Oddball w/ Amin Elhassan & Izzy Gutierrez

So, just how likely is Joel Embiid's going back-to-back as MVP? Embiid has some thoughts on that and they're nothing to boo about... meanwhile, the boos came pouring down in Memphis as Draymond Green returned to the Warriors after missing 16 games and yet those boos were nothing compared to the ones heard in Chicago at the Ring of Honor ceremony. You'll be cheering Amin & Charlotte after you hear their thoughts... Plus, Ice Cube received the inaugural “Ice Cube Impact Award” at the Naismith Hall of Fame yesterday and talks to Amin & Charlotte about the challenges the BIG3 has overcome before starting its exciting seventh season and who he thinks has been the best BIG3 player in the league so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last night's blowout games were so shocking Amin is referring to it as "Red Wedding Thursday". The Thunder beat the Trailblazers by 62 points and the Bucks beat the Celtics so badly in the first half, the Celtics' Joe Mazzulla sat the starters for the entire second half. What was going on? In other news, the NBA is getting into the Netflix & Chill game, announcing a new "Quarterback"-like docuseries like following LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, and Domantas Sabonis - so, who will be the most entertaining to watch? Plus, the legendary Ice Cube joins Oddball ahead of being honored with the inaugural “Ice Cube Impact Award” at the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Warriors have gone from being showered with championships to being showered with boos in Golden State... what in the BLEEP is going on?! Steph may be "booing himself" but Amin and Charlotte aren't having it! In Southern California, things are looking real sunny with Kawhi Leonard signing a 3 year / $153 million dollar extension with the Clippers - so just how healthy and successful does the rest of this season and the future look in LA? Oh, Charlotte FINALLY sees some "dawg" in the Celtics... Plus, the long-awaited return of BET THE SHOW brought to you by DraftKings Fantasy Sports. Will the West win the All-Star Game? Will Giannis be the leading All-Star vote-getter this year? All that and more... Check out what DraftKings has to offer this season with code ODDBALL. Because life’s more fun when you’re in on the action. DraftKings - the crown is yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Miami Heat's head coach Erik Spoelstra signs a record-setting 8 year/$120 million dollar contract while Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković rips into refs last night after a 1-point loss to LeBron and the Lakers. One coach is getting paid while the other is gonna get fined... Plus, has Steve Kerr gone too far in defending Steph Curry? How frustrated should Trae Young be right now and why doesn't Domantas Sabonis get more love from the league and fans? Also, does Amin FINALLY lose WORD COUNT? What are you waiting for, it's time for Oddball!!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ja Morant is out for the season. Tyrese Haliburton went down last night and Chris Paul is out for four to six weeks. Don't worry though, Draymond Green is returning and Oddball has more HEADLINES from around the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikola Jokic hit a Steph Curry-esque buzzer beater from way downtown... in front of Steph Curry and the Warriors. Have you ever seen Jokic so happy before?! While Giannis put up 44 points and 14 rebounds last night in the Bucks' nailbiter win over the Spurs, everyone is still talking about Wemby... Amin and Charlotte give their reactions to the array of excitement from last night's double-header. Plus, the first batch of results from the return of All-Star fan-voting are in - who are the early surprises in each conference? And we're wrapping up the first week of 2024, what better way to do it with a very special and heartfelt HYPE ME UP! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The In-Season Tournament Championship seems so long ago for the Lakers right now... what's going wrong for LeBron and Anthony Davis and how can they fix things? All is well in Indiana... as long as they're playing the Bucks! Tyrese Haliburton continues his incredible play to beat Giannis and Damian Lillard and finish their regular season matchups 4-1... so how honest were Giannis and Dame in their responses to the loss? Time for Oddball's favorite game, WHO'S LYING? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Thunder beat the Celtics last night 127 - 123 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 36 points and the rookie sensation Chet Holmgren... and Charlotte is VERY nervous about her Celtics. Amin and Charlotte give the rising Thunder their proper due and then discuss the troubles in Golden State and how Steve Kerr is trying to lift Klay Thompson's energy and why the Warriors and Draymond Green are getting some much needed "space" from each other. Plus, the Timberwolves are legit but what are they still missing? How is Carlos Boozer taking Jordan Clarkson finally snapping the Utah Jazz's triple-double drought and Ja Morant delivered a "late Christmas gift" by dunking over Victor Wembanyama... sounds like WORD COUNT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Year, New Knicks... same Oddball! Amin and Charlotte are back for the excitement around the Knicks-Raptors trade looking pretty great so far for both teams with OG Anunoby making his Knicks debut in Madison Square Garden and RJ Barrett's Toronto homecoming. Detroit got to end 2023 with a bang, FINALLY snapping their NBA-record 28-game losing streak but Amin and Charlotte have to talk about coach Monty Williams' post-game comments. Giannis, Damian Lillard, and the Bucks look to have a Pacers problem whether they want to admit it or not - what kind of a matchup can we hope for in the playoffs? And following NBA insider and Oddball contributor Tom Haberstroh's discovery of previously unheard audio of Ja Morant calling a referee a... well, you know... what does the role of in-person media have in the careers of young stars like Morant? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would you rather be stuck in an elevator or a Detroit Pistons fan? The Detroit Pistons lost their 25th straight game last night and had fans chanting "Sell The Team!"... easy to imagine they're feeling pretty "trapped" right now... you know, "stuck", with nowhere to go... we're trying to say that Amin is stuck in a packed elevator with nothing left to do but ODDBALL! Amin, live from an elevator, joins Charlotte in the NYC studio for a "Best of 2023 Oddball Bracket" to determine what NBA storylines and drama led to the most content this year. Plus, NBA reporter and betting expert, Jena Garcia, is back on Oddball to take us through each of the action-packed NBA Christmas Day games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices