LeBron James to the 76ers | Game Over

Summary

Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul

Episode Summary: "LeBron James to the 76ers" | July 24, 2026 | The Ringer

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Overview

In this blockbuster episode, Max Kellerman and NBA super-agent Rich Paul react to the seismic news: LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. The show captures the behind-the-scenes negotiations, the reasoning behind LeBron’s decision, its league-wide implications, and the deep personal, historical, and cultural resonance of this move. The episode also veers into broader NBA and football debates and closes with lively listener emails.

Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and close confidant, gives unprecedented insight into the decision-making process, candidly sharing the emotional roller coaster of the past weeks as “LJ” weighed his options.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cold Open & Movie Talk (01:31–02:58)

• Max is eager to talk about Nolan’s new movie “The Odyssey,” but Rich is distracted—noting “changing the game” is top of mind.
• Sets the stage for a conversation about major changes, hinting at LeBron’s impending news.

2. LeBron’s 76ers Announcement — How It Happened (03:26–13:29)

Breaking the News

• Rich Paul reveals, real-time: “LeBron announced he's going to the Sixers, which I was the reason why I was telling you that all that stuff was false.” (03:28)
• They highlight media speculation and how tight LeBron’s camp kept things, despite rampant rumors.

Why Philly? Factors in the Decision

• Family conversations were pivotal, especially considering distance from LA or Miami (06:09–06:35).
• “This is a love for the game decision. Right. Nobody at this level, at this, this accomplished, you know, this successful in life, still wanting to play the game.” (06:35, Rich Paul)
• LeBron wanted a challenge, not just a guaranteed ring—choosing Philly for competition and legacy, not ease.
• The Jaylen Brown trade to Philly was transformative—without it, LeBron’s move was unlikely. (30:11–30:42)

Sixers’ Roster & New Dynamics

• Max gushes over the new Philly lineup: LeBron, Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and breakout rookie B.J. Edgecombe. (04:17–04:46)
• Rich: “When you have a mix of young and old, you need young to compete in today's game... But when you have the experience as well... that’s a huge thing.” (04:46, Rich Paul)
• LeBron’s arrival is framed as having “a coach on the floor who can still play.” (05:45, Max Kellerman)

3. LeBron’s Decision in Personal and Historical Context (13:29–18:34)

Narratives: MJ, Kobe, and Philly

• Max explores how LeBron’s journey—LA (Kobe’s town), now Philly (Kobe’s hometown)—mirrors and challenges legendary trajectories.
• “LeBron is doing to Kobe a little bit what Kobe did to Michael, in the sense that I’m going right to LA... And now is playing for the Sixers in Kobe’s hometown.” (15:17, Max Kellerman)
• Rich: "I actually think this is something Kobe would be extremely... I don't know if proud, but I think he would be like, hell, yeah. Right. Because it's a competitive move." (15:26)

LeBron’s Individualism and Critics

• Rich discusses the backlash LeBron faces for “doing things his way,” linking it to a broader culture of policing successful black men.
• “They built a business off of talking negative about LeBron James.” (16:41, Rich Paul)

4. The East-West Shift & New NBA Landscape (13:29–15:11, 21:38–38:16)

• The hosts pronounce the East as the new power center: Knicks, Sixers, Celtics, Pacers, Miami, Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington.
• Discussion of how moves (Jaylen Brown, Paul George) and injuries are reshuffling the balance of power.
• Max: “The Knicks, number one team in the sport, by the way. Honestly, it ain't close.” (08:45)

5. Inside The Process: Teams Considered, Rollercoaster Decisions (18:34–32:51)

How Close Were Other Teams?

• Final choices: Golden State, Cleveland, Miami, Philly (and Minnesota, briefly) (27:35–28:14).
• “You have to be stealth. You know, I can't lean one way or the other way until I know he wants to really make a decision.” (28:19, Rich Paul)

What Tipped The Scale to Philly?

• The Jaylen Brown trade was the inflection point (29:59–30:13).
• Emotional pull from every city (“perfection within the imperfection”) (23:03–25:00).

Decision-Making Timeline

• Decision finalized only hours before the show—late into the previous night. (40:52–41:03)

Unique NBA Milestone

• Max: “There’s never been an athlete in that position before, Max. It just never have.” (21:50, Rich Paul)

LeBron’s Announcement Letter

• The actual message LeBron posted is read aloud, focusing on love for the game, family, and legacy:
  • “I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? ...I believe I can make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team.” (20:41–21:38, Max reading LeBron's words)

6. On Philly’s Culture & Fan Base (36:41–39:23)

• Philly’s hunger (“decades in the desert”), passion ("steel toe boot, hard hat”), and lack of a Kobe-like figure for LeBron to follow.
• “In Philly, I think it’ll be different... it’s a sports, sports—just really all they have... it's what they're passionate about. Passion in Philadelphia.” (38:16–39:00, Rich Paul)

7. Team Fit, Chemistry, and the Road Ahead (33:02–35:38)

• Embiid’s physical state: healthiest summer in years. (33:02–33:34, Rich Paul)
• Philly must make it work with strengths and flaws—two years to chase the title before LeBron hits the 25-year mark.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I always say, he loved those S’s, man: Savannah and Spalding. You take that Spalding away from him... The guy would be useless. He would literally not be able to. He'd be a mummy.”
  • Rich Paul, 18:05 – on LeBron’s love for family and basketball
• “This is a love for the game decision.”
  • Rich Paul, 06:35
• "Decision was made at 1 a.m. last night... Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, I didn’t really sleep.”
  • Rich Paul, 41:03
• “If Embiid is your best player, you’re a really good team. If he’s your second best player, you’re an unbelievably good team. If he’s your third best player on the team, this is basically the U.S. team.”
  • Rich Paul, 33:02
• “He’s not trying to play like he’s the number one leading scorer in NBA history... he can show you he’s excited about this.”
  • Max Kellerman, 36:24
• “They built a business off of talking negative about LeBron James.”
  • Rich Paul, 16:41
• "No one could go on vacation until LeBron made his choice. He’s 72 years old.” (joking about LeBron’s longevity)
  • Max Kellerman, 49:05

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Key Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 03:26: Rich Paul breaks the news — LeBron to Sixers
• 06:09: Family considerations, love for the game as deciding factors
• 10:09–11:49: Roster fit: LeBron’s effect on Maxey, Edgecombe, and team chemistry
• 13:29–16:41: LeBron, Kobe, MJ comparisons and narratives
• 18:05–18:34: Cultural pressures and LeBron “doing things his way”
• 21:38–21:45: LeBron’s announcement letter read aloud
• 29:59–30:13: Jaylen Brown trade as the decision tipping point
• 33:02: Vetting Embiid’s health; team fit
• 36:41–38:16: Philly sports culture and fan expectations
• 41:03: Decision made at 1am, night before show
• 44:40–45:21: Football sidebar – “The Catch” and Tyree helmet catch as iconic NFL moments

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Listener Emails & Final Riffs (41:53–49:35)

• Football Preview: Who to watch in NFL & college (42:06–43:40)
• Greatest Football Player Debate: Miles Garrett vs top quarterbacks (43:40–44:02)
• Most Iconic Football Play: David Tyree’s helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII (44:08–45:21)
• AI (Allen Iverson) vs. Kobe/Shaq in cultural impact — The Reebok effect (46:23–47:50)

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Conclusion

The episode closes with humor, gratitude, and reflection on LeBron’s endurance and impact. The hosts look to a new NBA era in Philly and reflect on what it means, not just for the team but for basketball at large, underlining—once again—how one player’s decision shapes the league and its conversations.

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For anyone who missed it: Rich Paul and Max Kellerman’s wide-ranging, conversational, and incisive analysis offers both the news and the nuanced story of one of the NBA’s all-time greats taking his “last dance” in Philadelphia.

Transcript

[Rich Paul]

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[Max Kellerman]

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[Rich Paul]

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[Max Kellerman]

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[Rich Paul]

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[Max Kellerman]

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[Max Kellerman]

Rich, guess what I did?

[Rich Paul]

What?

[Max Kellerman]

Cause I knew you were gonna see it and we'd have something to talk about. Plus, Jacoby was raving about it. I went to see the Odyssey.

[Rich Paul]

Good for you.

[Max Kellerman]

Saw the Odyssey. Did you see it?

[Rich Paul]

I saw some of it.

[Max Kellerman]

Some fell asleep.

[Rich Paul]

No, I had to work.

[Max Kellerman]

Well, listen, I have a. I thought we would chop it up. I thought we'd be able to chop it up.

[Rich Paul]

I don't want to chop it. About the Odyssey. Why today? Yeah, really?

[Max Kellerman]

Well, this is the cold open, as we call it.

[Rich Paul]

You said something about changing the game. I haven't been able to get that out of the way.

[Max Kellerman]

We'll get to that in the show.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, but I mean, look, was the Odyssey a good movie?

[Max Kellerman]

I give it a B.

[Rich Paul]

Okay.

[Max Kellerman]

But I'll say this. It's awesome that like Christopher Nolan is very ambitious. I like when someone's ambitious. And takes a big swing at a difficult thing, has a big imagination. And so he's got this, like, cultural phenomenon now where people are going back to the movies. That's awesome. Well, that's hard to get a ticket. Big event. That's awesome.

[Rich Paul]

That's good.

[Max Kellerman]

But, but, but the. The. There, there were. Well, there were a couple things, but I don't. Because you. Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

Let's not spend too much time.

[Max Kellerman]

You didn't. You didn't see the Odyssey. You didn't.

[Rich Paul]

It's okay.

[Max Kellerman]

He didn't see the. I was, like, ready to talk about it. I have a whole review. Maybe I'll do it as a five minute max. Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

What else you ready to talk about? Game [e-mail].

[Max Kellerman]

game over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul. I mean, that's it. We could just start the show, I guess.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

All right. I'm going to do the Odyssey as a five minute max today.

[Rich Paul]

This is very important.

[Max Kellerman]

Oh, yeah, I can imagine.

[Rich Paul]

Yo. Yeah, Hold up one. Sorry, Max. I had to take care of some business. Yes.

[Max Kellerman]

What was the business?

[Rich Paul]

LeBron announced he's going to the Sixers, which I was the reason why I was telling you that all that stuff was false.

[Max Kellerman]

Right.

[Rich Paul]

You know, all this speculation. And again, these guys are just trying to do their job, so I'm not. But ultimately, you know, we wanted to be very, very, very tight. To the best. Of course, because, you know, it was a tough decision for him.

[Max Kellerman]

And. Did he just make the decision? How long has he known about the Sixers?

[Rich Paul]

He just really decided on it, like, 100%.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. Was it down to the Sixers in Golden State at the end?

[Rich Paul]

It was. It was pretty layered across the board.

[Max Kellerman]

Okay.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. Well, that's huge news. The Sixers have now acquired Jalen Brown and LeBron James in this off season.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

To go with Embiid, if he's healthy. Maxey. And what. The guy no one talks about is Edgecomb, by the way, who's not only explosive athletically, like, really a dynamic player, and had an excellent rookie season, but played very well in the playoffs. Like, you gotta see how a young player like that performs when the lights get brighter and the stakes get higher and you play better teams. He's gonna be like, he's already good, but he has a chance to be much better than good.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. And I think, you know, adding someone like LJ to that fold, I think it's, you know, when you have a mix of young and old, you need young to compete in today's Game, you really do. And, but when you have the experience as well, in that locker room, in that training camp, every day on the road, fighting through adversity, someone that's been there before, Nick Nurse now has a guy along with his coaching staff that sometimes is, you know, you kind of let the team police itself because sometimes you don't want to continue to, to have conversations with the players. That way they don't turn off in moments. And so there's a lot of these things that take place.

[Max Kellerman]

And by the way, I bring this book up from time to time and I always forget the author's name. I apologize. The captain class, where they talked about dynasties, how your best player's gotta be an extension of the coach on the floor.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, whoever that is.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Not that he's been there for, he's just, he's just gonna arrive. But having a, basically a coach on the floor who can still play, not a dude sitting at the end of the bench, you know, but a guy who can still play at that level is a huge thing for a team whose talent is young.

[Rich Paul]

No, listen, what were the deciding, what

[Max Kellerman]

were the deciding factors?

[Rich Paul]

Well, I think, you know, obviously the most important thing is once you had a conversation with your family and they are okay with it. I think it's all you skin downhill at that point. Now you can really.

[Max Kellerman]

So, but wait a minute. He has the conversation with the family because he's thinking about Philly and once. And so, but, but because like I imagine if it's Golden State, you don't have to talk to anyone. It's right there.

