What's Wright - Nick Wright REACTS to USA's GOLD MEDAL vs. Canada, 2026 Winter Olympics + Jaylen Brown NBA MVP?

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd — “What's Wright: Nick Wright REACTS to USA's GOLD MEDAL vs. Canada, 2026 Winter Olympics + Jaylen Brown NBA MVP?”

Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Nick Wright (with co-host Damanze)
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts | The Volume)

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Episode Overview

This special episode features Nick Wright, hosting from a hotel on the West Coast, as he discusses a jam-packed sports week. The show dives deep into Team USA’s dramatic gold medal win over Canada in Olympic hockey, a moving reflection on Alysa Liu’s figure skating gold, and an in-depth NBA MVP debate featuring Jaylen Brown’s rise. Nick also recounts his latest foray into high-stakes poker, complete with fresh Vegas rivalries and infectious storytelling.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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1. Opening Banter & Travel Update

Timestamp: 02:43 – 05:04

• Nick jokes about possibly moving to the West Coast after travel delays ("I maybe just live here now… my wife’s family’s out here, who knows.").
• Light banter about travel woes and a brush with danger (“I think [I] avoided being caught literally in the epicenter of a Mexican Cartel War by 12 hours…”).

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2. Figure Skating: Alysa Liu's Gold & The Power of Transcending Sport

Timestamp: 06:05 – 15:56

• Nick confesses he does not understand technical figure skating, but was deeply moved watching Alysa Liu’s performance.
• Quote:

  “I watched that young lady do that four and a half minute routine and it was literally breathtaking. By the end I was, I almost had tears in my eyes. And I immediately watched it again… I can't define what made that break through to me as, oh my God, I'm watching something specifically excellent.” (Nick, 06:53)

• Nick recounts Liu’s unique backstory—her return to the sport, her non-traditional look ("doesn't really have the look from body type, hair, piercings, anything to traditional figure skaters"), and her joy.
• Reflects on how feats of athletic brilliance are universally felt, comparing sports to art and music, but noting that greatness in sport needs less explanation.

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3. Team USA Men’s Hockey Wins Gold Over Canada

Timestamp: 15:56 – 24:30

• Historic significance: USA defeats Canada in hockey gold for the first time since “Miracle on Ice” (1980).
• Explores the emotional and patriotic aspect of rooting for USA, acknowledging the ability to hold pride and political disappointment simultaneously.
  • Quote:

    “There is something to be said for being proud and prideful in what a nation is supposed to represent and can represent… while being upset and disappointed… You can feel that way and still feel pretty awesome that Team USA Hockey as a huge underdog, went and beat Canada.” (Nick, 13:57)

• Nick compares this to major upsets in other sports, calling it a “holy shit” Olympic moment.
• Discussion about the context of team quality (“Is the US really that much worse than Canada?”).
• Shoutouts to key players:
  • Goalie Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets, three Vesna Trophies, 2026 Olympic MVP)
  • The Poignant Brothers Story: Two American brothers—each scoring OT game-winners in separate rounds.
    • Quote:

      “That's really sick. That's really like it. That. So there's just cool Olympic stories like that.” (Nick & Damanze, 22:27)

• Quick nod to the controversial figure Eileen Gu representing China, but more focus on her intelligence and maturity.

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4. Olympic Moments: Pride vs. Politics & The Meaning of International Sport

Timestamp: 13:20 – 16:59 / Throughout Olympic segments

• Nick argues for “patriotism wrapped in sports,” and the right to love nationhood in context, even if "you feel a different type of way".
• Champions the idea that international events (Olympics, World Cup) provide rare, profound moments (“If we found a way to get those [major global sporting events] on three-year rotations so every year we had one of them would be sick…”).

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5. NBA Segment: Jaylen Brown’s MVP Leap, Celtics Dynamics, and the Tatum Quandary

Timestamp: 29:56 – 40:30

Jaylen Brown MVP Debate

• Damanze sets up the question: “No Tatum, no problem. Jaylen Brown has carried my Celtics this year… Where do you think he stacks up in the MVP race right now?” (30:01)
• Nick confesses he underrated Brown in the past, even calling him “a homeless man’s Kawhi Leonard” when he first got a large extension.
• Quote:

  "It would have been incomprehensible to me that Jalen Brown could play at this level for this. Good." (Nick, 31:22)

• Nick currently ranks JB 3rd in the MVP race (Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead).
• Damanze and Nick discuss the ambiguity between Tatum and Brown as #1 on the team.
• Debates whether the Celtics can win a title without Tatum and explores the awkwardness if they do so.

The Tatum Injuries & Return Dilemma

• Nick explores Tatum’s impossible situation:
  “He is in his success in this rehab has put him in an impossible position…” (38:26)
• Pros and cons discussed for Tatum resting until next year, coming back for the playoffs, and how fans/legacy might judge it.
• Quote:

  "If I left the TV show, I would want Wilds and Brew to do really well. If they all of a sudden ripped off a couple Emmys in a row when we never won one, I would… be like, damn, what the heck? That’s kind of tough. And so… that's just human nature, right?" (Nick, 36:26)

• Both agree the Celtics ceiling is capped without Tatum, but Brown has elevated the team.

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6. Profound Athlete Soundbite: Eileen Gu on Self-Improvement and Neuroplasticity

Timestamp: 41:10 – 43:39

• Played audio of skier Eileen Gu’s viral answer to: “Do you think before you speak?”
• Quote: (Eileen Gu, 41:10)

  “I think, overall, I'm just a pensive person. I'm an introspective young woman… I journal a lot. I break down all of my thought processes… You can control what you think. Like, you can control how you think. And therefore, you can control who you are. And especially as a young person, like, I'm 22, so with neuroplasticity on my side, I can literally become exactly who I want to be. How cool is that?”

  “The fact is, I get to become every day the kind of person that me at age 8 would revere… I would be obsessed with me today… That's the biggest flex of all time.”

• Nick lauds this as a “great message” for listeners of any age.

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7. NBA Hypotheticals: LeBron, Pat Riley, and the Heat “What If?”

Timestamp: 48:31 – 52:10

• Nick breaks down the LeBron/Pat Riley discussion about if LeBron had stayed in Miami.
• Cites Dwyane Wade’s decline, Chris Bosh’s sudden blood clot diagnosis, and how LeBron’s move to Cleveland was smart in both basketball and legacy terms.
• Quote:

  “I think eventually LeBron would have won at least one more championship. But I think LeBron was doubly was smart, strategic and lucky in leaving.” (Nick, 48:45)

• Final word: “Leaving Miami was smart. I do think he would have got another one [championship] there.”

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8. 2026 Lakers Outlook: Ceiling, Roster, and Giannis Dreams

Timestamp: 52:30 – 58:41

• Lakers “absolute ceiling” = Conference Finals, more likely 2nd round exit.
  • Quote:

    “When they've played the big boys they've gotten clocked… if the game is going according to Lakers script and LeBron can control the chessboard at the end, they're in great shape, but otherwise they're in bad shape.” (Nick, 54:10)

• Warns Lakers fans that losing LeBron doesn’t clear cap space or fix roster holes.
• “If LeBron walks away… how many championship level starters do the Lakers have on the roster?” (Nick, 55:49)
• The only true path to Giannis is if he specifically demands a Lakers move ("That's the only path. Anything else is not a path").

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9. NFL: The Tush Push Controversy

Timestamp: 59:04 – 60:55

• Nick predicts the Eagles’ “Tush Push” play will be banned after lingering officiating headaches and aesthetics:

  “I just wonder if there’s going to be a late push, no pun intended, to get rid of it.” (59:20)

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10. Vegas Poker Recap: New Rivalries and a Big Win

Timestamp: 64:02 – 79:34

• Nick shares colorful tales from his time at the “No Gamble, No Future” streamed cash game (PokerGo in Vegas).
• Game started as a $25/50 game, escalated to $100/200-$800 with $10,000 PLO flips, recounting absurd Vegas excess and wild hands.
• Describes a rivalry with "Senor Tilt/Kiki"—a braggadocious, etiquette-averse player (“He travels everywhere with two security guards and a camera crew. I’m like, okay, man.” 70:52).
• Nick calls out bad poker etiquette (leaving early when up big, needling, and angle shooting):

  “Everybody kind of always lets him get away with this shit. And I just wasn't into it… [I told him] Unless it is, in fact, your plane… it almost gives the impression you're trying to sound like a big shot who has a plane when you don't.” (73:49)

• The drama goes viral when Kiki posts incomplete game stats; Nick corrects on-air, revealing he ended up as the biggest winner of the night ($137,000 up, his career best payday).
• Poker world texts Nick with gratitude for "putting Kiki in his place"—hilariously concludes:

  “That entire plane bit culminated in me being stranded on the west coast doing the podcast from a hotel room because I, in fact, do not have a plane.” (79:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Segments

• “There is something about feats of athletic brilliance that the human brain just intuitively recognizes as great…” (Nick, 08:33)
• “That’s the biggest flex of all time…little younger you be proud of you today.” (Eileen Gu, 42:09)
• "Jaylen Brown…was always the guy who I feel like was a little bit more aggressive…this gave Jaylen Brown a chance to be his actual self.” (Damanze, 32:02)
• On poker drama: “That way you have something to sell when the money runs out.” (Nick, 75:32)
• On international sport: “You can hold those ideas in different parts of your brain. And so listen, I just, I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics.” (Nick, 15:10)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:43 — Personal update/travel stories
• 06:05 — Figure Skating: Alysa Liu
• 15:56 — Team USA Hockey gold, Olympic pride/politics
• 29:56 — NBA: Jaylen Brown MVP & Celtics
• 41:10 — Eileen Gu soundbite on neuroplasticity
• 48:31 — LeBron/Pat Riley Miami “what if”
• 52:30 — Lakers roster outlook & Giannis scenario
• 59:04 — NFL Tush Push rule talk
• 64:02 — PokerGo Vegas recap/Kiki rivalry story

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Final Thoughts

Nick Wright’s passion for the transcendent moments of sports is front and center in this episode, blending sharp analysis, relatable fan perspective, and signature humor. From Olympic inspiration to candid poker tales, the show is both insightful and entertaining—essential listening for sports fans and those who love great stories.

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Transcript

[Demons A]

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[Nancy Glass]

I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season two podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumpright became the victim of a random crime. The perpetrator was sentenced to 99 years until a confession changed in I was a monster. Listen to Burden of guilt Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mind Games Narrator]

What if mind control is real?

[Demons A]

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Demons A]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you get someone to join your cult?

[Demons A]

NLP was used on me to access

[Mind Games Narrator]

my subconscious mind games. A new podcast exploring nlp, AKA Neuro linguistic Programming. Is it a self help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

This is Special Agent Riegel, Special Agent Bradley Hall.

[FBI Narrator]

In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets.

[FBI Narrator]

Listen to the 6th Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

Welcome in what's driving the grind episode 429 as always, this episode of what's Driving the Grind is brought to you by by Boost Mobile not as always we are from hotel room on the west coast as I maybe just live here now. Who knows I it would appear flights may resume tonight. I'm not certain of could have been worse Old KW I think avoided being caught literally in the epicenter of a Mexican Cartel War by 12 hours and so he justice you know there have been other you know from what's hey demons a good to see you had a great weekend with you buddy. The so you know it could be worse. I'm not right legitimately scary stuff going on south of here. This is just a pain in the butt travel and so I do think I'll be back in our regular studio for TV and the regular studio for the podcast by tomorrow. Maybe by Thursday. I would be surprised if not and if again if it's Friday and I'm still here I just might move here. Damanze is on this coast. My daughter's on this coast. Like you know what I mean? Yeah. Who knows my wife's family's out here so that that's what it is. But we still wanted to bring you guys today's show. We were you know we talked last week and there's a lot to do because in the last week I did play in that poker game and I will save the recap for it later in the show if you aren't following it. But it went tremendously and I also created a bit of a rivalry and there's just there's real so that that'll be a fun show at the end. We have some NFL and NBA to get to in the middle and I want to talk some Winter Olympics but before we do any of that. Straight to voicemail. Brought to you by Bo Loose Mobile The Falcons are franchise tagging Kyle Pitts. I I don't really think he feels a huge need for the Chiefs, but I've always kind of envisioned him as a chief so that's a bit of a bummer for for me. Mayweather Pacquiao rematch. Why is.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Why, why is you always envisioned him as a chief Kyle Pitts?

[Demons A]

I just thought because he he is such a singularly talented pass catching receiver. The two or pass catching tight end.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Tight end.

[Demons A]

The two greatest pass catching tight ends ever, Tony Gonzalez and Travis Kelsey were both Chiefs. He is kind of disappointed in Atlanta because he was a top five pick and so I thought after his rookie deal he moves on and then tries to rebuild his value for a year with the Chiefs, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Mayweather Pacquiao rematch set. That is not the boxing match that I want to see, but I will be watching it. And the NFL Combine is underway. So that is Straight Voice now brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile. Reminder to everybody like Rate subscribe to the show before we get to the NBA and some NFL off season stories, rule changes, A.J. brown and the like, let's get to the Winter Olympics.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

All right. Yeah, so I thought tennis corner was tough, but thanks to the Winter Olympics we have figure skating corner. Take it away, Pops.

[Demons A]

So here's the thing, and this is, you know, I joked about this with KW on TV yesterday, that he always says I love sport, not sports, I love sport. And there are moments in the Olympics in particular where that is proven to simply be true. And I will get to the hockey in a moment, which should have just been an awesome story, but because we just live on the dumbest timeline, there's, you know, a tiny bit of controversy attached to it, I guess. And I guess there's maybe even people could find a way for there to be some controversy in the Alyssa Liu Figure Skating Gold but here's why I wanted to start with this. I do not know anything about figure skating. When I'm watching I can see if somebody did more rotations than the previous jump, but I don't know if something's a double or a triple. I certainly don't know the difference between a toe loop and an axel. And I know that the guy who got nervous and kind of screwed up his individual, they called him the quad God. And I learned, you know, I didn't learn that was because he could do a quadruple axle. I, you know, I did. I do remember watching the figure skating movie the Cutting Edge when I was a kid and I remember obviously Kerrigan Harding and that controversy. Okay, with that said, there is something maybe a little like sanguine if not corny here, but I don't mind. There is something truly beautiful and touching about athletic feats that have the ability to transcend the understanding of a sport. So if you watched Alyssa Lou's four and a half minute gold medal winning routine cold as I did, I watched it bleary eyed on a plane from Vegas to San Francisco at 6:30 in the morning after having slept for maybe a combined two and a half hours in the previous two days. And I was scrolling Twitter and it seemed like every fourth tweet was this four and a half minute video. So I was like, I've got to watch it and I'm not lying to you. I say two minutes in. I was like, am I getting choked up? By the end I was, I almost had tears in my eyes. And I immediately watched it again. I don't know why. I can't explain it. I don't, I can't define what made that break through to me as, oh my God, I'm watching something specifically Excellent. And there is something to sports where you, you can walk into an art gallery and maybe be taken aback by something. But very often the best art, someone kind of has to explain to you why it's great. You can hear music and really like it. But very often the best, like, oh my God, this is historically excellent. Someone who's an expert has to explain why this was, you know, why this composition or whatever was so difficult or so important. I think a lot of people have read some of the greatest books ever and walked away from them and like, okay, I thought that was good, but I don't totally understand why this is a classic. There is something about feats of athletic brilliance that the human brain just intuitively recognizes as great. And I watched that young lady do that four and a half minute routine and it was literally breathtaking. And then afterwards you read about her story and about how, I mean, she was quite literally born to do this. Her dad really, really wanted, you know, I don't want to get it wrong, but it seems like her dad was a Michelle Kwan figure skating superfan and tried to have, you know, a daughter that could follow in those footsteps. And then she competed in the Olympics at 16. And then the pressure of this is the only thing I've ever been, you know, allowed to do or told to do or I was built for. She retired and then came back at 18 and is a very, you know, is very individual. Doesn't really have the look from body type, hair, piercings, anything to traditional figure skaters. And she was just out there with utter and complete joy, crushing in the single biggest moment of her life. And I thought it was just spectacular. And so I don't listen, I understand there are actual figure skating experts that are, you know, said, well, you know, she used she blade edged on one of her jumps or this, I don't care. I, I've watched that performance four times. I'll watch it again. And it was a truly beautiful feat of athleticism by a young woman who the figure skating community was intimately familiar with. I was not and I thought it was a privilege to be able to see. So that was the, you know, the first for me, holy shit. Moment of the Olympics. And then you have, for the first time in my life, for the first time since the Miracle on ice, Team USA Hockey wins the gold over Canada. Canada, you know, the best hockey nation in the world. Team USA lost in the four nations gold medal game to Canada. And now we beat him in overtime of the Olympics after they beat us in overtime of the Olympics in the gold medal game when Sidney Crosby hit the goal. I don't know. Was that 2010? I don't, I am not quite certain. And that was just awesome. And our women's team won as well. And here is what I would say about, Here's what I would say about the, when I say the controversy, the, the folks feeling, folks, some folks who share my politics sometimes feel very funny about being usa, usa. And I'm here to tell you again, you feel however you want, but I shouldn't say you shouldn't. I wouldn't feel that way. And I would say, pardon me, I'm not getting choked up, I promise. I just my voice At 6:30 in the morning over here. The. There is something to be said for being proud and prideful in what, you know, a nation is supposed to represent and can represent and what its foundational principles are built upon, while being upset and disappointed that you feel it is not living up to that promise each and every day or some of our political actors on the largest stage are not fulfilling that promise. You can feel that way and still feel pretty awesome that Team USA Hockey as a huge underdog, went and beat Canada. And that type of patriotism wrapped in sports I think can be really profound. And it's not. You can feel that way and feel prideful about it. Even if you feel a different type of way of the director of the FBI taking the FBI's jet to Chug beers in the locker room after like those. You can hold those ideas in different parts of your brain. And so listen, I just, I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics. I think Simmons idea of if instead of every four years, winter, summer, World cup, if we found a way to get those three international events on three year rotations so every year we had one of them would be sick. But this year, because there are four year rotations, yes, that does mean some years we have neither, but this year we get both. This year we have the Winter Olympics and then in a few months we have the World Cup. And so I, I thought it was Awesome. I know you have a couple follow ups here to mon. Before we get to the other stuff,

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

what's the best sports comparison you could think of for USA beating Canada in hockey?

[Demons A]

Well, I do think it would. It would have been at like. And I know that Team USA did in basketball, you know, we did lose a gold medal. So I think that's probably what year did we. Was it oh four? It was Team USA basketball by the Olympics. It was. It was 04. Right? It was an 04. 0804 was. Sorry. Oh four. That's right. Because everyone. I should have known it was 04 because people blame LeBron even though he was 19. Why didn't you carry us, kiddo? And so the. I think that's probably where a. You know, you can lose but it's stunning when you do and you lose to a nation where. Where that isn't their big thing. Like that's the. It's like if. If Canada the US is bet was better than. I don't know again, I'm talking a little. I'm a little over my skis. No pun intended here. You know, Finland or Sweden in hockey, I think maybe again I pick one of the countries got to be better than one of them. But that's their main sport. So if Canada maybe had lost to a nation where it was. They were a bigger favorite, but it was that nation's main sport. Yeah, that is a different feel than it's like this is like our sixth sport in the US and we won and it was. Evidently it was controversial.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Are we that much worse than Canada in hockey though? Yes, that. Okay. I thought we were. I thought we were a little bit closer.

[Demons A]

So I mean, I mean I know

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

it's their sport 100%.

[Demons A]

I mean I think since. Hold on. I should have looked this up. I apologize. Gold medal winners Hockey Olympics So we won demons a in 1980.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah, that was the last time we won gold.

[Demons A]

So no, but I'm. I'm just saying since then this is. Who is. Who's one is in 84. It was the Soviets in 88, the Soviets in 92. I guess the Soviets. The Unified Team. 94 Sweden. 98 Czech Republic O2 Canada. Oh six Sweden. 2010 Canada. 2014 Canada. 18 Russia 22 Finland. Canada. You know, Canada has. Yeah, Canada's got nine golds and five silvers. The US has three golds and eight silvers. So just historically, you know. And it's their biggest sport by a mile.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Right.

[Demons A]

And so that's. That's what it Is. And then this is a great question about Hellebok, which I had not thought about.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

You think it's going to be weird for hell about going back to Winnipeg?

[Demons A]

So I didn't believe. I didn't think of this yesterday when we were talking about on the show that he plays for a Canadian Hockey.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

Now it is. So again, I am. I am very honest with you guys. When I parachute into a sport like I am not a hockey guy. I'm not pretending just we went and did the Daytona 500 ten days ago. I take my job very seriously. I prep really hard. I really care and I want to learn.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I.

[Demons A]

But I'm not going to pretend. If I pretended like I was an expert on everything, then the things I actually am an expert on, I think you guys wouldn't take me seriously on. And hockey is not my thing. But I again, I can research and I can read. I had no idea that Hellebock, that Team USA just had the best goalie in the world. That three times he's won goalie the Vesna Trophy, which is goalie of the year in hockey. And last year to Monze in the NHL, he just flat one league mvp, which it's. I think it's relatively rare for a goalie to win. You know what I mean? And so. But he. The Winnipeg jets are not very good. He hasn't really had playoff success. He hasn't won a Stanley Cup. And so for him, VP of the Olympics. Yeah. And for him to stop 41 of you didn't have to be a hockey expert to know that guy was kicking ass in that gold medal game. And I thought like 41, 47 shots. No, 41 to 42, I believe. And the other cool thing. So there were brothers Damanze on the US Men's Olympic team. Their mom, I believe, won gold for the women's team years ago. One brother scored an overtime game winner in the quarterfinal and the other brother scored the overtime game winner in the final.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

That's sick. That's sick.

[Demons A]

That's really sick. That's really like it. That. So there's just cool Olympic stories like that. And then also, and I know this lady is maybe like politically controversial for some. Eileen Gu, the skier, because she's an American with Chinese heritage who skied for China. Again, I don't know. I have not, not fully researched on any of that. And I'm not trying to run from it. I just really. I. I didn't spend time on it. She gave one of. In fact, you know what I'm going to do something on the fly here, guys. See if you can pull up. It's a 90 second sound bite. See if you can pull up Eileen Goo's answer when the beginning of the question is do you think before you speak? Which sounds awful but the question ended up being awesome. And then just tell me in the doc if we. When, if and when we have the ability to play is one of the most profound. I was going to send it to Monza to our family group chat but you guys. But I use for you and your sisters to see. But I don't think. I think you're the only one who watches the videos that I said. But it is such an awesome response from a legend in her sport. And so your mom by the way is walking around this hotel room just. Just telling me to shut up and making fun of all my profound comment. Yeah, she's five feet away. So you guys just tell me in the doc if we get it. I think all that and I think Lindsey Vaughn being like I'm going out on my shield. I got a torn acl. I want to compete in one more Olympics. If I get hurt, I get hurt. And then she ended up demonstrate. She almost. She could have lost her leg.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Her leg? Yeah.

[Demons A]

No like for. And the other tricky thing about that is like I don't exactly know how it works because she was injured in Italy. Her you know, the surgeon she has worked with in the past, her doctor, all that stuff are us certified doctors. It seems like they let her doctor come over to do the surgeries. I don't know. You know what I mean? You any stuff like that foreign country, there's different rules and stuff. So the. I just loved the Olympics and shout out listen the broadcast they did a good job. Shout out to everyone involved. All right, we're gonna get to some NBA and we're gonna play you that island goose sound in a bit. But first, today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet Florida Sportsbook. I know it can be tough with no football, but like the song says, I bet I'll survive With Hard Rock Bet, there's always something to bet on every night. Hoops, hockey, so much more. Plus the great same game parlays, live betting player prop options you're used to. And did you know Hard Rock BET is the official sports betting partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. So they know hoops. If you haven't signed up with Hard Rock BET yet, there's never been a better time. New Signups can double their winnings on their first 10 bets. Max $50 that's right. If you would have won a hundred bucks on your bet, make that 200 hard rock bet sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for whenever you're in Florida, and it's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. Coming soon to more states. Plus, Hard Rock Bet offers new promos daily, so whenever you're listening, just open the app and check out what they've got. Any day of the week, download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida, offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC and in all other states must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1833 play wise in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia don't you wish everything was

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[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

N what if mind control is real?

[Demons A]

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Demons A]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you get someone to join your cult?

[Demons A]

NLP was used in on me to access My subconscious.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Nlp, AKA Neuro Linguistic Programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.

[Demons A]

It's about engineering consciousness.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Mind Games is the story of nlp, its crazy cast of disciples, and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stole, stood trial for murder, and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work.

[Demons A]

This is wild.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nancy Glass]

I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt season two podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumprite became the victim of a random crime.

[Demons A]

He pulls the gun, tells me to lie down on the ground.

[Nancy Glass]

He identified Jermaine Hudson as the perpetrator. Jermaine was sentenced to 99 years.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I'm like, lord, this can't be real. I thought it was a mistaken identity.

[Demons A]

The best lie is partial truth.

[Nancy Glass]

For 22 years, only two people knew the truth until a confession changed everything.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

I was a monster.

[Nancy Glass]

Listen to Burden of guilt season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

All right, Damanze, let's talk some hoops now if we can.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

No, Tatum, no problem. Jalen Brown has carried my Celtics this year, and we are in second place. And LeBron came out and said after they blew the Lakers out that Jalen Brown should be in MVP talks. Where do you think he stacks up in the MVP race right now?

[Demons A]

Damanze, I. Before I even answer that, I want to say this because I. I have always thought Jaylen Brown was a good night. You know, what does that mean for me to say? I've always thought he was good. Like, I. The. I obviously never thought Jaylen Brown was bad, but I. When they gave him his first contract extension, I tweeted congrats on the Celtics for signing a homeless man's Kawhi Leonard to a max. You know what I mean? So the. And he is just consistently exceeded my own expectations. Okay. He's a Finals mvp. Even given that what he has done this year.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

Is beyond belief. If. If you had told me he, Jalen Brown, was going to be averaging almost 30 points a game, I would have said the Celtics must be awful.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

Like that. That. You know what I mean?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

That I think that's fair, but that

[Demons A]

I would have thought they, you know, they ended up trading even more piece, kind of doing what Indiana is doing this year. Like, just take. Take it on the chin one year and then, you know, reboot for when Tatum's back and that, you know, he's average. He's, you know, good stats, bad team. It would have been. And I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong. Like, I. It would have been incomprehensible to me that Jalen Brown could play at this level for this. Good. Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

And so go ahead.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I think, well, with the way that people always talked about Tatum and Brown, and I feel like it was confusing who was the number one. But Jaylen Brown was always the guy who I feel like was a little bit more aggressive. And I. I mean, obviously it's rough that Tatum is hurt right now, but I do think this gave Jaylen Brown a chance to be his, like, actual self.

[Demons A]

Listen, and he's. He's always said, maybe more often than he should, how much he has sacrificed for the team in the past. Simmons pointed out he was like, Jalen's probably had three too many comments along the lines of, man, this is so much fun and three too few. Man, we can't wait till we get Tatum back. So, like, there is a little bit of. But I don't. I don't. I first want to give Jalen.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

They have a good relationship at the end of the day. So I trust, like, I trust that they aren't guys.

[Demons A]

Yeah, but they're. I think. But it does. I think they are both very competitive.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

And I think that, you know, I. I think it's very clear Jason Tatum is the better player. But I don't think that Jalen. And I'm not saying you should feel this way. I just. I don't know that Jaylen Brown feels that way. Yeah. And I think. And so this year and the success they're having and all of that is, you know, real validation for him. And so I'll get to the Tatum piece in a moment. To answer your question, I would have Jaylen Brown third in the MVP race. I would have Jokic Shea ahead of him,

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

JB third.

[Demons A]

The. And I would have Jaylen Brown third. And then I would have Cade 4, Wimy 5 or Wimy 5K4. They played last night. You know, one game doesn't flip it, but maybe. And my guy Luca on the outside looking in at 6. But Joker and Shay might not be eligible for it because of the games. Like, Joker can only miss. I think two more. Shea has more wiggle room on that, but not a ton, man. If the Celtics are the top two seed and Jalen Brown's just out there doing this night in, night out, he's got to have real MVP consideration. He deserves it, man. The. And it's got to be about what you've actually accomplished rather than, you know, what bucket we put you in beforehand.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

And what do you think our ceiling is with that?

[Demons A]

Well, so this is. No, this is where it gets complicated, Right? So I do not believe the Celtics can win the championship as presently constituted without Tatum. Okay. But I also feel sick for Tatum because it feels like, yeah, like, how

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

do I get back in?

[Demons A]

And let's just walk down the different paths. Right. The safest thing for Tatum is wait till next year. Yeah, that probably avoids the most criticism. Torres, Achilles in the playoffs, I don't think, but there would still be some level of, oh, man. If he could have just come back for the playoffs, could we have won the title? Right. It also does waiting till next year open up the tiny possibility. And I don't. I don't even know what you do with this, if this happens, that they win the title without which. Listen, that. No, I. I'm not speaking for Jason Tatum. I am speaking for human beings. People can want people they love to succeed without them, without necessarily wanting them to get the ultimate, greatest success imaginable without them. You know, like the. You can. If, you know, if I. If I left the TV show, I would want Wilds and Brew to do really well. If they all of a sudden ripped off a couple Emmys in a row when we never won one, I would

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

be like, damn, what the heck? What the heck, Right?

[Demons A]

That kind of. That's kind of tough. And so the. And so, like, that's just human nature, right?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

But then there is the element of, if he comes back, I think they could win the title with a 75% Jason Tatum. They're that good like this. But if they don't, are people going to be like, oh, man, did he mess it up?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Messed up the fight?

[Demons A]

Did we have a good thing going? Whatever it is. There's also this. He comes back, he already has that thing hanging over him that he didn't win the finals. Mvp. The one time he comes back, he's not himself. They make the finals and he has a rough finals.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Like, oh, I mean, come on.

[Demons A]

Like, no, I. I don't think I want to make this clear. I am not saying this is fair stuff. Also, should I close the curtain behind me? Tell me in my ear, guys, if I should just.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

The reality of sports and the fans.

[Demons A]

Right. And fans in the media. Hold on one second to Monte. Daniel, tell me yes or no. I didn't hear you. Yeah. Thin curtain. The hotel thin curtain has been requested. Hold on, guys. Let's see if this looks better. Hotel thin curtain activated. All right, I'm back. And so I don't know if that helped at all. And so I just, I feel Jason Tatum is a very thoughtful and introspective guy. I think we all know that he cares a lot. He also cares a lot about legacy. I think that's fair to say.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

And he is in his success in this rehab has put him in an impossible position because if he had rehabbed more according to a traditional timeline, everyone would simply be targeting the beginning of next season.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

Because he's so far ahead of us of schedule. He now like. And because the team. It'd be one thing if the team were right now the eight seed and it's like. But because the team's playing well and he's ahead of schedule and I don't know, I do not envy the position he's in.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

And, and it is, it is. I, I, I don't know. But I do go ahead.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I just say, I just say play it safe. I mean, you've seen how that can I feel. Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving. I mean, Kyrie Irving's an older guy, but I like how he's kind of, he's, he's done. I think that you don't want to sacrifice later for. Especially if we're already doing well right now. But I mean, see how you feel in a couple months or month and a half, whatever it may be.

[Demons A]

But buddy, I think it's on the board. He's back in two weeks. Yeah, I, and I think, I, I think he either comes back in March or not at all. That's my guess. I think that it's either. I'm coming back with some ramp up before the playoffs.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Before the playoffs. Right. If he's not there by playoffs, he's not coming.

[Demons A]

Right. And so, but here's the other thing. I do think you guys can win the title if he comes back.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah.

[Demons A]

It's a lot of. And I don't think you need Tatum at peak Tatum. You know what I like, I think that.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

No, like that 75, 86, like you said.

[Demons A]

Yeah. Is enough if you just drop him in. All right. Before we get to spurs, pistons and some LeBron stuff, we got a lot to do. The show's Going longer than I thought today and all my poker stuff. I want everyone to listen to this. Eileen goo. Did we keep the question in it, guys? If not, the question is, do you think before you speak? And then the questioner went on to explain. Because you answer so quickly, but you're so thoughtful. Go ahead and play this. And everybody really listen to what this woman is saying.

[J]

Do you think before you speak? Because you answer questions so quickly and so comprehensively, whether it's about geopolitics or your sport or aerodynamics, like, can you take us into your brain? Thank you, Sir Charlotte. That's very kind. Oh, man, do I think. I think, overall, I'm just a pensive person. Like, I'm a very introspective. I'm an introspective young woman. Like, I spend a lot of time in my head, and it's not a bad place to be. I journal a lot. I break down all of my thought processes. I think I apply a very analytical lens to my own thinking, and I kind of modify it because it's interesting. You can control what you think. Like, you can control how you think. And therefore, you can control who you are. And especially as a young person, like, I'm 22, so with neuroplasticity on my side, I can literally become exactly who I want to be. How cool is that? Like, how empowering is that?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Right?

[J]

And so the fact is, I get to become every day the kind of person that me at age 8 would revere. Like, I would be obsessed with me today. Are you kidding? I would love me. And I think that's the biggest flex of all time that you can have. Like, little younger, you be proud of you today. And so I guess for me, it's like, yes, I spend a lot of time in my own head. Yes, I think a lot, but it's not really, like, in an egotistical kind of way. It's in, like, a tinkering, like a scientist kind of way. I'm always, like, trying to modify. I'm trying to think, how can I be better? How can I approach my own brain the way that I approach my craft of free skiing so that I can be better tomorrow than I was?

[Demons A]

I think that is so awesome. That was awesome. I. That is awesome. And I'd never heard the term neuroplastic.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Neuroplasticity. Yeah. That's.

[FBI Narrator]

Yes.

[Demons A]

But then I looked it up after, and so what she's talking about is for young people. And this applies to you, to Monze. It certainly applies even more so to

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

your brain is more malleable, right? When you're younger.

[Demons A]

Yes, exactly. And it's still forming. And so what she's saying is like if I want to be a certain type of person I can just make myself that type of person. I can just decide I want to be this type of person, make it a self fulfilling prophecy and rewire my own brain into that is just who I am. And I think that in some ways is true for everyone at any age. It is definitionally true for young people.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yes.

[Demons A]

And so what she is saying there I thought was just like a good momentum profit. It's a great message. And so, and again, I know some people really don't like that woman because of the. She skied for China instead of the US Again I, I, the I, this is not me trying to like avoid criticism of China. This is purely something where I am simply going to say I, I have done, I have done as much research on that topic as I've done on heliskiing. Which is to say none. I know. And so you call me ignorant for it. It's fine. I'm just talking about that message right there. I know, it was awesome. And the other thing she said that I this is where I'll show my ego a bit that I really took to heart. But I think is a really cool idea for people to consider as they make life choices or as they hit a fork in the road is am I making the decisions and living the life or on the path to being the type of person that young me would admire. Like, I think that's a really like I when when she said young me. Eight year old me would be obsessed with me right now. I think it's because 8 year old her was a d. Wanted to be the greatest skier in the world. She is the greatest skier in the world. She's like I would be my own superhero. And so I just think that was awesome. And that lady's question was great. And it was, she's right. It was like that was a very extemporaneous, thoughtful bang, bang, bang. And so I don't know. I the, you know, these athletes parachute in metaphorically to our lives every four years if you're not a die hard of the sport. And I just think it's, I think it's phenomenal. All right fellas, let's be real. Buying men's jewelry used to be a nightmare. It was low quality junk, snapped after a week. Or it could be insanely overpriced with ridiculous markups. That's why I like to rock. With gld, they've changed the game. You get quality jewelry that's built to last without breaking the bank. And unlike a lot of other companies, GLD only uses real gold. Every single stone is meticulously handset plus their proprietary production process makes sure you're getting the highest quality jewelry. You can literally see and feel the difference. And listen, don't just take my word for it. Over 2 million customers and 50,000 5 star reviews back it up. Not to mention it's worn by some of the biggest names out there. Justin Bieber, Micah Parsons, asap, Rocky, and a ton more. Best part, every single piece guaranteed to guaranteed for life. Pardon me. It's literally built to last for the rest of your life. GLD is an official collab with the NFL. So you can get every NFL team on a pendant this season. They also have official collabs with the NBA, wnba, mlb, ncaa, mls, and even DC Comics. Chains and pendants that let you rep what you love, work hard and change the game. For a limited time only new customers are getting an insane deal. Use code right to get 50% off gld.com that's 50% off with code [e-mail] after you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you. All right, Damani, let's jump down to the LeBron stuff. LeBron and Pat Riley and I also have a question for the producer. Say in my ear.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Okay.

[Demons A]

Oh, yes, hold on, hold on real quick before you do it because in our rundown, and I swear I'm not trying to put anyone on blast, I'm trying to see if this was intentional because I like the. If this was intentional, I'm envious of it. And if it was an accident, I'm stealing it. Because the word written is hypotheticals, which is either a mistype or it's a word that should exist. Like, because I thought like the hypothetical, they just laughed and said it's a typo. I thought it was like hypothetical theatricals. Theatrical hypotheticals is what it was. And I thought we were going to create a new bit. Honestly, that's what I a new segment.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Hypotheticals.

[Demons A]

All right, the. Okay, so again, I wasn't trying to be a annoyance there. I just thought we stumbled upon brilliance. All right, go ahead, demonte. Now we can do it.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

So Pat Riley had a statue unveiled and in LA this weekend and him and LeBron had a little convo about what it would have been like if LeBron had stayed in Miami for a few more years, how do you think, hypothetically, that that would have worked?

[Demons A]

Yeah, I think eventually LeBron would have won at least one more championship. But I think LeBron was doubly was smart, strategic and lucky in leaving. I think he was smart in leaving in this way. He saw more than anybody that Dwyane Wade, who's one of the 30 greatest players in the history of the sport, was. Was done as an elite player that in 2014, in the regular season they load manage D. Wade, he still only averaged 19 a game. And then they did that. So in the playoffs he would be peak D. Wade and in the playoffs he averaged 18 a game. His, you know, his style of play demons A. I don't know if you remember, you're so young, but when he first came into the league, seeing the files, but yeah, but also there was an ad campaign for his shoe company. I think it was Adidas, but it was D. Wade driving to the basket and getting knocked down. Driving to the basket, getting knocked down. And the ad campaign was not get knocked down seven, get up eight. With the idea being just be relentless. And that was his style and he was a brilliant player. But when that's your style, your career can get compressed. And that's what happened to him. So this is not a criticism of D. Wade, it's just a reality. And LeBron saw, you know, up close and personal, when this guy is. This guy's time as an elite player is not ending. It has ended. And so there was that piece of it. The good fortune is I said LeBron good for. This is not good fortune. So I want to retract that comment. LeBron obviously did not know Chris Bosh was about to be diagnosed with career ending blood clots. So. But where I. So that's bad luck for everyone involved. But I'm saying had he stayed, that would. It's not like Chris Bosh wouldn't have gotten the blood clots like that. He still would have had to deal with that. So it was strategic in seeing what was happening with D. Wade. It, you know, the Chris Bosh thing happened, which would have really been probably was problematic for the Heat. And then the legacy piece was, let's say he would have won two more rings in Miami. They would not have weighed nearly as heavily as the one in Cleveland, much less the one in Cleveland, plus one more than with the Lakers. So, yes, I think LeBron, you know, still would have. You know, he had multiple years left. He. After he left Miami, he had the next Four years he was by a wide margin the best player in the sport still. And you could argue up until the year after the bubble he was the best player in the sport. But leaving Miami was smart. But I do think he, he would

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

have got another one.

[Demons A]

Yes, they were like Pat Riley's too good and Miami's too much of a draw for that. They would have, but in the short term they were going to be handcuffed by the blood clots from Bosh that he didn't know was coming and by what had happened to D. Wade. Let's talk about LeBron's current team for a moment here before we get to some NFL stuff.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

So yeah, the Lakers are the five seed in two games out of the play in. It's a tight over there in the west, but you don't seem too confident in the Luka LeBron led team. What are the Lakers season or what is the Lakers ceiling this season? Season

[Demons A]

absolute everything breaks perfect ceiling is the conference finals real realistic ceiling is win around and lose in round two. I. And this is tough, man. Well, and this is where, this is where the Lakers should be really concerned. Okay, so they're, they're off, you know, they're I think 7 and 11. I had this. You know what, I just don't say. I think I can just tell you exactly what they are because Josh, our great stats guy sent it to me yesterday. Sorry, I have to go through 50 flight emails before I can find. Here it is. So the Lakers this year against teams one through 10 in the West. So the other west playoff or play in teams are 9 and 13 being outscored by 7 points per game. Not good. Yeah, the Lakers against the top four in the east and West. So the top eight teams in the league are 2 and 11 getting outscored by 17 points per game. So when they've played the big boys they've gotten clocked. Now they are the best clutch team in the league and they are 25. And oh, when leading after three quarters, which has been a trademark of LeBron's last year in Cleveland. That Cavs team I believe was playoffs and regular season. I believe 54. And oh, when leading after three quarters. LeBron had a Lakers team that was like I think with AD when they won the championship they were like 44 and one when leading after three quarters. Like that's if, if the game is going according to lakers Script and LeBron can control the chessboard at the end they're in great shape but otherwise they're in bad shape. And here is where. And I know, I know folks are like, well, this albatross of a LeBron contract, guys, I'm not going to revisit this too much. If LeBron had opted out this off season and walked away and taken his $54 million salary off the books, the Lakers would have opened up $0 of cap space. Okay, so like I've explained that multiple times. It is just the facts. People don't want to accept it, that's fine. And you also have to contend with the fact that LeBron is not the problem with the Lakers. He's either the second or third best player on the team. And if you were the Lakers demons A and LeBron leaves. Here's my question. Because the Lakers pending free agents

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

because

[Demons A]

it's not just Braun, it's also arguably their fourth best player. Rui they obviously have to resign. Austin Reeves and their other free agents are Cleba. Who cares. Luke Canard and Jackson Hayes with player options for Marcus Smart, deandre Ayton and Austin Reeves who they're going to resign. Okay, if LeBron walks away demon say how many championship level starters do the Lakers have on the roster?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Well, I mean Luka hasn't been.

[Demons A]

No, but not, not no, no, no. But like guys you could be like

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

okay, 100% starter on a champion Luka Dodge and Austin. Yeah, ar too. Yeah, it's fair. Two, three guy.

[Demons A]

That's it though. You got to find three starters. You gotta, you gotta build a whole roster. And you have. Now you had Luca before last year's trade deadline, you stood pat. This offseason you punted. This trade deadline you punted. And I look at the West Amanze and I'm like, so how are the Lakers forget this year, next year going to be better than Oklahoma City? How are the Lakers next year going to be better than San Antonio? How are the Lakers going to be better than Denver? How like what is the process for this to happen? And if the answer is get Giannis, fine. But if you. First of all, I don't know if that fixes everything but getting out. You have Luke and Giannis, you can win the title obviously. But if it's not get Giannis, then the hell are you going to do? And so I just think they are. I, I think there is no player in the league more stylistically similar to late stage LeBron than Luca. They did such a terrible job at build putting the right pieces around late stage LeBron that they don't have the right pieces in place for Luca. Like had they built a roster that was perfect for Braun, defensive guys and shooters. Then guess what? When you trade for Luka, it's like, ready to go. You modeled your game after Braun, just without the athleticism they did.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

So do you think there's an actual path to them getting honest? Like, what would that. What would that be?

