The NBA Offseason is Heating Up!

Summary

PTI – The NBA Offseason is Heating Up!

ESPN | Tony Kornheiser & Michael Wilbon | June 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon react to seismic NBA offseason moves—centered on Kawhi Leonard’s blockbuster trade, speculation about LeBron James’ next team, and the evolving NBA power structure. The hosts also dive into Serena Williams’ much-awaited singles comeback at Wimbledon, dramatic World Cup upsets, and the state of MLB—joined for “Five Good Minutes” by ESPN’s Buster Olney. For sports fans craving context, speculation, and candid debate, the hosts deliver sharp takes with their typical candor and humor.

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NBA Offseason – Blockbusters & LeBron Watch

[00:41–05:59]

Kawhi Leonard Traded Back to Toronto

• Trade details: Clippers send Kawhi Leonard to Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, two firsts, and a pick swap.
• Reactions:

  • Wilbon: Briefly notes that Kawhi joins an “underrated group” in Toronto with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and others, hinting the Raptors could surprise people down the line.

    • Quote: “That could be something we wind up looking at like down the line.” [01:42]

  • Kornheiser: Dismissive about Kawhi’s impact, suggesting he’s going off the radar in Toronto.

    • Quote: “If he liked it, that’s fine, but he just went off the radar as far as I’m concerned by going to Toronto.” [02:55]

LeBron James’ Decision

• LeBron not returning to Lakers: Immediate speculation over his next landing spot.

• Wilbon's Dream: LeBron to the Warriors

  • Details possible superteam with Draymond, Steph, Jimmy Butler, and others—acknowledges age/injuries but sees historical entertainment value.
  • “He’s a California guy now… Stay in California. It’s a short flight up to San Francisco from LA. I’m dying to see this.” [02:36]
  • “Knowing how you love stars and you love LeBron, you better love it.” [02:53]

• Kornheiser’s Takes:

  • Acknowledges that while LeBron remains “a great player,” he is not “transformative” anymore—must join a contender, not a rebuilding team.

  • Tosses out left-field landing spots if LeBron is focused purely on winning: Oklahoma City, San Antonio (with Wembanyama), New York Knicks (“big city situation”), or even a nostalgic Cleveland reunion:

    • “He has to go someplace where he’s going to fit in…he’s not going to sign on for a rebuild like Dallas or some team like that.” [03:38]
    • “If he went to New York and he took the starting forward spot…New York might not lose any games at all.” [04:38]

  • Both agree Golden State and Cleveland are likely, but Kornheiser explores the Knicks as a “big city” possibility.

Playful Banter

• Wilbon stresses: “We are speculating and this is fun because we don’t know where LeBron’s going to go.” [04:56]
• Kornheiser: “I think he’s going to go where he thinks he can win right now.” [05:45]

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Serena Williams' Wimbledon Comeback

[05:59–08:48]

• Result: Serena loses her first singles match in four years (to 50th-ranked Maya Joint) in three sets.

• Wilbon: Recaps the match’s momentum shifts—Serena lost the first set, dominated the second, faltered late.

  • “You hope Serena wins. But then… it sort of crumbled.”

• Kornheiser: Entertaining storytelling—waited hours to watch, expected a Serena walkover, felt for Maya Joint (“complete pigeon…up there against her idol”).

  • “She’s 44 years old, Mike… If it makes you happy, keep doing it.” [07:34]

• Both agree: Serena moves better than expected, but physical limitations showed—couldn’t cover the whole court, forced into too many slice forehands.

• Wilbon: “The greatest athletes… earn the right to play until you tear the jersey off.” [08:18]

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World Cup Shocks: Germany & Netherlands Out

[08:49–12:37]

• Recap:

  • Both Germany (to Paraguay) and Netherlands (to Morocco) eliminated on penalty kicks.
  • Norway stays alive thanks to Haaland’s late goal.

