JR SportBrief Hour 1

You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. That's right, this is CBS Sports Radio. This is the J.R. Sportbrief show, and if you can do some simple math or, I guess, come to a reasonable conclusion, I'm J.R. And I'm coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios.

Whether you want to buy a home or refinance your current one, Rocket Can. I'm not here by myself. I am joined by super producer and host Dave Shepherd.

I'm also being joined by you. Yes, every single one of you all with an earshot of my voice. I appreciate you regardless of how you're listening. You could be on the free Odyssey app. You could be listening on your local CBS Sports Radio affiliate. You could be locked in on Sirius XM channel 158, or you could be on a smart speaker where all you have to do is ask that machine that's always listening to you. Just say, hey, play CBS Sports Radio. And we got a lot to do here over the next four hours.

This is when I get started, 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Pacific, as I sit here in the studio amongst many screens. One screen is Fernando Tatis Jr. apologizing. We'll talk about Tatis Jr. Another story, and we'll get into this as well, Angels owner Artie Moreno might want to sell. That might be music to the ears of many of Angels fans. I got the Yankees and the Mets beating each other up on one screen.

It's Kevin Durant on another screen. And these are all things that we are going to talk about tonight. And then also Nick Saban got paid. Yeah, Nick Saban is going to get paid a little more than $11 million to coach Alabama until he's about 78 years old. Last night we had a caller who was really in love with Russell Wilson, said he was the most disrespected quarterback in the NFL.

I had to, or I want to revisit that later on in the show. And also take a look at the AFC West. It's a division that is extremely competitive. You can go ahead and take a look, not just at Wilson's new team with the Denver Broncos, you can look at those Chargers, you can look at those Chiefs, and then you can look at those Raiders. And by the way, Derek Carr was asked about those comments made by Dana White and Derek Carr didn't seem bothered. He had a little bit of perspective to the matter and to the issue. And so these are all issues and topics that we will discuss here with you tonight.

Super producer and host Dave Shepherd. How was your day, man? It was pretty good, JR. Not as good as Nick Saban's, but pretty good. Thank you for asking, sir.

How about you? Well, you're a long way away from 78 years old, man. That's a good point. You know, maybe you can coach Alabama if you want to.

You mean really recruit and then just have other people coach? Oh, I was just a question. I was inferring anything, you know? Oh, I don't know.

I mean, he's had quite a few people come under his tutelage that have gone on to get some amazing jobs. So we'll get into Nick Saban. We'll get into everything else.

But to open up the show, here's the deal. First of all, you follow me on social media, you know what the hell we're going to talk about tonight. That's at JR Sport Brief on Facebook, on Twitter and Instagram. And if you follow me on Instagram and Facebook at JR Sport Brief, you'll see a post that I mentioned. You also see something I put on Twitter amongst all of the news that has come down the pipeline today. I got to start the show off and I don't think it's so much as a as a happy birthday.

I don't think you still have those, unfortunately, when you are gone and no longer with us. But Kobe Bryant would have been 44 years old today. August 23rd, 1978 was his birthday, birth date, I should say. And I got to show love to the man. How can you not? One of the greatest basketball players that we have ever seen. One of the greatest professional athletes who have ever graced the floor, a court, a field here in the United States of America.

And I can even say this as well. He's a global figure. He's one of the most successful athletes that the planet has ever seen on record. And sure, we can go back through generations and we can only go through recorded history. And in reality, when we think about the best of the best, we probably don't think past more than give or take 100 and maybe a little north of that years.

In reality, we probably don't really think past, I would say maybe 70 years. And even that is still saying a lot. Unfortunately, we know he passed, his daughter passed, their friends passed and that helicopter crash. And God only knows what else Kobe Bryant would have left with us or for us because what he actually did leave is one hell of a legacy.

I mean, we have, and forget basketball, forget basketball for a minute. The man was really an advocate for women's sports. He had nothing but daughters. And I guess I don't know if that's a punishment or a blessing. I'm joking.

Probably a little bit of both. The man had nothing but daughters. His oldest daughter, Gigi was out there busting ass, was probably going to get a scholarship, was trying to make her way to UConn to go and be a Husky and play for Coach Geno.

