Kevin O’Connor gives his seven biggest takeaways from a star-studded NBA All-Star Weekend. Was the new format a success? Is expansion back on the board? Kevin gives his thoughts.
Advertisement
Next, Ben Golliver joins the show to break down the tanking crisis and which teams are most guilty of tanking the most.
Plus, Cedric Coward joins to share his lessons from his rookie season, his progression as a player and the toughest players to defend.
0:28 Seven biggest takeaways from All-Star Weekend 15:41 Ben Golliver joins the show 45:23 Cedric Coward joins the show
Inglewood, CA – February 15: Anthony Edwards,left, along with teammate Scottie Barnes, right, of Team USA Stars hoists the championship trophy after defeateing Team USA Stripes 47-21 to win the 75th NBA All-Star game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Real Madrid are staring down a potentially humiliating Champions League exit — can they steady the ship against Benfica in the Round of 32? The boys break down what’s gone wrong, whether Madrid’s aura still carries weight in Europe, and give their official predictions for all Round of 32 matchups.
Advertisement
Then we’re joined by the legendary Glenn Crooks, who gives incredible insight into how Emma Hayes developed into the elite manager she is today. Crooks also reflects on his own journey in soccer, shares thoughts on NYCFC’s upcoming season, discusses Pascal Jansen’s evolution as a coach, and weighs in on what the club’s new stadium means for the future of football in New York City.
To close it out, we react to Carlo Ancelotti being spotted at Carnival — is that a bad look for Brazil’s head coach given the national team’s current form? Plus, we discuss Tottenham’s new manager, Raheem Sterling’s move to Feyenoord, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s first La Liga loss, and Antoine Semenyo’s absolutely unhinged pizza opinion. Another packed episode full of insight, debate, and chaos.
Nate Tice & Matt Harmon deep dive on the 8 most QB-needy teams in the NFL to determine who will be starting for them Week 1. The duo start with their reactions to the latest coordinator hires around the NFL, including the Seattle Seahawks finding their Klint Kubiak replacement in new OC Brian Fleury.
Advertisement
Next, Nate & Matt play quarterback matchmaker for the 8 most QB-needy teams in the NFL. The two hosts start with deep dives on the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins (would Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill be interesting names in the free agent market?), Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
Later, Nate & Matt find quarterback matches for the Indianapolis Colts (franchise tag Daniel Jones?), Minnesota Vikings (will JJ McCarthy get another shot?), Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons.
(4:50) – Latest coordinator hire reactions
(16:40) – QB matchmaker: Jets
(29:20) – QB matchmaker: Dolphins
(40:10) – QB matchmaker: Steelers
Advertisement
(46:20) – QB matchmaker: Browns
(57:30) – QB matchmaker: Colts
(1:05:40) – QB matchmaker: Vikings
(1:17:40) – QB matchmaker: Cardinals
(1:22:50) – QB matchmaker: Falcons
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – DECEMBER 21: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field following pregame warmups before the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 21, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen joins Kevin O’Connor to break down the season’s hottest topics, from star player development to the reality of tanking in the league. Drew shares inside stories about working with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jayson Tatum and others and explains why self-belief can be both a gift and a curse for rising talent.
Advertisement
(0:48) When will Tatum return for Celtics?
(12:13) Player development & Deni Avdija
(21:43) Can Hornets maintain their winning ways?
(26:25) How can NBA stop tanking?
(31:09) Joel Embiid’s recovery and development
(43:02) How teams use data & analytics to improve
(49:03) Chris Paul retires from NBA
(56:43) How will defensive coaching evolve?
(01:00:11) Future of the All-Star game
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the LA Clippers on February 2, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Andrew Siciliano deep dives on the 2026 NFL Draft with Nate Tice & ESPN’s Matt Miller. Andrew kicks things off with Nate Tice as they parse through Nate & Charles McDonald’s latest mock draft and cover a few of the more interesting selections, including EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. going second overall to the New York Jets, RB Jeremiyah Love in the top ten, EDGE David Bailey to the Washington Commanders and more. Next, Andrew & Nate set their sites on Indianapolis for the NFL Combine as Nate gives his top prospects he’s most excited to watch test next week.
Advertisement
Later, Andrew is joined by ESPN’s Matt Miller to get his thoughts on the draft (including Ty Simpson, Caleb Downs and more) before talking through his latest NFL mock draft.
(6:55) – Nate Tice breaks down latest NFL mock draft
(21:55) – Nate’s top prospects to watch at the NFL Combine
(44:00) – Matt Miller talks latest NFL mock draft
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers takes the field during pregame warmups before the 2026 CFP National Championship between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
(Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
Inside Coverage would be nothing without the impact of our beloved Terez Paylor, who was a pillar of Yahoo Sports’ NFL editorial and podcast coverage. We will continue to produce this NFL podcast in his honor, and hope that you can support Terez Paylor’s legacy in one of three ways:
• Buy an “All-Juice Team” hoodie or tee from BreakingT.com/Terez. All profits directly fund the Terez A. Paylor scholarship at Howard University.