• Wilbon:

  • Deeply moved by the Netherlands-Morocco game:
    “I got emotionally involved because I watched every second… so many storylines.” [09:44]
  • Notes the ongoing decline of traditional powers—Germany out in groups three Cups in a row; Netherlands heartbreak for Gakpo.

• Kornheiser:

  • Observed bad luck for Germany—a goal disallowed, tough penalty shootout (“the Paraguayan goalie appeared to be seven feet tall…actually six six”).
  • Surprised by poor penalty shootout conversion: “Ten [out of 22] have been missed… four didn’t even hit the net.” [11:54]
  • Wonders at the psychological stress, with Wilbon adding, “There are famous players who say to their coaches they don’t want to take kicks.” [12:05]

• Memorable quote:

  • Kornheiser, on the Dutch media: “Right after that game, the reporters asked the Dutch coach, have you handed in your resignation yet? That’s a tough crowd.” [10:32]

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Five Good Minutes with Buster Olney – MLB Insights

[13:16–17:58]

Why is the National League Dominating?

• Buster Olney:
  • “Blame the Dodgers and their thirst for championships…set off an arms race in the National League.”
    • The migration of star talent (Ohtani to Dodgers, others to Giants/Cubs) has created a major imbalance.
    • “Right now the National League is great and the American League stinks.” [14:21]

Mizorowski’s Breakout (The “Miz”)

• Stat: Leads majors with 1.45 ERA.
• Buster: Quoting ace pitcher feedback, breaks down Miz’s dominance—unreal fastball velocity, spin rate, vertical break, delivery extension.
  • Quote: “If you’re the top of all those lists, you’re going to be dominant.” [15:14]

Most Dangerous Challenger to the Dodgers?

• Buster: Philadelphia Phillies:
  • New focus on defense, revamped bullpen usage under Don Mattingly, Zach Wheeler’s resurgence—plus star hitters Harper, Schwarber, Realmuto.
  • Phillies “the most dangerous team to the Dodgers.” [15:53]

Shohei Ohtani & Catcher Drama

• Will Dalton Rushing keep catching Shohei?
  • Buster: “Whatever Shohei wants, Shohei gets…If you were to go to them and say, hey, Dalton Rushing, I don’t want to work with him anymore, they would listen to him.” [17:00]
  • As of recording, Rushing will catch Ohtani’s next start—but he must adjust or risk being replaced.

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Quick Hits, Notable Quotes, and Closing Banter

[18:00–22:32]

Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• On LeBron’s lifestyle:

  • Kornheiser: “Did you say that LeBron is now playing 36 [holes of golf] a day?...He wants to be Jordan more than people understand. Because Jordan plays 36 a day, as we both know.” [02:55]

• On the stress of penalty kicks:

  • Wilbon: “Tony is stressful. That’s stressful.” [12:00]

• On Serena’s right to play as long as she wants:

  • Wilbon: “They earn the right to play. Until you tear the jersey off.” [08:36]
  • Kornheiser: “There is no crowd in the world that doesn’t want to still see her.” [08:43]

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Timestamped Segment Guide

| Segment | Timeframe | Description | |----------------------------------|-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | NBA blockbusters kickoff | 00:41–05:59 | Kawhi trade, LeBron’s future, detailed speculation and banter | | Serena Williams at Wimbledon | 05:59–08:48 | Match recap, legacy, physical limitations, right to play | | World Cup stunners | 08:49–12:37 | Germany & Netherlands eliminated, penalty drama, emotional stories | | MLB: Five Good Minutes w/ Buster | 13:16–17:58 | NL/AL arms race, The Miz’s dominance, Phillies’ resurgence, Ohtani’s battery drama | | Lighter sports news/banter | 18:00–22:32 | NFL (A.J. Brown), NBA (Penny Hardaway), MLB outfield mishaps, NBA offseason mini-notes (Kaminga, Champagne, Shamet, Duren, Asia Wilson injury) |

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Final Thoughts

This episode is packed with breaking NBA news, pointed debate on LeBron’s career crossroads, and insightful sports analysis—delivered with classic PTI wit and banter. Buster Olney’s inside dish on MLB provides extra value, and the show’s blend of deep-dive and rapid-fire segments maintains a lively, entertaining pace from start to finish.