[Rich Paul]

Easy.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. Right.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

So, but Philly or Miami is the distance.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, that, that, that plays a huge role. I think he talked about it, you know, being just so far away, but, you know, I think it's a testament to what his family has always meant to him and how they supported him, him and understanding just his love for the game. Man, this is a love for the game decision. Right. Nobody at this level, at this, this accomplished, you know, this successful in life, still wanting to play the game. You know, I, I, I don't know what else you can say about it outside of someone being very obsessed with

[Max Kellerman]

the game of basketball and also choosing, you'd say, well, the Thunder and the, and the, and the spurs are in the west, but actually the east is better than the West. Right now. The best team in basketball is in New York. They just proved it against San Antonio. The Sixers are obviously now retooled with LeBron and Jalen Brown. The Celtics may have gotten better with all these maneuvers. We'll see. So, by the way, I'd just like to point everyone out the influence of this show. Bob Myers came on. He was able to pitch the Sixers here to rich. And then LeBron went to the Sixers. Now, if there's any other newsmakers or power brokers in the industry that are trying to get something done right, you

[Rich Paul]

come to game over.

[Max Kellerman]

You come the game over, you put a seat right here for you.

[Rich Paul]

You make the world. We'll see what happens in the finance world.

[Max Kellerman]

Exactly. World leaders.

[Rich Paul]

Consumers, consumer products.

[Max Kellerman]

Absolutely.

[Rich Paul]

World leaders. So right here. So no.

[Max Kellerman]

So here's the thing. When you look at the Western Conference now, it's not as strong as it used to be. Actually, the actions in the East, a

[Rich Paul]

lot of action in the East.

[Max Kellerman]

Now, east is better than the West. West has two powerhouse teams.

[Rich Paul]

West has two juggernauts.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, juggernauts, by the way, who are neither one the best team in basketball. Knicks are better than those. If they were better than the Knicks, they would have beaten them, at least

[Rich Paul]

taken them six games, let alone styles make fights. Because I think the Knicks would have

[Max Kellerman]

had a hard time with okc would

[Rich Paul]

have been a little bit different.

[Max Kellerman]

I agree. But there's no way OKC without, especially without Jalen Williams beats the Knicks after what the Knicks just laid waste to the league. Knicks, number one team in the sport, by the way. Honestly, it ain't close. Take them five, six games. Take them six games. It ain't close.

[Rich Paul]

Right.

[Max Kellerman]

Spurs are fully healthy. They went seven with the Thunder. Could have gone either way. They won. They couldn't get out of Game 5 with the Knicks in spite of all those leads. Now LeBron's on the Sixers. That's a juggernaut. Or a powerhouse. On paper. Celtics are. Look, Tatum wasn't healthy all of last year. Celtics were the champions before.

[Rich Paul]

And I think with Paul George, it'll look different, but they're going to still be really good.

[Max Kellerman]

The Pacers, the forgotten team. Pacers. If the Knicks aren't the best team in basketball, the Pacers might be. They might be. They toe to toe with this healthy OKC team. Game 7, halftime tied. Halliburton goes down.

[Rich Paul]

Right.

[Max Kellerman]

You got a lot. And I haven't even mentioned everybody. Atlanta got better. Cleveland is going to be good.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. Washington. So LeBron talking about Washington. Washington's going to be a sleeper team.

[Max Kellerman]

So LeBron joins the Sixers in a packed conference. And listen. And by the way, the analytics around Jaylen Brown, where. Oh, the analytics underrate him. Does this actually mean he's overrated by others? But with LeBron on the team, I'll bet you the analytics change for Jaylen Brown.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Because he's not going to have to run point forward anymore.

[Rich Paul]

I think he helps everybody on that team, though. I really do. I think when you talk about a secondary playmaker, if he's your secondary playmaker, you have the best secondary playmaker in the league. Right. I think he helps Tyrese in terms of the pick and roll action. That 1314 pick and roll. I think Nick Nurse can take a little page out of Ty Lou's book and using Tyrese as the screener. You know, when you talk about a guy like BJ Edgecomb, he definitely helps him because when you're so athletic, you, you tend to lean on that a lot. But in BJ's case, like really honing in and being efficient. Right. Because now the thing about it, when you add a LeBron, everything changes. And I really mean this. That's why it's not easy for someone who is predeemed to be a star player on the team when he comes, you know, he kind of shows you how big or little of a star you actually are. And it takes a special kind of person mentally to embrace that. Right. And I think that the, the, the familiarity with he, him and Tyrese, you don't have to worry about that with Tyrese. Right. Because they know each other, they embrace each other. They've been working out together for the last five years. So. So you won't have any pushback. That is, that's like you, you can't pay for that. You can't put a value on that. And then just to, just to work ethic coming in every day in that facility is. It's you, you get better by osmosis. Like you, it's. It's hard for you not to want to.

[Max Kellerman]

Your peers influence you when you have that around you.

[Rich Paul]

And then, and then one key word, I think that'll be very important that I, that I think the Sixers will give off and the city of Philadelphia will give off is just a profound appreciation and you know, for him and I think that'll be big going into the season and you know, look, I think is, do they have the perfect roster? Probably not. Do they have a pretty good starting five? Probably. So. Do they have the capabilities to, you know, do some trim around the edges stuff? Absolutely. When you have guys like Bob Myers and, and, and Gans and Jameer Nelson. And also, don't forget Elton Brand still there as well. And so, you know, look, it was a decision that he made. It was really a tough decision for him. All I had to do was really set the table getting all the information and you allow him to make the decision. And, you know, I'll let him talk more about his decision at the time being go in depth. But, you know, these things are always fun, man. These things. I mean, you've been with me throughout the whole thing, going back and forth. And, you know, all the speculation out there, as you can see, was so far left. I mean, I felt bad for my guy, Adam Schefter. You know, somebody sold him a lemon and, you know, it was just. It's just one of those things, man. But I'm happy for lj. I'm happy for Sixers, you know, respect to, you know, all the other teams that was, you know, in position. But ultimately it's his choice. And, you know, and I think that choice, that's a roller coaster ride.

