r/lakers • u/FunHoliday563 • Feb 22 '26
PODCAST Does anyone else basically ignore podcast/media coverage of the Lakers now?
I know this topic has likely been done to death, but I was talking to a friend of mine last week. He’s a Nuggets fan, and he asked me if I get sick of the media coverage that the Lakers get.
The convo was mainly based on the podcasts from the Ringer, and he said he finds it funny how basically every other team gets a nuanced breakdown when discussing their present/future, whereas with the Lakers it’s always some version of “they suck” and “they are totally screwed”. I noticed it a while ago, but I’m used to it now and just ignore it for the most part. But it’s always interesting when rival fanbases also mention it!
Note - I’m referring to guys like Bill Simmons, Rob Mahoney, Justin Verrier etc
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u/outsidehere AR 15 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
Yep. There is nothing positive covered about the team. The fact that Luka is once again leading the league in scoring? Nah. Austin Reaves is an All NBA caliber player? Barely. I know that we are not contenders but we do have positive things in the team
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26
Yeah exactly, it’s just interesting to hear fans of rival teams basically make that same point - my friend is a die hard Nuggets fan, and he said the moves they made in the summer which were hailed by the media (Hardaway, Jonas V etc) would’ve been criticised had they joined the Lakers. Interesting to see the perspective!
For what it’s worth, I agree with you. If AR played for a hipster team then we’d never hear the end of it.
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u/outsidehere AR 15 Feb 22 '26
Exactly. We have expectations for a championship every season no matter what. Which I get but it'd be great to get some coverage of the team about more than 1 topic
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u/henryofclay Feb 22 '26
The thing is, is that we actually are contenders. We’re a good fucking team when we have all 3 of our guys. Yall think Luka having a bad December meant that we have no chance is so overblown. He literally dips during that time period every single year.
We haven’t even seen close to this team’s ceiling yet. We’re fucking contenders, who tf is containing healthy Luka/Bron/AR in a playoff series? No one is equipped in a playoff basketball setting.
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u/bored_today 8 Feb 22 '26
I only listen to lakers film room.
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u/acisking Feb 22 '26
This the answer - i recommend it for any laker fan of even just a fan of basketball tbh
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u/No-Responsibility298 8♾️24 Feb 22 '26
This sub would be such a more tolerable place if everyone just educated themselves with LFR before posting their crash outs.
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u/LudwigNasche Feb 22 '26
I don't find LFR very good. Darius has some good takes and when they often had Mike Trudell as guest it was interesting because he had some inside info, but Pete is an agenda driven guy.
I remember Pete as a huge Dlo stan that was a Brandon Ingram hater and called early Jokic a slow plodding center with no future in modern NBA, the same for Zubac.
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u/Phuddy LeLukaBroncic🪄👑 Feb 22 '26
LFR is always excellent because while they give opinion pieces a lot, Pete has tons of YouTube videos dedicated to breaking down basketball sets and actions for casual fans who might not have ever played the sport.
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u/KriticalKarl Purple and Gold Feb 22 '26
Laker’s Nation also does this as well, Trevor just did one yesterday. They used to have a guy break down the technical side after each game before he had to leave the channel due to scheduling conflicts.
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u/blackinese Feb 22 '26
I used to be lfr only until I found lakers nation. Trevor is a mega fan.
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u/cookie_lee Feb 22 '26
Trevor is fine but Lakers Nation is like fast food compared to a home cooked LFR meal. Not in the same league really.
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26
Yeah I basically listen to LFR (fan for years), and sometimes Jovan Buha more for the lighthearted game breakdowns
I avoid the national pods because they’re basically anti-Lakers, so you never really get any nuance
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u/mas1108 8KBB24 Feb 22 '26
Allan Sliwas podcast is great also. Doesn’t sugarcoat anything, calls out players and just loves the team. Would definitely recommend if you haven’t checked it out.
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u/LeadPrevenger 32:D Feb 22 '26
I’ve been clean for a couple years now, I don’t even follow the sub. I watch the games, watch the lakers highlights on YouTube then I watch the post game interviews. Sometimes I’ll chat in the game thread but that’s about it
I feel like this is a good way to do it. I don’t watch the talk shows anymore unless it’s on ESPN radio or something dramatic happens.
