The 2025 Realy Awards and Sue Bird Stops By

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Ringer NBA Show – "The 2025 Realy Awards and Sue Bird Stops By"
Release Date: July 25, 2025

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Hosts:

• Logan Murdoch
• Raja Bell
• Howard Beck
• Cliff

Special Guest:

• Sue Bird – WNBA Hall of Famer, podcaster, and media mogul

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Introduction and Episode Overview

Logan Murdoch (00:00):
Kicks off the episode by celebrating the five-year anniversary of the "Real Ones" segment. Announces the annual Real Ones Awards for the basketball season and introduces the co-hosts Raja Bell and Howard Beck. Teases the appearance of special guest Sue Bird, honored for her contributions to the WNBA.

Key Points:

• Five-year milestone of "Real Ones"
• Transitioning to include video content with new producers Cliff and Victoria
• Introduction of Sue Bird as a three-time honoree

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Award Categories and Discussions

1. Newcomer of the Year (06:09)

Logan Murdoch (07:24):
Nominates the new producer team, Cliff and Victoria, praising their seamless integration of video content into the podcast.

Raja Bell (07:44):
Considers other nominees like Stefan Castle and Ahmed Thompson but ultimately supports Logan’s choice.

Howard Beck (08:04):
Agrees with the nomination, highlighting Cliff and Victoria's impact on the podcast’s evolution.

Quote:
"Cliff and Victoria have taken this podcast to a whole new level with the video transitions. It’s seamless." – Logan Murdoch (07:24)

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2. Worst Trade of the Year (10:35)

Logan Murdoch (11:28):
Denounces the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers as the worst trade in NBA history, emphasizing its long-term negative impact on both franchises.

Raja Bell (12:03):
Echoes Logan’s sentiments, highlighting the widespread backlash and the shadow it casts on the league.

Howard Beck (16:19):
Supports the notion, discussing the detrimental effects on the Mavericks’ future and overall league dynamics.

Quote:
"The Mavericks trading Luka was a landslide that will cast a shadow on both teams forever." – Raja Bell (12:03)

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3. Worst Take of the Year (19:52)

Cliff (30:54):
Suggests Draymond Green for his frequent ejections and controversial moments.

Logan Murdoch (32:22):
Agrees, noting that Green's behavior consistently affects team dynamics.

Howard Beck (32:56):
Mentions JJ Redick’s on-air outbursts and Deandre Ayton’s questionable decisions as other contenders.

Final Nomination:
JJ Redick for his unprofessional press conference behavior.

Quote:
"JJ Redick storming out of a press conference qualifies as a crash out." – Cliff (32:22)

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4. Crash Out of the Year (25:04)

Logan Murdoch (27:43):
Highlights Isaiah Stewart’s multiple altercations and technical fouls, placing him as the frontrunner for this award.

Raja Bell (28:04):
Considers whether factors like being baited into fights mitigate Stewart's actions but ultimately concurs with Logan.

Howard Beck (30:51):
Supports the nomination, citing Stewart’s consistent negative incidents throughout the season.

Final Nomination:
Isaiah Stewart for his contentious behavior and frequent technical foul calls.

Quote:
"Isaiah Stewart decided that was supposed to happen, but he's the one crashing out." – Logan Murdoch (27:43)

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5. Raja Bell Memorial Defender of the Year (34:22)

Raja Bell (34:26):
Nominates De'Aaron Fox and Deandre Ayton for their exceptional defensive skills, emphasizing their disruptive presence on the court.

Cliff (35:56):
Agrees, commending both players for their ability to consistently challenge opponents and impact games defensively.

Final Nomination:
De'Aaron Fox and Deandre Ayton as co-winners for their outstanding defensive performances.

Quote:
"De'Aaron Fox and Deandre Ayton are super disruptive on defense, making them deserving candidates for Defender of the Year." – Raja Bell (34:26)

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6. Philly Sports Person of the Year (45:02)

Cliff (45:08):
Awards Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles for his stellar performance and impactful leadership, especially noting his transition from the New York Giants to the Eagles.

Raja Bell (45:57):
Gives an honorable mention to "Gilly," a local sports figure known for his multi-sport prowess and viral moments.

Final Nomination:
Saquon Barkley as the standout Philadelphia sports figure.

Quote:
"Saquon Barkley deserves Philadelphia Sports Person of the Year for his incredible contributions to the Eagles’ Super Bowl defense." – Cliff (45:08)

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7. Moment of the Year (40:36)

Howard Beck (40:36):
Chooses Aaron Gordon’s game-winning putback dunk against the Clippers, highlighting its unprecedented nature and game-changing impact.

Logan Murdoch (41:48):
Picks the Stud Buds’ livestream during the WNBA All-Star Weekend as a pivotal moment, emphasizing its role in showcasing the league’s growth and camaraderie.

Sue Bird (73:49):
Shares memorable moments from the WNBA All-Star Game, praising the authenticity and positive vibes it brought to the league.

Final Nomination:
Both Aaron Gordon’s clutch dunk and the Stud Buds’ livestream at the WNBA All-Star Weekend are recognized as significant moments of the year.

Quotes:
"Aaron Gordon’s clutch dunk at the buzzer was unprecedented and game-changing." – Howard Beck (40:36)
"The Stud Buds live-streaming the WNBA All-Star Weekend was a monumental moment, showcasing the league's growth." – Logan Murdoch (41:48)

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8. Real One of the Year (47:26)

Howard Beck (47:26):
Considers both Nico Harrison’s press conference missteps and Jimmy Butler’s authentic handling of his trade to the Warriors. Ultimately nominates Tyrese Haliburton for his leadership and resilience despite an Achilles injury.

Raja Bell (52:00):
Shares a personal anecdote illustrating his own "real one" moment, emphasizing authenticity and resilience.

Final Nomination:
Tyrese Haliburton is honored as the Real One of the Year for embodying authenticity and making a significant impact during the postseason.

Quotes:
"Tyrese Halliburton pushed through an injury and stamped his authority on the postseason, making him our Real One of the Year." – Logan Murdoch (49:05)

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Special Guest Segment: Sue Bird (61:54)

The latter part of the episode features an in-depth interview with Sue Bird, exploring her life post-retirement, her foray into media, and her insights on the current state and future of the WNBA.

Key Discussions:

• Retirement Journey:
  Sue explains her gradual transition into retirement, focusing on personal growth and new ventures rather than following a strict plan.

  Sue Bird (62:15):
  "It's been about stepping out of my comfort zone, trying new things, and seeing what sticks without a strict blueprint."

• Media and Mentorship:
  She emphasizes the need for nuanced media coverage in the WNBA, advocating for more informed voices to enrich the conversation around women's basketball.

  Sue Bird (64:50):
  "We need knowledgeable voices in WNBA media to provide the nuance that was missing before."

• Growth of the WNBA:
  Sue highlights the significance of the WNBA All-Star Weekend in elevating the league’s profile and showcasing the genuine camaraderie among players.

  Sue Bird (71:24):
  "Our All-Star Game showcased how we actually are—competitive on the court and supportive off it."

• Advice for Current Players:
  She advises players to focus on controllable aspects of their game and personal development, balancing the influence of social media with on-court performance.

  Sue Bird (69:51):
  "Keep the main thing the main thing. When you're prepared and focused, the highs and lows are easier to manage."

Funny and Memorable Moments:

• Stud Buds Highlights:
  Sue shares humorous and memorable moments from the Stud Buds’ livestream, appreciating their authentic and fun-loving nature.

  Sue Bird (73:49):
  "They were dancing, having a good time—just normal people enjoying each other's company."

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Closing Remarks

Logan Murdoch (60:40):
Expresses gratitude to the audience for their unwavering support over the past five years, sharing anecdotes of real fans recognizing and engaging with the hosts in public settings.

Howard Beck (57:35):
Thanks listeners for tuning in every week and highlights memorable interactions with fans during live shows and events.

Final Thoughts:
The hosts reflect on their growth over five years, the community they've built, and look forward to continuing their insightful and entertaining coverage of the NBA and WNBA in future episodes.

Quote:
"Thank you so much for holding down the show. We'll be back in the fall. Real ones, we'll talk soon." – Logan Murdoch (60:40)

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Cliff and Victoria have taken this podcast to a whole new level with the video transitions. It’s seamless." – Logan Murdoch (07:24)

• "The Mavericks trading Luka was a landslide that will cast a shadow on both teams forever." – Raja Bell (12:03)

• "Aaron Gordon’s clutch dunk at the buzzer was unprecedented and game-changing." – Howard Beck (40:36)

• "Keep the main thing the main thing. When you're prepared and focused, the highs and lows are easier to manage." – Sue Bird (69:51)

• "Tyrese Halliburton pushed through an injury and stamped his authority on the postseason, making him our Real One of the Year." – Logan Murdoch (49:05)

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, award presentations, and the insightful interview with Sue Bird, providing a detailed overview for those who haven't listened to the episode. Notable quotes with timestamps are included to highlight significant moments and statements from the hosts and guest.

Transcript

[Logan Murdoch]

What's poppin? Welcome to Real Ones. This is our annual anniversary show, five years of Real Ones. So you know, we had to do, we had to tap in with the reallys where we give out our awards for the basketball season. So I'm here, Raj is there, Howard Beck is there. And also in the second segment, we have a real friend of the show celebrating with a Sue mother effing Bird friend of the show. She's a three timer now, so she gets the MFN distinction. We talk about the state of the wnba, our annual WNBA talk, All things, all star, all things, the future of the league, all things Sue Bird, mentorship, podcaster, media mogul. We get in all of that. So tap into the last Real Ones of the season. Ah, Cliff, play the theme music.

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[Logan Murdoch]

What's poppin? Real ones. Logan Murdoch here. Raja Beck there. Look. Damn. Rael there.

[Raja Bell]

Yes, sir.

[Logan Murdoch]

Howard back at the cut. This is the anniversary show, ladies and gentlemen. We have done five years, Raja. Five years of real Ones. We're here. This is the annual anniversary show and we're going to go out.

[Raja Bell]

It's been a pleasure. Logan, I just want to. I know you're gonna do your thing, bro. It's been a pleasure. From where we came from to now. Thank you. Ho. It's been a. It's been real.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh my God. And bring it back into the.

[Howard Beck]

Don't. Don't start getting all sappy on Me.

[Raja Bell]

Like, I'm out here like. Like.

[Howard Beck]

Put on a. Put on a shirt with a collar for our award show. And like, you went like full on like, beck.

[Logan Murdoch]

This means something.

[Howard Beck]

Like the gray coat and tie and.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, I got.

[Raja Bell]

I kind of got into it. I was in the closet lately.

[Howard Beck]

You got. I just came back from Vegas all the. You look like a pit boss.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, you do. You do.

[Raja Bell]

You look like what I was going for, but thanks.

[Logan Murdoch]

It's okay.

[Howard Beck]

Hey, pit bosses look good.

[Logan Murdoch]

It's not an insult like 30 year old Barack, bro. It's all good, man. You know, lock in. Anyway, also should say we. We have a Sue Bird going in the next segment to help celebrate with us and. Yeah, man, with that being said, we'll bring Clifford to the fold, who's looking equally spiffy. Look like he put some. Some sheen on. Some Afro sheen. Like, what you. Yo, come on, Soul Glow. No, it's not gonna shoot the Pharrell face cream on. Like, where we at? What are we doing? What's going on?

[Cliff]

Soul Glow. No Afro Sheen. I just decided to be on my little Steve. I mean, you gotta put the lotion on. You gotta get the curls right. You know what I'm saying? I don't gotta shape up right now. But, you know, after this.

[Logan Murdoch]

After this, after this show, you're going to Dubai and you about to take some flicks.

[Cliff]

You got Dubai money for me, bro. You got Dubai money for people. But nah, man, look, look, this is how we gonna do it. I'm gonna be on my Steve Harvey real quick. We gotta get Howard in and out of here. You know, thank. Thank you, Howard, for coming on your break, by the way, too.

