Giannis Traded to Miami, NBA Draft Reactions & Can Team USA Make a World Cup Run?

Which teams crushed the NBA Draft, and which franchises left fans booing the TV? The guys debate the biggest winners and losers, including the Bucks, Kings, Grizzlies, Nets, and Thunder.

Then the blockbuster: Giannis Antetokounmpo is headed to Miami. Was the trade worth it for the Heat? Did Milwaukee get enough in return? And what's the bizarre chain of events involving Baker Mayfield, and the Greek Freak.

Plus:
 🏀 NBA Draft winners and losers
 🔥 Giannis to Miami reaction and analysis
 🎙️ Why NBA Draft coverage continues to disappoint
 🏆 NBA trivia and No Huddle rapid-fire questions
 ⚽ Team USA's World Cup outlook
 🌎 Can the United States make a historic World Cup run?
 🇦🇷 Is Argentina on track to repeat as champions?
 🏈 Which NFL teams MUST make the playoffs in 2026?

All that and more on this episode of Big Game Energy.

We don't just talk sports. We talk BALL.

#NBA #NBADraft #Giannis #MiamiHeat #MilwaukeeBucks #BasketballPodcast #WorldCup #USMNT #Soccer #NFL #SportsPodcast #BigGameEnergy

Transcript

Spencer 0:00

We back

James 0:01

We

Spencer 0:03

back. Hey, big game energy. We took a little hiatus. I took a little vacation. We took some time away during the dog days of summer, but we are back just in time for the NBA draft. We're gonna talk about winners and losers today. We're gonna recap the Giannis trade that went down just before the draft, and the chain reaction of events that led to this moment. And it's not just starting in the NBA, James. A little teaser for later. And then we'll end with- Ooh World Cup talk during No Huddle. James- Oh, man how you feeling, big dog?

James 0:35

Man, I'm feeling good, man. I, I really wish we didn't go on the hiatus for a little bit because, yo, I was getting so much slander during the NBA finals, our Knicks clips and... Oh, man, even after the Knicks won, bro, we were, I was getting killed. Hey, I guess you can say I just teed it up perfectly for the haters.

Spencer 0:54

Yeah. It, do you wanna respond to the haters previously on Big Game Energy?

James 0:59

I don't have it, it facing me directly, but there was one comment I remember and it was like, "Look at this white boy armchair basketball fan."

Spencer 1:09

Yeah.

James 1:10

That, that one was funny. But, see, that's what happens, man, when they don't watch the full video. They just get a little context. They think that's what they heard. Bro, it's called splicing, bro. I spliced the words to make you think- That's

Spencer 1:21

right

James 1:22

I was saying something crazy. But, hey, it can't be, "Hey, at least I'm not getting heavy slander like our girl Becky Hammon." I'm talking, I'm just, you know what

Spencer 1:30

I'm saying? But she's owning it. She's-

James 1:31

She own-

Spencer 1:32

owning it.

James 1:33

She the GOAT, though. She owned it, bro.

Spencer 1:34

Yeah. I think it was that one and you were also catching slander for hating on Kawhi also.

James 1:39

Oh, yeah. That one, I'm okay.

Spencer 1:40

You always are gonna be happy to stand on that one.

James 1:43

I'll be like, "I'ma stand on this hill by myself." Hey, but what's funny is that when I drop that clip of, just trying to be hot take-y on Jalen Brunson's one title's better than Kawhi's two, I remember retweeting you or, like, something on there that was like, "Jalen Brunson's one title is better than KD's two titles." And I was like, "Maybe that's what I should've said."

Spencer 2:07

And you know my stance on that? I am anti-Steph Curry's rings, not anti-Kevin Durant rings. As a primo Steph Curry hater. He has one ring in my opinion.

James 2:18

I agree with you on

Spencer 2:19

that. One ring. He's got one ring.

James 2:21

He's got one. All right, man. Let's get into it.

Spencer 2:23

Yeah. So NBA draft came and went. It, well, actually, I think it's still going on right now. Yeah. But teams got better, teams got worse in the NBA draft this week. James, first off, before we talk about winners and losers, how did you like the two-day format that the NBA draft did?

James 2:43

I don't mind the two-day format. I just don't like that they started round one on a Tuesday. Bro, what is this? Drake and Iman Mackaman going up on a Tuesday? No. Just copy the NFL. Do a Thursday night or do Friday night at least. You know a sport that, nobody gives a crap about on a Tuesday. That's just my opinion. But-

Spencer 3:05

On a Tuesday at the end of June.

James 3:07

Yeah. No, you gotta spice it up on the, the Thursday or Friday night. I'm okay with the two nights. I used to think back in the day when they did both rounds in the one night. Oh man, truly exhausting. That actually went till midnight Central Time it felt like.

