What's Wright - Nick Wright Mailbag: First Things First BEHIND-THE-SCENES, Jordan's playoff failures, Rams #1 threat

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd: What's Wright - Nick Wright Mailbag

Air Date: July 11, 2026
Host: Nick Wright
Guest/Co-host: Damanze
Episode Theme: Semi-monthly mailbag—behind-the-scenes at First Things First, deep dives on sports narratives, addressing listener questions on US Soccer, Michael Jordan’s playoff legacy, KD’s rankings, NFL tanking, and more.

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Episode Overview

This mailbag edition features Nick Wright responding to audience questions spanning US Soccer drama (with a focus on Christian Pulisic), scrutinizing Michael Jordan’s playoff “failures,” debates on Kevin Durant’s all-time rank without Steph Curry, the strategic mentality of “winner take all” in modern sports, and peeks behind-the-scenes at First Things First. The tone is unsparingly honest, critical, but analytical—classic Nick.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US Soccer: Christian Pulisic & the Fallout

• Audience Question: Why did US Soccer legends like Carli Lloyd and Landon Donovan slam Pulisic after the Belgium loss?

• Nick’s Take:

  • There was "almost unanimity" among US Soccer legends criticizing Pulisic—not just a refusal to circle the wagons but outright disappointment.
  • Criticism wasn’t only about his “I have time to rest” postgame comment, but a culmination of:
    • Skipping the Gold Cup and reactions from coaches and former players.
    • Disappointing play all year (“his worst ball of his professional career”).
    • Perceived minor injury (“an injury in the first game that nobody thought was a big deal”) but missing games, then underperforming afterward.
    • Status as an outsider: Not well-liked by previous generation of US soccer legends, creating a "perfect storm."
    • Questioned toughness: “Might not have that dog in him, as the kids say.”
      — Nick Wright (13:50)
  • Notably, Nick points to Tim Howard’s sidestep on Pulisic (“If you want to know anything else…you’d have to ask me very direct questions...”).

  Quote:
  “Part of being a pro athlete…we do expect a level of machismo and toughness…That’s not like a Neanderthal thing…you expect folks, particularly in the biggest spots, to play through pain.”
  — Nick Wright, (07:15)

• Implication: Pulisic’s image suffered more from “toughness” questions than from mere underperformance or injury-proneness.

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2. Michael Jordan’s Playoff Failures: Mythbusting

• Audience Question: Does the media ignore Jordan’s bad playoff moments? What’s his worst—anything as bad as LeBron 2011 or “Tragic Johnson”?

• Nick’s Analysis:

  • Jordan never had a playoff meltdown remotely as inexplicable as LeBron’s 2011 Finals, which is "the most inexplicable…superstar thing we’ve seen."
  • But, the notion he never had bad playoff games is "laughable."
    • Early playoff years: 1 playoff game win in first three years.
    • Scored 49 and 63 in losses to the legendary 1986 Celtics—growing pains, not failures.
    • Notable letdown:
      • Year 5 vs. Detroit, up 2–1, "goes 5 of 15" at home, then timid (“4 of 8”) in a pivotal Game 5.
      • 1993 vs. Knicks: Down 0–2, after gambling controversy, goes 3-for-18 in Game 3 (but Bulls win thanks to Pippen).
      • Finals vs. Seattle: George Karl waits too long to put Gary Payton on him; Jordan struggles (23 PPG, 37% FG over 3 games).
    • Post-baseball, 1995 vs. Magic: Not good, "outright bad" in elimination game.
  • Jordan’s worst never equalled LeBron 2011. But, history airbrushes his lower playoff moments more than it does for others.

  Quote:
  “Jordan did [sic] never had a playoff moment that was as bad as Bron in 2011. That just is true.”
  — Nick Wright, (16:28)

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3. Kevin Durant’s All-Time Ranking Without Steph Curry

• Audience Question: Where would KD rank if he never teamed up with Steph Curry?
• Nick’s Reasoning:
  • Hypothetical: If KD joined Boston in 2016, likely distribution—LeBron, Steph, and KD all end with one ring each over the next three years.
  • "Ring count" would more accurately reflect players' careers.
  • Durant likely would have gotten a championship; “he was so good during that time.”
  • Bottom line: KD is rightly in everyone’s “Top 20 but not serious Top 10.” Leadership shortcomings prevented a higher perch.
• Quote:

  “He is in everyone’s top 20 and no one’s who is serious in their top 10. And…that’s about where he was supposed to end up.”
  — Nick Wright, (31:59)

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4. NFL/Winner-Take-All Mentality & Tanking

• Listener Question: Is the hyper-focus on championships (and tanking) hurting sports? How should teams balance regular-season success and long-term titles?
• Nick’s Analogy:
  • Highlights the Steelers’ approach: Commendable to “try to win,” but crucial to define what you’re trying to win.
  • Critique: Pittsburgh chases wins with veteran QBs, never gambling on a young possible franchise QB; “You have to have an honest conversation about what you’re trying to win.”
  • End-goal should be a championship parade, not mere “B-minus season” consistency.
  • But: Dislikes teams (e.g., Utah Jazz) that “actively try to lose year over year.”
• Quote:

  “The ultimate goal in American team sports is not avoiding bottoming out and it is not consistent B-minus seasons. The ultimate goal is having a parade.”
  — Nick Wright, (35:24)

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5. Miscellaneous & Behind-the-Scenes Content

a. Real Money Monopoly—Serious Answers Only

• On “Who supplies the bank in real money Monopoly?” Nick outlines two methods (everyone brings proportional $$ or host provides), but concludes, “I don’t recommend that….It would ruin families.” (39:40)

b. NFL Threats: Who Can Stop the Rams?

• Nick’s pick: Seattle is the Rams’ biggest threat. Not a prediction to win the Super Bowl, but most likely to disrupt their route (winning the division/home field).
• “If they have to go on the road in the playoffs, their chances…are cut in half.” (40:18)

c. Soccer in America—A Cultural Ceiling?

• Question from Italy: Will soccer ever reach the top tier in the US?
• Nick: Doubtful in his lifetime; the cultural barrier is strong because the top US sports are uniquely American. But soccer doesn’t need to surpass football or basketball to be “awesome.”
• “I don’t think the average American is ever going to fully get what soccer means in Europe... like the NFL here.” (44:23)

d. Behind the Scenes at First Things First

• Prep Process:

  • Daily Google Doc compiled by producers (Dusty, Hubs) by 9:30am.
  • 10am group call—usually accept producer’s show order, more debate on specific questions for debate, not the topics themselves.
  • Writers/producers and talent arrive midday, hash out possible graphics, stats, and “bits or hijinks.”
  • Nick writes bullet points (manila folder + Sharpie), mostly for memorizing, not for reference.
  • Loneliness vs. collaboration depicted: Brew works alone above, Wildes and Nick collaborate in proximity.
  • On-set by 2:40pm, show ready to roll.
  • After show: “We are out of there…by 5:30.” (53:04)

  Quote:
  “…It’s a bunch of different mini conversations about not so much what the topics should be… but how we should discuss them.”
  — Nick Wright, (47:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pulisic’s Image & Toughness:
  “It really does feel like, oh, doesn’t have that dog in him. And that’s a tough one.” (14:24)

• On Jordan’s Worst Playoff Games:
  “Michael Jordan goes 3-for-18. But they win because Pippen’s unbelievable.” (21:38)

• On NFL Team-Building Philosophy:
  “If you are truly trying to win a championship…your decisions are different than trying to win as many games as possible each regular season.” (34:25)

• On KD’s All-Time Place:
  “Leadership shortcomings…ultimately prevented him from reaching that top, top, top level.” (31:59)

• On Real Money Monopoly:
  “I don’t recommend that. It would ruin families.” (39:40)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:43–14:31 | US Soccer: Pulisic criticism, toughness, culture | | 16:12–25:29 | Michael Jordan’s playoff failures—mythbusting, detailed review | | 28:28–31:59 | Where would KD rank all-time w/o Steph Curry? | | 32:51–37:03 | NFL & modern tanking: Winner-take-all mentality | | 37:03–39:59 | Real money Monopoly rules answered seriously | | 40:11–41:49 | NFC West threats: Why Seattle is the Rams’ biggest threat | | 43:55–46:58 | Will soccer ever be #1 in the US? Nick’s perspective | | 47:23–53:52 | “First Things First” show prep: full behind-the-scenes tour |

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Episode Tone & Style

Nick Wright is frank, analytical, sometimes combative but also methodical—dismantling sports myths and challenging accepted narratives, while making insider processes accessible and inviting. He frequently turns questions into opportunities for broader commentary on sports culture and history.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This episode is a must-listen for fans interested in the narratives behind the headlines: how superstars’ reputations are shaped and mythologized, the structural incentives in professional sports, and the nuts-and-bolts of major sports TV production. Nick Wright brings candor and a willingness to challenge sacred cows, making this a wide-ranging, informative—and at times entertainingly irreverent—sports discussion.

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Transcript

[Damanze]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Nick Wright]

welcome in what's Right with Nick Wright Episode 477 Our Semi Monthly Mailbag episode. This episode of what's Right with Nick Right is brought to you by Boost Mobile. A reminder to you guys subscribe to the show if you can. We are approaching episode 500. We are also approaching 250,000 subscribers on YouTube. It's a nice little milestone. Quarter of a million subscribers on YouTube would be nice. Again itunes and Spotify the subscribers subscription numbers are a little more opaque but it helps us a ton there. If you guys even if you only watch the pod or listen to the pod, if you subscribe on multiple platforms that does help us out. And if you want to throw us the five star review that would be great as well. Also we do now have live Gmail for what's right mailbag gmail.com we have gotten some very good long form emails there. I am not doing any of the long form emails today. We will maybe in our next mailbag episode do exclusive to long form questions including there's a really interesting one about where LeBron James should sign if he one day has presidential aspirations and what which team would which fan base would be most helpful for him to one day running for president. Which was a really very interesting thought exercise. So again if you have you don't have to be long form questions but you can comment on Twitter or Instagram or DM our Instagram I think to send in questions. But you can also send questions short or long to what's right mailbag gmail.com demanze Good to see you. It has been a long week for you. I know.

[Damanze]

Good to see you here.

[Nick Wright]

Moving into a new place. Got a lot going on. You also sneaky have a birthday in five days that I'm not just now realizing, I promise, but I kind of am just now realizing. So you have a lot going on. But it's great to see you, appreciate you putting in the double shift. Let's before we get to some more random email questions, we did get a late question ad. That's kind of the story of the week. This week it's about Team USA and Christian Pulisic. So let's get to it.

[Damanze]

So Hank asks, what do you make of USA legends like Carly Lloyd and Landon Donovan crushing Pulisic after the Belgian the Belgium loss?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. So this is really noteworthy that not only did the, you know, fraternity of the U.S. national teams, men's and women's, not circle the wagons around Pulisic, not only did some of them come after him, but hard to find anybody going to the mattresses defending him. That that's noteworthy to me, the fact that you have almost unanimity in folks and I'm not again I'm not trying to pat myself on the back here, but saying exactly what I said from afar on Tuesday morning, which is

[Tab Ramos]

his

[Nick Wright]

performance was wildly underwhelming and disappointing.

[Damanze]

And

[Nick Wright]

his comments after the game were outrageous

[Producer/Interviewer]

and

[Nick Wright]

they are hinting at or flirting with questioning his toughness. All of which I did from afar. But I now feel more emboldened, if you will, in that take, in that opinion. And I saw I again, I'm not trying to call anybody out, but I Henry Bushnell for the Athletic wrote an article scolding everybody and I'm not going to read the entire thing to you guys but I do want, I do want to address this critique which is he tweeted I wrote about Christian Pulisic and all your stupid takes parenthetical many based on a 15 second interview clip stripped out of context, improper context was the opposite of what you think it is. And then I went and read the article and I had watched the full interview but I watched it again and the defense is that in the same interview Pulisic said, quote, I never wanted it to end and that he also said it's just an unfortunate way to finish and that it's, it's really difficult. Guys, we're not going after Christian Pulisic just because he said I have time to rest. That was the cherry on, on top of a year long march towards this wildly uninspiring, seemingly disinterested World Cup. And listen, part of being a pro athlete, I, I've said this before, I'll say it again is we do expect a level of machismo and toughness and that's from female pro athletes too. Like there is, that's not like a, a Neanderthal thing. That's just like oh, you need these alpha male. No, you expect folks, particularly in the biggest spots to play through pain. We just found out this week Jalen Brunson's having surgery right on his and I think is that is it on his shooting hand? Because the let me the I just want to make sure I get this right surgery on left wrist. He's a lefty we didn't like. One of the reasons people things people love about Jalen Brunson is first game of the finals it looked like he suffered an injury that might knock him out for the finals. He missed 10 minutes. That's part of the deal, man. And it is. We have become way more, way more forgiving and gentle and kind in the sports media than it once was. And there is way more caution about questioning anybody's toughness and never question anybody's injury, any of that stuff. And in general that's a good thing. What is tough for Pisic specifically is the combination of you know, it was the parlay of the following things. He skips the Gold Cup, Pochettino gets upset, Landon Donovan gets upset. Then his dad goes after Landon Donovan again. That's not really Pulisic's fault, but it probably, you know, it wasn't ideal. Then he starts, you know, this year after skipping the Gold cup to be as ready as possible for the World cup, playing his worst ball of his professional career. That doesn't help. Then it's the injury in the first game that nobody seemed to think was that big of a deal, but it knocks him out for a game and a half. That didn't help. Then it was the fact that he wasn't that good when he played. And then yes, the comments at the end were the cherry on top. But the real thing that killed him was it was so clear what happened to him on the injury. This was just my opinion. I think had he stepped funny and you see like the knee wobble, people would have been way less critical because it would have felt like, ah, you don't know, like, who knows? A lot of there's ligaments and caps and tendons and stuff like ah, like who knows? But because it, we all saw what happened. He tried to kick the ball, hit the guy's foot and his ankle turned. And then after the game he said it, I turned my ankle or sprained my ankle. Even people that want to defend him deep down were saying, you got to be kidding me. So it's a World cup knockout round game in a home World Cup. So then you add to it that I think a lot of those folks, those legends in general were not big fans of his beforehand. And I think that you have a perfect storm of they were waiting for their moment because they haven't, they haven't been huge Pulisic people already. And Tim Howard came out and said that. It was very interesting what Tim Howard said. He's like, he's a nice footballer. If you want to know any other things that I think about Christian Pulisic, you'd have to ask me very direct questions. I'd give you very direct answers. And then he moved on. And so he just doesn't seem to have a lot of allies. And this last point I'm going to make on this demon say I he was not good in this World Cup. It's undeniable. I think that is less of a problem for him than I think that is less I think people could justify or deal with that. Hey, he had a bad tournament, sucks. It happens. Everyone then that's less sticky, even though it was a home World Cup. Such a big moment. All of that than, oh, I don't think he's that tough. That's a sticky one. And that's worse than being injury prone. Like it. I don't think, well, that I won't, I, I won't hit him with that. I because I, but I just think, I think people are think, oh, you know, and I said this on the show today. But, and it's reductive, but for lack of a better term, it's like, oh, might not have that dog in him, as the kids say.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And it really does feel like, oh, doesn't have that dog in him.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And that's a tough one. And that's, you know, that's, that's kind

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ball with everything on the line. He's driving down the pitch. He's facing price hikes and cuts past him Carrier contracts tries to block him. Oh, he leaves him in the dust. He's at the edge of the box. He cuts past the non stop group chat trash talk. He clears on goal. He shoots unlimited data for $25 a month forever.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward podcast. Every goal starts with an assist. As Official partners of U.S. soccer, this team is ready to deliver Sensodyne dentist recommended defense of your sensitive teeth Centrum Fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil, of course. Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief. Voltaren arthritis gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving and tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Colin all right, let's get

[Nick Wright]

some other stuff here.

