Nobody knows more about the inner workings of the NBA and the big personalities of the league than Marc Spears. The NBA senior writer for ESPN and Andscape has covered the Association for over three decades. He was a recipient of the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Print Media Award.
With the regular season heading into the stretch run, we thought it would be a good time to catch up with Spears to discuss what promises to be an intriguing end of the season and playoffs.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: What has surprised you the most about this season?
Marc Spears: “The Luka Dončić trade. That certainly surprised me. It’s very unusual and rare that the face of a franchise gets traded. I can’t recall the last time. I truly believe that all of the Mavericks’ reasons will probably end up coming out or get leaked out slowly. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with it no matter what the reasons are, but only Nico Harrison and his confidants truly can understand why they decided to go in such a major direction. There were certainly a lot of things that they were unhappy with that they felt were beyond repair, but they also lose a future Hall of Famer, an icon for a franchise, one of the most exciting players in the league, and a box office star that suddenly will be able to take the torch from LeBron James.”
Who will have a bigger impact down the stretch: Dončić for the Lakers or Jimmy Butler for the Warriors?
“I’m going to say Jimmy Butler because I feel like the Lakers were playing pretty well already… the Warriors were lost. A lack of confidence. Basically, seemed like a team that was destined for the play-in tournament and despair. And now, suddenly, just with the addition of Jimmy Butler, they’re a championship-caliber team and are playing outstanding basketball on both sides of the court. It’s added some life to Stephen Curry, who has said several times since Jimmy’s been acquired, ‘We got a shot now.'”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMGVvz0ACFI
What are you looking forward to seeing down the stretch?
“I think the Western Conference is truly wide open. I have a lot of respect for Oklahoma City, and they have been winning the race from the beginning of the season, much of it without Chet Holmgren. But they still have to get over the hurdle and show that they are truly one of the special teams in the league outside of the regular season. They had a great regular season last year and lost in the second round. So I think once the playoffs come, they’re going to have to prove that they are indeed that special… the Lakers, the Warriors, the Nuggets, and perhaps the Mavericks with Anthony Davis, and the Memphis Grizzlies are all capable of challenging the Thunder for that top spot to go to the NBA Finals.”
Will the Boston Celtics catch the Cleveland Cavaliers, and does it matter?
“I don’t think they’re going to catch them, and it will matter because the Cavaliers will have home-court advantage. I think Boston is the most intimidating place to play in the NBA. Their crowd is almost like a soccer crowd from Europe. They’re there early. They’re loud. They make their presence known. They’re dressed in costume. They’re very educated, knowledgeable, and honest about their team. And they’re very tough on the opposing team. So, potentially losing games in that venue is a loss for Boston. I still feel like they’re the best team in the league, and they’re the favorites. But from watching the Cavs recently, man, they’re for real. They have an amazing Big Four. They have no wasted roster spots. They seem extremely focused.”
If the season ended today, who would you give the MVP to?
“I’d give it to Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). I think it’s between Shai and Donovan Mitchell. I’m big on giving it to a player who’s had an exceptional season on the best team. And so, I think Shai is the favorite for a lot of reasons, right? But you can’t deny what Donovan Mitchell has done to lead this team to a stellar record in the Eastern Conference. Again, he’s received help from three other amazing players, but he is the face of the franchise. I do see SGA winning. (Nikola) Jokić has gaudy numbers, which will give him consideration. But I do think that Donovan Mitchell and Cade Cunningham definitely should get consideration.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8e98etY1fE
He’s out for the season due to injury, but are Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers heading for a divorce?
“I actually think this is a good thing for him. He seemed to be playing on one leg all season. Definitely wasn’t his dominant, unique self. One of his teammates told me a while ago that they didn’t understand why he just won’t go ahead and get the surgery he needs to fix his dynamic self. So, it could end up being a blessing in disguise because, one, he can finally, maybe, with all the time before next season, get his body together. But, two, this is a draft that, if a team of that caliber talent-wise is able to land one of the top five picks in a really good NBA draft, then they could be very, very intriguing in the future.”
What can you tell us about your video diaries with Paolo Banchero?
“This is a video and written diary where we basically tap in with (Paolo) Banchero about once a month. We gave him a little hiatus when he had the abdominal injury for a lengthy time, but the one we just filmed, which is a video and written diary, will be the fifth installment that will run (this) week. The goal is to take NBA fans behind the scenes to learn about a different NBA star as a person. And to get even more familiar with them as a star player. We viewed him as one of the young stars of the league.”
Why is your work with Andscape important to you?
I love storytelling.”I get to write about race and culture and sports. I write a lot about not only African Americans but women, Africans, and Latino players. Basically people of color and women from all over the world who have something unique about them or have had to overcome tremendous adversity to get where they are today. I love storytelling. I love for people to come up to me and say, ‘Man, I didn’t know that.’ Or ‘What I read about that player from you was inspirational to me.'”
Is there a story you’ve done in your career that you’re most proud of?
“I don’t know that there’s one that just stands out. To me, I think kind of where I saw this light was interviewing Earl Lloyd when I was at the Denver Post. Earl Lloyd was the first player of African-American descent to play an NBA game. To get time with him in the early 2000s, several years before he passed away, and tell his story and see the impact on people when they read it resonated with me. Oftentimes, early in my career, it wasn’t encouraged to tell these stories that can be painful to hear. But I think a lot of times they’re historical, they’re educational, they’re humorous, they’re heartwarming. And it might make you cry. I get a high off of telling people’s unique stories.”
You let your late father put on your Hall of Fame ring. Could you tell us more about that?
“I could tell he was moved by it. I showed him my name, our name, and said, ‘We’re in the Hall of Fame, Dad. We made it.’ He couldn’t speak at that time, couldn’t show a lot of emotion, but I could tell that that was really something, that it meant the world to him.”