She was on her way. Kobe Bryant was taking out a basketball game so she could meet some of her favorite players like Trey Young here in Atlanta. I mean, Kobe Bryant was an advocate, not just for female sports, but for youth sports.

He started the Mamba Sports Academy where he was actually on his way to that Sunday morning with his daughter, some friends, and some family. And we know about his basketball legacy. We know about Kobe patterning his game after Michael Jordan. We know about the tenacity. We know about the determination. We know about the stories. Kobe Bryant getting up to work out earlier than anybody else.

We've heard about the current group and crop of players. Trey Young says, yes, Michael Jordan was Michael Jordan, but Kobe was my MJ. I didn't see Michael Jordan, Trey Young said, but I saw Kobe. That's my guy. We saw Giannis Atetokounmpo, one of the figures that he pretty much looked at, that Mamba mentality.

And what is that? It's a fancy way of saying, get your ass up and work. Not everybody's going to be the most talented. Not everybody's going to be the most skilled.

Not everybody is going to be seven feet tall. Not everybody's going to be the best writer. Not everybody's going to be the best this.

Not everybody's going to be the best that. But one thing that you can always do is get your ass up and go to work. Work ethic is something that you just get up and do. You have it. You just go and do it. You know, they talk about availability being the best thing that you can actually do, being there. Man, can't nobody stop you from getting up.

You can do that. And so we've seen Kobe Bryant and his effect just still on the NBA today, especially in some of the best players that we have. Still Kobe Bryant's time. The era of players right now in the league, they grew up watching Kobe Bryant. Some of the older players, you're Kevin Durant and we'll talk about him next hour. Guys like Kevin Durant, LeBron James. They played with and against the man in league games and the Olympics. Some of the recently retired legends, guys like Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Yeah, I'll put Chris in that category. I mean, they played against him. Jalen Rose. I'm sure he was reminded a million times today.

About 81 points. And so Kobe Bryant would have been 44 today. And I mean, well, damn, we have no idea what else he would have done. I can, I can say, I think, uh, the conversation we had about women's basketball last week about its popularity and how they can market. Well, Kobe Bryant would have been an amazing ambassador, just even through his daughter and supporter, that would have been a boon for the league. Kobe Bryant is someone who right after basketball won an Emmy for his own short story, Dear Basketball. He was getting into production. Kobe Bryant, you can go all over online and go on YouTube. Just Google Kobe Bryant quotes and Mamba mentality. He was on speaking tours just about how to approach your job and how to approach work and, and how to just get blank done.

Yes, blank. And so who knows what else he would have done. I'm sure he would have picked up more awards in the realm of creativity, more Oscars and Emmys.

I'm sure he would have made more money in business. It was reported that Kobe Bryant at the time of his passing, he was looking to, you know, start his own clothing company and probably maybe break away from Nike. This is a Kobe Bryant also who started one Mamba Sports Academy.

And man, wouldn't it have been cool if, if there were more of them across the country? Kobe Bryant already started taking time out of his schedule post-retirement to teach some of our active legends, guys like Giannis Atetokounmpo, guys like Kyrie Irving. I mean, damn it, would Kyrie, I don't know, but would Kyrie Irving be running around taking games off if, if Kobe was here?

We don't know. But I can imagine Kobe talking crap about half these guys who wouldn't really want to work right now. Probably call them some words that I cannot repeat here on radio. And that's the one thing I appreciated about Kobe Bryant. Regardless of whether you, you love them as a player, you love the Lakers, you hated the Lakers. Regardless of whether you thought Kobe regardless of whether you thought Kobe was a ball hog or someone who was out there just jacking up shots. We found out that Kobe's approach was, you damn right I'm going to take these shots because I've shot more of these in practice than anybody. I've worked my ass off and I'm more confident in myself taking this shot than that guy over there who doesn't work nearly as hard as I do.

And that's something to actually appreciate, especially in a world and in a time where we don't just have basketball players. We got a lot of lazy ass people. People who make excuses, people who don't want to get up and work, people who want to pass the buck, people who don't want to take accountability. First thing that always starts with anybody is, is you, what the hell are you doing? What can you control?