[Logan Murdoch]

We.

[Cliff]

We appreciate you, brother. We appreciate you taking the time out to do your job on your break. Somehow that is a really, really crazy, crazy concept.

[Howard Beck]

Technically, not my break. I'm just kind of balancing like three jobs at once at the moment. But it's all right. I'm teaching some young minds.

[Logan Murdoch]

There we go.

[Cliff]

You hustling, you're doing your thing.

[Howard Beck]

The real ones of tomorrow are here in my classroom.

[Cliff]

The real ones of tomorrow. We got to give you finger snaps on that one. For real. Anyways, you want to get right into it. You want to get into the first category. What we doing here? Look you feeling? How you feeling? Logan, you got a sharp cut. You look at Spiff. You got the stripes on the glasses on.

[Logan Murdoch]

You know, I mean, feeling good, man. You know what I mean?

[Cliff]

Waves are spinning.

[Logan Murdoch]

Motion with the slow motion with the potion, trying to get to the ocean, man. Let's do it. Let's.

[Cliff]

Roger got his best, you know? I mean, coming out the. The David Stern coming out the. No more baggy jeans era suit on, bro. Raj, you looking.

[Raja Bell]

This barely fits me, by the way, dog. I'm like, yeah.

[Howard Beck]

Was that.

[Logan Murdoch]

Hey, man, my choke to death.

[Raja Bell]

No, this was. This was. Oh, this was 15. Like, Cleveland Cavaliers executive suite.

[Howard Beck]

Okay, there we go.

[Raja Bell]

And it. It barely fits. So I. I got about 20 more minutes in it.

[Logan Murdoch]

All right, anyways, let's get to the shits, Cliff.

[Cliff]

Let's get to the. Yeah, my fault, Howard.

[Howard Beck]

I'm in. No, no, I'm in no position to be taking pot shots. It's all I'm in is a polo shirt here, and I'm, like, feeling, like, suddenly way underdressed, as if I, like, just wore, like, T shirt and jeans into, like, the golf club or something. So I'm in no position to say this, but I'm just going to anyway. The last time I saw that coat, Logan was in Beetlejuice. And I say this respectfully because, like, Beetlejuice is a sharp dresser, man. Like, I can't compete with him either. But I'm just saying, last time I saw black and white vertical stripes on a sports coat, that was. That was. That was pretty much it in the afterlife.

[Raja Bell]

I missed you guys.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh, man, that is hilarious.

[Cliff]

All right, man, let's get to.

[Logan Murdoch]

Everybody.

[Cliff]

Let's get.

[Raja Bell]

Let's get.

[Cliff]

Let's get to this. So let's get to the first category, newcomer of the year. Now, look, this is my first year hosting the real EAs, so I really don't know how this is about to go. This is your five year anniversary. We're all a gang. We're all a group here. So, Logan, explain to me, how are you about to do the. How are you about to figure out who the newcomer of the year is, Man?

[Logan Murdoch]

I really didn't know how to do this, bro. I had. I don't want to take the easy way out and say, you know, because I see what you just did there, you know, I mean, I see how you just put your bid in on the. On the very low. You know what, man? Yes. I'm going to take the easy way out. I'm going to go. Our new producer team, Cliff and Victoria, who are bonafide newcomers of the year. Like, they have taken this to a whole new level of a podcast with the video we're going into. Spotify video. All the pods are going in the video. They have made that Such a seamless transition. So am I pandering? Probably. But do I mean it? Absolutely. So you know Cliff and Victoria. So yes, I, I'm, I'm, I'm pandering. Absolutely. But do I mean all the words that I say? Absolutely, yes. So that's my newcomer of the year. Do it. Do you guys just want to say that's the newcomer of the year? Do you guys have new newcomers of the year?

[Raja Bell]

I was, I was with Howard, like, just full disclosure when Howard shot off the text saying, can we get a little clarity on some of these? So I didn't know where to go on any of these mofos. I like your newcomer of the year. I would probably co sign that I was going to do the whole Stefan Castle thing and go through like, I had Thompson.

[Cliff]

There are actual NBA players that deserve newcomer.

[Logan Murdoch]

I had Ahmed Thompson.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I was going to get into those type of things, but I mean, I could, I could, I could definitely co sign on your real one, your newcomer. I mean, your newcomer of the year.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, I mean, you have a newcomer. I'm sorry, you know, I just, it was just, it was a hasty move putting the categories together.

[Howard Beck]

I, I, I think these are just like nominees, Right? We don't have to declare and we can declare a winner afterward. But like, you asked us to come up with nominees. You guys know me. I get like a little creative and weird sometimes. And I thought, newcomer of the year. Like, what's the most impactful newcomer? Could it be Mr. Second Apron?

[Cliff]

Here we go.

[Raja Bell]

That's interesting.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, yeah. So here, so think about this. Not, not the first year of the second apron. Not entirely new, but this is the first year we've really seen like the major, major impact of the second apron. Right? So think about going all the way back to last offseason. Coming into this season, Clippers let Paul George walk because of the second apron. The Nuggets let KCP walk because of the second apron. And the warriors parted with Klay Thompson largely because of the second apron. And then eve of the season, the Timberwolves send Carl Anthony Towns to New York. Reshapes two teams, the Knicks and Wolves. They both make the conference finals. You could say the second apron factored into the heat, not extending Jimmy Butler. There's obviously a lot of factors there, but cost is part of it. That leads to him pouting. That leads to him being traded. Then this summer, fast forward, Memphis Grizzlies send Desmond Bain to Orlando. That's a second apron trade. Celtics dumped Porzingis and Drew Holiday Second apron trades the Suns. Buying out Bradley Beal is about the second apron and resetting the bucks. Dumping Dame Lillard or buying out Extenuating circumstances. Hamstring everything else, but still relevant. Pacers not matching what Miles Turner could make from the bucks where he left to go. Extenuating circumstances again, but still relevant. And second apron influence. And on top of it all, what were we talking about within seconds of the Thunder winning the championship? But like, how long can they keep it together in an era where it's impossible to have any continuity anymore? So even after the championship, we're talking about like the champion's future because of the second apron. So newcomer of the year. Congratulations, Mr. Second Apron.

[Cliff]

Oh, that was. You came out swinging, brother.

[Raja Bell]

Damn, I like that way better. Distant.

[Howard Beck]

Meanwhile underdressed. But I'm over prepared.

[Raja Bell]

Could we do like newcomer of the year for someone who's been around but they're in new locations like BJ Bickerstaff and Kenny Atkinson, like for their respect. Newcomers, right? Like, I didn't know where to go. I was like all over the place with it, but I like that. Howard.

[Cliff]

Yeah, man.

[Logan Murdoch]

Howard, show them some love, man.

[Cliff]

Shout out to my favorite newcomer, Paul George of the Philadelphia 76ers. Anyways, next category.

[Logan Murdoch]

This is going to be a recurring theme throughout the podcast. Next.

[Cliff]

Next category.

[Howard Beck]

Nice thing is you can welcome him as a newcomer again when he shows up about mid season after wow. Recovered.

[Logan Murdoch]

Pow, pow, pow, pow.

[Cliff]

Yo. All right, man. Let me, let me, let me get myself together here, fellas. Gotta move the hosting duties.

[Logan Murdoch]

Sorry, Cliff.

[Cliff]

The worst trade of the year now, before Roger goes off about his mans and everybody had all the bad things to say about it. Raja, just keep cooler heads, you know, Cooler heads prevail here, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, we're not going to do nothing crazy here because there are. This could fit for two people. Now, your boy Jalen Green, you did say some things about him once he got traded and obviously your boy Nico with Dallas. So, you know, I don't know we're going to go here. So Logan started off worst trade of the year.

[Logan Murdoch]

I mean, I tried to find other trades, but damn, it's hard to beat the worst trade in the history of the NBA. Like, it's really hard to. It's hard to top that. And I feel like every time we like that because it's just going to cast a shadow on both the league and the Dallas Mavericks for the rest of civilization. I feel for. It's so bad that I feel For Nico, like, I was looking, bro. So I was. We're gonna, I'm sure we're gonna get to this category. But I was even looking at like, I was looking at like compilations for like big arguments throughout the, the regular season. You see these on the YouTube algorithm. And one of them was like, fire Nico. It just made it to the compilation, bro. Right. Like, even for no reason. We weren't even talking about trades. And he's in this, right? Like, people have a real visceral reaction to this man. To where that he has to have extra security. Like, I remember seeing Nico Harrison be like around arenas before the trade and after the trade and after the trade, I just, just feel sad. So, you know, Dallas, it doesn't matter how good they are, this is going to. Or bad they become, this is going to follow them forever. And then the Lakers, who knows, you just gave them a 10 year championship window. The Los Angeles Lakers, you know, I'm sure Roger's really happy about that, but like, most of the league isn't. No.

[Raja Bell]

I'm not a Laker hater. I don't give a.

[Logan Murdoch]

But yes, the, the, the, the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Dodges to the Los Angeles Lakers worst trade of all time. Do we have any. I don't even know if there's. I don't think there's a try.

[Raja Bell]

Take an attempt.

[Howard Beck]

I was, I was.

[Logan Murdoch]

Well, actually.

[Howard Beck]

I was going to pause for a second just to see was Raja going to try to spin this a little bit and say, you know, actually I wanted to see, like, was there a counter? Was there like any, like, because you knew this was coming, Raja, like, you knew, like there was no one. This is a landslide kind of thing here.

[Raja Bell]

I mean, listen, dog, I would just say this if, if, if life has taught me anything and it's debatable how much I've learned and how much I should have learned at this point. It's to reserve judgment, like, and not. And, and you just don't know. I mean, I agree with all of the reasons you should have gotten more and all of that type of stuff, but if you want me to play the side of the fence that I played during the trade, I will just go back to say that, like, if anyone knows him intimately and knows, you know, like some of the chinks that might be in the armor and some of the habits that might stop you from being what everyone thinks you should be, it would be the Mavs. So. Yeah, I still don't co. Sign it. I still don't, you know, I agree with all you guys and, and that it didn't materialize or produce what it should have produced. But, but I would just say those things again and say, I'll just sit here and watch. Who knows? You said there's a 10 year window for the Lakers to win one. They better motherfucking win one.

[Logan Murdoch]

I just got to say Raja's. Raja, ladies and gentlemen, is an amazing friend. Okay, you guys are seeing this right now. He's an amazing friend.

[Raja Bell]

But listen, that's the. I didn't defend Nico in that, like, look, dog, if your job is to take an asset like Luca and spin it for as much as you can get, you failed. Like, I'm not, I'm not that type of friend. Sitting here telling you not. Dog, he did. Like, I'm not sitting here telling you that, but I, but I am trying to see, like, why what might move somebody to do something like that, right? Like, and, and that's what I could come up with.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

So I, I was thinking about this last night and I'm like, man, we've, We've. We have beaten the hell out of Nico and the Mavs and Patrick.

[Logan Murdoch]

What's.

[Howard Beck]

Dumont, we went through all this and Raja did, Did his. I, I think a fair minded. By the way, I want to say, all teasing aside, Raja's had a. No, it's a, It's a fair minded counter, which is. They do have, I think, some valid concerns. They had some valid concerns. Doesn't justify the trade, I don't think. And it doesn't justify the when, how, why, what you got back of the trade. But, but they may have their reasons. Okay, we'll see what happens. Yeah, there's a world here where the Lakers never win a championship even with him. And maybe we see this trade differently down the road. Probably not. I think it will always be the worst trade in NBA history for all the where, why, how, that we just discussed. But all that to the side, I kept thinking, well, this is not an interesting category because it's such a landslide. So if we took Luka off the board. Hi, Sacramento.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yes.

[Howard Beck]

Did you really just trade Deer and Fox for Zach Levine and like a sack of beans?

