Victor Wembanyama Has Officially ARRIVED | Local Hour (feat. Michelle Beadle)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: "Victor Wembanyama Has Officially ARRIVED | Local Hour"

Date: June 1, 2026
Guests: Michelle Beadle

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Episode Overview

This Local Hour episode captures the excitement in the aftermath of Victor Wembanyama’s explosive arrival as the NBA’s new face, following his Spurs’ victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in a dramatic Game 7. The crew debates the paradigm shifts in NBA superstardom, what Wemby’s ascendance means for the league, and the Thunder’s existential crisis—while pulling in guest Michelle Beadle for her signature Spurs boosterism. The show navigates between sports analysis and pop culture commentary, blending humor, cynicism, and raw fandom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NBA’s Paradigm Shift: The Wemby Era (01:12–07:06)

• Unpredictable Modern NBA
  • The team notes the shift away from home-court advantage: since 2016, Game 7 home teams have become surprisingly vulnerable (Chris; 01:39).
  • "It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got Game 7 at home… you’ve got game seven at home. It doesn’t matter." (Chris, 01:39)
• Victor Wembanyama's Breakthrough
  • Wembanyama’s performance and emotional post-Game 7 celebration—crying, celebrating with the trophy, running through the tunnel—make it clear: the “Wemby era” is here (Mike; 03:19).
  • "The journey was supposed to be you're supposed to get beat by the better team... he tore them out of the book." (Mike, 04:01)

2. The End of an Era, the Start of a New One (04:39–07:06)

• League’s New Face is Here
  • The hosts see a passing of the torch from LeBron and Steph to Wemby, with a global audience “falling in love” with a new superstar (Tony, 05:11).
  • "America's rooting for the Giant. And I thought it was weird." (Chris, 05:46)
• “Galactic Fascism” & Rooting for the Underdog Giant
  • Tony and Mike express unease about rooting for someone with “the twinge of evil.” Tony likens Wemby's ascendance to "galactic fascism"—the possibility that his dominance might stifle the league for a decade (Tony/Mike, 06:08).

3. Chet Holmgren’s Meltdown and the Thunder’s Dilemma (07:29–15:33)

• Chet Holmgren’s Insecurities Laid Bare
  • Multiple panelists discuss Holmgren’s timid and ineffectual Game 7, arguing his fear was palpable to everyone (Chris/Tony/Zas, 08:45–09:43, 29:58).
  • "If everyone knows what your greatest insecurity is...and it’s playing out, and my theory ... he doesn’t have a chance against this person." (Chris, 08:45)
• The Matchup Problem
  • The Thunder, dominant against the rest of the league, were helpless against Wemby and the Spurs: "OKC this year was 71 and 14 against everybody else and 4 and 8 against the Spurs." (Chris, 09:32)
  • Spurs' acquisition of De’Aaron Fox as a steady hand nullified OKC’s usual transition and turnover-based offense (Chris, 09:45; Mike, 10:33).

4. The Giannis Hypothesis & Trade Rumors (11:32–16:36)

• How Do You Stop Wemby? Maybe Giannis?
  • Dan, Zas, and Chris analyze possible counters to Wemby’s dominance, highlighting Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only plausible physical answer and speculating about the Thunder trading for him using their draft capital (Dan, 11:32; Zas, 12:23; Tony/Chris, 12:52).
  • "The answer may be Giannis." (Dan, 12:01)
• Counterpoint: Is Sam Presti Really That Emotional?
  • Zas argues OKC is unlikely to pivot rashly, citing Sam Presti’s history of patience and measured team-building (Zas, 16:36; Mike, 16:36).

5. Nike, Marketing, and the Wemby Machine (20:16–21:46)

• Corporate Readiness to Crown Wemby
  • The panel remarks that Nike wasted no time rolling out a new ad for Wemby after Game 7, signaling the start of his reign as the face of the league (Tony/Chris, 20:16).
  • "Nike always meets these moments... Nike is ready as soon as that game." (Chris, 20:16)

6. Who’s the Underdog? Knicks vs. Spurs Narrative (21:47–27:39)

• America’s New ‘David vs. Goliath’ Story
  • Contrary to tradition, Wemby and the Spurs—historically a small market success—now face the New York Knicks, whose “small, lovable point guard” Jalen Brunson assumes the David role (Dan, 06:58; Chris, 27:46).
• Rooting for Goliath?
  • The hosts marvel at the nation’s willingness to root for Wemby, a 7-foot-3 “Goliath,” comparing it to how rapidly people fell for a young LeBron but noting the much faster timeline (Chris, 24:08–25:13).
  • "Since when is the 7’3 guy the lovable underdog that everyone roots for?" (Chris, 22:56)
• Playoff Inexperience: Does It Even Matter Anymore?
  • The established wisdom that teams must “learn to lose before they win” is dismissed; Wemby short-circuits the traditional path to NBA stardom (Chris, 25:46; Dan, 25:55).

7. Chet’s Psyche & Wemby’s Ruthlessness (28:04–30:50)

• Quotes about Winning and Fear
  • Jalen Williams: "I think we could have won if I played." (Tony, 28:04)
  • Wemby: “I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it. Winning the Larry O'Brien... It’s almost like the meaning of my life. Who says that?” (Tony quoting Wemby, 28:12)
• The Chet Holmgren Effect
  • Consensus: Holmgren played Game 7 “scared,” his confidence destroyed by Wemby’s dominance—a humiliation visible to fans and teammates (Chris, 29:58).
  • Mike likens it to Ray Lewis vs. Eddie George, where one athlete permanently imprints psychological dominance on another (Dan/Mike, 30:50).

