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The NBA Wants Teams to Stop Sleepwalking Through the Season.

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Episode Notes

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Lindsay Gibbs, and Ben Lindbergh examine the NBA’s growing tanking problem and the league’s ongoing struggle to make the All-Star Game competitive. Then they’re joined by sportswriter, Neil Paine, to discuss the rise of Connor Zilisch, a young NASCAR driver drawing comparisons to Jeff Gordon. To close, Hang Up vet, Josh Levin, returns to talk all things Winter Olympics and what he’s looking forward to in its last week.

Ben also has an Afterball on the Snoop Dogg-ification of the Olympics and sports in general.

Read Eric Koreen at the Athletic on the embarrassment of the NBA’s tanking situation

Read Neil Paine’s recent profile of Connor Zilisch.

Check out Alex’s piece for Slate on the possibility of a reverse “Miracle on Ice.”

On the bonus episode, available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the panel talks about the NCAA’s messy player eligibility lawsuits.

Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Hang Up and Listen show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/hangupplus for access wherever you listen.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.

Podcast production and editing by Kevin Bendis, with production assistance from Patrick Fort.

Bonus Episode

[### Bonus: The NCAA Eligibility Mess

The loopholes and legal fights that allow some athletes to keep extending their collegiate careers.](https://slate.com/podcasts/hang-up-and-listen/2026/02/ncaa-eligibility-rules-have-gotten-blurrier-and-blurrier)

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