Tidal League

Kurt sits down with former NBA player and Raptors legend, Jose Calderon.  His first years playing for the team, the years after Toronto playing with some of the best in the NBA, and a few Kobe stories that no fan will want to miss.  

Tune in for this intimate interview we had so much fun recording - we know you’ll enjoy it too.

Miami Heat Guard, Duncan Robinson, joins us as he gears up after a short off season for the start of the 2021 NBA season.

Tune in as Duncan chats about the lead up to the finals, how things came together for the team, the special run that almost led to an NBA championship and how he handled the intensity and the pressure of playing on the NBA’s biggest stage.  

After only two seasons, he’s already in the record books and we hear what goals he’s set for himself, his predictions for the coming year, why his philosophy around taking the shot has changed and the legends he’s looked up to.

Duncan shares what he hopes to accomplish beyond basketball with the platform he’s been given, his gratitude for his family and his ability to share his experiences and successes with those who are most important to him.   

We talk style, comfort, LeagueFits and why he hasn’t yet made a splurge purchase!

The Tidal League Podcast is excited to welcome back Michael Grange, award winning sports journalist and author.

Michael shares his initial thoughts on the future of the Raptors and as we ramp up towards the start of free agency, Fred VanVleet’s dazzling future as arguably the most sought after player in the free agent market puts into question whether he will be back with the Raptors.   

With a lot of speculation out there, Michael shares his perspective on Raptors President, Masai Ujiri, his future with the Raptors and what it will take to keep him.  

With his usual insight and thoughtfulness, he talks about why emotion is at the heart of most sports teams and why millions of fans live and die with the team they love, which is really why professional sports exists.

We get into where the Raptors will likely play next year, how the League will adapt as the pandemic continues and if we will find our way back to some semblance of a normal season.  

We  touch on Steve Nash being named as a first time head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, the pressures that come with that responsibility, and his style of PhD coaching - if you’re curious about this and our other teasers, tune in to hear a great conversation with one of the top sports journalists in the league. 

What’s it like to be the agent to the NBA’s hottest player?  Today we find out as we welcome Bernie Lee, agent for Jimmy Butler.  “Everybody has a story”.  The Toronto native, currently running Quartexx Basketball, talks about how basketball was always his story. 

Supportive parents put him on the right path and as a college player he realized if he wanted basketball in his life, it wouldn’t be as a player.  Knowing he wanted to stay connected to the game, he became an intern to an agent and realized immediately that this was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.  

Bernie tells us how he competed against the major players in the agency world and made a name for himself as someone to be reckoned with and how he makes time for all his clients regardless of where they are at in the career.

From a young 16 year old seeing his first NBA game to meeting Michael Jordan, Bernie shares what it’s been like to have been on this journey, including how he manages the polarizing Jimmy Butler whom he describes as confident and brutally honest, traits which sometimes make people uncomfortable, and the value in looking past the media images.  How did the NBA Bubble compare to “Dirty Dancing”? Find out in today’s episode.

As one of the most recognizable voices in basketball and longtime broadcaster for the Toronto Raptors, our guest today, Jack Armstrong needs no introduction to Raptor’s fans.   

The voice of the team, he has become an integral part of the fan experience and we hear what this has meant to him.  Jack shares the remarkable journey he’s been on with the Raptors and as we relive the exciting moments of game 6 when the Raptors won their first championship Jack talks of how the team united a Country inspiring young athletes across Canada.

With Toronto being the third largest market in pro sports we get into the politics of basketball and how the NBA can do more to sell its sport beyond the borders of the US.  

We talk about what it was like calling games while outside the bubble, the recent championship series, the future of the Raptors and the NBA as we continue through the pandemic. 

Jack tells us who he thinks is the greatest Raptor of all time and his predictions on the talented young Canadian players making their way to both the NBA and the WNBA.

Tune in to hear Jack’s beloved voice one more time as we wrap up the 2020 NBA season.  

“Get that garbage outta here!”

Lexie Brown, WNBA star of the Minnesota Lynx, joining from the IMG “Wu”bble, opens up about her career, the future of women in basketball, the opportunities that come from her experiences and the platform that’s created to influence important world events. The WNBA are the leaders in championing social justice issues and Lexie talks about what that means to her and how she’s embraced her ability to make an impact.  

We talk about how different it is to play in the WNBA compared to her college days, the level of excellence in the league and what it’s like to play with the women she’s looked up to since she was a young baller.   

 Lexie shares stories of when her dad played for the Raptors, the similarities between her story and Kobe and his daughter Gigi, the impact Kobe had on advancing women’s basketball, the meaning of the orange hoodie, and who really rules the court in a pickup game - girls or guys?

To wrap things up we talk shoes, what’s in her closet, the start of tunnel walks in the WNBA, how she manages her social media image, the higher expectations placed on women in sport and what her hopes are for her future.

This week, we are joined by Canadian NBA agent Mike George. Mike was calling in from Phoenix and owns One Legacy Sports Management which is based in Toronto. Mike discusses his journey to becoming a successful agent in the NBA with high profile talent such as Jamal Murray and the three chat about the current landscape of talent for Canadian basketball players. Tune in now!

Today we are so excited to have New Orleans Pelican rookie and Toronto native, Nickeil Alexander-Walker talk with us about his first year in the league in what has turned into an extraordinary season with the pandemic, and how he is one of the first rookies to play in two opening nights in one season with the three month hiatus.  

Nickeil shares with us his love of the game, his love of shoes, how he’s become a League Fits favorite, and what it’s been like sharing the spotlight with his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  

We were first introduced to Nickeil when his mom, Nicole Alexander, was featured on an episode of Court-Side Moms and Nickeil gives his insights into their relationship and how it contributed to his success in the NBA.

Nickeil talks about the BLM movement and what it was like for him growing up in Canada, and how different his experience has been since he’s moved to the US.  As well he shares his thoughts on how he can make a difference and influence change.  

Our time with Nickeil wraps up with his lessons learned having closed the book on his rookie year, how he is preparing for the future and his fun purchases from his first year NBA salary including 50 pairs of shoes and his favorite car - tune in to hear more from this remarkable young man.

Trish and Kurt talk NBA playoffs, Eastern and Western conference favourites. The battle in the west, some historic performances from Dame DOLLA, Luka Magic, and Spida Mitchell! We then take you through how amazing our guests have been. 

After initially going undrafted in 2014, Langston Galloway has gone on to play 6 seasons in the NBA featuring for; New York, New Orleans, Sacramento, and Detroit. In this week’s episode we talk about his success as a rookie and how that first year with the Knicks helped position him for the NBA career to come.  

A true leader on and off the court, Langston talks about his foundation, his role with Jr NBA,  and how he’s used his platform to help move the Black Lives Matter movement forward and the many ways he gives back to his community and to the kids who “look like” him. 

Joining us from his home in Baton Rouge, where he has been since the start of COVID,  LG shares how he will navigate his upcoming free agency, gives us an inside look at the Pistons, and his teammates and tells us who he thinks will win it all inside the NBA Bubble. Of course,  no interview with Langston would be complete without a look into his shoe closet(s)! -  and the launching of the “not your average shoe store”, “LG Kicks”.