Hour 2: Zas Sabotages Rachel (feat. Rachel Nichols)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: Zas Sabotages Rachel (feat. Rachel Nichols)

Released: March 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

Hour 2 of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" features NBA analyst Rachel Nichols joining the crew for a fast-paced, humorous journey through NBA hot topics, sports media, celebrity anecdotes, and March Madness energy. Broadcast from downtown Miami’s Elser Hotel, the segment is punctuated by the crew’s signature banter and playful irreverence, including the supposed "sabotage" of Rachel by John Zaslow (Zas), lively references to pop culture, and a candid discussion of NBA issues old and new.

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Key Segments & Discussions

Michael Mann, Miami Vice, and Tom Cruise (01:38–07:59)

• The Impact of Miami Vice: Debate about Michael Mann’s influence turning Miami into an international city and his credentials producing/directing both the iconic TV series and film, with behind-the-scenes stories.
  • Dan: "That television show in some ways helped start make Miami an international city. And it was colorful, it was splashy, it was musical, it was loud." (02:19)
• Upcoming Miami Vice and Heat Sequel: Excitement over Joe Kaczynski (Top Gun: Maverick) helming a potential Miami Vice reboot with Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler, and possibly Tom Cruise as the villain.
• Tom Cruise’s Industry Role: Anecdotes about Cruise supporting his agent amid controversy, "caretaking" the industry, and being close to "falling completely out of favor" before Tropic Thunder.
  • John Zaslow: "To me, he's always gonna be a one in my book. As someone who looks out for the little people..." (05:26)
  • Mike: "That movie [Tropic Thunder] resurrected Tom Cruise." (07:25)

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Jury Duty Antics & Rachel’s Perspective (10:56–15:02)

• Zaslow’s Jury Duty "Sabotage": Zaslow admits to always trashing jury duty summons, sparking laughter and mock outrage about civic responsibility.
  • Mike: "He says he always takes his jury duty paperwork and throws it immediately into the trash. There have never been any consequences that he knows of." (10:56)
  • Rachel Nichols: "I went through some years in my twenties where I ignored jury duty ... But now, as a responsible, fine, upstanding citizen, like yourself, Dan, I do rep." (12:14)
• Discussion of Penalties: The team investigates whether there are real penalties for skipping jury duty; Rachel shares her mother-in-law stars in New York’s jury duty video. (14:23–14:35)
• Jail Show Joke: Banter about doing the show from jail if Zas is ever arrested.

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NBA Deep Dives with Rachel Nichols

The Lakers’ Playoff Prospects & LeBron’s Greatness (15:02–18:33)

• Lakers’ Recent Play: Nichols justifies her preseason third-seed prediction, credits their offensive firepower, notes regular-season "zone defense" effectiveness, but doubts their defense will suffice in the playoffs.
  • Rachel Nichols: "This is a team with so much offensive firepower, sometimes that's the defense, right?" (15:36)
• LeBron’s NBA History: Wide-eyed appreciation for LeBron’s unprecedented late-career dominance.
  • Rachel Nichols: "Six dunks. The night before the triple double, he had six dunks. I mean, that's insane for someone his age." (17:34)
  • Mike: "What I'm seeing from LeBron James has no human precedent." (16:54)

Luka Doncic’s Technicals and Player Reputation (18:33–21:22)

• Rescinded Technical Foul: Discussion on Luka Doncic’s 16th technical, NBA policies, and comparison to Draymond Green’s notorious 2016 Finals ejection.
  • Rachel Nichols: "...He can't help himself. And I've asked JJ throughout this season ... 'That's a work in progress' is his answer all the time." (19:16)
• Perception of Complaints: Evaluation of whether Luka’s complaints are increasing or just more visible as his exposure grows.

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Pop Culture & Banter Interludes

Pussycat Dolls, Media Training, and World Peace Answers (21:22–22:32)

• Clip Analysis: Team riffs on a "choke" during a Today Show segment with the reuniting Pussycat Dolls, parodying pageant "world peace" answers and professional polish.
  • Rachel Nichols: "I think it's important that we have world... [pause] The question was about, like, some economic issue ... 'I really think it's important we have world peace.'" (22:02)

Wemby’s Stardom & Character (22:36–24:43)

• Victor Wembanyama’s Impact: Rachel reiterates her belief that Wemby could be "a top 10 player of all time" barring injury, praising his mental approach and dedication.
  • Rachel Nichols: "He reads instead of, you know, watching TV or playing video games. ... He plays chess in Central Park." (23:25)

On-Air Distractions & Podcast Fines (24:11–25:04)

• Instagram Reels Scandal: Team discovers Dan watching videos during the interview, leading to joking "fines for not paying attention."
  • Rachel Nichols: "I feel wounded. I feel unloved." (24:54)

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NBA Policy Critique: The 65-Game Rule (27:15–31:31)