Spencer 3:23

Yeah. It was okay. I will say one thing I am a fan of before we get into it. One thing I am a fan of about the NBA draft, I like that they're doing two days now also. It kinda made the intrigue leading into day two have a little bit more hype and there was a little trade. The Rockets jumped up to the 31st pick because they had a guy they were targeting. But I also like one thing about the NBA draft that I like, and I honestly wish the NFL would do this instead I like that the NBA does their draft before free agency. Start getting your rookies in and then do free agency afterwards. I don't like that the NFL does NFL free agency first- Mm-hmm and then a month and a half later they do the draft. Because I think I'd wanna fill my needs up with draft picks first, that way I can keep them longer- Correct and develop them- Mm-hmm rather than deal out a bunch of one-year contracts and then hope that I dealt them out to the correct positions and built the depth where I'd need to, and then can fill it in with the draft.

James 4:19

Yeah, no, I like that structure a little bit more. You're correct. And guess what? July 1st is gonna be a hot day in the NBA as always. Oh, yeah. We love July 1st for free agency. But yeah, I'm with you, man. Hey, it's okay, man. Leagues, you could change up your schedules a little bit here and there. But yeah, last night, like I said, I wish... I watched a little bit of it, but it's just so weird on a Tuesday. Just... And I felt like this year also with the lottery, rem- on a Sunday. I don't know what Adam Silver... we already hate the guy already.

Spencer 4:48

Last year it was on a Monday, the draft.

James 4:51

I remember, I forget what year it was when we first started doing this, and we had the, your first reaction to the Rockets draft. I swear I thought that was, like, on a Thursday.

Spencer 4:59

They are missing a mark potentially doing it on a Friday night, a prime time event, make it the NBA- Draft, but- also, the NBA Draft coverage is terrible. ESPN just continues to be the washed wide leader in sports. They are terrible. Yeah. Their draft coverage is awful. They were, I forget who it was, but they asked a pick, like, how long he's been dreaming of being a first-round pick, and he was like, Since I was a little kid." What? You mean the guy that worked his tail off to learn basketball and make it in AAU, and make it in college, and make it to... You mean to tell me he wanted to do it his whole life? Wow, great stuff. Great journalism there, ESPN. It's, terrible, terrible coverage. Yeah. I didn't even, I haven't even watched day two. I've just been keeping up with the picks on my phone.

James 5:47

Just wait till next year, man. Drewski's gonna be hosting it with Richard Jefferson and Kevin Perkins.

Spencer 5:53

That would be an upgrade. It would honestly be an upgrade. But James, teams got better, teams got worse- Yeah in the NBA Draft. Mm. Who were some teams that were winners, for you, in the NBA Draft?

James 6:04

I don't wanna be too chalky and everyone who had two picks almost were the winners of the night. I believe this team did get a little bit better. Now, course they are a poverty of a franchise in the latest since getting rid of, De'Aaron Fox and everyone else. But I really like what the Sacramento Kings did, man. Getting Darius Acuff, you're getting a bonafide scorer. Somebody to light up in the Western Conference with some of these l- shooters. And then for me, man, the getting the big man from Yukon, Alex Karaban. I like the guy. I know he's not the highly draft pick like his co-partner was last year and the year before that, but I like this guy. This guy is not a bad. He's a stretch in agai- in this game where you can have stretch guys all around. I, I love what the Kings did. Now, are they gonna be world beaters and freaking be the eight seed? No, they're not. Let's not go that far. But hey, I, we, we enjoyed Darius Acuff during the March Madness. We thought he almost

Spencer 7:00

could've caught- You especially. I'm not shocked at all that Darius Acuff being a King makes the Kings your winner. 'Cause I know you're a Darius Acuff guy.

James 7:07

Yeah, man. Like, dude, put the ball in the hoop, man. That's all I care about. But no, that's one of my winners just because again, when you get bo- And again, two different sides of the ball. It's not like they went guard, guard. They're filling in both sides, where you're gonna have a big man on one side and you're gonna have your shooter on the other side. So I really liked what the Kings did.

Spencer 7:26

Yeah. I gotta agree. I think the Kings did well. I like both their picks. I liked also what the Grizzlies did. Obviously Cameron Boozer, great pickup. They got Kareem Lopez from Mexico, and I liked that pick, too. I was holding on thinking they got Bennett Sturtz, too, but I didn't realize he got traded. Anyway.

James 7:42

I know. They all do that weird, stupid hat

Spencer 7:44

thing where- Yes, I know, and it's so confusing when you're looking at the draft recap and you see the name next to the logo. It's like-

James 7:50

Yeah. It's

Spencer 7:50

like- I hate the NBA for doing all this- Yeah and messing up. The Hawks though. Like, honestly, maybe I'll leave this part in because we can talk about why it's so stupid that guys get traded, and everyone knows they're getting traded, and they're interviewing with the ESPN coverage, which again sucks. Yeah. And they have a different team's hat on, and they're talking about playing for another team. It's so stupid.

James 8:13

It's so dumb. You gotta think about Atlanta Hawks legend Luka Doncic, man.

Spencer 8:17

Yeah.

James 8:17

Come on, man.

