Nightcap Hour 1: Michael B. Jordan WINS OSCAR for BEST ACTOR + Lakers STOP NUGGETS in OT + Kendrick Perkins COMPARES SGA to Michael Jackson + Darius Acuff Jr. LEADS Arkansas to SEC Title

22:07Shannon Sharpe:So why the hell are you going to make us more upset? because we didn't think it was a foul to begin with.

22:12Chad Johnson:Hey, hold up, though, Uncle Ocho. When I was playing here for the Hawks, we was playing the Miami Heat. This is when D-Wade and Shaq was playing. They had something like that, like the last two minutes of the game, they messed up. Listen, when we played them again, we started in the fourth quarter with like two minutes left. And then when that game was over, there was a whole game. Y 'all started a new game. We started a whole new game. Yeah. Damn. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying they doing all these gripes and groans. They gonna go back and change it. They gonna make these dudes start at, you know what I mean?

22:45Chad Johnson:Start at 9.2 seconds. Yeah. Bro, Ocho, we started in the fourth quarter with like two, three minutes on the clock. And I think we was up by like two or something, but they had the ball and we had to play it out. Like a real dream. Did y 'all win? Yeah, we ain't no win. Yeah, that's crazy. It did jump right to the next game. But I don't know, yeah, I think that this rule they got to where they, you know, the last two minutes, what were they doing? Just telling them play by play, and saying that should have been a foul,

23:20Shannon Sharpe:that shouldn't have been a foul, they missed it, it was a loose present, you know, blah, blah, blah, the shot clock, things of that nature. If, hey, look, if it don't go your way, you pick it out. That's it. Hey, hey, Uncle Joe, why not in pivotal time like that towards the end of the game when it comes to fouls, why don't they have like a VAR or some type of replay system to make sure the refs are getting the call right? Because with the human eye, human error is inevitable. It's inevitable. Sometimes in fast motion, the refs get the call wrong. So in pivotal moments like that towards the end of the game, why don't they just review every foul that they think is a foul?

23:58Shannon Sharpe:The game would be the same thing as in football. The game's already long enough, Ochoa. What, you want a full five-hour game? I mean, I mean, I'm just saying. That's why you have challenges. The way they had them blown through you. The thing is, the only thing I would say is this. If you win your, if you get two challenges, if you win both, you should get a third. You shouldn't be able to exhaust both of your challenges and not have any more if I got those right. I agree. Now, if you miss any of those, obviously it's over. But if I get both of my challenges right, Ocho, you should reward me. You kind of like another one.

24:33Chad Johnson:There you go.

24:34Shannon Sharpe:So, and I think that might have been a situation where they could have challenged. I don't think they had any more challenges. And that's what you have to be careful and judicious of how you use your challenges and when you use them. You don't really want to blow through your challenges in the first half, Joe and Ocho. You want to kind of keep those things, keep it on ice just in case. Yeah.

24:52Chad Johnson:Hey, but the hard thing is when you got your best players on the court telling you, look, review every play. As a coach, you're like, man, I can't review everything. Sometimes just let it go.

25:06Shannon Sharpe:Joe, we two minutes in the first quarter, and Luka doing this. I'm like, well, damn, Luka, the game just started. And then a lot of times they take the review stuff, and your star player, you want to take him at his word, and he get that thing dead wrong. And I'm over there like this again.

25:23Chad Johnson:Now, with no more challenges, and then fourth quarter come, fourth quarter at the end of the game, now you need it. you done blew it on some you done blew it on some bull drive and so that's that's that's

25:33Shannon Sharpe:what you have to be careful but uh oh my goodness i didn't want this game i had the game up they were just and it flipped over it just flipped on its own

25:47Shannon Sharpe:like that with friday night yeah it was no it was just it was just up there because i was just i was just about to hit the box score and when i turned back it was gone go to you got to go to uh Saturday.

26:05Shannon Sharpe:Oh, yeah. Y 'all know what I'm doing.

26:12Shannon Sharpe:Here it is. It's coming up. This janky-ass machine.

26:19Shannon Sharpe:There ain't no use, Eric. This machine janky.

26:25Shannon Sharpe:Oh, here we go. Here we go. So, man, Joe, I don't know what's gotten into Aaron Gordon and how he's become such a great three-point shooter, but he's become a different type of a player since he joined the Nuggets. He was their leading scorer last night, 9 of 16, 5 of 10 from the three-point line. He had 27. Nikola Jokic was yoked, 24, 16, and 14. The problem that hurt him last night, Jamar Murray couldn't get it going. He was 1 of 14, 24, 1 of 7. I thought Cameron Johnson played really well. He's finally starting to show. Christian Brown played well. Tim Hardaway Jr. played well. Bruce Brown played well.

27:03But I thought last night it was – look, there's enough kudos to go around

27:09Shannon Sharpe:for the Lakers. Luka, a 30-point triple-double. Now I think he has the second most 30-point triple-doubles in NBA history, and he's only seven, eight years into his career. Austin Reed was sensational. Big shot after big shot. To make the first free throw, miss the second – get it and put it back in. But I thought the guy that played really, really well last night was DeAndre Ayton. I loved the way he battled. I loved the effort that he displayed. The only one thing I would say, Ocho, Joe. Even though he only had nine points out? It was the hustle. It was the caring. It was the attitude in which he displayed.