[Demons A]

Yeah, there definitely is a path. Giannis telling the Bucks, I will only go to the Lakers.

[FBI Narrator]

That.

[Demons A]

And by the way, that's the only path. Anything else is not a path. They can't make the best offer. They can't create the best package. It would have to be Giannis forcing Milwaukee's hand and Milwaukee being okay with it.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Okay.

[Demons A]

All right, let me. Before we get to our poker stuff, we much. Well, let me just say this on the front end, I still think the Tush push is getting banned next year. To Monze. I know right now the reporting is. It won't be. I see.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

With all the rough officiated and stuff, it's it. And it's ugly.

[Demons A]

It's ugly. Nobody can officiate it. The Eagles don't even like doing it anymore. I don't. And so I just don't think. I don't think. Sorry, your mom just walked back in. I don't think that it's going to. I know right now the reporting is. Nobody's proposing a rule change.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

So far it's only been two years, right?

[Demons A]

No. That they've done it 4.

[FBI Narrator]

3.

[Demons A]

4. It's been a big story for 3. But I just want to remind the audience, last year, during this time of year, they were trying to get rid of it. Goodell realized they didn't have the votes to get rid of it. He tabled it until later in the off season. Then they voted on it in May and it almost got eliminated. I just wonder if there's going to be a late push, no pun intended, to get rid of it. All right, before I get to the poker recap, Boost Mobile proving you don't have to overpay for great wireless. Unlock the savings with $25 a month. Forever Unlimited Plan. It's a 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 [e-mail] today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months of the Boost Unlimited plan as of January 2026 for full offer details, visit boost

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

mobile.com what if mind control is real?

[Demons A]

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Demons A]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Can you get someone to join your cult?

[Demons A]

NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Nlp, AKA Neuro Linguistic Programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.

[Demons A]

It's about engineering consciousness.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Mind Games is the story of nlp, its crazy cast of disciples, and the fake doctor who invented it at a New age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, nlp, might actually work.

[Demons A]

This is wild.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Listen to mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nancy Glass]

I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season two podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumprite became the victim of a random crime.

[Demons A]

He pulls the gun, tells me to lie down on the ground.

[Nancy Glass]

He identified Jermaine Hudson as the perpetrator. Jermaine was sentenced to 99 years.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I'm like, lord, this can't be real. I thought it was a mistaken identity.

[Demons A]

The best lie is partial truth.

[Nancy Glass]

For 22 years, only two people knew the truth. Until a confession changed everything.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

I was a monster.

[Nancy Glass]

Listen to Burden of guilt season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[FBI Narrator]

China's Ministry of State Security is one of the most mysterious and powerful spy agencies in the world. But in 2017, the FBI got inside.

[Demons A]

This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

This MSS officer has no idea the US Government is onto him. But the FBI has his chats, texts, emails, even his personal diary. Hear how they got it on the Sixth Bureau podcast?

[Demons A]

I now have several terabytes of an MSS officer, no doubt, no question of his life. And that's a unicorn.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

No one had ever seen anything like that. It was unbelievable.

[FBI Narrator]

This is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

Listen to the 6th Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

All right, Damanze let's get to the poker.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

So last week you were playing in Poker goes no gamble, no future game. So you won some big hands, you got some beef. There's even some story you said you wanted to tell. How was Vegas last week? Pretty amazing.

[Demons A]

All time, 48 hours before I even get to the game, I want to just shout out some people because the poker community in Vegas has really embraced me and I really appreciate that. And so in it I'll get to the no gamble no future streamed game that you guys hopefully watched on this channel. But then after that I would like to shout out Crazy Mike for allowing me maybe foolishly on my behalf, you know, more than three, less than 11 McAllen's into the night to briefly join his 400800 mixed game at Resorts World where I, I looked to my left, I'm like, that's Chino Ream, that's Jesse Lonis, that's Angry John Manette. I yeah, you know what, I probably shouldn't be sitting in this game. And I left. But they let me sit there briefly shout out to them. The next day I stumbled over to Bellagio to play a different 8160 mix game. My pal Peter runs that. I don't know if he runs the game, but it feels like it's his game. The table was full. He allowed me to sit in for maybe he thought it was going to be a bit. I played for nine hours with my buddy Elliot Lazara who's just a legend of the game, won a little bit in that game. And then into the night going back to the my room at Aria, I'm like, well I got to go stop by the poker room at 1 in the morning, 6am flight and I see my buddy MJ running his 2550 no limit game. I'm like, ah, I'll sit in that game for a bit play. And he played there until about 3:30 in the morning for I had to get on my flight. So shout out to all those folks and shout out to their games. I appreciate in the different properties replayed. But I went to Vegas for the no Gamble, no future cash game streamed cash game and this was initially going to be a 2550 game where people bought in for around 10 grand. Then my pal Antonio Sfandiari got his hands on it. He ended up setting the lineup. He ended up setting the game they played the day before as well. Somehow it turned into a 100200 game and somehow Antonio in the first night of it lost. I mean it's Documented. He won't mind me saying $380,000. And so night two. It's certainly not going to. He's not going to play smaller. And now it's a 100200 game with like a $400 straddle, sometimes an $800 restraddle. And when Antonio had something to say about it, a 1600 dollar re restraddle. And by the way, every two hours they wanted to do 10k PLO flips, which means everybody puts 10,000 in the middle. We all get four cards. The dealer then runs out a five card board. You do nothing, you turn your cards over and whoever has the best hand gets the 70 from the table back somehow.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

Right.

[Demons A]

And so to say this game played bigger than I expected it to would be an understatement. However, I love the Poker Go crew. I work with the Poker Go crew. More on that in a moment. I love Antonio and there was a guy in the game that they call Senor Tilt or they call him Kiki

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

who your tilt is tough. That's a nice nickname right there.

[Demons A]

I well, yep, that's nice. Who I find wildly irritating. And I told my buddy's boy and I was like, listen, I'm be sitting at the table with this guy for seven hours. At some point it's going to come out that I find him irritating. An added bonus, demons a was he no fault of his own on this, but had no clue who I am? None. Like, I think he thought I was like a mid stakes aspiring professional poker player. Correct. Like at one point he said like the only like one on one interaction we had at the table early in the night, he was like, he's like, so somebody told me like you have you do a podcast or something like that's cool. I'm like, yeah, that's right.

[Rebel.com Advertiser]

And,

[Demons A]

and he kept throughout the whole night. So the night before Demase when Antonio lost all that money, he was the big winner.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Okay.

[Demons A]

And he left the game early. There was a dinner break, everyone went to dinner, everyone came back to keep playing and he never came back.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

That is, can you do that? Is that like frowned upon in a poker split?

[Demons A]

You can do it, but it is frowned upon.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Right.

[Demons A]

The general kind of rule is if there's a game that's supposed to run for a set amount of time, if you're losing, you can leave whenever you want. Nobody's going to make you if you're lo. But if you're winning, you tip the. The etiquette is right.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Don't go a big and then just dip, right?