[Damanze]

So over to the NBA. We got llama he said you referenced the media doesn't talk about Jordan's bad playoff moments. What is the Worst one. And is. And is it comparable to tragic Johnson or LeBron in 2011?

[Nick Wright]

So I, I don't listen. Jordan did never had a playoff moment that was as bad as Braun in 2011. That just is true. Bron in 2011 was the most inexplicable what is going on superstar thing we've seen. That's the. Even as a guy who thinks LeBron is clearly the greatest player ever, that's. That is the, that is the truth. The other thing that is the truth is the idea that Jordan never had bad playoff moments is of course laughable, but folks will consider it gospel. Okay? So we can just go through a few that would I think be. Are at least noteworthy. And while obviously not part of the. Not the whole story or anything, it. They happened, right?

[Daniel Cormier]

So

[Nick Wright]

the fact that in his first three years in the playoffs, they. The Bulls won one game, not one series, one game is noteworthy. Okay, you didn't know that, right? Like his first year, his first year in the playoffs, they. They won one game. His second year in the playoffs, they got swept in round one. And by the way, his second year in the playoffs is such an interesting one because that's the one year Jordan had a real injury. Jordan broke his foot and missed most of that season. And that Bulls team demons a made the playoffs. They went 30 and 52. So when people are like, Jordan never missed the playoffs with the Bulls again, he was hurt most of the year, so it wouldn't have been his fault. But they made the playoffs with 30 wins. They went 30 and 50.

[Damanze]

There was no play. It was that what was going on?

[Nick Wright]

No, there was no play in. But the league didn't have 30. They had way fewer teams and they were still doing eight teams of conference. And so they made it that. That was the year he had his first two games, those playoffs, they lost them both. Again, he scored 49 in his first game they lost. He scored 63 in the second game they lost. And no, not at all. Game three, he didn't place. Didn't play that well. But they were never beating. That was the 86 Celtics, one of the greatest teams ever. Okay, 87 though the Celtics team, not quite as good. You get Boston again. You lose the first two in Boston and again you, at this point in your career, you've won one playoff game ever. Game 3 at home for a Bulls team that you know was supposed to be competitive, he goes 9 of 30 in that game. They get swept. But again, those aren't the bad moments. Like that's all Growing pains. Part of what it is. Fourth year in the playoffs, finally win a series, get clipped by Detroit in five. He was good, but not great in that series. Fifth year in the playoffs, you're up to one on Detroit. This is the first one that you're like, oh yeah, if this were LeBron, people would remember it more. Again, these are it's year five, haven't been to a finals, have won a league MVP. You're up to one on Detroit in a home game for you go five of 15. And then in the thing that people say Jordan would never do. Oh, he would never, he would never shy from the moment in the critical game five in Detroit, four of eight from the field, four of eight, Detroit wins and they win the next game. So again, those are little demerits, if you will, noteworthy things that you would that if it was Braun, I feel like folks would remember the next year against Detroit, another critical game five. You're it's year six, you still haven't been to a finals. You're trying to get over the hump. It's two, two in the series, seven of 19 and you get blown out, lose series and seven. Not great. Okay. He then to his credit, the next two years goes scorched earth on the entire league, wins those two titles. It's hard to find a bad playoff moment until we get to the game that is lost to history. And this is the one that I just can't get over because the last dance tricked you on it. So if you watched the last dance right before Jordan retired the first time they it is. They are going for their third straight title. They have lost back to back games to The Knicks and MJ in those two games shot 37% from the field in both. They are down 02. Jordan is talking about all of the scrutiny and pressure and he is getting killed in the media because he was in Atlantic City gambling all night. Okay, they go back to Chicago, they are down oh 2. Their season is on the line. And Michael Jordan goes 3, 4, 18. But they win because Pippin's unbelievable. And in the next game he scores 54 and they end up winning. They tie the series up. The last dance totally skipped the last dance made you think he's they're down oh two, he's getting killed for gambling all night and then drops the 54 points. That's not what happened. And so. But then he, by the way, after that, three for 18. It's the greatest stretch of basketball of his career, including the greatest finals ever. Those finals to Monze against Phoenix and against league MVP Barkley. In those finals he averaged 41, 8 and 6. He was unbelievable. In the 93 finals. Six games. Six games, damn. He was the, he scored in the, in those games. 31, 42, 44, 55, 41, 33. And one of their losses was a triple overtime game. He was unreal. So he more, again more than made up for it. But the real answer is twofold on. Did Jordan have rough playoff moments? The real answer is when he came back from baseball, the series against the Magic, he was not good.

[Producer/Interviewer]

And

[Nick Wright]

people thought the Bulls were going to win that series. He was, had a 40 point game in that series. So like and another a 38 point game early in that series. And then at the tail end of that series he was not good. And in the game they got eliminated, he was outright bad. He had a half dozen Turnovers. He was 8 of 19 from the field. He got stripped at the end and they lost.

[Damanze]

You a little bit of a pass coming from baseball, right?

[Nick Wright]

That's what, so that's what everybody says. Everybody's like, yeah, but that doesn't count. They're like, and then, so and then I would imagine he probably wouldn't have been that good in the playoffs with the Wizards, but he was not good enough to get the Wizards to the playoffs. And again folks can say, oh, that's outrageous. How can you ask him? He was 39 years old. Well, I don't know, he was like some 39, 40. You know, 40 year olds can do amazing things these days. And so, but no, so he had some. Oh, let me add one other thing that again, I just think is part of the story. He only had one tough finals ever and it was against Seattle.

