Episode
NBA = IBA? All-Star Voting Exposes a Global League — and an American Backlash
- Podcast
- On The Ball with Ric Bucher
- Published
- Jan 22, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1726
- Processing state
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Summary
The NBA isn’t “American property” anymore — and this year’s All-Star voting made that impossible to ignore. Ric Bucher breaks down why the top fan vote-getters being international stars isn’t a problem… it’s the point. But there’s a twist: the players’ vote tells a very different story than the fans and media, raising an uncomfortable question about who the league’s real hierarchy respects. Then: Ric takes aim at the “free throw merchant” label on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , previews the new All-Star format (Americans vs. foreigners), and explains why it might finally bring competitive juice back to All-Star weekend. And in a hard left turn into culture + business: Ric calls out the optics of Nike/LeBron’s MLK Day shoe release , and closes with a look at Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, and the future of the Lakers , including the resentment over the Bronny roster spot and why Steve Ballmer’s financial advantage may have forced Jeanie’s hand. Time Stamps 00:00 “Cooking with gas” + show intro 00:41 Ric announces upcoming book on being coachable 01:41 NBA → “IBA” : the league’s global takeover is complete 02:19 All-Star vote shocker: Luka/Giannis/Jokic lead — and fans don’t care where you’re from 03:07 Deni Avdija leapfrogs Anthony Edwards : how did that happen? 04:34 Why the league changed voting rules after Zaza Pachulia 05:08 Ric’s theory: Ant’s off-court noise may be costing him votes 06:40 Players vs fans/media: who actually respects which stars? 08:45 SGA isn’t a “free throw merchant” — blame the whistle, not the scorer 10:07 New All-Star format : Americans vs foreigners — and why internationals may have something to prove 12:41 Social media’s “everything is debatable” disease + Ric’s contrarian code 13:39 Nike + LeBron MLK shoe : “sounds wrong” and gets worse the more…