What’s Wright - Best Of - First Things First's near cancelation to Emmy nomination, Wemby's MVP push, Luka's wild disrespect

Welcome to our best-of-the-week edition of What’s Right with Nick Wright. Settle in and enjoy the good stuff.

Congrats on the Emmy nomination for outstanding studio show. Are you going to campaign, or are you just taking it in?

I won’t campaign, but I care a lot about this nod, and here’s why. We launched in 2017 at a brutal timeslot with Chris Carter and Jenna Wolfe, found an audience fast, and I spent that first stretch learning on-air chemistry while trying not to turn every segment into a fight.

When Chris left in 2018 we lived with rotating co-hosts, which oddly let me shape the show’s voice; Broussard became a constant, and we forged a bond during that impossible Kobe show at Super Bowl week. Then COVID hit, we did TV from our homes, the show nearly got canceled, and I was prepping my family for an LA move before the tide turned and we added Brandon Marshall remotely for a season.

When it was time to pick the full-time seat opposite me, I pushed hard for Broussard—chemistry, reliability, and the right temperament matter, especially across from me. I also fought to keep it a three-person desk and to keep the First Things First name when we moved to afternoons; with Wildes, Brew, Coach, Greg, and an incredible crew, we’ve built what I believe is the best sports TV show, and that’s why this nomination hits so deeply. I’m grateful for my partners and everyone behind the scenes.

Wemby made his MVP case at the podium. Are you with him?

I love his honesty, but MVP has never treated defense as half the pie; history shows offense drives the vote, with plenty of winners who were average or worse on D. Wemby’s defense is outrageous, but I won’t award hypotheticals on offense when he’s at 24 points and three assists—great, not yet top-tier as a pure scorer and creator.

But he boosts their offense too, and he warps every shot on defense. Doesn’t that sum to “most valuable”?

Value matters, but you can’t give him extra credit for numbers he could have if he took more shots and also keep the wins their egalitarian style helps create. Greater usage usually trims defensive impact—think Kawhi before and after his leap—and he’s not yet an offensive force like Luka, Jokic, SGA, Steph, or Booker. My ballot right now is SGA, Luka, Wemby, Jokic, then Cade slipping for eligibility with Jalen Brown next in line.

Where do you rank Jokic and Murray among all-time duos?

In today’s game, they’re as terrifying as anyone when Murray’s rolling; historically, it’s hard to stack them with the legendary pairs because Murray isn’t that level every night. It mostly spotlights Jokic’s greatness, and another ring could change that conversation.

After Jokic’s latest monster stretch, are we sleeping on him for MVP?

He’s fourth for me, and we probably are a bit numb to his nightly absurdity after three MVPs. But I’ve got to spotlight Luka too: he just averaged 40 on a long road trip, and he’s putting up 33-plus on a 50-win team—a profile that historically wins MVP or finishes second, yet he keeps landing third or fourth. He’s not a stopper, but the defense drops off when he sits, and his offensive dominance is being undersold. It’s weird.