8. Guest Segment – Michelle Beadle’s Spurs Euphoria (41:02–44:32)

• Universal Spurs Fandom?
  • Michelle Beadle describes a surreal moment of universal joy among Spurs fans—even longtime Lakers rivals are congratulating Spurs people in the streets (Michelle Beadle, 41:17).
  • "For a split second the entire world was at peace... Lakers fans are stopping me on the street and telling me we're rooting for you guys." (Michelle Beadle, 41:18)
• Wemby “Fixes” Society (with sarcasm)
  • "He fixed racism. He fixed hatred. The divisiveness is… Look at this. This picture alone should win all the prizes." (Michelle Beadle, 42:08)
• Beadle on Holmgren:
  • Brutally assesses Chet Holmgren’s Game 7: “Like how I despise the idea of feeling bad for Chet Holmgren. You took two shots in a Game 7 in which the number two dude was in street clothes. Look… now I know what it looks like to be afraid of another person. That was…” (Michelle Beadle, 43:11)
  • When asked if Holmgren can "go work out with monks" like Wemby did: “The monks are not gonna work with Chet. Let's keep it real. The monks have chosen the right side.” (Michelle Beadle, 44:12)

9. Meta-Reflection: Changing Narrative Structures (21:56–22:47, 27:47–28:04)

• Historical Comparisons
  • The group repeatedly draws parallels to Shaq and LeBron—citing how long it took those all-time greats to reach the mountaintop and become truly beloved, but contrasting that with how Wemby has captured the NBA zeitgeist almost immediately.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tony, on Wemby’s Rise & American Fandom:
  "First time, oh, this is how it moves from LeBron and Steph and everything we've been talking about for 20 years. Here's how it moves. Somebody—a country—falls in love with a guy on the road beating the defending champions." (05:08)
• Dan, on Wemby:
  "You literally have a player who is a giant going up against a really small, lovable point guard for the New York Knicks... It's legit. David versus Goliath, but face of the league's over." (06:13)
• Chris, on Chet Holmgren:
  "If everyone knows what your greatest insecurity is and you're watching it and it's playing out... he's known since high school. He doesn't have a chance against this person...so he tries to injure him early." (08:45–09:43)
• Wemby (as quoted):
  "I want to win so bad. It's like my life depends on it. Winning the Larry O'Brien. It's a childhood dream. It's almost like the meaning of my life. Who says that?" (Tony, 28:12)
• Michelle Beadle:
  "Everybody in the entire world has jumped on the spurs bandwagon... Lakers fans are stopping me in the street and telling me we're rooting for you guys." (41:18)
• Beadle on Holmgren:
  "How could you feel bad for Chet Holmgren? … Took two shots in a Game 7 in which the number two dude was in street clothes...now I know what it looks like to be afraid of another person." (43:11)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:12 – The unpredictability of modern NBA playoffs
• 03:19 – Mike’s emotional response to Wemby’s breakthrough
• 05:08 – Passing of the torch: LeBron/Steph to Wemby
• 06:58 – Wemby as the new face; David vs. Goliath with Knicks
• 09:32 – The Thunder’s record vs. Spurs and the existential matchup problem
• 11:32 – Brainstorming who can stop Wemby, discussion turns to Giannis
• 20:16 – Nike's immediate rollout of the Wemby campaign
• 22:56 – The rarity of rooting for "the Giant" in sports
• 24:08 – Comparing Wemby's rise to LeBron’s early years
• 28:12 – Wemby’s quote on his competitive drive
• 29:58 – Chet Holmgren's Game 7 fear and its impact
• 41:18 – Michelle Beadle describes global support for Spurs
• 43:11 – Beadle's withering critique of Holmgren

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Summary

This episode is a deep dive into the shifting power structure of the NBA, triggered by Wemby’s vault into superstardom. The hosts dissect the Thunder’s unraveling, Chet Holmgren’s public unraveling, and the broader implications for the league: Is Wemby’s dominance good or bad for basketball? Can any team assemble a roster to stop him? The hour is punctuated by memorable banter, pointed analysis, and an appearance by Michelle Beadle, whose Spurs joy borders on the evangelical.

Above all, Victor Wembanyama Has Officially ARRIVED captures a watershed moment for the NBA—the show blending skepticism, awe, humor, and a little panic about the league’s future. As Tony asks: Is Wemby good or bad for the NBA? And as Beadle answers, perhaps only half-joking: He has already changed everything—maybe even fixed the world.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Chris]

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[Ross]

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[Tony]

I'm surprised I'm saying this, Zaz, because I sort of rummaged around in this bin last week a little bit. Where I was saying is previous information on basketball given the way the sport has changed on obsolete because basketball's now unpredictable, you can't have Game 7 at home, losers regularly and three of them this postseason.

[Chris]

No, it's been happening since 2016, where it's changed so much that it doesn't matter whether you've got Game seven at home. And I could not and would not have predicted that because the numbers are a bit crazy. Right before 2016, games were 101 and 24, and since 2016 it's 14 and 17. It's a coin flip. If you're at home, you're the better team. You played all season to be the better team. You've got game seven at home. It doesn't matter.

[Zas]

I like that though, because it really did used to be an impossibility to win Game seven on the road, and that sucks.

[Chris]

Well, but the other thing that's changed too is Amin kept pounding our expert. Not only did he think OGC was going to win, we'll talk to him today. He kept pounding the spurs don't have playoff experience. They don't have playoff experience. They just got to the finals with less playoff experience than any team since

[Dan LeBatard]

1977, which is amazing because they have Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olenek and Bismarck Biombo

[Zas]

Dan for the eighth consecutive year, longest such streak in the history of the NBA. We're gonna have a unique champion. It's never happened before. Eight consecutive years. We're gonna have a new champion.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, you guys keep saying how unpredictable this season is when it's a rematch of the in season tournament final. You want to talk about predictive analysis,

[Chris]

go ahead and play a means analysis.

[Tony]

Predictive analysis before the series.

[Chris]

I think the Thunder are going to destroy them.

[Tony]

Why are you sadly shaking your head, Tony?

[Chris]

And speechless?

[Mike]

I was sick about it. I'm there watching Game 7, one of like 11 people rooting for Oklahoma City because again, I'm trying to stop galactic fascism, but you guys don't want it. So I'm sitting there watching like two inches from my tv and I'm just looking at Wemby celebrating and crying, and I'm like, is he faking this? Can I say that he's faking this emotion? Then I'm seeing him take the trophy, which is actually kind of cool, but whatever. I'm not gonna say that taking the trophy and like running it up and down the tunnel and people touching it was cool. But I'm trying to think of an ulterior motive he has. But again, maybe data collection on people's fingerprints. I'm still working that one out. But I'm sitting there looking at him like, damn. I have a. Just this feeling in the pit of my stomach and I'm sick to my stomach and I'm like, it's happening. It's happening. He's already in the NBA finals.

