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)
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.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
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…”).
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.
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)
- Quote:
- 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)
- Quote:
- Quick nod to the controversial figure Eileen Gu representing China, but more focus on her intelligence and maturity.
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…”).
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.
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.
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.”
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)
- Quote:
- 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").
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)
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)
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)
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
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.