LeBron’s Choice Could Come Out of Nowhere

Onto more meaningful issues, uh, and let's start with LeBron James who continues to be Basketball homeless out there.

LeBron, uh, supposedly, I guess, you know, kind of is he homeless or is he at home everywhere?

He's at home everywhere and currently he's, he's, I believe, at home in his multi-million dollar estate in Akron, Ohio, decamping or hanging out there trying to figure out who knows where he is today.

In fact, I believe he's supposed to do a podcast in New York tomorrow.

He is, I guess, as people are listening to this, he's in New York City.

I was gonna he's in New York City I believe he is.

That is where he is doing a podcast with Tyrese Halliburton where he's prepared to announce his move to the Indiana Pacers.

Um, don't say that.

Someone's gonna.

Aggregate you saying that he's not.

That was a joke.

But you know what though?

I don't know.

I get all these media requests, like this time of year, radio interviews, TV, um, from people like say, hey, can you come on and talk about what LeBron's going to do?

And I've responded to all of them over the last few days with, I don't know.

Like anyone that tells you they know is most likely guessing, because it does seem like it's just guesswork.

We have hit the point of LeBron James' illustrious career, where we are seeing something new.

We are seeing a player who is not Concerned about money, whose contract will not affect the books of whatever team that he signs with.

Uh, make a decision purely based on what his personal preferences.

And at this point, Rachel, I proudly say I have no idea.

I was sitting in Vegas, having conversations with a lot of different people over the course of the last few days.

And I can tell you, they have no idea.

Some of these people from teams who are in the mix for LeBron James told me they have no idea.

And I believe them.

Like, This is a whatever he decides to do.

And whenever he decides to do it, um, it will absolutely come out of nowhere for most people.

Yes.

So for I said this last week when we talked, I've said this several times on Fox Sports the last couple of weeks, all of these aggregation stories where you see it's trending toward Cleveland or people around the league think it's Cleveland's to lose, and I'm just using Cleveland because then it became Miami for a few days, right?

Then it became whatever.

Conversations being had, quote, around the league between league executives with each other, with reporters are the exact same conversation you and I are having is the exact same conversation.

you listener are having with your neighbor.

Nobody has additional information.

When someone says, oh, I think it's kind of trending toward Cleveland because of course, where else can you see him going?

It's such a good story.

That is their opinion on how good a story it is and whether that would appeal to LeBron James.

It has nothing to do about whether his decision is actually trending toward Cleveland.

Now he could end up in a Cavs uniform.

I'm just saying that nobody who tells you that they know right now knows.

And if you press them, if you really be like, well, what are you basing that on?

Not.

A single person will say it's because of something that came from LeBron or LeBron's camp, or Rich Paul.

Rich Paul Paul is available to the media multiple times a week on his podcast.

You got the whiteboard, you got the whole thing.

He's not telling you what LeBron thinks.

And they've made a point about the fact that LeBron isn't taking meetings, which is why Bob Myers had to go on a podcast and pitch LeBron James because he couldn't get a meeting with him.

Chris Finch went on a podcast and pitched LeBron James because Chris Finch can't get a meeting with him.

Nobody.

Nobody that we know of, according to Rich Paul, is meeting with LeBron.

They were all talking to him, and then he talks to LeBron.

Now, will we see a little executive players from, yes, players, those conversations are happening for sure.

People are calling LeBron, LeBron is calling people, etc.

but absolutely from an executive side, you are not getting those things.

I have noticed when LeBron moves teams that in the 8 to 24 hours beforehand, you do start to see little things come out, whether it's the cup.

A cake lady in Cleveland who knew that he'd ordered a bunch of cupcakes, whether it was, oh, we had to make this small salary move and people around the league are noticing that there's a small salary move here or there being made and that's because of X.

That is how you might get the information 6 seconds before he announces it, but in general, it will come out when he wants it to come out.

If you are listening to this and he did his podcast already and he did it on the podcast, then you know more than we do right now.

