00:00Here's what I was told yesterday about the whole LeBron situation.
00:03And I'll be honest, Jeff, you and I...
00:05And then told by a reliable...
00:06A reliable source.
00:07A reliable source.
00:08Somebody who I trust.
00:09Reliable source.
00:10Reliable source.
00:11And we've been doing this a long time.
00:13Like, we don't just throw garbage out there, right?
00:15I mean...
00:15Well, no, that's not the way we do business.
00:18I mean, it's easy just to kind of put something out there and just go see what sticks.
00:21This isn't about what sticks.
00:22Will somebody click on that, please?
00:23This is what I was told.
00:24We don't do that.
00:26All right, so here's what I was told.
00:27So, last week, LeBron's crew was probably ready to make an announcement.
00:33Especially because they were in New York.
00:35This is what you heard.
00:36Yeah.
00:36They were in New York.
00:40They, you know...
00:41That FanFest thing, right?
00:43Yeah, and the world had their eyes on New York because of the World Cup as well.
00:46Yeah.
00:47And so they were probably comfortable making an announcement as early as last week that they were there.
00:55Before the World Cup final.
00:56Yeah, before the World Cup final.
00:58That they probably were comfortable at that point.
01:01Remember, Rich Paul said, we have the information we need, right?
01:04Yeah, nobody else needs to do anything.
01:05Yeah.
01:06No campaigning necessary, we have it.
01:08Yeah, so you get to this point, right?
01:09So they're in New York, they're probably comfortable.
01:11And then people were, like, telling them what to do.
01:15And if you go back, and we'll play it for you in a second, what Rich Paul said on his
01:19podcast the other day,
01:21there's a little bit of irritation.
01:23And they were not...
01:25Irritated was the word that I was told.
01:28Irritated by the commissioner.
01:29Pushing them to say...
01:31Oh, the commissioner irritating LeBron James.
01:33Because we want to get this stuff out there.
01:35Not maybe...
01:35We want to get the schedule finished.
01:37Yeah.
01:37Okay.
01:37And it may not just be LeBron, but it's more about LeBron's group together.
01:42And by the way, those guys have had his back through thick and thin through his entire career.
01:49And that's why...
01:50His guys?
01:50Yeah, and you know that as well as I do from our years.
01:52Yeah, Rich Paul, Maverick Carter, Randy Mims.
01:54Traveling with the team and being around the team, you know, every day back in the day.
01:57They've represented themselves extremely well.
02:00So that the irritation got to the point they were like, well, you know what?
02:03We'll decide when LeBron is going to tell everyone where he's going.
02:07And if you think about it, and again, when we play what Rich Paul said, it makes sense.
02:12So they decided to hold back on making their next decision, their next move,
02:17on where they want to play or where LeBron wants to play.
02:21Let's be honest.
02:22And that the other part of it was they're now just sitting back,
02:26listening to sports talk in the cities that they believe he could be playing in,
02:32hearing what the fans are saying, hearing what the hosts are saying,
02:36and just kind of laughing to see what kind of garbage is out there
02:39and people who are making things up.
02:41As opposed to, you know, we're not doing garbage.
02:43Yeah.
02:44No, I'm just saying.
02:44So the speculation.
02:46We're doing stuff, not garbage.
02:47So the biggest points out of this thing are they probably were comfortable last week
02:51making an announcement.
02:53They got really tired of people telling them what to do.
02:57But who was doing that?
02:59Just the commish?
02:59Well, I don't think.
03:00I don't think the commish told them.
03:02So what I was told, it was probably a little bit more than the commissioner.
03:04From reports, we've only seen that the commissioner has thought,
03:08wait, could you please figure it out because we'd like to, you know, put together a schedule.
03:11But that's the soft shoe version that we know.
03:13We don't know what they.
03:14We don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
03:15Remember, they had a private meeting.
03:17They met with the commissioner and the commissioner, this is what I was told,
03:21that they met with the commissioner and that they were irritated.
03:25It was probably the nicest word or probably the closest word that I was told to use.
03:30That they were.
03:30Steamed.
03:31Irritated.
03:32Peeved.
03:32By the league and the commissioner telling them what to do.
03:35It's his career.
03:36It's his business.
03:37So when you go back, and I don't know if we can play Rich Paul one from yesterday,
03:40but go back and now, now that you know that, listen to what Rich Paul said.
