As 2016 draws to a close, there’s more than ever to talk about in the worlds of music and sports: the NFL playoff picture is taking shape, the NBA season is getting heated, and athletes across the country are partaking in holiday karaoke.
To wrap up the year in Ballin’ Out, legendary producer, bass player and Blue Note President Don Was visits the podcast, along with ESPN NBA, college football, and college basketball reporter and commentator Cassidy Hubbarth, to complete a jam-packed, extra-long year-end pod. Everything from Grammy nominations to the NBA’s Christmas broadcast to what Phil Jackson and the Rolling Stones have in common is fair game. Plus, a 2016 wrap-up from Adelle and Natalie themselves.
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Hubbarth spoke about her path to becoming a sports journalism powerhouse (including an unlikely detour as a traffic reporter), Tim Duncan’s jersey retirement, and some of the big music stars she’s interviewed, including Usher and Drake. “People all clown him for being him, but he’s still the hottest dude in the game!” she said. “When I interviewed him, he couldn’t have been nicer — he was like, giving me Toronto restaurant recommendations.”
For Was, Detroit sports have been a lifelong fixation — on this edition of Ballin’ Out, he shares an anecdote about recording a distinctly football version of Queen‘s “Another One Bites the Dust” with Lions safety Jimmy “Spiderman” Allen in 1980 (and how it may have jinxed the team). The connection between music and sports is a philosophical one for Was, who shares anecdotes about everyone from the Dalai Lama to Niall Horan during the episode.
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Listen to the full episode below, and download and subscribe to Ballin’ Out on iTunes. See you in 2017!