Spencer 8:19

Yeah. How about OKC Thunder legend Alperen Sengun? That's the cornerstone of my franchise- was an OKC Thunder. Anyways you're right. The teams that had two picks, I'll clarify now, the teams that had two picks did really well. Like I said, I really did like what the the Grizzlies did, what the Kings did was good. But another team that had two picks and I actually think was my biggest winner of the evening- Mm-hmm and I do have this one correct, I love what the B- Milwaukee Bucks did. Obviously- Mm and we're gonna talk about the Giannis trade later on But I love what they did after they got the 13th overall pick in that trade from the Heat. They, at 10, got Braeden Burress, who was a guy I thought could've been drafted in the top 10. They got him at 10. He was a very huge part of that Arizona Wildcats team that was this close to winning a national championship. Fell short in the national championship game, but he was a terror in the Big 12 all year long. And then they turn around at 13 and they get Nate Ament, who was another person who, a, a lot of people had him even higher on the draft board than Braeden Burress. He really fell in the draft 'cause he's probably not the most efficient guy. Yeah. But I'm of the belief that when you're a straight-up bucket getter in college and you get surrounded by more quality teammates in the NBA- Yeah that kinda shot-making ability, that is what's gonna stick out. And I, so I really like Nate Ament. I think the Bucks, all things considered, obviously they are not a better team today than they were at the beginning of the week. Correct. Right? That's, we know that's obvious. Mm-hmm. But I think now that they look forward in this post-Giannis era, you're starting with two players in Braeden Burress and Nate Ament, two guys that should be prominent contributors maybe even early in their rookie year. But I think at the minimum, both these guys are gonna be solid NBA players in their rookie, or I'm sorry, in their second year in the league. I think the Milwaukee Bucks did really, really good. If you're a Bucks fan, I know you're probably depressed right now still. Yeah. Know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, 'cause I think they did really good in the draft.

James 10:20

Yeah. And we'll talk about it, and I won't say too much 'cause you mentioned the recap of the draft. What the Bucks got from Miami, some of the players and some of the future assets, it, this draft really went well for them, I thought. A lot of people probably think the Bucks didn't get better 'cause they can't replace Giannis in a draft, which remember Giannis when he came in the draft, he was about as big as my number two pencil. So it takes time. It takes time, guys. But I'm, again, yeah, the two picks, man I enjoy when teams get multiple picks. 'Cause even in the NFL, when teams get multiple picks, it just seems like they could actually really do something, down the line. But Spence, bro, you telling me the Brooklyn Nets weren't a winner?

Spencer 11:00

Oh, no, and I'm actually glad you brought them up. If we wanna talk losers, look no further than that team right there. That was gonna be my pick for my biggest loser. 'Cause you're sitting there with the sixth overall pick, and you're the Brooklyn Nets. You need someone that can be your savior. And of all of the guards that were available in picks five, six, seven, and eight, they obviously lost out on Keaton Wagner was off the board. Right. So I won't hold him against them. But you had the choice between Darius Acuff, Kingston Fleming, and I'll even throw in my boy Braeden Burks there, who I'm a big fan of, and Mikkel Brown Jr., who I don't hate too much. But I just named three players that I think are better prospects than Mikkel Brown Jr. You left all of them on the board. You left Ya- Yaxil Lindenborg on the board- Yeah Nate Mitt on the board, and you went with Mikkel Brown Jr. I just think there was much better value there for the Nets than what they did at six. A- if you liked Mikkel Brown that much, I think you coulda gotten him trading back. I know a lot of teams have trouble at times trading back to get their guys, so they have to reach in the NBA. It's not like the NFL. And I guess they maybe salvaged a day if you're a fan of Joshua Jefferson, who they got- in a trade with the Timberwolves at the end of the first round. But okay, woo,

James 12:14

woo, yeah.

Spencer 12:15

The Nets will continue to be a dumpster fire. And it's just hilarious that on one side of town you've got the New York Knicks celebrating their first championship in 53 years. Man. And on the other side, you have the Brooklyn Nets.

James 12:27

Yep.

Spencer 12:27

Fumbling the draft. And I shouldn't expect anything less, though.

James 12:31

Yeah. I'm with you, I'm with you on this one. Yeah, the, that... Gosh, man, I was joking about the Kings being a dumpster fire. The Nets, yeah.

Spencer 12:41

Yeah.

James 12:41

I thought they would've went with Kingston Fleming on the sixth pick. I'm with you. A team I think that of course no one will look as a loser 'cause they're still fully loaded. I just felt like- The Thunder didn't do the things I thought they would've went. I just thought they would've went a different direction. But I know you, you like probably Bennett Sturtz. But I, I don't know. I just... The t- they got a tall team all of a sudden now with Andy Mara and, you know, maybe they're trying to be more defensive versus the future, versus Wemby. Maybe that makes sense to get guys who can guard Wemby down the line in the West, but I didn't think the OKC Thunder did anything splash-wise. So I'll give them an, I'll give them a, one of my losers just because who they are as a level tier team. That's all.