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Transcript

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[Mike Wilbon]

Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbantoni. A man in Colorado opened the door of his truck and found a bear in the passenger seat.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm Tony Kornheiser. Rex Grossman.

[Mike Wilbon]

Gotta be somebody new. It's been a long time. 20 years for Rex. Tony. This happens all the time in Colorado. People go outdoor to get the paper off the front porch. Bear and a bear restaurant. Sitting in the Little Nell a few years ago, having a bite walks through it's off plates. This happens all the time. The higher you go, like Aspen bear.

[Buster Olney]

Really?

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow. Wow. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, Serena Williams loses in her first trip back to tennis in four years. There are upsets at the World cup and Buster Olney joins us for five good minutes. But let's begin with two big stars on the move in the NBA. The Clippers have sent Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, two firsts and a pick swap. And LeBron has notified the Lakers that he will play elsewhere next season. Wilbon, where do you want to start?

[Mike Wilbon]

Well, Tony, I'll start very quickly, very briefly with Toronto and Kawhi going back to where he won a championship seven years ago because he does join an underrated group probably in Scotty Barnes, RJ Barrett, Colin Murray, Boyles and Quickley. And so that could be something we wind up looking at like down the line. But LeBron's always the biggest news. And if LeBron goes as some of us expect, and I certainly want to see him go to Golden State, you know, I've been beating this drum for a couple of weeks now to join Draymond, Steph, Jimmy Butler, perhaps Peyton, Pazinski, Horford, Porzingis. Tony, that's a squad. I know they're older and they might not be able to stay healthy for forever, but if that group, that group, that's 10 guys in there. If they got to April healthy. First of all, it's historically entertaining and I don't care about him going to Cleveland. I guess that could still happen. But LeBron's a California guy now. He's playing golf like 36 a day. His family lives in California. Stay in California. It's a short flight up to San Francisco from la. I'm dying to see this. And knowing how you love stars and you love LeBron, you better love it. The possibility too.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Did you say that LeBron is now playing 36 a day? Is that for real? It seems like 36 a day. So that he wants to be Jordan more than people understand. Because Jordan plays 36 a day, as we both know. Look, I'm going to be very dismissive of Kawhi going to Toronto as well. You know, good for him. He won a title there. If he liked it, that's fine, but he just went off the radar as far as I'm concerned by going to Toronto. Okay, so we're going to. We're going to take that off the board. What we know about LeBron James is that he has told the Lakers he does not going to be there. But we don't know where he's going to be. I understand. I understand that you want him where you want him in Golden State. There's a certain nostalgia to that. I'm sure there's a certain nostalgia. For example, if he went to Cleveland, act three with Cleveland, which is his hometown. LeBron James is still a great player, but he's no longer a transformative player. So he has to go someplace where he's going to fit in. And I'm going to assume, and I know you will agree with me, that he wants to win a championship. So he's not going to sign on for a rebuild like Dallas or some team like that.

[Mike Wilbon]

I can't see that.

[Tony Kornheiser]

To me, and I understand Golden State and I understand Cleveland. I'm going to mention three other teams or four other teams if he wants to win. Yeah, if he wants to win. Okay, you go win at Oklahoma City because they've already won without you within.

[Buster Olney]

Huh?

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's not going there.

[Mike Wilbon]

That's not. Take that off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

But he could win there. He could go win in San Antonio. He could play next to Wembanyama for Wembanyama's first championship. And that might be a lot of fun. Now I'm going to give you one other one. And you talk about him being a big city guy, an LA guy. Do you think he might want to go to New York? Because if he went to New York and he took the starting forward spot, that Bridges has right now and played 28 to 32 minutes a game. New York might not lose any games at all. That's a big city situation and he might like that. I'm just. Do you see anything in that Tone?

