PTI Podcast Summary – October 22, 2025
Episode Title: Who Set the Tone on Opening Night of the NBA 2025-26 Season?
Hosts: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon
Featured Guest: Steve Young
Duration referenced: [00:32]–[25:14]
Episode Overview
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon go head-to-head on the drama and trends emerging from the opening night of the NBA 2025-26 season, dissect key NFL coaching-player rivalries, and debate the evolving landscape of college basketball eligibility. Hall of Famer Steve Young joins for “Five Good Minutes” to offer quarterback insight on leadership, transitions, and development. The show is, as expected, peppered with candid opinions, friendly jabs, and big-picture takes.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. NBA Opening Night: Which Game Set the Tone?
Timestamps: [00:50]–[03:49]
- Games Covered:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (defending NBA champions) vs. Houston Rockets: OKC prevails in double overtime.
- Los Angeles Lakers (without LeBron James) fall to Golden State Warriors by 10.
- Wilbon’s Take:
- Finds OKC-Houston “riveting,” pins both as possibly the league’s best teams right now.
- Notes Kevin Durant playing 47 minutes; considers Oklahoma City’s resilience notable.
- “These are the two best teams in the league, all. Oh, wait, I think they are right now, tonight.” [01:45, Wilbon]
- Tony’s View:
- Dismisses the Lakers-Warriors outcome as less meaningful in LeBron’s absence.
- Sees OKC’s hard-fought win as a preview of the pressure they’ll face all year:
- “Everybody's gonna give them their best shot, and young, improving teams... are gonna be sky high to play against them. So Oklahoma City won, and that's great... But this is what they're gonna look at all year long.” [03:18, Kornheiser]
- Questions OKC’s repeat chances: “It took them—they had to sweat to win the first game at home.” [03:44, Kornheiser]
2. NFL: Russell Wilson vs. Sean Payton – A War of Words
Timestamps: [03:49]–[06:15]
- Context: Sean Payton (Broncos coach) makes a pointed remark after beating Wilson’s Giants; Wilson calls it "classless."
- Tony labels Payton’s comment:
- “Deliberate, and I would call it goading. There is history there.” [04:09, Kornheiser]
- Details their fraught working relationship and public benching.
- Wilbon’s Reaction:
- Acknowledges Payton as a great coach “but behaves too often like a classless bum.” [05:12, Wilbon]
- Applauds Wilson clapping back:
- “Russell Wilson's got as many super bowl rings as Sean Payton. Let's try one and been to one more.” [05:25, Wilbon]
3. Tom Izzo’s Outrage: G-League Players Allowed Back into College
Timestamps: [06:15]–[08:47]
- Issue: NCAA allows ex-G-Leaguers London Johnson and Thierry Darlin to play at Louisville and Santa Clara; Izzo calls it “ridiculous.”
- Wilbon & Kornheiser’s Perspective:
- Both sympathize with Izzo but are less outraged.
- Tony highlights that “every college player now is a pro...They all get paid.” [07:42, Kornheiser]
- Agrees with a boundary — “If you played in the NBA, I would say, no, you can't come back to college...But for 2 G Leaguers...I can live with it.” [07:55–07:59, Kornheiser]
- Wilbon considers the chaos in college sports: “What is ideal about anything, any element of college sports now?” [07:19, Wilbon]
- Both stress no "back and forth" movement during the same season, likening it to pro baseball call-ups.
4. NFL Quarterback Psychology and Leadership with Steve Young
Timestamps: [11:23]–[18:25]
4.1. Quarterbacks Under Criticism
- On Jets owner’s comments about Justin Fields:
- Steve Young: “The quarterback has to stay 100% accountable despite how irritating that comment would have been to me.” [11:51, Young]
- Criticizes owner’s lack of introspection: “Another really talented quarterback has a terrible rating on my watch. What can I do different?” [12:25, Young]
- Wilbon: “You're asking Woody Johnson to have some self-awareness…” [13:00, Wilbon]
4.2. Facing Your Predecessor: Rodgers vs. Love
- Steve Young recollects his own experiences succeeding Joe Montana:
- “It was raw and real and visceral and palpable and like, it was. It was a thing.” [14:31, Young]
- Differentiates his and Montana’s context (immediate, emotional) from Rodgers (longer transition, less fraught): “There's just not that much emotion...There's probably some...but the one you're talking about, Joe and I, it was raw...” [14:17–14:31, Young]
- The group chuckles about never revisiting the rivalry: “We wouldn't like, oh, you know, hey, I got you that day.” [14:34, Young]
4.3. Development of Mobile Quarterbacks: Caleb Williams Focus
- Steve Young: NFL’s biggest developmental drama is teaching mobile QBs when to pass/run.
- “Number one dramatic question...today is mobile quarterbacks...How do we teach them how to be sophisticated passers, yet hold on to this incredible skill?” [15:20, Young]
- Shares a coaching anecdote: Sid Gilman “literally tied my legs together...now go somewhere now. Now show me what you can do.” [15:38, Young]
- Stresses the solution: necessity of coaching from experience, not just theory.
4.4. On Drake Maye’s Efficiency (21 of 23 passing)
- Young elevates the importance of offensive coordinators:
- “Make sure you give that guy a hug, too.” [18:25, Young]
- Notes the difficulty of completing passes in NFL: “No one’s open in the NFL...so when you’re getting that kind of efficiency, you got things rolling.” [17:09, Young]
5. Happy Time & The Big Finish
Timestamps: [20:37]–[25:14]
- Memorable Moments:
- “Happy 52nd Birthday, Ichiro Suzuki...” [20:39, Kornheiser] — Praises Ichiro’s hit record, Hall induction, and Mount Rushmore status.
- Joe Thomas’s iron-man streak and legacy as an NFL lineman.
- Wilbon suggests an award named after him: “NFL lineman, Best lineman name for Joe Thomas. That's fine. He's earned it.” [22:40, Wilbon]
- Brad Marchand brought to tears by a tribute video in Boston—a rare show of emotion for “the toughest guys.” [23:25, Kornheiser]
- Quick Hits: Injury reports (Lamar Jackson, Jaden Daniels), Giants hire, college hoops star Cam Boozer.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "Pale yellow, the color of my body." – Tony Kornheiser, on his favorite color [00:38]
- "Sean Payton behaves too often like a classless bum." – Mike Wilbon [05:12]
- “Every college player now is a pro...They all get paid.” – Tony Kornheiser [07:42]
- “If you played in the NBA, I would say, no, you can't come back to college.” – Tony Kornheiser [07:56]
- “What is ideal about anything, any element of college sports now?” – Mike Wilbon [07:19]
- “You never lose your ability to get outside and make people miss and make for big first downs and touchdowns.” – Steve Young on coaching mobile QBs [16:08]
- “On a 21-for-23 kind of day, make sure you give that guy a hug, too.” – Steve Young, the impact of play-callers [18:25]
- “Ichiro…offered to take the one writer who did not vote for him to his house for dinner. But at his induction…Ichiro joked that the offer had expired.” – Tony Kornheiser [21:13]
Topical Flow by Timestamp
| Segment | Topic | Start | |-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|---------| | Light Banter/Color choices | Pale yellow, crayon memories | 00:32 | | NBA Opening Night | OKC vs. Houston, Lakers-Warriors, meaning of the results | 00:50 | | NFL - Wilson/Payton Feud | Tone of Payton's comments, Wilson's response | 03:49 | | NCAA/G League Eligibility | Tom Izzo’s outrage, broader context of college sports | 06:15 | | Five Good Minutes: Steve Y. | Owner-player dynamics, Rodgers/Love parallel, rookie QB dilemmas | 11:23 | | Happy Hour/Big Finish | Ichiro/Thomas/Marchand, news blitz | 20:37 |
Tone and Language
- Conversational, playful, and candid. Tony and Wilbon trade good-natured jabs, share inside stories, and react openly to current events.
- Steve Young’s segments mix humor, storytelling, and mentor-style advice.
Summary Takeaway
This episode of PTI is quintessential sports talk, blending quick-fire analysis with personality-driven takes. The NBA’s new season fuels early speculation, while the Wilson/Payton feud and college basketball disruptions exemplify shifting power dynamics across sports. Steve Young’s guest appearance provides a thoughtful, insider lens on quarterbacking’s deepest challenges, both old and new. Sprinkle in tributes to sports icons and the unique PTI banter, and listeners get a rapid but rewarding tour of the day’s sports landscape.