[Logan Murdoch]

Yes, and because I think. And then tried to, and then are actively trying to trade Zach Levine ensuing off season.

[Howard Beck]

Like, I mean, come on, like that. And this is the thing, right? Like, Nico and Luca and that trade have saved a lot of asses from being just absolutely destroyed because that, that overshadows everything. There's. There's nothing that's going to be more shocking this year and there's not going to be a trade or a transaction of any kind that's going to be more scrutinized. Like, even, like, oh, I don't think that was really that wise for the. The sons of Bio, Bradley Beal and like, have all this dead money on the. Yeah, it's not great. Dame Lillard, dead money on the bucks. It's not great. Did you see what the Mavericks did? So like, like Vivek Rad is just sitting over there. Like, what? What are you talking about? Dear Fox, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Sue Bird]

Oh, look, look, look, look.

[Logan Murdoch]

I got traded he the main one. Like, look at, look at, look, Whatever.

[Cliff]

Look, look, look.

[Howard Beck]

Right, so. But if Luke is off the board, maybe it's the Zach Levine trade.

[Raja Bell]

If Luke is off the board, do you throw in. Do you throw in. Do you throw in the Pelicans draft day trade?

[Howard Beck]

That one was eyebrow raising, but probably not as catastrophic as trading your franchise point guard for a. You know what? Like, however you want to define Zach lavine at this stage of his career, like, he's a good player. I like Zach lavine. This is not to pick on Zach lavine. But that wasn't a good trade and everything surrounding it was not great. Right. The circumstances that drove you to this in the first place, after firing your coach and then eventually you fired the front office. Like everything's bad. Every decision making, you know, every significant decision made by the coach.

[Logan Murdoch]

And then you come June and you see the guy that you didn't pick take his team to the finals. Damn.

[Howard Beck]

That you.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

That you traded. Yeah. How long before Sabonis asks out? That'll be the next thing.

[Logan Murdoch]

I don't know, man. He's going to half pack A's games and showing all the love.

[Howard Beck]

So, you know, man, don't go to, don't. Don't go to these games at that.

[Logan Murdoch]

Like, they can't even sell out aaa the A's anyway. Go ahead, Cliff. I'm sorry. That had nothing to do with it. Nothing to do with Simone. I just wanted to say days, but hey, man, stop.

[Cliff]

Stop hating on the. They played a little minor league stadium. Anyways, we'll see how good of a friend Roger Bell is once it's time for his son to commit to Temple University. Next category.

[Sue Bird]

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[G]

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[Logan Murdoch]

Amazon One Medical presents Painful thoughts.

[Sue Bird]

I've been on hold to make a.

[Logan Murdoch]

Doctor'S appointment for 23 minutes now. The automated voice has told me 47 times that my call is very important to them.

[Sue Bird]

I'm starting to think that they don't think my call is important at all.

[Raja Bell]

With Amazon One Medical 24. 7 Virtual Care, you'll get help fast without having to remain on the line.

[Logan Murdoch]

To make an appointment. Amazon One Medical health care just got less painful.

[Cliff]

Next category, worst take of the year. Now, fellas, I'll give you some assistance on this one. Y' all had a rough time picking the Western Conference. The Western Conference was tough for y'.

[Sue Bird]

All.

[Cliff]

Now, let me be clear on the final prediction. Howard and Logan did get it correct, but Raja Bell, my guy, sorry, brother, we had to do it to you. So let me just play. Let me just play it back real quick.

[Logan Murdoch]

Prediction time. Howard, who you got one in the series?

[Howard Beck]

Clippers and six.

[Logan Murdoch]

I'm not mad at that. I'm not mad. I was gonna say Clippers in seven, but I'm not mad at Clippers in six. I'll go Clippers and seven. Who you got, Rock?

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I actually had Clippers in six, too. On what Tower?

[Howard Beck]

Lakers, Wolves, stars win series. Usually you point to, like, the team that has the best star on the floor. All due respect to Anthony Edwards, he's. He's the third best player in the series.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh, you know what's crazy? Even if you. After what you said, Howard, you kind of made me want to go the other way. Lakers in five.

[Raja Bell]

I'm taking the Lakers.

[Logan Murdoch]

All right, let's get right to Warriors. Rockets. I've taken the Warriors 7.

[Raja Bell]

My brain is telling me Golden State, but something about Houston, the youth, the physicality, the athleticism, and what IME is able to do like I'm taking them. It. I'm sticking with it.

[Logan Murdoch]

Bucket it, huh? Let's go. Let's go.

[Cliff]

Damn, Roger Bell.

[Logan Murdoch]

I'm not mad at that, though.

[Cliff]

I'm not mad at Howard. To be fair. Howard, to be fair, I did leave out your clip about the Warriors. It was just kind of long and extended. But you did pick the warriors to win that series. So I'm going to be fair to you.

[Howard Beck]

I did. And it's shocking that I was like long and extended and rambling endlessly.

[Logan Murdoch]

I never. I'm just mad at Roger's pick though. I'm not mad at his pick.

[Raja Bell]

I'm thinking back. I mean, I appreciate that, Logan. I listen. The Clippers. What would the Clipper. With this? My. My brain. It's summer.

[Cliff]

It did go seven. It went seven. The Clippers got blown out in game seven.

[Logan Murdoch]

Why do we keep so.

[Raja Bell]

That's not like crazy.

[Cliff]

It ain't crazy. It's just the fact that you picked all three.

[Raja Bell]

I know all three. That's tough.

[Cliff]

Like I was hoping. I was hoping I was going to find Memphis and. Ok, you there. Be like, you know what? Memphis might have.

[Raja Bell]

I think I was OKC all the way through though. The only thing that might save me is I was OKC all the way through.

[Cliff]

You did.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yo, wait, hold on real quick, bro. Why do we keep drinking the. The Clippers Kool Aid every year? To get disappointed. I'm just so disappointed in myself for that. That might be my worst take. Just believing in the Clippers. Why do I do this?

[Howard Beck]

Wait, but I just want to say. I just want to say, Logan, this could be their year.

[Cliff]

Oh my.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay.

[Howard Beck]

Howard.

[Logan Murdoch]

All right. Howard Pena.

[Raja Bell]

No, no. Had we seen game one, were these predictions. Do you know like. Like when these predictions. This was prior.

[Cliff]

This is predecessors playoff predictions. Yeah, yeah.

[Raja Bell]

I'm remembering. Like it just took me a minute. But like that shit was a. That was a touch. That was. Either way, I'm not mad at any of those. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not sorry.

[Logan Murdoch]

Fuck that. I think.

[Cliff]

I think in the midst of that whole entire thing there was Howard saying that Anthony Edwards was the third best player in the series.

[Logan Murdoch]

Damn. Yo, that was tough.

[Cliff]

And LeBron was getting clamped by Deo and Luca. Look, lost the whole series and Ant man went crazy the whole series. I think that was.

[Logan Murdoch]

By the way.

[Raja Bell]

But he is. But he. But I'm not going to do it but like to.

[Logan Murdoch]

Stop, stop, stop.

[Raja Bell]

Braun. Wait. Braun. Luca And. And. And Ant. You say he's.

[Logan Murdoch]

You wound up being the best player of the series.

[Cliff]

He had a bad game one or two, I think. I think if I recall, I'm trying to give.

[Raja Bell]

I'm trying to show Howard some love though. But like okay. Revision his history on that to some degree. But like is. Is he not like. Would you say he's a better player than those two?

[Logan Murdoch]

I think he's Better. Oh, you go fuck us up and get us on the take. This might be on the take next year. You know what? Just to cover my ass, man. I mean, as the fact that Anthony Edwards beat them. He's going to say Anthony Edwards is the best at all of them. I think Anthony Edwards is better than LeBron. LeBron right now. Like, that's. And I don't even think that's a big deal to say. It's tough. But I think LeBron's going to the year 23. Ant's definitely better than him, of course, and he beat Luca. So, you know, it is what it is. He's got the crown now. He has the crown.

[Cliff]

The Timber was beat the Lakers. That's what happened. Yeah.

[Logan Murdoch]

All right.

[Raja Bell]

That's not how that works. That's not how that works, though. No, we ain't gonna do that. Just because you beat somebody will make you better than them. That's not how that works.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay, all right, okay. Whatever. Series. What a better series. Okay, listen, I've had better.

[Raja Bell]

I personally have had better series than people, like, across the course of my career. Never, ever, ever would you hear me say I'm a better player than some of them. Like, it just doesn't work like that.

[Logan Murdoch]

I'm gonna channel my inner Roger and say, fuck it.

[Raja Bell]

Look at my Clipper. Look at my singular clipper series from 06. The numbers from that series and then. And then throw them up against some of the Clippers numbers from that series. They're going to be right there. But I would never tell you I'm a better player than any of those dudes. Like, I'd never do that. It just don't work like that. And we won the series.

[Logan Murdoch]

What's the next question, Cliff?

[Cliff]

The next one is your favorite category. This is the one you've been waiting for, Logan. This is the one we've all been waiting for, as the kids are calling it the Crash Outs. Who won the Crash out of the year? Now, Logan, I know you was doing some research yesterday on YouTube. You were looking at the best fights of the season. And I think I would go. My number, my favorite. Crash Out. He plays for the Detroit basketball.

[Logan Murdoch]

Rainy champ, baby.

[Cliff]

Rainy Champ. My boy Isaiah Stewart got in a little scuffle with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Divincenzo and. And what's. What's my rookie's name? Ron. Whatever his name is. Ron. I'm sorry, Howard. What's my guy's name? Ron Holland. Holland. Thank you. The young Ron Holland got young. He got Twisted up a little bit, got tossed up a little bit, got touched up a little bit. But Isaiah Stewart wasn't having it, you know, Walked off the court like a G, held up the Detroit basketball jersey. Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace would be crying right about now watching Isaiah Stewart. So who are the crash outs of the year in your guys minds?

[Logan Murdoch]

Yo, I'm gonna start off first because I, I also picked Isaiah Stewart as my crash out of the year. I, But I, but I want to use this to defend him. Okay. Because I was looking at some clips too, right? There's a. Because I think that, I think because he's done such a, you know, if we had this award multiple years, he would have been a perennial crash out of the year. Right. If I. Right. But I think this year was more of a reputation thing, right? Like, I'm thinking about a play against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 28 where he blocks Jokic, gets called for goaltending, and Russell Westbrook just baits him into fighting, acts like he's about to fight him, and then points, looks at the ref and points to Isaiah Stewart just. And stitches on him. I, I can't, I can't, I can't co sign that, right? That's one of his objections. Right? Then Orlando, I think this was like Orlando, later in the season, he gets tied up with Wendell Carter. Wendell Carter just takes him into the, into the. The magic bench. And they call fucking Isaiah Stewart for a technical. It was bs, it was reputational. Right? Okay. And now mind you, there was a play in Indiana where he just cold cocked someone and gave him a shoulder bump. It gave Thomas Bryant a shoulder bump.

[Cliff]

Yep. That happened to hit him back.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, yeah. Right. So, okay, yeah, he decided that he, that, that, that was supposed to happen. But by and large, when I'm looking at him on the fight compilations, the thing that I see is he is getting baited. And it's not all his fault, okay? Instead of like the 17, however many texts he got, probably should have like got maybe four or five lessons, okay? So crash out of here has to go to him. And I think that he is.

[Raja Bell]

How about this shit? While I listen to all that bullshit, all of that. I'd hate to be your fucking son's coach when he gets to be 10, bro. Because you gonna be that goddamn dad coming up in there talking about, hey man, what did Johnny do to him? How but you gonna be that? If that's the rant you got that he's getting baited into all of that.

[Logan Murdoch]

I'M gonna be real. I'll be real. Roger. I'm not gonna do that. You know why?

[Raja Bell]

Why?

[Logan Murdoch]

Because I'm not trying to be that dad who's over here, like, yelling at the. I'm just being. I'm just. I'm. I'm high. I'm high fiving. I'm clapping. That's between you and your team. And go be with your team, bro. I'm just doing this for the sake of. The sake of this exercise, sir.

[Raja Bell]

I'm just saying, like, I, I, I. Generally speaking, if you crash out, and I was a crash out, like, coming from a crash out, it can't be that you getting baited into crashing out at some point. It's on the crash out at some point. It ain't he's getting baited. It's that that will crash out.

[Logan Murdoch]

Wait, Raja, question for you. Question for you. And I'm sure this is something the audience have always been wanting to know. I know. I wanted to know, when did you realize that you were a crash, or at least admitted it to yourself and, like, looked in the mirror and was like, huh, I guess that's me, right? After, like, years of fighting it, or did you just, like, already know what it was with you?

[Raja Bell]

No, but, like, I think to some degree, like, there's a stigma attached to crash out. Like, like, as if it's a negative thing. Like, I don't give a fuck. Like, I always. Like, that's what I did. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, I mean, you guys might not love it or disagree with it, or someone else might look at it and be like, oh, that's wild. The same way I might look at someone and say, like, if they're confronted with something, for them to just accept it and walk away. To me, that's wild. It's just the opposite reaction. Like, bro, I'm not with that dumb. So I'm gonna call it out, and I'm probably gonna crash out where someone else might say, oh, dog. Like, it's not even worth the. It's not even worth the effort. I'm gonna walk away. Like, it's. It's an equally wild thing for me to watch that, right? So, like, when you asked me, when did I realize it? Like, I realize what. That's just what I do.

[Logan Murdoch]

Hey, that's right. Do you have a crash out of the year?

[Raja Bell]

Nah, I mean, I don't.

[Cliff]

I don't.

[Raja Bell]

I mean, I think his body of work speaks for itself. I. I was going to come on and say, me Because I will quite often on these pods, like, going to some sort of like, rant I was going to use myself. But like, nah, like, I'm good. Me or him, either one. But I'm good with it. Like, because. Because like I told you before, like, when you crash out, enough motherfuckers leave you alone.

[Logan Murdoch]

Like, that's fair.

[Raja Bell]

They leave you alone because they don't know what, what, what is going to happen next.

[Logan Murdoch]

So like, hey, there was a lot of them Isaiah Stewart clips where people was like, were like jawing at him while backing up, right? They were like. But they like back it up. Like, they don't fuck with Isaiah Stewart. They, to your point, they do not fuck with him. Beck, do you have a crash out of the year?

[Cliff]

Sir.

[Logan Murdoch]

I don't even know if you knew the, when we did the categories that you would know what that meant, but so I'm really curious to see.

[Howard Beck]

I was trying to interpret a little bit. It's possible that in our text chain where I asked you for some clarifications on other categories, I maybe should have asked you for a definition of crash out. I don't know exactly what you would have said.

[Logan Murdoch]

I want to give you an urban dictionary link. And then said, Howard, I can give.

[Cliff]

You an easy answer. Howard, I can give you an easy answer. Draymond Green, just say that. That's your crash out of the year. He can win it. He can literally win it.

[Raja Bell]

Every safe bet, always a safe bet.

[Cliff]

You can win that every year. Draymond Green just go with Draymond.

[Logan Murdoch]

Nah, I think, but I think he's had it like the last three years straight, bro. I don't think he earned it this year. I don't think he earned it.

[Howard Beck]

I'd say.

[Cliff]

Wait, time out. Did you not see how many Techs he got and how many series did he play in the playoffs?

[Logan Murdoch]

Well, I mean, last year he. Last year he had the extended suspension.

[Cliff]

Logan, this man got like six texts in like eight games.

[Logan Murdoch]

Well, I'm just saying. No, I'm talking about body of work. Based on like previous years. Like, this was a tame year for him. Yes. Yo, that's the same year it is by definition.

[Howard Beck]

When was his last ejection in the playoffs?

[Cliff]

Didn't he get ejected versus the Rockets? Or am I tripping?

[Raja Bell]

Cliff, it's always a safe bet.

[Logan Murdoch]

They're Warriors.

[Raja Bell]

No one's gonna look at you side eyed if you throw that name out there.

[Logan Murdoch]

There are Warrior staffers right now that like have gone through some this season that no one else will ever know about listening to this podcast? Like, yes, he is. What are you talking about? Is the crash out of you? He won the award. Oh, man.

[Howard Beck]

Does. Does. Does JJ Redick storming out of a press conference qualify as a crash out?

[Cliff]

That is 100% absolutely.

[Logan Murdoch]

That is 1 million he's in the running. Also seems like it'll be a safe bet for years to come.

[Cliff]

DeAndre in.

[Raja Bell]

JJ Reddick, he was newcomer of the year in the crash out category.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

JJ's wound a little tight, right like that. That was never going to come off. And like, as you're sipping wine with LeBron on a podcast, but suddenly, like, you're having your substitution patterns questioned in a playoff game and it's, you know, I've just got the quote. Are you saying that because I'm inexperienced and that was an inexperienced decision that I made, you think I don't talk to my assistants about substitution?

[Logan Murdoch]

I didn't say that. You did.

[Raja Bell]

Nobody said any of that.

[Howard Beck]

That's a weird assumption. He said as he stormed out of the press conference.

[Raja Bell]

Definitely crash out. Welcome to the party.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yes, sir.

[Howard Beck]

That was a mark.

[Logan Murdoch]

What's the next one?

[Cliff]

J.J. redick and Deandre A. And I can't wait for that one anyway.

[Raja Bell]

Okay, don't let me. Hey, bro. Don't let me catch you at no goddamn 12 year old. Just saying. Saying it was somebody else's fault, though. Motherfucker. Don't let me catch you doing that.

[Logan Murdoch]

Hey. Well, they're gonna. Well, they're gonna be on your AAU team, so you're probably gonna be telling me from the stand. Shut the up.

[Cliff]

Oh, man, let's get Coach Roman.

[Logan Murdoch]

They should have did this show. Shut the up. Shut up. That's probably what's gonna happen.

[Raja Bell]

Go sit with your mom in the stands, bro. Qu.

[Cliff]

Let's get to this next one. This is near and dear to our show and our hearts. The Raja Bell Memorial Defender of the Year. Now, Raja, you know I got to go right to you for this one.

[Logan Murdoch]

Who is his award? It's strictly his award.

[Cliff]

It's strictly your wound.

[Logan Murdoch]

This is.

[Raja Bell]

Wow.

[Logan Murdoch]

Who is.

[Howard Beck]

No one else gets to pick this.

[Cliff]

Nobody.

[Raja Bell]

First of all, I'd like to thank God for blessing me with this talent without him, but I love these kids. I love all these kids, like, commitment things, bro. When they get up there and they're like, okay, where you're going to school, and they all launch into their speech. But I. I digress. The two. I got two. Dyson Daniels and Lou Dort. I think would be my 2. And they're co. Like, I like watching both of them defend.

[Cliff]

They're.

[Raja Bell]

They're different. They're both super disruptive. Like a lot of deflections, they take a lot of. You know, when I defended, I didn't take a lot of risk. My strategy was more to like, be. Be as solid as I could be in front of you and keep your body in front of mind and then make you shoot tough shots. I don't think I was as gifted physically as these dudes where I could take a gamble at the ball and then still, you know, recover and contain the penetration. I think Lou Dort does that a little better than Dyson in terms of, like, he might beat you from. From point A to point B more often, but he's smaller and more compact, little more, you know, muscled up. So he's fun to watch. But then Dyson's just so he keeps you recovered because of that six, seven with seven foot wingspan. Like, he's never out of a play. He's always taking a stab at the ball or getting in deflection. It's just. They're both really fun to watch. So those two for me, I mean, I could sit here and break them down, but I don't. Those two for me would be the. The co. Winners of the award.

[Logan Murdoch]

All right, what we got next? Cliff, can we.

[Howard Beck]

Can I pause for a sec? Just one other quick thing.

[Cliff]

What up?

[Howard Beck]

Because I wasn't sure if we all had to because, you know, Logan's instructions, you know, were a little vague. I wasn't.

[Logan Murdoch]

It said the Raja Bell Memorial Defender of the Year.

[Howard Beck]

I thought that meant that we were honoring Rod, like the award is named after him. But all of us were going to give our version of who deserves to be put on the Raja Bell level, right? Like, who deserves the praise of being like, compared to Raja Bell defensively? And before I did that, I thought, what would be the definition of the Raja Bell defender? So I did what you do in the year 2025. I asked Google Gemini.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh. Oh, shit. It's not sponsored at all.

[Howard Beck]

No, definitely not. And by the way, kids, don't use AI, don't use ChatGPT. It's all trash.

[Logan Murdoch]

But in this case, just let Beck.

[Howard Beck]

Do it just for fun. If you're doing it for kicks, it's okay. According to Google Gemini, I asked what kind of defender was Raja Bell? This is what Google Gemini told me, Raj. It's not. It's. It's. It's. It's much better. I was Hoping, I was hoping this is going to get like, like, just bizarre. This is actually pretty good. Raja Bell was known, according to Google, Gemini as a tough, gritty and smart man to man defender. He was known for his strong on ball defense and ability to guard the opposing team's best player. He was also a solid perimeter shooter and a reliable role player. How about that? Gemini likes you.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, take. Thanks, Gemini.

[Logan Murdoch]

Thank you.

[Howard Beck]

So I'd throw that in there.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I'll take that. I mean, yeah, yeah, I think that's an accurate depiction of my defensive. Like, I was not overly gifted with like speed, strength and all of that shit. Had to be smart and couldn't take. That's why I appreciate these two dudes though, real talk. Because people, you know, it just looks like someone's defending and unless you've tried to stay in front of someone and can real and can really, you can't really appreciate how quickly you're at a position guarding someone that's as big and as strong and as fast as some of these guys. So just take it a gamble at a ball takes your momentum out of, you know, the normal course of where it should be and they're by you. And so I could never really afford to be taking swipes at a lot of balls like that. A lot of steals and these dudes do it and then they're right back in front of you. It's like wild like that.

[Cliff]

Very, very interesting. So of course, in Howard fashion, he doesn't pick an actual guy. He goes to AI but discourages kids to use AI but then uses AI to define what Roger Bell is, but.

[Howard Beck]

Then doesn't nominate as Caruso.

[Cliff]

But okay, Caruso, here we go.

[Howard Beck]

Maybe it's Gemini instead of now.

[Cliff]

Instead of going to gymnast, you could have just said Alex Caruso and we could have saved you some time out, you know, just saying, Just, just saying, you know, this is a host. I'm trying to help you out here, brother. We working on time here.

[H]

What's up guys? You know who it be.

[Cliff]

Joey.

[H]

No, I got this nice little. But we'll get to that.

[Sue Bird]

We'll get to that.

[H]

I just want to extend my love and admiration for everybody over there.

[Howard Beck]

Real ones.

[H]

It's five years of keeping it real and holding it down. Logan, Raja, Howard, you guys are amazing. The work you guys do is Incredible. Congrats on 5 years. Shout out to everybody who's worked in that program. Kerm, Kai, Cliff, Victoria, everybody behind the scenes that makes it happen. Keith on the socials, you guys are all amazing. And honestly, this show holds a special place in my heart because I'm out here and wonderful San Diego covering Comic con for the Ringiverse in part because Logan helped put me on. You know what I mean? So like, you know, like my success is your success, brother. And so I cannot be happy for everybody. Man, five years, y' all got the Kobe, man.

[Howard Beck]

Come on.

[H]

Love y'.

[Logan Murdoch]

All.

