The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz — The Big Suey: The Backslide (feat. Nick Wright)

Original Air Date: February 11, 2026
From: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Big Suey" features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Greg Cody, Mike Ryan, Tony, Zas, and special guest Nick Wright (FS1's First Things First, What's Right with Nick Wright). Broadcasting on the heels of the NBA and NFL postseasons, the panel delivers their characteristically irreverent breakdown of hot topics: radical NBA rule changes, Victor Wembanyama hype, OKC’s “backslide,” the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show backlash, Drake May’s Super Bowl performance and QB discourse, plus the absurdities of sports debate culture.

Wright holds court with big theories (like 3-point dunks), passionately argues about superstar narratives, defends the inclusive messaging in Bad Bunny’s show, and is pressed on both NBA and NFL debates. The tone is energetic, candid, and at times self-deprecating, with panelists poking fun at each other, themselves, and the wider landscape of sports media.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. NBA “Fixes” — Radical Ideas and Wemby Fatigue

• Opening NBA Debate:
  Dan launches in: "We have to start rooting for OKC. Wemby's about to hog all these [championships], and he's going to ruin the sport." (02:31)
• Nick Wright’s “Three-Point Dunk” Proposal:
  Nick proposes: “Just make dunks worth three as well. ...You are rewarding different athletes. You're getting back to the heart, the soul of the league. ...Meet me at the rim.” (03:02)
• Defining a Dunk (Griffin Debate):
  Greg Cody challenges the idea, questioning what counts as a "dunk."
  Nick dismisses the concern: “I think we pretty much know what a dunk is, what a dunk isn’t.” (04:12)
• Game Slowdown Concern:
  Greg wonders if 3-point dunks would just lead to more fouls and free throws. Nick responds: “If it is clear the player is attempting a dunk and he got fouled, it's three free throws. Simple. Fixed it already.” (06:00)
• Alternatives: Kill the Three-Point Line?
  Mike Ryan jokes about eliminating the three-point line. Nick is open: “Basketball right now is teetering on a ledge ...the smart way to play is opposed to the entertaining way.” (06:46)
• Hollinger’s Wildcourt Theory:
  Nick cites John Hollinger: “Basketball teams draw their own three point line ...If a team says we don't want a three-point line, you don't have one.” (07:13)
• Wemby Hyperbole — Too Soon for Panic:
  Nick pumps the brakes on Wemby’s supposed decade-long reign: “I am yet to see the real obvious improvement from last year to this year. ...He is still ...at worst the six best players, but ...he does not yet play a game that takes full advantage of his size.” (10:00–11:33)

Notable Quote

“Meet me at the rim. Dunks were [worth] three, and I don’t know if that would be good for your future GOAT, Wemby, because that guy ...fancies himself just a taller Kevin Durant.”
— Nick Wright (03:02)

2. OKC’s “Backslide” and the Automatic Anointing of NBA Dynasties

• Overcorrection in Sports Narratives:
  Dan: “We thought OKC was going to win 80 games... They’ve backslided a lot. ...But we need them right now to block Wemby...” (13:01–13:28)
• Champion’s Curse:
  Nick warns against rushing to declare new dynasties:
  “Five of the last six NBA champions ...none of them made the Finals the next year. ...Nobody is going to stop this team — I thought — but it felt like the Celtics and the Bucks. ...It happens all the time.” (13:42)
• Tone of Conversation:
  The group pokes fun at their own overreactions and how narratives change overnight in sports talk. (14:48–15:08)

3. Super Bowl Halftime: Bad Bunny, Culture, and Outrage Discourse

• Nick’s Honest Take on Bad Bunny:
  “Prior to the halftime show, I was not very familiar with the work of Bad Bunny. ...But it takes a sub-70 IQ to not recognize—even if you didn’t speak Spanish—the words of the songs, that what this guy was trying to show America and the world ...is on the stuff that matters, we’re all basically the same.” (18:24–20:30)
• On the Message:
  “The differentiators are absolutely meaningless to the bigger...cultural differentiators are not the important thing. ...I thought it was a beautiful message.” (20:36)
• Political Firestorm and Dog-Whistles:
  Nick lambasts both the “coin-op” outrage (like Sid Rosenberg) and “straight shooter” fence-sitters (like Stephen A. Smith):
  “I have more respect for that than folks who try to both sides this stuff ...everybody knows what you’re doing.” (24:17)
• Hosts Support Nick:
  Dan nudges: “Everyone knows you’re talking about Stephen A. Smith.”
  Nick: “He [Stephen A.] is the rabbit I am chasing...That is not contradictory to the fact that I find a lot of his political commentary ...so transparent. ...I find that to be a damaging approach.” (24:26–26:09)

Notable Quote

"I knew none of Bad Bunny’s music. And I thought the message in that 15 minutes was beautiful. And I thought it should have been pretty obvious to everyone what the message was."
— Nick Wright (21:58)