[Producer/Interviewer]

And

[Nick Wright]

George Carl, in his infinite wisdom for Seattle for some reason decided not to have the league's best perimeter defender, Gary Payton guard Michael Jordan until the Sonics were down 30 in the series. They went down 3 0. He finally put Peyton on MJ. Over the final three games of the series, Jordan averaged 23 points a game on 37% from the field. But it was too late. They the Seattle was able to win games four and five. Chicago won game six, series was over. But no, he, one of the check marks in Jordan's column is he doesn't have that. Just like, oh my God, what happened to playoff series? But it also, some folks would have you believe, you know, he didn't have bad playoff games. And that's, you know, that's not an accurate reading of history. You Got another basketball question here in a second. But first, today's show is brought to you by representing sponsor Hard Rock Bet. Florida Sportsbook, the world's biggest soccer tournament is here. Everyone's watching. National pride is on the line. Superstars are chasing immortality. And for the next month, every match feels like a final. If you haven't tried Hard Rock Bet yet, there's no better time to get in the game. Hard Rock Bet is a top rated sportsbook app built to viva la Copa. Whether you're backing your country, betting on your favorite superstars, or building a same game parlay for the biggest matches of the tournament, Hard Rock Bet is your way to get in on the action. If you ever late to kickoff, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all match long from the first minute to the final whistle. Plus, Hard Rock Bet is new promos daily. We're talking profit boosts, no bet, no sweat bets, bonus bets and more. And be sure to check out no goals, no problem. And Super Sub 2 promos designed to give your bets insurance all tournament long. Sign up with Hard Rock Bet today and place a five dollar bet if it wins. You also score $150 in bonus bets. A winning bet plus an extra $150 to bet with. Now that's how you get this summer's party started. Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal sports book. But you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today. Roll with us. Goal with us.

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[Nick Wright]

like rate, subscribe and review to the pod. All right deant, we have a question from Elijah about Kevin Durant.

[Damanze]

He said where would Kevin Durant be ranked all time without Stephen Curry?

[Nick Wright]

So this is such an interesting question because do we let's say Durant in 2016 to Monze had signed with the Celtics, which seemed to be a second choice. I happen to believe if that happened over the next three years LeBron, Steph and Durant all would have gotten one. I think that instead of it being Stephen Durant, win those two together and then everybody in the warriors gets hurt and Kawhi and the Raptors end up, you know, grabbing that one. I think that Kyrie doesn't ask to leave Cleveland. I think there's a lot of things that happen there. And then all of a sudden, the, you know, the ring count then also is more indicative of what their careers were like. LeBron finishes at least as of this minute. He has five, Durant has one, Step has two. And like, oh, okay, that's about, you know, how it probably should have gone. But there is a very interesting push and pull of if Durant never joined Stephen. If Steph doesn't. Like, one of the reasons Steph got those two more rings in the 2000 and tens, right. Was because Durant was there. So if. So that helped his historical ranking. You know what I mean? So it's like a very. I don't. If Durant would have never gotten any rings had he not joined Steph, that obviously is. That hurts his historical ranking massively. But I've gotta think he would have won one. He was so good during that time. Do you. Do you question that? Are you as confident that he would have found a way to win one?

[Damanze]

Yeah, 100%. I think people would have been easier on putting. Putting him up above other players, too. I feel like it's just kind of hard to get.

[Nick Wright]

No, what I'm saying is. Are you. What I'm. What I'm.

[Boost Mobile Advertiser]

Hold on.

[Nick Wright]

What I'm saying is, are you as confident as I am that had he not joined the warriors, you'd have got some champion somehow? Yes.

[Damanze]

Yeah. I just. Yeah, the. I can't say for sure just because it seems like KD is a little bit of a different type of dude, but I was just going to say that people are going to want to play with Kevin Durant, so I feel like he would have gotten a chip somehow, but.

[Nick Wright]

Well, you know, had he joined the Celtics potentially, you know, he's. You know, he gets Tatum and Brown. Like, there's still some really. Yeah, I mean, really interesting team.

[Daniel Cormier]

No way.

[Tab Ramos]

He does.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, that's what I think. I think he finds a way to win, he wins one. I think Durant is ranked properly. Historically, he is in everyone's top 20 and no one's who's serious in their top 10.

[Tab Ramos]

That's.

[Nick Wright]

And so, you know, I don't really want to spend a lot of time here debating if he's 14 or 18. Right. Like that's not as productive. And I think that's about where he was supposed to end up. This all time great player who had some, I would say, leadership shortcomings that ultimately prevented him from reaching that top, top, top level that as the greatest shooting 7 footer of all time he certainly could have gotten to. And so I think he's right where he's supposed to be. All right. This is a longer question to Monze, but I like it. It's from Water Bottle.

[Damanze]

So Water Bottle says the sports world as well, as well as the broader economy seems to be increasingly, seems to be increasingly towards a winner take all mentality. This seems to be manifesting in the NBA tanking issue and how that is migrating to the NFL. Miami seemingly being purpose purposefully bad this year. You've been critical of the Steelers for trying to win as many games as possible each season instead of sacrificing season season success in exchange for a chance at a new franchise quarterback.

[Colin Cowherd]

Jesus Christ.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, no, you did. That was fine. But keep going. I think it's, there's more to, there's more to the problem here.

