Ep.255 - NBA Live '96 with Evan Cleaver

·1 hr 30 min·5 clips

Evan would stand up and coach the Chicago Bulls during timeouts in NBA Live '96.

The episode begins with host Connor McKay introducing the show's premise of discussing meaningful video games from guests' lives. Guest Evan Cleaver is welcomed, and they share a lighthearted discussion about Pop-Tarts. Evan reveals his background as an actor and filmmaker who attended Dillard University on a basketball scholarship, graduating as the first athlete with a theater degree. He moved to Los Angeles, struggled to find representation, and later took improv classes online, leading to performing at UCB. Evan discusses his early video game memories, including Atari, arcade games like Pac-Man and Mortal Kombat, and playing on the Super Nintendo. He explains that societal pressure in high school, particularly from girls, led him to stop playing video games to avoid being seen as a nerd. Evan shares a unique experience of playing World of Warcraft to prepare for a theater role. The main segment focuses on NBA Live '96, with Connor providing historical context about the game's development and release. Evan describes playing the game on the family room TV, using a chair to coach the Chicago Bulls, and acting out timeouts and strategies. He reflects on how the game's limitations in realism made it easier to stop playing. Evan scene-paints the family room where he played and discusses his grandmother's influence, as she never missed his basketball games and encouraged him from the sidelines. The episode concludes with Connor sharing a fun fact about the failed rebrand of NBA Live to NBA Elite 11 and offering game recommendations to Evan.

As heard by us

Evan Cleaver looks back on nerd anxiety, acting work, and an unexpected return to gaming.

Evan Cleaver's shifting relationship with games gives this episode a clean, personal arc: early anxiety about being seen as a nerd, then a later return to World of Warcraft through work.

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Why you'd press play

Follow a personal gaming memory from high-school anxiety about seeming nerdy to acting prep inside World of Warcraft.

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