• Donate directly at giving.howard.edu/givenow. Under “Tribute,” please note that your gift is made in memory of Terez A. Paylor. Under “Designation,” click on “Other” and write in “Terez A. Paylor Scholarship.”
Today on the Kevin O’Connor show, KOC is joined by Tom Haberstroh to ask some big questions in the NBA world: Are the Houston Rockets done? What teams have the most to prove in the 2nd half of the season? Which young players might break out and which coaches are on the hot seat?
Advertisement
Then, the pair look at two of the hottest names in college basketball: Darius Acuff and Darryn Peterson. How does Acuff’s 49-point explosion affect his draft stock? Is Peterson’s self-check-out gambit for Kansas threatening his no. 1 draft pick potential?
Later, KOC is joined by Daman Rangoola, Sam Esfandiari & Claire De Lune from All-Star Weekend to talk the latest with the Lakers and Warriors. That and more on today’s show!
(1:11) Contenders with the most to prove (13:38) Young players to watch (20:26) NBA coaches on the hot seat (33:46) Kings decimated by injuries (37:12) Darius Acuff drops 49 points vs. Alabama (41:44) What’s going on with Darryn Peterson? (56:32) Daman Rangoola & Sam Esfandiari join from All-Star (1:43:10) Claire De Lune joins from All-Star
HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 11: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center on February 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
Nate Tice & Charles McDonald join forces to answer the NFL offseason’s biggest looming questions submitted by the audience. The duo start off by diving into the New York Giants’ potential NFL Draft plans with the 5th overall pick, how the Chicago Bears can fix their defensive line and whether or not Brian Daboll is a good fit with QB Cam Ward as the new Tennessee Titans OC.
Advertisement
Next, Nate & Charles discuss whether or not the Los Angeles Chargers can fix their offensive line in one offseason, if the Jacksonville Jaguars defense can take a leap next season, who the Denver Broncos should be targeting in free agency (Tyler Allgeier?) and what our expectations for the 2026 Washington Commanders should look like.
Later, the two hosts wrap up with thoughts on the New England Patriots’ upcoming offseason decisions, why Sean McVay changed to a duo run game style with the Los Angeles Rams, whether Sean McDermott was really the problem with the Buffalo Bills and more.
(44:15) – Biggest offseason questions: Patriots, Rams, Bills & more
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up before the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Cooligans welcome former MLS head coach and analyst Giovanni Savarese for a deep dive into the 2026 MLS season. Gio shares his predictions, breakout teams to watch, and how the league continues to evolve ahead of a massive 2026 on home soil. The conversation also turns to the USMNT, as the guys assess expectations, pressure, and what success should realistically look like at the 2026 World Cup.
Advertisement
Christian and Alexis then tackle the troubling racist incident involving Vinícius Júnior during Real Madrid’s clash with Benfica. They unpack how these situations are currently handled, question whether the responsibility to stop a match unfairly falls on the player experiencing abuse, and debate what meaningful structural changes could better protect players moving forward.
Finally, it’s a jam-packed Champions League recap. Folarin Balogun shines in a statement performance against Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus suffer a shocking defeat to Galatasaray, and Bodø/Glimt pull off a stunning win over Inter Milan. The boys react to all the drama, surprises, and what these results mean going forward.
Timestamps:
(6:30) – 2026 MLS preview and predictions
Advertisement
(30:00) – Gio Savarese’s USMNT World Cup outlook
(39:00) – Vinicius Junior deals with racism again: time for a rule change?
(59:00) – Folarin Balogun shines in Champions League loss to PSG
(1:04:30) – Serie A teams suffer shocking Champions League losses
LIVIGNO, Italy — For about three seconds before an aerials athlete leaves the start gate, you hear something unusual for the Olympic Games.
Complete silence.
No music, no cheering, not even any chatter in the crowd.
Advertisement
And then, as the skier starts down the ramp, gathering momentum for a 50-foot vertical launch, it pierces through the void and hits you straight in the eardrums.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
As ubiquitous as the drone coverage of the Milan Cortina Games was for people watching at home, rest assured they were a prominent part of the experience for those of us watching live as well. There were even times where you saw these little flying machines come out of nowhere and thought, “Jeez, aren’t they getting a little too close to the athletes?”
Fortunately, the Olympics have come and gone without any drone-related incidents.
Advertisement
But as we look back and assess the Milan Cortina Games for what we’ll remember, there are three major themes likely to endure.
And one clear winner.