• Rule Criticism: Nichols and Zaslow passionately condemn the NBA's 65-game minimum for award eligibility, arguing it disconnects awards from on-court excellence and distorts history.
  • Rachel Nichols: "These awards are how we judge who are the best players in a certain year. ... To link them together is basically ripping apart some of the integrity of the game." (29:19)
• Historical Perspective: Discussion on the All-NBA team’s legacy and cross-era comparisons undermined by the rule.
  • Rachel Nichols: "All NBA is the way you can do that. ... That's the only thing we have that ... is a way to test across eras and they're screwing with it. And I hate it. I absolutely hate it." (30:39)

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Knicks, Playoff Prospects, and Matchups (31:31–33:12)

• Jalen Brunson’s Brilliance & Knicks Realism: Nichols addresses whether the Knicks are a true Finals threat, labels them inconsistent and credits Boston as her pick. Notes that playoff success depends on timing and matchups.
  • Rachel Nichols: "...until this team does that, I can't say they're better. They're wildly inconsistent..." (32:07)

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Personal Moments & Parenting Talk (33:07–34:13)

• Teen Birthday Pandemonium: Nichols describes hosting 27 teenage girls at her twins’ birthday, comparing the noise to a jet engine and advocating future parties be held in movie theaters to preserve sanity.

  • Rachel Nichols: "It’s like a jet engine taking off for two and a half hours. It's... you shouldn’t do it." (33:50)

• Emmy Humble Brag: Admits she’s lost count of her Emmys, leading to chuckles and a "hair flip."

  • Rachel Nichols: “I don’t know offhand, it’s... it’s multiple.” (34:25)

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Closing Banter & Memorable Moments

• Best "Humble Brag": Group cracks up over Rachel’s recounting of Bam Adebayo subtly reminding everyone he’s scored 83 points before.

  • Rachel Nichols: "I was like, I know how good it was what Luka did, because, I mean, man, it's so hard to score 80, 83. Like, I mean, it's just—it was perfection.” (34:57)

• Final Gags: Show ends with riffing on Twins spring training and classic baseball terminology.

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Notable Quotes

• Rachel Nichols (on LeBron): "There is no equivalent ... there is no human body ever [like that]." (18:12)
• Rachel Nichols (on award rules): "To link them together is basically ripping apart some of the integrity of the game." (29:19)
• Mike (on LeBron): "What I'm seeing from LeBron James has no human precedent." (16:54)
• Rachel Nichols (on Wemby): "I think this kid is going to end up being a top 10 player of all time. I have stuck with that." (23:02)
• Rachel Nichols (on hosting a teen party): "It’s like a jet engine taking off for two and a half hours. ... You shouldn’t do it." (33:50)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------| | 01:38 | Michael Mann, Miami Vice | | 04:20 | Tom Cruise as Miami Vice villain | | 10:56 | Jury duty antics | | 15:02 | Lakers' playoff chances | | 16:54 | LeBron's historic longevity | | 18:33 | Luka Doncic technical discussion | | 22:36 | Wembanyama’s stardom | | 24:11 | Dan’s Instagram distraction | | 27:15 | NBA’s 65-game rule critique | | 31:31 | Knicks playoff analysis | | 33:07 | Rachel's twin birthday chaos | | 34:43 | Bam Adebayo humble brag |

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Episode Highlights & Style

This episode encapsulates the show’s signature blend of sharp sports insight, open-armed irreverence, and meandering pop culture commentary. Rachel Nichols brings experienced analysis—delivered with warmth, wit, and that subtle ability to keep up (and play along) with the guys’ comedy—and provides several standout moments, especially in her defense of NBA tradition and players’ legacies. The banter about pop culture, the gentle roast of Zas for “sabotaging” content, and the open admission of on-air distractions season the conversation, making for an engaging listen or read.

Perfect for listeners who love NBA talk, inside sports media, and the unpredictable energy of the show’s rotating cast and guest stars.

Transcript

[Rachel Nichols]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[John Zaslow]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Rachel Nichols]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Mike]

The Michigan coach Dusty May is going to join us tomorrow. Rachel Nichols is going to join us here in a few minutes to talk a little bit of basketball. I can't believe that I did not know that Michael Mann, the director of Heat, a very good director, makes big splashy things. I did not know that Miami Vice, the TV show, not the movie he also made, but that he was not only the executive producer of Miami Vice, the television show, but I was not aware what Miami was nationally before that television show. That television show in some ways helped start make Miami an international city. And it was colorful, it was splashy, it was musical, it was loud. But I was not aware that that television show, that Miami was a bit of a national wasteland, considered much like swamps. Yeah, it was. Yeah. And so Michael Mann is. He's also involved in the Heat sequel, correct?

