Legends Of Sport With Andrew D. Bernstein

Andy is back with more from the 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony! This time, Andy sits down with two of the greatest to ever play the game - Lisa Leslie & Tina Thompson! FIRST, Lisa talks about being a presenter for Michael Cooper's induction, having Coop as a coach, her path as a pro before the WNBA, playing pickup games with Magic Johnson, the early days of the WNBA, the growth of the WNBA, and memories of the late Jerry West! NEXT, Andy chats with Tina about being a presenter for Chauncy Billups, how they're paths crossed over the years, the resurgence of USC Basketball, the Houston Comet's dynasty years, and more!

Andy chats with one of this year's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame James F. Goldstein Superfan Award winners, actor/comedian Billy Crystal! Billy talks about what the honor means to him, he reminisces over Larry Brown and his first high school basketball game experience, the journey of his NBA fandom from New York Knicks to the Los Angeles Lakers and finally Los Angeles Clippers, and he shares some of his fondest memories from his many years sitting courtside!

Andy takes the podcast to the 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Enshrinement weekend to chat with a few of this year's Curt Gowdy Media Award winners - Journalist J.A. Adande, SLAM Magazine Founder Dennis Page, and "NBA Inside Stuff"'s Don Sperling! As a Curt Gowdy Award Winner himself, Andy sits down with the guys to get their immediate reactions to earning the award, as well as trade stories from their careers & lives around the court!

Andy is back with more from the 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame! This week, Andy sits down with the Legendary Pat Riley! The two discuss Michael Cooper & Jerry West's enshrinements, Jack Nicholson's induction as a Super Fan, Pat's early days as a Lakers player, the Showtime Lakers reunion in Maui, the leadership of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and being honored this season by the Miami Heat for over 30 years in the organization! PLUS, a special announcement!

Andy is back with more from the 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony! This time Andy sits down with 2024 inductee & current Head Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chauncey Billups! The Pistons legend recalls winning it all in 2004 with Detroit, why he chose Tina Thompson as one of his HOF presenters, & the lessons he took from Coach Larry Brown that he uses in his approach to coaching today!

Andy takes the show on the road to the 2024 Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame induction ceremony to catch up with Jonnie West, son of the late Jerry West! FIRST, Andy chats with Jonnie about his experience as a presenter for his father's unprecedented 3rd HOF induction, Andy's first interaction with Jerry, his impact on everyone around him, his impact on a young Kobe Bryant, Jerry & Jonnie's father-son dynamic, and more!​NEXT, Andy gets a few kind words ​about Jerry West from ​- A.C. Green, Bob McAdoo, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Lisa Leslie, Spencer Haywood, ​Gary Vitti, Michael Cooper, V​lade Divac, & Pat Riley!

Andy takes the show to Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach, CA for a Football Is Sexy watch party! First, Andy chats with Watch Me! Owner & Founder Jax Diener about the bar's mission to create a place for women to watch sports! Jax also talks about the bar's grand opening on the first night of the Olympics, and the bar's partnership with Football Is Sexy! NEXT, Andy chats with Football Is Sexy Founder, Monica Madrid, about why football is so important to her, why she started Football Is Sexy, their new app that helps teach the game of football, and their partnership with Watch Me!, her special moment with Jerry Rice on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and why it's important to support women!Watch Me! Sports Bar - WatchMeSportsBar.com @WatchMe_SportsBarThis event & episode is sponsored by VIP Tickets - The ONLY Place to go for all your ticketing needs in LA! VIPTickets.com @VIPTicketsThanks to our event partners & co-hosts at Football Is Sexy - FootballIsSexy.com @FootballIsSexyShout out to our friends at S

Andy takes the show on the road to chat with 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Inductee & Showtime Lakers Legend - Michael Cooper! Michael shares his immediate reaction after being inducted, being one of few true sixth-men to be inducted, lessons from playing for Coach Pat Riley, why his number (21) being retired by the Lakers in 2025 means so much to him, what it meant to him to be a presenter of an unprecedented 3rd HOF induction for the late Jerry West, a hilarious story as to why Jack Nicholson's induction as a "Super Fan" meant so much to the Laker faithful, as well as why Andy is forever apart of the Laker family! PLUS, Andy gets a few kind words from Coop's biggest supporters - A.C. Green, Bob McAdoo, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Lisa Leslie, Spencer Haywood, Jamaal Wilkes, Gary Vitti, & Pat Riley!

Andy takes the podcast on the road to the 2024 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend! To kick it all off, Andy sits down with 2024 inductee Vince Carter! The Raptors legend shares his immediate reaction to being inducted to the HOF, playing in the NBA for 22 years (& over four different decades), his blistering dunk during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the iconic 2000 Dunk Contest in Golden State, his thought process during the Dunk Contest, why he chose "Dr. J" Julius Erving as a presenter, and Andy shares a unique Kobe Bryant story!

Andy sits down with NBA Legend Kiki VanDeWeghe at 2024 NBA Summer League! Kiki discusses the importance of relationships, playing for legendary coach Pat Riley, working under former NBA Commissioner David Stern as Head of Basketball Operations, his role with the Dallas Mavs in Player Development, working with a young Dirk Nowitzki(and how he taught him the "Kiki move"), and how to assess NBA talent! 

Andy is back with more from 2024 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas! This week, Andy chats with ESPN analyst Dave McMenamin about life covering the Los Angeles Lakers, 10 years of covering LeBron James, his career transition from print to screen, what it was like covering Kobe Bryant, his contributions to Nat Butler's new book "Courtside: 40 Years of NBA Photography", and more!