[Cliff]

Let's get to the final two categories. This one, the moment of the year. Now, Logan, you've seen quite a few moments this year at Golden State with Steph Howard. You went to some moments in New York as the Knicks went down in Eastern Conference finals after they named some streets after a couple guys. And Roger, you just mentioned a lot of great moments or you saw a lot of great moments this year from your sons who are probably going to be number one player in the NFL and probably an all star in the NBA. So would you guys. Oh yeah, before. Yes, before. Both of them should commit to Temple. But we got some Nihelmen coming in. But anyways, the moment of the year, guys, what is the moment of the year for each one of you? Howard, Beck, we are going to you first.

[Howard Beck]

I struggled with this because my. The first thing that popped in my head actually was not Tyrese Halliburton's game tying. Thought it was momentarily game winning. Gotta throw out the choke sign homage to Reggie Miller versus the Knicks. But you know what? I think it might actually be Aaron Gordon like the game winning put back at the buzzer. Like not as big, not as the stakes weren't as big. It's game four versus the Clippers and it's you know, you know, first round series or whatever. But man, we've never seen a game winning, put back dunk at the buzzer period. Regular season, playoffs, anything. And the game would have gone to overtime because it was, it was a tie game. So who knows what the outcome would have been. But the Nuggets win it and the Clippers could have. And if they did, they would have gone. They would have been up 3:1 and.

[Raja Bell]

My prediction would have been right and.

[Howard Beck]

And we would not have been humiliated by Cliff.

[Logan Murdoch]

Mine too.

[Howard Beck]

Instead the Clippers losing seven. So I think that's it. I think Aaron Gordon's my, my, my moment of the year just with narrowly over Tyrese Halberton at the Garden.

[Cliff]

Yo, Logan, what was your moment of the year this year?

[Logan Murdoch]

Now you know, I could go Shay Gilgis Alexander in game four. I could go the night that Luka Doncic the trade went down that Just illegitimate moment. I could go to the number of Tyrese Halliburton shots throughout the playoffs that define the playoffs. One of the great playoffs that we've had over the last decade. But I'm not going to do that. I'm going to give it to the Stud Buds livestream from WNBA All Star Weekend.

[Howard Beck]

Shout out to the homies here.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, we're just. This is a hoop spot and so I don't know if you guys were hip, but shout out to Courtney Williams and Natisha Howard from the Minnesota Links who live streamed every moment of the WNBA All Star Game. And so you got monumental moments like Natisha Howard hitting on Angel Reese and getting curved like a Barry Zito pitch, or you're seeing a wild moment between Rogers fave, Megan Rapinoe saying some things that, you know, we don't really have to repeat on this podcast to ask about, you know, somebody's activities. We shall say on a live mic, yeah, it was just a great time or, or Kelsey Plum taking a doing pulling a whole raja and taking a whole shot of Crown Royal before going out to to party. It was a great time. The stud buds are here to stay. It was awesome. I had me, Cliff and Victoria were locked in all last weekend sending content to each other about the utter debauchery that was going on behind the scenes of WNBA All Star Game. It was a fun thing and I hope they come back and I hope that they live stream every second down the stretch of the WNBA season because they are amazing. And shout out to the stud buds, man, that's. That's my moment of the year. That whole livestream for 72 hours was a whole moment that will be living in infamy. Moment of the year, the Stud Buds.

[Cliff]

Now before we get to Roger's moment of the year, I just want to give an honorable mention to Joel Embiid pushing a reporter that just describes the situation.

[Howard Beck]

Jesus.

[Cliff]

I mean what, what a moment. Roger Bell, that was a mom. That was quite the moment.

[Howard Beck]

It was something.

[Cliff]

Roger Bell, what was your favorite moment of the year?

[Raja Bell]

No, I don't think I have. I think mine's like a compilation of moments. But they, but Howard touched on them. I think Tyrese had just such a run of just game winning, game tying like clutch moments, not just the mix but like the Cleveland one where it's like, you know, it's just some wild stuff that he was pulling out throughout the course of like even regular season, I think through the playoffs. So like his moments like game closing clutch moments for me Were. Were probably the moments of the year.

[Cliff]

Shout out to Tyrese Halliburton for giving us the ultimate playoff content. Get well soon, brother. Now let's get to the final.

[Logan Murdoch]

Wait, wait. Beforehand. Hold on, hold on.

[Cliff]

What's up?

[Logan Murdoch]

We have one for you. Who is your Philly sports person of the Year, sir?

[Cliff]

Now, do I have to be serious about it, or do I got to give you a real legitimate answer?

[Logan Murdoch]

Because whatever you want to call it.

[Cliff]

Yes, I want to say somebody's name, but I don't want to say it incorrectly. So you know what? The Philly sports. The Philly sports person of the year will be my guy, Saquon Barkley. You know, as you know, the Eagles are defending super bowl champions. Saquon Barkley comes to the Eagles from that drek organization that is the New York Giants, and, you know, finally comes home to PA and realizes, oh, there's actually a football team here that could actually protect me, and I could run through the hole and score a couple touchdowns and rush for 2,000 yards on top of that. So, Saquon Barkley, salute to you, my brother. You did some wild things this offseason, but respect for me, Philly sportsperson here for me.

[Raja Bell]

Hey, can I give an honorable mention, even though, like, it's Cliff's category, to Gilly.

[Cliff]

Oh, yeah. Shout out to Gilly.

[Raja Bell]

I mean, he's not sports, but he is sports.

[Cliff]

No, no, no. Gilly is.

[Raja Bell]

He was like, he is.

[Logan Murdoch]

Gilly is.

[Cliff]

Gilly played more sports than everybod.

[Raja Bell]

Straight up.

[Logan Murdoch]

Straight up. Yes.

[Cliff]

Gilly. Gilly. Gilly will race people in Detroit. Gilly be playing football. He'd be going to the big three.

[Logan Murdoch]

All stars to his face. That he ain't been since he's been in the Sixers uniform.

[Cliff]

He hooped with Jeff. Jeff Tegan them. Came to the city hoop with them. Yo, Gilly, Allegedly, he said he. He busted P.J. tucker's ass in a run. That's what he said. And P.J. tucker was. P.J. tucker was picked up the next week. That's. This is allegedly. This is what Gilly said. He said he cooked him. He said he cooked them, but.

[Logan Murdoch]

And. And. And he helped put some publishing checks in two shorts pockets. So, you know, shout out to Gilly, man.

[Cliff]

Hopefully I'm gonna catch him at the runs this. This summer. My game, my man gave at St. Joe. Shout out to Gabe. Anyways, let's get to the final category. Here it is, the real one of the year, fellas. Who wants to start it off? Who wants to give Us, the real one of the year. You know what, Howard? How about you start it off again?

[Logan Murdoch]

Did the most research.

[Cliff]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

Did we drop a category there? Who won the year?

[Cliff]

We had to. We got it. We saved some time here, brother.

[Howard Beck]

Oh, all right, all right. That's fine. Time saving is good. There are a lot of directions we could go here, guys. Real one of the year. What does it mean to be a real one anyway? How real is real? How real is. Too real?

[Logan Murdoch]

Would keep it real. Goes wrong.

[Howard Beck]

We'll keep it a real go. So here's the thing, because there was some serious going wrong of keeping it real this year. Like, maybe, I don't know, saying at a press conference into a microphone and several cameras. I knew Luca was popular. I didn't realize how popular he was.

[Logan Murdoch]

You just said that you didn't want to kick him down.

[Howard Beck]

I'm just saying it's. I'm just saying it's in the running. But I also thought about how real Jimmy Butler kept it in Miami just so that he could make everybody so uncomfortable that he got what he wanted and got himself traded to the Warriors. Like, that's. We may not like it. Heat fans certainly didn't like it. The Heat as a franchise and many, many people there did not like it. But if we're talking about who kept it really, really real and it impacted the NBA season, like, Jimmy Butler was true to himself through it all, good, bad, or otherwise. We don't have to like it. Jimmy Butler was real as shit, and he got what he needed. He got what he wanted. He got traded to the warriors and got a nice fat extension. So. Yeah. Well, we could let Nico go off the hook for a really inadvisable press conference admission and hand it to Jimmy. How about that?

[Logan Murdoch]

Yo, I really thought she was going to give. I really thought you were going to give Nico Harrison ruin of the year, and I was kind of hoping you would.

[Raja Bell]

I mean, there's a case to be made for that if. If in the same. Right. If we're saying, yeah, he's. That was pretty. I thought he was gonna do it all of the. Like. Yeah. Anyway. Go ahead, Logan. You go.

[Logan Murdoch]

Is it okay? I was gonna go with. I was gonna go with Tyrese Halberton, man, you know, to go into the Garden the way that he has done. And also, like, let's not act like the Pacers were some. Like, was a shoe in to go in the finals. Quite the contrary. Like, we didn't think that they were even remotely like, close to getting there. And Then they just kept winning and kept winning. And Tyrese say everything that you want to say about him, man, but he pushes teams towards winning. This is what it is. And you've seen what he does. You see why Sacramento have continued to be ill advised with their decision making over the years. But I remember when he got traded and I was like, you just don't trade people like Tyrese Halliburton. I don't know what he's going to be necessarily, but those are the guys you want to keep in your building as much as you can. And you've seen just how he can galvanize a group. And I feel so bad for him and his Achilles, but the run that he went on throughout this postseason, you know, the stats, it's going to be one of those postseason where it was like, you had to be there to see it for him, but the people that saw it were like, nah, he was real. He was real. So I'm going to give it to Tyrese Halliburton. Real one of the year.

[Raja Bell]

There you go. Also a real one for going out there and playing with that, that injury dog. Like, that's, Yep, it paid the ultimate price. But he was, he was thugging it out so I could see that. My real one, I'm going to give it to SGA just because, you know, he just gets better and better. He's the, you know, the best scorer in the league, won the championship. Wasn't easy. Had to, had to figure out some things, like coming into the playoffs, the narrative was maybe not the scariest. Number one seed, right. And if you could grab them, you wouldn't be afraid because they weren't, weren't really experienced in that regard. But they figured it out. They got it done. And he had, he had some great moments. He struggled in a couple games, but he figured it out. So I think you win NBA championship, you go wire to wire like, like OKC did. They deserve to have somebody on a podium somewhere, right? So real one of the year. I'll give the SG at.

[Howard Beck]

First season and finals mvp, no doubt a rare achievement. I, I, I love him. I love him as, as the real one of the year. I love the Halliburton pick, too. Logan. There was a long stretch there where until, like when whoever wins the championship, like, they become the story, right? You are the, the story. But right up until, really right up until Tyrese goes down, you can say Tyrese Haliburton was the story of the postseason. Like a lot of other teams, you know, whatever they had Their successes, failures, whatever. Like, there's all these storylines of the postseason. Tyrese Halliburton was the story of the postseason for a good, like, six, seven week stretch there, and he was awesome. And it sucks that we don't get to see him next season.

[Raja Bell]

It does suck. And I just sprung into my mind the real, real one, right? So the real, real one is his daddy running up on Giannis.

[Logan Murdoch]

Wait, was that a crash? That was a crash.

[Raja Bell]

That is a crash.

[Logan Murdoch]

Wait, hold on, hold on.

[Howard Beck]

Is this like when you got, like, you won all the awards?

[Logan Murdoch]

Hold on, hold on. I. We.

[Raja Bell]

We.

[Logan Murdoch]

We're neglecting one crash out of the year. Raja Bell at his son's game, talking mad, getting caught on camera.

[Raja Bell]

No doubt, no doubt. But I wasn't crashed out. I mean, I don't. I don't know if I was crashed out.

[Logan Murdoch]

You said. Yeah, yeah, take that shit. Yeah, well, you said that to other parents, Roger, You.

[Cliff]

You was patting your chest, yo, like, that was crazy.

[Logan Murdoch]

Out of here to some other parents.

[Raja Bell]

I did. Okay, but like, I was meeting.

[Logan Murdoch]

When I call you. When I call you. Like, 12 years. When I call you, a. 12 years saying that I did that, or you see me on video.

[Raja Bell]

No, but listen, it's all relative, dog. If you can't tell a crash out, what? Like, I know when. When I crash out. Like, that's benign. Like, that is not a crash out for me.

[Logan Murdoch]

That's fair.

[Raja Bell]

That's right.

[Logan Murdoch]

That's not even. Hey, Roger, that's not even the biggest question.

[Raja Bell]

I'll tell you what. You want to. You want it? I'll tell you a story. You want to hear a crash out story?

[Logan Murdoch]

Yes.

[Raja Bell]

Nobody. So we're playing in, like, a seventh grade basketball tournament. We're beating the team, right? Locally. This coach goes and finds four kids that are kind of hanging around the gym that are playing on other teams and brings them over to his bench, suits them up, and puts them in the game against us. I'm asking the people that are running the tournament like, yo, what the fuck is going on? How is this even possible? Like, what is. What is happening right now? They don't control it. So I grabbed the jersey off of a kid on my bench. It was like a youth medium, barely fit me. Pulled that shit on, got it all snug, and walked out onto the court and said, let's hoop. That's a crash out.

[Cliff]

Yo, please tell me that that's a lie.

[Raja Bell]

Yo, that's not a lie. Yeah, but that. I had to. But. But, like, look, bro, it was so absurd to me that you're just grabbing 15 year olds to play my seventh graders. That I was cool. I was like, let's hope. And then everybody was like, oh, this is attic. This is crazy. We can't do that. I'm like, exactly. This is crazy, bro.

[Logan Murdoch]

Raja, you would have been up that night if you would have hooped and gave the boys 20. I don't think you would have been able to walk for the next week, dog. You would have was killed. But.

[Raja Bell]

But it highlighted the absurdity of that. I'm like, yo, yeah, so it's absurd that I'm out here as a 45 year old, but ain't nobody tripping about the three 15 year olds that you're rolling out to try to beat us. So sit them down. I'll sit down. That's a crash out.

[Logan Murdoch]

What?

[Cliff]

Yo, I can't believe what I just heard.

[Howard Beck]

Incredible.

[Logan Murdoch]

Awesome.

[Howard Beck]

That's great stuff. Is that on film?

[Raja Bell]

Luckily it's not on film.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh, man. God damn it. Oh, man. Okay. All right, all right. Right. Oh. All right. I just want to. Before we close out, man, I just want to say real. Real one of the year. For real. For real is all the real ones out there worldwide, dog. Always held us down, dog. Raj, I was at an airport. I was at Vegas airport leaving summer league, and I don't know if you listened to the last episode, but we were talking about how you. Your airport shenanigans on the podcast. Right?

[Raja Bell]

My airport shenanigans?

[Howard Beck]

Your inability to rent a car correctly.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah. And. Yeah. Yes. Anyway, I didn't listen.

[Raja Bell]

What happened? What'd I do?

[Logan Murdoch]

Well, we were roasting you, basically, because you didn't really give proper respect to Atlanta Airport.

[Howard Beck]

And you let yourself get stuck in that. In that rental car line, which, like, after all these years of traveling, you should know better.

[Raja Bell]

But.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, but anyway, the point is. So somebody hit I for. He didn't give me his name, but he had a European accent. And I'm walking the board back to the Bay Area, and he. Somebody runs up on me and I'm like, wait, hold on. What's. What's going on here? You over here running up on me. But somebody like, was like, yo, man, are you Logan Murdoch? And I'm like, yes. And he's like, yo, man, I'm listening to your podcast right now, and it's so crazy because you're at an airport, and we're at the part where we're talking about Rosa being fucked up at the airport.

[Raja Bell]

This is crazy.

[Logan Murdoch]

So shout out to all the real ones who, like, even come up on us, man. Like, there's so many anecdotes of, like, how y' all show up. I remember the homie when I was walking near my crib, and he was in a. Like, maybe like a 04 Benz, and he was like, hey. Like, he was at a stop line. It's like, hey, you, Logan Murdoch? And I'm, like, scared. I'm like, wait, yeah, maybe. Yes. What's up? He was like, I like your shit. And I'm like, for sure, bro. Thank you, man. And then drove off. I was like, oh, shit.

[Raja Bell]

All right.

[Logan Murdoch]

But even them. Even them people scared his living hell out of me. You know?

[Howard Beck]

Directions.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, but. Yeah, no, man, it's been five years. Can't wait to do it even more. It's crazy to just even think about how far we've come. Yeah, man, if I say anymore, I'm a choke up, but thank you guys so much for holding down. We'll be back in the. We'll be back in the fall. Any last words, guys, for 2025 release episode before we get to Sue?

[Raja Bell]

I will. I will. I had booked Hurts Rental Car, bro. I had it. I was curbside. I don't do the lines in Atlanta. I had to cancel it because Ty got sick. And then when I went to rebook, there were no more cars.

[Logan Murdoch]

Oh, man. Okay. All right, all right.

[Howard Beck]

Three weeks later, we get the Alibi.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay. Any last words, Howard?

[Howard Beck]

No. Listen, you. You shouted out the real ones. The.

[Logan Murdoch]

Our.

[Howard Beck]

Our audience, the people who tune us in every week. I mean, it's incredible. It's incredible. And we got to see it and feel it in San Francisco at the live show. That was one of my highlights of the year. It was awesome. So, yes, thank you to everybody who's been listening. Shout out. Shout out to my pal Joanne Larson, who's been a. A Real One loyalist from the beginning, shooting us notes all the time. She tried to meet you one One of those days there in Sacramento, Logan, but you were. You were too busy running around the arena.

[Raja Bell]

Big time dirt.

[Logan Murdoch]

I think she was. She had. Course I see she was big time. Go ahead.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, she might have been too big time that night, but I couldn't get to her. No. Shout out to all the listeners, and thank you, all of you, including the guy who randomly stopped me at the smoothie bar at the hotel in Vegas when I was at summer league. And I've gotten used to the idea that occasionally somebody recognizes us from, like, social media, but he goes, are You, Howard, Beck. And I did. I was like, wait, oh, what? And. And he goes, I recognized your voice.

[Raja Bell]

Oh, wow.

[Howard Beck]

Whoa. Like, that was a whole other level. And so, yeah, real ones. Listener right there. So there you go. That was awesome.

[Raja Bell]

All jokes aside, I should have done better in Atlanta, but I will follow you guys. There are a lot of. I have a lot of. I have a lot of those stories, too. You guys told some of them on air. Then I've got a lot of people that are in my friend circle, people just from. From my past that I've known since, like, middle school and stuff like that. That.

[Logan Murdoch]

That will.

[Raja Bell]

Will randomly reference real ones and how much they love it. And you wouldn't even. Like, you wouldn't even know that these people are tapped in like that. So I just second everything. And third, everything you guys just said, that's. It's pretty cool. It's a pretty cool thing, right? Right, Logan? Like I said on the air, from where we started, from what we. Like, it really is a pretty cool thing. Every time it happens to me, it's not lost on me. So I. I was second.

[Logan Murdoch]

All that. All right. Yo, man, feelings mutual. I love all you guys. We got. I would talk even more about this. So we got. Howard has to go back to his day job, side job, real job. I don't know. Anyways, all the shits. Wait, oh, wait.

[Raja Bell]

Before we go off, one of the categories. I don't know. Put it wherever you want post. Put. Put it in. We have Ben Stiller on the pot, bro. Oh, that's my moment. Like, what are you talking about? Like, I'm not pandering here. Like, for me, I'm telling you, dog, that's like one of my.

[Logan Murdoch]

No, that's big.

[Raja Bell]

That was real deal.

[Logan Murdoch]

No, that's legend. No, we need to. That's not it. That's that. We need to superimpose that or do something that is actually the fucking moment. What?

[Raja Bell]

Anywhere you want.

[Cliff]

Yeah, that is.

[Logan Murdoch]

What the. How did the. Did that happen?

[Raja Bell]

What in the actual. Yes.

[Logan Murdoch]

Dude, I don't know how the. Did that happen, bro?

[Raja Bell]

I don't know.

[Howard Beck]

We all botched this so badly.

[Logan Murdoch]

No, no, no, no. I mean, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's all that we did. Botch it. But I'm like, how the. Did he come on the show? As. I'm still like, I don't. I still don't know how that happened. Shout out. Yo, y' all go watch Happy Gilmore too, okay? Just for the streets. You know what I Mean, go out and watch that. All right, all right, all right. There we go, man. Shout out Ben Stiller. Shout out to all the homies. And we got. She earned it. Three timer sue motherfucking third. Next.

[G]

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[Logan Murdoch]

Okay, and we are back with hall of Famer. You know her from the Seattle Storm between two birds. And she has two podcasts that are, that are doing, doing really good things in A Touch More and Bird's Eye View, which you've just started. Hello, Sue Bird. How are you doing? What's going on? Quite an evolution.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, yeah. Your girl's busy. Your girl's busy.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah. Did you, did you plan this? Like, was this, Were you. How did, how was retirement? Like, I feel like every time you come on here, like, retirement is always like a question that I have for you, how you're getting through retirement. By all accounts, it seems like you've done this the right way. Like, did you plan all of this? I'm going to be a media mogul. Like, yeah.

[Sue Bird]

Have I done it the right way? Yeah, I think I'm just, I'm all about, you know, all the cliches, getting out of your comfort zone, trying new things, seeing what sticks. But it's been good. It's been good. None of it has been necessarily, like, planned out. Like, there hasn't been some blueprint I've been following. It really has just been like, oh, what do I like doing? Let me keep doing that. And then, oh, we're podcasting. Okay. I kind of like this maybe, you know, there's not one that's just doing, you know, interviews with, with WNB players. Let me try that. Okay, I kind of like it. I'll keep doing it. It's kind of been like that.

[Logan Murdoch]

How was retirement? Like, when you're playing, you're looking ahead at it. I talked to Megan about this when she was going through it, and she had, like, this real, like, it felt like, for her, like, idealistic view of what retirement was going to be. I'm gonna go to Italy. I'm gonna go here. I'm gonna. And you kind of actually did that when you retired. Like, what is the evolution from I'm going, like, like, the last few months of your career to where we are now? Like, are you, like, what did you think it was going to happen versus, like, where you've evolved into?

[Sue Bird]

Well, I was kind of lucky, like, different from Megan. I mean, it was good and bad. So I retired the year before Megan, so it kind of put me in this, like, holding pattern. I was, like, waiting for her, you know, and I was still, like, tethered a little bit to this, like, sports schedule. Right. So if Megan's Seattle rain season was starting and, you know, it's like, March, April, I'm obviously going to be living out in Seattle with her, you know, when if she has a national team, she goes to the World cup in New Zealand. Like, I'm booking my flight to New Zealand. So I was kind of, like, tethered to this thing. So that part I didn't love, but at the same time, like, it gave me. I was like. It was like I was on borrowed time. Like, I couldn't really make any big plans. I couldn't do any, you know, big vacations because she couldn't come. So I was just kind of, like, able to also just chill and kind of, like, take my time as I, like, got into this, what is now, like, a fully formed retirement. So that was really. That was kind of nice. It was a nice little byproduct. In that first year, tried some new things. I did Sue's Places, which is a part of, like, the Payton's Places family. That was in that year. So I got to try a bunch of different stuff. So stayed busy, but not, like, crazy. And then in year two and three, which I'm now in year three of my retirement now, it's, like, full steam ahead.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah. Is there. Is there a goal that you want to have in your media career right now? Is there a place where you just kind of going with the vibes? And the vibes has happened to have taken you to podcasting? Like, where. Where are you at right now with with the media landscape and where you fit into it at this point, yeah.