[Dan Le Batard]

The Heat sequel. He wrote the source material, the book sequel. And yes, he is going to direct the upcoming sequel that has stars like Christian Bale, Leo DiCaprio attached to it.

[John Zaslow]

Goosebumps.

[Mike]

And he's also going to do yet another Miami Vice movie, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, he's not attached to the Miami Vice movie outside of perhaps a producer credit because his Involvement with the TV series. The director that is trying to bring Miami Vice back to the big screen because Michael Mann tried it. And you know, the director's cut is good, but there was a whole bunch of things that went wrong with the filming of that.

[John Zaslow]

Mike. You know a place where you get some mojitos?

[Dan Le Batard]

I know a great place.

[Mike]

Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx. That movie was supposed to be. It was much anticipated and it was supposed to be good. It was plagued by a bunch of shit in the background.

[Dan Le Batard]

It was plagued by Michael Mann, who's an insane person too. And I think Esquire did like a whole write up on what went wrong with the filming. Jamie Foxx left the project because of something that went real sideways in a favela somewhere in South America, because Michael Mann's authentic guys. But the director that is trying to bring Miami Vice back is Joe Kaczynski, who directed Top gun, Maverick and F1, which was nominated for best picture. And the stars that are reported to be attached to it are Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler, which I don't know. I think Austin Butler might be a little too weird, but we'll see. I don't know which one he's playing, Crockett or Tubs. It could be anybody's guess.

[John Zaslow]

Oh, the flip flop.

[Dan Le Batard]

But the most interesting. But the most interesting thing that has been reported about this reboot is that Tom Cruise is being circled as the big heavy.

[John Zaslow]

The villain.

[Dan Le Batard]

The villain. And the director who's worked with Tom Cruise, helped save cinema as we know it alongside Tom Cruise with Top Gun Maverick. He'd be able to convince Tom Cruise to do this, I think.

[John Zaslow]

Dude, Tom Cruise, I've learned this during the Oscar season here. He loves Michael B. Jordan. Like they were telling me that he. In the middle of promoting his own movie, he stopped to promote Sinners.

[Dan Le Batard]

Tom Cruise. For those that know him. I don't. I do know people that talk to Tom Cruise. You don't know Tom Cruise? I don't know Tom Cruise. I don't know if you knew that.

[John Zaslow]

You know about the Tom Cruise.

[Dan Le Batard]

I know about him. But Tom Cruise is very much a caretaker of the industry and takes real deep care of people that he's worked with. The holiday cake is like a thing of legend. Apparently. Tom Cruise is a legit mentor to many in Hollywood.

[John Zaslow]

Dude, I've told this story before. Mo Daquil, good friend of mine, his sister is Tom Cruise's agent. And when a lot of stuff was happening over in Gaza, she tweeted out free Palestine. And they tried to railroad her. And Tom Cruise said, you do that. I'm leaving. So, like, to me, he's always gonna be a one in my book. As someone who looks out for the little people and looks out for people, for any other Hollywood star would've been so easy to be like, well, that's a controversy I don't need, and just kinda kicked it to the side. But he was loyal to her, and so for me, I'm always gonna have a lot of respect for him.

[Mike]

Do people generally know how close Tom Cruise before Tropic Thunder was to falling completely out of favor with the industry?

[John Zaslow]

I really.

[Dan Le Batard]

Because of sc.

[John Zaslow]

The Scientology, the Oprah thing, the Katie. Katie. What's her.

[Mike]

Kitty Holmes. Holmes like, for those who don't know that story. He goes on Oprah and jumps up and down on the couch talking about how in love.

[John Zaslow]

I'm in love with Katie Holmes.

[Mike]

And. And there's been a lot of reporting about Scientology.

[Dan Le Batard]

He had the Matt Lauer interview, which he came out better than Matt Lauer.

[Mike]

Yes. Eventually he rebounded better from that interview than Matt Lauer did. But Tom Cruise at the end of Tropic Thunder. There are any number of people who watched Tropic Thunder and didn't know leaving the theater that Tom Cruise had been in Tropic Thunder. He chose a role with Ben Stiller. He chose a role where he was a fat guy with hairy arms. Balding, was it? Les Grossman was the character. A movie executive that was totally obnoxious, stole every scene, and yeah, he was great in it. But there were many people who saw the movie, left the theater, and didn't know that Tom Cruise had been in the movie.

[Dan Le Batard]

I didn't know it was him until the credits. I was like, which one was Tom Cruise?

[Mike]

Is that right?

[Dan Le Batard]

Swear to God.

[Mike]

And so I'm pretty sure, though, that that movie resurrected Tom Cruise like that. He was very close to not being able to get substantive work.

[John Zaslow]

So he was supposed to actually play Ben Stiller's agent. He was supposed to play Matthew McConaughey's role. And Tom Cruise read the script, and he said, actually, what you guys need is a slimy studio executive. And obviously Tropic Thunder is a very inside baseball movie. But I'm sure with everyone involved, they're like, of course there has to be this guy. Cause they've all dealt with that guy one way or another.