Um, the only thing I think is interesting is, you know, you and I were there up.

Close when the decision happened.

And I think there is a little bit in the retelling of that, and we're now so many years down the road from that of why people were angry.

And my opinion from being on the ground every second of that, both in Cleveland prior to it happening, when it happened, spending the season in Miami covering him after it happened, doing the big interview with him where he finally apologized for the first time more than a year later for what he did and said.

I can tell you it wasn't that he left Cleveland.

That was not what that visceral reaction was about.

Yes, of course, if he had left Cleveland, people would have been upset.

That's not what all that anger was about.

It was the way it happened.

It was that people, especially in Cleveland and to a degree around the country, felt this guy is playing with everyone's hopes, dreams, and emotions for fun, because he wants a little, he, he wants the recruiting tour and everything.

Go and he wants to like be able to get on TV in front of everyone and hold the country's attention.

And for sport, he's doing it and for money.

And even though the money went to the Girls and Boys Club, it seemed like the whole special had some, you know, two peoples in their minds.

It was, he's playing with our emotions, he's playing with our time, he's playing with our love for him, our love for him on this team.

My kid crying about it because he wanted to go off and have a good time on this little tour and do a little.

TV special.

That's where a lot of the anger came from.

And when he apologized , I thought he did a really smart thing of apologizing for that, not apologizing for leaving Cleveland because frankly, you're allowed to decide where you live as an adult.

I think most people would say that that's OK as an adult to decide where I want to live and work.

It was the way he did it.

And I think understanding the way he did it was what angered so many people that first time is that.

In the subsequent times since, he didn't do anything like that.

There was no big circus.

There was no hostage situation.

It was all very quiet.

Um, even when it took a little bit longer when he left Cleveland for, I mean, when he left Miami for Cleveland, it wasn't portrayed as like, oh, he's getting his rocks off, you know, holding himself off to the highest bidder, etc.

etc.

Like it was just sort of, OK, this is taking a little longer, but there's a big telegraph of what's happening here.

I worry that this is starting to pick up through no fault of LeBron's own, frankly, a little bit of like, hey, we're all being held hostage here, and that no matter how he announces it, whether it's on his podcast, whether it's through a small press release, whether it's a tweet from someone, that there is going to be some backlash about the sort of saga of it all.

And, or maybe they'll figure out a PR way around that.

I don't know.

We'll find out.

Yeah, I, I, any backlash wouldn't come from me on this one.

No, but you now have several fan bases.

So you talk to people in Cleveland, they absolutely think he's coming to Cleveland.

You talk to people in Miami, they absolutely think he's coming to Miami.

You talk to people in Philly now, there's a lot of people in Philly who thinks he's coming to Philly.

And so I do wonder if the fans in those markets, if there's gonna be if this tour, if this sort of thing, which isn't even a tour, he's been at home, he hasn't even doing anything.

This isn't does LeBron at this stage like maybe fans think differently, but LeBron to any of the teams that he's in the mix for doesn't guarantee anything.

Like before, it's like you get LeBron James, you got a real chance, but he significantly changes.

He, he enhances, I would say you had Kenny Atkinson go on the radio again, by the way.

Kenny Atkinson, I feel, should be taking a moment to think about some of these interviews he does after what happened during the Eastern Conference Finals.

He went on the radio the other day in in Las Vegas and said, well, we could be getting a big change for our team, you know, a free agent.

I have to look up the exact quote, but, you know, I think you guys know what I'm talking about.

A free agency thing could become, dude, what are you doing?

What is happening?

Who's letting him go on and say these things?

Now you have set it up.

Rachel, dude, what analytically we're ahead in these games.

Positive thinking wise, we're ahead in the, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

He has now set up a dynamic where if they don't get LeBron, he has now explained to everyone there's a hole in their team and that they needed him.

What's happening?

I mean, there kind of is.

OK, fine, but, but how's the coach going and doing that?

What is going on here?

Do you think that you mentioned some of the teams?

It's been widely reported, and this may just be perception.

That it's Golden State, it's Cleveland, it's Miami, it's Philadelphia.

Those are the top.

But as I said , he's not doing the tour.

The tour is happening without him, where people are sick of talking about Cleveland for 3 days.

So now it's suddenly he's going to Miami.

Do you think there's a team though that we're not talking about?

Like, do you think he's sitting out there really considering like San Antonio?

Like, is he thinking, like, you know what, because I think we discussed this last week.

San Antonio makes the most sense.

Like you go to San Antonio, you can say San Antonio makes the most sense.

I don't think San Antonio, I think San Antonio makes a lot of sense for who for.

Everyone, for who?

For everyone, I think for the Spurs, you get a guy that's been there, done that before.

You get a guy that can teach you some things in the locker room.

You're not, remember, you're not signing him to a multi-year deal here.

You're talking about a one-year deal.

OK, well, I think that getting to LeBron in San Antonio helps them get over the mountaintop.

You get another killer in that locker room, someone that can educate these young stars on the roster and help them get to that next level.

And for LeBron, Hey, I know they're saying he's not motivated by winning the championship, pursuing Jordan, all that stuff, but it's a great chance to win another championship.

And that would be, I think, another feather in his cap.

Tell me why San Antonio is not the, the obvious basketball choice.

Because I think LeBron is a better team player than people think he is.

I think you just have to watch him out on the court.

He did it again this season.

He makes his teammates better.

He's still one of the better passers and great court vision and all of the things.

He plays the role you need him to play .

You can put up video of him, and I'm not sitting next to the right guy on the bench, and look, he's ignoring so and so, but he is generally a good influence on the younger teammates in the locker room.

All of those things can be true, and I'm here to tell you they are true.

However, also, he comes with a lot.

He is a huge gravitational force, and any locker room he is in becomes largely about LeBron James.

That's not necessarily his fault .

All the other things I just said before that are true.

But like it's just a fact it comes along with him and that I don't think that San Antonio locker room, uh would be better off for that gravitational pull.

I don't think all of the relentless media questions again, not his fault, not Victor's fault, not whoever, but the relentless of whose team is this now?

Is this LeBron's team?

Is this Victor's team on a guy on a one year deal.

Watching, I, I am so sorry.

Have you been not watching no news happen and yet like reams of articles and whatever and think pieces and whatever come across about LeBron over the three weeks?

We've had no news.

You know how many articles there have been about when you get into the season, I don't think anyone's going to sit there and say, I wonder which news team it is.

You are Victor Wimbayama just signed a 5-year extension 22 years old.

If you do not think if .

You do not think there would not be a media frenzy, if you do not think Victor would have to be asked all kinds of questions that are going to create some friction.

If you do not think that like the ingredient, when, when Rich Paul gets on his podcast and says, oh, if they hadn't won, it would have been New York.

That would have been easy.

Are you convinced that Leon Rose would have said, I want that gravity in my locker room?

Like teams put together a fabric of players, and LeBron being thrown into that locker room, depending on the fabric of players you have, no matter how good he is, no matter how good his intentions are, no matter how much he does actually help younger players, no matter how much he does actually bend his game to other guys' games, it doesn't matter.

It becomes disruptive.

And I think you have rosters like you do in Miami where.

You're still putting that locker room together.

In Cleveland, where you've got guys who have been around the block and aren't going to be affected in the same way.

Same thing at the Sixers who are true on both of those counts.

The gravity of LeBron is not going to be disruptive in that way.

In San Antonio, in New York, in several other cities, it would have been or would be disruptive.

So I don't buy that there's some, a bunch of sleeper teams.

I think Denver wants him.

We're not talking.

About it that much because a lot of people don't think he's going to Denver.

Is that a sleeper?

I don't know.

Minnesota, I think he'd be a great basketball fit in Minnesota.

I don't see a lot of people talking about that.

Is that because it's not just, it's not Minnesota's turn yet?

And in 3 days if he doesn't announce on the podcast, will I'll be talking about Minnesota, or is that because he's not going to go there?

I think that he's going to live in Minnesota for a year again.

I, I, I, I don't know.

I mean, when, when we say, oh, we're not, is there a sleeper team?

We're not talking about.

We've largely stopped talking about the Warriors.

If you looked on Rich Paul's whiteboard, it just said in the very corner, Stephen Dre.

That was like all that was to be said for it.

I don't know.

Does he want a season where he gets to hang around with Steph and Dre and play golf?

Because they play golf, Steph, they play golf at almost every stop they go to.

And like, that's going to be a lot of fun.

Maybe that's how he wants to end it.

Rich Paula said, Oh, I want this to be about happiness.

Yeah, I mean, look, going to LA was about happiness.

That was more about non-basketball reasons than it was actually for basketball reasons.

I've actually to go back to San Antonio just for a moment, Victor Wimbayama is one of the great sponges in NBA history.

The guy spent last offseason working with the monks.

He just, he absorbs basketball-related information through like the Witcher book series.

Like he just finds usefulness for everything.

I think he could find great use of LeBron James.

I think he, and I don't, I don't think, I don't think the Spurs would do it.

Maybe not.

Maybe not.

That's, that's a separate, separate one.

It's not that, oh, it would be bad for Victor.

I think, as I said, I think the reality of LeBron and the perception of LeBron are two different things, but the perception is an active living thing also, and I just don't think the Spurs like any media frenzy would be much, much more tempered in San Antonio at this stage of LeBron's career.

I don't, you're not going to get the Spurs index.

Right, like we're not gonna, like, people aren't moving to San Antonio to You.

don't think people are moving to wherever the next stop LeBron is going.

Was Dave McMenamin going down there?

I don't know.

I think that there are multiple media companies.

If you ask around to your friends, there were multiple media companies waiting to see what LeBron does before they decide where they're putting the reporters for this next season, and I'm including some very large media companies.

And if it's San San Antonio, then they would move depending on the depending on the outlets .

So you really couldn't, couldn't move that.

All right, well, that's, that's enough LeBron conversation.

We still don't know.

Maybe we'll find out.

Do we, do you think we're gonna find out this weekend?

Like everyone's kind of connecting the dots again on Fanatics, being like, oh, he's a fanatics, big platform, doing a podcast.

This goes back to, I don't know who's making the decision of how people find out.

Is it LeBron making the decision?

Is it LeBron and Rich Paul making the decision?

Is it LeBron, Rich Paul, Adam Mendelssohn who's very savvy on public relations and how we should be doing this?

That's sort of LeBron's big advisor, um.

Um, doing it, I think that if the person making the decision's primary goal is to have this be met with good feelings and good fortune, I would not be doing it at Fanatics Fest.

Only because I think the perception that this is a lark or this is fun, or that this is being done for profit or any of that stuff, when you have now had this drag on long enough to be playing with like people's emotions.

We saw the kid crying about Jalen Brown being moved all over, you know.

Social media this past week.

I, I just think that people don't get upset because you're an adult and you want to go do what you want to do.

Go, go, go with, go with whoever you believe in.

Go with God, go with whatever.

Like you are an adult, you have LeBron has given so much to the NBA.

He should be able to play wherever he goddamn wants to play.

But I think if you were a fan of one of these teams that really thinks you're in it, and the perception is that there's a little bit of a ha ha ha, when the announcement is made that you are not, I think that is where the negativity.

And LeBron has done such a great job of sort of rebuilding some of the goodwill across the league that he at one point had lost.

I think it would be a shame if over something as clerical as when and how he announces, um, some of that is lost again.

So I hope, I hope that it's announced in a way that's like just sort of quiet and that whatever fan base is psyched to get him, gets him and that the other fan bases who may have wanted him feel like they've got other good alternatives, unless, of course, apparently you're Kenny Atkinson, who's telling everyone on the radio that I want to get the quote it into existence.

I don't don't you don't want.

You don't wanna hear it.

I don't want to hear.

That quote just got me, got me again.