[Sue Bird]

It'S pretty much been vibes with a little bit of like, understanding that women's basketball is like, blowing up. I have this whole career to pull from all this experience to pull from, like, super knowledgeable. I have all the historical knowledge because I literally lived it. And understanding that, like, to your point, the media landscape, like, needs some of that. I kind of, I really look at it now as like this ecosystem. It's always been that way on the men's side, right? You have everybody from, you know, the ones that are going to give you the hot takes to like the talking heads every day, to the insiders who are like, you know, in the mud with teams, like, and everything in between. And now players have their own platforms. And for women's basketball, like, that's still building. But when, when the corner turned and it really blew up, we didn't have enough of the nuance. We didn't have enough of the people like myself, like a Candace Parker. I mean, the list goes on. Like, even the people who have been following teams, they didn't have large enough platforms. So now I'm like, okay, like, it was kind of leading this direction, but I feel like as. As far as the ecosystem goes, like, we need these types of voices.

[Logan Murdoch]

That's funny. Like, you have the, the bird's eye view, which I love. It seems like it's, you know, you're, you're the OG right now, right? You're the person that is giving advice. I wonder, like, how. What kind of OG are you right now? Are you like. Because I know that, you know, you're obviously great with Caitlyn Paige. You've taken a lot of these women under your wing, but are you the type that is. Are you texting like, Caitlin after a game? Like, yo, you should have did this in like the 3 minute mark of the third quarter. Or like, are you hitting Paige? Like, yo, I saw this move. Like, how are you, how are you approaching this elder statesman role that you, you've kind of taken on since you've.

[Sue Bird]

Retired, it seems, man. Yeah, oh, gee, I'm not, I'm not like a double og. I'm just the og. I'm not like the Cheryl Swoops, Lisa Leslie og. They're my og.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay?

[Sue Bird]

No, I'm not texting anybody after a game. What, are you crazy? If I was a player, I'd be like, block that number. No, I kind of just, I kind of just try to make myself like, make it known to anybody. Like, you want to talk. Anything you want to talk about? You want to talk about the actual game? You want to talk about, like the life of a pro athlete. You know, it's always great to learn through other people's experiences, but I always make sure they know, like, it's not going to be. I'm not talking to anybody to try to make it the same. Like, you gotta, like, do your own thing, but like, to pull from other people's experiences. I always found value in that. I always was down to listen to people talk. So I just try to make myself available and then it's really, you know, from there you build a relationship. But I think the player, whoever that is, also has to want that, you know, like, you want it to be like a good vibe there. So, no, definitely no text after the game. That'd be crazy.

[Logan Murdoch]

Like, what do you, what advice do you give for any of them? Because you were a star in a different age, right? And this is just a, this is a completely different even level of stardom for even the two I just mentioned. But also, like, whoever you are mentoring at this point, what do you see as the differences and the similarities between when you were a star versus when a Caitlyn or a Paige or a juju coming along or an Angel. Reese, what are the differences that you've seen and how they have to maneuver through this new wnba?

[Sue Bird]

Oh, I mean, there's so much of it that I can't relate to. You know, I don't think, like, Twitter and Instagram really became a thing till I was in my, like, I don't know, early 30s, maybe late 20s, early 30s. I mean, God, I don't even think we had text messaging until like my second or third year in the wnba, which is crazy. I think the iPhone. The iPhone came out. I was already in like year five or six, like, but this is, it's a totally different world. So in some ways I can't relate directly in that I didn't have to deal with this as a, you know, it's called a 21 year old. I didn't have to deal with any of this at that age, but I had to deal with it a little bit later in my career. So I have, like, a taste, I have an understanding. I obviously live in the world. So I, like, I see it. I'm now a podcaster. I see it even more in podcasting. People like to like to take your words and run with them. But the other part of the experience is like the actual playing. It's the actual life of it, I don't think. I think social media does make the highs feel higher and the lows lower, but there's still lessons that I think all of us who played understand about those highs and lows. So, you know, at the same time, I've always believed that, you know, if you're an athlete and you're trying to, you know, win championships, you're trying to get better as a player, you're trying to build a brand, you're trying to be a successful business person, you still do have to. Back to the cliches. Keep the main thing. The main thing, you know, when that. When that is going, right? Like, when you know you're prepared, you're checking all the boxes on the basketball court, like, for yourself. Everything else, the highs and the lows don't feel as high or as low. Right. Forget social media for a second. But they just don't, because you have. That's the things you can control. So those are, like, just some of the messages.

[Logan Murdoch]

I remember a few years ago, I was interviewing Draymond about his foray into podcasting and being a media person, and I asked him why he wanted to do that, and he said, similar to you, right? Like, to get the nuance into the game. And he was. He was kind of talking about it like, you know, how Draymond is, like, as a crusade for the. The. The common player and things like that. But I think it was. It was. It's the same ideas, what you have, but it's a different landscape with the NBA, Right? Like, you're. You're definitely, like, growing a platform as the league is growing in a different way than the NBA is. But, like, I guess my question is, like, what are we missing right now as from a coverage standpoint on the WNBA right now? Talk about the nuance that I think we're missing from someone that played in the game. If you talk about the discourse that we see, I can think it's wild. You know, it's wild. What. What is this in a. In a utopian world? What is the perfect way that we look at this game that. That. That is. That is played right now in the W. Yeah.

[Sue Bird]

I actually think what happened at WNBA All Star is, like, the perfect entry point or perfect way to start answering this question. I feel like a lot of the narratives and the conversation around the league has just been about, you know, all the negative and, like, how certain players don't like certain players and how they don't get along or whatever it is. And I think you saw it all, star. I mean, thank you to the stud bud, if we're being honest. But you saw.

[Logan Murdoch]

I was just. Hold on. I was. I was. You said it first. But I really want to give flowers to the stud buds because, I mean, Victoria is on the line right now and Cliff are producers, and literally all this weekend was like, sharing stud bud content. And somehow sue, you and Meg had the wildest. One of the wildest stud bud moments, which I was. No, you were there. You were there.

[Sue Bird]

I was left speechless, though. I was left speechless. I was like, wow, she really just went for it.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah. I mean, we both know Megan, and that's what Megan does. Megan says some wild shit. But the funniest thing. And we'll get back to the point. The funniest thing about that moment was that Megan whispered into Natisha's ear where the mic was. So she was whispering and we heard everything.

[Sue Bird]

Wait, do you want to know the best part about that? This is the best part about that. She didn't even know. So it was like the next day and we're talking about it, whatever comes up. And I was like, oh, something. Something like. You know how you whispered? She was like, what do you mean? So she didn't. Fairness to Megan. She's not on social media, like, all that often. Like, she's really not.

[Logan Murdoch]

Especially post retirement.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, yeah. No, she has, like a really. She's. I'm like, I go to her for advice on that. She's a great relationship with it. And I was like, oh, my God. You don't even know. I was like. I was like. You went to whisper and I explained the whole thing, and she was like, no way. And then I played it for her. I was like, you were even loud. Your whisper was louder than the conversation was. Best part. She didn't even know. She didn't even know.

[Logan Murdoch]

Did you know in the moment that this was happening? Did you know?

[Sue Bird]

No, no, no, no. But I saw the clip.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay.

[Sue Bird]

No, there was no.

[Logan Murdoch]

What was your favorite stud butt moment of the. Aside from YouTube, what was your fate? My personally one. I mean, Leticia got curved. That was funny. By Angel. That was hilarious. What was the other one? When Kelsey took the swig of the crown. That was. That was a legendary moment in W history. It just didn't even like bling. Think there are a few others. But what were your favorite moments from the stud buds?

[Sue Bird]

Honestly, experience. I think the way they hyped Kathy up and they had Kathy, you know, they were doing some dances. They were. They were doing. You know, she was talking about, tell us what you got on, girl. Like, there was a little bit of that. There was like, what are you wearing? And then later in the night, they had her dancing. I think that might have been my favorite by far, and I think it was. I forget who said this recently. Maybe Kelli o' Hara was like. Like, they were dancing with Kathy one night and in a CBA negotiation the next, the next morning. And I was like that. If that's not stud buds, I don't know what is.

[Logan Murdoch]

It was. It was. It was amazing.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, right?

[Logan Murdoch]

It's more balance. Right? Like, we have the you, and then we have the stub buds, who. I can't wait to see what they evolve into. But, like, where are we as a. As a. As a. As a media entity with the W right now?

[Sue Bird]

Yeah. No, what I was more so saying was, like, what was great about All Star Game? The stud buds played a huge role. But you had, like, Sid and TP doing interviews. And I think this particular All Star Game gave a lot of people, like, you know, the. You know, the curtain gets pulled back. They get to kind of see inside the parties, inside the locker room, like, the different moments and just how much of a vibe it is and just how everybody gets along and how, like, it's so much fun and how it's pretty much like that. I would say in almost every sports league, league, you see it. We've seen it on the men's side time and time again. But then when they go on the court and they compete, it's nobody. Nobody gets, like, over, you know, dramatic about it. If there's, you know, a tough moment in a game or even if, like, a little bit of a shoving thing, a match, you know, pops off, nobody overthinks it. And I think in our league, there's been a lot of overthinking. So I think it was great that this WNBA All Star, they really showcase, like, this is how it actually is. And then, yeah, we go out there and we compete, and then when we come off the court, we're like, but where do you want to go to dinner? And that's what it is. That's always been what it is.

[Logan Murdoch]

I've been saying for years for to mama W homies that, like, you guys, more specifically you. The W needs a reality show. And we got it with the stud buds. Right? Like, how close was that to, like, real W life that you've seen throughout the years? Like, I mean, it was pretty. It was. It was okay.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah. Like they're, they're there. Listen, those two are like their own unique personalities, their own unique friendship. But I think the stuff that was really like, true to form was like going out, partying, like having a good time, dancing, joking around with each other. You know what I mean? Like being in those environments together and enjoying each other's company, having a good time. Like that was 100 accurate. And then those two, like suing Diane.

[Logan Murdoch]

Like in Russia or something. But that's what it felt like. That's what, that's what it seemed like from my, from my experience. Yeah, from my experience knowing it.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, it was like, yeah, yeah. Loki. Low key happy there weren't camera phones back then. Low key happy. There wasn't 72 hour Twitch streams. No, it's. By the way, it's not like we're going crazy. We're just like, for lack of a better, like normal people having a good time.

[Logan Murdoch]

I was very jealous. I'm talking to my editors about sending me to WNBA All Star next year. As you know, I'm trying to go. So let's, let's zoom out from WNBA All Star in general. Like, this specific one felt like a moment, right? Like, I've watched W All Star games from afar for the last few years. We've referenced the stud buds, we've referenced, you know, you've been interviewing people, but it felt like a lot of things came together at once. What do you think that this, you know, a few days out, what do you think that this meant for the W based on the trajectory it's going right now?

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, I do think it was a moment. You know, I think anybody who is even like remotely connected to the wnba, you couldn't open your social media without it just being flooded with All Star content. Right. And that's usually what you experience. You know, as an example, when it's the NBA All Star Game, just content. Content. Whether it was the stud buds or like the skills challenge, the three points contest, like so on and so forth. So it felt big. It was big. I was there. It was big. I think it's been like building to this moment. Last year's All Star Game had felt. Felt big as well. It was very much like a glimpse into the future. The big difference was it was an actual game because the Olympic team was together and they were like getting ready to go. So they were like actually a team, the All Stars, they were probably just chilling even though they ended up winning. But that had a different vibe to it. Whereas this one, this one was, was just Like Phoenix last year, only it was more just celebration. Right? Like all of it. Every, every activity, every activation. I already mentioned Friday night, then Saturday, the game, it was all a big celebration. And I don't know, I think we got to show like, what was real. I think they all got to show like what's real in the wnba as opposed to like narratives that are out there, conversations that people like to pick up on. This is really what the WNBA is.

[Logan Murdoch]

What was your favorite moment?

[Sue Bird]

You know, I, I've never.

[Logan Murdoch]

Other than your boo, like out here walling.

