1. A quick note before we get started: Please send me any and all questions you may have for this week’s SI Media Mailbag, which will be posted later today. You can send your question via Twitter or email me at Jimmy.Traina@si.com. Thanks.
Back in March, LeBron James caused a little bit of a stir when he sent out this tweet.
Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I've been watching on league pass today. Shit lightweight hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 7, 2023
Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently backed up LeBron's point on Paul George's podcast. And DeRozan did so in a more colorful and damaging manner. Not only did DeRozan call out players for not being good, he also claimed many players don't love playing basketball.
"We do got a lot of sorry motherf-----s in the league, I'm gonna be honest," said DeRozan.
“Being in the league so long, you realize how many motherf-----s don’t love the game of basketball, who take it for granted, who feel so entitled, who just want everything that comes with it, but don’t want to put the work in. It’s so frustrating. You know what I mean? Like, we played in an era where you had to earn everything, so you got so many guys coming in thinking they just should be playing because their homeboy told them they nice. And it’s like, Bro, you’re not good, so I definitely got Bron’s standpoint.
George weighed in to back up DeRozan’s point, saying, “There’s a good, what is it, 450 of us. There’s a good 75 to 100, stinks.
Was LeBron capping when he said Bronny was better than some NBA players?
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) May 15, 2023
DeMar and PG chime in with a surprising answer 😳
The @DeMar_DeRozan episode is PREMIERING NOW: https://t.co/NiEr5HEmEc pic.twitter.com/jFj5qey7bY
I'm not sure the league loves hearing this, but DeRozan and George deserve props for being honest and not trying to sugarcoat things for fans of the league.
2. Despite having all these players who stink, the NBA has serious ratings momentum going into the conference finals that begin tonight.
Game 7 of the Sixers-Celtics series on Sunday was completely unwatchable after three quarters, but the game still managed to draw 8,441,000 million viewers, making it the most-watched semifinals game on ABC in 12 years.
Game 6 of the Warriors-Lakers series on Friday, which was also a stinker, drew 8,640,000 million viewers on ESPN. It was the most-watched semifinal game on any network in 12 years.
3. Based on some tweets I've gotten over the past 24 hours, I know many of you are expecting me to rant and rave about the NFL putting a playoff game exclusively on Peacock. I'm going to save the ranting and raving for this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast and this week’s SI Media Mailbag, which comes out later this afternoon. I’m just going to use this space to say, I told you so.
Once again: If you like more than a couple of sports, this is the worst time to be a sports fan. https://t.co/IZzodMDiDX
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 16, 2022
Let me repeat something I've said a million times on the SI MEDIA PODCAST (subscribe here: https://t.co/bRBUnOCF27 ) This is the worst time to be a sports fan. https://t.co/qTrin8u88G
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 4, 2021
Tried to sit in my backyard and watch Chiefs-Bears on NFL Network via Amazon Firestick, but apparently I can only do that now if I pay for NFL+ even though I pay for NFL Network through my Verizon cable package. Worst. Time. To. Be. A. Sports. Fan.
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 13, 2022
To recap: The NFL will broadcast games this season on....
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 15, 2023
- CBS
- FOX
- NBC
- ESPN
- ABC
- Amazon
- NFL Network
- ESPN Plus
- Peacock
Plus, Sunday Ticket is now on YouTube TV.
4. Last week, I posted video of Josh Allen hitting bombs at a charity softball event. The Bills quarterback was at it again Monday night. This time he was going deep during batting practice before the Blue Jays game against the Yankees.
ROSTER MOVE: QB Josh Allen has been recalled from Buffalo.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 15, 2023
He homered FOUR times 💪 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/fHr7JQG9XG
5. The video below of a Little Leaguer getting engulfed in something called a “dust devil” while at home plate is wild. The kid explained how scary it was for him in this story.
From Lindsay Broome “I wanted to share this with you… We are Alabama natives, but now in Florida. This happened at my 7 year old’s game yesterday.” pic.twitter.com/YWfBMyp1H6
— James Spann (@spann) May 15, 2023
6. This week's SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ABC-ESPN lead NBA play-by-play man Mike Breen.
Breen, who is about to call his 18th NBA Finals, talks about how wide open this year’s playoffs have been, his longtime partnership with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, and the impressive depth of NBA broadcasters across the networks.
Breen also discusses what his relationship is like with LeBron James and James’s still going strong at 38 years old, whether he ever thinks about giving up calling Knicks games, his signature “BANG!” and “WAY OFF” calls, how he used to hook up Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden and much more.
Following Breen, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Sal explains the disaster he had to deal with while trying to watch a Knicks playoff game. We also read recent Apple reviews listeners left for SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