[Mike Wilbon]

I don't only. And listen, let me. Let's make this clear too. We are speculating and this is fun because we don't know where LeBron's going to go. He could decide anything. By the way, I get leaving the Lakers because they can't win. It's currently constructed with one way Luca but tone, he is a small town guy. Akron's a small town and so LeBron wouldn't feel like out of water in a place like Oklahoma City, even though it's been years or San Antonio. But I don't see either one of those. But Tony, let's go back to San Francisco for a second to play with Steph and Draymond. These guys are already close and they've been riding and they like and respect each other.

[Tony Kornheiser]

This is what you do because that's where you want to see him.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yes, I want to see him there.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Everything you say is correct. That doesn't mean he's going to do it.

[Mike Wilbon]

Not at all.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I think he's going to go where he thinks he can win right now.

[Commercial Announcer]

Wow.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's what I.

[Mike Wilbon]

So if you're the Knicks, would you go in that direction even though you just won? You don't give us.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Are you insane? Of course I would. Of course I would just ask you. Of course I would.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah. Let Tony's now once again speaking for trillions of of Knicks fans coming out of the woodwork. Let's move to Serena Williams first singles match in four years today at Wimbledon. 50th ranked 50th Maya Joint was just 3 and 15 this season but beat Serena 63 in the first set. Serena turned it around in the second winning a tiebreak. But Joint rolled in the third 63 to a three set win. Tone, what did you take away from this performance? I know you watched it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, well, first of all I was told early in the morning that it was going to start at noon. I was really geeked up to watch it. I had my popcorn ready. I sit down at noon and it doesn't start at noon.

[Commercial Announcer]

No.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You get Zverev for four and a half hours. The match actually starts at about 2:30 Eastern Time. And before it starts you have to go through 50 different features about Serena Williams. I am thinking this. When I sit down and the match actually starts, I'M thinking that it's a terrible position for Maya Joint to be in.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Nobody wants her to win. She maybe doesn't even want to win in this. She's won three out of our last 18 singles matches. She's up there against her idol. Everybody is cheering for her idol. They have picked out, you know, a complete pigeon, it seems to me. Then I find out she has this great nickname, the Ginger Ninja. That's because she's involved in karate. Just a fabulous nigger. Anyway. Yes, I did watch most of it. I thought early on. I left you a voicemail. I thought Serena was gassed early on, but she made a very good comeback and she played okay.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She's 44 years old, Mike. I think we. I think I expected her to win. I think you expected her to win as well, but I wouldn't have expected her to win a second match if she wants to continue doing it. God bless. You're a great player. If it makes you happy, keep doing it.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah, Tony. I agree. And I thought she moved. I heard you say that early, and I was trying to. Look, I'm balancing this with hope. It's like hoping LeBron goes to golden State, you know, I'm hoping Serena wins. But then I thought she did move better and in the second set and early in the third, and then, you know, it sort of crumbled. And I don't know what happens from here. I'm just.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Look, she couldn't. She couldn't cover the whole court.

[Mike Wilbon]

No, she couldn't.

[Tony Kornheiser]

She couldn't cover the whole court.

[Mike Wilbon]

She had to go to court. Slice forehand. Too much.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah.

[Mike Wilbon]

Because she couldn't get in position on the forehand to come over the top. I don't want to get too nerdy about it in tennis speak, but. Yeah, I was sort of into it. But, Tony, I. I think the great, the greatest athletes. The goats, that short list of goats in whatever sport, they earn the right to play. Until you tear the jersey off.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, exactly.

[Mike Wilbon]

Until they tear off themselves.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Exactly.

[Mike Wilbon]

And so if Serena wants to play, God bless.

[Tony Kornheiser]

There is no crowd in the world that doesn't want to still see her.

[Mike Wilbon]

That's right.

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's fine. If she wants to get.

[Mike Wilbon]

That's fine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Play doubles with your sister. It's fine. Let's move to the World Cup. Last night, two traditional European powers, Germany and the Netherlands, were eliminated in penalty kicks. Germany lost to Paraguay and the Netherlands lost to Morocco. Today, Erling Haaland scored late to lift Norway over the Ivory Coast. Wilbaughn which result most intrigues you?