[Max Kellerman]

There are so many narratives now to be spun around this. Let me give you two. One is, who are the two in modern basketball? Who are the two that LeBron is really competing against in history? It's MJ1, but also to a lesser extent, Kobe, because there's still a lot of Kobe fans. Let me start with Kobe. LeBron went to LA. That was Kobe's team. Kobe's so popular with Lakers fans. In fact, there's a whole group of Kobe fans first and then they're Lakers fans, but they're Kobe fans.

[Rich Paul]

Before the league, rightfully so.

[Max Kellerman]

And he went right to the, like. The way I think about Kobe, one of the things I really admire about him is when the whole world was trying to be like Mike, he actually came closest to it. He did it. He just tried to improve. When people use the word emulate, they misuse it a lot. They mean it, they say imitate. But what emulate really means is trying to do it better than what came before. Kobe didn't get there, but damn, he came close. It was so bold of him to try it and to get as close as he did. He studied too, then looked, no question. Then LeBron came around and was like, I'm going to do something different. I'm Magic and Michael, right? So he was like the first real original player after Michael. But for. But LeBron is doing to Kobe a little bit what Kobe did to Michael, in the sense that I'm going right to la. That's Where Kobe is. And I'm going to play for the Lakers. Right. And he won him a championship. Kobe. Where is he from before he got to like, you know, what's LeBron going to do next play in Italy? You know, like. Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

This is a narrative. This is a narrative that you're making.

[Max Kellerman]

Yes, I'm making. This. I'm making.

[Rich Paul]

This is like the. In basketball.

[Max Kellerman]

Yes.

[Rich Paul]

Way too.

[Max Kellerman]

He goes. He goes to Philly. He goes to Philly.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

And now is playing for the Sixers. Right. In Kobe's hometown, basically.

[Rich Paul]

I actually think this is something. Kobe would be extremely. You know, like, I don't know if proud.

[Max Kellerman]

Proud is the word, I think.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. But I think he would be like, hell, yeah. Right. You know, because it's a competitive move. It's a competitive move. It's. It's a challenge. It shows that this guy really. I always say, I. You know, when. When we were. You can't see it, but LeBron put a video out. Right. And it starts with him at the podium. At the podium. I can show it to you. And when we were. When we were making the video, I got emotional because of the journey and because I know everything this guy has been through, and I know where his heart is. And I think that when you get people, the outside voices and all these different things, and the spitefulness, the purposeful, you know, you got all these, I don't know if they. Podcasters or analysts or whatever. Whatever you want to call it. They built a business off of talking negative about LeBron James.

[Max Kellerman]

You know, there's some money in it for people.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. And. And a lot of it is because they can't accept the fact that he does. He did things his way. And sometimes when you are. When you sit in our seat, especially as, you know, black men in America, and then in this case, an athlete doing something your way is not the ideal thing for most people. And they wait on you to fall. They wait on you to fail. And in those failing moments, it's an

[Max Kellerman]

extension of stay in your place.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. They want to shine the biggest lights on. And he's been a defiant. One of all defiant ones. And.

[Max Kellerman]

And although has not. Has not done it in an arrogant way.

[Rich Paul]

No, no.

[Max Kellerman]

Like, you know, Muhammad Ali was arrogant about it.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

But LeBron has been very. LeBron has been very kind of magnanimous about it and league friendly and.

[Rich Paul]

And he's given so much to the game. He. You know, you can't help if people don't want to necessarily pick up the phone and place the calls that they've been welcome to place to you for whatever reason, because, man, I don't have to jock nobody. You know, that's our mentality coming from our environments. It's a simpleton.

[Max Kellerman]

You want to play yourself.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, it's a simpleton mentality. As you mature in age and experience, you look at things a lot different. But unfortunately, that's how it is. But I always say, man, you know, he loved those S's, man, Savannah and Spalding. You know, he just. If you take that Spalding away from him, I don't. The guy would be useless. He would literally not be able to. He'd be a mummy.

[Max Kellerman]

So here's the other narrative, and this is the bigger one. And I think this is part of the negative reaction to LeBron. Curious to hear what you're gonna have to say about this. Part of what rubs people the wrong way. And let me start by saying I think people make too big a deal about this. But there's this sense that what LeBron, what actually motivates his behavior and animates his behavior, he won't cop to, which is the chase of Jordan. And look, the fact is, look where he decided to go. Couldn't go to the Knicks because they just won a championship. You know what people are gonna say if you go there, right? Otherwise, you said, he'd have been there.

[Rich Paul]

They would've loved to.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, right. For sure, you don't go to Golden State because the reality is Golden State's not in a position to win a championship. Even with LeBron. It's highly unlikely it could happen, but, like, a lot of things would have to break their way.

[Rich Paul]

That was a very tough one.

[Max Kellerman]

Miami could happen also. Actually, it's a flawed roster, though. Very competitive, but not a lot of shooting in the starting five. Not ideal in certain ways. It's really good defensively for him in other ways, not as the decision he made actually was to go to a place that not only gives him a good fighting chance of winning a championship, but a place that no one can say afterwards, well, that was a slam dunk. Of course, if you go to Philly, you win a championship because there are uncertainties. Embiid's health, they just, you know, they're integrating new pieces, all that. The point is, in the end, we. Where he went was the place to pursue championship. Right. Like that is motivating his behavior.

[Rich Paul]

Right.

[Max Kellerman]

But not a place to pursue a championship in a way where people can take the credit away.

[Rich Paul]

We can't see it, but he wrote Something on his ex. You could probably look it up now if you want to read it. He wrote it. Yes. And you can probably look up the video now. I'll let him tell whenever he wants to, if he wants to. A lot of the ins and outs, but it was a roller coaster ride. It was a roller coaster ride, man.

[Max Kellerman]

And this is what he wrote.

[Rich Paul]

I learned a lot.

[Max Kellerman]

I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game. And I have more to give. The last few weeks have been really special. I've never been able to have no clue what to do and really take time just to think I'd have an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out. This is my last decision. I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete to win and have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship. I believe I can make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team. And I'm so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you. La, Miami I'll forever love. And Northeast Ohio will always be home.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. I mean, in a nutshell. I mean, this, like I said before, when you take the money out of

[Max Kellerman]

it must be quite a feeling to be able to listen.

[Rich Paul]

I said there's never been an athlete in that position before, Max. It just never have. And I was. I was on the roller coaster. I was on the raging with Bob, you know, or the. The.

[Max Kellerman]

Because with Bob Myers.

[Rich Paul]

No, I'm saying who was here on this show.

