The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Big Suey: Nick Wright's Anti-Wemby Campaign (feat. Nick Wright)
March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

Recorded at the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode of The Big Suey features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, the Shipping Container crew, and special guest Nick Wright (Fox Sports 1) for a lively and, at times, contentious debate on the NBA MVP race—chiefly the hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama (“Wemby”)—media narratives in sports, fairness in award voting, and the complex mix of arrogance and authenticity in modern athletes. The show also covers recent NBA news stories, scrutinizes player logic in award campaigns, and briefly interrogates the relationship between player mental health and PED suspensions.

Key Segments, Discussions, and Insights

1. Nick Wright on Wemby and Fairness in MVP Debates (04:16–16:34)

The "Wemby Campaign": Is Hype Outpacing Accomplishment?

• Nick Wright expresses skepticism about the media and fan enthusiasm for Victor Wembanyama, arguing that the “Wemby MVP” narrative is moving too quickly for a 22-year-old who hasn’t yet played a playoff game or accrued substantive accolades.
• He notes that while Wembanyama’s confidence is generally lauded, similar traits have led to criticism for other players, especially young or international stars.
• Quote (Nick Wright, 05:04): “Typically a 22-year-old who's never won anything explaining to everyone how he's the best player and not why his team is the best...typically the media scolds that. Not with this guy.”
• Nick also pokes fun at emergent “supportive stats” like “roll gravity,” suggesting media and analytics pressure are inventing new reasons to propel Wemby ahead of players with more traditional success measures.

The MVP Criteria: Shifting Goalposts and "Roll Gravity"

• The show debates the validity of defensive impact as a chief MVP criterion.
• Nick argues offense has always dominated MVP awards, citing the separation of All-NBA (offense) and All-Defense teams as precedent.
• Quote (Nick Wright, 11:05): “Defense is 50% of the game when it comes to team success. It has never been 50 of the game when it comes to awards, which is why we have the all NBA team, the 15 best players, and the all defense team...”
• Nick places Wemby third on his MVP ballot, behind SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and Luka Dončić, followed by Jokic. He bemoans a pattern of media building up new “it” stats to promote certain candidates.

2. The Panel Defends Wemby and Jokic (07:17–21:41)

• Zach Lowe and Dan challenge Nick, suggesting he’s soft-launching an “anti-Wemby campaign.”
• Team points out that Wemby didn't raise his MVP case unprompted; he answered questions with reasoned arguments.
• Actual quote from Wemby (10:00): “My first [argument] would be that defense is 50% of the game, and that is undervalued so far in your MVP race...”
• Mike Ryan likens the push for Jokic to when the NBA community was “bored” of Michael Jordan and gave Karl Malone the award, arguing every MVP gets harder after repeated success.
• Nick takes umbrage with the dismissal of Luka: “All Luka’s done since he's walked into the league is average 30 a night, carry teams deeper in the playoffs than their seed, create more open shots for anyone via actual drawing double teams and actual passes. And people are like, he yells at the refs too much.”

3. Style Wars: The Gucci Cardigan Interlude (22:32–24:55)

• Brief comedic detour in which Tony and Mike laugh over the price of Nick Wright’s Gucci cardigan, leading Nick to joke about wardrobe criticism—but also defending his wife’s fashion sense.
• Nick Wright (23:03): “This was purchased at a vintage shop. My wife who dresses me...is still angry about [mockery of cardigans].”

4. Advanced Stats, On/Off Differential, and MVP Expectations (24:24–26:33)

• Jeremy shares that Wemby leads the league in +/- on/off differential among players with 1,000 minutes; Jokic is second and Doncic is much further down. Nick acknowledges the metric’s value but sticks by his stance that Luka is being underappreciated.
• Nick presses for “fair expectations” for the Spurs’ postseason: If Wemby’s the best player in the league, “Finals or bust” becomes the media narrative, but he cautions against that pressure, suggesting incremental growth is standard for young stars.

5. Media Fairness and Contract Reporting: Rapoport and Orlovsky (26:35–30:13)

• Nick explains why reporting contract details (a la Ian Rapoport with Travis Kelce’s deal) can be misleading, even if technically true, due to salary cap trickery:
  Nick Wright (28:55): “You've now misled the audience. Travis Kelsey does not have a 3 year, $55 million deal. He has a 1 year, $12 million deal...To then report that he has something because it's technically true when it's wildly inaccurate...is ridiculous.”

