Oddball w/ Amin Elhassan & Izzy Gutierrez

Amin and Charlotte are back from Indianapolis full of reactions from All-Star Weekend. The criticism from media and fans around the All-Star Game has become deafening as people question what can be done to turn around from being unwatchable. One positive takeaway from the weekend came from Oddball correspondent Juju Gotti as he joined Charlotte to keep the NBA All-Stars on their toes. Plus, NBA veteran and Phoenix Suns' broadcaster Eddie Johnson enters the Oddball multiverse for the first of many incredible stories from his career including Magic Johnson's attempt to recruit him to play with him in college. You can listen to Eddie Johnson on “NBA Today” weekdays from 4-7PM ET on the SiriusXM NBA Radio channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Day 2 of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis and our Oddballs are freezing! In the final game before All-Star break, Klay Thompson came off the bench against the Jazz - the first time since his rookie year in 2012… and he put up a season-high 35 points to lead the Warriors to their eighth win in 10 games. Amin and Charlotte let it be know - the Warriors aren't done just yet! Meanwhile, Amin and Charlotte explain why P.J. Tucker being fined $75k for expressing his desire to be traded from the Clippers is not gonna help matters for the frustrated veteran. Oh, and All-Star Saturday Night is gonna be packed with excitement so Amin & Charlotte have their picks in for who will win the events. Plus, Amin and Charlotte are thrilled to chat with Khaman Maluach – an incredible 7’2’’, 17-year-old prospect from South Sudan who is a growing success story for the NBA's Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academy Africa. Khaman shares on Oddball how his experience has been as he's being recruited to play for the Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, and Duke Blue Devils; his incredible development with the NBA Academy Africa leading him to be the youngest player to compete in the FIBA World Cup and how he's taking in the 2024 All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis on his way to being a future NBA All-Star himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The punch heard round the... parking lot. Oh, and Oddball is in Indianapolis for All-Star Weekend! But first, Amin and Charlotte try to figure out what random, weird beef the Pistons' Isaiah Stewart and Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks have exactly after Stewart was arrested last night for assault after reportedly punching Eubanks outside the arena hours before the teams played. Then, Amin is faced with the results of his BET THE SHOW prediction from last week after Valentines Day's 13 games showed him no love! What All-Star Weekend bet will Charlotte take? Plus, Mac McClung will be very busy this All-Star Weekend, playing for Detlef Schrempf during the Panini Rising Stars Game on Friday and looking to go back-to-back as Dunk Contest Champion on Saturday night but made time to stop by Oddball to share what he has in store for fans this weekend and why he's a winning player on any team. Be sure to watch Mac McClung compete in All-Star Weekend and if you weren’t already rooting for Mac, you’ll want to now because, VKTRY insoles will be giving away $500,000 in custom Insoles if McClung repeats as Dunk Champion. Go to VKTRY.com to enter and for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ooh, the trade deadline could've, should've, would've been WAY more interesting... the Warriors' Draymond Green and Golden State owner Joe Lacob reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to see if LeBron was frustrated enough to leave LA for the Bay Area... but LeBron said no! Moving on to moves that are actually happening, the Charlotte Hornets' President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak will transition into an advisory role once the new hire joins the organization... Amin and Charlotte take a look at the likely candidates to takeover. The All-Star jerseys for Indianapolis this weekend were unveiled a while back but haven't made quite the noise as in previous years - Amin & Charlotte call out their favorites and also give appreciation to some artist-designed Miami Heat jerseys that should really be seen on the court. Plus, NBA reporter for The Guardian Claire de Lune returns to Oddball to share her midseason picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved, and more. Follow Claire @claireMPLS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Warriors beat the Suns in "Draymond Green vs. Jusuf Nurkić, Part II" and now the question is... letting "Draymond be Draymond" may be exactly what the Warriors needed in turning back the clock. Also, the Heat and Celtics are just one of many potential playoff matchups that Amin and Charlotte are dying to see... Plus, Claire de Lune musician and NBA reporter for The Guardian joins Amin to talk about her interview with Jimmy Butler in which he revealed his country music aspirations, what have been the most interesting storylines in the NBA and most disappointing teams as we're at the midseason point, and what we can expect from teams hunting for a playoff spot. Follow Claire de Lune @claireMPLS.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lot of players were traded and waived yesterday... and most of them were real! Amin & Charlotte react to all the trade deadline moves - which teams look better today, which teams didn't do enough and why the East looks to have finally caught up with the West. Plus, the Lakers unveiled the first of three statues of Kobe Bryant that will be outside Crypto Arena and Oddball dives back down into NBA Reddit lore to decide whether Robin Lopez is "real" and which other players may not be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pencils down, trades are in! With the NBA trade deadline today, the question is... what trades would've been the funniest? What, you expected something else? Amin and Charlotte discuss the Celtics acquiring Xavier Tillman, Buddy Hield to Philly and come up with the trade scenarios that should've been. Plus, will Jokic get another triple-double against the Lakers tonight? Are the stacked Celtics gonna put an end to Miami's hot streak on Sunday in Miami? Those bets and more with BET THE SHOW sponsored by DraftKings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, Joel Embiid may be out for the next four weeks but the good news is... Charlotte's back! The "C" in Charlotte might stand for Covid right now but she's pushing through to join Amin in wondering why the weird reporting by the Sixers around Embiid's meniscus surgery and why one of Adam Silver's All-Star replacement selections comes as a bit of a surprise. Plus, the dunk contest will feature returning champ Mac McClung, Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jaquez Jr... and wait, which Toppin brother? Then, Amin talks with Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill), NBA Senior Reporter and host of GOOD WORD WITH GOODWILL on the Yahoo Sports NBA: Ball Don't Lie podcast, about the struggles Damian Lillard has gone through in the past year, why NBA fans are on extreme ends in their view of Doc Rivers, and whether anyone can muster up some encouraging words to Pistons fans in Detroit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The buzz happening right now in New York City around Jalen Brunson and the Knicks hasn't been felt since Linsanity... and you know if you say "Knicks" and "Linsanity" too many times Pablo Torre is gonna appear! Pablo Torre takes a break from finding things out on "Pablo Torre Finds Out" to join the Oddball multiverse and share why he and so many Knicks' fans can't help but feel the excitement and *gulp* hope that this season is already something special. Plus, NBA Senior Reporter and host of GOOD WORD WITH GOODWILL on the Yahoo Sports NBA: Ball Don't Lie podcast, Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) shares his takeaways from his interview with Joe Dumars on the 'unintended consequences' from the CBA's 65-game threshold and its possible effect on certain stars like Tyrese Haliburton and Joel Embiid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The All-Star reserves are in... and the dawgs come out! Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey showed up big last night just hours after being announced as first-time All-Stars reserves... but there are some players feeling snubbed today. Joel Embiid is officially out with a meniscus injury, Doc Rivers has his hands full and Grizzlies fans have to say farewell to Steven Adams after an already upsetting season... they could all use a HYPE ME UP! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices