The NBA has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. Not just on the court, but in the way fans consume the league, how media covers it, and how players shape their own careers.

Joining us is Guardian writer and All-NBA voter Claire de Lune to discuss the evolution of the modern NBA through the LeBron era! We dive into player empowerment, ring culture, media discourse, social media, roster-building, and the forces that shaped today's league.

How much of the modern NBA can be traced back to LeBron James? And what happens when the league finally enters its post-LeBron chapter?

You can follow Claire on X, @ClaireMPLS

You can read Claire's incredible work at the Guardian here:

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/claire-de-lune

Every NBA fan has an MVP definition in their head and what usually ends up happening is they're all different. Is the MVP about team success? Raw production? Efficiency? Narrative?

In this micro episode, I break down why modern MVP debates feel so messy and why we may not even be arguing the same thing anymore. Of course here on Once Upon A Dribble we dive into the historical side of things so join me in the NBA Time Machine!

Who was the best player in the world each year in the NBA?

In this episode of Once Upon a Dribble, Josh is joined by CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn to explore a fun historical thought experiment: the unofficial “Best Player in the World Championship Belt.”

Instead of ranking players all-time, we track the league’s true crown year-by-year asking when the belt clearly belonged to one superstar and when it was up for grabs.

We discuss:

• Michael Jordan’s dominance in the 90s

• Shaq vs. Duncan in the early 2000s

• Kobe’s peak years

• When LeBron truly took the crown

• Steph, Kawhi, Giannis, Jokic and the modern era debate

Along the way we dig into the messiest transition seasons, controversial belt holders, and the players who came closest without ever holding the title.

Once Upon a Dribble is a basketball history & ideas podcast focused on context over hot takes.