The Washington Wizards are near the top of the Eastern Conference with almost 20% of the regular season in the books. The team has been transformed with three former Lakers playing key roles along with stalwart Bradley Beal. Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and Kentavious Caldwell Pope came over in the Russell Westbrook trade and have given rookie head coach Wes Unseld Jr. a formidable rotation that has given opponents fits early in the season. Quinton Mayo is a close observer of the team and shares his perspective with Monica McNutt and King McClure, including a discussion of whether the team's hot start is sustainable. Quinton is not only extremely perceptive, but hip and funny as well.

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Monica McNutt and King McClure are back from their summer hiatus and they have a lot to share. They're both impressed with the hot start by the Miami Heat. Monica and King debate whether the Bulls or Knicks are more impressive so far. And they welcome in producer Bruce Bernstein to discuss the problems his Boston Celtics are dealing with. And fresh off their ESPN college basketball meetings, Monica and King size up the top 10 teams in men's and women's college hoop.

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Monica & King are still on their off-season break, so they want to share a great show you may have missed. The NCAA Champion Baylor men will soon begin defense of their title. After crushing Gonzaga in the NCAA Championship Game, everyone knows about the heroics of Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, and Coach Scott Drew. But less well-known are the legendary "Mullet Bros" Matthew Mayer and Jackson Moffatt. When these two decided to go "Full Mullet," a series of positive events followed for the team. "Big Bro" King McClure and Monica McNutt share hilarious stories with two guys riding the wave of a championship run.

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The Buckets, Boards, & Blocks podcast debuted in April of 2019. During that time, Monica McNutt and King McClure have welcomed scores of great guests and also had meaningful discussions about the weighty issues of the day. In this "Best of #BBB" show, we relive some of those moments. We hear Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman describe her close friendship with Muhammad Ali. Journalists J.A. Adande & Marc Spears reflect on the life of Kobe Bryant. Andrea Kremer & David Aldridge describe their participation in the story of Michael Jordan and "The Last Dance" on ESPN. King's Baylor coach Scott Drew and former teammate Jared Butler discuss their elite NCAA program. And Katie Barnes of ESPN.com describes the impact that WNBA players for the Atlanta Dream had on the composition of the United States Senate.

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Nate Burleson made his name as a wide receiver in the NFL and has become a media superstar with CBS and the NFL Network. But he is a crazy NBA fan, a baller from Seattle, and has stories of competing against the likes of Jamal Crawford back in the 206. When he visited the #BBB crew two years ago his stories were dope. If you only have time to listen to one podcast this week, it should be this one!

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Monica McNutt and King McClure are taking some time off, but we wanted to share some of our favorite interviews that you might have missed. The Baylor Bears were ranked #2 in the preseason men's college basketball poll when their head coach Scott Drew joined Monica and King prior to the start of his championship season. Coach Drew took over a program in shambles back in 2003, but has led it to the very top of the college basketball world. Scott shares some classic memories, including how his former player (and our co-host) King McClure has inspired so many with his own story of overcoming adversity and never giving up or feeling sorry for himself. This podcast will make you laugh and maybe even shed a few tears of happiness.

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Buckets, Boards, & Blocks has done nearly 130 shows but we're taking a summer break to regroup and share some of our favorite shows from the archive. In this classic interview from September 2019, Nancy Lieberman shares her legendary story. She has been a pioneer in every sense of the word. She is an extraordinary story teller and almost all of them are from a first person perspective. After Monica checks in with an update on the WNBA Playoffs, Nancy shares her emotional tribute (@ 11:00) to Andre Emmett, one of her Big3 players who was killed on September 22nd. Nancy shares stories about appearing in ESPN's Body issue at age 61 (@14:14), her incredible friendship with Muhammad Ali (@22:10), the career advice she received from former NBA Commissioner David Stern (@ 40:09), the wisdom imparted to her by former President Barack Obama (@41:35), and why Stern and his successor Adam Silver have been so important to the growth of women in basketball (@ 52:50).

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Vinnie Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports is one of the best hoop writers out there. On the morning after the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Championship, he joined Monica McNutt for a breakdown of Giannis Antetokounmpo's brilliant performance and his remarkable approach to his team and career. Vinnie also shares thoughts on what is next for Chris Paul as he approaches the twilight of his Hall of Fame career. Vinnie and Monica have a great discussion of how this year's version of the Bucks began to develop a special bond after the team hit "PAUSE" in the Orlando Bubble in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting last summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And there are some very funny technical difficulties that cause Vinnie and Bruce Bernstein go off the rails when Monica's power unexpectedly went out.

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Freddie Coleman of ESPN Radio joins Monica McNutt and King McClure on the new Buckets, Boards, & Blocks. Freddie has been holding down the late nights for 17 years at the World Wide Leader and is one of the smartest voices anywhere. In this discussion of the NBA Finals, the crew breaks down how Giannis can be the Bucks' "best player" even while Khris Middleton is their "closer." Of course they relived "The Block," as well as the heroics of Devin Booker and the struggles of Chris Paul. And their convo about the Booker "not a foul" foul on Jrue Holiday in the final minutes was LOL funny. Finally, Freddie has a message for the people running down the NBA and singling it out for lower ratings. It's a "drop the mic" moment so please check us out!

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Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 after destroying the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. Patrick Beverley of LA, who already had a shady reputation added to his lengthy history of bad behavior in the final minutes of game 6, which drew the ire of the Buckets, Boards, & Blocks crew. There are still three open NBA head coaching jobs, but will one of the teams have the courage to hire a woman for the position? And a new era begins in college sports with the athletes finally able to cash in on their name, image, and likeness. Monica McNutt, King McClure, and Bruce Bernstein examine all these topics on this week's show.

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Cindy Brunson of Pac 12 Network joins Monica McNutt on the new Buckets, Boards, & Blocks for some hard hitting comments on Nneka Ogwumike's Olympic snub, the WNBA season so far, and her hometown Phoenix Suns' meteoric rise during the NBA Playoffs. Cindy pulls no punches when it comes to her feelings about the only WNBA MVP to not compete for her country in the Olympics. With 5 of the 12 team members having UConn connections, it is fair to ask whether the Connecticut brain trust hijacked the selection process for choosing Olympians? Cindy & Monica also size up the top teams in the "W," and discuss the vibe in Cindy's town of Phoenix about the rising Suns.

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