What can you do? I appreciate everything for as strong-willed as he was, for as times as controversial as he was, as imperfect as he was. There was a lot to learn from this man in his life and what he did and what he left and, and just for everything he did for others. The first time that I met this man was in 2012 at the London Olympics. Yeah, I spent all of 2012, all summer, I don't know, July, August, June, end of June, into August, whatever it is, I spent it all in London for the Olympics. Google and YouTube invited me out for my YouTube channel, the JR Sport Brief.

Big deal for me. They said, hey, go around and create content. Go, go check things out, put it on YouTube like you've always done. Well, I was invited to USA basketball practice. I walked into a gym and looked around and everybody was just kind of casually walking around. Anthony Davis was just walking around as a rookie.

I just saw him a few months earlier. LeBron James was walking around and Carmelo Anthony was there and Chris Bosh was there. Go Google the 2012 Olympic team. They were all damn there. And Kobe was there. And even at that point, there was a controversy about, you know, who could play in the Olympics and what NBA players you could have there. And that was pretty much probably the first time I spoke to Kobe and met him. And I asked him, I said, man, what do you think about these age restrictions?

And this is what he told me at the time. I'd be disappointed for Kevin and for Russell and for James and those guys. I mean, you know, they deserve to have the ability to choose whether or not they perform. What do you think is the main agenda behind that? Probably just fear. Fear of players getting injured and things of that nature. But, you know, I don't want to jinx ourselves, but knock on wood, I mean, there's never been a player getting injured playing for USA basketball.

It just hasn't happened. That was the first time I spoke to Kobe. The next time was even more personal. I met him at Richard Sherman's celebrity softball game in Seattle, Washington.

I know the Shermans and they invited me up to Seattle to check out the game. Not a thought went through my brain that I'd be standing in the dugout talking to Kobe Bryant. And then he went out there and played and he was talking about how he's not all that good of a baseball player. And of course he was being modest and he was out there just hitting home runs in a Derby.

I believe if I remember he had a home run in the game. And then in speaking to him, talking to him a little bit more, he found out more about what the hell I did. And he was inspirational in that regard. Oh, you started this on YouTube? You started the JR sport brief on YouTube?

That's, that's cool, man. Keep going. I mean, those words mean even more to me now, unfortunately, that, that Kobe is gone. And you hear more of those stories just about from everyone who probably ever had an interaction. We're talking hundreds and thousands of people that Kobe has come across and just cross paths with.

And that's the one commonality. People talk about how direct he was to people, how personable he was to people. And I'm sure it's not an easy thing to do all the damn time, but he always recognized other folks and the people that did have those interactions.

They came away with him saying, man, he, he just pushed people. He encouraged people. And something that I really care about, and you hear about on the show a lot, Special Olympics, an organization that I work with. And it was only a few years ago that Kobe Bryant, he had a message to everybody who participates in Special Olympics, Southern California.

Take a listen to Kobe. Special hello to all the Special Olympians being honored this evening. I'm so sorry I can't be with you tonight.

I loved your video inviting me and I wish I could be there in person to pay homage to all your accomplishments. However, I couldn't completely miss the chance to take a moment to share some thoughts with all of you. You know, last week was a big deal for me playing my last NBA game. It presented a moment to pause and reflect on what I've learned throughout my basketball career. The lesson I cherish the most is how important it is to love what you do. If you love what you do and it's making you happy, all the hard work and perseverance will pay off.

When you know you're truly giving it your all, there's no greater feeling in the world. I once had a guidance counselor tell me that I shouldn't play basketball, that it would never amount to anything for me. And you know what, much to your surprise, I took that counselor's advice. I took it and I used it to be the best basketball player I could be.

His negativity towards me made me stronger. You can't stop people from trying to limit your dreams, but you can stop it from becoming a reality. Your dreams are up to you. I encourage you to always be curious, always seek out things you love and always work hard once you find it. So with that, I'll let you carry on with your evening.

