1. Hot on the heels of last week’s NBA draft lottery igniting speculation that the league is “rigged” thanks to the Dallas Mavericks getting the No. 1 pick after having just a 1.8% chance of doing so, here comes Shaquille O’Neal to throw a bone to the conspiracy crowd.
Recalling his own experience of getting drafted by the Orlando Magic with the No. 1 pick in 1992 in a recent interview, O’Neal made it clear he thought there was some funny business going on.
“In 1992, the draft was in June or something,” O’Neal said. “I meet Mr. [David] Stern in March. He says to me, ‘Can’t wait for you to come to the NBA.’ Then he pulled me to the side, ‘You want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?’ He asked me that. And I was like, ‘Hot.’ And he smiled and I smiled and then a couple of days later they had the draft thing with the top three things and Minnesota was No. 3. And then Charlotte was No. 2 and Orlando, Fla., was No. 1.
“I didn’t think anything about it, but you hear a lot of these conspiracy theories and there’s a lot of situations that can make these things sound good and sound true. Like, ‘O.K., Dallas gets rid of one of the best players, but oh, we’re getting a new one. Ding, ding, ding.’”
2. Since it seems everyone is required to weigh in on this, I have absolutely no clue whatsoever how this is a flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark. None whatsoever.
3. Just because you pay someone $765 million, it doesn’t mean they are going to hustle. This was really, really bad from Juan Soto on Sunday night.
4. Just a terrible take from Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, who, after the Nuggets got eliminated by the Thunder on Sunday, said he wanted teams to get multiple days off between playoff games.
First, this doesn’t help the narrative that today’s players are so much softer than those in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Second, the NBA playoffs already take a million years to complete. Would he like the season to end in the middle of July? Third, it’s just mind-boggling that a player would complain about needing more than one day’s rest given the money they make.
5. The price of tickets to sporting events got offensive a long time ago, so this isn’t anything new. But what I can’t comprehend, more than anything, is taking the risk that there is a chance you can spend all that money to watch your team lose. I would vomit all over MSG if I spent $700 for a ticket and then the Knicks lost.
6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN legend Chris Berman.
Berman talks about signing a contract extension with ESPN that will keep him with the network until 2029–his 50th year at ESPN, working the Super Bowl on Valentine’s Day in 2027 and the “Fastest 3 Minutes In Sports.”
Berman also discusses turning 70, the simplicity of NFL PrimeTime, whether he’s still mad that NBC and the NFL killed PrimeTime, Brent Musburger finally winning the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, the circus currently surrounding Bill Belichick, recent concerts he’s attended and much more.
Following Berman, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss the NBA playoffs, NBC hiring Michael Jordan to be a special contributor, the NFL schedule, Sal’s Mother’s Day and Jimmy’s dad having a remote control disaster.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Nothing made me laugh harder this weekend than this video that I came across while scrolling through Instagram reels. It was the throwing of the nozzle that hit me the hardest.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
