Is NBA Media Dead? w/ Dexter Henry & Eric Newman

In this episode, CP "The Fanchise" is joined by content producers, Dexter Henry (SNY TV) and Eric Newman (Showtime Basketball). CP & his guests dive into a thought-provoking conversation sparked by Brian Windhorst's recent comments about the state of NBA media. Has storytelling taken a backseat to quick, engagement-driven content? The panel discusses the shift from in-depth narratives to hot takes and viral highlights, examining how these changes impact both die-hard and casual fans.

Dex explains why storytelling is vital to connecting fans with players and fostering a deeper appreciation for the game. Eric highlights the challenges facing content creators who prioritize authenticity in an industry increasingly driven by clicks. Together, they tackle the nuances of modern media, including the debate over player load management, repetitive GOAT conversations, and the viral nature of social media trends like “start-bench-cut.”

The episode also touches on the influence of race and historical biases in NBA coverage, contrasting this with the NFL’s more consistent media treatment. Finally, the hosts explore what a balanced NBA media diet could look like and why platforms that focus on quality narratives have the power to reshape the NBA media landscape.

Tune in for an insightful discussion on where NBA media stands today and what it will take to revitalize meaningful storytelling in basketball coverage.

Show notes:

- **(00:00 - 01:06)**: Brian Windhorst voiced concerns on the *Tenacious Podcast*, saying NBA media is struggling because it's focused on quick social media content rather than storytelling, which traditionally helped build the league's fan base and connection with players.

- **(01:06 - 01:59)**: Dex supports Windhorst's points, emphasizing that as a storyteller, he misses the narrative depth that NBA coverage used to offer. He argues that the focus on "hot takes" and high-level teams detracts from meaningful coverage.

- **(02:50 - 04:43)**: Dex cites examples of effective storytelling, such as articles that explore players’ backgrounds or specific techniques, which are rare in today’s media. He argues that NBA coverage has shifted from nuanced narratives to surface-level, engagement-driven content.

- **(06:09 - 07:02)**: Discussion on how the NFL doesn't face the same media criticism, suggesting that the NBA’s coverage is weakened by repetitive debates and an emphasis on sensationalism over thoughtful analysis.

- **(09:22 - 10:32)**: The conversation highlights that current NBA media values clicks over depth, often focusing on analytics-driven content rather than human stories that foster fan loyalty.

- **(14:10 - 15:08)**: CP and Dex explore how mainstream outlets prioritize quick, viral content to appeal to casual audiences and younger viewers, often sacrificing in-depth storytelling for engagement metrics.

- **(17:33 - 18:53)**: Discussion on the downside of simplistic social media trends, like "start-bench-cut" games, which can reduce player analysis to superficial comparisons instead of fostering appreciation for different talents.

- **(26:35 - 27:42)**: The hosts criticize how historically, NBA media often lacked diversity, leading to coverage that didn’t fully reflect players’ experiences and backgrounds.

- **(30:11 - 31:06)**: Dex argues that media criticism of the NBA often includes racial undertones, particularly in relation to stylistic changes in gameplay, while other leagues like MLB face less scrutiny despite viewership declines.

- **(33:23 - End)**: The hosts discuss their current projects, including upcoming NBA content, and express their hopes that their storytelling approach will set a positive example, encouraging the NBA media landscape to evolve and improve.

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Transcript

Is NBA Media Dead? - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D6IB2IW_AA