[Damanze]

So keep, I think the, I think the media conversation around these leagues being solely focused on championships and MVPs adds to this problem. What balance do you think franchises should oh stop there. What, what balance do you think franchises should pursue pursue regarding regular season success and maintaining a competitive regular season versus chasing championships alone.

[Nick Wright]

So I think this is a really interesting and smart question and I'm going to take it on from the Steelers perspective specifically because I think the that there is, there is honor in hey, we, we're trying to win. We're not trying to throw seasons away. But I also think there is honor in. Having an honest conversation about what you're trying to win. And if you're simply trying to win as many games this regular season as possible, you are going to take a different approach than if you are truly trying to win a championship at some point. And my biggest issue with the Steelers approach has been you could do everything that you have done team and coaching wise the same in trying to build a roster that can win as many games as possible and not done it with a retread 30 or 40 something year old quarterback that you still have TJ Watt and you still have Cam Hayward and you still trade for DK Metcalf and you don't throw seasons away. But you're not starting Russell Wilson and then Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback. You are starting somebody that you think one day can be your franchise super bowl quarterback. And I don't, I don't have a problem with teams whose number one focus is winning a title. I do have a problem if teams use our focus is winning a title as an excuse to just punt on multiple seasons that I don't like. But having a long term vision and long term plan is the, I think the right way to go about it. And what you need to do if you're trying to win a championship, which is the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal in American team sports is not avoiding bottoming out and it is not consistent B minus seasons. The ultimate goal is having a parade. And your decision now again, that meaning that being the ultimate goal doesn't mean it's the only goal, but it is the ultimate goal. And so that's where I take issue with what the Steelers did or have done. But it doesn't mean that I think teams doing what Utah's done over the last few years and just actively trying to lose games year over year is a good antidote to that. All right, he has a second, totally unrelated question to Maze.

[Damanze]

Who supplies the money for the bank when you play real money Monopoly?

[Nick Wright]

What a question. Our buddy Mark Carmen's calling me, doing the pod. Call you back. So there's two ways to go about it. Like there is if people are asking how it should be done, essentially everyone involved can bring, you know, I don't know, call it if you're playing $0.10 on the dollar, everyone who's playing can all bring, you know, 500 bucks, which is the equivalent to 5,000 Monopoly dollars. If you're playing 10 cents on the dollar, all the money that goes in play, the winner keeps. And then the money left in the bank gets divvied up in equal shares. What I'm Saying makes sense. Four people are playing everyone brings 500 bucks. Or if you're playing $0.01 on the dollar, 50 bucks like you know, you however. Or if you're playing true to the dollar, everybody brings 5,000 bucks. You guys can do the math on it. But let's just say you're playing 10 cents on the dollar. Everybody brings 500 bucks. So the bank has 2,000 real dollars, which is the equivalent of 20,000 monopoly dollars. That's more than enough for a game of Monopoly. Then if at the end of the game, the winner of the US$2,000 in there, the winner has 1600 of them, that 400 that's left in the bank, each person of the, you know, everybody gets 100 bucks, $100 rebate, $100 back. The winner doesn't get the extra bank dollars, they just get the dollars that were in play. That's one way to do it. Another way to do it is just one like, you know, you play far cheaper stakes and the host supplies it. You know what I mean? So you play $0.01 on the dollar, if you will, and the host brings 200 bucks and whatever's left in the kitty at the end, they get back, but the winner keeps the rest. Like that's the way. That's the way to go about it. If you're going to play real. I think most people, when they say play real money monopoly, they're playing to like real gambling, real competitive. Everyone brings their own share of the bank and everyone contributes equal to the bank.

[Damanze]

It's too chancey of a game for me to throw real money in there. It's probably how I feel.

[Nick Wright]

Oh yeah, Yeah. I don't think it's. No, it's.

[Damanze]

Oh man.

[Nick Wright]

I don't recommend that. Doesn't.

[Daniel Cormier]

No.

[Nick Wright]

It would ruin families. No, I only recommend it for people

[Damanze]

who are, you know, like high stakes gamblers or whatever.

[Nick Wright]

Card games for money. Yeah, yeah. People that gamble for a lot. You know the.

[Boost Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Guys that play, you know, backgammon for money or cards for money or Boot Ray or Guts or whatever it is. By the way, Black. Never mind. I'm not even going to say that. All right, let's go to Javon.

[Damanze]

Javon says which team is still is the biggest threat to the Rams super bowl chances.

[Nick Wright]

I think Seattle, but not because I think Seattle's gonna repeat. I think Seattle because I think that they are the biggest reason the Rams won't win. Could not win their division. And I think the Rams have to go on the road in the playoffs there their chances of winning the super bowl are cut in half. I just think that Rams team, if they get home field throughout and they can play in climate controlled good condition throughout the playoffs there, if healthy, they're the best team. But if somebody can, if they all of a sudden have to deal with what they dealt with last year where they win 13 games but it's not enough for home field advantage and they have to go on the road, I think that is the best path to slowing them down, so to speak. All right, we have a good question from Daniel from overseas. But first Boost Mobile is proving you don't have to overpay for great wireless. Unlock the Savings with the $25 a month Forever Unlimited plan. Permanent price with no contracts and no price hikes. You can keep your phone and your number, but you save up to $600 a year compared to the major carriers. Stop overpaying and switch to a fair price@boost mobile.com today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T, Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boost mobile.com

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he's dribbling the ball with everything on the line. He's driving down the pitch. He's facing price hikes and cuts past him. Carrier contracts tries to block him. Oh he leaves him in the dust. He's at the edge of the box. He cuts past the non stop group chat trash talk. He clears on goal. He shoots Go unlimited data for $25 a month forever.

