Ballislife Podcast Network

Randy Cruz is joined by Denny Blanco to review the NBA Draft Lottery. They discuss who Minnesota could pick with the #1 pick, as well as what the Knicks would do with the #8 pick, first week of NBA Playoff games and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/iamdennyblanco (@iamdennyblanco) FULL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6EcyvGZ4HGXTxt9Z2kP0A

On Ep. 77 of the Ballislife In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland take a look back into California high school basketball history to discuss what some of the best players the state has produced were like in high school. Ron & Dev welcome on Damian Lillard's high school coach Orlando Watkins and James Harden's high school coach Scott Pera to give further insight on what those two were like as prep players and how they ended up becoming NBA superstars.

Randy Cruz is joined by Joe Cruz, Co-CEO of the Hoops in the Sun Summer League, to preview the NBA Playoffs. They also discuss the bubble games, LeBron vs Melo in the first round and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/hoopsinthesun (@hoopsinthesun)

On Episode 76 of the Ballislife In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss the latest themes of the NBA restart. Should the Lakers be concerned about their lack of shooting and potentially facing Portland in the first round of the playoffs. Which players have been the best in the bubble? Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic and Devin Booker have made their cases. Our main topic is the recent college football news of cancellations and postponements of two Power Five conferences: The Pac-12 and the Big Ten. Ron and Dev welcome on guests Matt Moreno (University of Arizona beat writer) and Adam Grosbard (USC beat writer) to give us an inside look at what went on behind the scenes to lead to the postponement.

Randy Cruz is joined by Denny Blanco to preview the restart of the NBA season, give predictions, discuss the Knicks hiring Tom Thibodeau as their new head coach and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/iamdennyblanco (@iamdennyblanco)

On Episode 75 of the In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland continue the discussion surrounding high school and college sports during the pandemic. The guys welcome on two senior point guards based out of California with different outlooks when it comes to recruiting. Stanford-commit and Jesuit high school star Isa Silva hops on the show to discuss how he's going about his development while not playing any travel ball games. Next, Jake Blazona out of Santa Margarita explains how the lack of travel basketball and exposure to college coaches has affected his recruitment. Ron and Dev also bring on two college coaches - Ryan Badrtalei of UC Irvine and Jesse Pruitt of Stanford - who detail how their approach to recruiting and evaluating has changed and how prospects can take a proactive approach to their own recruitment.

On 'The Retro Room', Randy Cruz and Terrance Watson revisit the NBA Drafts from 2010-2019 and pick their top 5 from each of those drafts. They also debate on the top 5 players that were drafted from 2010-2019 and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/lowereastscribe (@lowereastscribe) patreon.com/cruzcontrol

On Episode 74 of the In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) decision to push back the start dates of high school sports in the state. The guys discus the impact it will have on high school basketball, football, baseball and dual sport athletes during the 2020-2021 season. Ron and Dev are joined by local coaches David Rebibo (Harvard-Westlake), Ryan Meier (Mt. Miguel) and Reggie Morris, Jr. (Fairfax) who outline how they are approaching the new start date with their programs and navigating potential scheduling issues.

On Episode 73 of the In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss the WNBA attempting to start it's season at IMG Academy in Florida.The guys welcome on media member Adena Andrews, former WNBA player and current overseas player Chelsea Hopkins and WNBA All-Star Tiffany Hayes who give different perspectives on playing basketball through the pandemic and the long-term toll it could have.

On 'The Retro Room', Randy Cruz and Denny Blanco take to task on picking some of the most memorable basketball moments that occurred in the pre-Twitter era. Many to choose from, but 'Malice at the Palace', Kings vs Lakers Game 6 from the 2002 Western Conference Finals, Michael Jordan's first retirement, Chris Webber calling a timeout in the 1993 National Championship, Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points and more moments were discussed on this episode. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/iamdennyblanco (@iamdennyblanco) patreon.com/cruzcontrol

On Episode 72 of the In The Paint Show, Ronnie, Dev and Ballislife co-founder Arek Kissoyan discuss their recent list of Top 30 Mixtape Players of the Ballislife Era. What was the criteria? Was John Wall a clear No. 1? Why did guys like Jalen Green and Josh Christopher just miss the top 30? The guys also discuss Patrick Mahomes record setting contract and the impact of Makur Maker's decision to commit to HBCU Howard University

On 'The Retro Room', Randy Cruz and Mal from The Joe Budden Podcast revisit 'The Decision' 10 Years Later and the effect it had on the NBA landscape. They discuss LeBron's first stint with Cleveland from 2003-2010, what led to him leaving the Cavs, reasons why he didn't choose New York in 2010, 'The Decision' special on ESPN, playing with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, it was supposed to be Carmelo Anthony in the Big 3, LeBron trying to be the villain in his first season in Miami, LeBron compared to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/MAL___ (@MAL___) patreon.com/cruzcontrol

On Episode 71 of the In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss Emoni Bates' decision to commit to Michigan State and leave Lincoln high school to join his father's prep program. Former Michigan high school reporter Braeden Proctor joins to give more depth to this story and if there was any surprise to this move. Will Bates ever log a minute for the Spartans? Or will he look to take the G-League route instead. The show's second guest is ESPN senior writer for The Undefeated, Marc Spears. Marc sheds light on the upcoming return to action in the NBA, how players are feeling, what social justice actions will be taken and just how safe the bubble will be. The third guest is Lakers beat writer Kyle Goon who gives listeners an inside look at how the purple and gold are approaching the restart. How big of a loss is Avery Bradley? What role will JR Smith serve? Which player is likely to step into Bradley's role?

On 'The Retro Room', Randy Cruz and Ariel Helwani from ESPN revisit the summer of 1999 for the New York Knicks as they become the first 8th seed to advance to the NBA Finals. They discuss Ariel being a long time Knicks fan, meeting Patrick Ewing, his love for the mid 90's Knicks, how the 1999 Knicks team became a favorite amongst Knicks fans, rivalries with the Heat, Pacers and Bulls, the Patrick Ewing trade in 2000 and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/arielhelwani (@arielhelwani) patreon.com/cruzcontrol

On 'The Retro Room', Randy Cruz and Jabari Davis from the 'Dunks & Discourse Podcast' revisit Shaq and Kobe's first NBA Championship as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. They discuss Shaq initially signing with the Lakers in the summer of 1996, the Lakers trading for Kobe Bryant on draft night in 1996, the early playoff woes from 1997-1999, Phil Jackson becoming the head coach prior to the 2000 season, Shaq's dominant 2000 MVP season, the progression of Kobe Bryant, rivalries with the Blazers and Kings, the 2000 Western Conference Finals, 2000 NBA Finals vs the Indiana Pacers and more. twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz) twitter.com/jabaridavisnba (@jabaridavisnba) patreon.com/cruzcontrol