After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST Hour 2

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That's greenlight.com slash odyssey. Already seeing a lot of your answers come in. The best and brightest under the age of 24. I don't care what sports. I don't care where they come from, whether it's international or American, born and bred.

I just want you to dig down deep. Come up with some of the best and brightest athletes under the age of 24. And so far we've got hoops, baseball, tennis, basketball, soccer, and hockey.

Good stuff. Ryan was pointing to Connor Bedard, who's the reigning Calder trophy winner in the NHL. Just completed his first season. He's 18. He's still 18 years old. Jack Hughes, who actually has a younger brother in the NHL.

Jack is 23. And so these are names that kind of force you to think about who else is out there that might be under the age of 24. Yeah, when you've got guys or gals, Kaitlyn Clark being one of those.

Right now she's the only female we have on the list, though there are others, of course. But when you've got athletes who come in and are so ready for the stage, and when they're prepared from the time that they're young. And again, this happens a lot more with international athletes. Think about Luka Doncic, who actually doesn't make the list because he's finally gotten to the point where he's over the age of 24. I feel like we've had Luka on the international and then NBA stage for so long that he should be in his mid-30s, but he's still only in his mid-20s. He turned pro at the age of 12. He made his NBA debut when he was still a teenager. But he was ready for the stage because they identified him so early on.

He was making an impact so early that really his entire life was about being a basketball star. And in his country, of course, participating for the national team, participating in the Olympics or international competitions. I mean, these guys, a lot of times they train, these teams train year-round. It's not like Team USA, which gets together for a training camp 40 days and 40 nights here or there right before they have a competition.

Now, can they still win? Sure, because the Americans, they've got the pick of the litter, so to speak, for the most part, a greater compilation of talent than you'll get anywhere else in the world. But for Luka, who debuted as a pro at 12 years old and started playing for his Slovenian national team as a teenager, well, yeah, he's had a ton of international experience already, which translated well to the NBA. Yeah, cannot include Luka Doncic on our list because he's now 25. He's so old. Ryan, just like you, he's so old. Jason Tatum, 26, can't include him either.

But what about the inspiration for last night's show question? Do we have from Team USA training camp, remember the questions were about on a team with this much talent, who would be taking the last shot? And the Minnesota Timberwolves young guard Anthony Edwards told us that he was still the best option on the team.

I'm still the number one option. Yeah, I mean, y'all might look at it differently. I don't look at it no different. Yeah, I just go out there and be myself, shoot my shots, play defense.

And, you know, they got to fit in to play around me. That's how I feel. Anthony Edwards, ripe old age of 22 years old, same age as Ryan. I mean, come on. You wouldn't call him old, would you? Actually, I think he probably has a lot of growing up to do. He does.

I don't know about you. He's old in the fact he's been in the league, what, four years now? Has he? Close to it. Four years?

He came out the same class as LaMelo, so it's gonna be four, I think. Was it 2021 he got drafted? Oh, my gosh. I'm gonna have to go back and confirm that. That seems like yesterday. Maybe not yesterday that he came in the league, but four years is a lot.

Oh, look it up. So Anthony Edwards, you are right. Well, he started the COVID year 2021. So just a little bit different when he made it into the NBA.

He came out of Georgia. And so a lot of athletes coming out of those COVID years and just the way that played out, maybe even got into the pros a little earlier with a little less experience. But yeah, Anthony Edwards, 22. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, not 22.

If you're 22, maybe you'd tab yourself as the best and brightest. That would be fun. No, don't do that. The future is bright in the NFL. We actually don't have anyone from the NFL on our list yet. Maybe because it's July and we've still got a ways to go before training camp. I say that now, but it's really only a few days before training camp. We've got a ways to go before we get to the kickoff of the 24 season. So in your opinion, who are the best and brightest in the NFL under the age of 24? We're going to need to have some football on this list.

855-212-4227 on Twix, A Law Radio, and then also on our Facebook page named after the show. So we're going to go from the youngest, the best and the brightest to the guys on the other end of the spectrum. And in the case of Chris Paul, we're talking about two decades. Two decades of basketball at the highest level.