[Host/Interviewer]

He.

[Dan LeBatard]

The, the, the.

[Mike]

The journey was supposed to be you're supposed to get beat by the better team and then go back and beat them the next year. And all those old school rules are now completely out. He tore them out of the book.

[Tony]

How do you imagine Amin watch that game?

[Chris]

Because Amin keeps getting these things wrong. Like he, he knows a lot. There's no question he knows a lot. But knowing a lot does not allow you to be good at predictions.

[Dan LeBatard]

But Tony, he did do his suffering in the in season tournament final. And now you have a redemption arc.

[Host/Interviewer]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Tony]

I really love basketball and love having watched the last 45 years of how basketball went from tape delay to magic and bird to we're going to make our players stars. Stars. Stars and individuals and stories and stories and stories. And it features felt like this weekend we got for the first time. First time we've been talking about that face of the League stuff for a long time. First time, oh, this is how it moves from LeBron and Steph and everything

[Chris]

we've been talking about for 20 years. Here's how it moves.

[Tony]

Somebody a country falls in love with a guy on the road beating the defending champions.

[Chris]

Tony, do you feel alone with this? Because I really do wonder how Amin watched that game when he's saying that OKC is going to win the series very easily. I think the Thunder are going to destroy them. I'm wondering if at the end he's looking to sneak out with an overtime victory so he can say he just wasn't spectacularly, spectacularly wrong. But instead, Wemby wins the trophy. And it felt like, for one of the few times in my lifetime, America's rooting for the Giant. And I thought it was weird. Did you feel alone with that, Tony, that you're pulling the other side of the rope where you're saying, no, I don't want to like Wemby. He's about to win for the next 10 years.

[Mike]

Yeah. And I know Mike was here at this, you know, side of the mountain as well, and I don't know if he's still there now or if he's gone into the Wemby side. So I do feel incredibly alone because I'm looking around and I'm in my group chats, and I'm like, guys, this is. I'm like, Chicken Little. I'm like, the sky is falling. Don't you guys understand what's happening here? And everybody's like, no, this is awesome.

[Dan LeBatard]

Look how this.

[Mike]

Look how that. I'm like, no, you don't see the twinge of evil in his eye that I see. I'm trying to help you.

[Dan LeBatard]

I totally understand where Tony is coming from. But for me, the greater evil that needed to be slayed was the style of play from Oklahoma City. And, yeah, this might have happened a year early. And, yes, we may be facing galactic fascism from here on out. I understand that Wemby was the underdog in this series, and there was support for him because of the SGA style of play and all that, but how is it gonna look in the finals? And I understand it's New York, and people have their feelings, but you literally have a player who is a giant going up against a really small, lovable point guard for the New York Knicks. The way that that's going to look. Here are these faces of the franchises. It's legit. David versus Goliath, but face of the league's over.

[Zas]

Right? Like, we had that nonsense conversation for several years. Is it Anthony Edwards? John Morant? Me? No, it's. It's when Banyan.

[Tony]

But I'm saying it happened this weekend.

[Chris]

Yeah, when you. When you take it from the champs in their building. And you make me pity Chet Holmgren because he has been born at the wrong time. If he'd been born 10 years earlier, this never would have happened to him. Maybe Shaq would have done it. If it had been 20 years, Shaq.

[Mike]

Shaq would have used him as a. As a toothpick.

[Chris]

No, he's talking not as a toothpick. He would have gotten.

[Zas]

That's a funny vision.

[Chris]

He would have gotten stuck in Shaq's ass crack. He would have used them as one of those barbecue ribs. The whole on the floss thing that you use the floss stick. No, I felt bad for Chad Holmgren.

[Zas]

Did you know? No. And I'll tell you why, Dan. Here's what. Here's why I did not feel bad for him.

[Dan LeBatard]

What a pro wants.

[Zas]

He was so dirty early in the series. He was trying to hurt Wembanyama early in the series. You had him stepping on his foot on the free throw line. You had him on his hands and knees when he was on the ground and then lunged into Wembanyama's legs to try and take him out. If you're gonna be dirty to the point you're. You have intent to injure, I'm glad. What happened to when to Homegren in game seven happened to him. He was as meek as it gets in that game seven.

[Chris]

Not only.

[Zas]

Not only was he clearly scared of going up against Wembanyama in that Game 7, but he didn't even compete, Dan, like, do the dirty things.

[Dan LeBatard]

He.

[Zas]

He literally did nothing. He did nothing.

[Tony]

Okay, just so.

[Chris]

Just to understand, to recap what your point just was, you got mad at him for doing the dirty things, and by the end, you wanted him to do the dirty things to show you that he was capable of something. But I'm. What I'm going to tell you as this is the reason that I felt bad for Chet Holmgren.

[Tony]

Okay. I don't know what your greatest insecurity is. Maybe it's that you're a cuck.

[Chris]

But if everyone knows what your greatest insecurity is and you're watching it and it's playing out, and my theory on what you're saying about how he played early in series, he's known since high school. He doesn't have a chance against this person. And so he tries to injure him early because he doesn't have a chance against this person. He's running up against somebody who is better than him with his body and his skill set, and he knows it. And so that insecurity, to me was on display for all of us there. That's not the player he is. His extension kicks in next year, five years, $250 million. That is not the player that he is. But against that guy and only that guy, because OKC this year was 71 and 14 against everybody else and 4 and 8 against the Spurs. That's crazy. And it's only because Wemby's there and they've got Chet Holmgren. And what happened in that series. You saw this. I don't know what de' Aaron Fox

[Tony]

is going to give them against the Knicks.