4. Super Bowl Fallout: Drake May, QB Discourse, and Injured Hopes

• Drake May’s Super Bowl Performance — Is It Fair to Judge?
  Nick: “He was so irredeemably bad in every single first half...I have downgraded ...where he is now to me alongside Caleb Williams: probably will be awesome, but I’m not 100% certain yet.” (27:44)
• Contextualizing Failure:
  Dan and Mike Ryan push back:
  “He faced the three worst defenses [for QBs], that will expose anyone with skill position problems and offensive line problems.” (27:46)
• Nick’s “AP Test” Analogy:
  “If you played one of the toughest run of defenses ...and you played mediocre, I give you a curve. ...If you get a 15 [on the test], nobody’s like, ‘well, it was a hard test.’ ...No, you failed, bro.” (28:10)
• Injury Report Manipulation:
  Nick (demanding NFL punishment): “I am hereby demanding the NFL take ...a draft pick from the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl injury report. ...You can’t say he was fine and then say he was hurt” (31:16)
• Is May the Next Demigod, or Simply a Good QB?
  Dan: “Precious few quarterbacks ...can be the demigod that you guys are talking about when these are the particular problems ...I think your skill guys aren’t that good and your offensive line is getting caved in.” (41:10)
• Panel’s Final QB Takes:
  Stugotz: “I’m still a believer in Drake May. ...He’s already gotten further than Josh Allen ever has.” (40:12)
  Mike Ryan: “He should be [overwhelmed], at that age. He was the youngest starter in the Super Bowl since Dan Marino in ‘84.” (40:31)

Notable Moment (Julian Love Calls the INT):

“...Just hear what it sounds like when somebody is predicting that they’re about to do something, then they do it...
‘I’m going to give me one. Classic young QB [Drake May]...as soon as the back foot hits, he’s going [to throw].’” (33:01–34:09)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• "Make dunks worth three, and you have different styles of play. You are rewarding different athletes." — Nick Wright (03:02)
• "I think maybe I’m wrong. I think we pretty much know what a dunk is, what a dunk isn’t." — Nick Wright (04:12)
• "Lean in. How free is this?" — Nick Wright, as Greg Cody admits being wrong (05:22)
• “Basketball right now is teetering on a ledge of the smart way to play is diametrically opposed...to the entertaining way to play.” — Nick Wright (06:46)
• “[Wemby] does not yet play a game that takes full advantage of his size...he is still one of at worst the six best players in the sport.” — Nick Wright (10:00–11:33)
• “It takes a sub-70 IQ to not recognize—even if you didn’t speak Spanish—the words of the songs, that what this guy [Bad Bunny] was trying to show America and the world...is on the stuff that matters, we’re all basically the same.” — Nick Wright (20:30)
• “I thought it was a beautiful message. ...The cultural differentiators are not the important thing. The important thing is we all celebrate, live, and die similarly.” — Nick Wright (20:36)
• “If you get a 15 [on the test], nobody’s like, ‘well, it was a hard test.’ It’s like, no, you failed, bro.” — Nick Wright on Drake May’s playoff struggles (28:10)
• "I'm still a believer in Drake May. ...He's already gotten further than Josh Allen ever has." — Stugotz (40:12)
• “He should be [overwhelmed at that stage]. He was the youngest starter in the Super Bowl since Dan Marino in ‘84.” — Mike Ryan (40:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Radical NBA solutions & dunk talk: 02:56–08:41
• Wemby hype & OKC’s challenge: 09:34–13:42
• Backslide and NBA champion history: 13:42–14:48
• Halftime show culture war & Bad Bunny: 18:03–24:17
• Political/Media commentary (Stephen A. Smith discourse): 24:17–26:09
• Drake May, the Super Bowl, and QB narratives: 27:44–31:35
• Julian Love “calls his shot” INT audio: 33:01–34:25
• QB context, offensive limitations & injury report debate: 35:07–42:27

Tone and Style

• Witty, hyperbolic, openly self-aware with frequent admission of mistakes or dumb takes as a badge of honor (“You got smarter when you admitted you were stupid.”).
• Friendly barbs, inside jokes, and breaking the fourth wall.
• Earnest and candid on social/cultural topics (esp. Nick Wright on inclusiveness).
• Deeply contextual and skeptical of “received wisdom” in sports media.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a must-listen for those who enjoy sports as a mirror of both pop and cultural currents. With Nick Wright as a guest, every “fix” for basketball is both part-brilliant and part-bonkers, the relentless sports media churn around Wembanyama and Drake May gets skewered, and the hosts refuse to take themselves—or conventional narrative—too seriously. Their conversation around Bad Bunny’s halftime show becomes a call for empathy and self-awareness, standing in marked contrast to the usual noise.

If you missed the episode, you missed hilarious hypotheticals, honest reflections about how we judge young stars, and a standout sequence where an NFL DB calls his interception before making it happen.

But at its core, the episode is classic Le Batard: a ping-pong match of hot takes and humility, irreverence and insight, laughter and legitimate social critique.