I hope you enjoy your special night. Please know I'm thinking of you, supporting you and encouraging you always. That was Kobe Bryant's message to Special Olympic athletes a few years ago down in Southern California. In those words, they can ring true to any body. Whether you love them, whether you hated him, the legacy and what he left, there is a whole hell of a lot to learn. Much love to his family.

Kobe Bryant would have been 44 years old today. You are locked in. We're just getting started. It's the JR Sport Brief Show, CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. JR wants to hear from you. Call him now at 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4227. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Opened up the show last break showing love to number 24 and number 8, Kobe Bryant.

He would have been 44 years old today. And I have to tell you this as well. This portion of the show is brought to you by AutoZone.

The free AutoZone fixed finder service can help troubleshoot the likely cause of your pesky check engine light for free and it can get you back on the road. Restrictions apply, so get in the zone. AutoZone. Now, speaking of the zone, Kobe Bryant was one of the best to ever do it with what he did, basketball.

Okay? Someone else who's, I can't even say he's the best to do it. He is probably the best, most accomplished college football coach of all time. His name is Nick Saban.

He's currently 70 years old. And for what I feel like is the second consecutive year, Nick Saban has, he's got a contract extension. He's got an increased pay. He's getting more money. It was announced today by Alabama that Nick Saban has a new deal.

Okay? Kirby Smart wins the national championship and the Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby, they can't have a damn thing. Well, Kirby can. He's getting paid $11.2 million over the next 10 years. So, what does Nick Saban get? Oh, just a half million dollars more than Kirby Smart. His old deal? Eh, it only paid him a little more than 10.

This new deal? Now, $11.7 million. Just so Nick Saban can walk around and say he has the biggest, uh, he has the biggest stick on the block.

Okay? Nick Saban getting paid half a million dollars more than Kirby Smart just so he can have it. And so this new deal that makes him the highest paid college football coach per year will also take him through the year 2030. At that point in 2030, Nick Saban will be 78 years old. I guess, I guess nobody will be tired of him. I, I guess his wife will want to keep him out there. He talks about his wife all the time.

So maybe, uh, she is very happy with the current arrangement. And Nick Saban is just, he, he can be grumpy. We've experienced this. And Najee Harris, he was on the pivot podcast, I think last week. And he was talking about being at Alabama with Nick Saban, where, uh, he won two national championships, was a highlighted player on one of them is Alabama's all time leading rusher.

And this is what Najee Harris had to say about the man. All right. So me and Saban, man, we did not get along at first.

All right. I was, we was, uh, man, we had a couple of arguments at first because he just didn't understand type of dude I was, you know what I mean? I don't, I don't know how many Cali dudes he had, but, oh, he had one from Oakland.

He had Dom. I don't know how many Bay Area dudes he had, but I'm not the type of dude to like, just sit back. You know what I mean? And just like, let somebody just like talk to me, I guess, in a way, and then not expect me to say something. I could take coaching, but like, it's a certain type of line when you cross them, it's like, all right, I'm a man. Like he ain't gonna talk to me like that, bro. So I guess that like, he didn't, it wasn't, he wasn't used to like having somebody talk back to him in a way. And I mean, so he said something to me, blah, blah, blah. And then like, who are you talking to? I was like, kind of looking, I'm like, you talking to me? I'm like, I'm like, look at coach. I was like, man, look at, coach me, man.

You could coach me, but never, don't know, don't think you could like, you more than just a coach to me. Like, I mean, don't try to like, belittle me. I feel like I was belittled, you know what I mean? So like, we had a couple arguments, man, like another incident, like I always got in fights there. So we was like, God damn it, 22, you're always fighting.

Like, it's always you, you can do it again. You're getting, you're leaving practice. I'm like, man, I'm like, man, so, I'm like, man, I'm like, man, you're getting, you're leaving practice.

I'm like, so man, we just had to bump heads a lot. That is Nick Saban in his late sixties, mid to late sixties. What the hell are we supposed to expect from Nick Saban when he's almost 80? Who the hell wants to be out there coaching a bunch of 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 year olds, and now they're making money? He's already been complaining about coaches, buying other players.