I gotta say he surprised me though on Tuesday. Because of all of the NBA players who you would think would be after a ring, desperately chasing a ring. Chris Paul would probably be top on the list. His time left in the NBA is limited. Now granted, he's still crafty, clever, cunning.

He's got handles, obviously. Even with limited playing time and taking a backup role for the Golden State Warriors last year, he's still making great money. And he's one of those guys that is an influence in any locker room. Now granted, there's been controversy kind of surrounding him. At times he can be a lot to take.

When you hear from other NBA players, he's a strong personality. Doesn't get along with anyone. Or everyone, excuse me.

And that's alright. It's not supposed to be a popularity contest. Although sometimes the NBA, it's exactly that. But for Chris Paul, who's 39 years old, he still just wants to play. And instead of going to a team where he would be closer to a ring.

Now we're projecting, right? Because it's July and they're nowhere near starting next season. A lot can happen.

I don't know why I have the hiccups. Between now and then. But this former rookie of the year, in 06, he was the NBA rookie of the year in 06. Chris Paul could go down, I hate this category, but it is something that people talk about. He could go down as one of the best players to never win a ring. Like a Charles Barkley, like a Dan Marino. I mean, we go on and on.

That's not even the topic of the road that I want to travel right now. But a guy who's highly decorated in so many ways. He's never won an MVP, but he's finished second. Actually, he's finished second and finished in the top five multiple times. A dozen All-Star appearances. Eleven times on the All-NBA roster. He's been an all-defensive player a bunch of times. He's been the Steel's champion. I mean, there's a lot that you could say about Chris Paul. And yet you can't call him a champion. An NBA champion. But apparently, that's not what Chris is prioritizing in what could be the final stop of his NBA career.

Now, I don't know if that's the case. Again, as long as he stays in shape, he's valuable to a locker room. And certainly can still distribute, can still pass the ball. He's one of the remaining players in the league that has a mid-range jumper.

Very few guys in the league have a quality mid-range jumper. But Chris Paul actually does. And so instead of going to a place, whether it's Western Conference, whether it's East. Instead of prioritizing a team where he felt like he could win a ring.

And again, anything can happen. He chose a team with a record of 22-60 last year. Didn't even make that gimmicky play-in tournament that the NBA holds. And he stays in the Western Conference, which is right now still far more competitive than the East.

I mean, think about it. The Celtics had won a 12-game lead on the rest of the East with a month to go in the regular season. Chris Paul chose the Spurs not because he has championship aspirations, but because he just loves to hoop. Man, the opportunity to play, to hoop, to compete. Obviously, this is a first-class organization.

And for me, I've loved nothing more than the opportunity to play and contribute and hoop. And he gets to do it alongside Victor Wemenyama, who might be on our list of best and brightest under the age of 24. He's still 19, right? I don't even think he's 20 years old yet. Remember this time last year?

One of the top stories coming out of Vegas was Victor Wemenyama's encounter with Britney Spears. Doesn't that seem like it was ages ago? And yeah, here we are. A year removed. And he is 20 years old now. A year removed and it feels like it's ancient history. That was a month of Britney Spears.

It was. She had the whole thing with her father when she was free. When she was free.

I like that. Free Britney? Were you part of the Free Britney movement?

I was whoever she felt happy doing. I didn't really care. But to see Victor Wemenyama and Britney Spears in the same sentence did not feel normal.

No, it didn't. In fact, there was such a crush of attention for him in Vegas. And honestly, a guy of his size, he's 7'6", 19 years old at the time. He couldn't go anywhere, even in Vegas, without drawing a crowd. Britney Spears just apparently, according to her people, just wanted to have a conversation with him or introduce herself.

Weird. But anyway, that whole connection, that whole brouhaha, where she accused one of his security people of hitting her or something like that, getting rough with her. That was all the rage this time last year. He got so much attention that he left. He left Vegas and they shut him down. They didn't want him there because it was too much of a circus. He did make his debut, but they didn't want him to get hurt.