Visit your local Boost Mobile store today to get unlimited data with a price that never changes. Boost mobile after 30gb customers may experience lower speeds.

Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost $25 unlimited plan.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast. Every goal starts with an assist. As Official partners of U.S. soccer, this team is ready to deliver Sensodyne Dentist recommended defense of your sensitive teeth Centrum fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil of course, Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief Voltaren Arthritis Gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving and tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Colin this is Tab Ramos

[Tab Ramos]

from inside American Soccer and this summer topgolf is turning into the ultimate soccer destination. They're not just throwing games on in the background. Topgolf is going all in on soccer. They've got a new soccer themed game you can play with your group, special in venue activations, exclusive food and drink items inspired by the global game and at more than 60 locations. They've even installed full size soccer goals so you can try to hit golf balls right into the net and every match all summer long will be on throughout the venue. So it's a great place to watch with friends, hang out, compete a little bit and enjoy the atmosphere. And if you want to keep the fun going all summer, you can get the topgolf Summer Fun Pass which lets you play every single day and bring up to five guests every single every visit. Get yours [e-mail] FunPass Summer hits different at TopGolf.

[Nick Wright]

All right Damanze, let's go to Daniel's question.

[Damanze]

Daniel says, I am from Italy and of course, soccer coverage here in Europe is very different. But it's fun to listen to football talk with an unusual American spin. Do you think soccer will ever rise to the top tier in the US or is that the cultural barrier just too tough to break? I asked this question because there is a tiny part of my brain. Brain that every time I listen to read US Coverage about the sports thinks, man, they will never fully understand it.

[Nick Wright]

So, yeah, I mean, I don't think the average American is ever going to fully get what soccer means in Europe and the way it's covered and the way it is, you know, for lack of a NFL. The way it is their NFL. Yes. Yeah, exactly. Just the, the way we care about and discuss, you know, training camp storylines and who the offensive coordinator is, like, that is what the EPL or La Liga or Serie A is over there. And I don't think we are. Obviously, there are some folks here that follow it to that level. I said yesterday that or a few days ago that I think I follow it more than 96% of Americans, and I don't follow it to that level. I don't. So I understand there being a. Oh, that's cute. The way you guys are covering the sport. You know, look the same way that I would imagine I would feel if I watched

[Damanze]

a Derek Ray call up a Chiefs game.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, yeah. Or more than call. Not so much calling the game, but if I watched, you know, talk sport, do a NFL playoff segment with a bunch of guys that, you know, only casually watch the NFL. And so, yeah, I think there is, you know, an element to that. I also, I don't think ever is a long time. I don't think in my lifetime soccer will be the biggest sport in this country. And I would be surprised if it's ever the biggest sport in this country. And I don't think that's a problem. Like, it's our. The thing about our three biggest sports is they're American sports. And I know that sounds reductive, but like, we invented football, we invented basketball. We at least, you know, have been playing baseball for 150 years. And so you think it could pass

[Damanze]

any of those, like hockey and that

[Nick Wright]

too, But I just don't think it would be number. I just don't think it would be number one. I just would be surprised if it gets to number one. But I don't think that needs to get to number one for it to be awesome. All right, Scroll Down a bit demanz, go to Cole's question and we have some other First Things first questions that we can get to another day. But let's do Cole's question here.

[Damanze]

Cole says can you take us behind the scenes of First Things first and discuss what the preparation is like?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, so it's, it's actually very simple. So if, if we're on our normal schedule, okay, where the Show's on at 3

[Daniel Cormier]

we.

[Nick Wright]

We have a Google Doc that Dusty and Hubs put together that we all have access to to put our thoughts in. And by around 9:30 every morning dusty has laid out what he thinks the show should be. At 10am we have a call where everyone's on it where Dusty kind of verbalizes what's in the dock. And the vast majority of the time that call, the time on that call which that calls anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes that time is not really spent on us debating what we should be talking about. Usually what Dusty has laid out as what we should be talking about is exactly what we are going to talk about. Occasionally it's like oh yo, this we're actually super passionate about this story and don't like this story. So let's change the story entirely more. Most of the call is talked about is spent discussing what question we should ask. So it's like we know we're going to be talking about the U.S. you know to use take the show from Wednesday where the store. The biggest story was Messi and Argentina. The second biggest story was more pulisic fallout. We all agreed on that. That's how it was laid out. But then the question is in the doc is how impressive was Messi's performance. And then I chime in, I'm like, I don't want. Let's do a different question because the how, you know, if we, if all of us were impressed by it, that is, you know now we're all the discussion as. I was really impressed. I was very impressed. I was like that's not the best one. The. So then we kick it around and somebody suggested oh, Nick had just picked Argentina to win the whole thing because Brazil got knocked out. Nick, did you think they were done? Like okay, that's interesting. And that gets us into, you know, the topic. So that, so it's it, it's right. It's a bunch of different mini conversations about not so much what the topics should be that we're discussing but how we should discuss them. So that's 10 to 1030 then days. I have the pod as soon as that's over, I do the pod days. I don't have the pod, you know, I then kind of start working there. I get in around noon. Wild usually gets in around 11:30. Brew gets in around the same time as me. Every day when I come in, I walk past Wild's office, chat with him for about five minutes every day, see if there's anything noteworthy, you know, whatever. Anything's changed in the 90 minutes since the call. And then I usually work in the conference room with all the producers and Brew works a floor above us by himself. And none of us will see Brew until five minutes before the show. He goes to the room, closes his door, works by himself, text the producers for stuff. That's his process. KW and I are shouting kind of down the hall from each other throughout the day usually. And then I. I do the same thing I've done for every show for almost nine years. I have a manila folder, I have a Sharpie, and I just start jotting down bullet point thoughts on the questions. And that is mostly as by writing it. I remember it more so than it is a reference point when I'm out there, but sometimes I look at it as a reference point. And Josh, our stats guy, which used to be Dusty's job, Dusty used to be the stats guy, but he's since been promoted to producer. He, Josh, our stats guy, sometimes, you know, on, like, knows where we're leaning on topics and we'll. By the time I get in, he'll be like, hey, here's this graphic because I think you're going to make this point. Here's a graphic that would support it. Or more often, on my end at least, I will text Josh like, hey, here are either I know these stats. Let's turn them into a graphic, or here is what I believe to be true. Do the stats back that up? If so, can we turn that into a graphic? And then if there are any, you know, bits or hijinks or chicanery, we make sure that's we all know what's going on. Or importantly, sometimes we know people don't know what's going on because it's supposed to be a surprise. So that's the process from noon till about 2:20 for me. 2:20 to 2:30, I get dressed 2:30 to 2:30, 5, 2:40, I get makeup, and then I sit on set. I'm always the first person on set. I sit on set from 240 on