1. A watershed moment
In many ways, the revolutionary way drones were used at these Olympics to follow athletes through their runs, jumps and tricks — giving viewers an entirely new perspective on what it’s like to ski down a hill at 80 miles per hour or bobsled through hairpin turns — could open the door for significant changes in the way sports are shown on television going forward.
“It was amazing,” Steve Milton, CBS Sports’ lead director for golf and college football broadcasts, told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview this week from Los Angeles, where he was getting ready for the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational. “I thought it was a real watershed moment for the technology. The angles, the vistas, inside, outside, following an athlete — it’s nothing we’ve been used to, and I see it getting bolder.”
Israel’s Barnabas Szollos the men’s downhill alpine skiing event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio (Valtellina) on February 7, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)
(FABRICE COFFRINI via Getty Images)
Milton has been a pioneer in this space, pushing for more drone usage over the last several years. CBS has employed more and more of them to provide unique views in football and particularly in golf, a sport custom-made for aerial shots. They’re a big part of why CBS’ golf coverage has improved significantly in the past couple years with a far more modern, sleek presentation and the ability to show shots in ways viewers haven’t seen before.
Advertisement
“We’re always trying to push the envelope,” Milton said. “For the most part, golf is better covered from the air because you can see the perspective of the player, what’s left for the second shot, what’s in the way, how far away, and even as a spectator you don’t get that perspective. We’ve had blimps for 40 years, but there’s not a lot of movement in the blimp and it’s a two-dimensional look straight down whereas a drone racing around gives you a nice 3D perspective of what the players [face].”
It says something that even for a big drone proponent, their deployment at the Olympics broke new ground. And don’t be surprised if some of the techniques used here — shots that truly make the viewer feel like they’re part of the action — get imported to American sports television.
And the reason is simple: As long as drone cameras have been around, one of the biggest obstacles to expanded usage has been what leagues will allow. That’s obviously evolved a bit over time as the drones have gotten smaller, more reliable and quieter, alleviating concerns about them interfering with a competition. And there are certainly some limiting logistical issues like local ordinances that require waivers to fly drones or the location of a nearby airport.
But every sport from the NFL to NASCAR wants their product to be presented in the most appealing way possible, and there’s no doubt they’ve taken notice, too. That could be where these Olympics will leave a lasting legacy: Now that the standard has been set for a new level of viewing experience, it’s hard to go backward.
Advertisement
“Any successful use of them will make fans ask for them in more places,” Fox Sports vice president of media relations Erik Arneson said. “I think more and more leagues are open to exploring it. A few years ago, a drone crashed on a ski course and that made people hesitate a bit, but they’ve shown to be [reliable]. These aren’t hobbyists flying them. The pilots are pros so I think it’ll gradually get into some areas where it isn’t yet.”
Of course, some of the ways the drones were used in the Olympic Games are unique to these sports. And sometimes, the footage is so good it can give you motion sickness if you look at it too long. But if there’s anything from these Olympics that’s going to resonate for years to come, it’s likely to be its impact on sports television.
“We had some learning curves in the beginning, but now it’s in the fabric,” Milton said. “You kind of look different without the drones.”
2. A new model for the Winter Games
Outside of perhaps war or putting someone in outer space, there may be no greater human logistical challenge than organizing an Olympics. From housing and feeding athletes to apportioning hotel rooms to the massive transportation network required to get fans, volunteers and media members where they need to go, it is always hard to pull off and rarely goes without some snags over the course of two-plus weeks.
Advertisement
Because of those challenges and how much it taxes the infrastructure of a host city, it appears the IOC is committed to changing the model of the Winter Olympics to look more like Milan Cortina in the future.
Which means an Olympics that is divided into disparate clusters without much connection to one another.
In Northern Italy, there were really four different Olympics going on at once. To get from a speedskating event in Milan to, say, a snowboarding event in Livigno, was going to require a four-hour-plus drive or an even longer series of trains and buses. A drive between Livigno and the Cortina cluster — where they held curling, women’s alpine skiing, sliding, cross-country and ski jumping — would be five or six hours through the Alps depending on conditions. And even to get between Livigno — host of the extreme sports — and Bormio —men’s Alpine and ski mountaineering — was a 90-minute crawl through a couple mountain passes despite being just 22 miles apart.
There’s never been an Olympics that scattered and disconnected.
Advertisement
But this is more or less what it’s going to look like going forward. In 2030, the so-called “French Alps” Olympics look to be just as spread out if not moreso with a footprint of clusters across the lower third of France all the way down to Nice. Though the accessibility of Park City will make the return of the Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City more compact in 2034, the likely winner for the 2038 bid is a proposal by Switzerland to spread things out across the whole country.
Why?