[Chris]

As soon as they brought in de' Aaron Fox, the Spurs stopped turning the ball over. And it didn't matter if De' Aaron Fox was missing 50 shots as long as they didn't turn the ball over. Because OKC can only do what they do on offense and not frustrate you with their style of play. If they're in the open court and they're stealing the ball and so they just bring back the broken remains of de' Aaron Fox, he doesn't turn the ball over, and that's all he's doing because he's giving them next to nothing being out there and he's just not turning the ball over. When Castle was turning it over 21 times in two games. And so as soon as that happened, the Thunder had no answers. Like, none. They just. The moment that happened, the Thunder just started losing and losing and knowing they were losing. And so it wasn't just Chet Holmgren who's saying, oh, we're going to lose. It became all of them. If we can't turn the ball over, we're not going to score against this guy.

[Mike]

Yeah, Dan. And the crazy thing is that what the spurs were doing was what OKC does great, which is, you know, steel transition basket. The spurs were doing that to okc, turning them over, getting easy buckets in transition. And the OKC Thunder had no explanation or no advantage at that point. It was like, all right, you've nullified what we do. Great. Now we've got nothing for you because our two best ball handlers outside of SGA are not in the game. And you got Chad, who's a department store mannequin.

[Tony]

No answer is the word you were looking for. No explanation. It was not no Answer. They had no answer.

[Dan LeBatard]

Ah, man. Come on. It's. What are you doing nitpicking over here? What are you doing that.

[Mike]

I'm the one here.

[Dan LeBatard]

We're not going to do that to you. Is it too early to zag? We're gonna have a mean on, and we're gonna chew on this series. It was a great series. I was trying to help you, but I have a take.

[Chris]

How were you helping me there? How are you helping me?

[Dan LeBatard]

What do you mean?

[Mike]

I had something for you on the turnover thing.

[Chris]

You were just saying the same thing that I had just said. No, you.

[Mike]

No, you did not say the same thing I said. I said a different thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Here comes a zag. That was great for the Milwaukee Bucks. Wow. We don't have a lot of data points when it comes to Giannis V. Wemby, but I'm seeing this dude, and I'm thinking of body types, and it ain't Chet Holmgren that can potentially stop him.

[Zas]

Giannis is literally. It's. Bam. The perfect player to stop him.

[Dan LeBatard]

You would think. Now we don't have enough evidence. We don't really know what Giannis will look like coming off of this injury is getting older.

[Zas]

I saw him run around playing soccer over the weekend. He looked great.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, he's got the strength, the length that, I mean, if you're okay. See, you got to be thinking, what is it going to take? Because now your. Your whole prism is this is the guy that's built to stop us and the rest of the league, Miami Heat included, got to be thinking, like, well, how do we stop that guy? The answer may be Giannis.

[Zas]

That was my first thought, Dan, over the weekend was, oh, did. Did the Giannis market just become a little bit more clouded for the Miami Heat? Because if Sam Presti and the Thunder want Giannis, Yep, he's theirs. Like, they can get him. They have all the draft capital that you want. You could trade them Homegren. Heck, I don't know. Maybe keep Homegren. You trade Jalen Williams. I don't know. But if they want Giannis, you can get him.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's one of the things that

[Tony]

happened on Saturday that has reverberations, because that's absolutely so. And when you say if they want Giannis. No, that's not an if anymore.

[Chris]

The Thunder in front of all of us, just fell behind the Spurs. Like, we. We all watched it happen. I know they're. They're a little bit. They can make the argument that they're a little bit injured, but this sport injures. And Wemby's not going to get worse from here. Like Wemby is going to keep improving. And the problem with that is he makes your $250 million second player totally useless. And he makes your MVP skittish and inconsistent. Because what I just gave you in those numbers, The Thunder were 7114 against everybody else, but against the spurs they were 4 and 8. They're behind the spurs now. They came into their building and took the title from them. And when you ask, how do you stop Wemby? Well, oddly enough, Anunoby is the one who defends him best in the entire league. That kind of physicality, there's not anybody better who frustrates Wemby Moore. And I believe the Knicks have a legitimate chance. And that was the perfect result for the Knicks because I think they would have had more trouble against OKC than they will against the Spurs.

[Zas]

I'm not willing to say that the Thunder are now behind the spurs because it's not a small thing that they went to seven games while they didn't have their second best player for four of them. And their second best player in Jalen Williams when he was out. They then had an emerging second best player in AJ Mitchell who was also out. And they still went to seven games.

[Tony]

But that de' Aaron Fox being out early in that series is what happened

[Chris]

early in that series. Like de' Aaron Fox was also hurt. If the spurs don't turn the ball over, they don't lose to okc. That's how that's going to play out. If the spurs have somebody who doesn't turn the ball over, OKC is going to keep losing. Like when I say to you that Wemby before this series pointed out, hey, we beat them three times when they had their full squad during the regular season. And the games weren't close. The games weren't close. OKC looks bad against them. Unrecognizable. And so when I understand why you would say, well, they haven't fallen behind the Spurs. The spurs are the only team they've fallen behind because it's the only team that can make them look like that. There's no second team that makes them look anything like that. I did not recognize the defending champions at home. Didn't recognize them for two years. They haven't lost back to back games in the playoffs. They just did at home. The most important one, why? Because there were no turnovers and Wemby plays for the other guys.

[Mike]

And the matchups are really Bad for Oklahoma City, right? Like you have tough defensive wings and Stefan Castle, who's 21 years old, who's going to be a problem.

[Zas]

Dylan Harper is so good, by the way.

[Chris]

They're all going to get better. They're also younger than the Thunder and

[Zas]

cheaper, I think it would be. Look, if I'm Oklahoma City, if I'm Sam Presti, I'm absolutely acquiring Giannis. He seems the perfect player to go up against Wembanyama. And I know we like talking about, oh, dynasty. It's the beginning. We, we never know how long these things are going to last. In 2023, when the Nuggets won the championship, they're going to win several. In 2024, when the Celtics won, they're going to win several. In 2025, when the Thunder one, they're going to win several. No one even returns to the finals after they win it. Okay, so like I'm not sitting here ready to crown the spurs, but it does feel very anti what Sam Presti does where he would have this emotional reaction. No Jalen Williams and like let's get super emotional and go ahead and trade the guy who he just signed for $240 million, whose money doesn't even kick in until next year and we're going to get rid of him.