[Colin Cowherd]

and

[Nick Wright]

go like, hey, I have these six graphics. I think I'm going To use this one in this block. This one in this block. I want to make sure we have, you know, this highlight that I'm going to toss to her. The sound bite and then Brew comes down like around 250. Wilds comes down like around 254 and we roll. Yeah, I mean that's usually the, the, the and that's you know, that's, you know, that's the process. And then after the show we are out of there. Like after that when the show ends at, you know. Well, we do overtime now but by 5, if we're off the air at 5:20, we're all out of there by 5:30. So that's the process

[Tab Ramos]

in there. Yes.

[Nick Wright]

Kind of talent. Kind of. Wilds always says it's a shared office but he's the only person that uses his office. I didn't used to have an office. I kind of now have one. Danny definitively has an office

[Producer/Interviewer]

and

[Colin Cowherd]

but

[Nick Wright]

like I don't have any stuff on the walls like you know what I mean? I don't have, if I got fired I wouldn't have to like bring a box like to grab. But yeah, so, but I, I mostly work in the conference room with all the producers so that's a day in the life. First things first. I hope that was interesting to you guys. All right, subscribe to the POD because we're gonna have an odd schedule until the World Cup's over. And also just a heads up from the end of July and through the end of August. I'm usually on vacation right now. I'm not on vacation right now. Thank because of the World cup which while I have loved every minute of it, I am pretty soon to be running on fumes. Which is to say we're going to be taking some time into July through the end of August. Demanze is coming out here for a week. We're doing a family vacation end of August. I just booked an open ended ticket to the over overseas and I'm going to be taking some time before football but we'll still have a, we still have a bunch of great stuff coming at you guys as we lead up into episode 500 as we approach a quarter of a million subscribers on YouTube. So we appreciate you guys support. Appreciate you guys watching and listening. Thank you to Hard Rock, BET and the Boost. Thank you to Volume and the Blue Duck and we will talk to you guys early next week. I do think we're going to have a show Monday. So again that's why to subscribe to the POD a little World cup show on Monday. Talk to you guys, then we'll trade.

[Boost Mobile Advertiser]

He's dribbling the ball with everything on the line. He's driving down the pitch. He's facing price hikes and cuts past him. Carrier contracts try to to block him. Oh, he leaves him in the dust. He's at the edge of the box. He cuts past the non stop group chat trash talk. He clears on goal. He shoots no unlimited data for $25 a month forever.

Visit your local Boost Mobile store today to get unlimited data with a price that never changes. Boost mobile after 30gb, customers may experience lower speeds.

Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost $25 Unlimited plan.

[Tab Ramos]

This is Tab Ramos from Inside American Soccer and this summer topgolf is turning into the ultimate soccer destination. They've got a new soccer themed game you can play with your group, exclusive food and drink items. They've even installed full size soccer goals so you can try to hit golf balls right into the net. And every match all summer long will be on throughout the venue. And if you want to keep the fun going all summer, you can get the topgolf Summer Fun Pass which lets you play every single day and bring up to five guests every single every visit. Get yours [e-mail] FunPass hi, it's Colin

[Colin Cowherd]

Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast. Every goal starts with an assist. As Official partners of U.S. soccer, this team is ready to deliver Sensodyne Dentist recommended Defense of your sensitive teeth Centrum. Fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil, of course. Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief. Voltaren Arthritis Gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving and tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Colin this is Daniel Cormier

[Daniel Cormier]

from the Daniel Cormier Show. This podcast is sponsored by Total Wireless, the official wireless partner of ufc. Power doesn't wait in the octagon or outside of it. You either make the move or you miss the moment. That's why you need a network that's just as powerful as you are. With Total Wireless, you get unlimited 5G data keeping you in the action from the walkouts to the knockouts. Now that's a total power move. Make your total power move today. Visit totalwireless.com or stop by your neighborhood Total Wireless Store. Additional terms apply. See totalwireless.com for details.

[Damanze]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Nick Wright]

Guaranteed Human.