[Mike]

Rachel Nichols. Next.

[Dan Le Batard]

Hey, Roy, buddy. Yo. You know that energy shift when the game gets good and everybody all together in unison knows to stand up on their feet? Oh, absolutely, Mike. Yeah. You've been at many big time sporting events. You know that moment quite well. That's what it's like when you take your first sip of Cuervo. Oh, delicious. It's the signal that says, we're not checking the time anymore, pal. It's when small talk turns into stories. Cuervo, man. It's that high five. A random stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping. You're hugging people you never met before. That's the kind of energy that Cuervo brings. It's so smooth, so delicious. That's the Cuervo effect. Keep it cvo.

[John Zaslow]

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[Mike]

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[John Zaslow]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike]

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[Mike]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[John Zaslow]

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[Mike]

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[John Zaslow]

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[Dan Le Batard]

My algorithm on Instagram is. Dan. It's all boobs, stugats.

[John Zaslow]

It's a good algorithm.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Mike]

So Zaz says that I'm a sucka for going to jury duty, for handling my civic responsibility. He says he always takes his jury duty paperwork and throws it immediately into the trash. There have never been any consequences that he knows of. He's never been to jury duty. Look at Rachel laughing here at just knows I'm right. How un American Zaslow is. Nobody wants to go to jury duty, but it's a civic honor and responsibility. Well, actually, Whittingham likes to go to jury duty, but, Rachel, you're saying what to Zaslow here?

[Rachel Nichols]

Well, I just want to know what they asked you that you got selected. What were the questions that they were like, this is a fine, upstanding citizen.

[Mike]

Well, I wasn't asked any questions. I've never.

[Dan Le Batard]

Your assistant was asked.

[Mike]

I've never done jury duty, but I've always gone and marched and sat in the sad room and just sat there for several hours. And then they let me go for me. And as a media member, they're not likely to select me anyway under almost any circumstances. And I. So I've never actually served, but I get summoned. Waits too often. Like, it happened. They can do it every. They could do it once a. Once a year. And so it happens to me. It doesn't feel random. You've been. You've done jury duty. Would you dare to ignore jury duty? Rachel?

[Rachel Nichols]

I went through some years in my twenties where I ignored jury duty. I gotta say, I was once got the thing in the mail for grand jury, which is just a nightmare, right? If they pick you, it's like two months, you know, on these, like, longer trials. But now, as a responsible, fine, upstanding citizen like yourself, Dan, I do rep. I've never gotten picked, though. So I just. I wanna know how they picked you, because normally, if you want to, while they're asking you questions, you can get out of jury duty. Just say, I believe our criminal justice system is really unfair, and I just don't think anyone should be penalized till we fix it. That's a good one.

[John Zaslow]

Rachel described two months doing a grand jury. That's like doing Pablo's show. One episode of that. It's like sitting in a grand jury.

[Mike]

I can't believe ZSAS is willing to put his name on the.

[Dan Le Batard]

Whatever. Come at me, bro. What's going to happen. Nothing's going to happen. Nothing.

[Rachel Nichols]

They can put out a warrant for you.

[John Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Mike]

For.

[Dan Le Batard]

For what?

[Rachel Nichols]

Which means you could do that. You could do the show from jail, which could be like a whole.

[John Zaslow]

We should do that.

[Dan Le Batard]

Come get me. Come at me.

[Mike]

I don't think they can. Is that something that they can say? Can he just say I didn't get it? I didn't get the mail.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I didn't get it.

[Mike]

Nobody's ever done that before.

[John Zaslow]

Right?

[Mike]

That's not anybody.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't think they have anything after that. The loophole never got to me. Mail never gets lost. Right. Never got to me.

[Mike]

Jeremy, look up for me, please. What's the wor. Worst possible punishment the government can put on you in the event that you are a fraud about jury duty?

[Dan Le Batard]

They've got their own problems to deal with. And you're going to come after me for. For missing one six minute jury trial?

[Mike]

Give me a break. It's. Well, it's not six minutes like they, they want you to sit in a room. I do need a break. My commitment today, this is what I had to do today because I was supposed to have it and I postponed it to April 8th. They told me when I got there expect to be here till 5. I got there at 8am and they said expect to be here till 5pm to see whether or not you're selected. Damn Szlo. Sitting here still staring defiantly at this government.

[Dan Le Batard]

You can be put in contempt of court in the state of Florida and a warrant, a warrant may be issued for your arrest where you could serve up to 10 days in. In jail.

[Rachel Nichols]

Well, that Florida do the show from jail.

[Dan Le Batard]

That part. I don't have a tip.

[Rachel Nichols]

I have a tidbit for you. My mother in law is the. In New York when you get there and they give you the instructions for jury duty and they make you watch a video. My mother in law does that.

[Mike]

I love that. The way you describ. That occupation was just drawing a picture frame.

[Dan Le Batard]

I had it as a tv.

[Mike]

My mother is a picture frame.

[Rachel Nichols]

It's a tv.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Come on, Dan.

[Rachel Nichols]

That you watch. You know, I've never again, I've never served, so I've never made it to that step. I have responded however I've shown up. But then I have been, you know, kicked aside for real more responsible citizens.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's not for me, Dan.

[Mike]

Yeah, you've mentioned that the Lakers. I believe everyone who knows basketball for the entirety of the season has been saying of the Lakers, they absolutely cannot win playoff Games playing defense the way they do. However, the Laker team that I have watched play the last three or four games, I'm wildly impressed by everything that they're doing. Doing against pretty good teams. I mean, Orlando and Houston and Miami on the road, they were impressive in all of those games. Your appraisal of the Laker, Rachel, is what?

[Rachel Nichols]

Well, I picked them to be third in the conference, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now because most people pick them to be fifth or sixth. Look, this is a team with so much offensive firepower, sometimes that's the defense, right? You just. You can get out of any situation that becomes the defense. Also, they've been running a lot of his own, which during the regular season is pretty effective because teams aren't used to it. They don't have a lot of time to prepare for these regular season games. And you walk in and you throw them a defense that they're not used to seeing. And you saw, especially against Houston, it just gets guys really flummoxed and they don't kind of know what to do out on the court. Obviously, the playoffs are a different story, though. You have plenty of time to prepare for an opponent. You play them day after day after day, that kind of thing. So that'll be some of the question of do they stand up? But here's the thing, and you guys saw it in Miami, even when LeBron was at his peak, there are times where he's just not as focused defensively. But you know, when he is all of the time is during the playoffs. So his defense in particular, I always figured, was going to pick up this spring, regardless of how old he is, regardless of how those three are on the court together. But yeah, I mean, look, they don't play defense like the Oklahoma City Thunder, and eventually I think that's going to stop them. If they play the Thunder in the second round, you know, that that might be the end of them. But I think they're fine to go a couple rounds in the playoffs at least.

[Mike]

Kareem Abdul Jabbar played late in life because he could make the skyhook against anybody at any age. But what I'm seeing from LeBron James has no human precedent. Like I. No, I don't understand how he's able to do that. Even if you were to go the route of saying, well, it must be modern science or pharmaceuticals, and Tom Brady and Serena played well late, I still don't have context for what he's presently doing. Can you give me any history of the Game. Can you give me anything that suggests the oldest player in the league should be having a triple double when he's down here in Miami?

[Rachel Nichols]

Six dunks. The night before the triple double, he had six dunks. I mean, that's insane for someone his age. So many of the guys we've worked with as analysts are in their late 30s and you want them to go do a dunk like as part of a segment or something and they're like, oh, my back, I don't do that anymore. I mean, Vince Carter used to be like that. He's like, oh, I don't dunk anymore. LeBron had six dunks and then they got to Miami at four in the morning and then he had that triple double is just, just insanity. There is no equivalent, we can say,

[Mike]

no, no argument, no human body ever correct that. That is a human body unlike any human body there's ever been.

[Rachel Nichols]

Not that I have ever seen. And to your point, look, whatever is helping him get there, whether it's physio or anything else, like, you still have to be the guy who can do that. And we have seen at every stage of LeBron's career, yeah, no one else can do that. And we're just seeing it now in a way that no one else can do that, not just in the league, but through history. I mean, it's incredible.

[Dan Le Batard]

Rachel, what do you make of Luka Doncic 16, technical foul being rescinded so he could play tonight against Detroit?

[Rachel Nichols]

You know, it's, it's interesting. He's had a lot of text rescinded to not get to this point. I'm curious if at some point in the playoffs we're going to see this issue flare up because we all, of course, remember what happened to Draymond green in the 2016 Finals. And a lot of people sort of misremember that as, oh, he got suspended for the scuffle that happened at court level and sort of, you know, them rolling on the ground and that's not worth a one game suspension. It wasn't worth a one game suspension. He just got a Tech and it happened to be, I believe, his eighth Tech. I mean, is that right in the playoffs?

[John Zaslow]

Yes.

[Rachel Nichols]

And yeah, so when you get your eighth tech in the playoffs, you have to miss a game. And him missing a game was the NBA finals and it turned around a big chunk of that series. So, you know, I think that's the danger with Luka is, you know, he can't help himself. And I've asked JJ throughout this season, I'VE said, you know, have you talked to him? He's like, that's a work in progress is his answer all the time. And we're just going to have to see how much he can control himself. Even in the Mavericks run to the Finals, he did not get suspended for tax. He did not reach number eight. But he got, you know, he got text throughout that playoff run.