Transcript:
(00:00) last week Brian windhorse on the tenaces at tento podcast I think it's called Thal theanalysis he says that NBA media is not it's that is a good play on words he says NBA media is not in a good place he's quoted as saying NBA media right now we're not in a great place because I think we're devaluing things that help build the league up like one of the things is storytelling everything is too short right now people are too focused on tweets too focused on getting cross over getting dunked on getting embarrassed social media posts not as
(00:34) much storytelling learning about players and learning their backgrounds what I call chronicling the season um so you know Dex kick it off man because you know there's talk about the the viewership Decline and is it the style of play wior saying there's no storytelling the media is changing what's your thoughts yeah I'm so glad you're well first of all salute to you CPA because I think that having these conversations matter right like like having and and salute Tois you know and Brian for bringing it up because I think
(01:06) having these conversations I have not liked to somebody who loves the NBA absolutely loves the NBA it's my favorite League favorite sport I've hated the discussion around in the way it is so a lot of what Brian wior says I actually agree with it and the reason I agree with it is like this is this is my profession I I'm a I'm a Storyteller I'm I'm somebody who loves telling stories and I think telling stories matter and I think there's I just want to be very clear to people I think there's a variety of ways to do that I am not
(01:32) saying there's one way to do it I think there's storytelling through social media and shorts and Tik toks and things that are really dope that people do and I think that's great but specifically what Brian's talked about the long form storytelling I do think that stuff matters and that's also long form discussions like we're having right here there discussions with Nuance there isn't just we're not just here spewing hot takes and that's no shade to people to do the hot take stuff that's cool too but I think there always has to be
(01:59) balance and stuff right and I think particularly with the NBA and some of the stuff Brian talked about you know we look at what the needle moves are the the the topics that get everybody talking you talk about the Lakers people love to hate the Lakers Celtics are in that way too right and that's going to move the needle on a lot of things but what about the stories of the players that aren't told much you know you referenced Jay King's Story in the athletic which shout out to the athletic who does a great job of Storytelling and
(02:24) I think they're one of the Front Runners in that for people that do that the story about Drew holiday with the Nuance of him and what he does with the defense sometimes I'd like to know a little bit more about things that are going on with different teams I want to shout out James Edwards from the athletic he did a fantastic job um with talking about how players go through their free throw routines on the Knicks and I thought that was really cool right that's part of the storytelling my co-worker and colleague Stephan Bondi at the post did
(02:50) a really good job at this start of the Season talking about the perception of cat being soft and why that really might not be true right I know cat's a biggest star but the nuances in these things uh matter and I think often the way the league has been looked at CP um has has bothered me you know uh Eric just referenced the comments by Nick Wright about there being too many threes and particularly was calling out singling out the Celtics which I hated on on on that too and I don't think that's the problem the league all leagues all
(03:20) sports evolve why would you expect it to look the same I don't want the basketball to look the same like it did in the 90s and I grew up loving the watching the basketball in the 90s so we all came up on right we came up on it right but things have to evolve and that is fine the the this desire for people to see the same basketball that they saw back then doesn't make any sense to me stylistically you might like a certain thing and if you think there are too many threes what I would say to you is well if you watch a team like the
(03:47) Celtics ask yourself if the shots they getting are quality shots that's what matters you could jack up a whole bunch of threes and not really play good basketball you could also take a whole bunch of twos or mid-range shots or whatever however you want to play and then not be good it's about the quality of shots it's about the ball movement it's about the intricacies and I think to all that all that being said there has to be a better job among media right of talking about the game how we talk about the game I still feel like the NBA
(04:14) doesn't get talked about with enough Nuance to it because a lot of it is presented as like who's better Jordan or LeBron and it's like we've heard this conversation like 55 million times we don't have to do do this no more is this team really in troubl that listen we all pose questions we ask questions but I think it's about how we ask those questions how we frame those stories how we talk about the league another thing I'm sorry for this long so box rant but another thing I do want to add the load management stuff that's come up in the
(04:43) league and how it's been framed in the media that's really bothered me because what happens is certain players get scapegoated for this look kawii Leonard Joel embiid they have chronic injuries and it sucks for those players but one thing I'll tell you somebody and sure Eric you'll back me up on this somebody who's covered the league been around the league talked to people I've never heard any players say that they don't want to play The Narrative that's pushed out there by some that these players are lazy that they don't want to suit up is
(05:11) absolutely untrue it couldn't be further from the truth what I will say is teams are trying to protect their players and so protect their Investments which I understand now if anybody knows me and see me stay talk about this on other platforms the league and the season is way too long and guys play way too much basketball at a young age and on even on the a circuit and this is why we see this increase in injuries all the time people have this tendency to blame blame the players and not necessarily blame the league for how it's structured and
