Best Flawed Amp Free Podcasts (2025)

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#351: NBA trends (and college comps) with Jordan Sperber 1:08:08

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28m ago1:08:08

1:08:08

Hoopvision's Jordan Sperber joins to discuss trends in the NBA this season, and in basketball in general in the last few years, from bigger lineups and offensive rebounding to zone and full court pressure. We discuss the Rockets size, Celtics, Suns, Zach Edey's recent success and more. Use code THINKING BASKETBALL at www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com…

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Imperfect Paradise: Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is at risk in LA and nationwide 31:26

6d ago31:26

31:26

Nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming care elsewhere after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed their LA Center for Trans Youth Health and Development in July. The closure comes amid threats of cuts to federal funding for providers of gender affirming-care and other attempts to restrict LGBTQ rights nationwide. LAist…

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#350: Slop Ball rules & Are the surprise teams for real? 1:04:57

41m ago1:04:57

1:04:57

We start with the increase in scoring (again), increase in fouls, and complete undercutting of defenses based on the way the game is being called right now. Then, are the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns or Miami Heat actually good? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

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Imperfect Paradise: Health workers say ICE agents at hospitals are compromising patient care 28:16

13d ago28:16

28:16

Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, there’s been an uptick in ICE presence in hospitals across the country. At Adventist Health White Memorial hospital in Boyle Heights, doctors say that hospital administrators have even allowed immigration agents to interfere with patients’ medical care. LAist correspondent Jill Replogle has …

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#349: Thunder dominance, Jokic's efficiency + Power Rankings! 1:09:43

16d ago1:09:43

1:09:43

OKC is a machine and Jokic can't miss! We discuss our first title contenders of the year, the Rockets offense, the strange Eastern Conference contenders, and the large middle class in a weird distribution of teams so far. Plus, addressing the Derrick White efficiency hate! Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball…

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Imperfect Paradise: California's new free public preschool program for 4-year-olds 31:40

20d ago31:40

31:40

All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program in their local school district. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a plan to expand the state’s transitional kindergarten, or TK, program in May 2021, as part of a broader move to create the largest free early education program in the U.S. So what does transitional kind…

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#348: Floor-raising coaches & new offensive trends 54:59

20d ago54:59

54:59

We discuss the Rockets unique, league-leading offense this year, Doc Rivers floor-raising coaching around Giannis and the Bucks, and the trend toward optimizing shooters and ball-handlers who aren't stars. Plus Spoelstra's Heat and the challenge of ceiling-raising as a coach. Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball…

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Imperfect Paradise: Who pays for the 2028 Olympics? LA taxpayers may be on the hook 29:57

27d ago29:57

29:57

In less than a thousand days, Los Angeles will be hosting the summer Olympics. Many cities worldwide have been put into debt by the games, so what could they mean for Los Angeles? LAist reporter Libby Rainey joins Imperfect Paradise to look back at the history of the games when LA last hosted them, the financial outlook for the city, and what role …

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#347: AR's ascension, Cade's passing & Point Jrue 53:17

30d ago53:17

53:17

We discuss the Lakers resilience and Austin Reave’s place among the 2021 draft class, Cade Cunningham’s passing and Jrue Holiday’s point guard resurgence in Portland. Support at ⁠www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

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Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut down 30:50

1M ago30:50

30:50

Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso Canyon leak, which started in 2015 and lasted nearly four months. But residents remain worried about long term health effects following the leak. LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone discusses the 10-year anniversary of the disaster and what’s st…

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#346: Seriously, how good is Wemby? Plus Week 1 thoughts 49:01

1M ago49:01

49:01

We discuss the incredible start from Victor Wembanyama, and where he fits into the NBA hierarchy right now. Plus the teams and players that jumped out to us in week 1, including the Warriors, Blazers, 76ers, Magic and Pelicans. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

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Imperfect Paradise: How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and what it means for Angelenos 21:51

1M ago21:51

21:51

The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests in Southern California and across the country, and the administration has also moved to tighten who gets citizenship. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization. The situation has raised fundamental questions around what it means t…

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Faith & Freedom: After Kirk - Justice Without Revenge 19:28

1M ago19:28

19:28

Send us a text October 14th, 2025: President Trump posthumously awards Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. September 25th: State Department quietly revokes 47 visas for non-citizens who celebrated Kirk's assassination. Justice without revenge - that's the Christian balance we all need to understand. Five weeks after starting this podcas…

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#345: 2026 Season preview 1:29:45

1M ago1:29:45

1:29:45

We preview the 2025-26 NBA season. We discuss Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, the enormous Denver Nugget off season, teams that could win the west, the Clippers/Warriors age conundrum, Franz Wagner's lack of shooting, the Rockets and Knicks new offenses and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball…

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Tech Deep Dive - When the Cloud Goes Dark: Observability After the AWS Outage 22:46

1M ago22:46

22:46

Send us a text Episode 9: When the Cloud Goes Dark - Observability After the AWS Outage Yesterday's AWS outage cost hundreds of billions and took down Snapchat, Coinbase, Ring, even Amazon's own retail site. 15+ hours of chaos exposed a critical truth: most organizations are doing observability completely wrong. THE RECEIPTS: - October 20, 2025, 3:…

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Imperfect Paradise: Prop 50: Is California’s redistricting push a threat to democracy or a defense of it? 31:03

2M ago31:03

31:03

Proposition 50 is part of a nationwide battle over control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Californians are being asked to take a side: Should the state be temporarily allowed to redraw congressional maps to counter the Trump administration and redistricting in Texas? LAist Civics & Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze and Civics & Democ…

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Tech Deep Dive: Platform Engineering - The DevOps Evolution 38:03

2M ago38:03

38:03

Send us a text Platform Engineering isn't just another buzzword—it's the evolution that makes DevOps, DevSecOps, and SRE practices actually scale across entire organizations. In this episode, Scott shares a real story from a scrum call where a simple code formatting mistake became the catalyst for building automated systems that eliminate toil fore…

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21st century peaks Ep 14 | Rankings & Lessons from the series 1:28:57

2M ago1:28:57

1:28:57

What were the big themes and takeaways we had from this series? What specifically players changed in our minds and why? We reflect on the series, rankings in general, p layer synergies and more before discussing our best offensive players and overall players from the series. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball Bubble : Jimmy Butler, Paul …

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Imperfect Paradise: An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied 20:51

2M ago20:51

20:51

A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to multiple Los Angeles city government scandals, including the leak of a racist tape featuring City Council President Nury Martinez. One of the commission’s aims was to modify the LA charter, which is basically the city’s constitution. But reports indicate that this commission is struggli…

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Faith & Freedom: Apple vs. the Sabbath - When 'Inclusion' Excludes Faith 22:54

2M ago22:54

22:54

Send us a text Apple vs. the Sabbath: When "Inclusion" Excludes Faith | Faith & Freedom #7 The EEOC just filed a federal lawsuit that exposes Big Tech's double standard: diversity for everything except genuine religious conviction. THE CASE (WITH RECEIPTS): On September 30, 2025, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit a…

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Tech Deep Dive: Building Bridges, Not Walls: Multi-Cloud Native Design 31:04

2M ago31:04

31:04

Send us a text Real enterprise multi-cloud architecture from 20+ years in the trenches. AWS, Azure, GCP - when to use each, how to bridge them, and why most organizations fail at multi-cloud. THE RECEIPTS (Sources & Facts): Scott's credentials: Google Cloud PSO, AWS ProServe, consulting with McKinsey, PWC, Deloitte on Fortune 500 transformations AW…

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21st century peaks Ep 13 | The mind-blowing value of gravity 1:37:24

2M ago1:37:24

1:37:24

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Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities 23:27

2M ago23:27

23:27

A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency response. But this report bears striking similarities with another -- which chronicled the response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis discusses the reports and what they mean for L.A. County moving forward. Th…

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From the Free State - Tampa's Conservative Awakening 16:24

2M ago16:24

16:24

Send us a text Seven thousand students worshipping Jesus at USF while a UT professor mocks prayer for the President. Three hundred baptisms versus profanity in the classroom. This is the battle for Tampa's soul. After watching Raleigh fall to liberal migration for 12 years, I moved to the Free State of Florida to help build what America can become.…

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Faith & Freedom: Big Tech's Confession - YouTube Censorship Exposed & TikTok's Future 18:14

2M ago18:14

18:14

Send us a text Google admits Biden administration pressured YouTube to censor content that didn't violate policies. In this explosive Faith & Freedom episode, we unpack Google's September 23rd confession to Congress, the shadowbanning of conservative voices, and what the Oracle-led TikTok restructuring means for free speech in tech. Plus, my person…

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21st century peaks Ep 12 | The 3 LeBrody problem 1:26:53

2M ago1:26:53

1:26:53

We look at, perhaps, the 3 best peaks of the 21st century, all from slightly different time periods, environments and circumstances. How does an “ideal” or non ideal environment influence how we evaluate a mega peak? How do we account for era changes that influence spacing and the proliferation of shooters? Can anyone solve the 3 LeBrody problem? S…

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Tech Deep Dive: Kubernetes Like a Sailor | Military Precision Meets Container Orchestration 23:38

2M ago23:38

23:38

Send us a text Former Navy Engineman Scott W Houghton transforms a real pirate attack on the USS Ashland into the most memorable Kubernetes lesson you'll ever hear. Drawing from his experience during the April 10, 2010 engagement in the Gulf of Aden, Scott parallels naval operations with container orchestration, making complex DevSecOps concepts cr…

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Faith & Freedom Special: The Muslim Question - Setting the Record Straight 12:27

2M ago12:27

12:27

Send us a text Scott interrupts his regular production schedule to address concerning comments about targeting Muslims following Florida's Operation One Way Ticket. Drawing from his Navy service alongside Muslim allies and presenting hard data on radical Islamic terrorism, he makes the crucial distinction between peaceful Muslims practicing their f…

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Special Episode - Faith & Freedom - From the Free State "Alligator Justice: Florida's Bold Stand for Law and Order" 15:12

2M ago15:12

15:12

Send us a text 🚨 SPECIAL FLORIDA EDITION: From the Free State comes a powerful examination of law, order, and liberty. This week's Central Florida operation detained 354 illegal immigrants in just 4 days, while Florida builds "Alligator Alcatraz" and expands ICE partnerships by 577% since January. Scott Houghton broadcasts from Tampa with hard fact…

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21st century peaks Ep 11 | Judging playoff value beyond scoring 1:45:56

2M ago1:45:56

1:45:56

How do we make sense of small samples and outlier signals in the playoffs? How much should specifically good or bad matchups influence playoff “performance?” We discuss some titanic big men, their coaches, environments, teammate synergies and how much we should care about their individual scoring numbers in the postseason. Support at www.patreon.co…

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Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California 17:35

2M ago17:35

17:35

Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board – an independent federal entity in charge of overseeing unionizing efforts – is unconstitutional. In addition to those companies, colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are also joining the movement to push back aga…

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Tech Bites: LLMs Unmasked - The AI Truth Bomb 13:59

2M ago13:59

13:59

Send us a text Scott breaks down Large Language Models (LLMs) in plain English – super-powered autocomplete that's changing everything. Compare Claude Opus 4.1, ChatGPT 5, Grok 4, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot from someone who uses them all professionally. Learn why "AI won't replace people, but people using AI will replace those who don't" applies…

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Faith & Freedom: The Charlie Kirk Effect 19:06

2M ago19:06

19:06

Send us a text Faith, Freedom & Tech Episode 3: The Charlie Kirk Effect - Show Notes Episode 3: The Charlie Kirk Effect - Gen Z's Return to Traditional Values September 25, 2025 Two weeks after Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University, we're witnessing a global youth revolution. From 100,000+ protesters in London chanting "We are Char…

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Tech Deep Dive: "DevSecOps and Discipline" 28:35

2M ago28:35

28:35

Send us a text Tech Deep Dive: DevSecOps and Discipline - Show Notes Where security principles meet spiritual discipline - because the same practices that protect our systems can protect our souls. Scott Houghton (20+ years in tech, contractor for Google Cloud PSO, AWS ProServe, Fortune 500s) breaks down how DevSecOps isn't just about securing infr…

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Intro: Finding My Voice Again 18:51

2M ago18:51

18:51

Send us a text After 20+ years of hiding his faith and conservative values in tech, Scott Houghton is done being silent. In this raw, unfiltered premiere episode of Faith, Freedom & Tech, Scott shares: Why watching Charlie Kirk die for his beliefs changed everything The real cost of being a Christian in Silicon Valley How he went from hacking schoo…

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21st century peaks Ep 10 | The Kings of downhill basket pressure 1:37:36

2M ago1:37:36

1:37:36

We discuss two of the most dominant downhill penetrators in league history, and the critical ways in which they're different. First, the strengths and weaknesses of Giannis's battering ram approach and how that influences his playoff impact. Then, Dwyane Wade's unique balance between slicing through traffic and passing through traffic. Support at w…

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Imperfect Paradise: Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters 24:29

3M ago24:29

24:29

After the George Floyd protests of 2020, California took steps to rein in violent policing of protests by passing laws restricting how law enforcement uses less-lethal weapons, like tasers and rubber bullets. But high profile protests in 2024 and 2025 – including this summer’s protests against the ICE raids in Los Angeles – have revealed major flaw…

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21st century peaks Ep 9 | Mega Hybrid scorers 1:13:18

3M ago1:13:18

1:13:18

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were both voluminous score on and off-ball. We discuss Durant's playoff scoring, the impact of his gravity, his floor-raising in Oklahoma City and his more mobile Thunder defense. Then, we upend Kobe Bryant's “inefficiency” narrative, contextualize his problem-solving and huge scoring numbers without dominating the ball…

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21st century peaks Ep 8 | Floor generals, “engines” & 2-way Midrangers 1:28:15

3M ago1:28:15

1:28:15

We tackle Chris Paul's “floor general” approach to offense and the pros and cons of how he pressured defenses (and his turnover suppression). Also, how did he change defensively from 2008 in New Orleans to his Clippers tenure? Where does he rank among small defenders? Then we make sense of Kawhi Leonard's historic scoring numbers and shooting, and …

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Imperfect Paradise: The Huntington Beach library at the center of America’s culture wars 32:06

3M ago32:06

32:06

Censorship efforts at libraries nationwide have increased steadily over the last several years. In the 2023 - 24 school year, more than 10,000 book bans were counted in the country’s public schools. These efforts have become a cornerstone of a larger national debate over cultural influences and parents' rights to restrict those influences. LAist Or…

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21st century peaks Ep 7 | The perfect “quarterback?” & the 7-foot unicorn 1:12:00

3M ago1:12:00

1:12:00

Steve Nash was an early “heliocentric” star. Dirk Nowitzki was a big man who played on the perimeter and off the ball. We discuss team building around them, how big of a concern their defense is, exactly how and why they imparted so much value on an offense and whether they were beneficiaries of a fortunate system. Support at www.patreon.com/thinki…

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21st century peaks Ep 6 | Global impact and modern midrange isolation 1:19:35

3M ago1:19:35

1:19:35

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid are all-time level scorers with a ton of midrange shots. We discuss their unique (and concerning?) geometric footprints on the entire team, the concept of influencing stats for the entire team, and then the conundrum of evaluating Anthony Davis. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball…

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21st century peaks Ep 5 | The Tracy McGrady enigma & Playoff Luka 1:12:23

3M ago1:12:23

1:12:23

Would Shaq's Lakers have won 3 titles with T-Mac instead of Kobe Bryant? We tackle this question and more discussing Tracy McGrady's magical but brief peak in 2003. Then we discuss Luka Doncic's improvements in the playoffs, how hard he is to scheme for, and he polarizing defense. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball…

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21st century peaks Ep 4 | Flexibility & gaining/losing value in the playoffs 1:15:36

4M ago1:15:36

1:15:36

Harden and Ginobili had nearly opposite roles and box score stats. We discuss Manu's underrated defense, his role filling in the gaps in San Antonio, what to make of his more pedestrian numbers, and then dissect James Harden's offensive environment with Mike D'Antoni and what changes with him from the regular season to the playoffs and the tradeoff…

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21st century peaks Ep 3 | A+ defenders with unique (but flawed) offense 1:22:08

3M ago1:22:08

1:22:08

Draymond Green and Dwight Howard were defensive superstars, but how good were they offensively? We discuss their fairly unique roles, and the progressive context of each player in Golden State and Orlando respectively, the “system player” idea and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

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21st century peaks Ep 2 | Can a weak scoring guard be a superstar? 1:02:35

4M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Jason Kidd was one of the best defensive point guards ever, but what about his lower scoring offense? How valuable is his pace and passing despite his problematic shooting reputation? How valuable are all of the little things he does and guard rebounding? We also discuss Jayson Tatum's lack of superpowers. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketb…

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21st century peaks Ep 1 | Honorable Mentions 1:34:27

4M ago1:34:27

1:34:27

What player peaked the highest in the 21st century? We kickoff our 25 best peaks of the 21st century by discussing all the players who didn't quite make the list (and many who could have). Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball.

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#330: 2025 free agency reactions 50:46

4M ago50:46

50:46

We discuss the major moves of the free agency and trade seasons, from Kevin Durant's trade to the Bane Magic to the Bucks wave and trade. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball. For 50% at FACTOR: www.factormeals.com/GREATDAY50OFF and use code GREATDAY50OFF

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#329: Top-10 players of 2025 1:38:09

5M ago1:38:09

1:38:09

Who were the best players in 2025? First, we discuss all players as if they were healthy and ready for a playoff run, and then we trying to balance a year of chaotic injuries and semi-healthy players. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and sign up at SportsBusinessClassroom.com with code THINKINGBASKETBALL for $300 off.…

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#328: The legendary Pacers & the Thunder championship 1:05:22

5M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

We discuss the Pacers egalitarian “ecosystem” that nearly stunned the NBA world, and the Thunder's unique team construction that led to the 2025 championship. We also discuss OKC's defense and where it ranks historically, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball and get 5…