I just want to see how Nick Saban ages. I understand why he's sticking around. A, what else is he going to do? B, he gets to just, here's every year, here's $11 million for one grand kid. And that grand kid gets 11 million. And then he can sit his old ass around and just count all his money. Good for him.

Must be a good life. But it was only a couple of months ago where he was just complaining about Texas A&M and Jimbo and them buying players. Remember this? You've read about them. You know who they are. I mean, we were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team, made a deal for name image and likeness. We didn't buy one player.

But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. Well, what is he, the mayor? I guess he is. He's the mayor of college football, CEO, or maybe a C-G-C-C-O. C-C-O?

Yeah, C-C-O. Chief complaining officer. That's what he is. He getting paid all this money. He's just going to say whatever the hell he wants.

And so go ahead and buckle up. We're going to get more angry Nick Saban as he ages. We're going to get more complaining Nick Saban as he ages. And I'm sure we're going to hear even more stories about Nick Saban butting heads with young players.

And by the way, hey Shep, you brought up an excellent point. This man has worked with so many coaches. As he gets older, what's he going to do? He's going to be the ultimate decision maker standing on the sidelines. But I can certainly imagine that he's going to delineate a lot of responsibilities on the offense, on the defense. And he's going to show up and oversee it all.

But man, his ass is old Shep. What do you think Nick Saban is going to look like as he just continues to get up there hanging out with these young men? Yeah, I think Nick Saban has incredibly deep pockets. I think he has an amazing recruiting base. And I think there's a lot of people working for him on the books and off the books. In my humble opinion, he's going to be just fine. It's going to be one of those, it's a factory and then some. And you look at the alum that have won through that school. I hope it's not a situation, I'm not talking about the ultimate end for Paterno, but I'm talking about when you knew Paterno had no business, and God bless his heart, but you knew Joe Paterno in his early 80s had no business being on the sideline where he could not even getting out of the way when everyone else, could you remember that time Joe Paterno like really hurt himself because a flare went into him?

That has this written all over it. I think he's going to I hope not. You love what you do. You can do it for a living, make lots of money, God bless you. It's not to say that he's not going to be efficient at that age. It certainly becomes more difficult.

But I'll tell you this, man. Is he going to stick around until he's 78? College basketball is even more demanding because there's a lot less coaches and behind still doing it at 78.

Do you think so? I think the personalities, the amount of games and just the intensity of football and just it's a grind. Basketball and it's not to take anything away from basketball, but it's contained. Sure, it's the SEC and it is a contained environment to a certain degree, but it just seems more, just seems like it's a grind. Jerry, you don't think as an NFL and even a college football head coach at a high division one level, they're not more the figurehead and it's the personnel decision makers who are in the form of an offensive and defensive coordinator. Whereas in the NBA, there's a lot less coaches on a bench and even college basketball.

Correct. Because there's now three phases to the game. There are more players on the roster and that's why I say, yeah, you can be an overseer, but it's still a grind. Here's the thing, basketball coaches, they come with varying personalities and this is any coach. You have your players coaches, right? You have the guys who want to beat you down and grind you to a pulp.

There's a lot of variety there. And in football, especially in college, these guys are, they're more, they're more straightforward. They ain't buddy-buddying you, it's less quote-unquote players coaches. They're there to get you in and get you out.

It's their way or the highway. And yeah, they hire a million people, but it's also, I would say less relatable from a college coach perspective. Like Nick Saban might be the quote-unquote, you know, captain of the entire ship and, and yeah, he can hire and fire guys and bring in new coaches and, and replace guys when they go to the NFL. But you said it, like him being on the sidelines, ultimately connecting with some of the players. Is Alabama still going to be that factory when you have 18 and 19 year olds going, yeah, he's successful, but he kind of old now.

Like, why, why do I want to go there? I know the recruiting is strong and he ain't doing all of it, but I mean, damn, let's see what happens when Nick Saban, when he is a 78 years old, let's see if he sees this contract through. I think, I think he will. It's the JR sport re-show here with you on CBS sports radio 8 5 5 2 1 2 4 CBS. That's 8 5 5 2 1 2 4 CBS. We'll talk more Nick Saban on the other side of the break. And then I also want to mention somebody speaking of old, speaking of a, a player's coach, we got a guy in the NBA.