[Max Kellerman]

It was just like pitching the six.

[Rich Paul]

No pun intended, Bob. But it was just like, you can see from the end of the season to this and this and this and this and the emotional attachments and how hard it is to go away from a Miami and go away from a Cleveland and, you know, who wouldn't want to play with Steph Curry and Draymond Green?

[Max Kellerman]

That would have been a lot of fun. That would have been a lot of fun. But it's not the choice of someone who is really pursuing a championship.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. But what I'm explaining to you is, I'm not in his shoes. I'm on the other side. But I'm seeing the emotional rollercoaster every day.

[Max Kellerman]

Every single day, the pendulum is going back and forth.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. And the beauty of it was, it was the first time I got to see him be a kid again. Like, it's literally like being a kid again. Because it's almost like when my grandma Ruth used on every Friday, she worked at vocational services on 55th in Carnegie in Cleveland. And on Fridays, she would let us pick where we wanted to go get something to eat. And my aunt sand, who had down syndrome, we lived with them, me, my brother and my sister. My grandmother had a box Chevy turquoise, box 84 Chevy Caprice. And she. You had too many choices. Do you want, you know, B, which had the best sauce back in the day on Hayden Wings? Do you want Burger King? Chinese food? Do you want Wendy's or McDonald's? Too many choices. And I like them all, by the way. It was the. Like, you can make an argument for any team, and none of it was perfect, but there was perfection within the imperfection of each situation.

[Max Kellerman]

Right.

[Rich Paul]

And ultimately.

[Max Kellerman]

So in other words, the part of the difficulty in the decision was they really were a lot of attractive options.

[Rich Paul]

How could it not be right? You know, home is home, Miami is Miami is Pat, and they have a good team. And I think that, you know, I think that everyone was at some point leading the race.

[Max Kellerman]

Well, if he goes to the spurs, for example, that's glomming on. Everyone's going to say they were just in the Finals.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

You can't go to, like, there were certain teams. You can't go to the spurs, okc, the Knicks. You're not going to get credit if you win.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. And you also, like I said before, you know, there is a. Those teams were very enticing, especially the spurs and the Knicks. Like, those teams are very enticing. He and Shay was actually kind of talking the other day at the time. 100.

[Max Kellerman]

You know, were those teams in the mix ever?

[Rich Paul]

Who?

[Max Kellerman]

The Spurs. Were they actually in the mix?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Until when?

[Rich Paul]

Until, you know, until they wasn't like, you know, it's just. It's just. It's really. When you say in the mix, it's more so just like, you know, I'm very close with Brian Wright and I know Buna and Jeremy Wemby's agent. Like, you know, so you have surface level conversations. And it's more so about. These guys are in a. It's about respect. These guys are In a. In a. In a point in their career where they're doing like this, no one wants to affect that by any stretch of the imagination. And regardless whether you want or not, if you have something good going, you know, some things are meant to be left alone. Right?

[Max Kellerman]

Right.

[Rich Paul]

Like white men can't jump. That movie should never been made again. And then it's the same thing on the Knicks. Right. Because they just won.

[Max Kellerman]

And they have a chemistry thing.

[Rich Paul]

They have a chemistry thing. Obviously, you know, Jalen's. Jalen. He's, you know, he's the King of New York, et cetera. And so he. And rightfully so, he earned that. And so when we had the conversation before, it's not like to call LeBron if you. No, it's not that. It's saying, hey, man, give him your blessing. It's okay. Because we respect. Like, anytime you go to somebody else's neighborhood, you want to.

[Max Kellerman]

It's the respectful thing to do.

[Rich Paul]

You want to come, come, come. Respectful. And so, you know, you know, all those things went through, and then ultimately Philadelphia makes a move, and boom, now you got Jaylen Brown. Now, hold on. And wait a minute now, this looks a lot different. Right? And then when you looking at people don't realize that we've also had a familiarity in Philly for a long time, starting way back when, obviously, me, Mitchell and Ness, Total sports, my man Mike Black and Mike Harris, back in those days, Big Rube, who I've known. And so time we spent in Camden is all right there. And so there was not, like, it's like, out of the norm. And then, you know, like I said, Tyrese and Bob and Mike and Josh and Blitz and David Adelman and Jameer. So when you break it all down, you're not making this one of my favorite people. My favorite people is on the Sixers, Nick Cohen and his wife. Beautiful people, you know. And so when you start to look back a house with all these things, too, there was no back a house. Everywhere was great. Back a house in Cleveland is great. Back a house in Miami is great. Back a house in Golden State is great. So, again, where's the. How do you eliminate.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. So were the reports true when it seemed to be narrowed down to what was widely reported was Golden State, Cleveland, Miami, Philly. That's what it got whittled down to. Were those reports true?

[Rich Paul]

Those were true.

[Max Kellerman]

So for the last however many weeks it's been going back and forth, among those four, did it ever get to three or two? No, it was always those Four.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. I mean, Minnesota, you always kept an eye there because, you know, Tim Connelly. And Tim Connelly's on it. He's on it, on it, on it. It's just. For whatever reason, you know, but

[Max Kellerman]

just freezing up there.

[Rich Paul]

I mean, Philadelphia is not any cooler.

[Max Kellerman]

I know, but Philadelphia, New York is. Right. It's like.

[Rich Paul]

It's.

[Max Kellerman]

You know.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, yeah. But, you know, again, it's just. It was a tough. It was. It was tough. It was tough. And I have to be in a position to where I got to be stealth. You know, I can't lean one way or the other way until I know he wants to really make a decision. And then he asked, you know, was it.

[Max Kellerman]

Was it. When did it start? Like, with the Lakers 80? Although you said the other day it wasn't like that. You told me that was.

[Rich Paul]

That was. No, that was. That was misconstrued how. How you say the word misconstrued. Misconstrued, right. Yes. That was less about that. It was more about. In a vacuum, pretty much, you know, like. Like he said. He said, I was pretty much done. This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So you were scrolling on Marketplace, and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message, and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for from a browse to a bike ride this summer. Find more on Facebook. Tomorrow morning is knocking. Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla smooth caramel, maybe? Or white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries.

[Max Kellerman]

When did it start? The scale start tipping toward Philly, like 55%, you know, when was like, you know what? I'm leaning toward Philly or. Or now it's more and more and more.

[Rich Paul]

No, I think. I think the. I mean, the eyeball came after, obviously, the trade, like, the Brown trade, to even be really, really considered, by the

[Max Kellerman]

way, what a thing for the Celtics.

[Rich Paul]

And then over time, what a thing

[Max Kellerman]

for the Celtics to have done. Their calculation was they can't pay that much to Jaylen Brown, even though they'd already won a title together and Jaylen Brown was finals mvp. They shopped him around. They couldn't get what they wanted for him. They wound up doing the trade in their division With Philly. And because of that trade, like, if that trade doesn't happen, I'm assuming he's not in Philly right now because of.

[Rich Paul]

I mean, much. He loves Tyrese. It's still very difficult.

[Max Kellerman]

Sure. Because of that trade, not only do they lose Jalen Brown to a divisional rival, that rival gets LeBron James on top of it. So now we have to see how this shakes out for Boston, because this has a chance to be a disaster for Boston, by the way. I'm not saying it will be. Boston might be better next year if Paul George can somehow stay healthy. And you know, Boston, they're very well run. Tatum is a great player, all these kind of things. But it's about it. If Boston falls out of it and they become like a kind of perennial second round playoff team and Philly wins a championship off this.

[Rich Paul]

And Max, you know, like the report

[Max Kellerman]

that Paul George is in another one of those trades. He's in another one of those trades.

[Rich Paul]

The report.

[Max Kellerman]

Paul George builds dynasties. He might be the greatest player of all time or gm.

[Rich Paul]

The report that we were upset at Adam Silver, so we held the. The choice back. It's like, I was just talking to Adam. I was just talking to Adam on the phone.

[Max Kellerman]

It's like I heard, you know, I heard you say Adam couldn't be.

[Rich Paul]

Just this type of stuff is just.

[Max Kellerman]

Does he laugh about it?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, of course, man. Because I seen him that week prior, and it was like, adam, we. You know, I'm gonna get him there. Don't give me. Give me a week. I. I'll, you know, I'll push to get him there. And he was like, fine, no problem. And we just laughed about it. He said, you say, I give you a week. I said, yeah, give me a week. I'll try to get him there.

[Max Kellerman]

And how do you push to get him there? You just say, hey, Bron, we got partners. They're waiting.

[Rich Paul]

No, that's actually just fluff.

[Max Kellerman]

He's just waiting on Bron.

[Rich Paul]

He's 275. You're not pushing him nowhere. But I can tell and feel when he's getting closer to and anytime. What I know is close is when I'm in the room with him and Savannah. When I'm in the room, you know,

[Max Kellerman]

there's a reason for that.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. When I'm in the room there, you know. Cause she's not doing anything just for the sake of doing it. I see her all the time. But when it's a closed door and we're having a meeting, we're close.

[Max Kellerman]

Got it.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, we're close.

[Max Kellerman]

So there are reports that Embiid is, like, in better shape than he's been. Et cetera, et cetera. Was that part of the process, Vetting, kind of like where Embiid was physically?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. I don't want to be too hard on Embiid, but, yeah, you know, you have to think about all those things. And from. From my understanding, Embiid is doing a hell of a job. This summer is the first summer he's actually been healthy, not having some type of surgery over the summer, which is always good. And look, anybody knows if Embiid is your. If Embiid is your best player on the team, you're a really good team. If he's your second best player on the team, you're a unbelievably good team. If he's your third best player on the team, this is basically the U.S. i mean, this is a.

[Max Kellerman]

But the crazy thing about him being rich is he's like, AD Actually, when he's on the floor healthy, he's unstoppable. He's still. He's actually. Actually, he's by far the best player on that team. Yeah, he's healthy. The problem is that almost, it's like, it creates a problem. Cause he's so good that it changes the dynamic of the offense. And then it takes him a game or two in the playoffs to get going, and for everyone to adjust, then he has a couple great games, and then, you know, he's not. He doesn't have his basketball legs. Something else happens now you got to adjust again. But I would think that the perfect guy to add TO that is LeBron. Look what he just did. Like, he's the fastest adjuster. He didn't have Luka or Austin Reaves and won a playoff series without either one of those guys.

[Rich Paul]

And he did it on the fly, that series. In my opinion, that series convinced him to keep playing.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. Yeah, I can see why. I can see why. And it really is a perfect puzzle piece for the Sixers, because if Embiid's in and out of the lineup, it's the playoffs. You just need to win this series and worry about the next one. If he can come back, LeBron can get that done.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. I think if they somehow get swept or lose 4:1 in that series, he's

[Max Kellerman]

like, what am I doing?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, it could be different. I think that gave us. And I'm so glad because I think it gave us another.

[Max Kellerman]

Luke Kennard and Marcus are your two best players. LeBron won a playoff series without a single average starter in the lineup, meaning there are 30 teams. Is this guy between 12 and 18 at his position? That's in the middle of 13. There's not a single guy LeBron played with in a playoff series that is an average starter. Luke Kennard is a nice player. He's not an average starter. He's not an average 2. Marcus Smart is still good. He's not an average guard. Like, he's not one of the 18 best guards in the league or 36 best guards in the league at the one or the two. And he won a playoff series like that.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, he did.

[Max Kellerman]

And KD was. He was like. He wasn't 100%, but he was still KD. He was still, at times on, especially in the first half, unstoppable offensively. You know, they had sengun. It's not like they. They didn't have it. They were a little banged up. They were missing. They were missing a Van Vliet. Of course, we were talking about that in the beginning of the year, but they were a lot healthier than the Lakers.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, look, I'm happy for lj. He made his choice. He's happy with it. It's weird, you know, seeing a guy that accomplished some still get excited and a little nervous and all. It's just. It's actually a cool thing to see because he's not too cool about the situation.

[Max Kellerman]

He's actually. He's not trying to play it like he's not excited.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, he's not trying to play like he's the number one leading scorer in NBA history. And fifth and assists and two in steal, whatever, you know, and breaks a record.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, that's a great quality that he can show everyone that you. He has that well, because he's done what he's done. He's secure enough about himself that he can show you he's excited about this. By the way, the Sixers now have two years to get it done. I'm going to say it right now, two years, because there's no way he's going out after year 24, when a quarter century, 25 years. Such a nice round number. And they got two. I'm saying now they have two years to get this done.

[Rich Paul]

I think the city of Philly is going to embrace him.

[Max Kellerman]

They'll be a lot more appreciative than la.