(05:40) the season being too long and I just think it's wildly unfair players are now being scapegoat as being lazy not wanting to play the NBA has a bad TV product which is absolutely not true the TV product is not bad this is a good TV product I know we're all here with leagues fast subscribers it's good are audiences changing are younger people not watching games as much as they used to absolutely but you know what I think younger people can connect to and this is what Brian wior is talking about stories storytelling I don't care how
(06:09) you do it connect them to stories things that they can feel that are real people that they can connect to personalities that they feel are real and invested in it and I think if the league does this to wrap up my point if the league is doing that and the media is doing that I think it's better for the league and the narrative you can only control how you talk about what it is that you do CP this is your show how you want it to be how you frame it to be is how it's going to be and how it's going to affect what comes out when people
(06:37) come to the NBA report they know what they're going to get because of the way you put it out there the way other people talk about it the way people like myself who support you speak about it right that stuff matters and that's the same thing with basketball and so I think Brian wior is absolutely right the media's got to be better at this we got to talk about it better because you know a league that doesn't have this problem you never hear this talk around the NBA NFL you never hear that talk that oh they have a bad TV product and I think
(07:02) sometimes their stuff is oversaturated through the week but nobody ever talks about like that I'm tired of the negative narratives around the NBA and some of it is just rooted in laziness to be quite honest Eric what's your take man I don't know how I'm going to follow up on that sorry no no no uh in in in the best of ways Dexter you hit so many great points right like I have had a problem with this for a really long time and part of the success that we had at Showtime basketball was yes we are going to be current with a lot of our um
(07:37) content on our social platforms and digital platforms and you know you take all the smoke for example many of the basketball interviews would start with okay what's going on in the here and now with the subject of the interview and the Here and Now of the league and then we'll pivot back and we'll get into the Journey of that subject and all the incredible career and life moments they had but that came with a lot of nuance that came with a lot of research and anything we're putting out or we're putting out excuse
(08:07) me in regards to the Here and Now of the league it's not hot take driven it's careful analysis it's strong opinions um kg obviously uh his show is going uh every week and what him and Paul do like take the entertainment part out of it take the fun personality part of it out of it they are giving you real analysis of what they see on the court and I think the problem is that you have too many people and I'm talking about uh writers bloggers people with a microphone unfortunately a lot of these people didn't play the game or learn the
(08:45) game at a at a level where they understand how to communicate the Nuance it's not just you telling me Oh well this is what the shot chart says or this is how many threes they've taken and we were just talking about this it's how that offense is being generated and how that defense is is uh switching hedging or trap recovering and pick and roll and and the things that I love about the game that draw my attention whether it's the strategy things or the human stories um Decks that you so perfectly stated there's not enough of them and my first
(09:22) job like in the industry when I was in house somewhere is the year after I made that web series about um Donovan Mitchell and and that uh aaou team called the city I was part of the first build at Bleacher Report when Turner bought them and they built the video department and you remember when everything was going to teamst stream and it was programmed to be in your pocket so like I was producing a lot of that stuff and I was leading a team of of people and young producers and editors but we were at the mercy of
(09:57) writing the headline and the clickbait and then doing the video with whoever the contributor was the guest um beat writer was or whether it was with my colleagues Howard Beck Adam leco Rick buer stepen Nelson the names go on but it was all about the analytics and this is what people are going to click on and I do not agree with that philosophy and obviously you guys know my body of work whether it's podcasting whether it's film making whether it's docu series there's so much story here here and I keep saying it over and over again and
(10:32) it's one of the reasons why Bobo and I created bball radio we're storytellers everything's not just going to be based on last night's box score or this highlight package or what can fit in a tweet there needs to be story there needs to be the human side of things there needs to be understanding and it's such a beautiful game I mean look at what it's doing now we're having this incredible episode and conversation and we know each other through basketball and there's so much good here to showcase the game and build stories
(11:04) around and I'm hoping with what windhorse had to say and people like us who are trying to drive our own shows and platforms and also work together to support each other I hope we can be part of that new wave as a new TV deal is upon us for 25 26 and Beyond so that's how I feel I hope so I hope so I just want to skip I want to say one thing skp um to what Eric said and I I I think it's true and I think being part of that new wave is when when you think about your content first and not the headline and how you're going to draw people in