And it just wasn't worth having the French teen in that spotlight. But yeah, Victor Wemenyama, he will now be a teammate of Chris Paul. He's 20. Chris Paul's 39. This has got to be what it felt like to a lot of young players coming into the NFL who got to play alongside Tom Brady in his final couple seasons with Tampa Bay.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. All right, back to Chris Paul. Yes, Victor Wemenyama represents a bright future. But how about playing for an iconic coach in Greg Popovich? Definitely an honor and a privilege. Obviously, I've admired Pop from afar, from years. And, you know, when you're in this for a while, as he's done for a long time, there's so much respect there, not only for his basketball IQ, but just for who he is as a person. I like listening to Chris Paul talk about basketball, talk about his experience. I like listening to him tell stories. Every now and then you'll get him on a podcast where he'll tell stories. Great talker.

Great talker. And he certainly does want to be a mentor slash guide for younger players like Wemeny. But that's not his number one goal. He still wants to play himself. He's not going to be a player's coach, if you will. Don't ask Chris Paul to take a back seat or to be a mentor more than he is a point guard. I come to hoop. I'm not a coach, you know what I mean? So there's definitely things to be learned and all that stuff.

But I come in, obviously, with a lot of knowledge from on-the-job training, but I also come in trying to learn from these guys. Something else that stood out from his introductory press conference with the Spurs, he said that his wife is with him in San Antonio or will be with him in San Antonio, but his kids are actually in L.A., and he had to choose. He didn't want to move his kids. His kids wanted to stay put. And he says, I love my family to death, but when this opportunity came up, even though it will pull me away from my family, they know me better than anybody, and they know that this is my passion.

I want to play. That's crazy. I'm sorry.

It's crazy? He basically just said he doesn't care about his kids. He cares about basketball more. Well...

In a weird way. Okay, you were just talking about, though, whatever makes you happy. Do what makes you happy. And if your family loves you, and also think about it, it's a limited window. He's really got, what, maybe two years left? I can't imagine he plays much longer than that. Of course, I could be wrong, but it's a limited window.

I know not everybody would make this decision. You're not gone the whole time, right? You can be with your kids until October, late October. Well, training camp usually starts in early October, right?

And the season begins in late October. But it is a long haul. I mean, you're gone for long stretches of time. But it wasn't the way they said he's passionate for basketball, yes, but it just felt like, he's like, yeah, I love the kids. It's time to play basketball. I'm here to hoop. He says, I love basketball so much that I could be close to home, but if I'm not playing, I'm not happy. That's what he said.

His quote was, my family is everything. My wife is here. My kids are back in LA. That's where they will be during the season. And I love basketball so much that I could be close to home.

But if I'm not playing, I'm not happy. Does that mean that the Lakers wanted him? Well, he played for the Clippers, obviously. I feel like the Lakers would want Chris Paul more than the Clippers would.

Maybe. They really wanted Bronny James more than they wanted anybody else. And maybe there wasn't an opportunity for him there with the Lakers. But certainly the limited window has to play into it.

At 39 years old, the hourglass is running out, so to speak. And if you make the kind of money that these athletes do, you can fly your kids back and forth if that's part of it. I certainly know that it wouldn't be the decision for everyone. It would be a tough thing. At the same time, think about Tom Brady, just per example.

One of the reasons why, and I have no idea why his marriage broke up, but one of the reasons why I guess it was floated out there for his divorce is because he chose, in the eyes of his ex-wife, he chose football over the family. So yeah, that can be tough for families to maintain. Here's my question, though. If the wife is in San Antonio and he's in San Antonio, who's with the kids? Uncle Braun.

Uncle Braun. All right, Bronny James, no one going to put him on the list of best and brightest under the age of 24? That's our question. I keep adding to my list.

I've got nearly a full sheet of best and brightest under the age of 24. We've got NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, basketball. Wait, I already said basketball.

Major League Baseball, tennis, soccer, hockey. Still no football. Wow. No, Ryan, you can't spoil it. You can't steal anyone's thunder.

Getting your responses, though, on Twix, ALOL Radio. Mac writes it with a couple more from the WNBA, so we've got a couple more women now. Angel Reese and Cameron Brink. So Cam, she's out for the rest of the season because she tore her ACL. She's the great shot blocker. The center out of Stanford was a W... Well, WNBA Rookie of the Year candidate was national champion for Stanford going back to 21, I believe, and was part of the Olympic team, the three-on-three team, until she got hurt. So Cam is a great one. And then Angel Reese as well, who right now is vying with Kaitlyn Clark for that Rookie of the Year honor, and they're not even halfway through the season, so thank you, Mac.

Also get this one from Poppy. I don't know if that's his real name. Paul Skeens has to be at the top of the list, 22, and he's already a top-five pitcher in the MLB, if not number one. All right, I'm going to say he's a Pirates fan. I certainly can't wait to see Paul Skeens on the All-Star stage. It's the only All-Star game that I watch. It's coming up next Tuesday.

I will be back in time for home run derby and then the All-Star game itself on Tuesday, so I know I'm out Sunday night, but I'll be back for those two events because I really do enjoy them. And, yeah, Paul Skeens is starting. What a buzz around him at 22 years old for the Pirates. So that's a good one.

Thank you for writing in and getting some of your responses on Facebook as well. So I will pass along those two, but this is really in honor of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, 16 years old, and he just became the youngest player ever to score in a Euro championship game. In the semifinals for Spain against France.

His coach called him genius. Why not? 8-5-5-2-1-2-4-2-2-7.

I don't know. I might have to start bringing up some NFL names if nobody else is going to. Let's go on either of our social media sites or on the phones. We're glad to connect with you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. DeRosa leans over the bounce and backs it out. Now it's going to have to turn around a double with Sheppard. Craig to DeRosa, turns baseline right with the hang time. Got it.

Got it. Foul. Baseline right and 11-footer and DeRosa with 41.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Chuck Swerski on Bulls radio. DeMar DeRozan making another stop in the NBA. Similar to Chris Paul but not quite as many teams. You remember he was with the Raptors from his NBA debut. And then got traded to San Antonio in the Kawhi Leonard deal. Right before they won a championship.

Don't! Oh that hurts. I can imagine he and Marcus Smart would have much to talk about. So yes he plays several seasons with the Spurs and then ends up with the Bulls. The last three years now will add a fourth team to his resume because he signed a deal with the Kings. Three years, 74 million dollars. Just interesting too to think about him and Klay Thompson. And their most recent signings.

Not that money tells the whole story. But he chose to go to Sacramento and they're building something in Sacramento. I know they took a step back this year but they really do feel like they've got some good young talent.

And that they've got forward momentum. He's going to be 35 in August. So he's getting close to mid-30s or you know roughly 35. And he's got the three year, 74 million dollar deal. Klay Thompson, a little bit older but a four time champion. Three years, 50 million dollars. There's a significant difference between what he got with the Kings and what Klay got in Dallas. Where he'll be a third option most of the time.

But a six time All-Star is Damar and what he wants to do is find a place where he can win. And so different than Chris Paul even though they're only a few years apart. It was amazing.

I ain't going to lie. It always feels good to be wanted somewhere. And from day one they showed that.

So it's an honor to be able to represent this organization and build on what this organization has been doing the last couple of years. He averaged 24 points per game with the Bulls last season. Not to mention five assists. Still very productive of course. Now beyond the arc shoots 33 percent but overall nearly 50 percent last season. He's a guy that can provide a whole lot of pop.

Even at 35 years old. And he's already got the lingo down with the Sacramento Kings. Said it was great to be wanted. And he's got one particular goal in mind.

Something special. You know I want to, I definitely want to be a part of it. And you know I want to be one of those guys that hit the beam to light up at night. So I'm definitely looking forward to that. Looking forward to playing with this young, exciting, talented team. I want to be one of the guys who lights the beam. Yes absolutely.

That's terrific. So DeMar DeRozan and Chris Paul. 30, as I say almost 35 for DeMar. 39 for Chris. And then you've also got Klay Thompson.

So kind of interesting. Three different guards in the Western Conference. DeMar's coming back to the Western Conference. All of them getting a fresh start of sorts.