[Rich Paul]

Well, I just think it's a different fan base, but I do. But. But I think the LA fan base gets a bad rap because it's not all LA fans. You know, the people that I talk to do appreciate him and I know the organization appreciates it.

[Max Kellerman]

But there's, but, but there's like as much as there's a man on the street in la, the man on the street in Philly, just a different. So thirsty. Because they've been to the desert for

[Rich Paul]

decades and decades, but that's a.

[Max Kellerman]

Still not in la.

[Rich Paul]

That's a steel toe boot, you know, pale hard hat.

[Max Kellerman]

But also they're not. He's not following. There's no Kobe Bryant of the Sixers that he's following in. So you also have this faction of jealous people. And by jealous, I don't mean envious, I mean jealous. You're jealous of the thing you have. You guard it. So they feel like Kobe is the thing that they have that they're guarding and they want to protect from LeBron, who's seen as an intruder. Whereas in Philly, it's not going to feel that way.

[Rich Paul]

Mom's going to always protect the baby. Like, that's just part of. We understood that coming to la. So that was not nothing that we were ever trying to be fans, a bunch of moms to overcome. Like we. So. But, but I think in Philly, I think it'll be different. Just that I.95. Just in general, I mean, there's Philly fans in New York, there's Philly fans in D.C. you know, when, if you ever go to Philly, it's the one place where the Flyers, the Sixers, the Phillies, the Eagles, you could throw a rock and hit every place that those teams play. It's a sports, sports, just really all. Not all they have because Philly's a big city, but it's what they're passionate about. Passion in Philadelphia.

[Max Kellerman]

But especially since it's been. It's not like he's joining the Eagles, who just won a couple times or one. Yeah. A couple times in recent years. It's not like he's. He's, you know, he's. And it's not like he's joining the Phillies, which frankly, the city does not care as much about as they do

[Rich Paul]

the Flyers and the Six.

[Max Kellerman]

Right, right.

[Rich Paul]

But.

[Max Kellerman]

So, so he's joining a team they really do care about. They care about the Sixers, but. But has not won in forever.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

And also wasn't about to win without him. Like, it's not like Philly. You look at the Jaylen Brown move and you go, now they're ready to beat the Knicks. No, they weren't but now you can put them in the ring with the Knicks, with the Celtics at full strength, with Miami at full strength and say, okay, let's see what happens.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, so we'll see. I'm excited for them, but I got other business to do. Yeah, Max. So now that's off the. That's off the table. Free agency can now start again.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, right. So what do you think happens?

[Rich Paul]

Well, you know, I have a couple guys I have to focus on. One in particular that's in, you know, restricted free agency. And then there's extension eligible guys that come up. So that's my business. I'm sure other groups have their business to take care of. I know there's been guys kind of trying to see which way this guy goes, and so. But. And then all the media people can go on vacation and. So happy about that.

[Max Kellerman]

How many people? You know, how many people I know friends in the media over the years, they're like, max, what do you know? What can you tell?

[Rich Paul]

Jacobi told me the same thing.

[Max Kellerman]

They were like, just tell me when so I can plan my vacation.

[Rich Paul]

Nobody knew nothing. Today was the first day that people started knowing anything because we have to let some of his brand partners kind of know something is coming.

[Max Kellerman]

And so when was the decision made?

[Rich Paul]

Shit. I mean, probably about. I don't know. What time was it last night? One in the morning.

[Max Kellerman]

Now I know why you didn't see the Odyssey.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, Now I know why. Kind of went through it all yesterday. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I didn't really sleep. I haven't had a haircut. You know, I'm in the grind of it all, but I'm happy for them still.

[Max Kellerman]

Chevy is called the heartbeat of America for a reason. With SUVs made to move with your rhythm, the versatile Equinox tackles your entire day. The spacious traverse fits your crew and your whole weekend. And tracks bring style with value you

[Rich Paul]

can count on, all infused with tech

[Max Kellerman]

that has your back. So your drive always hits the right chord. Chevrolet together. Let's drive.

[Rich Paul]

Let's get some emails, though.

[Max Kellerman]

Max, you want to do emails?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, of course.

[Max Kellerman]

Email. After all this?

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, email. I think it's important to do some. Well, obviously, no, you and Bill did not convince him to go to Golden State.

[Max Kellerman]

Well, let's see. Hold on. Marcelo from Queens. With football season less than 50 days away, what are you looking forward to seeing the most this year?

[Rich Paul]

You have a my Ohio State Buckeyes.

[Max Kellerman]

Oh, he's NFL, I'm assuming. But that's a good NFL team.

[Rich Paul]

It's a 33rd NFL team.

[Max Kellerman]

Of course my Giants. Of course. I want to see what happens with Harbaugh as the coach. Here's a healthy scatter boo with the draft picks were very high end. What's the offensive line was rated top 10 last year for the first time and seems like decades. It might be. And they got better.

[Rich Paul]

I want to see excited about football season just in general.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

And I listen. I think the best player in football is not a quarterback. Not valuable, not most valuable. The best player in football is not a quarterback. The best player in football. The best player of football is Miles Garrett.

[Max Kellerman]

Well really the question is this. The question is how much more value does a given player give at his position than the next best guy or then the average. Because even at quarterback you could say, well, Miles Garrett doesn't affect your wins and losses as much as a quarterback. But that's a misleading statement. The question is not that. The question is how much more does Myles Garrett affect wins and losses versus the second best guy at his position or. Or the average player at his position versus a replacement player. Right. For him.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

Versus how many more wins does say Josh Allen give your team versus the second best quarterback? And doing it like that, which is the way you're Is the logical way to do it. The answer might be Miles Garrett. It might be.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah. The reason why I say that is because Miles, like when you look at the quarterbacks, you can say Josh Allen, Mahomes, you know, the different quarterbacks, how far apart they are in terms of much better than the other. I don't think it's that far apart.

[Max Kellerman]

Right. That's what I'm saying. Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

But when you get to Myles Garrett, I think there's a huge gap.

[Max Kellerman]

This is what I'm saying.

[Rich Paul]

Right. Okay. Well you just said it in a more geometrical way. I said it in a very.

[Max Kellerman]

All right, look.

[Rich Paul]

Layman's term.

[Max Kellerman]

What do you consider the most iconic moment in football history? I have one. That's easy.

[Rich Paul]

I have a catch. Ryan Clark.