(11:38) and it's authentic I think that's what separates you you know I want to give cp's flowery and I've told CP this many times you know when I was watching his content when I first saw his content that was part of the thing it was like oh man this is authentic this is somebody I know that's like me um that that can talk about basketball and it's it's from a fan and passionate place but it's a real authentic conversation right and it's it's it's not click baity it's just real and I do think that stuff connects with people and I you know
(12:06) listen and I do it I look I work for the New York Post and I understand that there's going to be headlines and things that they want to grab people's attention we talk about this stuff all the time the metrics I get all that but when I'm thinking about my shows and I'm thinking about who I'm connecting with and the people I have on it's really from the organic place of Storytelling and if my guests don't reflect that if I don't reflect that in what I'm doing then I don't feel right about it so you know I I hope that I think but it
(12:31) matters to what you said Eric we all have and that are part of this that are trying to be part of that change we all have to support each other and I I think that's the only way you see that true change I I it's it's a very interesting debate because I wonder this and and you know I'll put this out there to you guys is it that you know the media across the board is in bad shape or is it really just on the mainstream level because this is just a situation where everybody's really serving their masters right like first take if first take is
(13:06) having record numbers and that's based on the debate style hot take who's getting traded who's the worst who's the best who's the goat and people are flocking the Casual viewers are flocking to these guys for those sound bites or they going to Twitter for those sound bites is that just the mainstream serving their masters and at the same time in the Grassroots or at the niche level you are are still getting the storytelling you're getting the film breakdowns you're getting the more authentic coverage of your team but it's
(13:42) just not being covered as you would like it on the mainstream you know what I'm saying like when I think about individual team fans like I don't think there's a team out there who has fans that are like man like we don't have enough coverage because you have so many podcasters and bloggers covering the team so is it just the commercial nature of the mainstream where they're trying to Target the Casual audience they want gen Z tapping in who's not watching games so they're getting into the Tik toks with the quick
(14:10) sound bites and look at this reaction oh a bird flew into the stadium and you know landed on the scores table you know look at this and you know what I'm saying like is it just them serving their core audience yeah no no I do think that's it CP I do I do think that's it if if you do anything on the mainstream and Eric I'm sure you can speak to this too maybe there's certain differences in in the places like showtime and HBO where they've had resources to allow you right to do something that Eric mentioned I thought
(14:38) was a great word right he was talking about working on the shows and the the resources to put into research matters like if you want really good content it's takes time like I I'll put it like this and this is not shade to anybody good content is like having a really good meal you know what I mean and some content is going to be fast food and sometimes we like to eat fast food and then sometimes we want a fast casual meal or whatever it might be but there's levels to this and there's different kinds of things you can digest
(15:08) to it I think the one thing I'll add to what you said CP because I think that's what it is listen a lot of these mainstream Outlets have to serve their masters they're trying to get advertising dollars I understand all that the thing I think is what they could try to do is sometimes they're not willing to take risks and that's what's disappointing or just be like hey I'm gonna do something different let me try this out over here if it doesn't work ah it doesn't work you know what I mean but they're not willing to do that and what
(15:31) happens with that is really when it comes down to talent and voices some of the risk-taking is like simply being like yo I connected with this person that's a new voice over there let me see what they have to say but they just regurgitate the same people the same you and not I've had this conversation same voices all the time right and it's like you could do differently if you want to you could find this Talent I'm going to take people behind the curtain I was talking to CP about this um for a show that he came on with me and CP was like
(15:58) Hey Dex here's a couple other people you could bring on your show to bring have a new perspective of a new voice on there and one of them I just had on uh uh recently and I appreciate CP like that that's what I'm talking about in terms of supporting each other and really helping the content you have to have the want to guys to want to do this right like you have to actually want your content to be diverse have more Nuance have more research if you want to just keep serving fast food and want to be McDonald's you going to be McDonald's
(16:26) you know what I'm saying but McDonald's is not winning a Michelin star I'm not saying you have to win the Michelin star I'm just saying we understand what it is and so I think sometimes we can't lump all the stuff together and to your point CP is just understanding that some people are serving their masters that diet is good for some people but I would love to see for some more media Outlets to have to bring the food analogy in a little bit more of a well balanced diet you could serve a little bit more you could open up your menu a little bit
(16:53) more if you want to right like I think it's possible but the key is you have to want to that's that's perfect perfect analogy I mean are you going to do the research and get the quality ingredients to make this meal of content or are you just gonna Rush the [ __ ] out and the you know we listen I've made I made a decision probably about man seven eight years ago I just I don't watch debate Sports television anymore I mean not even not even in the background I I I don't watch it and it's done and and it's incredible because the
(17:33) game continues to grow but can you imagine if there were bite-size episodes of what Kobe created with detail yeah in lie of these debates which make no sense and are proven to be wrong and silly all the time but all they're trying to do is drive traffic and engagement and can we all agree that one of the worst things to ever enter the basketball social media landscape is the game of start bench cut I mean could you could you come up with a lazier vehic the worst man like like it's it's and it and it it just works against like why we're all
(18:14) here because we have such a love and appreciation for it and I want to celebrate greatness and I want to celebrate competition Brotherhood teams battles all of that and it all goes back to what we were saying earlier about lack of patience too like everybody wants everything microwavable microwavable and no not everything's going to be a 2-hour feature dock right but there's room for the you know 10minute mini feature or the multi multi the multipart digital documentary or just room for conversation and to sit
(18:53) and listen because we're so consumed with the end result instead of not understanding what is experienced learned and valued on the journey and for me you know CP way back in the 90s and I know I've got you for a few years but it wasn't just about okay are we going to win this game and try to position ourselves for the playoffs but like what are we going to learn about ourselves today during this what are we going to learn about ourselves through the preseason that practice and barely picking up a basketball and and running
(19:27) until we we can't stand up anymore like what are we going to learn about who we are and that also plays into what you said earlier Dex too about the importance of the regular season like the 08 Celtics if they don't win 66 games and have home court advantage they may not be standing at the mountain top because they needed seven games to beat Atlanta they needed seven games to beat LeBron and you need that time to build trusts chemistry camaraderie and all else so you could press that button in crunch time and
(19:59) it's there and it frustrates me that this stuff is not more front and center because it's not rocket science but at the same time it excites me because people like us are continuing to do it and I think more people are going to continue to pay attention to it and it'll create more opportunity for us and for us to help younger people now who are getting into the space as well so really glad we talked about this today it's an important conversation and it's an important conversation we should continue to have as we we do more stuff
(20:29) together for yes for sure and um I just think you know the the segmentation of sports media and disruption really be because you know things that like we're doing right now has has certainly disrupted the industry you know back in the time in in the ' 80s 9s like when we're reading papers you know in each market you have your go-to guy right maybe it's like a Mike Luper in New York it's Bob Ryan is you know so on and so forth and it's those go-to guys and maybe you gather around the TV on Sunday NBA on NBC and they're doing their
(21:00) feature story and everybody's just focused on that one story and you have their attention but now you can go to Showtime basketball I can watch you know Quiet Storm with the Ron arest story and really be captivated by it there's so many different Outlets to provide that oh and on top of that the players have entered the mix and so maybe you know with these guys being cut out as a middleman in certain respects it's also impacting their jobs and how they deliver the content you know a guy like a windhorse I think we're slowly
(21:33) starting to see these Legacy journalists or older journalists kind of adapt to the shift in media now they're getting into podcast and they're getting into video they're catching up on YouTube or they're jumping in with these more smaller Niche podcast networks to kind of broaden their their careers now they're jumping into newsletters so I think it's a combination man the the the shift the taste are changing you have more players in the field and I think a lot of these guys just going to need to adapt because
(22:05) there's there are guys who are breaking down the game there's guys who are taking you behind the curtain behind the scenes of the NBA you know there's guys who are are tapping in with the fans like like we are so there is a lane for everybody but like you said Eric I think you know it it's so interesting because the numbers say that the mainstream does like to debate shows but there is a segment like yourself myself Dex who don't really care for it but then we go to our sources for those cont for that content I I always wonder with that CP
(22:37) like right the the liking to your point the the numers saying that they like it do they like it or do they just engage with it cuz listen let's let's be real and you guys you guys see this too right when you post contest some people just want to be angry right like some people just want to be angry and what I think the debate content knows is they get that and use the word engagement right and I I put it with air quotes because the engagement is just somebody firing back and being angry that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to watch
(23:06) the whole show right it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to tune in for the good conversation um they just want to fire back because everybody wants to say their peace now on social media and sometimes that's good sometimes that's really bad um I I that's why I liked your point CP about serving the master because I think a lot of it comes back to that but to the other point that you just made which is a really really good one is that and this is me somebody who's been almost 20 years of working as a profession professionally media yo and I
(23:34) was just saying this to somebody younger today I was having lunch with if you don't adapt you will die right media but it's always been that media it's just been more rapid I would say in the last 10 years or so so much has changed since I started as a journalist you have to adapt I remember working shooting video with reporters back in the late 2000s 07 08 09 who didn't want to do this they didn't want to do video they didn't want to do game recaps it was like no I don't want to do it now I actually work with
