The Ankle-Breaker
The Ankle-Breaker
Jake McNeill
Independent sports editor Jake McNeill takes a deep dive into impactful events around the National Basketball Association. With the exception of longer breaks in the offseason, the podcast is a weekly show with new episodes released on Fridays.
#Knickstape: Atlantic division preview
Jake brings on guest Tom Blanchard to preview the NBA's Atlantic division. The duo also takes a dive into the NBA's schedule release, the latest from FIBA and the enormous contract the Spurs wanted to offer Austin Reaves.
Aug 25, 2023
1 hr 7 min
World Wide Wolves
Canis Hoopus editor-in-chief Jack Borman joins Jake for episode 8 of the Ankle-Breaker to discuss the latest in the Harden saga and the Timberwolves' new uniforms and wide range of FIBA World Cup participants. They also take a look at some of this year's World Cup's top contenders as well as some possible sleepers in the group stage.
Aug 18, 2023
55 min
Going Global
This week's episode of The Ankle-Breaker takes a look at the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class, headlined by Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker. Not only is the class loaded with talent, but it's a symbol of a more significant trend in the NBA's increasingly international talent pool. Jake also takes some time to look ahead to next year's candidates and dive into what the standard for Hall of Fame induction is — or should be.
Aug 11, 2023
54 min
Billion-Dollar Babies
Jake talks with special guest Kyle Levin in episode 6 of the Ankle-Breaker to take a look the implications of the continued growth of NBA stars' contracts, NBA expansion possibilities, ESPN's coverage decisions and the 2024 tank contenders.
Aug 4, 2023
39 min
Clip City, Chip City?
Jake sits down with special guest and former Gavel associate sports editor Neal Bold to discuss the long-term implications of James Harden's trade demand, risers and fallers in terms of NBA title contention and some standouts from the Summer League championship game.
Jul 21, 2023
56 min
Midseason Madness
With special guest Tom Ferrer, Jake takes a look at the NBA’s announcements of the midseason tournament, new rule changes, and some of the recent summer league action.
Jul 14, 2023
58 min
Fred Van Fleeced
Jake McNeill takes a look across the NBA at some teams’ action (or lack thereof) in free agency, as well as a brief glimpse at the Dame situation.
Jul 7, 2023
47 min
Cam Whitmore or less?
Jake McNeill hosts guest John Fitzpatrick — a graduate assistant for the University of Georgia athletic department and former employee of the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots — to discuss the implications of the NBA draft on the outlook of the Timberwolves, Rickets, Pistons, Jazz and more. They also dip into free agency for a few contending teams.
Jun 30, 2023
1 hr 6 min
Celtics blues and draft debuts
In the inaugural episode of The Ankle-Breaker podcast, Jake breaks down the fallout of the Celtics trading Marcus Smart for Porzingis and analyzes some intriguing draft-day fits for the 2023 NBA draft
Jun 22, 2023
50 min