The NBA isn’t “American property” anymore — and this year’s All-Star voting made that impossible to ignore. Ric Bucher breaks down why the top fan vote-getters being international stars isn’t a problem… it’s the point. But there’s a twist: the players’ vote tells a very different story than the fans and media, raising an uncomfortable question about who the league’s real hierarchy respects.

Then: Ric takes aim at the “free throw merchant” label on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, previews the new All-Star format (Americans vs. foreigners), and explains why it might finally bring competitive juice back to All-Star weekend.

And in a hard left turn into culture + business: Ric calls out the optics of Nike/LeBron’s MLK Day shoe release, and closes with a look at Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, and the future of the Lakers, including the resentment over the Bronny roster spot and why Steve Ballmer’s financial advantage may have forced Jeanie’s hand.

Time Stamps

• 00:00 “Cooking with gas” + show intro
• 00:41 Ric announces upcoming book on being coachable
• 01:41 NBA → “IBA”: the league’s global takeover is complete
• 02:19 All-Star vote shocker: Luka/Giannis/Jokic lead — and fans don’t care where you’re from
• 03:07 Deni Avdija leapfrogs Anthony Edwards: how did that happen?
• 04:34 Why the league changed voting rules after Zaza Pachulia
• 05:08 Ric’s theory: Ant’s off-court noise may be costing him votes
• 06:40 Players vs fans/media: who actually respects which stars?
• 08:45 SGA isn’t a “free throw merchant” — blame the whistle, not the scorer
• 10:07 New All-Star format: Americans vs foreigners — and why internationals may have something to prove
• 12:41 Social media’s “everything is debatable” disease + Ric’s contrarian code
• 13:39 Nike + LeBron MLK shoe: “sounds wrong” and gets worse the more you explain it
• 16:41 The real lesson: stars need advisors who say “no”
• 20:04 Jeanie Buss + Lakers sale strategy: what’s new (and what isn’t)
• 21:12 The Bronny favor and why some Lakers voices feel unappreciated
• 26:14 Ballmer’s money changed the Lakers’ reality — and Jeanie’s endgame
• 27:50 Wrap-up + what Ric might cover next (Raptors/Warriors locker rooms)

#OnTheBall #RicBucher #NBA #AllStar #LukaDoncic #GiannisAntetokounmpo #NikolaJokic #AnthonyEdwards #DeniAvdija #ShaiGilgeousAlexander #VictorWembanyama #LeBronJames #Nike #MLKDay #Lakers #JeanieBuss #BronnyJames #UnitedWeCast

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This episode of On The Ball hits two hot-button topics with one throughline: who gets to shape the story—players, fans, media… or the loudest clip on social media.

First, Ric breaks down his NBA All-Star starting fives and why this year’s ballot was shockingly simple—while the bigger question looms: what happens if LeBron James doesn’t “make it” the traditional way? Ric digs into the realities of fan/media/player voting, the new All-Star format, and why the definition of “All-Star” keeps shifting.

Then the conversation pivots to the viral Jacksonville Jaguars postgame press conference moment—and why the internet’s reaction says more about society’s trust in media than it does about one reporter’s etiquette. Ric explains the old-school rules (“no cheering in the press box”), how they’ve been blurred, and why “anti-journalism” rage has become a profitable brand.

• 0:00 “We’re cooking with gas” + show intro
• 0:39 Where to find Ric (FS1 / Fox Sports Radio) + third book tease (“coachable”)
• 1:27 Why this episode goes beyond the NBA
• 1:57 Ric’s All-Star ballot: starters + why it was “the easiest” ever
• 2:39 New All-Star format: Americans vs Internationals + round-robin breakdown
• 3:24 How voting works: fans / media / players—and why it matters
• 4:20 Ric’s East starters + West starters (and the “free-throw merchant” jab)
• 5:02 The Scottie Barnes dilemma + why closers get rewarded
• 5:41 The LeBron question: where fans have him—and why player voting is the wildcard
• 7:10 Fixing the system: how Ric would restructure All-Star voting
• 8:16 The viral Jaguars presser moment: what happened, what people missed
• 10:26 “No cheering in the press box”: why decorum still matters
• 20:56 ESPN, fame, and the collapse of old media lines
• 23:26 Pat McAfee’s rant—and Ric’s response to the hypocrisy
• 25:01 The key point: compassion isn’t the issue—time and place is
• 28:44 Wrap-up + sponsor (Mizzen+Main) + promo code

#OnTheBall #RicBucher #NBA #AllStar #NBAAllStar #LeBronJames #ShaiGilgeousAlexander #LukaDoncic #NikolaJokic #VictorWembanyama #AnthonyEdwards #GiannisAntetokounmpo #JalenBrunson #CadeCunningham #TyreseMaxey #JalenBrown #SportsMedia #Journalism #UnitedWeCast

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In this episode of On The Ball, Ric Bucher unloads on the NBA’s most uncomfortable truths: why “tanking” is getting harder to justify, why a rumored Trae Young-to-Washington deal would be less about basketball and more about money + leverage, and why the supermax era is changing (maybe forever). Ric also tackles the loudest Warriors debate—why fans coming for Steve Kerr are missing the point—and explains what Steph’s late-career reality actually means in the new salary-cap NBA.

Then Ric turns his attention to LeBron’s podcast positioning, the optics of “the league is moving away from ISO” while playing next to Luka, and the awkward self-mythmaking that comes with the exit ramp of a legend. Finally, a fascinating tell from All-Star voting: the NBA’s next “face” may be foreign, and Ric names the frontrunner.

Time stamps

00:00 — Intro: “Cooking with gas” + where to find Ric

01:32 — Mission statement: angles you won’t hear anywhere else

01:39 — Making every NBA game matter + the tanking problem

02:43 — Trae Young traded to the Wizards?! Why this is a financial play

04:20 — The $229M supermax that Atlanta wouldn’t offer (and why)

05:33 — Why the league can’t hand out max deals “like candy” anymore

06:50 — Trae’s real issue: stats vs impact, defense, and locker-room gravity

08:10 — What the Hawks actually need (and why bigs are the problem)

09:45 — Anthony Davis to Atlanta? Buyer beware + the Luka trade hangover

12:58 — Why Ric is bullish on Cooper Flagg as a culture-setter

17:25 — Warriors corner: the anti–Steve Kerr crusade (and why it’s galling)

21:12 — Lacob pressure, Kerr extension talk, and Steph’s real decline curve

23:03 — The Jimmy Butler move: what it fixed—and what it didn’t

24:13 — Why small-ball “wrinkles” are necessity, not stubbornness

27:17 — Kuminga: effort, role acceptance, and why it may be over

29:32 — Jordan Poole reality check (and what his market might be)

31:18 — LeBron’s “ISO is dying” take: why now, and why it reads self-serving

36:39 — All-Star voting clue: the NBA’s next “face” may be a foreign star

37:26 — Ric’s bet: Wembanyama as the future consensus face of the league

37:52 — Wrap-up + trade season ahead

#NBA #NBATrades #TraeYoung #WashingtonWizards #AtlantaHawks #CJMcCollum #SteveKerr #GoldenStateWarriors #StephenCurry #JonathanKuminga #LeBronJames #LukaDoncic #AnthonyDavis #CooperFlagg #VictorWembanyama #NBASalaryCap #NBASupermax #OnTheBall #RicBucher #UnitedWeCast

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