The answer is cost and sustainability. It is difficult and expensive to build infrastructure for an event as big as the Olympics in small mountain towns and ski resorts. It’s why the IOC struggled to get traditional winter countries in Europe to even bid for awhile because asking citizens to absorb the cost was a huge political loser for those governments. (The 2022 Games was decided between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, because everybody else dropped out.)
So, in essence, the IOC has calculated — and rightly so — that the only way you’ll get Olympics in Europe anymore is to lessen the burden on the locals by putting a few events here and a few events there. It makes sense — even if athletes and fans lose some connection to the feeling of being at a traditional Olympics. After all, for most of the world, it’s just one big TV show.
Advertisement
“We want to maximize our Olympic experience as much as possible, which means getting to all of these different events and watching teams win as many medals as we can,” said U.S. aerials skier Kaila Kuhn. “I think most of us would agree we wish we could go see more events like skating or cross-country. But we’re with a lot of our buddies here, with a lot of our fellow freestyle skiers and we were super stoked to be here.”
Despite the inconveniences, the long bus rides and the inability to hop around easily from curling to hockey to halfpipe, the model worked. And it’s here to stay.
“We have had and I’ve had the opportunity to go to all venues and [Olympic] Villages across these Games and the athletes are extremely happy, and they’re happy because the experiences that the [Milan Cortina] team and my team delivered to them have been the same,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said. “It’s part of the evaluation process after the Games where we look at it and say what worked and what didn’t work. These Games have been truly successful in a new way of doing things and a sustainable way of doing things in a way I think many people thought couldn’t be done well. It’s been done extremely well and surprised everyone’s expectations.”
3. Domestic disputes
Thanks to our way-too-online and overheated social media culture, I’m afraid we are never going to have another Olympics without Americans being at each other’s throats.
Advertisement
While consuming the Olympics through the social media lens wasn’t great in 2024, it’s never been more toxic than during the two weeks of these Games, where every comment from an American athlete — even some that were pretty milquetoast — was put through the wringer until it became pellet food to satiate people’s hunger for outrage.
Here’s the reality: Every single athlete wearing the Team USA uniform was proud and honored to be here representing their country. But we also live in a country of 340 million people, and that pride in the American flag does not manifest itself the exact same way for everybody. We are a big, complicated place, and we disagree on a lot.
That’s OK.
In the immortal words of Kevin Durant after Team USA’s semifinal game in Paris two years ago: “A lot of bulls*** happens in our country. But a lot of great things happen, too.”
Advertisement
Here’s another reality: For better or worse, what happens in America is a big deal in the rest of the world. And in tense times domestically like these, it’s going to be an inevitable topic at worldwide sporting events. American athletes are always going to be asked about it — more often by the international press than the American media.
If they don’t want to speak up, fine. If they do, that’s fine, too — regardless of what their opinion is. Again, we’re a big country — too big to be represented by one kind of person, one kind of thought, one kind of patriotism.
But the entire Hunter Hess experience, and those (including politicians) saying he should be sent home or didn’t deserve to wear the uniform, smacked of the kind of thought police state we should not want the Olympics to devolve into.
At the same time, expecting Team USA athletes to ignore the complexities of whatever is going on at the moment and perform a brand of paint-by-numbers patriotism that caters to either side of the political divide is unfair. It does nobody any good. It’s exhausting. And if we get to a point where a citizen of what’s supposed to be the freest and most individualistic country on Earth is afraid to be authentic lest they find their lives ruined by a social media mob, even for a few weeks, God help us.
Advertisement
In the past, I have advocated for the U.S. government to fund its Olympic effort through at least some public dollars like other countries do to alleviate the financial strain on college sports. This Olympics has changed my mind because it is now easy to see what it could lead to: Politicians using their leverage to impose ideological purity tests in order to represent Team USA.
No thanks.
There should be only one goal here: Winning medals. That’s why the U.S. has always been so good at the Olympics. We compete hard, we award spots on merit and we let the chips fall where they may.
If we can’t root for Olympians we disagree with, if we descend into insults and threats because an athlete has a different worldview or expresses their patriotism differently than the way you would, it will only deepen our culture of tearing each other apart.
And if that’s the case, what’s the point of the Olympics at all?
Team USA added one more goal medal after entering the final day of the 2026 Winter Olympics with its most ever in the Winter Games, but Norway ran away with the total medal count and most gold medals.
Here’s the full list of American gold at the conclusion of the Games, in chronological order:
In total medals, the Team USA finishes 33. That leaves it one short of the record for total American medals in a single Winter Olympics, accomplished at Salt Lake City in 2002.
With one more medal in hand, the U.S. extended its lead over Italy for second place in the gold race behind Norway, which is having the best performance in the history of the Winter Olympics. USA’s total medal count of 33 also stands as second in the Games. Norway’s 18 gold medals and 41 total medals led the count in both races.
Advertisement
Here’s the final medal count after Sunday’s final day of competition:
