Kamala Harris is mercilessly mocked for doing interview with an NBA podcast... and gets a boost from the liberal media she is shunning

Vice President Kamala Harris is taking heat for failing to hold a single press conference since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, but she did find time to appear on a popular NBA podcast.

The vice president sat down with former basketball players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes for a special episode of their 'All the Smoke' podcast in a wide-ranging interview that lasted roughly 45 minutes.

The podcast hosts use their platform to discuss the latest news both on and off the basketball court.

During the episode released Monday, the three discussed Harris' loyalty to the Golden State Warriors but also branched off to address a series of other topics from policies to her family and racial identity.

The sit-down interview recorded in her Washington, DC home is the latest in a series of less traditional media appearances by the vice president as she mounts her bid for the White House .

It comes as Harris is faced criticism for largely avoiding tough interviews with reporters who would grill her on the issues while opting instead to appear on friendlier platforms as she works to reach voters across the country.

The vice president has now gone more than seventy days without doing a solo press conference since becoming first the presumptive and then the official Democratic presidential nominee.

Even as the New York Times editorial board endorsed Harris for president on Monday, it blasted her approach to the media and what appeared to be an effort to avoid unforced errors.

The group of opinion journalists wrote 'leaving the public with a sense that she is being shielded from tough questions, as Mr. Biden has been, could backfire by undermining her core argument that a capable new generation stands ready to take the reins of power.'

The vice president was also mocked for appearing on the NBA podcast online leading up to its release.

In response to the news about her sit-down with Jackson and Barnes, NBA columnist John Hollinger jokingly posted some 'Harris talking points.'

Sports writer Robby Kalland posted on X 'cannot wait to find out kamala's welcome to the league moment.'

'Kamala Harris do you promise to hire a special prosecutor to determine whether Warriors Twitter was the driving force behind Kevin Durant leaving in free agency?' one X user wrote.

Another X user posted 'Really hoping Kamala has an answer to the ultimate NBA podcast question: "What's the most heinous thing Kevin Garnett ever said to you on a basketball court?"'

Those looking to hear all about the vice president's knowledge of the NBA may be disappointed. While the interview started off on California basketball, it quickly shifted to other topics.

Harris was district attorney of San Francisco during the Golden State Warriors' 'We Believe' season when they were based out of Oakland and pulled off a dramatic turn-around.

Both Jackson and Barnes played on the team at the time in Harris' hometown.

'Our Warriors are always good, whichever era, but that was a very special time,' the vice president reminisced smiling. 'I mean it was electric. You guys remember, it was electric.'

Harris gushed about the team as the 'best of the best, legendary' and quickly turned the question back on her hosts to ask what it was like for them to play at that time.

Harris addressed her and Emhoff 'talking some serious smack' depending on who is playing now since he supports Los Angeles teams.

When asked about her feelings on all the current teams out of Oakland now, Harris responded passionately 'it breaks my heart. Remember we used to have all of the best.'

While the interview started largely on sports and introducing the presidential nominee, the discussion did eventually turn to policy including some serious issues.

They discussed civil rights and efforts to pass the police reform bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The group also bantered about the importance of HBCUs and zeroed in on working to address mental health. It is an issue the podcast hosts were passionate about, pointing out mental health is a big issue in the black community, especially with black men.

'I think the mental health issue is probably one of the biggest public policy failures in our country,' Harris said.

The vice president talked about the most effective mental health care being peer based and mentioned working 'with a brother' on the issue in DC.

Harris got personal in the interview when asked about how she protects her own mental health, listing her number one rule 'don't read the comments,' working out every morning and encouraging people to be intentional with who they surround themselves with.

Harris also discussed her economic platform she has started to lay out on the campaign trail as she works to gain support including help for first time homebuyers and expanding the Child Tax Credit.

In a series of rapid questions, the vice president also said she does not believe people should be going to jail for 'smoking weed' and said 'I have felt for a long time we need to legalize it.'

The interview overall was supportive of the vice president with the hosts calling the conservative Project 2025 agenda 'nasty work.'

Put on the spot to give the best Bay areas artist ever, Harris responded with rapper Too Short. Her guilty pleasure: Doritos.

When asked about who she would want to have over for dinner, Harris noted her husband and mom had never met. She also listed the first black woman elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm and first black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Encompassing just how friendly her appearance was, the interview included the vice president even inviting Jackson and Barnes to a future Sunday dinner and wrapped with them gifting her a signed coffee table book.

Her appearance in the podcast was met with mixed responses online. One X user called it 'dope' while another wrote 'good convo brother.' Some praised it for a mix of personality and policy.

But others were far less impressed. One user wrote simply 'unfollowed.'

Harris has opted for sitting down with a number of more supportive media platforms as the clock ticks down until Election Day.

Last week, she had an interview on liberal-leaning MSNBC. Last month, one of her select appearances was answering music related question with Track Star on TikTok.

Asked about the New York Times editorial board criticism of her lack of unscripted access in its endorsement on Monday by CNN, a campaign senior spokesperson pointed out that the vice president was on the 'All the Smoke' podcast, calling it unscripted about who she is.

The campaign signaled she will continue to talk to the American people in such formats but argued she does take reporter questions on the road.