Episode 30: ALL STARS AND STAR TRADES

In this 2 segment episode, the OGs discuss the WNBA All-Star voting and upcoming game where these stars are showcased. Then they shift gears and chat about NBA happenings.  Of course, Mary Lou and Phyllis are also enjoying the summer and ❤️ talking hoops! 

WNBA     The WNBA's 2026 All-Star starters are set, featuring a dynamic mix of established superstars and rising stars earning well-deserved recognition. The OGs will break down what this year's All-Star roster says about the league's evolution while also sharing their thoughts on the latest headlines, standout performances, and the biggest storylines shaping the season.

NBA     Mary Lou and Phyllis have plenty to say about the NBA Draft, Summer League, and the latest trade drama. From blockbuster moves to unexpected twists, this NBA offseason is playing out like a telenovela and you know the OGs are there for every page turn!

🏀🏀Summer is in full swing and the OGs are taking some time off. Until the Fall, our Podcast schedule will be once a month. Weekly drops will resume in October. 🏀🏀

Follow us on Instagram #OGs Talkin' Ball

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome back to OG's Talk and Ball. This is Phyllis and Mary Lou. Today we're going to talk about two leagues, the WNBA and the NBA.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

In two segments, correct?

SPEAKER_00 0:13

In two segments, we'll do it. We'll do um just the two this time. And for the summer. This is kind of what we're doing this summer. And uh we'll just start out with Happy Birthday, Mary Lou.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Oh, thank you. It was yesterday and it was a great birthday. Thank you very much, Phyllis. And thank you for your card and for your uh good good thoughts. I had a great day. And actually, just more exciting than my birthday is that maybe you want to mention where you were last month on a vacation.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

What? You mean the Amazon jungle?

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Yeah, yeah, the my god. I still can't believe you went there. The idea of snakes and bugs just is not very appealing to me, but you give a good report about that. So maybe just uh what was your what was a favorite thing about going? Let's just hone in on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Well, I don't know. You know, it was just the whole experience, you know, being on the Amazon River, learning a about it and the and the history and the the native people and and we had an indigenous guide who was very very knowledgeable and he could spot birds and animals, you know, 200 yards away that look like black dots in the tree, and then we'd go over closer. Yeah. And um and it would be something neat. Wow. But but not quite as far away. I I did go to my high school reunion. And welcome to any new listeners from that trip. Well, what's the name of the high school? Shout out to Nascot High School in Washington.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Okay, very northern Washington, correct?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

How far is that from the Canadian border, just to give folks a little bit about 20 miles. About 20 miles. So is it in the corner up there? No. No, in pretty much central-ish.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of people know where Wenatchee is. Okay. It's about two hours north of Wenatchee.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

So that is fun. So how many were in your graduating class?

SPEAKER_00 2:20

About 50. Wow. Wow. A few more. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Uh-huh. Yeah. So you got to kind of reconnect with peeps, and that's very cool.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Not that many people that showed up showed up, but we sure got to talk a lot more. And it was it was really nice.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yes, definitely a shout out to your high school graduating class. Yes. And uh thank you to the new listeners. Yes, that for joining in. Any new listener, because I've been, you know, poor the poor people that run across me on the golf course or anywhere else get um a sticker, whether they want one or not. You know, I'll say, oh, give it to a friend if you don't really want it. But anyway, we love our um to talk about our OG podcast to people. It is kind of a upbeat and real positive thing that you and I, I think, can always go to. Um, maybe when other things around us aren't so happy. I'll leave it at that. So we're gonna talk about did we say we're talking about the W first? Well, we are. Okay. So big news there is that they've got uh All-Star voting has uh for from the fans um have determined their top the top ten, correct? Twelve. Twelve players.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

And um those are the starting twelve. Yeah, got it, got it. Yeah, the all-star game is actually going to take place in Chicago on July twenty-fifth.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Right, right, coming up.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Okay, that'll be 5 30 our time. Right. In the Pacific.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Pacific, okay, great. That's for every everyone. And I think it's on ESPN. I'm pretty sure it might be.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Yeah, it's on ESPN and ESPN too and prime.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Okay, oh, okay. All right, everyone's gonna cover it. Yeah, that's good. So again, let's kind of talk about how the voting takes place for the uh W with the All-Stars. It's kind of the same as the NBA, correct? With the first 50%, and that's what we're gonna talk about, who those ladies were that were determined from that voting, and then the what about the other 50%?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Well, 25% are the players themselves. Okay, but you know what I heard, only about half of the players voted. Oh, really? Yeah. Wow. So I don't know what happened with that. And the other 25% is media. So that i is the hundred percent that voted for the the twelve starters. Okay, and part of it is popularity, right? And part of it is you know, they're excellent players. Right, right. But then there'll be another twelve, the reserves. Okay, and those are picked by the coaches. Okay. Uh you can't vote for your own players. Okay. Uh and they have to vote for like three guards, five front very spec five frontline players, and then four from any position. Got it. So each coach will vote, each of the 15 coaches will vote on those. And that actually comes out well, we're this uh program is dropping on the seventh, I believe. Or or whatever next Wednesday is the eighth. Um the the coaches, the reserve stuff will come out on the sixth.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Okay, so that will have happened. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Yeah, so we don't know who that is right now because we're recording this earlier.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

But we do have the starters. Okay. And they are significant.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

They are. And the number one vote getter was Paige Beckers from the Dallas Wings. So and she's having quite a season. She really is. And with uh AZ Fudd joining that Dallas group and how the rest of the team is kind of melding together, they've become a force to contend with. You know, so uh the other l teams have been put on report essentially when they're going to be facing the um wings on um you're gonna really work hard if you want to get a W or even attempt to, because we want it first, you know. So, but she's the only one, yeah. No, two wings. There's another uh Jessica Shepard from the Wings was also in that top group because I have the top ten. Um you said you have 12, but I have the top ten. Yeah, well, in Indiana has three players. Yes, they do. The fever. Caitlin was the second highest vote getter. And um, and then there's also Aliah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

So So Cait Caitlin and Kelsey will be starting guards. Okay. And the um the other starting guards are Paige Beckers and rookie.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Not starters, but in the starting lineup that they potentially could be a starter for the game. They will be starters. These people are voted starters. I know, but you understand what I'm saying? They're not you can't have five guards. No, but there's four. Paige and I know, so all four of them are gonna start? Two different teams. Two on each team. Oh, gotcha. All right, okay. You didn't say that. I was just trying to get a better idea of what what we were talking about. Okay, got you. So I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

So Paige and Olivia Miles. And Olivia Miles is a rookie, you know.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

She is, I know, but oh my goodness, can she play ball? Yeah, but and she's short. Yes, she is. She did, but she gets in there, and honestly, I think there's almost a fear factor involved. Yeah, there is a force-to-be record. Yeah, oh my goodness gracious, yeah, she is really quite something. And uh, you know, she's on a a very supportive team for her, too, the Minnesota Lynx. And uh they have um two on that starting in that starting group representing uh the Lynx. The other one is uh Natasha Howard, who's who's from that group. So and only one only one ace. Aja. Aja. Aja Wilson. Yeah, only one Liberty so far. These are all so far, folks. Yeah, that's Brianna Stewart. Top vote getters up to this moment. So, yeah. Uh-huh. Brianna. And uh one Valkyrie. Golden State Valkyrie is uh Gabby Williams. Gabby Williams is on that list.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Uh-huh. She'll be playing in the front court. Right, right. And um and Aliyah Boston from the Fever, she's she's a front court player too. Right, right. Yeah, and Jessica Shepard, did we mention her?

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Um did we, yes, from the wings. She's joining um page in that whole thing. So that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. So um that's good. So another kind of um just the that'll be a fun night. Uh, you know, I just really want to tell people we won't we're only recording once a month now over the summer. Right. So Phyllis and I will you'll only hear our sweet voices, uh, probably it's about the first Monday of the month that whatever we talk about will drop. So Wednesday. First Wednesday. First Wednesday, excuse me. First Wednesday. I put it up there to to be uploaded. I uploaded on Monday, and it's so it shows up on a Wednesday. So that's my my own schedule. Pardon me for digressing. So um anyway, the next three, so we won't have an opportunity. We'll probably talk uh meet again right after that all-star game. So we probably will debrief that game a little bit as well. So um also with the W, then are we ready to switch off All-Stars for a second? Okay. There was only the second time in the 30 years of the W was there a quadruple overtime game. And it had to do with Phyllis and my Portland. We don't have total ownership, obviously, of the Portland Fire, but the Portland Fire were in Washington playing the Mystics and ended up losing by one point in the fourth overtime, after the fourth overtime. What a brutal game. And I have to confess, I watched the game and left before the end of the fourth quarter because we were behind by like seven or eight points with about 30 seconds left to play, the we being the fire. And I thought, there's no way. So I took the dog out, my daughter's dog staying with me. So I said I took the dog out for a walk. I get a text in the middle of my walk saying, Are you watching this game from one of my neighbors? And I said, No, I left. I thought we lost. And no, we're in already the second overtime and we're going into the third. We booked it back home so that I could watch the end of that game. And it was a it was pretty cool to watch. I really did enjoy it. I mean, talk about exhaustion. Yeah, unfortunately, the uh fouls got to the fire as more so than they did to the mystics. But you know, fun fact then is the first time that happened was like 25 years ago, the first time a quadruple overtime. So this was only the second time. The first time was another Pacific Northwest team, which was the Seattle Storm, against the Mystics. Do you believe that? That's crazy. Did you see that? That is just crazy again. Uh Phil, I love the tidbits, and so does Phyllis. These kind of off-the-wall, bizarre facts that you know, who knows, they might show up on a Jeopardy question one day, or you may be at a party and need to throw out a fun fact about something. So that's another one to have is that there's only been two quadruple overtime games in the history of the WNBA. Okay. And that one was just the most recent. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

And I would like to send some cookies uh to Sidney Taylor. Um, she's a member of the Chicago Sky. Uh-huh. Chicago Sky is doing not well this year. Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Except they beat the fire multiple times. I just want to throw that in the commercial. But in general, they haven't.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

That's that I think they beat them three times the fire, but they don't beat anybody else. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Isn't that crazy how that works? It happens in the NBA, we know, and in college. I mean, it's it's just it's just wild how that works.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

But Sydney Um Taylor um was an undrafted rookie. And she is currently um starting for the sky. Good for her. The last six games now, as we record, and maybe more by then. Nice. And she's had recent games of 29 and 30 points. Wow. And nobody picked her up. Good for her. And there she is. She was from UMass. UMass. Oh, University of Massachusetts. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

All right. Well, good for her. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Yeah, so some virtual cookies for Sydney. If she'll just let us know what her favorite kind are, that's the kind of virtual cookies we'll send her. Okay. That sounds good. That sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Okay, just kind of ending with the controversial topic, in a way, is that whole Alyssa Thomas putting the fist to the throat of Caitlin Clark and just how that kind of it's still playing out. You know what I mean? I don't know if that's going to totally ever go totally away, but um Yeah, but what the heck? I know, I know. I I She was laying on the floor and she just put her fist in her neck. Yeah, yeah. I mean it was very confusing. There's a point, I guess, of getting angry or mad, you know, when you're playing the sport, but when it comes to somebody else's total health and, you know, I I don't know. I don't know, well-being. I I just yeah, that and I don't know if I haven't, you know, again, Phyllis, they don't ask our opinion on these things. But uh, you know, was the fine and the suspension significant enough for something like that? I don't know. And then we could go into World Cup, and that's for the men's sports. So we'll talk about maybe World Cup for a second when we get when we flip gears, but um the whole red card thing is another, you know, yes, another issue. So um anyway, yeah. So what do you think, Phyllis? I think that's it for the W at this point in time. Okay, so those that take a little break and come back and talk about the NBA. Those that are watching those games, and remember the All-Star Game is coming up on July twenty fifth. And about it'll be about 5 30 our time on the West Coast. Okay. So um remember to watch that if you're a fan or not a fan, because really the W is really even even my brother who was not a big W fan said he's been watching some games and what a difference it's been over the past ten years as far as how refined the play has become.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Well, not only that, it's available on TV now. Well, this is true too that you've got to be.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Yes, you're right about that. You're right about that. Yeah. Okay, so yes, take a little break and we will be back. Okie doke, we are back. What number podcast is this, Phyllis? Do you recall? Number 30. Can you believe that? I saw that the other day and I thought, oh my goodness. So uh we hope that you are enjoying what you're hearing, and even if it's bits and pieces as you go along. And um, I have to be honest with you, a lot of my sports watching attention these days has been going toward the World Cup.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Oh, is that soccer?

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Yeah, it is soccer, football, as they call it, in most other countries other than ours. And um, it has been quite exciting, quite a roller coaster ride. And uh my son played for a million years when he was it seemed like a million years as the mom going to all the games uh when he was growing up. So and it's in his blood, and I certainly have always enjoyed soccer. So I have to confess that it's getting the bulk of my any kind of watching attention. And um I heard on TV this morning as well, as we looked up just to see the next game is Monday in Seattle to see how much tickets were, you know, just to see for fun. And I think I had mentioned to Phyllis already that nosebleeds start at $3,200. Oh my goodness gracious. Um and they get sold out. I know, I know, I know. Well, they said the other day, who was that? Oh, I must have been in Mexico. There wasn't like a vacant seat in the house, you know what I mean? Because that is oh, they are obsessed.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

Yeah, thousands and thousands in the street.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. So it's it's really quite fun. And that whole, you know, there is the red card controversy. You know, we were talking in the last segment with Caitlin Clark and wondering if uh Alyssa got a significant enough uh thumping, you know, for doing that fist to the neck. And now the big, you know, and you can't in World Cup and in a lot of times in soccer, there's no go backs, you know what I mean? There's no um, you can't uh say we want this reviewed again or whatever, it just doesn't happen. So um it's interesting because now they're showing this same a similar type of uh play that caused uh the young man from the United States to be ejected or to get a red card and not be able to play Monday. That same thing Leonel Messi did uh last week or so, something that looked very close to that, and that was a no-call. So again, you know, we've talked about referees and the whole sports thing and how so much of it is very subjective, you know, and it's what they see and don't see what they want to uh, you know, it gets it's that's a whole other we again I think we need to go into that in a little bit more detail in another podcast, maybe in the fall sometime, and just talk about that whole referee mentality and and how how can the leagues assure that it's equitable, you know? Right. And I don't know if we're gonna be able to do that. We know in the NBA that it they are reviewed after every game. Right, they are working on it, yes. So anyway, so we are going to talk about the NBA for a minute or two here, more than a minute or two.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

Why? Because the best player on the U.S. team has a red card and cannot play on Monday. But you know what?

SPEAKER_01 18:28

The bless best player the team was able to score again even without him. Plus, they're down a player, you know. When somebody gets ejected, you don't get to replace that person. So they were ten against eleven and on the other team. Still scored. And still scored, and uh yeah. But Monday they get all eleven. Right. They get but not the uh the red carter has to still sit out. So hopefully I I've got great, great um excitement, and I'm very encouraged that that coach knows what he's doing and put the right people in that position to win for us on Monday, because this is getting really exciting, even for non-soccer people are starting to really pay attention to it. So it's pretty cool stuff. So, anyway, talking about um the NBA, there was a draft that happened in June, right? Did we talk about that at all? I don't think we talked about after the draft. I just wanted to do a shout out to Braden Smith, the kid that we had mentioned a few months before from Purdue. Five foot ten guard, who's just a very, very, very good basketball player. And Phyllis kind of, you know, caught it, he caught her attention during the NCAA tournament. And um mine as well, and we talked about him being a potential in the NBA, and I kind of poo-pooed it saying, I think he's too short, you know, a five foot ten guard, it's gonna be really tough. But yay, he was picked up in the later throws, I think it was number 38 or something, on the second day, he was picked up by the Indiana Pacers. The kid was born in Indiana from Indiana, went to school at Purdue in Indiana, and now he's on the Pacers. I mean, is he living his dream or what?

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Oh, I sure hope so.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

You know, so I thought that was pretty exciting uh from the draft. I don't for me, there were no other surprises as far as who went in which position to what team. There were some trades that happened probably after pick number 10, uh, but nothing. I I don't know, my earth wasn't shaking. Was yours below your feet on any draft?

SPEAKER_00 20:38

It just became too confusing. Uh-huh. Like this is somebody else's pick and they're going to someplace else. Yes. And I thought, let's just wait till the dust settles and find out what the teams look like.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

And I don't know if there is one, and this is something I need to check on. Is there a limit on how many years forward you can give up a draft draft pick? No. I mean, we're talking now 33. Oh my god, 38 or something. Lord of mercy. I I don't know. We need to look at that too, Phyllis. I think that would be fun to do some research on and share with our people here at some point in time.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Yeah, I would just say teams be cautious because like Portland had no draft picks because that we traded them away years ago. Right. Years ago. So what what you do now will matter in the future. And you may want some of those draft picks. You have no idea what the exactly what the coming out teams are gonna look like, what what those players are gonna look like in 2032.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

But Portland did make the conscious decision to to give that up when they went into the playoffs last year. Right. Because they could have there was a they could have had the Chicago Bulls. I don't know if it was their number five pick or if it was the one that was later that I think they had a number fifteen pick as well. But anyway, it was one I I don't there's so many like And layers. Exactly. Exactly. So anything else? Any what about trades week? Oh, and Summer League's coming up starting this week. So on the ninth. On the ninth. Ninth to the 19th. Summer League in Las Vegas. Right. I've heard some of the uh folks. Phyllis, there's not a whole lot of women who talk about basketball on the radio. Have you noticed that?

SPEAKER_00 22:24

There are some. I thought there were just token ones.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

Yeah, men's basketball. I'm thinking about some of the programs that I listen to on the radio. And very rarely is there, even do they have a woman commentator as a sub or that's a whole nother topic. Okay, I'll get off that, but talk about um, and I don't oh, Summer League. Some I've heard some talk about how frustrating Summer League has become for some viewers because somebody like AJ DeBanza and some of these higher picks this year, like last year, um what was his name? Um Con and his buddy that was um the Maverick. Uh the baby.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

The 18-year-old baby. The baby. What's his name? From Connecticut or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Yeah, from Yukon.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

What was his name?

unknown 23:15

I can't think of his name.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Cooper Flag. Cooper. Thank you. I knew it would come. Sorry, sorry, everyone. Uh anyway, um, they only played one game and then they sit out or they go home. Uh-huh. And, you know, Summer League is for a lot of us want uh Mary Lou, I'll speak for myself. I want to see what these guys look like on the floor for more than one game. Because what if I don't see that game? And you know, Summer League is is not available all the time on all the stations. You know, if you've got to have ESPN U. I don't have that. Do you?

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Uh not that I know of.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Yeah, so uh the first couple games for the fire uh for the fire for the Trailblazers, I'm not gonna I don't think I'm gonna be able to watch. But the other two are on then anyway, whatever. Um, I don't mean to go on about that, but anyway, summer league's coming up, so it's an opportunity to see some up-and-coming players, maybe some that we saw in the spring in the tournament that you know are still trying to. Oh college tournament, yeah, in the college tournament that are trying to get into be discovered, so to speak. Right. Some undrafted.

SPEAKER_00 24:19

Yeah you have to get uh you have to get invited to play. Right. So some of those undrafted players are are invited and maybe standing out.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

You know, and then there are sophomores, right, rookies from last year that will still be playing in the summer league and hoping to just have some competition basketball that makes them um have more experience. Right. And another look at them. And then there's the G Leaguers and people that want to break into the NBA that also play, but we get a good look at who the who the players are gonna be. The thing is the people the teams that win the summer league, it has nothing to do with who wins at the NBA.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

At the end of it, yeah, if the next April doesn't matter, you know what I mean? Right. But it's fun for those guys, it's fun for those kids. There are mostly kids. There are some older ones that get in thrown in the loop there too. But um, yeah, I think it it'll be interesting. And also interesting is to see how some of them that might have made it to the NBA for a minute are on maybe a different team totally, you know, not on a uh representing the team that they were on, but somebody else still wants to have a give them a try.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

You know, the other um interesting thing is is what they're gonna do with the free throws. Yes. This um this summer league. The G League now since um 2019 to 2020 season has been using this free throw system. Right. And so now they're gonna try it out during summer league. Right. It's different as a possibility in the future, not this next season, but in the future, right, being used in the NBA. And this free throw system was used to speed up the game. So um if someone commits a foul against a player who is shooting a three-point shot, that player gets to shoot one shot, one free throw. But it will come, it will be worth three points. There you go. And if they're fouled during shooting a three-point a two-point shot, that one free throw is worth two points. Right. And then if they make a basket and they're fouled and they would only get one point, the free throw is worth one point.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

And that just speeds it up rather than you know, shooting three different um foul shots and stuff. So it'll be interesting to see how that's. Yeah, the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter, uh-huh. What it goes back to regular free throw rules. Okay. Okay. So you yeah, that will be interesting to watch that play out. I'll see. I'm not I'm not sure about it. Yeah, I'm not either. I'm not particularly um don't have an opinion about what's best with that. Gotcha. I don't either.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Just a couple of mentions after that we'll move forward on to uh trades that have been happening this week. So, you know, the biggie, of course, was Giannis. Even before Miami. Right, uh before free agency started. And Lamel O'Ball gonna join forces with Aunt Edward on the uh Timberwolves, and Julius Randall's gone to Brooklyn, some of the lesser-name ones too. But, you know, this past week, I mean, all the talk has been with Jalen Brown, you know, from the Celtics to uh the 70s. And I and I have to admit, I'm I think over the initial shock I had about Portland taking John Morant because I was, honest to God, I went into shock.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Yeah. I I think there's not anybody on the planet who wasn't surprised who knows anything about John Morant.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

Well, and again, I am a person who believes that people deserve a second chance. So I'm gonna just hope and pray, I will keep him in my prayers, that he has seen the other side and will proceed as a mature person rather than as a punk. Sorry, I guess that just all happened to come out. But honestly, you know, everything about him was this like I'm better than anybody else. I mean, really, so I'm hoping maybe some of these life lessons knocked him down a peg or two. Not to just I don't want anybody to be destroyed, but I want him certainly to have a good look at himself. And what is it that I have to share with people and what do I have to bring to the table? And can I be a positive influence on this team and my world?

SPEAKER_00 29:05

I mean, is that a lot to ask or what? That's a lot, you know. I'm just uh asking that Dame and Drew. I mean, is there anything o more opposite than Drew? No, than Ja Moran. Um I'm uh hoping that their maturity and their kindness and their positive influence in the locker room will be the difference.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

Locker room and society. Both of those guys look way outside of basketball, you know, when we've talked about a basket uh players getting involved in community projects and things, and both of them are prime examples. And I've heard that Jao got involved somewhat in the children's hospital there at Memphis after some of this stuff that was going on. But he's gonna take a different number, and maybe that means a whole different, you know. I mean, whatever it takes, whatever it takes. So um we do wish him well and our of course our team well.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

And um it'll be nice to see how this all shakes out at the end. Who's gonna be on what team? We we don't know where LeBron is.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

I was just gonna say, and let's we're gonna leave it on that topic because that's a whole other Pandora's box that we could dive into because and nobody knows. So we can say every team under the sun, you know what I mean, with some reason that they might want to pick him up. And um, you know, who knows? So let's just wait and see. And I bet by the time we meet again in a few weeks, um, there will be an answer. Maybe we should maybe just take bets on that.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

They better because August is they start training camps. Yeah, yeah, they do. Not real training camps, right? But getting together. Pre-training camps.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Well, it'll be interesting. It'll be interesting. Okay, Phyllis, this has been fun. We always worry, I want to tell everyone when we start that we're not gonna have enough things to talk about, but we could go on, and we don't want to bore you or bore ourselves, actually. So we're gonna call it a day for now. And uh remember that life is better with basketball.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

And be kind to each other out there, amen.