Andy takes the show on the road to 2024 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas! First, Andy chats with NBA Summer League Co-Founder Warren LeGarie about their 20th year, the genesis of NBA Summer League, why Las Vegas was the best location, how the partnership with UNLV & the Thomas & Mack Center started, the influence of the late NBA Commissioner David Stern, & his three most memorable moments over the years! NEXT, Andy sits down with NBA Summer League's Director of Team Operations, Marni Colbert, about her long history with NBA Summer League, the massive growth of NBA Summer League over the years, her two transformative moments over the years, lessons from her father, and so much more!Stay tuned next week for MORE from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas!

We're back with a brand new interview Live from Las Vegas! This week, Andy chats with former NBA player Craig Hodges! Craig talks about being drafted by the San Diego Clippers, lessons he learned from Bill Walton, Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan's parallels, his stint as special assistant to Phil Jackson, his instrumental work helping Kobe Bryant return from injury in 2009, Kobe's evolution as a player and a leader, his reaction to player activism during the 2020 Bubble games, and more!

Andy is back with more from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary showcase in Las Vegas! This week, Andy sits down with long time colleague & 33-year Communications Director for USA Basketball, Craig Miller! Andy & Craig share stories from their time together with the Dream Team in 1992! From their first meeting at Dream Team training camp, Craig's experience as the first PR personnel at USA Basketball in 1990, working with the big personalities on the Dream Team, the debacle of shooting the team portrait in Portland, their experience at training camp in Monaco, John Stockton walking around unrecorgnized on the streets of Barcelona, Charles Barkley's midnight casino run, the ripple effect of Magic Johnson's HIV diagnosis, dinner with Prince Rainier, and much more!

This week, Andy chats with 3x NBA Champion Scott Williams! Scott discusses the surreal feeling of winning his first championship in 1991 with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan advocating for him to be signed, The Last Dance, the genesis of his book "Through the Fire: A Memoir of Trauma and Loss, Basketball and Triumph", the tragic death of his parents and the decision to write about it, advocating for mental health awareness, Steve Kerr, playing with both Michael Jordan & Lebron James, lessons from Dean Smith & Phil Jackson, and why 90's ball was the best era!

We're back with more from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas! This week, Andy chats with 2000 Olympics Gold Medalist Allan Houston, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist Deron Williams, & BONUS guest - designer Jeff Hamilton! FIRST, Allan Houston talks about the urgency felt by the 2000 Olympic team, the thrill of being selected, bonding moments with the team, and the importance of mentorship! NEXT, Deron Williams describes the unique pressures of the 2008 Redeem Team, bonding with teammate Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant's legendary work ethic, and fatherhood. PLUS, special bonus guest Jeff Hamilton stops by to talk about memories from the Dream Team, Steph & LeBron, future jackets, and more! Stay tuned next Tuesday for more interviews from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas!

Andy chats with fellow NBA photographer & co-founder of NBA Photos - Nat Butler! Andy & Nat discuss his new book "Courtside: 40 years of NBA Photography", how the book came into fruition, obtaining quotes from the players about the photos, Patrick Ewing & Adam Silver's Foreword (Afterword by Spike Lee), most memorable moments covering Team USA Basketball, the genesis of NBA Photos, ushering in the digital era of photography, stories from shared history together over the years (Ray Allen's game-winner, bus rides with the Dream Team), and what it meant to be entrusted by David Stern with "documenting & preserving of the visual history of the league"! Stay tuned next week for MORE from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas!

Andy chats with Olympic Gold Medalist & 17-year NBA legend Sam Perkins! Sam discusses his fondest memory from competing for the 1984 Olympic team, playing for vastly different coaches Dean Smith & Bobby Knight, playing with a rookie Michael Jordan on the '84 Olympic team, hitting the game-winning shot in Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals, the toughness of the 1996 NBA Finals run with the Seattle Supersonics, playing against Shaq & Kobe in the 2000 NBA Finals, memories of Kobe Bryant, and the potential revival of the Seattle Supersonics! Stay tuned next week for MORE from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas!

We're back with more from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas! This week, Andy chats with legendary player & executive Mitch Kupchak! Andy & Mitch discuss their working relationship over the years, the crazy Lakers team photos, Andy covering Mitch as a player, the pivotal trade that sent him from the Washington Bullets to the Los Angeles Lakers, his transition from player to executive, memories from meeting & working with the great Jerry West, the story behind the Lakers trade for Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft, Kobe's scrimmage workout against Michael Cooper, as well as memories from winning Olympic Gold with Team USA in 1976! Stay tuned next Tuesday for more interviews from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas!

We're back with more from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas! FIRST, Andy chats with 18-year NBA legend & current Assistant Coach for the Golden State Warriors - Jerry Stackhouse! Jerry discusses being recruited by the legendary UNC Coach Dean Smith, being picked 3rd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, playing alongside Allen Iverson, the impact of the Dream Team, coaching the Warriors in the post-Klay Thompson era, and his matchups with a young Kobe Bryant! NEXT, Andy sits down with FOUR-time Olympics Gold Medalist & FIVE-time WNBA DPOY - Tamika Catchings! Tamika talks about memories from her 20 years with USA Basketball, playing for the Indiana Fever for 15 years, the resurgence of Indiana basketball, Caitlin Clark's transition from college to pro, the growth of the WNBA over the years, and her broadcasting career! Stay tuned next Tuesday for more interviews from USA Basketball's 50th Anniversary Showcase in Las Vegas!