Just weeks away from tipoff, it isn't just fans who are ecstatic about the return of NBA action; league personnel, Hall of Famers, and current players are all anticipating the rebooted season, according to veteran NBA photographer, Andrew D. Bernstein.
"I'm itching to get back to work," he told Cheddar on Monday. "I haven't taken a picture since March 11th."
In partnership with the Los Angeles Times, Bernstein, a photographer covering the NBA for nearly 40 years, plans to document the return of the season amid the coronavirus pandemic with a spinoff of the Legends of Sport podcast titled, Legends of Sport: Restarting the Clock.
"It'll be a great kind of melding of today and yesterday," Bernstein noted. "We're going to have a mix of participants: coaches, NBA types, legends talking about their memories from years past."
With the coronavirus being the focal point of the return to gameplay, Bernstein is also tasked with detailing the reactions to sweeping calls for change as the NBA greenlights current players to make social justice statements.
"It's a huge story and it's vital that we cover that and the fact that the NBA provides this tremendous platform for players," he said.
As the league plans its return amid the surging number of coronavirus cases in Florida, Bernstein said his only major concern is actually making it to the "Bubble" in Orlando, the nickname for the resorts and Disney facilities that house players and staff and will host the actual games.
"The safety of the players and the participants, all of us staff, is of the utmost importance to the NBA, so I have complete and total trust in that," the photographer stated. "My biggest worry, quite honestly, is just getting there. Going on a commercial flight, which I haven't done since the pandemic started."
Jamil Jaffer, Founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute, joined Cheddar to discuss the concern surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's disappearance following a social media post accusing a former high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant, and break down what we know and what we still don't. Plus, a relatively tame Black Friday, and more.
Dan Kilbridge, Bookies.com sports betting expert, and Cam Rogers, Host of 'Lock It In with Cam Rogers' and betting analyst at Bleav, tackle top matchups across the NFL and college football this coming weekend.
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BetMGM host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down the Thanksgiving Day football games and present her Weekend Portfolio of picks.
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Olivia Harlan Dekker gives her top plays for Thursday's Thanksgiving NFL games while Dan Kilbridge and Cam Rogers tackle top matchups across the NFL and college football this coming weekend.
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The New Jersey Devils are debuting its newest jersey option, only the third uniform in the NHL team's history. Jillian Frechette, SVP of marketing for the Devils, joined Cheddar to talk about the inspiration behind the new-look hockey sweater, the contributions to the design by Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, and what it means for the Garden State, home to the franchise since the team moved from Colorado in 1982. The jersey launched in stores on Tuesday and players will begin wearing them beginning December 8 as the Devils approach the 40th anniversary in New Jersey.
NFL Hall of Famer and "Good Morning America" host Michael Strahan will be able to add space travel to his list of accomplishments as he prepares to launch into orbit with the next Blue Origin mission.
On this episode of Cheddar Bets, BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down the biggest NFL action for Week 11; Jared Smith, sports betting analyst from Pickswise, breaks down the biggest games of the college football weekend, including those that put Ohio State and Oregon's Playoff spots on the line; Ben Stinar, NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation, provides one-month-in overreactions and underreactions to some of the NBA betting lines.
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