• Pablo: Elly De La Cruz (young, dynamic ("conventional all-time athlete doing cool stuff"), [37:00])
• David: Shohei Ohtani (“Just virtue of being good as hell and the dopest at your sport… also mysterious/private,” [36:16])
• Discussed but dismissed: Shohei Ohtani’s mystery is cool, Aaron Judge "too large", Jazz Chisholm (Yankees; cool), small/stylish players seen as cooler.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Cool is truly in the eye of the beholder. But when you read 'Jalen Brunson is not cool, Anthony Edwards is cool'—it just reads as correct.” – Mina ([08:12])
• On Jordan vs. Kobe imitation: “I see an imitation of Michael Jordan and I’m like, okay, I’m going to dock points for that. Kobe is a legendary try-hard.” – Pablo ([17:40])
• “Is Michael Jordan actually really cool? It was all ads. Is Kobe Bryant even less cool because he wanted to be Michael Jordan, who is not even cool?” – David ([18:46])
• “No amount of. No matter how cool you are, the more we see of you, the less cool you're going to be.” – Mina ([19:33])
• On the Jennifer Hudson Tunnel meme: “Have you guys thought about what you would do if you had to go [through the tunnel]?” — Group riffs on the meme’s viral coolness ([24:20])
• On WNBA coolness: “This seems to be a male centric problem because there are like 15 or 20 cool-ass WNBA players that I am obsessed with at all times... A’ja Wilson would be my number one pick in basketball by far.” – David ([26:15])
• “Being private is cool, I think we’re learning that too. Being less online, actually, does help.” – Pablo ([37:27])
• On Nikola Jokić: “If Jokic were a little bit worse, he’d be more popular. He’s just too good to be popular.” – David ([40:08])
• “David ended up with Lamar Jackson, A’ja Wilson, and Shohei Ohtani. He kind of bodied this draft.” – Mina ([41:42])

Notable Timestamps

• 03:05-03:33 – David’s beer pong partnership with Steph Curry at Davidson (“original Splash Brother”)
• 06:17-09:26 – Breakdown of the viral “NBA crisis of cool” essay; start of defining cool (authenticity & originality)
• 13:24-16:32 – Who are the “coolest athletes ever”? Allen Iverson, Marshawn Lynch, Ken Griffey, Jr. lauded as peak cool
• 19:33-20:04 – Inverse relationship between exposure and coolness
• 20:32-25:51 – The NFL coolness draft: Burrow, Hurts, Lamar; “anti-authority” and “presentation” debate
• 26:15-32:43 – Basketball picks: WNBA, Ja Morant, Dame, authenticity, and why older/less-exposed or women athletes seem cooler now
• 36:07-37:27 – Ohtani’s mystique and why “being private is cool”
• 40:06-40:29 – Wild take: Jokić is “too good to be popular”
• 41:34-41:48 – Recap of the draft picks, competitive gloating
• 42:18-44:51 – What did we learn? Plugs for Mina and David’s upcoming TV/game tape podcast “Viewer Discretion”

Summary Table: Draft Picks

| Host | NFL | NBA/WNBA | MLB | |----------------|---------------------|--------------------|-----------------| | Mina Kimes | Joe Burrow | Damian Lillard | Mookie Betts | | Pablo Torre | Jalen Hurts | Ja Morant* | Elly De La Cruz | | David Dennis | Lamar Jackson | A’ja Wilson (WNBA) | Shohei Ohtani |

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Final Thoughts and Takeaways

• Cool ≠ Success: Raw talent or dominance doesn’t guarantee cool. Authenticity, originality, a bit of enigma, and style/aura matter more.
• Culture Critique: Today’s social/internet exposure makes sustained coolness harder; yesterday's editors and marketers manufactured cool.
• WNBA Shines: Today's coolest basketball scene may be in the WNBA, where star power, authenticity, and social media synergy thrive.
• Personal Bias: Our idols often define what is “cool," and as generations age, their definitions may lag — but the debate remains timeless and fun.

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Plugs & Close

• Mina and David plug their expanded TV/pop culture podcast, now called Viewer Discretion ([43:38]), launching with a Love Island recap but promising a wide range of coverage.
• “If you like listening to two people who treat these shows like the game tape it deserves to be treated like, check out our podcast.” – Mina ([46:22])

Overall Tone: Breezy, nostalgic, playful — with genuine insight, relatable generational angst, and plenty of friendly ribbing.

Memorable closing image: If you can stare into the camera, wink, and do something undeniably cool — you’re probably one of Mina's draft picks.