(24:02) some of those same reporters and they love doing this now they hit me up like yo Dex this was my story we got and that's dope I'm it's beautiful to see it's really beautiful to see that some of them adapted some of these older guys much older than me but they adapted and and I think that that's what you're going to have to do you're going to have to adapt but the biggest thing about I think having adapt is you have to look at these other people in the space that maybe weren't doing it traditionally and understand yo they're working with you
(24:28) and as CP said there's a lane for everybody now there are some people that are trying to adapt but want to be like ah those people didn't get here the same way I did so they don't really belong in that space and I don't rock with that at all right because yeah that that's archaic you know I don't rock with that at all everybody is different Journey Eric you talked about doing something differently and then you came into the space and picked up a camera and started getting into your creation you're doing CP has another role to that I have my
(24:56) own role to that everybody can have a different path and the different experiences that you guys have from even worlds that were before what I did or my experience in my life that's what makes us the people we are and the content create those experiences matter and the more diverse experiences you have in terms of people creating content the better content you're going to get if you just want to keep it some way and gatekeep nah man that doesn't work that's old and I don't even think the the the viewers are here for that to be
(25:22) honest I don't think they're here for it at all no I'm glad I'm glad you mentioned that you know and you have the the old school writer who disapproves of how the new wave got there but the old school writer thinks because they've been writing for a while well they're just they're owed the opportunity to be on camera but not work at it and take somebody else's spot which drives me crazy but you know for me this goes back to you know I'm a media intern in you know 99 and 2000 for uh TV 55 on Long Island CNN affiliate
(25:58) and I'm in the locker room at the Garden with the Mike flag in the Press scrums during the playoffs like I'm at the Pacers series I'm at the Spurs final series and it was a very interesting look at what this world is like not so much for the media but for the athletes and a long time ago in a land far far away I was in really good shape I was a division three College athlete playing football at itha college and I'd be working out during that time and and you know getting ready for the season and and going in and interning and stuff and
(26:35) you know people will be fighting to get into the scrum and you know surrounding a guy's locker before he's out of the shower and I'm just like this is ridiculous I'm standing off to the side I'd make eye contact with my cameraman and then I'd fight my way in when when it was there like no respect and I'll never forget Kurt Thomas once pulled me aside because I had been in there like enough times with there was some familiarity and he said yo I just want to thank you I see how you operate and we appreciate that because there there
(27:04) such a lack of respect and then another part of the issue and obviously now with um you know we we'll continue to call it New Media right in quotes with athletes telling their stories first person and on camera and having their shows and we are seeing a generational shift now where there are a lot more uh young people in the space but you know you want to talk ' 80s 90s early 2000s the way the game was covered you'd have this archaic mostly White media painting a picture of who they thought these young black men were
(27:42) who had no connection to what experiences in life they had on their way to becoming a pro and the way they were just telling stories the way they thought they should be told which were not accurate and were one-sided and it had a lot to do with the distrust that was created between the athlete and the media so being able to be in the middle of this in many different ways as a Storyteller as a producer yes I've been part of the media I never viewed myself as media before I don't have a column I'm not a beat writer yes I'm a podcast host but I'm a
(28:22) Storyteller first right I've interviewed so many Dynamic personalities and athletes that being able to be on shows like this or have my show with Bobo or the stuff I used to do with BJ Armstrong like that's second nature for me because I'm comfortable navigating those conversations and I'm always listening and wanting to learn and to just kind of Bring It Back full circle to what we were talking about I I I hope that there's going to be an inflection point soon and some of this can start to shift but I I do know that we're we're on the
(28:55) right side of this and wanting to create that change in the space so that I feel good about Eric can I just CP if you don't mind I want to say one thing about what Eric just said that Eric I appreciate you saying that um your point you made as a white man to say that here about the about the NBA the ways covered and you mentioned something about the locker room and I used to be the same way about you in the locker room and I do know that bothered players you just have all these media hoard around the locker not wait for these guys to get
(29:20) changed a player once pulled me aside I'm not going to say who was in football on the Giants and made that had the same experience as you was like hey man I see how you approach it you give me a give sou space and and you don't do that the point you were making about race being a factor in that and and how these stories were told particularly around the NBA was what I was alluding to before when you have these narratives the NBA has always dealt with this in the 80s it was the crack cocaine epidemic that was