And all of them who are 34 or older. It'll be interesting to see how these three guys who made very different decisions. At this point in their careers. I mean think about the contrast between the San Antonio Spurs. Who are a highly decorated franchise. But going back a decade now.

We're talking about with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker. Maybe not quite a decade since their last title. When was it? 15? No I think, wasn't it 14?

Maybe it was 14. So roughly a decade. And they've gone through kind of no man's land. It's been rough for them since Kawhi Leonard was traded to Toronto. They've had some really bleak years.

That was a mess for them. He was injured for a couple of years. He didn't like how they handled his injury. They didn't like how he handled his injury. They felt like he took way more time off than was necessary. And he was away from the team for a lot of that last season where he was officially a Spur. They tried to convince him to stay in San Antonio. But he was insistent.

He demanded a trade. So since then, they've really struggled. They've struggled to find any consistency. And I wondered at times when we might see Greg Popovich step away.

But now Victor Wemenyama's given him a new life. And they've got Chris Paul and maybe they improve on their 22 wins. So they're a decorated franchise but they've been, maybe not rock bottom, but they've been bottom of the barrel for a couple of years now. Then you think about the Sacramento Kings. Who've been playing second fiddle and little brother to the Golden State Warriors now for a decade.

Decade plus. But also a franchise that while it does have a few good seasons in its past, not a lot. At times they've been irrelevant in the NBA. And they've added a few great young players as DeMar talks about.

Now he desires to join them, believes that they can really do some damage next season. And then the third team, the Dallas Mavericks, who made it to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years. Back in the NBA Finals for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki. And they add a Klay Thompson. I mean the West just keeps getting stronger.

Which is good for the competition. I mean don't forget about the Denver Nuggets and Nicole Jokic. Certainly the really young Oklahoma City Thunder who now have a good year of experience under their belts. The Lakers will see what they do. The Clippers, it's gonna be interesting. But yeah, it's still a stacked conference. And the shift with some of these veteran guards can make a difference.

So we'll hear from Klay coming up. But we're asking you, none of these guys fit the bill. We're asking you the youngest, I'm sorry, the best and brightest players under 24.

So yeah, the youngest, the best, the brightest athletes under the age of 24 is where we have our cutoff. And a real good list. And I just took a peek at Facebook where you will not find Ask Amy Anything this week. So no Ask Amy Anything on this hump show, we'll get back to it maybe in August. But we're seeing some real good answers on our Facebook page.

Or on the phones, 855-212-4227. Ben is listening in Maryland. Ben, welcome to the show.

Hey, how you doing? I want to nominate Emmy Selmon from Burtonville, Maryland. She's number five outside hitter, number one receiver. I'm not sure if she's turned 18 or not, but she's at Ohio State. And her sport is women's volleyball. She was also captain of the U-19 world champions this summer. And what's her first name? Emmy. Emerson. She goes to Emmy. Gotcha. Cool.

I'll look her up. Yeah, it's always a lot of fun to think about some of the Olympic sports, right? Sports that maybe don't get as much attention. And yet, this time of the year, more of those athletes are in the spotlight because of the Olympics.

And because of the run-up and the qualifying. Yeah, what's really interesting about that sport is it's going to be, from what her mom said, it's difficult for her to break onto the national team because the age of the volleyball players is really relatively old. Relatively old, as in how old?

Thirties. Gotcha. Okay, so more experience. For a 17-year-old, it's really difficult.

Yeah, sure. And actually, that's what we're hearing about the WNBA, too, right? As much as people lament that some of these rookies aren't on the team like Kaitlyn Clark, they don't have anyone under the age of 26, I think. That's their youngest player.

And it's one of the toughest teams to be part of. So I think when it comes to female athletes, the experience on that level is really important. So I'm looking at her, Emerson Selmon, 6'4 out of Burtonsville, Maryland, and she's a freshman. Yes.

Awesome. We'll have to keep our eyes on her after we got ranked number one volleyball player in Virginia for the class of 24 and part of that under-21 national team. Actually, she was a captain at the most recent world, or the 2023 world championship.