[Mike]

Not only that, you're trying to get Giannis who maybe he doesn't even fit with the pieces that you have in Oklahoma City currently. Right. Like he's a guy that wants to play with the ball in his hand where you have the two time MVP who's not going to give the ball up out of his his hand. So how do you play Giannis off ball?

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[Dan LeBatard]

moment at a party or a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks?

[Mike]

I know it well. It's usually when I show up, everybody goes crazy.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. You usually take all the credit for it, but it's because Tony usually walks in with Cuervo.

[Mike]

I fucking love this.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night.

[Mike]

It has that effect on people.

[Dan LeBatard]

It does. You usually take the credit for it, but again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up, hooting and hollering. Keep it Cuervo.

[Mike]

Keep it Cuervo, baby.

[Dan LeBatard]

Howdy, listeners. We're in that part of the sports calendar where you got multiple big games going on simultaneously, and you gotta decide either to make the investment in multiple screens or to prioritize one thing. And one thing I always prioritize when I'm watching a game is Miller Lite. That's right. Miller Lite can make your time spent watching these games with a buddy or pal even better. That moment where the game tips off. The NBA playoffs are rocking. You toast that white can and you think immediately after that first sip, you made the right call. That is the glory of Miller Lite. I reach for it every time. It's clean, refreshing, easy to drink, brewed for taste, with simple ingredients just 96 calories and 3.2 carbs. The original light beer since 1975. And it still hits different cheers to legendary moments with Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Don LeBatard to US residents.

[Chris]

Oh, wow. It's in there. It's better.

[Dan LeBatard]

You think I haven't been practicing stugats?

[Chris]

I didn't realize we had a substitute. Complicated legacy brought to you by headquarters.

[Mike]

Toyota 441 Power Line Road.

[Zas]

Second down to nine this is the

[Chris]

Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Tony]

I understand why Heat fans would immediately go there because OKC has more to offer. Presti is a very smart general manager. I don't think any of what I'm saying is emotional.

[Chris]

He's got a problem.

[Tony]

It's 7 foot 3 and is going to dominate the league if it's healthy for the next 10 years.

[Chris]

You saw Nike was ready right after the game, because now it begins. Okay, this is how it has to happen when you're talking about Face of the League stuff. He goes into Madison Square Garden now to conquer the happiest New York. There's been about basketball in as much time as any of us can remember. And Nike, who Nike always meets these moments. Nike is ready as soon as that game. I don't think this ad is running if they don't win Game 7. Here's an ad that Nike runs on behalf of Wembanyama. Just.

[Tony]

Yeah, he's.

[Chris]

He's like a spaceship extraterrestrial.

[Michelle Beadle]

Goosebumps.

[Dan LeBatard]

He has arrived at the end, too.

[Mike]

Wow.

[Zas]

That's good.

[Dan LeBatard]

I hate it.

[Zas]

That's good.

[Jeremy]

I love him so much. I'm so excited about this. It's so cool to have a star like Wemby who just cares, like, the emotion that he's willing to show. And it's not that these other players don't care. All of these guys care to be at that level of craft, but to. To. To be there and. And be willing to show the emotion he talked about earlier in the year. He's not willing to wear the burden of hiding his emotions. And to have that happen at the end as this extraterrestrial, it. It's a special time to watch the sport.

[Michelle Beadle]

You saw the advantages of being really tall when you want to celebrate with your teammates. That guy could see everyone on the court like, okay, here. Like, I feel like, you know, if you're five, three there, you're like, if you're Brunson, where are my teammates? And Wemby was just like, I'd like

[Chris]

to go to Castle now.

[Zas]

I'd like to go to you now.

[Michelle Beadle]

He was just. It was so cool to see him just be able to get to every teammate.

[Chris]

The better story.

[Tony]

And I know you guys are going to accuse me of being a Knicks fan again.

[Chris]

The better story for the league, I

[Tony]

believe, is New York winning and Wemby having to wait another year. I.

[Chris]

That's the better story.

[Zas]

The opposite, I think. I think going into every year, is this the year that New York finally wins is the story.

[Tony]

New York's not going to win for 10 straight years as. And I know you just got done saying every year we think the team that wins is going to win again.

[Chris]

There is a new. There's a new predictive model now in the NBA where the thing has changed.

[Tony]

Seven or eight straight different champions is crazy.

[Chris]

The three pointer has the three pointer and the injuries have sort of changed how easy it is to predict what

[Tony]

it is that we're watching.

[Chris]

But I. I keep vacillating between, is he going to save the sport or is he going to ruin it? I really don't know the answer to that. I know we threw it out as a. As a poll question, but if. If Wemby is going to get better, and if I'm going to say this

[Tony]

again, that team is really young.

[Chris]

They have no experience.

[Tony]

It's all on the bench.

[Chris]

It's all Harrison Barnes and Biyombo. There hasn't been a team this inexperienced in the finals since nineteen

[Tony]

seven.

[Chris]

Like, they don't. They're not supposed to be here. And they're here because they've got the 73 guy. And since when is the 73 guy the lovable underdog that everyone roots for? Can you guys give me all the examples you have of that? Because Shaq had to wait a long time before winning. And I don't remember anyone rooting for Shaq to win.

[Zas]

I mean, were we. Shaq was in the finals in his third year also. Were we rooting for Shaq like this?

[Chris]

I don't remember people rooting for Shaquille

[Tony]

o' Neal outside of the region or the.

[Chris]

You know, he was rooted for in Miami and Orlando and L. A. But I don't remember the nation saying to itself, wow, I really hope Shaq wins the title. Shaq was viewed as an underachiever. Did Shaq. Shaq didn't win till he was like 30, right? Did Shaq. It took Shaq a long time.

[Zas]

Yeah.

[Chris]

He's the most dominant basketball player there's ever been in terms of dominance. And it took him. It didn't happen in his third year. And still people didn't really love Shaq because nobody loves Goliath. That's not how that works.

[Zas]

It was his eighth year. He was 28 years old. Shaq, eighth year, took him to win. I mean, look, Wilt was dominant. He only won twice.

[Jeremy]

You know, I view this more like how we watched LeBron ascend. Like, when LeBron first came into the league, there was all of this Promise. There was this hype that we saw as he entered with, who is this going to be? He's the chosen one. According to Sports Illustrated. We saw similar hype with Wemby of who is this freak from a foreign land coming over here to be the number one pick and save the spurs franchise. And when you see talent and expectation met this early in a career, that's why you find people rooting for him. He's a likable guy. He's an excellent competitor. He shows emotion.

[Zas]

It.

[Jeremy]

It reminds me of the beginning of LeBron.

[Mike]

Yeah, but the beginning of LeBron was a Runway that we saw the suffering. Right? Like, he got drafted in 2003. He didn't make the finals till 2007. That's four years he didn't win. He got smoked. And then it took them fighting the. The Detroit Pistons, fighting the Boston Celtics, him going to Miami, then finally doing. You're talking about almost 10 years of struggle right where Wemby's just like, third year. I'm here. I'm better than everybody. And good luck with the league.

[Zas]

Yeah. It was LeBron's ninth year that they won the championship.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, but we haven't seen Wemby win it yet. This is the beginning. They're both 22 years old when they get there.

[Chris]

Jeremy, can you look up for me,

[Tony]

please, some of what Wemby did against the Knicks this year? Because I think people are sleeping on the Knicks against the spurs because of how well the spurs match up with the Thunder, but less well with the Knicks because Wemby wasn't quite what you're used to seeing when they were playing the Knicks, at least in part because Anunoby was a. Was a legitimate. A legitimate problem.

[Chris]

I'm going to say this again, though. Has it all changed now in basketball that you don't need to be experienced in the playoffs like it, that it doesn't matter. You've got.

[Dan LeBatard]

If you have a seven foot three guy that's, you know, a demigod, perhaps

[Chris]

because this can still be exposed. Like an absence of playoff experience would reveal itself in Madison Square Garden in a finals game. Like, that's where something like that could be present. If all your players are 21 and

[Dan LeBatard]

22 years old, I know that they are not directly matched up, but Brunson can cause a lot of problems by getting inside. And for me, it's the shots that he's not going to take in this series. Does he avoid Wemby's, you know, reach his presence? Because we. We've Seen that. We've seen that iconic photo now and it's only aging better of Steph Curry shooting over Wembanyama. Brunson's got range. Brunson smaller than Steph Curry. And he isn't exactly Steph Curry. No one is.

[Chris]

You got it right, though. The way that they can beat the spurs is the way that they beat the Sixers. They make 18 threes and a half.

[Tony]

And it's not Brunson that has to make them because he's just collapsing your defense again and again and again. And your three point shooters are open.

[Chris]

They can beat anybody that way. That's. But they can play that style against anybody. And if they hit 18 three pointers in the first half, they're going to blow anybody out.

[Zas]

In the regular season loss to New York, Wembanyama had 25 points and 13 rebounds. In the regular season win against New York, Wembanyama had 31 points and 13 rebounds. And I would tell you what happened in the. Playing in the. In the in season championship game, except the NBA treats it like the game didn't exist. It doesn't count. So there's no box score for it.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, it's a different campaign. The dropdown bar, NBA Emirates Cup. Try that.

[Jeremy]

He had 186 off the bench because he was coming off injury.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's a big bit of context right there. Wasn't healthy. But to everybody's point, we did see these two teams play for a trophy.

[Tony]

Is everyone here except for Tony rooting for Wemby? Is that what's happening around here is what.

[Michelle Beadle]

Yeah, you have to.

[Chris]

It's the Knicks.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think we're already there. This is what I was fearing initially when he got drafted. It's like, well, this guy's gonna be really difficult to beat. He's gonna be ball us in this league. He's already in the NBA finals. Let's. Let's be there. Let's get started on that storyline so then we can all unite. And how the hell do we topple this guy?

[Tony]

Want to read you guys a couple of quotes here. Jalen Williams says, quote, I think we could have won if I played.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zas]

Why wouldn't he say that?

[Tony]

And this is what Wemby said. I want to win so bad. It's like my life depends on it. Winning the Larry o'. Brien. It's a childhood dream. It's almost like the meaning of my life. Who says that?

[Dan LeBatard]

Someone who has been sent here by aliens with that mission.

[Zas]

Do you think they could have won if Holmgren played.

[Tony]

He took two shots in game seven. What do you have, four rebounds?

[Zas]

Yep.

[Tony]

Two shots, four rebounds.

[Zas]

He attempted four, three, three pointers in the final four games of the series, including none in game seven. What are you doing? Like, he's not even competing, Dan.

[Tony]

Well, you say he's not competing. And what I would tell you is the reason that I so rarely feel this. I can be an empath about a million different things, but I so rarely feel pity for someone just while they're playing. And I'm telling you that what I

[Chris]

felt was, oh, look, everyone can see that Chet is scared, and he knows it. Everyone can see, not just on both teams. Everyone watching on television can see that Chet Holmgren is scared of this game and this person. And we're all watching him be scared. And he knows that we know that he's scared because everything's going wrong for him.

[Mike]

Maybe he needs to go visit the Monks or do whatever it is that Wemby did and try to, like, channel his inner Wemby. But what he did is got punked the entire series. Like, punk.

[Zas]

You can't be scared, though.

[Michelle Beadle]

Exactly.

[Host/Interviewer]

Right?

[Zas]

You can't be scared. We weren't watching San Antonio against Portland in the first round saying, oh, they're scared, or San Antonio gets Minnesota. Oh, they're scared. Chet Holmgren on the defending champs, he's scared.

[Tony]

All right, so.

[Chris]

So you're saying you can't be scared, but would all of you acknowledge. Would all of you. Am I getting all yes votes to this question? Chet Holmgren played a Game 7 of basketball at the highest professional level. Scared, yes or no?

[Zas]

Yes.

[Mike]

Yes, 100%.