27:42Shannon Sharpe:DA, all I would say, bro, if you block the ball, get the rebound. Don't let it hit the ball because you could have just reached there and got the ball and we wouldn't have been in overtime. But it went out of bounds and then Jokic, he blocked Jokic's shot. I thought he battled Yoke really, really well. And that's the effort, and that's the consistency. No, Ocho, he didn't have double-digit points. He didn't have double-digit rebounds. He had 99. But the effort was there. That's what the Lakers have been needing from him is effort. And he gave them that last night. You saw the old man, 41 years old, diving on the ball like Dennis Robin.

28:16Shannon Sharpe:You know the one when Dennis Robin is diving in the stand trying to save the ball? We saw a 41-year-old. winning plays. That's what you got to have. So much for this theory, oh, he's stat pad, and he's just out there, blah, blah, blah. I've never seen him do that before. And I've been watching LeBron James from the very first time he stepped foot in the NBA at Cleveland. I've never seen him dive. I've never seen that type of effort to hit the floor. Now, blocking shots and chase downs, yes. But to hit the floor like that, and you know when you get old, man. Now, he didn't feel it then because he was generally going.

28:53Shannon Sharpe:He felt that ish this morning. I guarantee you felt it this morning, guys. Yeah. What you think? What you think, Joe? You think the Lakers can make some noise?

29:03Chad Johnson:I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment. They look good, though. They look good. Look, here's my thing. Here's my thing. If Luka, obviously Luka didn't shoot that great, but if he can play like this, if Austin Reeves can, obviously he's done this all year, can be consistent, shooting at a high rate like that. And let Braun kind of just coast and be like a secret weapon almost. Don't put too much pressure on him where he got to give you 30. You know, he got to give you 36 and 6. You know what I mean? If he can get you around 20 to 25 a night and six rebounds, five assists, I think he going to be great in that role.

29:42Chad Johnson:But they got to have other guys that step up. Like you look at Marcus Smart. He played great. Yeah, unbelievable. But the biggest key is Jamal Murray. You see, guarding Luka, his offense is going to be his defense, Ocho. He got him in foul trouble. Man, fouled out the game. You know what I mean? So you take away one of their key guys, you know, it benefits the Lakers, man. They played great basketball yesterday. I enjoyed watching them play. But see, this is the problem, though, Uncle Joe. You know, you say, you know, do we have anything to be excited about? You know, my grandma used to say, you know, when a team plays like this, you know, they call it fool's gold.

30:19Because what have they been before that game against the Nuggets? What have they struggled with? What has always been their Achilles heel, you know, to date? It's always been their defense. Or DeAndre Ayton, the inconsistencies in which they play with. Luka does what Luka does. DeAndre Ayton, here we've been talking about him for the past goddamn who knows how goddamn long. And all of a sudden, finally he has a good game. Can he continue that? I mean, is the problem, obviously, Reeves does what he needs to do. Luka does what he needs to do. as long as the supporting cast shows up and you get that kind of effort from DeAndre Aiden each and every night, I mean, there's a possibility.

30:52Shannon Sharpe:I think the thing is, is that I love what Aiden said the other night. He says, I brought my energy up to that of the team. Is that the realization, is the accountability to know that what he's been given is not good enough. That's the first part. That's the first step. Like, oh, it ain't blah, blah, blah. He's like, yeah, hey, I brought my energy up to that of the team. To acknowledge that. To know oneself. That is the key, to know oneself.

31:25Shannon Sharpe:Look, we know it'll be hard for them to beat if the Nuggets get all their pieces back. You know, Watson is still out. But they make it seem like Austin Reed's had missed at least 20 games. LeBron had missed at least 20 games. Luka has missed some games. It's always everybody else. where this guy hadn't played and that guy hadn't played. So what about Luka? What about LeBron? What about Austin Reeves? Have they missed any time? Sure they have. Yeah. In a situation like, but also, Joe, this goes to show. Tell me the time in the history of the game where one team has, where you said, you know what, we need our 38, 39, 40, 41, 37-year-old guy to play great on a nightly basis in order for us to win a game.

32:13Shannon Sharpe:Tell me the time that's happened, Joe.

32:16Chad Johnson:It hasn't, but you know LeBron is a standard.

32:19Shannon Sharpe:So by that standard, by what you're saying, he might be what? I mean, he might have horns, stand on a burnt-out bus, and eat grass then. Oh, yeah, yeah.

32:30Chad Johnson:He goaded, if that's what you're asking. Oh, Joe, you see what I'm saying? Listen, listen. I'm saying he big goaded now. I ain't taking nothing away from him. The boy got his own money. You hear me? Hey, the boy bad. I ain't saying that. I'm just saying at 41, man, you don't want to eat. Why he got to carry that? He ain't got to carry that burden. I mean, he going to give you some great nights. But nights like this where he can facilitate and just play off these other guys who kind of got it going. I think his IQ for the game says it all, bro. He knows how to fit in.

33:04Shannon Sharpe:Because if you put that kind of pressure on, if you say, well, LeBron James need to carry this team or he needs to do X, Y, and Z at 41 and it doesn't happen, now you get a chance to diminish him. You see how they do that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is what we do. We put this unrealistic expectation on a 41-year-old, which you've never done in the history of the game. 80-plus years of the NBA, no 41-year-old, no 40-year-old, no 39-year-old has been asked to do what LeBron is asked to do, And if he doesn't do it, now we can diminish him. See, I told you he wasn't a goal. See, I told you he wasn't X, Y, and Z.

33:46Shannon Sharpe:Bro, he's not 25. He's not 30. He's not 35. He's 41 in year 23. And let's just say for the sake of argument, you just ask him, okay, LeBron, give us what you're giving us. We know on a given night you might bump that up to 28-32. You might be able to give us 10 rebounds. You might be able to give us 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Yeah. but to ask him to be what he was in Cleveland the second time around, to ask him what he was for the Lakers in his first – up until three years ago, I think you're asking a bit much. And I think it's unrealistic. But can he give you what he's giving you? I mean, he only shot the ball 13 times last night.

34:33Yeah.

34:34Shannon Sharpe:13 times.

34:35Chad Johnson:Very efficient. 7-13.

34:37Shannon Sharpe:And he smoked two layups and got blocked at the rim with Gordon. So really, truly, Joe, he probably should have had 24 points. I agree. I mean, he just flat out smoked them. Yeah. But Austin Reed, man, look. Kobe of the Ozarks. 12-21, 3-8. Big three. And he came down, hit a big three. When the game seemed like it was slipping away, he made the foul shots and then he made the play. I love him. He is an IQ ball player. I've loved him from the very first time. And the mere fact that LeBron took a liking to him. LeBron took a liking to guys that have basketball IQ because he understands that they understand how to play the game the right way.

35:22Shannon Sharpe:All straights understand. There are some deficiencies. Every player, every player, no matter what era, no matter who they are, had deficiencies in some areas, aspects of their game.

35:31Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah.

35:32Shannon Sharpe:When he and Luka, look, the likelihood of Luka being efficient. Now, if he's efficient, he probably going to give you 50 because he's going to take a lot of shots. I mean, he's 414, he's 10 or 26. They're going to have to get better at the free throw line, though.

35:46Chad Johnson:At the rate these boys been scoring the ball, Unc and Ojo? Yeah. 50 just kind of sound light. You know what I mean? For him? Yeah, I'm saying they score at such a high rate. Like, you know, the game is so much faster nowadays that when you see guys like Luka hitting 40s and 50s, it's just a normal day. Right. You know what I mean? But to kind of piggyback off what you said, A.R., Austin Reeves, undrafted, and giving you this type of production, this tells you, you know, obviously the confidence that LeBron has instilled in him, you know, I think has catapulted him and put him on another level because he plays with that sense of urgency, see that type of confidence.

36:29Chad Johnson:He just be oozing out of him. You know what I mean? When he out there on the court, you can see it in the way he handled the rock, the way he get to his spots. Like, bro, it's impressive to watch, man. It's impressive to watch. Hey, Uncle Joe, I'm not sure where Austin Reed works out in all season, but whatever he's done from the time he got drafted to the point where he is now, everybody need to go whatever train it is. So everyone should be able to... Listen, Ben Simmons, Unk, you hear me? I'm just saying, obviously, he's not playing right now, but this is what you, I mean obviously I don't mean to be switching topics but wherever Austin Reeves goes players like Ben Simmons and other players that haven't improved, they haven't evolved year to year to year, I mean for Austin Reeves to do what he's done from how he looked when he wasn't drafted to where he is right now to what, what are you getting this offseason?

37:16Probably two five years, two forty Ooh That's nasty, ooh that's nasty work Oh Joe, the thing is

37:24Shannon Sharpe:is that Austin Reeves wanted to be great. His desire to be great was his desire not greater than his desire not to be. The work that you put in, it's the nice to see. People see what he did last night. People see what LeBron and people see what Luke and people see what Shea and all these other great players. I see what you're doing on the big stage. How did you get to the big stage? What do you do leading up to the big stage? See, they saw what you did on Sundays. See, they saw the celebrations, but they didn't see the offseason. They didn't see the meetings. They didn't see the practice. You see, everybody just talks about the finished product.

38:04Shannon Sharpe:How do they make that? You look at the pyramids of Egypt, also, you're like, damn, that is something to marvel at. How the hell these people make that? How do they make the Havoc Gardens of Babylon? How? The Sphinx.

38:26Yeah, I don't know. So when I look at Austin Reed, that's what I said.

38:33Shannon Sharpe:Hard work does not guarantee you anything, but without it, you don't have a chance. That is the thing. Austin Reed put the time in. You know how I know an undrafted free agent that if he doesn't get hurt, he's an all-star. Now he's about to get a max contract. Two-faulty. That's how you know. And you saw him get better and better. You watched him as an undrafted rookie. You watched him as a second year. You watched him as a third year. And you remember that series against Memphis? LeBron said, no. Uh-uh, uh-uh. You do, you do. You take it. You take it. Yeah. Yeah. And what did he do?

39:11Chad Johnson:Yeah.

39:12Shannon Sharpe:On the road in Memphis, he did that. Yeah.

39:18Chad Johnson:Man. Hey, look. The postseason, it's going to be about matchups for the Lakers. Absolutely. They need a favorable matchup. They need somebody slow. They need a favorable. Somebody what? Somebody what? They don't need Minnesota.

39:34Shannon Sharpe:I know that. Don't run into Minnesota. Luka last five ballgames, 30, 11, and 13 against the Nuggets. 51, 10, and 9 against Chicago. Against Minnesota, 31, 11, and 11. Against the Knicks, 35, 8, and 4. against Indiana, 44-9.

39:59Chad Johnson:He's been putting them numbers up. He's going to put the numbers up. Hey, they've been playing great basketball as a late, too. Like, you know, they steady climbing the charts. They're probably going to finish right there in probably that, what, third or fourth?

40:12Shannon Sharpe:Right now they're in the third slot. They're one game ahead of Houston, but they got two games with Houston. They play Houston tomorrow, and then they got them again on Wednesday, and then they got a back-to-back Thursday against Miami. So they got a tough East Coast trip coming up. Hey, hold on. The Lakers played the Heat down here in Miami?

40:35Chad Johnson:Yes, on Thursday. Oh, yeah, Bron coming to show out. He coming down to Miami. He coming back to South Beach. He coming to show out. I wonder how my mama's court side. Let me call Pat, man, see if he can get me a seat, man, down there, man, on the wood, man.

40:50Shannon Sharpe:Players record when they score 50-plus points in a ballgame. Michael Jordan is 23-8. LeBron James is 12-2. James Harden is 18-7. Steph Curry is 10-5. KD is 5-4. Luka is the only player that has scored 50 points. He's undefeated. He's 8-0. Damn.

41:17Chad Johnson:Them numbers don't lie to them, man. No.

41:22Shannon Sharpe:because sometimes Joe we've seen guys get 50 in a losing effort or the 50 all 50s are not created equal all 40s all 30s all points aren't created equal how you got those at what point in the game because you could be behind 30 points man that joker had 50 yeah but it lost by 22 what the hell I'm going to do with that I need your 30 your 40 your 50 to go towards winning or at least make it a close ball game. Understanding you're not going to win every ball game, but sometimes guys get numbers and that joker had 50. He had this, bro. At what point in time did you think, you know what, they could win this game?

42:05Shannon Sharpe:Well, I know they wasn't going to win, so what are we talking about? What are we talking about? But here we are. The Lakers are the third seed, Joe. We got the thing up. Oklahoma's OKC is number one. They're three and a half games ahead of the Spurs. At 49 and 18. And then you got the Lakers. You see the Lakers sitting right there. They'll have a game in front of the Rockets. A game and a half in front of the Nuggets. Game and a half in front of the T-Wolves.

42:33Chad Johnson:Hey, the question is, if you the Lakers, I am in the second round. If you so happen to get out the first round, do you want to play San Antonio in the second round? Or would it be second round? they would be playing San Antonio?

42:51Shannon Sharpe:San Antonio would be at the bottom. So it would go 1-8. So it would be the winner. One would play the 7-8 matchup in the first. And then 9-10 for the right to play the loser of the 7-8 matchup. So that would be in the bottom half.

43:14Chad Johnson:But see, look. You see how it's 3-6. So Lakers right now will be playing the Timberwolves. I don't like that. Ooh. You don't like that? You don't like a seven game series? Wolves-Lakers? No, not for the Lakers. They too - So you want them to play the Nuggets? Yeah, I'd rather play the Nuggets - Than the Timberwolves. No, hell no. Unk, they can't do nothing without their youth and speed. They got a, man, they got a chance. They got a fighting chance with the Nuggets.

43:44Shannon Sharpe:They ain't got no fighting chance. They got a fighting chance.

43:46Chad Johnson:If I'm a betting man, Ocho, I don't want Minnesota. Hold on. So you think the better option is playing the Nuggets, Joe? Yeah, I do.

43:57Shannon Sharpe:So, I mean, think about it. It took overtime, and Jamal Murray had five points. It took overtime to beat them at home, and Jamal Murray had five points. Hey, Joe, remember the two-minute report. Say they missed a call. So we think about all the things that had to go right just for us to win by two in overtime.

44:18Chad Johnson:Oh, they got swept last year. Yeah, but I think they're a much better team this year. I do. Yeah, they probably are better. They probably learn from their mistakes. But they got swept last year. I ain't expecting them to beat them. You know what I mean? They might win a game this year, but nah.

44:34Shannon Sharpe:But I think Marcus Smart definitely helps. I think Austin Reeves. Oh, yeah, he does. The thing is, I think Lucas is healthier this year than he was last year.

44:46Chad Johnson:It's going to get tight in the postseason, fellas. They're going to wear him down. They're going to have to wear him down.

44:51Shannon Sharpe:But guess what? Most people ain't got a third option that scored over 43 ,000 points.

44:56Chad Johnson:You're right. You're right.

44:58Shannon Sharpe:They got 11 ,000 rebounds, 11 ,000 assists. You're right. I just think, look, once you get to the second round, really, once you're in the postseason, ain't no really easy matchups. When you get to the second round, damn sure ain't no easy matchup. Because you're getting OKC or you're getting a San Antonio.

45:15Chad Johnson:San Antonio, yeah.

45:16Shannon Sharpe:So you're getting one of them. You're probably going to get the consecutive MVP or you're getting the 7 '5 alien. You're getting one of them. And they really got you. They come at you and wave with Champagny and they got Harper and they got Bryant and they got Castle. They got Basel.

45:38Chad Johnson:That's why I say I like the Lakers, but I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment because that gauntlet in the Western Coast. They're going to beat each other up so bad. That's why I'm saying whoever come out of the East got a real fighting chance. Less support through telehealth, but it feels overwhelming and rushed. Check out orderlymeds.com now. Orderlymeds.com was built to be different. Here, you connect with real doctors who take the time to understand your goals, review your eligibility, and guide you through a plan that's right for you. Orderly Meds provides access to proven GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and terzepatide, including both name brand options and personalized compound versions when appropriate.

46:18So you have choices backed by clinical oversight, not guesswork. It's a simpler, more supportive telehealth experience designed around people who want clarity, care, and confidence in their weight loss journey. And your medication is delivered directly to your home in discreet packaging. So your experience stays private from start to finish. Do your research. Ask the right questions. Then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer. Again, that's orderlymeds.com slash podcast. Individual results may vary. Not medical advice. Eligibility required. See site for details. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously.

46:57On public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20 % year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the S &P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's.

47:31Go to public.com slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1 % bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing. Brokered services by Open to the Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services by Public Advisors, LLC, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com slash disclosures. There's no championship league for small business owners, but if there was, you'd be at the top of the standings.

47:59Because going pro with Lenovo Pro means you've got the winning formation. One-on-one advice, IT solutions, and customized hardware powered by Intel Core Ultra processors help you stay ahead of the competition. Business goes pro with Lenovo Pro. Sign up for free at Lenovo.com slash pro.

48:19Chad Johnson:Lenovo, Lenovo. Let's talk about modern home shopping. It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen, or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in, all from the comforts of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own, but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes, and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in.

48:59Redfin has over 2 ,200 agents with local expertise. And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning. That's redfin.com. How is TD making banking more human with less bank talk and more real talk? Less, your call is important to us, and more, how can we help? It's getting more of what you want and less of what you don't. That's how TD is making banking more human.

49:40Yeah.

49:41Chad Johnson:Yeah.

49:44Shannon Sharpe:Kendrick Perkins compares SGA to Michael Jackson. He's the Michael Jackson of basketball. He's an artist, and every album he puts out every year goes diamond. I've never seen a guard this efficient in my entire life. Oh, oh, oh, oh. He meant basketball-wise, skill and efficiency. Okay, okay. I get what he's saying.

50:05Chad Johnson:Yeah, he's probably, from a guard standpoint, shooting at about 52%, 53 % from the field. Okay, Ocho. Yeah. that don't happen. I only think nobody outside of guards probably who? MJ? He's probably the only one that done it. Yeah, he probably the only one that done it. Hey, Uncle Joe, you know why he is like that? Listen, my basketball prowess is nothing like you two, but his shot selection is so important. His shot selection is so important, which is why he's so goddamn efficient. Yeah. You can't stop him from getting to his spots.

50:38Shannon Sharpe:Here's the problem.

50:42Shannon Sharpe:Michael Jordan was the closest thing to Michael Jackson because everything that he did was diamond and he was the most popular. You see, Michael Jackson may hit album, but he was the most popular artist at the time. He's still, there'll never be another MJ. There'll never be another MJ. Never. All you gotta do is just go back and watch. When people, they got shows out here in Vegas where they're doing Michael Jackson. they're having documentaries about Michael Jackson people would pass out just to hear it was almost biblical where they just wanted to touch the hem of his garment they wanted to see him and they'd faint he'd come out and think about when he walked out there on that hotel balcony and he had I think it was Blanky at the time and people started crying people would literally pass out just to see this man We're never, never, never, ever, ever, because we watched him with the Jackson 5 as a seven, eight-year-old and come up and watched him.

51:49Shannon Sharpe:So we took a liking to him from Jackson 5s in the early 70s. And then you watch him do Off the Wall in 89, and then you watch him do a thriller, and then you watch him do Dangerous, and you watch... Yeah. I mean, Bad was the third, I think third solo album. Dangerous was, Dangerous was his fourth, I think. Do you?

52:18Chad Johnson:I think what makes it different is that we only seen him on TV. You know, now we can see all the stars in our handheld device. Everybody's accessible. Much more accessible now.

52:30Shannon Sharpe:But he couldn't go nowhere. He couldn't go nowhere back then. with no social media. Where can he go, Ochoa Joe, now? Where can Michael Jackson go? He couldn't go nowhere in the 80s and the 90s. He damn sure not going anywhere now.

52:45Chad Johnson:Hey, that's why he had Never Never Land. He had everything right there to have. He had to.

52:53Shannon Sharpe:I mean, think about it. He grew up before our eyes as a kid. And then he became the biggest. He's the king of pop.

53:05Shannon Sharpe:First of all, the music game has changed. You got Spotify, you got all these streaming, so nobody's gonna sell the hard copies. Nobody's gonna sell, forget Michael, nobody's gonna sell the hard copies like they once sold way back when, when 10 and 15 million albums, I mean, think about that. A diamond, that's 10 million copies, that's 10 million hard copies. Yeah, I mean, it's almost disrespectful. I mean the comparison you really can't compare Anybody to Michael no you just Can't you can't regards to John I mean regards to genre You know you just can't Michael is In a class of his own when it comes to what he was Able to do but I look What Shea has been able to do And how he does it and just Like you said Joe the percentage in which He shoots because he still gets up like Three to four threes five threes a game So it's not like he's shooting all layups And and and and Middies I mean Think about it.

54:03Shannon Sharpe:He hit back-to-back threes that ended up winning them the game.

54:07Chad Johnson:Man, listen. Let me tell y 'all something. When I watch this dude play, speaking of Shea, Ocho, the confidence that he plays with, like he knows. Listen, let me tell y 'all something. He knows it's not one person who can stay in front of him. You know what I mean? He can get to whatever he want to when he want to. You know, he out there facilitating, making sure he keep guys involved. Check has been playing great. but he's still been at the MVP level to where it's time to close our games, where it's time to get us off to great starts. I'm going to start this thing up. Y 'all just followed my lead.

54:41Chad Johnson:And he's just been a fun guy to watch, man. You know, especially guys who love isolation basketball, iso ball is what we call. Like, man, when you got a dude who knows that at any given moment

54:54Shannon Sharpe:I can take over this game and put my stamp on it. Yeah, it's tough. That's what he played like to me. Like you said, Joe, it's only been a handful of guys that at the guard position to shoot that kind of percentage. I think Steph shot it maybe for the year that Steph was a unanimous MVP. I think he was a 50-40-90 guy. I think Jordan had some 50 points. But for the most part, guards aren't that efficient. If a guard shoots 47%, 48%, you're like, oh, my goodness. You talking about a guard shooting 50, 51, 52, 53 %? Yeah. Oh my goodness. You at his mercy, you can't do anything with that. And like you said, Ocho, you can't speed him up.

55:40Shannon Sharpe:He's gonna get quality shots. Every shot he takes is a good shot. He got you afraid, he got you playing on your heels because you think you about to block his shot. He doesn't go up, you jump, now he jumps, he jumps into you, now it's a foul. he's watching the ball go in the hoop man he's he's gonna win the MVP again guys he's gonna win it again and it's not unfortunate I take that back he's gonna win it and deservedly so he's gonna win the MVP guys they're gonna have probably the best record and he's the best me I like Jokic I've been on record I've liked Jokic day two but she ain't gonna win the MVP

56:26Chad Johnson:oh yeah I got them winning it again yeah

56:31Shannon Sharpe:the only team I can see beating them Spurs or the Celtics I don't see nobody else beating them you see anybody else beating them Joe no

56:46Chad Johnson:the Spurs kind of got their number but I just feel like the experience that they have when it comes to postseason. I feel like they'll edge them out. Boston, I think that'll be a great series on Cam Ocho. I would love to see that. Obviously, I think by that time, if Boston able to make it that far, Tatum will be in ref form. They got a chance, man. It's a chance. It'll be a great series.

57:11Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. But look, I think we throw a lot of things around. And I think the thing is that a lot of times, Ocho and Joe, when we talk about things of the past, it's not like I'm not oblivious to what's going on in the present. I know who Taylor Swift is, and I know the numbers she does. I know who Beyonce is, and I know the numbers she does. I know Bad Bunny and Weekend and Drake. But can you imagine if Micah had social media?

57:44Chad Johnson:Ooh.

57:46Shannon Sharpe:I mean, think about how many million people watched his halftime show when it wasn't even that many people in the world. We probably increased two billion people in the world.

58:03Shannon Sharpe:I mean, like I said, look, I want y 'all to chat. Do me a favor. Go Google Michael Jackson, and then you get an opportunity to see when he's in Wembley, and he's seeing people passing out. People done paid all this money and all they do is they wake up in the dark and shine a light in their eyes because they done passed out. Yeah. Hey, Uncle Joe, I forgot what concert it was where Mike came on stage and stood there for five minutes and didn't say nothing. That was a halftime show. No, it was. When he popped up out of there in 93, that was at the Super Bowl, if I'm not mistaken, that was at the Super Bowl in Pasadena.

58:46Hey, Joe, he stood there for about five minutes. Man, they were going crazy. Didn't move. They ain't say nothing. They fainting all in the crowd and crying. I'm like, my goodness.

58:58Chad Johnson:That man had real fans, bro. Oh my God. Like breaking down when they see you. Oh yeah. That's a different type of fame. I don't want to come across no type of fame like that.

59:11Shannon Sharpe:To be like Jordan and to be like people where you can't go do anything without security, you can't go out to eat with your family, you gotta take the damn, take the whole damn movie theater down. You got to buy the damn restaurant. You gotta take the kids to Disney, you gotta rent out Disney for the day. Or you gonna take the kids to the zoo,

59:33Chad Johnson:they close the zoo down for you for the whole damn day. Right. Hey, they treat you like the president. You can't do nothing. I don't like that kind of fame. Joe, I'm too sociable, man. I be trying to talk to every goddamn body, say what's up. Yeah, Ocho, that was the 93 Super Bowl.

59:52Shannon Sharpe:He stood motionless for 90 seconds to two minutes before performing. They were going crazy, bro. I mean, Ocho, you can't do nothing. You can't go nowhere with your kids. You can't do nothing with your kids. Basically, I mean, where are you going to go? You got to have a 10-person security team. And guess what? You got to go scout the area before you even come. You got to come, yeah. That's too much. That's too much. I mean, it's not, look, we're very fortunate that we can go where we pretty much want to go in relatively ease, but I don't have to send somebody if I'm going to California or Florida to scout where I'm standing, you got to rip the whole damn floor.

1:00:47Chad Johnson:Right, right. Hey, that's a different type of fame.

1:00:51Shannon Sharpe:I mean, like Mike.

1:00:52Chad Johnson:I don't like that.

1:00:52Shannon Sharpe:Mike, what Mike, what Mike, what Mike going? Where's LeBron going? What Beyonce and Homes going? Where's LeBron going? Hey, the kid, hey, hey, we gonna take the kids to Dave and Buster. No, you not. Oh, Joe, hey, oh, Joe, you wanna take the kids bowling. Hey, hey, hey, let's go bowling. Okay, let's go. Hey, you can't do normal stuff. You can't do normal stuff, hey. And sometimes you lose a sense of reality. Yeah. That is your reality. Your reality is this. A full security detail, maid service, everybody, you got headsets in their ears, walking around. I mean, you got 24-hour security. That's your reality now.

1:01:37Yeah. I can't do it.

1:01:44Shannon Sharpe:But SGA ain't going to win the MVP again. Darius A-Cup Jr. scored 30 points and handed out 11 assists, leading Arkansas past Vanderbilt 86-75. Arkansas' first SEC tournament crowd since 2000. With the win, Calipari became the first SEC coach in history to win the tournament title at two different programs. He won six at Kentucky, excuse me, the last in 2018, including the 2017 title over Arkansas. Calipari now has 16 combined conference tournament titles in career stance at UMass in the A-10, Memphis in Conference USA, and Kentucky and Arkansas in the SEC. Ocho, what did you like about what – Joe, let's go to you.

1:02:29Shannon Sharpe:This is your squad. What did you like about what you saw from your team? Man, okay, Ocho, first off, they hadn't won an SEC championship since 2000.

1:02:42Chad Johnson:And guess who was on that team? Who was on that team? Who that, Joe? Your boy! Joe, you was on there? Ta-da!

1:02:54Chad Johnson:Hey, listen, let me tell you something. Let me tell y 'all something. 2000, bro, we was like 16 and 14 going to the SEC tournament. That was my freshman year in school. We wasn't going to make the NCAA tournament unless we won the SEC tournament. Right. Man, the gauntlet we had to go through four days to win four games against elite talent. Georgia, who was played here in Atlanta, Georgia, though, so that was a home game for them. Then Kentucky, LSU and Auburn, like, that was a hard feat. This is – kudos to Coach Kyle, man, and his coaching staff, you know, Chin and Kenny Payne, those dudes, man, keeping those guys ready and developing those dudes because we've gotten better as the season has progressed.

1:03:40Chad Johnson:And right now, Uncle Ocho, them Razorbacks, we're playing the best ball. This is the best time to be, you know, peaking, you know, going into the tournament. So I'm proud of those guys, man. That's what's up. Home team. Them dudes. Coach Cal. Look, when Coach Cal got the job, I went to his presser because I knew he was going to bring talent. Yeah. We got the SEC freshman of the year, the SEC player of the year. He's a freshman, bro. He's going to get the talent. Now we just got to hope these boys can keep it going. But they look great, man. They look great.

1:04:17Shannon Sharpe:Congratulations. Yeah, Billy Richmond yesterday was the guy. He had a successful game. And then today, A-Cup says, hold on, y 'all must've forgot, I'm still him.

1:04:26Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah. Them boys ballin', man. We got quite a few guys, Uncle Ocho, Trevor Brazile. Yeah, Brazile, Brazile, nice. Who's been playing great. Obviously, Malik Thomas. These young dudes, who? DJ Wagner. Wagner? Yeah, yeah, DJ Wagner, who's been around the block. He knows and understands. We got a solid squad, bro. We got a solid squad.