That's awesome. Right. She was captain of the U19 team, which won the world championships.

Yeah, it looks like captained the team to a gold medal in Croatia and Hungary in 23. Cool. Thanks, Ben. I'll keep my eyes on her as she gets to Ohio State.

She's there now. Very cool. Looking forward to it. All right.

Bye. That's neat. I like to hear about new athletes. 4.0 GPA, too. Oh, how about that?

4.0. She is not only an incredible athlete, but she's a nerd. She's a vet. A vet. Oh, a vet. A veterinarian medicine major.

4.0. Veterinary. Yeah, it's a tough word to say.

Veterinary medicine. I like it. Okay, so she just finished up her freshman year is what I'm seeing now. I think. Let's see if they updated.

That's cool. I like to hear about new statistics available for 23-24. No, she's there now. So, she's a freshman now going into the season at 18 years old. Look at that. Some more females to add to our list.

Thank you, Ben, for that phone call. You can find us on Twix at Amy After Hours or on our Facebook page. Best and brightest athletes under the age of 24. We've got a lot of great names on the list already. Some up and comers. I've been looking for some football players and finally got a bunch of them on our Facebook page. So, we'll get to those names coming up next as well as Klay Thompson wearing a Dallas Mavericks uniform. Jarring, but I got to continue rooting for him because we've got a mutual admiration society. If you don't know what I'm talking about, well, you can check it out on Twitter, but also I'll try to put up the audio on our Facebook page during this break.

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Caught by Brandon. IU. Touchdown. San Francisco. IU. IU. Touchdown.

This is after hours with Amy Lawrence. Man, I miss those NFL play-by-play calls. I try to warn Ryan. I might scare him. NFL Sunday nights, they're pretty intense around here if you take this job. Actually, I had a few people who have suggested we should do a somewhat of an Olympics for potential producers. I don't know that I need you to be Olympians of any sort, but if we're going to do a competition on air, are you ready for that? You saw what happened in the morning show.

Someone else is going to tear their knee. Seriously, no, I don't think you need to be athletic to do the job. I hate the idea that media is filled with, and this is kind of a weird stereotype, media is filled, sports media is filled with people who wanted to be athletes but aren't good enough.

That's ridiculous. Some of us actually just like what we do. If you told me right now I could be a professional basketball player, I wouldn't choose that over what I do. I was born to do this. Played college basketball, played five sports in high school and college and enjoyed that, but what I really want to do is what I'm doing right now.

Anyway, the producer Olympics probably won't be a thing. However, Ryan, if there's any questions you have about the job, you feel free to pose them right here. I'm happy to answer them. This is your first audition. I feel like your manager, not my manager, I don't even know if I have a manager, that he told me you would be doing a couple more shows before your audition was done. I don't think it's over yet. You can't let your guard down. It's down.

I didn't know there was more. Come on. Well, I guess you don't know the schedule yet. He gave you the whole schedule for July and it's you and two other in-house candidates who will be rotating through the month of July. Oh, good to know. Yeah, I'm in the know.

You stick with me. You get to know things. Actually, that's not even true. I'm the last to know most things.

I had no idea that EJ tore his knee. I was out last week and apparently it happened and it was all over social and it was all the rage and when I am out, I'm checked out. It's funny because it didn't used to be that way.

When I was younger, I felt the need to stay connected even when I was on vacation. Oh, not anymore. Not anymore. Take it. I just take it and run.

See ya on the other side. Getting some great responses on Facebook, including football players because we had yet to include anyone from the NFL space. Brock Purdy was the suggestion.

Now, here's the deal. I'll let Ryan be the judge. He's 24 years old. So, does he count?

Because we're going with best and brightest under the age of 24. I don't know if we're allowed to include Brock Purdy. Depends on when his birthday is. His birthday is not until December 27th.

Ooh. That's a tough one. He was born just a few days before Y2K. December 27th, 1999. So, he's actually 24 and a half. We might not be able to include him. But was he in the class? So, since he was a December baby, was he in the class of 2000 then?

