Podcast / Edge of Sports / May 13, 2026


The NBA Lottery, Those Nova Knicks, and Movies We Love to Hate

Arya Shirazi joins the show to talk NBA lottery and movies.

Edge of Sports
Edge of Sports

Where sports and politics collide, hosted by Nation magazine Sports Editor Dave Zirin

The NBA Lottery, Those Nova Knicks, and Movies We Love to Hate
byDave Zirin / The Nation

This week, we talk to hoops and cinema savant Arya Shirazi about the world of pro basketball and movies the world loves that we could do without. 

Zirin, WNBA Players Should Have Picketed, Not Attended, the Met Gala

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wnba-met-gala/

http://www.edgeofsportspodcast.com/ | http://twitter.com/EdgeOfSportsPod | http://fb.com/edgeofsportspod | email us: [email protected] | Edge of Sports hotline: 401-426-3343 (EDGE)

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Washington Wizards' John Wall, left, and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, pose for photos after Tatum announced that the Wizards had won the first pick in the NBA basketball draft lottery in Chicago, Sunday, May 10, 2026.

The Washington Wizards’ John Wall, left, and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, pose for photos after Tatum announced that the Wizards had won the first pick in the NBA basketball draft lottery in Chicago, Sunday, May 10, 2026.

(Nam Y. Huh / AP)

This week, we talk to hoops and cinema savant Arya Shirazi about the world of pro basketball and movies the world loves that we could do without. 

Zirin: “WNBA Players Should Have Picketed, Not Attended, the Met Gala

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Basketball Butterfly Effect: Steph Curry & the Knicks | Edge of Sports with Dave Zirin
byThe Nation Magazine

In Part 6 of our series, Basketball Butterfly Effect, Arya Shirazi joins the show again to discuss the 2009 NBA draft and the Knicks coming close to getting Davidson sharpshooter Steph Curry, the most revolutionary player of his generation. You don’t want to miss this episode!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign

With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.

It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Dave Zirin

Dave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.

More from The Nation

President Donald Trump arrives for a working session on promoting economic growth with G7 leaders.

Norm Eisen: Fighting Trump’s Threats to Voting— Plus Protest Success Stories Norm Eisen: Fighting Trump’s Threats to Voting— Plus Protest Success Stories

On this episode of Start Making Sense, the attorney who founded Democracy Defenders
talks about election protection, and John Nichols reports on this week’s Republican defeats.

Jon Wiener

President Donald Trump delivers remarks after touring the newest aircraft in the presidential fleet at Andrews Air Force Base.

Matt Taibbi and the New Threat to Free Speech Matt Taibbi and the New Threat to Free Speech

Eoin Higgins on the weaponization of lawsuits.

Jeet Heer

Autonomous robotic dogs fitted with hyper-realistic silicone heads modeled after US entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos come face to face as part of the interactive art installation.

A Practical Guide to Messing With Big Tech Oligarchs—With Cory Doctorow A Practical Guide to Messing With Big Tech Oligarchs—With Cory Doctorow

On this episode of Fighting Fascism, the man who named enshittification breaks down why AI is the biggest financial scam in history—and how to actually resist it.

US Vice President JD Vance makes an opening statement at the start of a quadrilateral meeting between the U.S., Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar at the Lake Lucerne Summit.

The US-Iran MOU Takes Effect, West Bank Settlements Expand, Fujimori Leads the Peru Election Count The US-Iran MOU Takes Effect, West Bank Settlements Expand, Fujimori Leads the Peru Election Count

Plus: attacks on Lebanon, a brewing battle in Sudan, Russia’s push into Ukraine, a US drawdown in Europe, and the deadly toll of DOGE cuts.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Visitors pass by wax figures representing Cro-Magnon humans, the early Homo sapiens sapiens such as those who painted in the Lascaux caves.

Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall—With Patrick Wyman Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall—With Patrick Wyman

Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. 

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Why Harvard Won’t Settle—Plus, the Struggles of Supermarket Workers

Why Harvard Won’t Settle—Plus, the Struggles of Supermarket Workers Why Harvard Won’t Settle—Plus, the Struggles of Supermarket Workers

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Randall Kennedy analyzes Harvard v. Trump, and Ann Larson explains work behind the grocery store checkstand.

Jon Wiener

x