1:04:52Shannon Sharpe:He, they shot, you guys shot 15 or 24 from the three, Joe.

1:04:57Chad Johnson:They shooting that thing, huh? I'm talking about we got some guys who can fill it up, though. Like, them boys getting it done, man. You know, in the NCAA tournament, okay, Ocho, if you got great guard play, you got a great chance to go far.

1:05:09Shannon Sharpe:Yes.

1:05:10Chad Johnson:You got a great chance to go far. And we got two elite guards, man, who I think can, obviously, you know, lead us in the right direction. So I'm looking forward to seeing these guys play.

1:05:20Shannon Sharpe:That's how UConn won it back-to-back, because what did they have? Great guard play. You look at Villanova when they won, what did they have? Guard play. You look at the Tar Heels when they won, what did they have? Guard play. You're absolutely right, Joe. The bigs, it's nice to have a big, but if you got great guard play,

1:05:37Chad Johnson:I'm talking about game-changing guards. Yes, yes. You seen that run Kimball went on when he was with Connecticut? it like how him and little Shabazz Napier and all them little dudes changed the game but you gotta have guards who can really take over Ocho and we got that bro y 'all do y 'all I can't complain

1:05:53Shannon Sharpe:I can't say nothing Joe I can't say nothing he like that he like that I mean y 'all shot 52 % from the floor 63 % from the three point line you shoot 63 % from the three point line you gonna win a lot of games

1:06:10Chad Johnson:yeah that was you know, that's back to back to back. That's three games in three days, fellas, you know, with minimum risk. Look, you know,

1:06:20Shannon Sharpe:the one thing about Cal, you know, Cal been on the middle of L deals.

1:06:27Shannon Sharpe:And now he got that Tyson money and that Walmart money down there at Arkansas, Joe.

1:06:34Chad Johnson:And that Tyson chicken.

1:06:36Shannon Sharpe:That Tyson chicken for him

1:06:37Chad Johnson:and that Walmart money. Hey, that is not a bad place to start when it's legally NIL money now. Boy, that's the best place you can start actually. You know, they filthy up there, bro. They take care of them boys.

1:06:52Shannon Sharpe:This is what you get, you get great product. Look, probably Texas. If I'm looking at somewhere, I'm probably football. No, my first job, I'm looking at Texas. University of Texas got money. SMU, hold on. Didn't somebody just give SMU like 60 million, like three families? I think three or four families just gave him like$60 million. Look that up, Ash.

1:07:11Chad Johnson:Oh, yeah? Man,

1:07:18Chad Johnson:hey, hey, hey, we might have to take a trip up there and holler at the Walmarts and the Tyson, man, the Fayetteville, where I went to college at, Ocho. You know him personally? Come on, man. Stop playing. What are you talking about?

1:07:32Shannon Sharpe:$50 million, Ocho, to recruit and retain players at SMU.

1:07:41Shannon Sharpe:That's that Highland Park money. That's that real money. You think Texas and you think A &M got it? You got it. They got it, got it.

1:07:52Chad Johnson:Yeah. What? Hey, Joe, tell me more about these Mr. Tyson and Manning. You eat Titan chicken.

1:08:02Shannon Sharpe:When you go to the store, you see T-Y-S-O-N, that's them. They in Arkansas. When you go to Walmart, Sam's Club, DeWalton, that's them. Okay. Okay. Hey, Joe, you can get them on the line, Joe, so I can holler at them. Ben, say less, baby. What you got? You got some plans? Yeah, I ain't got plans. All you got to do is get me in the room, Joe. All right, Ben. Say less. Hey, Joe, one thing about it, boy. I may play a fool, but I know how to work a room like no other.

1:08:30Chad Johnson:Yeah, we might have to do it like a little event or something up there. Okay. Yeah. Okay. All right. When people turn to healthcare for weight loss, they're looking for real support. That's why more people are choosing orderlymeds.com. Orderly Meds connects you with real doctors and access to proven GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and terzepatide. No guessing, just a more supportive experience. And all shipped directly to your door in discreet packaging. Do your research, ask questions. Then visit orderlymeds.com slash podcast for an exclusive offer. That's orderlymeds.com slash podcast. Individual results may vary, not medical advice.

1:09:04Eligibility required. It's a site for details.

1:09:35Shannon Sharpe:on-network, talk, text, and 5G data on the Beyond Plan. There's no championship league for small business owners, but if there was, you'd be at the top of the standings. Because going pro with Lenovo Pro means you've got the winning formation. One-on-one advice, IT solutions, and customized hardware powered by Intel Core Ultra Processors help you stay ahead of the competition. Business goes pro with Lenovo Pro. Sign up for free at lenovo.com slash pro.

1:10:02Chad Johnson:Lenovo, Lenovo.

1:10:32Believe where you get your medicine matters. So visit us at cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. How is TD making banking more human? Easy. With less bank talk and more real talk. Less, your call is important to us. And more, how can we help? Less confusion and more clarity. It's things like tapping your phone to use your TD card and getting your paycheck two business days early. It's getting more of what you want and less of what you don't. That's how TDs making banking more human.