48 Minutes with legendary hoop journalist Mike Wise

0:00 ... Ross opens the show and introduces the panel .... episode #262 is dedicated to Carmelo Anthony, who set the New York Knicks single game scoring record with 62 points.

0:58 ... Bruce introduces Mike Wise, whose career as an NBA writer has taken him to major outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, and several other stops along the way. He was even a rickshaw driver for one of the greatest ballers in the history of basketball.

2:58 ... Mike tells the story of how he befriended Magic Johnson as a high school kid in Hawaii and they played ball with all of his friends.

4:35 ... Mike reflects on the Knicks 2026 championship run and how improbable some of the games were.

7:29 ... Was OG Anunoby's tip in one of the greatest plays in the history of Madison Square Garden?

8:56 ... Mike remembers how Jalen Brunson's dad Rick was a member of the 1999 Knicks team with little Jalen playing around on the court and how that little kid became perhaps the second greatest Knick ever. Brunson amazes Mike with his skills on the court.

10:56 ... Mike on Knicks fans ... were they as sophisticated as they thought they were?

16:07 .... LeBron goes to Philly and continues his quest to be recognized as the GOAT if he can win 1-2 more championships. Mike feels LBJ still has a lot to give.

20:18 ... Which opening night matchup is Mike looking forward to the most? Thunder vs Spurs and Wemby vs Holmgren? Mike explains.

22:26 ... Ross likes the opener between the Sixers and Knicks as his choice.

23:12 ... What about the Celtics vs Pistons at 2:00pm on a Tuesday as the opener for those two teams?

24:27 ... Has social media made it more difficult for reporters to build relationships with players?

26:38 ... Mike has a great story about Kobe Bryant and how Kobe and he took a car ride where Kobe's musical tastes were on display.

29:05 ... Mike praises two of the best PR guys in the business, Jeff Twiss and Raymond Ridder for their willingness to help reporters gain access to players.

31:10 ... World B asks Mike who his most enjoyable players were to cover ... Bruce Bowen was at the top of his list. Roger Mason and Garrett Temple were two others. Temple's dad Collis broke the color barrier at LSU and Garrrett told Mike how his Dad shouted down a future Ku Klux Klan grand wizard on the LSU campus.

34:22 .... Mike has an incredible story about Charles Barkley and how they met in Panama where Mike now lives.

36:00 ... Mike tells a story about Larry Bird and how Barkley showed him a video where Bird did a favor for someone that is mind boggling in its generosity.

38:17 ... Barkley had words of inspiration for Mike's son Oliver during their visit .... and more than a few "F Bombs" were used in the conversation.

38:51 ... Sophie Cunningham has made a lot of enemies due to her opposition to transgender females competing against natural born females. Mike checks in with his thoughts on the controversy.

41:57 ... Cunningham has publicly stood up for her teammate Caitlin Clark and Bruce was wondering if that may be contributing to some of the animosity towards her from other WNBA players.

44:01 ... Ross asks Mike for his opinion on the Steve Ballmer/Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration investigation.

46:41 ... Bruce is most bothered by the way the investigation has held up the trade involving the Raptors and Clippers and how players like Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick as well as Leonard are collatoral damage and how unfair it is to them.

47:59 ... Mike thinks there's a good story yet to be written about Kawhi's Uncle Dennis, who may be kind of shady.

49:05 ... Bruce asks Mike, who is good friends with Jeanie Buss what he thinks about the news that Jeanie is taking legal action against her family members who are trying to sell the Buss family's remaining ownership stake in the Lakers.

52:12 ... Bruce thanks Mike for joining the show

53:22 ... Mike has one final story about "Earvin" Johnson on his way out the door ...

54:05 ... Ross wraps the show and says goodbye!

TRT 54:38

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