Leigh Ellis

In the final episode of the first season of “The Ariel Helwani Basketball Show,” we look toward the future. With the NBA’s broadcast deal set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season, it’s unclear whether the NBA will re-up its long-standing partnerships with TNT and ESPN. As we tread deeper into the waters of the streaming era, it’s quite possible the NBA could find a new TV home in the coming years. And so Ariel Helwani calls upon Andrew Marchand, the world’s No. 1 expert in all things sports media, to make sense of this crazy world the NBA is about to find itself in. The guys discuss topics like: How this past season’s recent NBA ratings will affect upcoming negotiations (12:47) The differences between TNT and ESPN and how they each approach their coverage of the NBA (20:25) Marchand’s prediction for how the NBA media package will look once the current deal ends (26:28) If NBC, the home of the NBA in the 1990s, has a legitimate shot at getting NBA rights in the next deal (30:04) Recently retired players and coaches who make good candidates for transitioning to the broadcast booth (50:52) Plus, Marchand gives Ariel his dream NBA broadcast trio and he also talks about LeBron James’ prospects as a broadcaster once he calls it quits. Andrew Marchand is a writer for The New York Post. The leading voice when it comes to covering sports media, Marchand is also the host of “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast” alongside John Ourand of Sports Business Journal. Formerly of ESPN, Marchand is the go-to for everything about broadcasting deals, industry gossip, on-air talent drama, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Thursday night, the basketball world turns its eyes toward the young men who will have basketball fans glued to their screens not only on NBA Draft night, but for years to come. And one of the men who will work on the desk for ESPN’s coverage of the 2023 NBA Draft, Jay Bilas, joins Ariel Helwani today for a wide-ranging conversation about not only what will take place on Thursday, but also an array of subjects, like: His memories from the night Nikola Jokic was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2014 (17:45) How Bilas has built a career out of telling it like it is, even if it puts him at odds with ESPN (26:28) The potential of Victor Wembanyama, the French phenom who the San Antonio Spurs will select with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night (36:00) The NIL movement in college athletics and whether it’s working the way Bilas hoped it would (42:12) Plus, Bilas goes deep on his law career, his annual basketball camp, his famous Young Jeezy tweets, the TikTok-ification of basketball, and why he feels 1986 No. 2 overall draft pick Len Bias could have been one of the greatest players ever. Jay Bilas is a college basketball analyst for ESPN. One of the foremost voices in collegiate athletics, Bilas has called games for the worldwide leader since the 1990s. A four-year player at Duke under coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski, Bilas is also a practicing lawyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nuggets Superfan Chuck Mindenhall Returns to Celebrate Denver’s First NBA Championship! In a history-making episode of the program, Ariel Helwani’s colleague and Denver Nuggets superfan rejoins the show to discuss his beloved Nuggets, who defeated the Miami Heat Monday night to win the franchise its first Larry O’Brien trophy. He and Ariel discuss: The emotions he felt immediately after the final buzzer sounded (4:52) Nikola Jokic’s unusual reaction to winning the Finals (11:11) If he ever doubted Denver would get it done (18:10) Sharing the moment with his kids, whom he’s brainwashed to be Nuggets fans (31:39) Plus, will the Nuggets make it back to the title next season? For more Ariel and Chuck in your life, check them out every week on their hit MMA podcast, “The Ringer MMA Show.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Picture this: It’s the NBA Finals, and one of the star players of the Denver Nuggets or Miami Heat decides to pick up a side gig. Imagine one of those players, say Michael Porter Jr. or Bam Adebayo, flies to another city following a game so he can go work at his other job. Can you imagine the outrage? The media coverage? The Twitter firestorm? If you grew up watching basketball in the 1990s like Ariel Helwani did, of course you can. Because Dennis Rodman, the erratic Hall of Famer, did this exact thing in 1998 when he appeared live on WCW Nitro just after playing in Game 3 of the Finals! And the guy who orchestrated this deal, Eric Bischoff, joins Ariel on today’s episode to talk about how he convinced larger-than-life basketball heroes Rodman and Karl Malone to enter the world of pro wrestling and a whole lot more, like: What Dennis Rodman is actually like off camera (5:41) How Rodman helped take Bischoff’s wrestling promotion, WCW, to a new level in the late ‘90s (16:30) Partying with Rodman and Hulk Hogan … and how one late night out gave Bischoff a visual he’s never quite forgotten (23:02) Bischoff’s close relationship with the late Muhammad Ali and what he learned from the boxing legend (35:09) Plus, Bischoff goes around the horn on a number of pro wrestling topics (37:51)! He and Ariel get into Endeavor’s purchase of WWE, if the upstart AEW has what it takes to topple the behemoth WWE, Tony Khan’s fitness for leadership, MJF’s free agency, and much more. Eric Bischoff is a titan of the professional wrestling industry. He is the former Executive Vice President of World Championship Wrestling, the pro wrestling organization that competed head on with Vince McMahon’s WWE, most notably in the ‘90s. After leaving WCW, Bischoff joined WWE’s creative team. Now a proud resident of Wyoming, the 68-year-old WWE Hall of Famer lives a much quieter life than when he was one of the biggest names in the business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you’re bored at work, do you ever catch your mind drifting away somewhere? Away to a far away place, a point in the future, a dream, or to some type of new endeavor you want to pursue? Today’s guest knows the feeling. Leigh Ellis, once one of the top content creators in all of NBA media, seemingly had it all: top performing NBA podcasts, worldwide recognition, big paychecks, and a number of unforgettable one-of-a-kind experiences every basketball fan dreams of having. And then he walked away. On today’s episode, Ariel Helwani talks to Leigh Ellis about his childhood in Australia, becoming an NBA fan and then media member, and how he’s now combining his two loves of travel and basketball into something much bigger than himself. The guys discuss: How, as a young boy in Australia, Ellis fell in love with the NBA (4:39) The 2011 NBA lockout and how it led to Ellis’ first big break in NBA media (13:10) The time he shot around with Stephen Curry for an hour (21:02) Why he made the tough decision to leave The Athletic to go do something that’s never been done before (28:04) If he has any interest in joining NBA media again (55:41) Plus, Ellis shares stories from his time so far on the road, which includes hanging out with former NBA players and getting drunk with Luka Doncic’s dad! Leigh Ellis is an Australian basketball personality. Formerly the co-host of basketball podcasts “The Basketball Jones,” NBA TV’s “The Starters,” and The Athletic’s “No Dunks,” Ellis now finds himself on a mission to play 20 games of pick-up basketball in 20 different countries. You can follow along with Ellis’ basketball journey by subscribing to his YouTube channel or Instagram page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Miami Heat are no strangers to June basketball. But their opponent in this year’s NBA Finals, the homegrown little-engine-that-could Denver Nuggets, will make their first NBA Finals appearance tomorrow night. With memories of 1994 and many forgettable seasons still haunting the franchise, the 2022-23 season almost feels too good to be true for Nuggets fans. Enter today’s guest, Ariel’s dear colleague and friend Chuck Mindenhall, a native Coloradan who has stood by the Nuggets since day one despite the franchise’s tormented past. In this episode, Mindenhall pours his heart out about the team he loves in a can’t-miss conversation about the following: What it feels like, after decades of suffering, to see his favorite team finally reach the NBA Finals (12:25) Carmelo Anthony’s complicated legacy in Denver and why the Allen Iverson experiment didn’t work (21:18) When he realized the Nuggets had something special in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (27:43) Whether Jokic should have won the MVP Award this season (36:36) And much more, including Chuck’s thoughts on the extra rest for the Nuggets (46:15) and his prediction for how the NBA Finals will go down (57:08). Chuck Mindenhall is one of the greatest writers in the history of combat sports. But … he’s also a lifelong Denver Nuggets fan. Born and raised in Denver, Chuck has witnessed firsthand all of the ups and downs the Nuggets have experienced since their entry into the NBA in 1976. If you’re looking for more Chuck and Ariel in your life, feel free to check out “The Ringer MMA Show” exclusively on Spotify. You can also check out Chuck’s web site here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Miami Heat returning to the NBA Finals once more, Ariel Helwani calls upon friend and former colleague Jorge Sedano of ESPN to talk about the history of the Heat, Sedano's vivid memories from covering them, and how he thinks Miami stacks up with the dominant Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. The guys also get into: Favorite memories from the 2006 championship team that featured Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and more (10:35) The infamous "Ray Allen Game" in 2013 (16:04) What it's been like watching Erik Spoelstra rise through the ranks of the Heat organization and what makes him so special (23:25) "Heat Culture" and what it actually means (43:42) Plus, Sedano gives his bold prediction for the NBA Finals (43:42) and he relives a tense on-air moment he shared with Dan Dakich in 2019.Known most for his work as an ESPN NBA sideline reporter, Jorge Sedano also makes regular appearances on ESPN's acclaimed "Around The Horn" program. Before joining ESPN, Sedano worked in Miami local radio where he spent a number of years covering his beloved Heat. Nowadays, he resides in Los Angeles where he also hosts "Sedano & Kap" weekdays on ESPNLA 710. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the brightest minds in NBA commentary joins Ariel Helwani just a few hours prior to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. On today's episode, Barry discusses: Playing for the beloved late '90s Sacramento Kings (6:05) His memories of playing alongside Carmelo Anthony in 'Melo's rookie season in Denver (9:46) What it was like being teammates with the late Kobe Bryant (13:10) His issues with the current NBA broadcasting scene and the key differences between the TNT studio team and the ESPN one (19:17) Plus, Barry tells you why he thinks the Boston Celtics are capable of pulling off the unthinkable in the coming days (23:40). Jon Barry spent 14 years in the NBA playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets. After his playing days ended, Barry transitioned to the broadcast booth, calling games on television and radio for ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time since 2001, Sue Bird is not stepping foot on the WNBA hardwood for the Seattle Storm. So with nothing else better to do, she joins Ariel Helwani today for a conversation about the retired life, as well as the following topics: Why she hasn't laced up a pair of basketball sneakers since walking away from the game last year at age 41 (5:18) What she learned from her time spent in the Denver Nuggets front office (10:52) If an NBA team will ever return to her beloved city of Seattle (15:00) Whether she believes LeBron James will actually call it quits after he recently hinted about retirement (18:32) Plus, Bird talks about her aspirations for basketball broadcasting. Sue Bird is one of the most decorated players in the history of women's basketball. The winner of five Olympic gold medals, four WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm, and two college basketball championships at UConn, Bird is undeniably one of the best to ever play the women's game.  "Sue Bird x Corona Finer Recliner launching June 7" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we approach the NBA Finals, as the NBA Draft Lottery awards the San Antonio Spurs the No. 1 pick, and as NBA free agency looms ... it's very easy for basketball fans worldwide to get lost in the frenzied news cycle the NBA brings. But what you're probably missing is the greatness that's happening across the pond. Tomorrow, Friday, May 19, Euroleague begins its massive Final Four event. Euroleague, the league that's produced the likes of NBA stars Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and many more, is home to the best basketball Europe has to offer. Think English Premier League for basketball.And on today's episode, Euroleague CEO Marshall Glickman joins Ariel Helwani for a conversation about Euroleague, the Final Four, and his many years of experience working both at home and abroad. The guys discuss: The differences between NBA and Euroleague (4:15) The incredible passion that European fans have for Euroleague (18:54) His experiences working and learning from the late David Stern (24:14) Why the European brand of basketball is so aesthetically appealing (43:10) And much more. Marshall Glickman is the Chief Executive Officer of Euroleague, the premier basketball organization in Europe. The son of Portland Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman, Marshall has carved his own path both inside and outside of the NBA. After spending several years in the Blazers front office and in the boardroom of Euroleague, he's cemented himself as one of the best minds in basketball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices