In all Airness - Michael Jordan era NBA history

FEB 7, 2024

Tom Chambers - NBA All-Star MVP, 16-year veteran and Basketball Hall of Fame candidate - AIR135

Let's welcome the legendary Tom Chambers to the show. A massive thanks to our mutual friend, Jeff Wells. Jeff was my guest on episode 128. We detailed his campaign for Tom to enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. We also spoke at length about Jeff’s awesome YouTube channel, TC24, devoted to the life of Tommy C. Without Jeff, today’s episode would simply not be possible. I strongly encourage you to subscribe to TC24 – it features a wealth of excellent clips and features on Mr. Chambers.

This episode is sprinkled with audio snippets that add more context to my conversation with Tom. In some instances, the audio is edited for brevity. Where applicable, most clips are available to watch – or listen to - in full on TC24.

Please note that our conversation was recorded on January 21, 2024. As of that date, the stats I discuss with Tom - re the number of 60-plus point scorers - are correct. In recent weeks, remarkably, an additional five such games have been added to that exclusive list. TC discusses a wealth of topics in this episode. From a personal point of view, it may be the most enjoyable conversation in the history of my podcast.

97 MIN

NOV 22, 2023

Walter Davis - The life and times of North Carolina legend and six-time NBA All-Star (retrospective) - AIR134

On November 2nd, 2023, six-time NBA All-Star Walter Davis died of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte. Today, I welcome back Adam Beechen - a great friend of the show. We discuss Walter’s life on-and-off the basketball court.

Amidst his innumerable accomplishments, Davis was certainly no stranger to adversity. Despite battling substance abuse for the majority of his Phoenix Suns tenure, Walter averaged 20-or-more points per season in six of his 11 campaigns in the Valley of the Sun.

A quick sidebar. Per Basketball Reference.com, on July 6, 1988, Walter Davis was the second player in NBA history to sign as an unrestricted free agent. He joined the Denver Nuggets one day after another would-be Suns legend, Tom Chambers, signed w/ Phoenix.

In the lead-up to recording this conversation, I put out a call for listener contributions. Tim Gallagher kindly answered the bell. Tim has collected sports autographs for more than 50 years and is a Consignment Director for Robert Edward Auctions. You’ll hear Tim’s reflections on Walter Davis as an interlude within the episode. Tim will also feature as a future guest on my podcast. He has a wealth of incredible stories to tell.

RIP, Walter Davis. The Man with the Velvet Touch.

40 MIN

AUG 6, 2023

Reggie Lewis' tragic death (1993) and impact on the Boston Celtics [expanded re-release] - AIR133

Reggie Lewis tragically passed away 30 years ago (1993) at the age of just 27. This is an updated re-release of episode 27 with my great mate, Todd Spehr. We recorded our chat ten years ago to mark the 20th anniversary of Lewis' sudden passing.

I’ve added numerous audio clips for greater context, edited our original conversation and improved its sound quality. We discussed the life and times of Reggie - from his days at Dunbar High School, to his tenure at Northeastern University and ultimately, rise from seldom-used NBA rookie to captain of the famed Boston Celtics. Todd mentioned the poem that Reggie’s widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, read to the Boston Garden faithful on Reggie Lewis Night in 1995. Audio of that poignant moment also now features.

This is a fresh listening experience even for the most-diehard fan clamoring for a new episode – of which, to be sure – many more are planned for release throughout the rest of 2023. Most of the additional audio in this episode was sourced from TV broadcasts aired at the time of Lewis’ passing. They were thankfully preserved by Tim Theriault.

30 MIN

MAY 23, 2023

Beef Brothers (Mahorn and Ruland) - 2023 Conference Finals, NBA lottery, Ja Morant and Rick on Isiah - BB6

The legendary Beef Brothers (Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland) return for episode six.

01:49 2023 NBA Draft Lottery - Wemby to San Antonio Spurs
06:21 Ralph Sampson (and Bill Walton) - similarities to Victor?
07:16 Manute Bol was how old when he joined NBA?! Chuck Nevitt mention!
08:37 Bill Garnett ('82 Draft - pick #4) and Jeff Ruland have beef!
09:09 Rick offers Jeff tissues to get over the incident!
09:33 Ja Morant brandishing a weapon (again) on social media
13:27 Lakers and Nuggets - West Finals discussion
15:03 Mile-high (in Denver) or just high?
16:28 76ers' woes - fallout from Embiid's comments after ECSF G7
18:21 Heat and Celtics - East Finals breakdown (Beef Brothers masterclass)
20:12 Do the Heat need a Herro?
20:42 Coach Erik Spoelstra's impact
21:22 Setting Suns?
21:58 Rick and Jeff's on documentaries (don't ask Horn about The Last Dance!)
24:01 Adam looks like Andy Cohen?! It's an Aussie roast!
24:20 Listener question: Rick's opinion of Isiah Thomas (after The Last Dance)
25:38 Listener question: Jeff on battling Darryl Dawkins and Buck Williams
26:45 Rick's a big Chocolate Thunder fan. Buck Williams? Not so much!
27:50 Horn does his best impression of the Aussie accent!

Watch conversations online - episodes live on the Beef Brothers' YouTube channel. Here's episode six.

We encourage your interaction - ask questions or add comments on YouTube and the Beef Brothers will respond in future episodes. If you prefer e-mail, reach Rick and Jeff by e-mailing Adam: [email protected] - he'll collate your submissions to read out to the guys. A quick warning that ocassional language during this series is not safe for young ears.

Follow: Instagram [Rick / Jeff / Adam] | YouTube [Beef Brothers / Adam]

28 MIN

MAY 17, 2023

Bill Willoughby: High school phenom to the 1975 NBA Draft (eight-year veteran) - AIR132

Let's welcome Bill Willoughby to the show. There are many more strings to his bow – as you’ll hear in my introduction - however, Bill rose to national awareness during the 1981 NBA Playoffs, by virtue of his excellent defense against the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Willoughby is one of only a few to ever reject The Captain’s iconic skyhook. A topic we certainly cover in this refreshingly open and honest conversation.

89 MIN

In all Airness - Michael Jordan era NBA history

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