NEW YORK — Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo have a friendship built on the love of basketball and when you listen to them or even read their words, they make you remember why you started following the sport.
Detrick is a sportswriter who reported the infamous Burnergate story about former Philadelphia 76ers executive Bryan Colangelo. He is a contributor for The Ringer and has also written for the styles section of the New York Times. Kuo is an excellent visual artist who was also a longtime DJ in NYC.
They host the “world’s most influential” basketball podcast, Cookies Hoops, which is where all of your coolest friends get their basketball takes. If none of your friends are listening to Cookies yet, you can quickly become the hip sports fan in your circle by subscribing.
Detrick and Kuo linked up with For The Win to discuss their book, THE JOY OF BASKETBALL: An Encyclopedia of the Modern Game (which could make for a great holiday gift!) at Scarr’s Pizza in the Lower East Side. After Scarr’s started blasting Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem so loud that transcribing our conversation would become impossible, we moved locations to Clandestino, the Canal Street bar near Dimes Square.
The two enter the room at Clandestino with comfort and confidence that is typically reserved for the fictional bar in Cheers, a comparison they would hate due to their self-administered rivalry with all things Boston.
There, we covered as many topics vaguely adjacent to hoops as we could while enjoying “an beer” — a running bit they have on their podcast about drinking precisely one beverage.
Who in the NBA is legitimately cool and why is the only answer LaMelo Ball? What should we make of the narrative surrounding Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving and how does it relate to populism? What is it about their Cookies Hoops podcast that draws so many artists, models, influencers, musicians and other media personalities to their events?
These are questions that only Detrick and Kuo could answer, so For The Win picked their brain for as long as possible before the two would have to make their way to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.