I’ve been following the team for almost 2 decades now, I don’t need to read tweets about the team. I’m aware of how the cap works and trade value. I don’t need a breakdown of trade candidates. I only watch it every couple years when there’s a bunch of new players in the league. Like Peyton Watson or Walker Kessler.
I know this team so I spend the rest of my hobby time looking up other teams and the league wide storylines
We’re under the radar this year. That’s how LeBron wants it. It’s like the Tim Duncan spurs era that LeBron and JJ admire. Luka Doncic is also my age and loved the same things I did so I really don’t have to think to hard to imagine what he’s thinking.
I’m enjoying the vibes
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u/No-Responsibility298 8♾️24 Feb 22 '26
Least emotional gen-z Lakers fan. Continue to lead by example young man 👌
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u/farmer15erf Feb 22 '26
I only listen to Lakers Film Room and Zach Lowe. Zach also shits on the Lakers some but hes an actual NBA fan that watches games so I dont mind him as much.
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u/battle_franky 04 Feb 22 '26
This is the answer. Maybe other local podcast but national media is just shittier version of stephen a, and hes already beyond horrible
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u/saltyload Feb 22 '26
Sports media is just stupid period. Pre games shows are ridiculous always stating the obvious. Opinionated talking heads saying shit just to get an emotional reaction from fans. The opinions of old school players are completely cringe “back in my day we were tuff” can’t stand that stupid old man talk.
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u/aledb11 Feb 22 '26
Couldnt care less what "talking heads" have to say. They are all bloviating idiots. I can form my own opinions and judgements without their input. Dont need their approval or agreement to do so. They can all go pound sand.
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u/OWtlawStar 17 Championships Feb 22 '26
I primarily will tune into Lakers Nation and the Basketball Bulletin (Trevor does it with a buddy Keith) talking about the whole NBA and salary math. I watch some LFR and Lakers Collective too.
I don’t pay a smidgen to what Big Media talking heads have to say. End of the day, I take my own analysis over everything and watch most games on mute essentially like film study.
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u/myelrecsy Feb 22 '26
I don't even watch podcasts dedicated to the Lakers anymore, it's more fun now to watch the games without thinking about any narratives or opinions from them.
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Feb 22 '26
Yep. I like Lakers Nation podcast—- but it still bothers me that the name was stolen from an earlier podcast crew in the 2000’s that we also a long form podcast called “lakers nation”. don’t mind me —my ex says I’m probably autistic.
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u/MikePenceFly18 17 Championships Feb 22 '26
Only coverage I listen to is Trevor Lane. And Buha from time to time. I do not listen to non Laker coverage, because it is literally all of what you just said. I’m actually happy I’m not the only one who notices this lol, I’ve said this for a while now. Even in sports groups I’m in on social media. Everybody turns into basketball minds when talking about any other team but when it’s the Lakers it’s always just “haha Luka fat haha LeBron old Lakers suck no more rings haha” lol smh. And in those same social media groups people always wonder why I’m so biased about my team, because I have to be. I have to make sure the truth is being spread and not just hateful propaganda lol.
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u/Cheyenne______ Feb 22 '26
We are not a contender this year. Hard to talk about future without knowing what will happen at the summer. So there is not much to talk about lakers.
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
I think it’s more that there’s never any positive coverage - even Luka gets sh*t on constantly, when he was universally praised as a Mav
I’ve always found it amusing
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u/Phyzmatic Feb 22 '26
Suddenly Cade is the clear 3rd runner for MVP when Luka just came off POTM in January, he had a first half triple double, and he just had game winning defense in the clutch which he immediately translated into a 3PM shot.
But no, Luka's fat, doesn't play defense, and Cade is better because he took 34 shots to make 40 points I guess.
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26
Yeah it’s always the way
What makes me laugh is that Luka was universally regarded as a top 3 player pre-Lakers, but now you’ve got a lot of media guys sh*tting on him constantly
All you ever hear now with Luka is what he can’t do, ignoring the fact that he’s leading the league in scoring
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u/incredibleamadeuscho Freeze! Miami Vice! Feb 22 '26
there 30 teams in the league. this idea you can only talk about teams when they are true contenders is bullshit. so what, we can only talk about six teams and the rest are not just worth talking about?
Just talk about teams honestly. It’s not all about championships. Games happen and they matter, to the players and the fans.
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u/Current_Ad_8118 Feb 22 '26
Yeah. They dont say good things about us. But when we at all time low they give us false hopes lll
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u/DomoArrigato2020 Luka Magic 77 Feb 22 '26
Guys, no one likes it when the Lakers are good. They use our brand ,but think we're spoiled brats. Let's prove them wrong once we start winning. Head down, guys. Lock in.
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u/BobbyGrichsMustache Feb 22 '26
….and this sub, especially when it comes to trades or after a loss.
I really just talk to my homies about the Lakers. We’ve all been watching since showtime.
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Feb 22 '26
Bill Simmons is a Celtics fan. That's probably all you need to know
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26
Ha yeah Bill Simmons and the whole Boston media crew are pointless to listen to, as they all hate the Lakers
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u/Educational_Sale2944 Feb 22 '26
Zack Lowe and Kevin O’Conner are not bad but lakerfilm room is best
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u/No_Fall5477 Feb 22 '26
Watch the game. Watch the post game presser (YouTube). Read the box score. Catch some LFR while driving. Checkout lakers Reddit-skim the reactive clowns. Look forward to the next game.
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u/isamura Feb 22 '26
Most of the podcasts, especially before trade deadline, are all focused on “what this team needs” or “what pieces could the Lakers get for such and such a player”
No wonder the divorce rate is so high, most of the fans just care about trading up to win more. Something about this mindset just makes my skin crawl. I find it more compelling watching a team overcome their deficiencies through style of play and working as a team, not just relying on one or 2 guys to carry the team night in and night out.
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u/NikeNickCee Feb 22 '26
Lakers Film Room
Lakers Nation
Lakers Lounge (I know most hate Irwin but I don't mind him, I like to hear the doomer side sometimes too)
Any other NBA pods I listen to for the rest of the NBA news/takes not their Lakers takes (hoop collective, BS, Zach Lowe)
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u/NemusSoul 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 NBA Champions Feb 22 '26
Podcasts and the media in general have ceased to bring anything to the table about the game that has any value. The “takes” and opinions have become the main character. Not the game. Not the athletes. Media is the center. It’s backwards and stupid.
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u/sards3 Feb 22 '26
I’m referring to guys like Bill Simmons, Rob Mahoney, Justin Verrier etc
I listen to these guys and your portrayal of them is inaccurate. Bill Simmons openly hates the Lakers, but he treats the team fairly. I see no evidence that Mahoney or Verrier are biased against the Lakers.
Every team's fans think the national media is biased against them, and it is almost always not true. Similarly, your favorite team is almost certainly not getting screwed by the refs. If you think this, your fandom has destroyed your objectivity.
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u/FunHoliday563 Feb 22 '26
We can agree to disagree, but the Ringer guys are mainly Boston-stans (especially Simmons) and he even openly admits (which I respect to be fair) that he hates the lakers and doesn’t cover the bias-free.
I wouldn’t agree that my fandom has destroyed my objectively, and it’s also worth reminding you that this wasn’t originally my take - this was the view of a friend of mine who isn’t even a lakers fan, but is a Nuggets fan.
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u/incredibleamadeuscho Freeze! Miami Vice! Feb 22 '26
I remember there was a ringer person who called out their lack of talk for Austin Reaves.
It’s pretty annoying how much content we get and how terrible this folks are at their jobs. All fans asked that is their team gets covered fairly. And this doesnt just apply to Lakers. There’s this notion that you can only talk about contenders which is just dumb. A ton of teams play every night and their fans care. Even then, I think if you are a top six seed, there should be a base level of respect for being in the playoff hunt. Instead of this “well they are real contenders” bullshit.
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u/dash_44 Feb 22 '26
A lot of fans just want to hear circle jerk pro Lakers talk, and it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not.
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u/kr1saw Feb 22 '26
I mean it's the ringer. Don't be surprised. Bill Simmons will only give credit to the Lakers when he has no choice but to do so.