[Demons A]

Exactly. So Monday, but Monday he did. Or not Monday, the first day of the game. So day two, the whole time we're playing, he keeps referencing how he has to leave early again. And he's saying, because my plane leaves at 7. My plane this, my plane that.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

My plane. Oh, his price is pg.

[Demons A]

He keeps saying my plane. And he also. He also travels. He travels everywhere with two security guards and a camera crew. I'm like, okay, man. Like, there were. There. Were there. In these. In these games, there are legitimate, like, billionaires that they don't. They don't have. They don't have multiple security guards. The only person I've ever seen at one of these games brings, like, the level of security this guy brings is Kevin Hart, who's one of the 30 most famous people in the world. And so I. So. And. But he keeps saying, my plane.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Your tilt, man.

[Demons A]

And in my head, I'm like, well, if it's your plane, you can stay as long as you want.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Whatever you want, right?

[Demons A]

So I finally. I was like, hey, I have a question. Is it your plane or not? And he immediately, Immediately got defensive. And let me add one other thing. This guy is an ultimate needler. He's a little bit of an. He's a little bit of an angler, if you ask me. I watched a game where he cut out $150,000 bet, put it over the line to bet it. It was a bluff, saw the other guy was about to call, and then pulled it back, which is stone. Yeah, that's.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

I don't even play poker like that. Yeah, no, no, no, no.

[Demons A]

So that. That if in a real. Cause in a regular casino, the other guy could call the floor and be like, at bet stands, but in these games, it's kind of a gentleman's game, but that was not a gentlemanly thing. And he also, like, is big on needling guys for not playing enough hands, even if he is playing the same amount of hands as them. It's a lot of stuff that I just don't like. And so finally, we were about 45 minutes from his supposed departure, and I didn't want him to leave because he was, once again, one of the big wins.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Yeah, right. I need that.

[Demons A]

I was. I was up like five, six grand or whatever. He was up like 110. And I. And I was just like, hey, buddy, is it your plane? And he's like, what do you mean, No, I don't have a plane. I have a chartered. I. He's like, I Have a chartered jet. And I'm like, okay, but it's. Okay, fine, but you're the only person on it. What? And I was like, you and your security and camera crew. It's your. Your people. He's like, yeah. I'm like, well, then can't you leave whenever you want? Like the. If it. You're. Whether you like, it's not gonna leave without you keep saying your plane. And he's like, no, well, then I need a new departure slot and a new landing slot. And then he. He's like, oh, sounds like. Sounds like, right one is in the market for a plane. Boys, let's tell him how it works. And I'm like, no, I'm not saying that, dude. I was like, what I am saying is, dude, I'll send you the. I'll send you the video, and people can watch it on our YouTube page. I mean, I did instigate it. I was like, no, I'm not in the market for a plane. I, however, am someone who speaks for a living. And I would just give you the advice in the future. Say my flight, unless it is, in fact, your plane. Because when it's not your plane and you have to leave at a certain time and you keep saying my plane instead of my flight, it almost gives the impression you're trying to sound like a big shot who has a plane when you don't have a fucking plane. And. And so he was. And so then he was like, you know what? I'm grounding my plane tonight. I'm gonna stay. And I just. And I said, mission accomplish. That's all I want.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

Perfect.

[Demons A]

But nobody. Everybody kind of always lets him get away with this shit. And I just wasn't into it. And so then a few minutes later, he couldn't deal with the fact that the table laughed at him. And yeah, he was like. He was like, you know what? I think I should buy a plane. And without missing a beat, I was like, bro, that's a great idea. That way you have something to sell when the money runs out, you have an ass.

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

And.

[Demons A]

And I referenced a different guy who, similarly to him about a couple years ago, burst onto the poker scene, was kind of Mr. Big Shot everywhere, and is nowhere to be seen these days because the money ran out. And now, listen, maybe this guy's got infinite money a lot. Who knows? I don't know. But then right after that, demons a, he packed up his chips and left. And left. Once again, to his credit, left, winner in the game. But here's the other here's the addendum to the story. So. Oh, he also did a whole. He did the whole thing to me about, you know, how many hands are you playing? You're only playing aces, whatever. And I knew he was wrong. I was like. I was like, I guarantee you and I have played about the same amount of hands. We can bet anything you want. And he, of course, didn't bet it, but I also knew what the stats were. But then yesterday. So then he. Then he's like, tweeting through it. He's all mad. He's the. But doesn't matter. Fine. It's no problem. But then yesterday, he posted the stats from the two nights, the two games, and how he's the big winner and what everyone else wanted. And I saw my name on there, and I'm like, that's not. None of this is not even close to accurate. And so I did a little research. This guy posted the final stats for the game for. As if the game ended when he left. Yeah, when he left, because. And here is the, you know, the end of the story. This game that was too big for me, that I shouldn't have been playing in, that I brought backup money to, but I ended up buying in for $25,000. Antonio bought in for a quarter of a million. I bought in for 25. I cashed out for 162, which made it the biggest win of my life by a decent margin. Me, your guy, Nick Wright, the biggest winner of the night on day two. And it was announced at the end of the broadcast that for future. No gamble, no future episodes that I'm not playing in, I'll be broadcasting. I'm going to do it with my guy, Brent Hanks, which is so exciting. Yeah. So all of that is really great. And I have a nice little poker rivalry. And if somebody sends this to. Kiki, a word, just a friendly piece of advice, man, you would be stunned, man, how much of the poker world must be sick of your shit, because folks who I've never heard from got my number, sent me the clips and thanked me for it. So maybe, maybe tone down the look at me, Louie stuff. Maybe. I don't know. To each their own but wildly successful weekend. And as the producers put it, because I was. I was funny and I was targeted, but I was kind of a jerk. And you know what? That entire plane bit culminated in me being stranded on the west coast doing the podcast from a hotel room because I, in fact, do not have a plane. Talk to you guys later. That's Right.

[Nancy Glass]

I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt season two podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumpright became the victim of a random crime. The perpetrator was sentenced to 99 years until a confession changed everything.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

I was a monster.

[Nancy Glass]

Listen to Burden of guilt season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mind Games Narrator]

What if mind control is real?

[Demons A]

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Co-host or Guest (possibly Damanze)]

When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Demons A]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you get someone to join your cult?

[Demons A]

NLP was used on me to access

[Mind Games Narrator]

my subconscious mind games. A new podcast, exploring nlp, AKA Neuro linguistic programming. Is it a self help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam? Or both? Listen to mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

This is Special Agent Riegel, Special Agent Bradley Hall.

[FBI Narrator]

In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world.

[Sixth Bureau Narrator]

The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secret secrets.

[FBI Narrator]

Listen to the 6th Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Demons A]

Back in 2016, we said, let's do a podcast. Little did we know it would last 10 years. I mean, but here's the thing.

[Nancy Glass]

Stay out of the forest.

[Demons A]

You're in a cult. Call your dad. This is terrible. You guys stay sexy. Don't get murdered.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Elvis, do you want a cookie?

[Demons A]

A cookie? My favorite Murder turns 10 this month. Join us for new episodes every Thursday on the Exactly Right network.

[Mind Games Narrator (alternate or repeated)]

Listen to my favorite murder on the

[Demons A]

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nancy Glass]

Goodbye.

[Demons A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.