(29:45) really looked bad up the NBA and the black players were doing this and then this was happening even though it was happening in other leagues it was happening in baseball you look at them the 80s Mets you can see that but the the stain wasn't the same as it was on the NBA when you look at the 90s then it andeci early 2000s then it was The Hip Hop and Allan Iverson and these players are dressing like thugs and then it was oh it's too much isolation ball remember that guys in the middle 2000s late 2000s too too much isolation ball now it's too
(30:11) many threes there's always a moving of the goalpost about a league that is particularly heavily black obviously and even with the international influence That You Don't See in other leagues baseball has been losing viewership and declining for years but nobody says that it has a TV problem why is that right you got to look at those things and and that's what I mean when we it's how we talk about the league not we the three of us here but how we as collectively as a part of the media talk about the league it's these narratives that are
(30:37) being pushed and that's this is why the storytelling is so important and it's important from people that understand and respect and listen and are open-minded and want to have diversity of thought and want to have diversity of people telling the stories that's what makes it better so Eric I just want to salute you for saying that because I do think that part of it matters too right like people want shy away from the race stuff in that but that does matter in this conversation how these stories are being told I I appreciate that I mean
(31:06) I've said this before and I think you'll both appreciate this right I'm I'm very conscious of the rooms I've been allowed into like this this started for me when I was a basketball coach this started for me when I got into Nike basketball and was teaching the game and running clinics um both domestically and and had some incredible uh International opportunities as well like once people people learned who I was and they learned my value system they learned what drives me like there was there was no question that there was
(31:37) comfortability there so I say this all to say like I take this on um both through the lens of it's a huge privilege and a huge responsibility it's a privilege to be allowed and trusted to tell these stories and it's a responsibility to get it right and that's how I look at every project every show I produce coming on here with you guys like I wasn't just going to come on and say oh I know what's going on in the league here a couple of talking points like I I I I do my research I do my homework and and it matters and building the trust matters
(32:15) like building trust with Kevin Garnett to direct and produce his film was one of the great I mean forget professional experiences just experience es of my life knowing that guy who is a very unique individual who had all the reasons in the world to distrust media and distrust other people outside of his Circle because of what he experienced building that relationship and trust with him to be able to then make a film that takes you through the impact that he's had on basketball basketball culture and the Sports World
(32:54) um it's something I take very seriously so um again glad we're talking about this today and and dexton CP I'm I'm appreciative we're able to have this type of conversation I think it's important big timee big timee man damn this was a great show fellas we definitely we TM in the chat we got to cut this segment man and put this out completely separately uh from the rest but n man great great segment fellas great show overall man and I definitely appreciate both of you you know bringing your experience to this conversation and
(33:23) really adding a lot of value to it um Dex let the know let the people know what you're working on anything that you got coming out this week uh yo we have a actually I will I won't say the name of who it is but we have a special one-on-one interview coming up for new york. game it's a big one I will announce that on Wednesday should be a good one so follow me in all social media platforms at dhenry TV um more stuff coming up throughout the season with the Knicks and inette so you know we'll try to keep the Panic level down
(33:49) for everybody uh with the Knicks but that's really that's really what's going on uh right now a lot of New York got game a lot of more stuff going around not much to talk about the Jets or your Giants see but uh not at all baseball hot stove heating up but uh yeah a lot a lot of Nick stuff so it'll be good tune in the New York got game uh continue to support appreciate that thank you bro appreciate it man Eric how about you man what do you guys got on the stove uh we've got a new episode of uh bball radio with Bido
(34:14) Garcia and I taking a fun look at the NBA inseason tournament um that episode just dropped on Apple podcasts uh today so we're going to be kind of be checking in each week leading up to Vegas on some fun stuff from the inseason tournament taking a historical perspective look on some things as well um we'll have a new lineup of guests coming up soon there and then for me on the film making side uh I just got some things in development and uh soon as things are final I'll share with uh those things with you soon putting out
(34:45) new episodes of the truth lounge with Paul Pierce and then of course uh ticket and truth comes out every week uh that I'm still a part of as well with Kevin and Paul so um great time of year to be talking all to be on with you guys and hopefully we can uh create a rhythm here this was this was really great I appreciate it absolutely man Sal to everybody in the chat once again thank you for everybody for tuning in do me a favor if you guys enjoyed today's conversation like share and subscribe make sure you guys are following these
(35:15) guys we put their ads and their social tags right here on their lower third so make sure that you guys are following them and tapping in with the great work also remember that the show is available in audio podcast format no reason to miss it you can catch us on all major podcast platforms for the kftv faithful in the chat we'll be back at 600 p.
(35:34) m for game of the week preview Nick versus Philly NBA cup tip off on Tuesday so we're going to preview that as well man so make sure you guys are locking in Round the Clock coverage here on NBA report and kftv TP the fanchise man we out of here peace