No, no, no. He was... Like, you know how babies stay back? No, he just finished his babies stay back. He just finished his second season in the NFL.

Right? So, he took over as the starter when Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt halfway through last year. So, he was drafted in 23. So, he graduated in 23 from Iowa State, right?

And he was drafted in 23. I'm gonna say he counts till his birthday. Then he's no longer... Then he's no longer eligible? Then he's not good. So, he counts until this season essentially kicks off and then he's off the list.

Alright, we'll allow it. Brock Purdy, among the best and brightest under the age of 24. Although he's not technically under the age of 24.

I like a couple of the others I've seen on Facebook. Bijan Robinson, former Texas running back. Now with the Falcons. Had a terrific rookie season in the NFL. He's only 22. So, Doug's the first one to share his name on Facebook from Villarica, Georgia.

Thank you. Peter goes with the Lions. All pro tight end Sam LaPorta.

Who's 23 years old. And yes, Lions are up and coming. He also points to Jameer Gibbs. Who is the leading rookie rusher last year for those Lions.

And then, how could we overlook the... I mean, he's no longer a rookie. But last year's rookie, offensive rookie of the year, CJ Stroud.

For the Houston Texans who end up winning the AFC South. And he puts himself in the top five of all NFL quarterbacks now. I say go for it.

Go for it. So, we'll get to a few more. But Brent was the first to mention CJ Stroud. And he also mentioned CJ along with Caleb Williams. And then Katie Grimes in swimming. I like it. This one's kind of funny too before we get to Nikki in Colorado.

Chris on Facebook. I can't believe Zion Williamson is still just 23. Wow, you're right. It feels like he's been around the block a few times in the NBA. But we're just now starting to see his potential. Because he was injured for most of his first two seasons. And then ended up having to drop a bunch of weight, right? Because he was injured so he wasn't able to keep the weight off.

Which is a challenge. He just turned 24. Oh, just turned 24.

So he's definitely on the list. Four days ago. Four days ago? Yes. Wow, is he a July 9th baby? No, not four days. July 6th. July 6th baby?

Yes. Wow, that was Saturday. Happy birthday to Zion Williamson. Nikki's in Colorado. Nikki, welcome to After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Hey, how you doing? I'm good. First time, long time. Sweet.

Loving Miss J. And I also wanted to say like, congratulations to Ryan. I'm also 25. Nice. And I wanted to point out that the graduation for like, and the NBA, which I don't know how much they had like the fans there for the season, but in the year 2020, they didn't have anyone there.

Right. And Alan in Toronto, I just wanted to send him some wishes if he's listening. And you guys are doing fantastic tonight. I don't want to waste any more of your time, but you guys are doing great.

Oh, thank you. It's good to talk to you, Nikki. Are you a fan of one particular sport over others? Hockey, definitely. And like, ABS radio is wonderful. Oh, yeah.

Well, considering our friend Connor, who is the play-by-play voice of the Colorado Avalanche, we're big fans of his too. Yeah. No, it's a great hobby and always something good to look forward to. Good. I'm glad. So did you enjoy game seven of the Stanley Cup Final? No, I have this vendetta toward Matthew Tkachuk, and I just cannot believe he won after almost blowing it this close to choking. It's a team sport, but you're right.

That would have been painful. Nikki, good to talk to you. Thanks so much for your phone call. Thank you for taking my call. You guys have a good night. Always glad to connect with people who are longtime listeners.

So she said first time, long time. Connor McGahee is the very memorable voice of the Colorado Avalanche. He's been a frequent guest on the show. He's not under 24, so we can't include him among best and brightest.

I guess we could throw up a few broadcasters. First is Noah Eagle under the age of 24, because I kind of feel like he's one of the best and brightest voices out there. Not the only one, but he's graduated from Clippers, play-by-play voice right out of Syracuse, because that's where he went to school, to then being part of the NFL and Nickelodeon. Now he's 26. He's old.

He's too old. Survey says. So yeah, we've got a great list now coming from the NFL too. Football, basketball, men's and women's, soccer, swimming, volleyball, tennis, hockey. It's everywhere.

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