[John Zaslow]

Rachel, I'm curious because I feel like. I feel like it's been a big topic this year. Luka complaining, Luka technical files, Luka with the officials. And from my perspective, like, well, that's who he's always been since he came in the league. Is it actually worse or getting worse, or is it just a factor of people in LA are discovering this part of him?

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah, I mean, he's on TV more and, you know, highlights go. There's more highlights of him. I mean, there's always been Luca highlights on TV and on your phone. But when he was playing in Dallas, the visibility is just. It's never as high as for when you play with the Lakers or the Knicks. Knicks when they're rolling. And, you know, I think more people are seeing it across the country. More people are seeing it in LA just every time they go out and play the way they haven't before. And when they're losing games. Right. And there's been patches this season. The Lakers have lost a string of games. You know, Luka tends to do this more. He feels more under pressure. He sort of falls back on old habits. And then you have the combination of the Lakers losing a lot and Luka doing this a lot. And then Lakers fans suddenly are like, ah, this guy's killing us. I just said that my impression of the Lakers fan was pretty good. I just want to say good.

[John Zaslow]

Whiny. You got to be whinier.

[Mike]

I didn't think it was very good, actually.

[John Zaslow]

No, that was good.

[Mike]

Okay. You're a professional broadcaster. You know how to do polish. I want your assessment here. Pussycat Dolls are getting back together. There are three of them on the Today show. And this looks like a giant choke here. What happened here? What's your assessment after they found out

[John Zaslow]

that you guys were coming back as

[Mike]

a trio, not as the original group.

[John Zaslow]

How did you arrive at that decision?

[Rachel Nichols]

Well, I mean, listen, we are just. We are like. We are so as women today. I mean, it has been an ever changing lineup and, you know, this is what it looks like now in 2026. You never know what comes next. And I think ultimately we've got to protect Our peace.

[Mike]

And when.

[Rachel Nichols]

When something like the Pussycat Dolls has so much history. We have ruptured in the past.

[Mike]

She's still frozen.

[Dan Le Batard]

She's rigor mortis.

[Mike]

She's still frozen. I don't think that's rigor mortis. But what's your assessment there professionally, Rachel?

[Rachel Nichols]

Wasn't there a Miss America contestant who did this? That, like, it went around the Internet for a long time where she just. Every word about her mouth was such a Peace, peace. You know, I think it's important that we have world. The question was about, like, some economic issue or something. She' I really think it's important we have world peace. And then she couldn't find her way, and she kept talking about world peace. I don't know. We've had presidential debates that sound like that, to be honest. So let's not, you know, let's not go out too hard on the Pussycat Doll.

[Dan Le Batard]

Come on screen. Why don't we do it?

[Mike]

Come on. Are you rooting for. Well, you can't root necessarily, but is Wemby winning this year, good or bad for the sport? Given that if he wins this year, he's likely to keep winning?

[Rachel Nichols]

You mean winning the title?

[Mike]

Yes.

[Rachel Nichols]

Okay. Winning defense, player of the year, winning mvp, which he's up for. I think it's nothing but good. I have been super high on Wemby since before he was drafted. I got a lot of flack for saying before he was drafted. I think this kid is going to end up being a top 10 player of all time. I have stuck with that. Less people are giving me a hard time now, which is good. Obviously, all of that is that statement is barring injury. But I just. I think what this kid can do is so different from what we've seen anyone else be able to do. And then he. In addition to those physical skills, he is one of the most sort of mentally focused, interesting, curious guys I have ever seen come into the National Basketball Association. I mean, if you have a guy who is that thirsty for learning, who's that receptive, who's that curious to find new things, who's that dedicated to what he does? And, you know, life may come into, you know, come into play at some point, but right now, all that kid does is play basketball. He reads instead of, you know, watching TV or playing video games. His teammates keep trying to get him to play video games, and he's like, no, I'm good. And it's not that fake reading some players do where, like, the first page keeps getting opened and Nothing else. He plays chess in. In Central Park.

[Mike]

That's a five dollar fine. He's not listening. Just watching Instagram reels.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's not what I'm doing.

[Mike]

You know what? I'm sorry.

[John Zaslow]

You got.

[Mike]

I mean, you got to get out of here.

[John Zaslow]

Like we know about that algorithm. The hell was that?

[Mike]

How did.

[John Zaslow]

Jury duty.

[Mike]

Minor penalty.

[Dan Le Batard]

2 minutes delay a show.

[John Zaslow]

You've got to be down at all times.

[Mike]

You can't be. You can't be not listening to Rachel talk so much that you're just watching videos on the Internet and not even hiding it.

[John Zaslow]

She was blaring.

[Dan Le Batard]

I heard a JetU holiday thing.

[Mike]

That's unbelievable. Make sure he pays.