[Chris]

That dates back to high school. That guy's been getting his eaten, his lunch eaten by Wemby since they started playing together for the first time. Do you know how do you know what a big thing it is when greatness announces itself by taking an ancillary character like Chet Holmgren at the start of this decade and just blowing him right off the page. You will never be a superstar. You will never be the person that is needed to be giant in these moments. You're not going to grow into this. The player we have seen up to now, this is the player you are. And when you run into Wemby, you're gonna be scared for the rest of your life, because we saw at the very beginning of your career how scared you were.

[Dan LeBatard]

Eddie George was a terrific NFL player. And when I think of Eddie George, I think of Ray Lewis.

[Chris]

There aren't a lot of examples like that. It's such a good one. That is such a good one. Because if you do word association with me on Eddie George Ray Lewis, it's practically that right away Ray Lewis that we watched somebody on a field get hit so many times, somebody who looked like Eddie George so many times, so violently that we were like, oh, he stole, sold.

[Mike]

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[Ross]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard yeah, it's not my favorite rejoin.

[Mike]

Context needs to be applied for a

[Dan LeBatard]

Joke and thought the context was applied.

[Chris]

We.

[Dan LeBatard]

We'd like to rip that out of context. I was going for a thing and you're gonna. I have a family.

[Chris]

You're gonna pretend here that you don't love Matthew Tkachuk more than you love anybody you've ever loved.

[Dan LeBatard]

I. I don't love Matthew Tkachuk more than my daughter. Stugats now. It's pretty damn close.

[Chris]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the st. Give me all the examples you have of that where you have felt. This is one. This is absolutely one. Because it's what I felt watching it. Give me all the examples that you have of players that you just associate. I'm not talking about the James Harden stuff. I'm talking about players who you associate with. They look across at another player and they're scared of that player.

[Host/Interviewer]

Matthew Kachukin. And Van De can took his soul twice.

[Tony]

How'd you guys feel about Vegas and Carolina for the Cup?

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, this is terrible, Dan. I mean, who do I even root for here? I guess the answer is Vegas. But I wanted the vengeance against vgk and I just hate that this all worked out for Carolina. I hate it. I hate it and do anything. Barkov did something. He stepped on the ice and tore his acl. By the way, I don't know if you saw Sasha Barkov at the World Championship, but borrowed time for whoever lifts this cup with a big ass asterisk on top of it because. Counting down already.

[Zas]

Yep.

[Dan LeBatard]

All right. I am counting it down already. This Carolina thing is just. It's such a bummer. I mean, every time they go up against the Panthers in the playoffs, it is not close. Despite Rob Brendemore saying that wasn't really as sweep like. This team gets dominated by the Florida Panthers. And they just had to go through the Senators, they had to go through the Flyers, and Montreal's. All right, that's the best team that they face in the playoffs, but that's the eight, the seven and the four seed. What a chump path this team thought.

[Tony]

That's how the Knicks basically got to the finals.

[Chris]

Barkov. Barkov win the championship this year if he's healthy. Is he saying the same thing that Jalen Williams doesn't have to.

[Zas]

We all know. Doesn't have to. When you're the best, you don't. You don't have to tell everybody you're the best.

[Chris]

So the Florida Panthers have to watch

[Tony]

Vegas and Carolina in the finals. And I think obviously this is not something that's Going to interest America a

[Chris]

whole lot this particular final.

[Tony]

But also, I know it's going to

[Chris]

sound like sour grapes or bias or homerism, but do I have it wrong when I say that the path that the Panthers took the last two years over great teams felt like it was a lot harder than what just ended up in the finals? Like that?

[Dan LeBatard]

It's yes, Dan. I have banners in my office, in my home office that show like the path. And I was just marveling Tampa, Toronto,

[Zas]

Carolina last year, right?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, the first one. We had to go through Tampa, Boston, New York and Edmonton. It's just insane. Any single one of those teams on that path is better than both this Carolina Hurricane team and any team that they've played or encountered along the way.

[Zas]

We're the best.

[Tony]

It's a crazy thing to say though, is it not?

[Chris]

So I have it. I have it right, Roy, when I say that on merit, if you're just simply someone who loves hockey, you're looking

[Tony]

at this final and you're saying to

[Chris]

yourself, meh, like how you got there? Meh.

[Michelle Beadle]

Man, I missed the Panthers.

[Host/Interviewer]

I mean, it seems like they're going to end up going seven in this series.

[Michelle Beadle]

I got caught in between playoffs and Panthers.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, I don't share that thought, whatever that was from Chris, but the hockey

[Michelle Beadle]

world is saying, man, I missed the Panthers. There, nailed it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, we are absolute homers. And this is total sour grapes. And we sound to the rest of the hockey world probably ignorant, but no one took it from us. No one took it from us.

[Chris]

Do you sound ignorant, though? Because I'm asking the question from ignorance. Okay, I. I saw the playoff teams and the conferences that the Panthers were climbing over the last two years, and I'm like, good God, this is grueling. But also the series before, like the years before that, I was looking at the hockey playoffs and I'm saying, good God, this is grueling. What they. What every champion has to get over. But I don't feel that way with these two teams, like either one of them. Even though I should probably feel that way, at least in part for Vegas, because it's kind of stunning what Vegas is doing.

[Host/Interviewer]

Yeah, exactly. They swept the President's trophy winning Colorado Avalanche. They swept them, embarrassed them.

[Zas]

Panthers won more games in Vegas. That's not the Stanley cup champion. The team that is the playoffs this year, Panthers.

[Dan LeBatard]

It just feels different too, because you haven't had these grueling series. I would say that this is one of the rare occasions the NBA playoffs have been more dramatic than The NHL playoffs.

[Chris]

Oh, but that's, that's.

[Tony]

That.

[Chris]

That's my point. And the NBA playoffs haven't been dramatic. Like, that is my. My exact point is like, it feels like not just the last two years don't make it the homerism of the panthers. The last 10 years of hockey. I feel like the champion. I'm always watching. I'm like, good God, the hockey playoffs are hard and impossible. And look at all. And look at all these good teams. And I think seven teams can win. Last year I felt like 10 teams could win.