Spencer 13:25

I'm very glad they're, you're, that they are losers for you because we have talked about them having draft picks. We talk about it almost weekly every time we talk about the NBA. How much we are frightened that the Thunder were gonna get primo draft pick and nail it again, get another JDub, get another Shay, get another Chet- Mm-hmm and they're just gonna never stop and run the league for 20 years. So it's nice to see that they, Sam Presti is human, potentially. Although, hey, maybe we think he's a loser now and then he flips the script on us.

James 13:55

Yeah. Matter of fact, one thing I wanted to talk about for a while, and of course my guy, AJ, the Banster. Freaking Adam Silver threw me in for a loop saying his real name. I was like, Hold up. Who jumped in front of AJ?" It threw me for a loop. But I wanted to ask you, and this is before Trae Young signed his contract extension. AJ was on a podcast mentioning that he wants the number three, and Trae Young wears the number three And AJ's "I should be wearing the number three." Spence, how do you feel about your number one pick, AJ calling out basically your star player like, "Hey, I gotta get that number from you, bro"?

Spencer 14:30

Oof. That is actually a really tough dilemma. If I'm the Wizards brass, do I give the number priority to the guy I just gave a humongous contract, some saying an overpay, but a absolute max contract- or the guy that I just drafted with the first overall pick in the draft, who is going to be truly considered my franchise cor- cornerstone? Both are gonna be on the roster for the next four years at a minimum. Someone's gotta give up their number. They can't both wear a three. Someone's gonna have to go 33 or go 0 or go 13, 23. I don't know which jerseys are retired by the Wizards, but-

James 15:10

Yeah

Spencer 15:10

that would be interesting. That's a nice little sub-narrative to keep an eye on. I don't know where I'd-- honestly, James, I think I'd probably lean towards my first overall pick in the draft. I wanna make sure he's happy, because if he turns out... we know what Trae Young is at this point in his career. I think we know who he is. He's prolific scorer, Mm-hmm good playmaker, but he's just he's gonna be a volume shooter. He's not gonna play any defense. We know who he is. We know that. We don't know what AJ Debonce is yet, and all indications are saying he's gonna be something pretty special. I want him to be happy. I don't want him to get upset with me and in three years demand a trade to another city that's got a bigger market. I'm gonna keep him happy. I'm gonna keep him in order, and I'll tell my veteran, "Hey, man, be the veteran. Be the bigger man. Show him how to lead."

James 15:52

Yeah. Be a veteran.

Spencer 15:53

Trae Young showing people how to lead, that's funny.

James 15:56

I know, man. He's gotta look up at AJ Debonce like-

Spencer 15:59

Yeah

James 15:59

Hey, man, I'm the leader. Take my number." Yo-

Spencer 16:02

Yeah, make him fight for it. Yeah. And I wonder who would win.

James 16:04

Yeah. Have Jordan Poole be, like, the guy commentating it, the whole thing. "I remember one day I got punched."

Spencer 16:10

I got punched. J. Margine gave me CTE."

James 16:14

No, Spence, I'm-- man, I was ready to flip a chair and be like, "Trae Young ain't done jack crap. Give AJ Debonce the number." But once you went that way, I was like, Hey, man, might as well." I w- yeah. Y- you mentioned the joke about I don't want my star player AJ to demand a trade. Imagine if a player really demanded a trade because I didn't get my number. How Gen Z would that be, bro? You just... you thinking, "Man, we want '90s basketball back. Man, we want aggressiveness back. Man, can I get a... Can I demand a trade? I didn't get my number, bruh." No way

Spencer 16:51

No, not at all. But one player who might be changing numbers, he's at least changing his threads, is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Mm. James, the Greek Freak saga is finally over. Giannis going to the Heat.

James 17:06

Man.

Spencer 17:06

The package has been announced. We won't go into the package too much. James, what are your thoughts on how the Bucks did, how the Heat did?

James 17:14

I'm, so again, so co- bouncing back to what we talked about with the Bucks draft, those two players that, that maybe f- you know, people don't think would fit in the system. But you look at what the Bucks got. They got Tyler Herro, who can be a, So you got guys who can stretch and shoot. So I feel like this team's gonna be really exciting and young. And then they got Ware the defender. He's definitely a rim protector, which-

Spencer 17:39

He can shoot the three a little bit

James 17:40

too. Yeah, he can shoot the three a little bit. The Bucks, man, they did what they needed to do and was to get off the cap and they realized they were in the same situation as the Cavs were with LeBron. They, you can say what you want. No one wants to go to Cleveland. No one wants to come to Milwaukee. The only way you're getting there is you're getting traded. Nobody ever says, I want to go to these places for my future or my career." So- That's why

Spencer 18:06

Giannis was so loved there.

James 18:07

Yeah. Same, yeah. So loved. And at least, Giannis, man, however you wanna view the saga at the end of who was telling the truth on the injuries and who's telling this and that, I feel bad for Giannis and them, 'cause we, growing up in the era that we did, the early 2000 where you had Kobe, one franchise, Dirk, one franchise, Tim Duncan, one franchise, you felt like that was going to happen here with Giannis and, it was just after... And I really can't believe really what trembled down was Bud getting fired and trading Jrue for Dame And that's just what fell down for them after winning the finals is like they thought they were gonna get better scoring and a better stretch team with Dame and Giannis, and then, they both get hurt, and then Bud getting fired, and then God, I forget the guy's name. He only coached 33 games, and they were pretty good. And then they said, "Doc, you're our guy." No, you're not.