[Rachel Nichols]

Should I feel about that?

[Mike]

He hasn't been paying the.

[John Zaslow]

I'm offended. Offended.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, it's very.

[Rachel Nichols]

I feel wounded.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's very easy to pay the fine.

[Rachel Nichols]

I feel wounded. I feel. I feel unloved.

[John Zaslow]

Rachel.

[Rachel Nichols]

I feel. You know.

[John Zaslow]

Rachel, don't.

[Mike]

No.

[John Zaslow]

He's a charlatan. Don't. Don't pay him no nevermind.

[Dan Le Batard]

He is a charlatan. That's true.

[Rachel Nichols]

I feel like the middle Pussycat girl. I don't even know what to say. I'm so.

[Mike]

As a woman, As a woman, As a woman.

[Rachel Nichols]

As a woman. I am very, very. Something about that.

[Mike]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[John Zaslow]

Adorable.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike]

Don LeBatard. John Zaslo. How you love that catchphrase. Bad news for opposing teams in the triple air stugats. These all smiles till The Bloods are clutch again. Clutch again. Clutch again.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[John Zaslow]

Rachel, as you know, I'm responsible for pressuring the NBA over a decade to get the All Star games out of cold, small markets, and we finally. We finally made that happen. All right, my next. My new Crusade is the 65 game rule. We got to get it up out

[Rachel Nichols]

of here, dude, you know, you and I have talked about this on the air before. I think this is the most insane thing. It's kind of like tanking, right? They're trying to solve the wrong problem. Like, they're like, why are these teams playing so badly? Let's penalize them more for playing badly. The reason people tank is because they have to. They have to because there are no other good ways to get better. If you're a bad team, especially in a smaller market, fix that, and you will fix tanking. Nobody is, like, dying to lose for nine months straight and have their fans be pissed and teach young players bad habits. Solve the real problem. In this case, the 65 game rule was brought into effect because player participation was sucky. Frankly, that's a technical term. And they had guys sitting out big TV nights and Saturday night abc, and all three of the most important guys aren't playing. And they were like, TV networks are mad. They storm the NBA offices. The NBA office takes that to the owners, and they're like, yeah,

[Dan Le Batard]

All righty.

[John Zaslow]

Did we lose her?

[Dan Le Batard]

That was fun.

[John Zaslow]

We might have lost you, Rachel.

[Mike]

We definitely lost her.

[Dan Le Batard]

Either that or she's been taken over.

[Mike]

What. What part is it? Yeah, 100. Did Zaz sabotage entire walking back?

[Dan Le Batard]

I think she's back now.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah, you're here now.

[Mike]

Go ahead.

[Dan Le Batard]

All of a sudden, he walks in.

[John Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

He turned into a monster.

[Rachel Nichols]

I'm here.

[Mike]

Yes. Yes, you.

[Rachel Nichols]

Wait. First he's watching Instagram, and then you guys.

[Dan Le Batard]

And then he pulled the plug on you. Yep.

[Mike]

Yep, he pulled the plug.

[Rachel Nichols]

Brilliant thought.

[Dan Le Batard]

And he's also a cuck.

[Mike]

Yes.

[Rachel Nichols]

You're treating him like everybody knows.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm not a cuck. Everybody knows.

[Mike]

You were. You were weaving a tapestry that he interrupted. Please continue, Rachel. He's not. He's not a cuck. Everybody knows that.

[John Zaslow]

Go to bed.

[Rachel Nichols]

The 65 game rule was brought in because player participation was sucky because guys were sitting out big TV games. So they were like, let's bribe the players into playing more by saying they can't have their awards if they don't play 65 games. Guess what? That's dumb. The Awards have nothing to do with player participation. These are two completely separate things. To link them together is basically ripping apart some of the integrity of the game. These awards are how we judge who are the best players in a certain year. And you can be one of the best players like Cade Cunningham. You're gonna tell me that the all NBA team is gonna go out for this year and Cade Cunningham won't be on any. The first, second or third team and someone 25 years from now is gonn look back at the record of this year and they're thinking, me, I guess Cade Cunningham didn't do anything. Rachel, come on, man.

[John Zaslow]

10. 10 of the 15 all NBA players from a season ago are either guaranteed not going to be all NBA or in serious jeopardy. 10 out of 15, Dan. So we're talking. It's not just about we're going to look and say, oh, how is Kate Cunningham not all NBA? It's also going to be like, hey, how did Peyton Pritchard make all NBA? Or whoever someone's going to make all NBA. Who was not one of the 15 best players?

[Mike]

Just for playing 65 games?

[John Zaslow]

Just for playing 65 games. It's ridiculous.