He's like, he's like Methuselah. He hasn't gone anywhere. I'll tell you who on the other side. It's the JR sport re-show CBS sports radio. You're listening to the JR sport brief on CBS sports radio. You were listening to the JR sport brief on CBS sports radio. I appreciate you. I'm grateful for your brand of sports talk. You are the best and I appreciate you keeping us entertained, informed with your hard hitting and beautiful style of sports. Call in now at 8 5 5 2 1 2 4 CBS.

It's the JR sport brief show CBS sports radio. We shown love to Kobe Bryant would have been 44 today. We just talked about Nick Saban. He's 70. He just got a new deal that will take him to 78 years old. He has a deal that will take him to the year 2030. Nick Saban says, wait a minute. Kirby smart is getting paid, uh, $11.2 million per year. Well, I'm the best.

I have more titles than anybody at seven. You got to pay me more than Kirby smart. And so that's what Nick Saban got. He will now make $11.7 million a year. He's getting a half mil more than Kirby smart. And I'm pretty sure Kirby smart saw the news and he knew it was going to happen. He just like, who cares? I'm getting paid major bucks. Oh yeah. And by the way, Nick Saban, he can make even more than that every single year, $75,000 for going to the SCC championship game, $125,000 for winning it.

Okay. $200,000 for, you know, getting to the college football playoff or bowl game, $400,000 for just going to the national championship. $600,000 and then $800,000 for winning it all. And so year after year after year, where Alabama is always in contention, this man could easily tackle on another, I don't know, almost $2 million.

Not shabby. I wish he'd shut up about the players getting paid. Let's shut up about it now. It's the JR sport re-show CBS sports radio at the top of the hour. Oh man, we're going to talk about Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant got punked. We'll talk about it at the top of the hour. And in a few minutes, speaking of old guys sticking around, I'm going to tell you about a guy in the NBA who's not going anywhere. Mark is calling from California. You're on CBS sports radio.

What's up? JR, what's going on? So Kirby Smart and, you know, Saban. So they look at me pick to win the SCC title.

I was taking a look at some of the polls and that's what they say. But Kirby Smart kind of has his number and, you know, I could see Alabama saying, well, Kirby Smart's the highest plate. We want to one-up him and just give him more, which is right.

I mean, he's the greatest coach of all time, right, in college football, right? But the thing is, is Georgia has 45 to 55 percent of their roster, freshmen and sophomores. And you're getting back, you know, Will Anderson is probably going to be the number one pick in the draft next year, this coming year. They're getting the quarterback back.

So they're getting the quarterback back. So I think Alabama is going to contend, but I do have Georgia slightly just a little bit. And I mean, obviously Ohio State's sitting there because if they both compete for the SEC Championship, Ohio State's still going to get in.

And Stroud is obviously favored to win the Heisman as well because he's a fantastic quarterback. So what are your thoughts on that in terms of like, who's better? You think Alabama's the cream of the crop in the SEC or is Georgia up there? Well, I don't even know how you could say it's Georgia up there. You gave the reasons as of why they're the defending champs. But here's the thing, I can tell you for someone who's sitting his ass only a few miles away from Athens, the feeling is always, are we going to come in second?

That's just what it is. And so the expectation is once again, it's no different than the Atlanta Braves. It's like, oh, a team from Georgia actually won a championship and is things, are things going to kind of fall out at the bottom? So Georgia is going to have to go back. And if I have to think about recent years since Kirby Smart took over, it's always been a matter of close, but not close enough. And they were finally able to get over the hump this year. Nick Saban is being Nick Saban. He's saying that last year was a rebuilding year.

And so it's tough to draw that conclusion. I'll tell you this much, as much as Georgia is the defending champs, most people will take a look and say, well, Georgia is going to have to go out there and beat Alabama again. It's just a matter of recent history. If I can compare it to anything, and thank you, Mark, for calling from California, it's very close probably to what we've seen between the Yankees and the Red Sox. And I'm thinking about over the past 20 years, Red Sox have had their ups and their downs, but they've gone out and won what, three, four world championships?