[Host/Interviewer]

I just, I just want to point out that Montreal did have two seven game series in this playoffs. So if they have gotten past Carolina, that would have seemed pretty grueling as well.

[Dan LeBatard]

And the Tampa series, the Tampa Montreal series was all right, but in hockey, you know, you can get to double digits on the incredible series that you see. And Montreal seemed to be the only team playing. Interesting ones.

[Zas]

I don't necessarily agree with you on the. The NBA playoff storylines, what have you, has been better than the NHL. Like, I feel like if there's a little bit of recency bias there because the first couple rounds of both playoffs, the NHL was far superior. The NHL conference finals were terrible. And at least one of the NBA conference finals, you had the good storylines. Like, overall, the Stanley cup playoffs have been better.

[Mike]

Sure, I guess, if you tell me. Because I haven't really noticed. Right. Like, they haven't broken through. Like, Wemby has broken through for people that don't watch basketball, people are like, oh, my God, what's happening there? Oh, New York is really excited. I see it on social media. Like, I had to be told who was in the Stanley Cup Final because I didn't really know. Like, it hasn't broken through.

[Chris]

True. Let's get back to what it is

[Tony]

that I was asking you guys, though. What is the better story for the league and for America? New York winning or San Antonio or Wemby winning? Because it's not even San Antonio.

[Chris]

So what you have in Wemby is not only the Giant, you also have

[Tony]

the franchise, though it hadn't won a playoff game since 2017.

[Chris]

Before this year, you have a franchise that has done a whole lot of winning over the last 25 years. So if you're rooting for Wemby, you're also looking for the spurs to have a corner on the market that New York never gets one and the spurs get all of them. It's not just that Brunson is the small player going against the Giant. It's also that the New York market, while it's large against the smaller market, San Antonio, that's the underdog franchise. That's the LAUGHING Stock for 25 years. Which do you think America is rooting for, Zas? Not you, not this room. What do you think America is rooting for? Is it Wemby? Is Tony alone everywhere where all of America is saying yes, Wemby, please, you've gotta slay New York.

[Zas]

I think he's very likable. I think you're pretty much on your own there, Tony. I think almost everyone outside of New York is rooting for the Spurs.

[Chris]

Yes. Oh, look who's here. Michelle Beadle, our favorite spurs correspondent. I'm sure that she will be just sunshine and easy to listen to. So happy. Hello, Michelle.

[Michelle Beadle]

What's up?

[Chris]

It's nice to see you. Anything happen this weekend that, that you enjoyed?

[Michelle Beadle]

Yes. For a split second the entire world was at peace. It felt like joy was being felt by all. And you are right. Everybody in the entire world has jumped on the spurs bandwagon. I am in Los Angeles where Lakers fans are stopping me in the street and telling me we're rooting for you guys. That's never happened for as long as I've been alive. So this is a glorious time to be. I'm happy that everyone's joining in on the dynasty that is about to be a very much four or five year of these bad boys. So you're welcome. NBA and the world. Joy once upon is on us all. Are you guys stoked? Look at that. Look at that. God, I love them.

[Chris]

So you felt like democracy was secured by Wemby? Any, any, any divisions in America. There was balm for them on Saturday.

[Michelle Beadle]

Fixed it. He fixed racism. He fixed hatred. The, the divisiveness is. Look at this. This picture alone should win all the prizes. Nobel, name it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, David, get up. Fixed racism six years ago. Also French shout out to his family.

[Chris]

Tony, do you have anything for Michelle here? Tony?

[Mike]

Sounds like propaganda is what it sounds like. It sounds like the Galactic Federation is sending down one of their own to tell me how great everything's going to be over the next 10 years. Where the spurs win everything. No, I'm going to be batting down the hatches and making sure that the rest of the NBA can go forward into the future. Non galactic fascism.

[Michelle Beadle]

I'm going to tell you this. The rest of the NBA is going to cower like Chet Holmgren did in this series. Absolute fear of another man. It was an embarrassment to basketball. Honestly, Chet Holmgren should have a job overseas next season as far as I'm concerned. And that is how the rest of the league is going to look, because Wemby's only going to get better people. We got dogs.

[Tony]

Don't threaten us.

[Chris]

Don't threaten us.

[Michelle Beadle]

Just threatening.

[Zas]

Michelle, do you think that Dan is the only person who felt bad for Chet Holmgren?

[Michelle Beadle]

How could you feel bad for Chet Holmgren? Like how I despise the idea of feeling bad for Chet Holmgren. You took two shots in a game seven in which the number two dude was in street clothes. Look, I mean, he. Look, I don't know that I've ever been afraid of another person, but now I know what it looks like, and I don't want any part of that. That was.

[Tony]

You answered your own question, though. That's why I felt bad for him,

[Chris]

because he was scared and he knew that we knew that he was scared. And Wemby knew and the spurs knew. And he's playing. He's like, beetle knows. She. She can see I'm scared. I don't want to take this shot. Everyone can see I'm scared.

[Michelle Beadle]

It's like, why would I even bother?

[Home Depot Announcer]

You know what?

[Michelle Beadle]

Go down in flames, man. Go take ugly shots. Take all the shots. Take 20 ugly shots and you wouldn't be hearing it as badly as you are this morning. And it ain't going anywhere. And the problem is, is, like, we, you know, we see Wemby do what he does in the off season. Chet can't even do that now. Like, Chet can't go work out with monks because we'll just make fun of that as well. Like, he is in a bad.

[Zas]

The monks are off limits.

[Michelle Beadle]

The monks are not gonna work with Chet. Let's keep it real. The monks have chosen the right side. We know.

[Chris]

Put it on the poll at Lebatard show. Will the monks allow Chet to work with them?

[Mike]

What if we go Catholic monks? We leave the other monks somewhere else. We go with Catholic monks.

[Zas]

You know about them Catholic monks.

[Chris]

She's gonna be laughing. Listen to that laugh. You're gonna be hearing it for the next 10 years. Thank you, Michelle.

[Tony]

Nice seeing you.

[Michelle Beadle]

Thanks, guys.

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