Kings, Bucs, LeBron… and zero hometown ties. In Episode 2, childhood friend Karthik Muralidharan (co‑host of Thik & Thin Hoops) unpacks the psyche of a “contrarian hater,” tracing how a Cupertino kid went from re‑enacting NBA box scores on a Fisher‑Price hoop, to pirating Florida AM radio so he could follow Derrick Brooks and the Bucs, to lighting the Beam with 18,000 delirious Kings fans in 2023. With Ananth and Jay he explores how roaring with a crowd—or geeking out alone—molds loyalty, why sports keeps their decades‑long friendship humming, and what it takes to still believe.