[Rachel Nichols]

And it's also the way we judged players across eras. I think that's one of the things that gets lost here. For all of the lazy who's better? Michael Jordan, LeBron James debates that people tend to start. It's hard to answer that question because you are watching players who play in different eras with different rules, with different physical knee surgeries and all of that kind of stuff. All NBA is the way you can do that. If a guy made all NBA eight times among his peers in his era, he made it eight times. And then a guy 25 years later makes all NBA 10 or 12 times in his era against his compatriots with his rules. That's how you can say, man, this guy might be a little bit better than that guy. That's it. That's the only thing we have that sort of is a way to test across eras and they're screwing with it. And I hate it. I absolutely hate it.

[Mike]

I've been saying that Jalen Brunson is the most beloved player in the history of the New York Knicks because of what he's doing at his size specifically. But I've also been saying you cannot win the title if your best player is a player of that size. Over the last 30 games, the Knicks have the best defense and the best net rating in the NBA. Half of those 30 games have come against the top six teams in each conference and they're eight and five in those games. Do you believe the Knicks are better than they were last year and do you believe that they are a legitimate contender to get to the finals? Because I don't believe they're a legitimate contender to win.

[Rachel Nichols]

Look, they're different than they were last year. Last year that team got to game six of the Eastern Conference finals, like whatever you want to say about them, about, oh, he only played six guys and they're very predictable and all that stuff. Guess what? You know how I know that that was a good look for that team? Because they got to game six of the Eastern Conference final. That's it. That's the answer. So until this team does that, I can't say they're better. They're wildly inconsistent. The Knicks, like, they'll go on a five game winning streak, they'll go on a six game losing streak, they'll go back on a ten game winning streak. I don't know if that is going to get you to the finals or even to the Eastern Conference finals over time. And I really believe in Boston this year. So it kind of depends on when they run into them too. I mean, a lot of this, how far will they get in the playoffs? Conversation is, hey, where do they hit that big team in the brackets? Do the Knicks hit the Boston Celtics in the second round? Do the Lakers hit the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round? There are some matchups where you can say that's the one that's gonna get them. And if it comes early, it comes early.

[Mike]

How do you do birthday parties? The twins have one coming up, do they not? Are you a good party planner?

[Rachel Nichols]

We just had one this weekend. We had 27 girls over at our house, 2714 and 15 year old teenage girls at my home. At one time the decibel level was so high I almost felt like, you know those people on the plane who bring a baby onto the plane and they like bring little like packets of cookies and stuff for their neighbors because they're like, oh, please don't get mad at us, we have a baby. I this morning feel like I have to go to my neighbors and bring them cookies or something like that to apologize for the sheer volume that was going on in my backyard yesterday.

[Mike]

Does it sound like a gaggle of geese? Like, what is the. What does it sound like?

[Rachel Nichols]

It's just they talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. And it goes over each other and then over each other. It's like A jet engine taking off for two and a half hours. It's. You shouldn't do it.

[John Zaslow]

Nobody actually listens.

[Rachel Nichols]

I would say if. If you have 30 teenage girls that you have to do something with, you know, take them to a movie theater where they can be quiet. We made an unforced error here just having them in our backyard.

[Mike]

Fox Sports Sports. All the smoke. She's a longtime NBA reporter, host and analyst. She's also an Emmy award winning journalist. How many Emmys won? Loves to say that he put the Emmy in. Jeremy. How many of those have you won?

[Rachel Nichols]

Rachel, is it bad to tell you? I don't know offhand, it's. It's multiple.

[Dan Le Batard]

That many?

[Rachel Nichols]

I'm sorry, you win.

[Mike]

It's a great, humble brag. These old things.

[Dan Le Batard]

And a hair flip. I can't even count.

[Mike]

And a hair flip. I don't know.

[Rachel Nichols]

Wait, wait, wait. Did you guys talk about what Bam said after the Lakers game, after they lost to the Lakers? Because that was one of the best tumble brags I've ever seen.

[John Zaslow]

Not so easy to score. 80 is right. I loved it.

[Rachel Nichols]

I was like, I know how good it was what Luka did, because, I mean, man, it's so hard to score 80, 83. Like, I mean, it's just. It was perfection.

[John Zaslow]

I would do that every day of the rest of my life. Every scenario I could bring up the number 83, I would bring it up. I would change my birthday to 1983 just to remind everybody.

[Mike]

Rachel, good talking to you. Thank you for stopping by. Before we get to the post game show here, can you just give me a sound, please, from the Twins spring training broadcast?

[Dan Le Batard]

So good start for the Twins here in the fourth inning. You ever seen Buck with his pants down? No.

[Mike]

Like his shorts?

[John Zaslow]

No. Like he's got.

[Dan Le Batard]

He doesn't have his nose socks showing. Ah, I see what you're saying. Oh, that way. Because in baseball, when you, I mean, you seem confused. Pants up, pants down. You know, the stirrups where they show you. Also, you could just change your birthday to August 3rd.

[Mike]

Hey,