1. We usually cover Kevin Durant’s beefs with random Twitter and Instagram users, but now he’s taking on ESPN’s Jay Williams.
Williams went on ESPN on Tuesday and told a story about the Nets superstar taking issue with the NBA analyst once comparing him to Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Williams, Durant went up to him at a Christmas party a few years ago and told Williams to never compare him to Giannis.
Durant called the story a lie in the Instagram comments of a post about Williams’s anecdote.
Durant then addressed the situation on Twitter without naming Williams.
Who knows what’s true here? It’s a classic he said/she said. It seems odd that Williams would just make up this story and provide specific details about the exchange taking place at a Christmas party. Maybe Durant made the comment thinking it was in confidence and just wasn’t happy Williams told it on national television? Who knows?
Either way, this kerfuffle has been more exciting than the Nets’ playoff run, so at least Durant is entertaining us in some form.
2. I can’t imagine someone listening to these Kevin Harlan calls from Monday night’s Nuggets-Suns game and thinking anyone but him should replace Marv Albert as TNT’s lead play-by-play broadcaster.
3. Dan Le Batard and his crew did a live, 24-hour broadcast over the weekend and according to The Big Lead, nearly three million people tuned in at some point to watch the antics on YouTube. Life after ESPN will be just fine for Le Batard.
4. This is just spectacular.
5. The NBA continues to get good ratings news during the playoffs.
6. The latest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features two guests.
First up is ESPN’s Doris Burke. The NBA analyst discusses the disturbing trend of disgusting fan behavior at games, whether the fans are too close to the players and how this was a concern for David Stern. Burke also talks about her experience with COVID-19 and having symptoms for nine months. Other topics discussed include whether the Nets are about to prove the NBA regular season is meaningless, whether calling the Finals on television is a goal for her, still feeling resistance from men who don’t want women broadcasting sports and much more.
Following Burke, Giants third baseman Evan Longoria joins the podcast to share his thoughts on Major League Baseball’s unwritten rules. Do any unwritten rules make sense? Is throwing at a player rational retaliation? How do players feel about unwritten rules? Longoria also talks about getting into the trading card craze during the pandemic and what he enjoys about the hobby.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Larry David doesn’t want to hear your Cobb salad nonsense.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