The New York Yankees picked one up in 2009. And so it's, it's, you got little brother here. They'll never match big brother in the big scheme of things, but over recent history, well, we've beaten you. And so Georgia is always going to have to overcome the, oh, are we, are we better than Alabama? Or is Alabama just going to have our number? Let Georgia do it again.

I think the tide might change a little bit. Quinn is calling from Seattle. You're on CBS Sports Radio. Hey, JR, thanks for having me on, sir.

Sure. In honor of Kobe's birthday, I would love to hear your top 10 list of best NBA players of all time. I've got Kobe ranked seven on mine.

I know some have them higher. I don't know if he's top five because it's just such a, such an amazing list, but I got a seven on mine. Quinn, I have to, I have to be honest with you, Quinn, you ready? I've never sat down. I'm not one of those guys who sits down and I need to, I need to rank players.

I've never done it. I mean, for content, I guess it's worth it, but I've, I've never sat down and gone, oh, let me, let me count my top 10, 15, 20 NBA guys. I mean, why don't I give you my list and you let me know if you like it or not. Okay.

Go for it. All right. I got, I got Michael number one. And for time's sake, we don't have to go into that Michael Lebron thing, but I've, I grew up watching Michael under my thirties. I got Michael one Lebron to bill Russell three. I got wilted four. I got the greatest point guard of all time.

Irvin magic science. And at five, I got Shaq at six, Kobe seven, Larry legend, eight Kareem nine and not Steph, not Katie. I got Tim Duncan as number 10 on my list. I, I can't argue with that list, man.

You, you pretty much hit the nail. You, you put Kareem in there, right? Yes, sir. Yeah. I can't, I can't.

I got him on there. I can't, I can't argue with that. I can't. I mean, when you start talking about the big guys, it does become subjective. There are different errors, whether you want to go ahead and look at someone like Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal, especially since they're recent players with two totally different skillsets.

But I, I can't argue with that. I mean, if there's anyone who you might be able, I think you slide in, it's okay. How do you fit Steph Curry in there? Because I do believe that Steph Curry, all things considered, if you want to talk about a top 10, he has to be there and it's different.

And it's difficult to say, well, who do you, who do you take off? I was waiting for you to say Larry Bird and you certainly named Larry. I didn't put Curry though.

I mean, who do you bump? If you had Curry and some of these other guys, as much as I love Kevin Duran and stay tuned Quinn, we're going to talk about Kevin Duran in a few minutes at the top of the hour. You know, I, I may actually, I may take Tim Duncan off the list and I may put Steph Curry on. Tim Duncan was great for his longevity. There's a reason why he was able to last so long is because he, he wasn't out there wowing anybody with his athleticism.

He was a prototypical lunch, lunch pail type guy. He was highly skilled, whether it was on the post or put backs, or he had touch, he was able to, to knock down a jumper or something, which is a lost art right now. I mean, was, was, was Tim Duncan going to be able to play basketball like right now? I'm sure he would, but would they want him with the mid range game killing guys? I don't, I don't know.

Maybe with the Spurs, they'd still love it. Uh, but it times are changing Quinn. That's a, thank you. Thank you for an excellent call, man.

I appreciate you, sir. No doubt that's, I could dig it. You know, maybe, maybe one day I should sit down and go through the top 10, but it's, it's a fun conversation, but there are so many great players that have come through the league. It's hard to say this is the top 10.

I think you can identify, you know, the cream of the crop. And that's when you really start looking at a LeBron and a Jordan and maybe a Wilt. And I think ultimately a Curry let's think about it this way. We can look at what a top 10 looks like right now, today, this minute, this moment, what the hell is the rest of Steph Curry's career going to look like? What is the rest of LeBron's career going to look like? Yeah, Curry probably has more years, but I mean, damn it's the JR sport re-show CBS sports radio. I'm going to tell you about an old guy. Who's not leaving the NBA and a guy, Kevin Durant, who ain't leaving his team. Don't move.