Spencer 19:02

Yeah, Adrian Griffin.

James 19:04

Adrian Griffin. Thank you. Yeah. It was just such a short tenure. Heck, even, God, the old Cavs coach, David Blatt- had more time than he did. God dang. But no I, but I will say this, Spence, turning around to Miami, holla effing lu- luia. I doubted the Heat for the longest getting this trade done. I didn't think they were ever gonna get this trade done. They finally got it done. They finally got a superstar. I didn't, I did not believe they would do this, just knowing Pat Riley, just not giving up the whole, the assets, the freaking, the roster, and they just did. And I know they've done whatever analytic calculation, but we know one thing for sure, Spence, me and you are the three-point shooters of the Heat 'cause I don't know who's gonna be shooting that ball. Holy crap. But I will say this, they'll play some damn defense. There better be no one scoring 110 on this team. No one should score 110 on this team. That's all I'm gonna say. But the Heat didn't, for me, didn't move the needle because- I think at best they can be a number five, a number four seed. But did they get better than the Knicks? Did they get better than, the Celtics? They just didn't. And at the end of the day, hey hopefully this works out for them in the later years.

Spencer 20:19

Yeah. Philadelphia's gonna be better next year. Indiana's gonna be much better next year. Washington's gonna be- much better next year. Yeah. Like I, I think on paper I would put the Heat above all those teams going into next year, but I could see all three of those teams very easily being a team that finishes higher in the standings at the end of the regular season than the Heat. But hey, maybe then Giannis turns it on and playoff Giannis comes back like it's 2021 all over again and, and, you know- Yeah he starts putting up 50-point triple doubles in the playoffs and that's what happens when you get a superstar player like Giannis. But James, what's interesting about how we got here, I saw this and it blew my mind. I love in sports when we have little butterfly effects, ripple effects that create big moves in sports. Mm-hmm. And this is one of the most u- unique ones I've ever seen in my entire life. Mm-hmm. So listen to this domino effect- Okay that led us to this Giannis trade, all right? All right. We are not starting in the NBA here. We have to go start in the NFL, James, and we have to go back to Cleveland about four years ago.

James 21:24

Okay.

Spencer 21:25

Baker Mayfield-

James 21:27

Yeah

Spencer 21:27

throws a pass to Browns wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, who pulls up on the route, stops running, and it is a interception. On the play, Baker Mayfield injures his shoulder making the tackle. Mm-hmm. And you can see all over the internet tons and tons of Browns fans started slandering Anthony Schwartz, that he was the reason that Baker Mayfield was hurt because he stopped running his route and didn't contest the throw. Mm. But Baker, though hurt, he's a dog. He plays through the injury.

James 21:58

Yeah.

Spencer 21:59

But he's playing hurt, so he looks bad, and this leads to the Browns trading for Deshaun Watson. Uh-oh. They give Baker Mayfield the boot, and they trade for Deshaun Watson. Deshaun Watson gets there, serves a suspension for sexually assaulting a bunch of women.

James 22:15

Okay.

Spencer 22:16

Then he's absolutely terrible, and then he tears his Achilles, and the Browns are viewed as one of the worst organizations with one of the worst quarterback situations in the entire league. This causes their defensive superstar, Myles Garrett, to get upset and demand a trade to the Los Angeles Rams- Mm-hmm where he just was traded to for multiple first-round picks. Okay. Now, why am I bringing up the Cleveland Browns, James?

James 22:42

Why?

Spencer 22:42

Because their owner, Jimmy Haslam, happens to also be the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. And so theory is, and there was a report that came out that even backed this up, he was so upset and so frustrated with how the Myles Garrett situation went down with his Cleveland Browns that he said, i'm not making the same mistake again with Giannis. I'm not dealing with another superstar. I am not going to take a deal with Giannis. I'm not gonna deal with the Jaylen Brown drama that I'd get from the Boston Celtics. We're gonna do this deal with Miami. Mm-hmm. We're gonna do it now, and we're gonna hit the reset button." So all of that because Anthony Schwartz pulled up on his route, and because of that, Miami now has a superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. How about that?

James 23:28

How about that? God dang. That just cannot... Oh, man. I'd hate to be that guy, being an owner of those two teams, and both of your teams are probably gonna be in the dumps for... the Browns, they always in the dump. Yeah. But for the Bucks, they're gonna be in the dumps for a while. Man, what a couple of those.

Spencer 23:44

But I always love those little chain reaction things, 'cause every decision has consequences, and that's what led us here. So James, let's wrap it up. No huddle time.

James 23:54

Oh, no huddle time. Holy moly, man. I-

Spencer 23:57

Yep.

James 23:58

Spence, man there, there's a lot of things, man, that we could talk about. Right now let's stick to basketball, man. Spence, can you guess the last number one overall pick to win an NBA championship with the team that drafted them? Now- Don't think LeBron '03, 'cause he obviously, he was with the Cavs then he left. So the team that originally draft you and you won in that tenure.

Spencer 24:23

Wouldn't it be the Joker? Oh, no, you said first overall pick.

James 24:26

Yeah, number one overall pick.

Spencer 24:27

Number one overall.

James 24:28

So there- You gotta, you kinda gotta go think, last, this is 15, 20 years

Spencer 24:31

I think I know it. Is it Kyrie Irving?

James 24:33

It's Kyrie Irving. Yeah. Look at you, man.

Spencer 24:36

Yeah.

James 24:36

Yeah, look at you, man. Already starting off to a good start. All right, man. Let's switch it around. All right. As you may know, the Dallas Mavericks got a brand-new coach, Dusty May, from the Michigan Wolverines this summer. That came out of

Spencer 24:49

nowhere.

James 24:50

I know. It shocked the world, man. Sh- that was bigger news than Shams dropping the Giannis trade at damn midnight on my time. I was asleep. Damn you, Shams. It was at

Spencer 25:00

least more out of left field. It at least was one that I was like, "Whoa. No, I didn't see that one coming. That's crazy."

James 25:05

Didn't see it coming. So okay. So now he's, the newest college coach being an NBA coach. Through the last 30 years, there have been 10 college coaches that have gone to pro. There have only two coaches that have winning records out of those 10. Now, of course, we won't count Dusty May in this, so you could say only two of these coaches have winning records out of the remaining nine that I'm speaking. Can you guess those coaches right now?

Spencer 25:32

Okay, so two coaches that came from college to- Mm-hmm the NBA that have winning records. Mm. Everyone else has losing records?

James 25:38

Everyone's got losing records.

Spencer 25:40

Oh, man. Okay, I wanna say Billy Donovan, but I'm afraid is it Billy Donovan?

James 25:47

Billy Donovan, one of the two, man. His record, 469 and 413.

Spencer 25:53

Yeah, see, that's It was getting close. As I knew he had some really bad years with the Bulls, I wasn't sure if all the great years he had with the Thunder were gonna carry him. I guess they did. Okay, so I got Billy Donovan. All right. College coaches that went to the NBA. Definitely not Fred Hoiberg. Oh, god, no. I know these coaches, yeah?

James 26:13

You know this one coach, the one coach you need. You know him.

Spencer 26:17

College to MBA Give me a hint. Eastern or Western Conference?

James 26:21

Eastern

Spencer 26:22

Okay, last hint. What error? Give me the error.

James 26:24

2010s, 2015 2010s?

Spencer 26:27

Eastern Conference 2010 Who came from college?

James 26:30

Let's just say this coach in college, he coached a player and he also played on his team in the Eastern Conference He coached them in the Eastern Conference and in college

Spencer 26:42

Uh, Brad Stevens

James 26:43

Brad Stevens, man. Number two on this list. 354 and 282 record. Those are the only two coaches that had winning records-

Spencer 26:51

He's still with the team, he's just their GM now.

James 26:53

I was worried... that's the hint I didn't wanna give you, that he's not a coach now, but

Spencer 27:00

Well, I thought about asking you, "Is this person still with their team?"

James 27:03

Technically,

Spencer 27:04

yes. Yeah. And if you had said that, honestly, that hint would've really thrown me off- 'cause I would've been like, "Who came from college?"

James 27:10

Yeah. Would've, yeah, would've definitely-

Spencer 27:12

That would've put me in a little trap door. Oh, okay. I got it. All right. Very good.

James 27:16

All right, Spence, man. I got one more and then my last one will go, and it go into the World Cup update. Okay. So Spence, as an American, would you rather see your NFL team, the Houston Texans, win a Super Bowl or the USA win the World Cup?

Spencer 27:33

Oh, my. That is a great quest- okay, look, this is the deal. It's easily the Texans for sure, but I'm gonna acknowledge that's extremely selfish of me, and I also will acknowledge that it would be a much bigger sports story nationally and globally if the USA somehow won the World Cup, and that'd be something our entire country would be able to enjoy together. But also at the same time, if the USA ever wins the World Cup, oh my God, the rest of the u- the world, th- you think they hate us now, James? They hate us. Don't ever let us win a World Cup. We won't ever shut up about it. We are gonna let you know that, "USA is the best damn country in the world, damn it. Yeah, whoo!" And we'll probably- Ah, wow. Ha, ah. Salut. Yeah, you can't let us win the World Cup 'cause we'll just be doing that for 30 minutes every week. That'll be what- Oh

James 28:27

my God Big Game Analyst becomes For a few years. Oh my goodness. Couldn't imagine. They'd be like, hey, somebody'd be like, "Oh, the mag is out."

Spencer 28:32

Yeah. That's, that is a great question though, 'cause there's no doubt I love the Texans more than I love the US Men's National Team, but I do love my country, and it would be hilarious if the- Yeah US won the World Cup.

James 28:44

Yeah. No, th- so this question for me was easy because I've already seen the Eagles win too, so it's like I would kill to see the USA win the World Cup. Yeah. But that's why I asked you because it, this is it. It,

Spencer 28:56

It's the f- for the first one, I need my first one. I need it. Yeah. Everyone always remembers their first.

James 29:01

Yes. Whether you think naughty or nice, we all remember our first. That's

Spencer 29:05

right.

James 29:07

All right, Spence, man. Last one then we're gonna go into the World Cup. Spence since the World Cup is started whenever, I don't even know when it first started, but ever since the existence there have only been two countries that have won back-to-back World Cups. Can you name those two countries right now?

Spencer 29:25

I believe Brazil.

James 29:27

There's number one back in 1958

Spencer 29:31

and 1962. And France.

James 29:32

No.

Spencer 29:33

No? Back-to-back World Cups. Germany?

James 29:35

No.

Spencer 29:36

Spain.

James 29:37

No. Last guess.

Spencer 29:39

Give me a continent

James 29:40

Europe. Shit. England? Eh, give me Italy, 1934- Oh, oh, oh and 1938. So really wrapping this kind of up and going into the World Cup, do you think Argentina will be that third team? They're on pace.

Spencer 29:56

They look fantastic. Lionel Messi's still the best player in the world, even though he's been wasting away in the MLS. He should be playing in the Premier League. Whatever I'll have my saltiness for the rest of my life, I guess, 'cause I don't think Messi's ever gonna play in the Premier League. But he is still, without a doubt, the best player in the world, and Argentina has as good a chance as anyone. But I am still a believer that despite a slow and unsteady showing, I still think Spain's gonna get it together. Lamine Yamal is the current next-man-up GOAT gonna be. Yeah. And I think, hey, give him a chance. Even lower- Put him on the world stage Lamine Yamal lower? Yamal could be that guy.

James 30:33

Even over Mbappé? Like, come on.

Spencer 30:34

Definitely. I like Yamal a lot more than Kylian

James 30:37

Mbappé. Oh, okay.

Spencer 30:38

Oh, yeah. Okay.

James 30:39

Okay.

Spencer 30:40

Hey, look, here's the deal. Not to get too much into European soccer, but I'll just tell you the narrative, James, because PSG has won back-to-back Champions Leagues- Okay since Kylian Mbappé left for Real Madrid. And they won back-to-back. I'm just saying, that's not a good look for someone that has the claim to be the best player in the world- Mm-hmm or some would argue, incorrectly in my opinion. Like I just said. Okay. Right now it's Messi and Lamine Yamal. That's it. Okay.

James 31:05

Okay.

Spencer 31:05

All right. It's the only two you can make a case for, in my opinion, right now. But James, after the results of today's games, today's matches we have some groups starting to get set in place. Obviously we know the USA, after their two-nothing victory over the Aussies, they clinched the group. They are gonna be top of the group. So today it is looking extremely likely, there's still a chance it could switch around, but it is looking extremely likely that the United States is going to be playing Bosnia Herzegovina.

James 31:36

Now

Spencer 31:36

Spence- How about that country?

James 31:37

don't ask me where that is. I swear to God I will never know. I could... I have a better chance at throwing a dart blindfolded than actually looking at a map and picking where the hell that is.

Spencer 31:47

Yeah. A- and valid. They're a very small country. But I will say, they do have one of my all-time... This is a niche thing. If you're a Big Game Energy believer and you've been here since the AD days, you've seen- Who? Oh, my... Who we back? We have my Manchester City scarf that I have hanging on my wall. I'll put it in the camera a little bit more. There you go. So I'm a big Manchester City fan. Been one for a decade plus. And one of the first players that I ever became a big fan of Manchester City, I was using a man named Edin Džeko from Manchester City- On FIFA, and that was what really solidified Manchester City as my team. Mm. Well, Edin Dzeko, still in the year 2026, still playing for the Bosnian national team. He will actually probably be the player that they're gonna rely on to carry them against a formidable USA team. Yeah. So all this is to say, James, punch your ticket. I feel great about the USA's chances of going to the round of 16. Ooh. And potentially going farther, or going as far as we've ever gone as a country. It is on the table, not for the, not just for us to make the semis. I really believe they could make the semis, and then even possibly-

James 33:00

Make

Spencer 33:00

the quarter Get a thorough a third place game. I, we're not winning the World Cup. Oh. But we could get to the semis. It is realistic.

James 33:06

Yo, all I know is, hey we playing old Turkey tonight. Minus 107 odds, bro. We betting the money line?

Spencer 33:15

Hell yes. And let me tell you why. We're betting the money line, we're betting the over. Not gambling advice, but let me tell you why we're betting the over. The USA is resting a lot of their players on the defensive side that have yellow cards, because if they were to get another yellow card, they'd be suspended for the round of 32. So they're not gonna touch the field. After the group stage, the yellow cards reset, so those guys are not gonna play. They're gonna have the night off. So you're gonna have your B team of defensemen, and you're gonna have some young guys in the attack that are looking to make some moments, looking to make the most of their chance- so they can earn minutes later in the tournament as well. And then on the other side, Turkey, horrible showing. They've gone 0, 0 and 2. Winless in two matches. They're eliminated from the tournament. They're gonna come out, they're gonna wanna play for a little bit of pride for their country. I think they have a decent enough attack to put some goals in the net. I think you're gonna bet the over, but USA, USA, USA.