03:46None of these people know anything.
03:48Nobody knows nothing.
03:49And I say that respectfully because we haven't made it to where anybody knows anything.
03:55So I think it's important for people to understand we're not making this about attention and a spectacle.
04:03It's not about a decision or anything like that.
04:06He has a choice to make.
04:07He has a business choice to make.
04:09We're not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision or
04:15that choice.
04:16It's a business choice that he's making.
04:18And I think as an athlete, why is it that an athlete has to rush his choice?
04:23From a business perspective, you are making a choice between jobs, high-level jobs,
04:30and you have the, and you've earned the right, you're a big-time executive that's with an unbelievable,
04:37arguably the best resume in the history of your job, who's rushing you?
04:43Nobody.
04:45And there you have it.
04:46So what Rich said, 100% truthful on his podcast,
04:51and especially when you hear what, you know, that they might be irritated or were irritated by the office,
04:56by the league office, saying, hey, you need to, or let's get this done.
05:02Because we want to put the schedule out.
05:05So I can understand.
05:06They're trying to not use the word decision, by the way.
05:08Yeah, I know.
05:09Which I get.
05:11I give them credit for doing that, too.
05:12Yeah, I do too.
05:13Because they know, we know, I think.
05:14The decision had a bad connotation.
05:16Yeah, especially for us here.
05:18Everybody but in Miami.
05:19Yeah.
05:20So I got to tell you, I mean, I kind of, you sit back and think about that,
05:24that all makes more sense right now.
05:26But I told you the other day, and the more I started thinking about it,
05:29if I was LeBron, I'd wait until January to play.
05:33Why, you know, what does it matter?
05:36Find the team.
05:36If these teams are still the teams you like, you're still going to be the best basketball player.
05:42It'd be like almost just like giving your body a chance to rest
05:45so you can play hard for the end of the season to go win another championship
05:49and then go out, you know, on top if that's what you want to do.
05:52But who knows?
05:52He may want to play one, two, or three more years.
05:54It's on him, and he's earned the right to do any of that stuff.
05:58So.
05:59Can I?
06:00Go ahead.
06:01I'm sorry.
06:01No, no, no.
06:01I'm good.
06:02I just.
06:02So I think I have a better perspective on that.
06:05I do think it's interesting if the second part of that's true,
06:08that they're just sitting back and like, I would be too.
06:11Wouldn't you?
06:11If you knew what was going on and you, you had, I don't want to say power,
06:17but it is power because he controls his own destiny on this stuff.
06:22Athletes don't get to do that very often.
06:24And to sit back and laugh at all the rumors that are out there,
06:26the things that like with Miami that happened last night,
06:29who knows?
06:29That might've been true.
06:30And then Miami did a huge backtrack on the video release thing that they
06:34said they were,
06:35they had the press conference coming up on the 27th with him going to Miami.
06:38Yeah.
06:38Let's, let's explain that.
06:39Let's explain that real quick.
06:41The Miami heat apparently posted a link to a scheduled live stream.
06:48And the title on the live stream for YouTube was LeBron James introductory
06:53press conference followed by the day, July 27th.
06:57And that was for its YouTube channel.
07:00And they took it, they took that down.
07:02They took that back shocker.
07:03And they said that the, um, who knows?
07:06It might be true.
07:07I'm Sharania on Tuesday last night said the club social media department was
07:12preparing for the possibility.
07:15Oddly enough, the possibility included a specific date.
07:20That was like back when we were doing news and you had to write the old bit
07:23before you knew someone was gone.
07:25I hated later deleted, hated doing those.
07:27Yeah.
07:28Right.
07:28But you had one to be ready.
07:30Yeah.
07:31You want to be like, Hey, let's, I had to do the whole story.
07:33Oh yeah.
07:33Put it together.
07:34Yeah.
07:35So that the minute that person was no longer with us, you play it on the air.
07:38And they're like, wow, look how quick they put that together.
07:41So that might've been,
07:42it had been waiting for over a month,
07:44might've been, might've been the case there.
07:45Um, you said, wait till January.
07:50I'm just saying if I were him, well, let me, he could, you easily, he could stretch
07:54years out of his, uh, out of his career and playing by coming back late, by playing a
08:0041 game schedule rather than an 82 game schedule.
08:03Well, he almost plays, he plays fewer games now.
08:06Anyway, one thought about that though.
08:08And you tell me this is a little, my fear would be rust and not having that competitive
08:12edge.
08:13Well, and see, that's what I was just going to say.
08:15A little deviation is it, it, at his age, do you want to sit out with that?
08:21Would that lead to losing it?
08:23I don't know.
08:23That's what I'm sorry.
08:24I don't know.
08:25That's, that's one question there that you've got to, got to think about a little bit.
08:29I think he's got a tough challenge because so many times we've seen great athletes walk
08:35out of the spotlight in a situation where it just kind of trickled away.
08:39They weren't the great player that they once were.
08:42They tried to hang on too long and their end of the career is forgettable.
08:50It's hard to walk out on top.
08:52Yeah, often, most of them are.
08:53How many guys, Jim Brown, walked out on top?
08:55Most of them, yeah, most of them are forgettable.
09:01Okay.
09:04If, if they were truly ready to make a decision and then got peeved.
09:08Comfortable.
09:09I think they were comfortable making a decision.
09:11Then they already know probably then now, are they just playing games?
09:16Oh, you wanted us to tell them.
09:17We're not going to tell now.
09:18Now we're just going to string it out there.
09:20Are they playing games or are they still trying to figure some things out?
09:23As rich said, they have the right to wait as long as they want.
09:25So.
09:28And some team, some, any of the teams that involve would, would figure out a way to make
09:34it work, even if they waited a month.
09:36Of course they would.
09:37I mean, they came out and said.
09:38But if you wait.
09:39Rich came out and said, don't wait for us.
09:40Go take who you want.
09:42But if you wait a month, you're going to get buried in, in the entire buildups of the
09:46NFL season.
09:47That's not.
09:49And though Rich had said, we're not seeking the attention, you know, we're not looking
09:53to be in the spotlight.
09:54Those were Rich's words.
09:55You can believe them or not believe them.
09:57Whatever you want to do on that.
09:58But that's what Rich Paul said on his podcast with Max Kellerman.
10:02You want the world to know you during the NFL season?
10:05You know when to drop an announcement.
10:07Tuesdays.
10:08Yeah, but.
10:11Sorry, once NFL training camps get going and then Major League Baseball pennant races get
10:16going, I know it's LeBron, but I also know it's 41, 42 year old LeBron.
10:22It's, it's not going to be nearly as big of a story as if he said something today.
10:27Maybe.
10:28They announced today.
10:29It's a great time to do it.
10:30It's without question the story of the day in sports.
10:33If they do that today.
10:35Is that what you want to be though?
10:36The story of the day or the story of the year?
10:38Well, if you do it during the NFL training camps and the Major League Baseball pennant
10:42races, you're the story of the afternoon.
10:47You'll share in cities.
10:49You'll share.
10:49You'll share.
10:50Without question.
10:51In cities, not named whatever it is, you know, that he picks or the ones that he
10:56doesn't pick.
10:56Well, hardly.
10:57You'll be a headline and headline.
10:58Exactly.
10:59Yeah.
10:59And that, so, you know, if, but if they're not looking for notoriety, if they're not looking
11:06to, you know, be as relevant as possible, then go ahead and wait.
11:10That's okay.
11:11And, and you're right.
11:12He's learned, he's earned the, I mean, he can do anything he wants.
11:15He can do anything he wants.
11:17But, and by the way, he's doing this at 41, 42 years old.
11:20That's the other thing.
11:20And at the interest level is still through the roof for him, no matter what.
11:24There are a lot of athletes that have been able to play that.
11:27It's, it's not nearly as, I don't think it's nearly as high as it was, you know, 10 years
11:32ago.
11:32But why, why would it be?
11:34You know, instead of a 31 or 32 year old guy in free agency, who's at the prime, he's
11:39still an extremely valuable basketball player, but he's, you know, 41, 42.
11:44That's just the reality of this thing.
11:46Folks, you heard what Andy said.
11:47You heard what Andy heard.
11:49They were comfortable making a decision, but don't tell us what to do.
11:55How's that sit?
11:562-1-6-4-7-4-0-0-9-2.
11:58It's Baskin and Phelps.
11:59They didn't want to be told what to do.
12:01Yep.