[Mike Wilbon]

Tony, I know that Germany having won so many times in history of the cup and there are only eight nations that have ever won, and Germany's been up there with everybody, including Brazil. They're out again since winning in 2014. They didn't even make. Didn't do anything and didn't qualify for the knockout in 18 or. Or 22. And now they're out. And it's sort of amazing that Germany, with that kind of firepower, could be out. But, Tony, I got emotionally involved because I watched every second of Morocco and the Netherlands, and it was just amazing that the Netherlands, which seem to be dominated, seems like they should have won that game. Cody Gakpo has a heartbreaking and an amazingly emotional story over these last few days. And without getting into the details again, when he scores that goal to put the Netherlands up, you're like, oh, my God, this is. You talk about storybook. This is going to be that. And no Morocco ties. Morocco winds up winning in pks. And yet also Ismail Sabari. He's the Dutch player of the year, and he puts the Netherlands out. Like, it's just the irony is so much of it there and there's so many storylines. So I was emotionally, like, attached and, like, spent after that game.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Call me Ishmael, as they say in the books. Yeah. So right after that game, the reporters asked the Dutch coach, have you handed in your resignation yet? That's a tough crowd, Holland. That's a tough crowd. Yeah, let me go to Germany for a second. Yeah, let me go to Germany for a second. Because I did watch. You'd be happy. I watched that. They were living in real bad luck yesterday. They had what appeared to be the winning goal late in the game called off. They said it wasn't a goal. It looked like a goal to me. I don't. I mean, I don't know the rules of soccer, so I don't want to get too involved in it, but a lot of people said that might not be a goal.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Then they fall behind quickly in penalty kicks, and they can never recover. The Paraguayan goalie appeared to be 7ft tall. He was taller than everybody else out there, and it turns out he's actually six six, which is enormous, I think, in this kind of situation. Yeah, they went out and the Netherlands went out. European. Well, Holland, not Holland. Norway stayed in. When the European teams go out like that, Mike, there were 22. I've got this stat in my head. 22 penalty kicks so far in the World Cup. 10 have been missed.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yes.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Last. Last night in this game. In the Paraguay.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

In the Dutch game.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Like four didn't even hit the net. Mike, I don't understand that you couldn't put a boat in that goal.

[Mike Wilbon]

Tony is stressful. That's stressful.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Do you see?

[Mike Wilbon]

There are people who wouldn't take kicks.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Wow.

[Mike Wilbon]

There are famous players who say to their coaches, apparently, after all, after extra time.

[MLB TV Announcer]

Okay.

[Mike Wilbon]

One part of that pressure.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, it's exciting. Let's take a break. Coming up, what do baseball people make of the Miz? Will ask Buster only.

[Mike Wilbon]

You know what I make of them. We'll also ask him whether we should still expect Dalton rushing to be catching Shohei again tomorrow. Tony, it's so dramatic. What's more dramatic than the PKS?

[Tony Kornheiser]

No, that's a great ending. It's just the 90 minutes I have to wait to get there. Or even more.

[Mike Wilbon]

120. 120. You gotta wait to get there.

[MLB TV Announcer]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

We've got baseball questions for our great friend ESPN senior baseball writer and PTI Farm bureau chief, the head of potatoes, Buster only. And Buster, we will start with this. The National League has totally dominated the American League and interleague play so far. It's like a 40 win gap. Do you have any theories as to why this is going on?

[Buster Olney]

Tony? Blame the Dodgers and their thirst for championships. Because what that has done is set off an arms race in the National League. In recent years we've seen this incredible gravitation of talent to the National League. Yes, the Dodgers added their guy and Shohei Ohtani. But the Phillies spent big money to keep Kyle Schwarber to try to keep up. We've seen the Giants make big moves. The San Diego Padres trading for Mason Miller signing Michael King back. Kyle Tucker going to the Dodgers, Alex Bregman going to the Cubs. The National League teams are trying to keep up with the Dodgers and that means more talent is going to the National League. And right now the National League is great and the American League stinks.