James 34:09

USA. My thing is with USA that I've enjoyed, besides, our like, and call it, call me how you wanna call it, man, shoot. We have been diversified. We always argue about DEI and all, but man, it is working out on the soccer field this time. But I don't know, Spence, are we going three for three with our first goal being an own goal? When the other team shoot. Yo, when I saw that we scored against Australia, I was like, "Did it happen again?" Man. Hey.

Spencer 34:38

Hey, that's how you win in soccer, man. You just put shots in the box and you just wait for something to happen. Yeah. Sometimes you just gotta let the guys kick the ball into their own goal.

James 34:47

Yeah.

Spencer 34:47

And sometimes it's that easy, baby.

James 34:48

The other thing that surprises me about, this World Cup, and I love watching some videos about some people's opinions on where these games should be. Spence, how do you feel about- some of these games being in football stadiums or whatnot, NFL stadiums, that, may not bring the biggest crowd like the college football stadiums. What are your thoughts, man, on Messi and whoever going to Tuscaloosa or freaking the Big House in Michigan to freaking play in these huge- At 100,000- the biggest

Spencer 35:17

stadium in North America College

James 35:19

Station and all of them.

Spencer 35:21

Yeah. How do

James 35:22

you feel about that?

Spencer 35:22

It would just make it louder, but look, I've told you this before, I know I always make college football fans mad when I say attending a college football game in person's a lot of times largely overrated because of how big the stadiums are. If you are towards the top, which I'm a baller on a budget, a lot of times I am in, towards the top. Few, I've gone to quite a few college football games, but the ones I had the best seats for was when I was a student at U of H. Any other game I've gone to, A&M games I've gone to, I sat in the nosebleeds. Uh-huh. 'Cause that was, like, where you can get in unless you're a student. And great experience. I like seeing Saw versus Horns off, but I could barely see the game, dog. I'm watching the TV the whole time.

James 36:02

Little ants.

Spencer 36:02

It's- Little ants. I'm not kidding. It's fun to go tailgate. It's fun to hear a stadium- Mm-hmm pop in person when they score a touchdown. But I'm sorry, I don't like watching the TV when I'm there in person. You- I wanna watch the game.

James 36:15

You know what, Spence, and I can't argue with the view from the nosebleeds, but thinking about all the college football games I've been to, I've always been near the field.

Spencer 36:25

Oh, yeah. I bet that's an amazing experience. Yeah, back it up a few rows and then tell me how you feel. I bet you're not gonna enjoy it as much.

James 36:33

Oh I'm really thinking about it too, Spence. Damn. Even tickets that I've paid for have been semi-close not a bad view. But even during the A&M days, and I didn't go to A&M, just my best friend.

Spencer 36:44

Yeah.

James 36:45

And man, second row from the bench

Spencer 36:48

Yeah. I'm just saying, that's, I, that is... I understand it's an unpopular opinion and, a- if we put this clip out, we definitely would get the comments, "Oh, take, make make podcast equipment too expensive. We gotta tax podcast equipment." Hey, by the way, anyone that wants to say that, we welcome it. We like the engagement. Yeah. But also, you're not funny either because you are not the one that came up with that. I just wanna just make sure you know that. You're not the

James 37:13

original-

Spencer 37:14

Yeah of that joke. I'm just saying. You didn't think of that, so.

James 37:17

Yeah. Heck yeah. Yeah, not like the new guy. He said it was a white boy armchair.

Spencer 37:21

All right, James. Good episode. We are fully back in the saddle. We'll be back Monday talking a little bit of World Cup action perhaps, a full-on preview maybe. And we also are gonna talk about some NFL teams that we think must make the playoffs in 2026. Must.

James 37:37

Yes. So- And you know who's not gonna make it?

Spencer 37:40

The Jets.

James 37:44

I was just gonna slam and be like the Dallas Cowboys, but you know what? The Jets ain't making the playoffs. I

Spencer 37:49

hate those- I honestly think we hate on the Jets on this show more than we hate on the Cowboys. You

James 37:53

You know what? Which in my

Spencer 37:54

opinion, I'm cool with that. I-

James 37:55

You know what? You might

Spencer 37:56

have a problem with that.

James 37:56

You know what is crazy? I would, if this was, mentioned four years ago, I'd say "No way. 32nd worst team in the league is the Cowboys." Now, since we know what we know, we back on the Jets being the worst franchise in the NFL. You know what, Dallas, man? Take your claim to fame. You the 31st worst team in the NFL.

Spencer 38:15

Yeah, you're the king of Shit Mountain. Congrats. All right. For James, I'm Spencer. We'll see y'all next time on Big Game Energy. Until then, y'all take it easy.