[Max Kellerman]

The catch. His name.

[Rich Paul]

Ryan Clark.

[Max Kellerman]

David. No, Dwight Clark.

[Rich Paul]

Clark. Yeah. Ryan Clark is our guy.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. RC Ryan Clark might be also a designer. We don't know about Dean's like.

[Rich Paul]

Dean's like the catch. Caviar Clark.

[Max Kellerman]

He's thinking food and he's thinking Caviar Clark.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

It's the David Tyree catch that was. That was the probability of that happening on both ends of the play, Eli Manning, five guys on him, plays over. They could have whistled it dead. David Tyree catches it against his helmet. Hall of Fame defender on him. If it touches a blade of grass, it doesn't count. It didn't.

[Rich Paul]

But also.

[Max Kellerman]

And wait a minute, there's more. That was the undefeated Patriots.

[Rich Paul]

Exactly. That's what I was going to say. The effect it had on history.

[Max Kellerman]

On history. They were about. This is like LeBron against Golden State. You have a team that's about to be anointed the greatest team of all time. And because of this play, like, because of Braun against Golden State, they're not right. Same thing. Because of that play, they're not considered that way.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, yeah.

[Max Kellerman]

From Joe. Hey, Max. Keep saying.

[Rich Paul]

Nope, skip this one. Max.

[Max Kellerman]

All the analytics say Jordan was the best. I need you to name one out loud on the show because the analytics don't agree with each other. And half of them say LeBron.

[Rich Paul]

30 seconds.

[Max Kellerman]

I have no question. I only wish for you to present this picture to Max without commenting. Comment, Dante. Oh, well, okay, so this is what I'll say. I don't even need 30 seconds. Do it in 20. It's interesting that this guy says half of them disagree with each other and they say LeBron. Why don't you name them? Because I'll name them easily. Have you ever heard of per? That's a primitive one. It has. Jordan. Have you ever heard of

[Rich Paul]

war?

[Max Kellerman]

Per? 30.

[Rich Paul]

Here we go.

[Max Kellerman]

For 48 minutes.

[Rich Paul]

He's heating up.

[Max Kellerman]

That's Michael Jordan. There was one that favored LeBron. It was called Real Box Plus Minus. They kept refining it to make it better and better, and as it got better, it now favors Jordan. So there. I gave you three of them right away.

[Rich Paul]

I will not respond because I have to go to work.

[Max Kellerman]

Okay. I have no question. Only. What picture? What picture did they want if you did. Oh, oh. Iverson's influence. Iverson's influence.

[Rich Paul]

Okay, so now I will take the microphone here.

[Max Kellerman]

Next.

[Rich Paul]

So what I was trying to explain to you, it wasn't a knock to Kobe or Shaq. It wasn't. But when you talk about impact, this picture is all the evidence I need in court. If we were going to court. And I would state in my case, because here's the other thing. AI played in Philly. Shaq and Kobe played in la. If you put AI in LA or New York, forget about it.

[Max Kellerman]

But that's part of it, though.

[Rich Paul]

I understand. No, no, I understand, but there's only been three guys to ever make you wear Reeboks. Who are they?

[Max Kellerman]

Well, obviously, AI athletes.

[Rich Paul]

Yes.

[Max Kellerman]

One, who are the Reebok athletes?

[Rich Paul]

Two.

[Max Kellerman]

Shaq never had me in Reeboks, though. I mean, Shaq.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah, but he had the culture. He had the culture in Reebok. He did. Who's the third one? You won't guess this one.

[Max Kellerman]

Reebok athlete. Reebok.

[Rich Paul]

I'll tell you. Dee Brown.

[Max Kellerman]

Dee Brown with the punks. Yeah, but. Yeah, that's true. The pumps. With the pumps.

[Rich Paul]

This is what I'm trying to tell you.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, it's a good one. The pumps.

[Rich Paul]

Right. So there's. There's. There's a lot of things that AI was swimming against the current and still.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah. If you want to say AI played on the Knicks or the Lakers, then that's different.

[Rich Paul]

Oh, my goodness. I mean, you know, so that's not a knock to Shaq and Kobe, but that's just the power of AI.

[Max Kellerman]

That was good. Present it without a man in this video.

[Rich Paul]

Thank you. Thank you for that. I needed that. Because this guy thinks he's. He knows everything. Half the time he knows nothing, and some of the time he knows a little.

[Max Kellerman]

See the glasses, how it looks?

[Rich Paul]

And this is why. This is why. Max, again, I know what I have to do.

[Max Kellerman]

Yes. What is it?

[Rich Paul]

Our show is getting ready to take a huge surge because I'm taking the. You have to be right out of the show, and we're just gonna talk, because when we do that, I don't

[Max Kellerman]

have to be right. I just happen to be right. I don't have to happen.

[Rich Paul]

Have to. Whatever. Okay, we can end.

[Max Kellerman]

All right, so LeBron's going to Philly.

[Rich Paul]

LeBron's going to Philly, and we can

[Max Kellerman]

all go on vacation.

[Rich Paul]

He's going to Philly. I'm going to Skinny Joey's.

[Max Kellerman]

Like, literally, we should take some shows off now like everyone else. At some point in the near future. We have a little window to go dark for a week or something like that, because every. But, by the way, this is the incredible thing about LeBron. It's literally your 24. There's been so much activity in the league, including Giannis switching teams, Jalen Brown switching teams. All this stuff is going on. The Knicks winning the championship, all this

[Rich Paul]

stuff going on is fantastic.

[Max Kellerman]

And yet no one could go on vacation until LeBron made his choice. He's 72 years old.

[Rich Paul]

You got to watch the video.

[Max Kellerman]

What's that?

[Rich Paul]

He starts the video on his IG when he was in high school, and he was. The press conference going into the lottery. Yeah. And he starts the video and it's like, jokingly, he's like, y' all was waiting on me. And he's. He's addressing the meeting.

[Max Kellerman]

Yeah, it's great.

[Rich Paul]

Yes. It's really cool.

[Max Kellerman]

A quarter century later.

[Rich Paul]

Oh, my God. Bless God, man. All right, we're all blessed.

[Max Kellerman]

We'll see you on. What day is it today?

[Rich Paul]

Monday.

[Max Kellerman]

Monday. See you on Monday.

[Rich Paul]

See you guys on Monday. It.