[Mike Wilbon]

Well, that leads me into this. Buster the Miz leads the majors with an ERA of 145. As a Cubs fan lifelong I saw this Coming. I'm terrified of this kid, but what is the rest of baseball making of him right now?

[Buster Olney]

So after his last start, absolute dominance that he showed on the mound. I was talking with Garrett Cole at Fenway park, and he was talking about how Misorowsky is at the top of all the charts. He's the highest fastball velocity 105.5. He also has the highest spin rate for breaking balls. He also has the greatest induced vertical break. And on top of that, he is someone who has the most extension in his delivery. And Garrett Cole kind of shrugs. He's like, if you're the top of all those lists, you're going to be dominant. And they walked out of that conversation, went on the field, and there's hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, and he went through the exact same list of things about what separates Misorowski and Aaron Boone said to us the other day, he throws 103. And it feels like to hitters like it's 108 miles per hour. Because the nature of his delivery.

[Mike Wilbon]

Buster, does all that, or does that we concentrate make Milwaukee the biggest challenger to the Dodgers? Or is there somebody else

[Buster Olney]

now? Michael? I think it's the Philadelphia Phillies who have put things together under Don Mattingly. Since he took over from Rob Thompson. He has made some changes. He's focused on defense. He's playing Bryson Stott more at second base. He's playing Brandon Marsh in the outfield. He's more aggressive with his bullpen use. And this turnaround for the Phillies also coincides with the turn of Zach Wheeler. The Phillies didn't really know what they were going to get out of him this year. And what they've gotten is Zach Wheeler back to being a top five pitcher. And the return of catcher J.T. realmuto, who is excellent defensively. All of that put together with Kyle Schwarber, with Bryce Harper, to me makes the Phillies the most dangerous team to the Dodgers. They almost beat him two years ago. And you wonder if going forward they're going to be again a huge threat to la.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm going to second that. I just watched last week the Phillies in the top of the ninth come back and beat the Nats three games in a row. I mean, it was just unbelievable how clutch they were. We will get you out of here on this. Shohei is back on the mound tomorrow. Have the Dodgers given any thought to switching out Katra Dalton rushing after the issues those two had in Shohei's last start about, you know, the challenge and about calling the pitchers all of that have they thought about swapping them?

[Buster Olney]

So here's the bottom line, Tony. Whatever Shohei wants, Shohei gets. Okay. He basically tells the Dodgers when he's going to pitch. And I think if you were to go to them and say, hey, Dalton rushing, I don't want to work with him anymore, they would listen to him. But that doesn't look like what's going to happen here. Dalton rushing I think is going to catch Shohei Ohtani's next start. I was checking on this afternoon. We'll see what the final lineup is on Wednesday night. But Shohei Ohtani is going to call his own pitches. I think the Dodgers feel like the Dalton rushing is such an important young player to them. A left handed hitting catcher with power. They're going to try to make this work and Ohtani is going to grab the reins on the pitch calling. But Dalton rushing has to start making adjustments. Or at some point Shohei Ohtani might say to the Dodgers, no, I want somebody else behind home plate.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Appreciate it all the time. Always good to have you. Thank you. Thank you.

[Buster Olney]

Thanks guys.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's take one last break. Still to come, the Mets do another Mets thing.

[Mike Wilbon]

Jonathan Kaminga can't stick with the team that traded for him. Can't stick.

[Tony Kornheiser]

You have defended. You have defended Kaminga time and time and time again. Are you gonna get off?