[Sue Bird]

Yeah, I think Friday night I had never seen, you know, Sabrina famously went against Steph, had a great three point contest against him. Also famously has the highest score with like 37. But I didn't see either of those live. So to be in the building, I think the, you know, she hit 30 and there was a moment where she hit like 10 or 11 in a row. And to like actually feel that energy was, Was pretty dope. But then also the skills challenge, like, and I'm not just saying that, like every single person went hard, like they were trying. It wasn't just like too cool for school. And so I think it really made for like a really fun show. The crowd was great. It was basically, you know, sold out. Really good performers. Like, they just did a really good job overall on Friday night.

[Logan Murdoch]

I thought what I do want to talk to you about is unrivaled and just the growth of the, the off season. Right. Like, I think you guys are doing it right. Like we've seen with men's sports, like having an off season league just doesn't work for them. And you guys have been able to make it work. I'm thinking about like the, the usfl, right, and the UFL back in the day, right. Where it just hasn't been able to compete with the other league. But you guys have been able to do that. We all know that. You know, the W and players are trying to make more bread and supplement a lot of income. And the unrivaled is doing that. AU is doing that as well. But from a playing standpoint and game standpoint, to have a specific type of off season seems like it would help, you know, the W product in women's basketball in general. How does a player balance playing both leagues and how can this model sustain as we're trying, you know, I know the W is trying to get more games and you guys are trying to build the business of the unrivaled. How does, how did, how do you balance that as A player in the modern game.

[Sue Bird]

As of right now, the WNBA season, you know, this year I think we're playing the most Games ever at 44. But it's still like, you know, you start in like May, goes to like October. That's a lot of time. Like that's a lot of time in the, in between. And you know, obviously everybody knows we all used to go overseas. Some people still go overseas. It's still for, for some people, like the right opportunity, the right money. And the beauty of it is you stay in shape. The beauty of it is, you know what I mean? Like you go, you would go over there and you'd be practicing, you'd be staying in shape, you'd be in game shape, you'd be in game rhythm, you'd come right back. But obviously the hard part was that that was becoming like a year round thing. And I think now with unrivaled, with Athlete Unlimited, you just have options, right? Every player can choose what's best for them. For some it's going to be to continue to go overseas. For others and we saw a lot of them choose unrivaled. For others it's like, hey, I get some time off, right? Like unrivaled last year, I don't think it started till like early January, mid January season ends like October, ish. You get some time off, you get time to yourself, time to maybe, you know, rest your body. Maybe you've got an injury, whatever the case, then you show up, you play for the, whatever it was like two and a half months. And then you even get like a tiny bit of time before the WNBA starts. But in those two and a half months, you get to get back in game shape. You get to work on your game. So the thing about overseas is you don't always get to have the player development time, like the, the you time. Right. Like you and a coach where you get to work on something. I know they've done a really good job at Unrivaled like making that a focal point. And that's so important. And what's interesting is you really have seen it. A lot of the players who played in Unrivaled are having great years this year. So it's a nice balance. And I think from a player standpoint, it's really not hard. It's actually a perfect it work. It fits perfectly in the calendar. You get a little bit of all that you need and then come WNBA season you're ready to go.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah, like it was, it was a lot of fun. Why was A three on three model. So why was that so important, Important for this winter?

[Sue Bird]

I'm not sure. I think it's just something that Unrivaled, like saw as like a business opportunity. It is growing. It's an Olympic sport now. You know, maybe I actually don't know the answer. I'm not like in the rooms for Unrivaled. I'm not an investor in Unrivaled. So it's like I think maybe, maybe I don't know that it's not as taxing as 5 on 5, but I think it was a business model that they saw a lot of potential in that. That would be my guess.

[Logan Murdoch]

So like I'm in the bay right now and right in the back at the with the Valkyries and it feel like, you know, this is, this team has been obviously really good. But what I want to ask though is feels like there's been an infiltration there. They are going full on. We're going to go overseas, we're going to try to look scour the world for talent. Even if we got a stash, some people, we're going to do it. We're going to like what? Not necessarily what do you think of that model but how do you feel the W is going to go even more international? Do you see other teams emulating that model and do you see that what is, what does the W look like in five years when it comes to that? Yeah, it's so fascinating seeing that team on it on a day to day basis. Try that.

[Sue Bird]

Well, first of all, the WBA has always been more than welcoming to international players. The issue was, you know, why did we go over to Europe? Because they were paying more money. So a lot of these European players, you know, whether it's the Euroleague season or there's some other leagues as well, but look the top, the top league is Euro league. Whether they were just getting enough there or it didn't make sense to play year round and go to the wnba, be away from home sometimes. It had to do with like national team commitments for, for some of these players. So there's a variety of reasons why not every single European player, specifically Europe, right. Australia, we've always had players come over Brazil, we, we've always had players come up so specific to Europe. It didn't always make sense for them like from a money and time perspective. But now that the money is increasing. To answer like your last question. Yeah. In five years, if the wnba, CBA turns out the way we all hope for it to turn out, which Is players are getting paid. Obviously, the media deal is coming in. So, you know, I think, like, arrows point towards that, really. Just given the media deal alone, I think it's going to be more attractive for European players to want to come over here. It's already the best league. It's the best competition. And I think it was the money part that was really the deterrent for them. When you look at Golden State, what I think was really smart by them was they were in a position where they're an expansion team. You know what I mean? Like, they're just trying. You know, they're going to pick the players in the expansion draft, which they did a great job there. But then they, I think, in a really smart way, just decided to get, like, creative with it. Like, what European players can we get to come over here to, like, build with? And a lot of the players they got, with the exception of, like, I don't know, maybe like one or two are, like, vet players. Like, players that have been around, like, whether, you know, not all of them had played in the WNBA before, but some of them had. But a lot of them are, like, vets on their national team or at least have, like, three, four, five years under their belt. They're vets in euroleague. So these are, like, you know, substantial players who have really, like, made a mark, and now they're going to come over here and help build. Build a foundation, build the culture. And that's what I think was really smart by the Valkyries to kind of go that. That European route. Plus, they're just tough, man. European players, they just. They don't give a F and they're just, like, tough. So I think it was really smart.

[Logan Murdoch]

I want to get to one of your homies. We talked about retirement earlier. How are you coaching Diana through retirement? Is it like, I know you're coaching her?

[Sue Bird]

Nah, she's doing great.

[Logan Murdoch]

Is she doing good? Is she doing better than you are, do you think?

[Sue Bird]

Who's to say? I think she's doing great, though. Like, you know, she's. You know, Penny, she's got her two kids. I think she's really been trying to, like, focus on them because obviously, as an athlete, you just miss time. So a lot of time spent with the family. But I don't know, the thing about Dee is she, like, really moves in silence in a lot of ways. She wasn't like that on the court. On the court, she couldn't have been louder, you know what I mean? Like, you never. You can't take your eyes off her when you're watching her play, but off the court, you know, from like a business standpoint, from like, thinking ahead, she really moves in silence. So if you haven't heard from her in a while, it means something's on, something's coming. You know, it just got announced recently. Her documentary is coming out, I think like August 7th or something. So there's a plug for that. I'm looking forward to watching it. So she's always got something on the horizon, you know, you're gonna see her again for sure.

[Logan Murdoch]

Did you coach her the last. Like, what, like, tell me the. This, how the decision making happened from your end of, like, her retirement. Did you, did you tell her how to do it? Like, how did that come about? Did you find out like the rest of us? Like, how did that.

[Sue Bird]

Basically. Basically, yeah. To know D was to know she wasn't gonna be, like, reaching out. Okay, but like, but like, you know, it's like when you know her, it's like, this is what it is. She, she's. She's. Yeah, she's unique in that way. It's like, again, like the way she played, you might think different, but she's actually got like a. I don't know, like a private low key part to her too. So, yeah, I want to say that Lindsay, you know, who reps D, she kind of reached out and was like, hey, they're gonna announce her retirement next week. We would love for you to be a part of the article that's gonna do it. And I was like, okay, should I just wait for her to tell me or just, like, do the article? Like, how does this. But then, but then she came out here to New York. I'm in New York right now. She came out to New York. She was making her rounds on, like, Good Morning America, went on the View. And like, of course she came over, we spent time, we grabbed dinner, like her, her whole family, me and Megan. And like that, that right there, like, that's what Dee wants to like, break bread and have moments.

[Logan Murdoch]

Yeah.

[Sue Bird]

You know what I mean? Like, that's what's most meaningful to her. So like I said, to know her is to know that. And it was fun to share that part.

[Logan Murdoch]

So when our agent hit her, you weren't like, yo, why, why can't she has my number? I just, I was probably just texting her.

[Sue Bird]

I wasn't surprised at all. I wasn't surprised at all. Yeah.

[Logan Murdoch]

Okay.

[Sue Bird]

Okay.

[Logan Murdoch]

How. How's it been the evolution of podcasts? I listened to the. I listened to a Touch More. Like, it's obviously been in different. You guys have had different eras of a Touch More. But, like, the podcast. Podcast versus version, we're listening to you and Megan do the podcast, like, from the first couple episodes to now. And I know with me and Raja and now Howard, how we've kind of evolved as podcasters at first. Like, I know when me and Raja first started, we didn't even know each other. Like, I had, like a 20 minute phone call with him, and then we just start potting. But, like, what I did remember from that situation is, like, you're getting to know a person on a different level while trying in front of everyone, and you kind of evolve your rhythm. This is what I was telling Megan when you guys first started. Like, you guys are trying to get a rhythm into the podcast space, and it might seem awkward at first, but you'll figure it out. Did you feel. How did. Talk about your evolution from when you guys first started the podcast in this form of what it is to, like, how you guys have evolved as podcast hosts? And it's kind of weird because you're doing it with your boo, but, like, how did you guys kind of evolve and your voices through the podcast space?

[Sue Bird]

I mean, I think you nailed it. It's just an evolution. Like, even if it's, you know, the person you live with and are with 24 7, it's still an evolution because you're, like, doing a show. I think more than anything, this. This particular evolution was just like, us, really. We already knew these things about each other and about ourselves, but really, like, just coming to, like, understand and, like, fully, like, appreciate. Right? Like, I'm way more of the, like, producer in the duo. Right? Like, I'm way more.

[Logan Murdoch]

Are you the point guard?

[Sue Bird]

Oh, what do you know? Never leaves. It never leaves you. It never leaves you. Yeah, so I'm way more than point guard, and I'm, like, doing the prep and I'm, like, you know, getting the outline going, all this stuff. We have a producer, she's wonderful. Jasmine, who does, like, like, the lion's share of it. But when it comes to, like, the me and Megan figuring it out part, I'm just. That's just more of, like, my vibe, and Megan's more, like, spontaneous and wants to, like, mix it up in the moment. And I think at first there was some growing pains on, like, figuring out how to do that, like, simultaneously at the same time without stepping on the other. But now, like I said, I think we got to a point where we're Just like, oh, in order for this pod to be great, like you have to do that. In order for this pod to be great, I have to do this. And now I think we just have like an understanding and appreciation of that that allows us to just like bring out the best in each other. And that was kind of the evolution. We never fought it. It was just about just like, oh, this is what it is. Okay, cool. And then we moved on.

[Logan Murdoch]

That's exactly how it was with me and Raja. He was just like, Megan, by the way, he's the biggest Megan Rapinoe fan of all time. Loves her. But he, it was literally like I just had to make it so. So he can just show up, you know, and just like, and then go from there. And it's been great because he's amazing at it. But yeah, I don't know if you knew this, but this is. You are the, the guest for our five year anniversary of the podcast. So thank you so much. You are a three timer. You, you've. I think you joined Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins. So congratulations.

[Sue Bird]

That's a league company.

[Logan Murdoch]

Next time I see you, I, I will give you like some sort of certificate or something. But that was, that was Sue Bird, ladies and gentlemen. I can't. Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it. And then I'll, I'll see you in a year. So thanks so much. That has been another edition. We will see you guys in the fall. I All the shits talk to you soon. On behalf of Cliff, Victoria, Raja, Howard, Beck, that is real ones. We'll talk to you guys soon. Ah, all the shits Bye.