6. The MVP Race Logic, Luca, Jokic, and “Soft-Launching” Take Culture (19:54, 21:25, 21:35, 22:05)

• Stan Van Gundy and Mike Ryan stake out Luka and Jokic as possibly the best offensive player ever, above even Michael Jordan.
• Nick counters that public perception is swayed by “blink tests” and inertia.
• Quote (Nick Wright, 22:05): “The reason I had [LeBron over MJ] was because what I had on my side was logic, truth and history...the reason you don’t is because people are like, ‘No, he’s not.’”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Typically a 22-year-old who's never won anything explaining to everyone how he's the best player...typically the media scolds that. Not with this guy.”
  — Nick Wright (05:04)

• “All Luka’s done...is upset a juggernaut one seed Phoenix and make Devin Booker cry en route to a conference finals at 22, and then upset OKC...en route to an NBA Finals at 24...”
  — Nick Wright (14:15)

• Wemby's MVP reasoning:
  “My first argument would be that defense is 50% of the game, and that is undervalued so far in your MVP race, because I believe I'm the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument...we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated them three times...My third argument would be that offense impact is not just sports.”
  — Wemby (Victor Wembanyama), as quoted in the show (10:00–10:59)

• Roll Gravity Skepticism:
  “Whenever there is all of a sudden a groundbreaking stat that really supports one agenda and it’s a stat no one has ever mentioned in the history of stats before, I look at it with a somewhat quizzical eye.”
  — Nick Wright (12:55)

• “Is the argument here that Luka shouldn’t be in the top three? ...You guys are arguing that the guy who's going to win the scoring title on great efficiency...should just be an also ran in the MVP discussion?”
  — Nick Wright (19:54)

• “He’s obviously great...at one point going to be the best player in the league. I don’t think we are there yet. What I strive for...is fairness.”
  — Nick Wright (07:36)

Additional Highlights

• Cardigan Comedy: Lighter moment where the crew rib Nick for his Gucci cardigan, connecting to themes of status, public perception, and surface judgments. (22:32–24:09)
• Spurs Expectations: Nick on media hype: If you declare Wemby the league’s best, do you set up for disappointment if the Spurs exit early? “Finals or bust” is unfair, he warns (25:13–26:33).
• Media Responsibility: Nick’s criticism of sports reporting that caters to agents/teams rather than informing fans, especially regarding contract details. (26:35–30:01)

Paul George, PEDs, and Mental Health (34:09–44:49)

Dissecting Paul George’s PED Suspension and Mental Health Claims

• The panel transitions into a nuanced discussion about Paul George citing mental health struggles in explaining his PED suspension.
• Dan Le Batard questions whether George’s articulation—a link between declining performance (“I was playing poorly...my body hurt...I got sad, it affected my mental health”) and PED use—does a disservice to real mental health advocacy.
• Quote (Dan Le Batard, 36:17): "You can't just file it under, hey, my brain chemistry has something wrong with it. Because you're sad because you're playing poorly."
• The team distinguishes between serious mental health conditions and situational sadness caused by performance decline, pointing out the responsibilities of elite athletes to communicate clearly when offering such explanations publicly.
• Jeremy offers personal vulnerability, acknowledging that self-medication due to poor mental health is common, but intent and communication matter. (42:02)
• Consensus: While George’s struggles may be real, his justification is poorly articulated and blurs necessary lines between mental health issues and competitive disappointment.

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• The episode is a tour-de-force of basketball debate with Nick Wright at his most provocative, challenging narratives but also defending his methodology as rooted in fairness and logic.
• The crew is self-aware about their own biases and how sport narratives evolve as players become more familiar or "interesting" media stories.
• Brief, but sharp, forays into media criticism and the complexities of public discourse on athlete health—both physical and mental—underscore the show's commitment to layered, if raucously delivered, analysis.

Segment Timestamps

• Nick Wright joins & gratitude debate: 02:42–04:44
• MVP/Wemby discussion kicks off: 04:16–16:34
• “Soft launching” anti-Wemby & MVP fairness: 07:17–13:55
• Jokic/Luka/MVP analysis: 13:55–16:34
• Cardigan fashion detour: 22:32–24:09
• Breakdown of Advanced on/off stats: 24:24–26:33
• Contract reporting & media fairness (Rapoport): 26:35–30:13
• Mental health and PED use (Paul George): 34:09–44:49

In the show’s trademark witty, digressive style, the debate spirals with insight and humor—offering listeners a deep dive into how athletic greatness, media, and public opinion intersect in the modern NBA.