[Mike Wilbon]

Not looking as good? I may have to jump off that car. I may have to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happy time, people. Happy 29th birthday, A.J. brown. A recent trade reunited the Pro bowl wide receiver with his first NFL coach from Tennessee, Mike Vrabel. Brown caught 185 passes for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns for Vrabel there. Then Brown went to the Eagles in a trade and caught 339 passes for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns. In Philadelphia, Brown caught a touchdown pass in the 2024 Super bowl when Philadelphia dominated Kansas City. But although Brown is quick to say he is always open, as he does in a commercial, his tenure in Philadelphia was marred by discomfort on his side and theirs. Now he finds himself on a Super bowl contender in New England.

[Mike Wilbon]

As terrific as he is, Tony, nobody's more overrated in the league than this guy, particularly on this network. Let me give you a half dozen receivers I'd rather have. Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, Ceedee Lamb, Puka Nakua, JSN Amon, Ross, St. Brown. That's off the top of my head. Without going to research, I'll take all of them before Brown.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happy anniversary, Penny Hardaway on this day 33 years ago, the Orlando Magic drafted Chris Webber with the overall first pick, which shortly afterwards traded Weber to to Golden State for the third overall pick, Penny Hardaway. The backstory is that Shaquille o', Neal, then with Orlando, met Penny when both were filming the movie Blue Chips and told the Orlando front office that he wanted Penny as a teammate or he would walk away after his contract was up. Shaq and Penny led Orlando to the NBA Finals in their second year together, something Weber never accomplished. But Shaq walked away anyway. Hardaway continues as coach at his alma mater, Memphis, where he's 175 and 80.

[Mike Wilbon]

Shaq's instincts were the right ones. He and Penny were incredible. Marriage tone, the knee injuries, the leg injuries robbed Penny Hardaway. And Chris Weber, who you know I love, he got robbed for a different reason. He got robbed by the league playing the Lakers in the playoff series, and he should have won a championship, too. So they both got shortchanged.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happy trails to last night's game for the Mets. It didn't take long for another low light. The Blue Jays leadoff man George Springer hit a soft liner to left that bounced beneath Juan Soto's glove and went to the wall, where center fielder E.J. ewing flubbed the throw. Springer's Little League home run helped the Blue Jays to a 21 win. Elsewhere in the outfield last night, Dane Myers of the Reds reached for a catch, collided with the wall, got carted off. Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm was tracking a bloop in short, right when he got clotheslined by onrushing teammate Jason Dominguez. Good thing Jazz wasn't sucking on a lollipop then. And Jace Bowen of the Padres ended up with a mitt full of ivy on Seiya Suzuki's drive that won the game for your Cubs.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah, that's right, Tony. The Cubbies have rebounded somehow with 19 pitchers on the IL. We've won some games lately and are at the top, near the top of the wild card chase.

[Tony Kornheiser]

All right, let's go to big finish. If we go, let's do the Hawks declined Jonathan Kaminga's $24.3 million team option. Are you surprised?

[Mike Wilbon]

Am I the only person who still likes Jonathan Kaminga and thinks that, like 24 years old, he can contribute? I'm the last person. Spurs wing Julian Champagne agreed to return to the spurs for three years. 45 makes sense to you?

[Tony Kornheiser]

He's a good player. He's a really good three point shooter. Yes, he is. Yes. Makes perfect sense they're going to win. Landry Shamut will return to the knicks on a four year, $24 million deal. Is that a big deal?

[Mike Wilbon]

It is, Tony. The way he shot the ball, he was 8 of 9 for like 11 for 13 for 3. At some point, you run it back. If you're the Knicks, you really do. Pistons center Jalen Duran is meeting with the Lakers and Kings. Don't the Pistons actually need him?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Well, he stunk in the playoffs, but in a regular season, on a good team, he averaged 20 and 11. Yes, I would think they need him. Last one. Asia Wilson of the Aces, out for tonight's WNBA Commissioners cup against Celebrity. Is that a big deal?

[Mike Wilbon]

Anytime Asia Wilson's out, it's a big deal. It's a bigger deal if she's out longer. You hope not to miss Asia Wilson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We're out of time. We will try to do better the next time. And I'm Tony Kornheim.

[Mike Wilbon]

I'm Mike Wilfon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads.