Wemby, VJ, and the Mafia + Yaron Weitzman on the LeBron Lakers

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — Saturday Slam ‘n Jam

Episode Title: Wemby, VJ, and the Mafia + Yaron Weitzman on the LeBron Lakers
Date: October 25, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht & Alex Spears
Featured Guest: Yaron Weitzman, author of "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers"

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off the NBA season with a dynamic mix of top stories, player performances, and unexpected off-court drama—including a reported NBA coach’s arrest for ties to the Mafia. Andrew and Alex do their signature “Good, Bad, What?” segment to break down the most interesting moments from the first few days of games, and then dive into a rich, revealing interview with Yaron Weitzman about his new book chronicling the LeBron Lakers era. They explore messy front office dynamics, Magic Johnson’s mercurial tenure, the infamous Lonzo Ball pick, what-ifs with Paul George, the disaster of Russell Westbrook in LA, and much more. The episode closes with fun Lakers-LeBron trivia and the return of the "Wheel of Fandom" as they preview a Houston Rockets-focused week.

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Key Segments & Highlights

1. The Week in NBA: Top Stories & Games

[03:01–07:35]

• Headline Drama:
  • Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups arrested for involvement in a Mafia poker scheme; Heat guard Terry Rozier named in related betting investigation.
  • *"It’s only week one of the NBA and we’ve got Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups being arrested and indicted on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering." — Alex (Your Own), [03:01]
• Historic Rookie Debut:
  • Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe scores 34 points, breaking LeBron’s rookie record, but not the game’s high: Tyrese Maxey drops 40 as Sixers win over the Celtics.
  • "Edgecombe had an historic debut... 34 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 threes."—Alex (Your Own), [04:14]
• Thunder’s Banner Week:
  • Thunder celebrate first championship, then win back-to-back double OT games—including SGA’s 55-point explosion.
• Other Notables:
  • Knicks take early season statement win vs. Cavs with OG Anunoby starring.
  • Warriors outlast Nuggets in OT (Curry 46 points, Gordon a career-high 50).
  • Wemby’s giant performance coming up.

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2. Good, Bad, What? — Hosts Roundtable

[07:41–24:57]

The Good

• Modest Buzelis (Bulls): Impressive debut—size, aggressiveness, inside dominance.
  • "He wants to be one of the really good players in the NBA and he's expressed that desire." — Andrew, [08:22]
• Jeremy Grant (Blazers): After a brutal year, comes off bench and flourishes.
  • "He was the best player on the Blazers… overall just had one of the better games I’ve seen from him in a minute." — Alex, [11:16]

The Bad

• Clippers Look Old: Flat, embarrassing loss to the Jazz; Kawhi disengaged, poor effort.
  • "The Clippers continue this weeks-long streak of being the most embarrassing franchise in the NBA." — Andrew, [12:36]
• Rockets’ Reed Sheppard: Defensive liability, questionable fit with Udoka’s demands, raises concerns about three-point volume after offseason changes.

The What

• Victor Wembanyama: Unfathomable talent, unstoppable, leaves league searching for answers.
  • "What is about to happen to the NBA? ...He played 29 minutes against one of the best defensive front courts and had 40, 15, and 3 blocks." — Andrew, [19:41]
• Raptors Upside: Shockingly strong debut, relentless transition offense, “identity team,” prompts panel to ponder their true ceiling.

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3. Feature Interview: Yaron Weitzman on "A Hollywood Ending"

[28:17–57:41]

The Book’s Genesis & Lakers’ Sensitivity

• Why Write It:
  • Sales potential ("reverse engineering"), love of power/organizational dynamics.
  • "Part of it is definitely reverse engineering what could sell… But what’s happening behind the scenes that we don’t see, that then is impacting what happens on the court?" — Yaron, [28:44]
• Lakers’ Adversarial Reaction:
  • Multiple threatening letters from a famous defamation lawyer ("We're watching you"), signals their intense desire to control the narrative.
  • "There was a note from the Lakers lawyer... 'we hope you had a good time at the combine'—which is a little big brothery..." — Yaron, [31:17]

Inside Stories & Major Themes

• 2017 NBA Draft — ‘Lonzo, Lonzo, Lonzo’:

  • Magic Johnson’s tunnel vision for Lonzo Ball, little internal debate allowed, and the unusual power dynamics among the Buss siblings and the scouting department.
  • "It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. That was Magic’s pick." — Yaron, [37:30]

• Rookie Test — Lonzo’s Scouting Report Fail:

  • Lonzo exposed for not reading the scouting report—fails the “Draft Day” test when he didn’t notice a $100 bill taped to its back.
  • "He failed the Draft Day test... and there was a hundred dollar bill taped to the back of it..." — Yaron, [40:07]

• The Great ‘What If’ — Paul George to Cleveland:

  • A three-team Cavs/Pacers/Nuggets blockbuster fell apart because Indiana’s owner didn't want to keep LeBron in CLE, depriving the NBA of multiple alternate championship histories.
  • "If Paul George goes to Cleveland, LeBron doesn’t leave. I weighed [whether] to put it in because it seems like Monday morning quarterbacking, but I trusted the source." — Yaron, [43:18]

• Russell Westbrook Lakers Disaster — The Will Smith Story:

  • Tension, animosity, LeBron/AD physically exiting a "Genius Series" team talk with Will Smith, Russ left fuming, Patrick Beverley delivering hard truths.
  • "Westbrook’s like, are we all leaving? And Patrick Beverley goes, ‘No, no. They can do whatever they want. They won a title. We’re different.’ ...To Russ, this wasn’t up front." — Yaron, [47:39]
  • "Russ is sitting there picking out a bowl of fruit, just, like, angrily. And you could see the steam rising out of his ears." [49:30]

• Rob Pelinka’s Enigma:

  • Yaron’s fascination with the endlessly ambitious, odd, and sometimes duplicitous Lakers GM.
  • "I cannot get enough Rob Pelinka stories. I could write a whole book on Rob Pelinka... Just give me everything on Rob Pelinka." — Yaron, [52:02]

• Magic Johnson: Public Persona vs. Real-Life Executive:

  • Magic’s unpredictable, abrasive style behind the scenes—berating the “Baby Lakers” and cursing out staffers, while also disappearing for long stretches.
  • "There’s a scene earlier in the book where he’s just cursing out the Baby Lakers, just furious at the way they’re playing." — Alex, [54:01]

• LeBron’s Final Act:

  • Lakers (Rob Pelinka) hinting at reluctance to give LeBron a golden-parachute Kobe-style contract. For first time, LeBron’s lost control of his ending.
  • "For the first time in his career, he’s not in control… and that’s got to be really, really difficult for sure." — Yaron, [57:28]

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4. Lakers Trivia — Andrew vs. The Beat

[57:41–71:57]

• Fun, fast-moving trivia on the Lakers in the LeBron era:
  • Who has the most double-doubles after LeBron/AD? (Russell Westbrook)
  • Which Lakers scored 40 in a game? (Austin Reaves, Kuzma, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker)
  • Who is the Lakers’ all-time leader in dunks in a season during the LeBron era? (JaVale McGee [71:45])
  • Lively debate on how the Lakers’ ever-changing roster reflects Rob Pelinka’s tumultuous tenure.

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5. Wheel of Fandom Returns — Next Week: Houston Rockets

[73:13–76:05]

• The fandom wheel lands on the Houston Rockets for the week. Hosts will deep-dive into Rockets games/stories for next episode.
• "There are a lot of very interesting things about the Houston Rockets... They're new, they're funky." — Andrew, [74:44]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Billups’ Scandal:

  • "Phillips was acting as bait to lure wealthy people into poker games where they could play alongside famous athletes while losing all of their money because everything was rigged." — Alex, [03:01]

• On Wembanyama:

  • "He played 29 minutes against one of the best defensive front courts... had 40, 15, and 3 blocks. Seven dunks." — Andrew, [19:41]

• On Lakers’ Control Issues:

  • "There was a note... ‘We hope you had a good time at the combine’—which is a little big brothery because I spoke to Rob Pelinka for like 60 seconds at the combine." — Yaron, [31:17]

• Pelinka Anecdote:

  • "He’s going around... doing fun facts and everyone’s sharing where they’re from, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, well I played HORSE with Obama in the White House.’ And not realizing people are like, what?!" — Yaron, [54:01]

• Magic’s Double-Edged Sword:

  • "You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be the guy who’s cursing out staff if you’re gonna be taking months off to go yachting with Samuel L. Jackson." — Yaron, [55:59]

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Timestamps Quick Guide

• Top NBA Stories of the Week — [03:01–07:35]
• Good/Bad/What Segment — [07:41–24:57]
• Yaron Weitzman Interview — [28:17–57:41]
  • Lakers' narrative control: [30:24–36:45]
  • Draft day/Lonzo story: [36:45–41:37]
  • Paul George what-if: [41:46–45:15]
  • Russ/Will Smith drama: [45:18–51:45]
  • Magic Johnson inside stories: [54:01–55:59]
  • LeBron’s uncertain future: [57:16–57:41]
• Lakers Trivia Game — [57:41–71:57]
• Wheel of Fandom (Houston Rockets) — [73:13–76:05]

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Conclusion

An episode packed with instant-classic NBA anecdotes—both on and off the court—this week’s show pulls listeners behind the curtain of superstar egos, front-office politics, and wild new NBA narratives. The lively interview with Yaron Weitzman is a standout for Lakers fans and basketball nerds alike. Add in thoughtful game analysis, topical banter, and a healthy dose of humor, and this “Saturday Slam ‘n Jam” is a can’t-miss for any NBA follower as the season tips off.

Transcript

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[Andrew]

Welcome to the Saturday Slammin Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily, brought to you by ebay. On today's show, Alex and I are going to give you our good, our bad, and the what of the week. Talk to your own wife, Weitzman, the author of A Hollywood Ending the Dreams and drama of the LeBron Lakers. But it's amazing book and I promise there's so many good little nuggets from this book that we discuss that aren't just Lakers. Maybe you're a Lakers fan, you want to hear about it. Maybe you're not a Lakers fan. There are so many things in this book that kind of affect the NBA in general that you're going to want.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

To listen to the interview.

[Andrew]

It's great. And then we're going to do some trivia. But before we do all of them, Alex, tell me what happened in the NBA this week.

[Your Own]

Andrew the NBA is back and we've had a couple of days of real basketball to enjoy. And while the basketball has been fun, when it comes to the top story this week, it's going to be hard for Vijay Edgecombe to Top Current Head coach arrested in connection with years long Illegal poker Scheme involving the Mafia that's right folks, it's only week one of the NBA and we've got Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups being arrested and indicted on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Conspiracy Prison. What was going on is Phillips was acting as bait to lure wealthy people into poker games where they could play alongside famous athletes while losing all of their money because everything was rigged. Now that sounds bad, but there's more. In a separate investigation which led to the arrest of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Chauncey Phillips does match the description of a co conspirator who tipped off betters. The Blazers would be resting key players in a March 2023 game. For the time being, Thiago Splitter has taken over as the Blaz interim head coach. All right, back to Sixers rookie P.J. edgecombe, just an NBA player doing cool things on a basketball court, not involving the Mafia. In a game against the Boston Celtics, Edgecomb had an historic debut game. First he scored 14 points in the opening quarter, breaking a record once set by LeBron James. But he kept scoring. He finished with 34 points in the game, the most in a rookie debut and since 1974. Now his full line was 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists to go along with five three pointers. But he wasn't the game's leading scorer because Tyrese Maxey dropped 40 in the game, leading the Sixers to a 117 to 116 victory. The Sixers will have their home opener on Saturday night against the Hornets, who won their own home opener against the Nets. Also this week, the Oklahoma City Thunder received their rings raised the first championship banner in franchise history in an effort to raise the stakes this season. After winning 68 games last year, the Sunder have the Thunder have decided to try and win every game in double overtime.

[Andrew]

First stop.

[Your Own]

Please stop. Yeah, please stop. Please. First it was the home opener against the Houston Rockets, a game that should have ended in the first overtime after Kevin Durant called a timeout that did not exist. But it ended up going to double overtime, where The Thunder won 125 to 124. Two nights later on the road in Indiana, the Thunder did it again, winning in double overtime 141 to 135 behind behind Shea Gilgis Alexander's career high 55 points. SGA took 26 free throw attempts, which I haven't checked social media, but I'm assuming everyone's been cool and normal about, is the most attempts since Giannis took 26 last December. But you know what's wild? In the last five seasons, there are only three other players who have had a game with at least 26 free throw tips. Giannis did it twice. Makes sense. Embiid did it once. Makes sense. Can you guess the third listener? I'm not even going to wait. No, you can. There's no way in a million years you would guess that it was Jeremy Grant who took 28 free throws in a November 2022 game against the Knicks. Now, speaking of the Knicks, they came into the first heavyweight matchup of the season down a few key players. No Mitchell Robinson, no Josh Hart. The opponent was the Cavs, who were also hobbled. No Darius Garland, no Max Struse. And in what could be the first matchup of an eventual Eastern Conference finals, The Knicks won 119 to 111, led by OG Anunoby's 24 and 14 double double. The Western Conference had their own heavyweight matchup on Thursday night when the Nuggets traveled to San Francisco to face the warriors. And it was a battle of Titans between Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic, with Steph and the warriors ultimately coming out on top in overtime, 137 to 131, Steph leading the warriors with 46 and 7. The warriors start the season two and oh before they're back to back against Portland on Friday night. While the Nuggets didn't win the game, we do have to mention Aaron Gordon, who put up 50 points 5 0, including 10 three pointers, 1 0. Gordon's previous career high was 41 points. The most threes he'd ever made in a game previously was 7. I didn't even mention the crazy game Wemby had. But don't worry, we're going to talk about it. And those were the top stories this week wow.

[Andrew]

Feels like a month of basketball. It's been an amazing week.

[Your Own]

All right, Andrew, it's time to dive into the week that was. And the way we're going to do that this year is we each are going to give you something we liked, we're going to give you something we didn't like, and we're going to give you something that confused us. A little segment that we're going to call for one week. Good, bad what? Good, bad what? Now, each week the name of the segment is going to change, but the format will be the same. So. Good, bad what? First, a good thing. Andrew, what's something good you like this week? In the world of the NBA, Modest Bou Zealous.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Modus was good.

[Andrew]

He was very good. The Bulls beat the Pistons.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

It got a little dicey, but they.

[Andrew]

Still won the game. And modest pizzealous had 21 points, six boards and assists in three blocks. He was 7 of 12 from the field, but he was 6 out of 7. Six, seven in the restricted area, including three dunks, one on a sick two handed alley oop. He also had like a lefty driving layup, this lefty scoop finger roll. Like he just kind of had it all getting to the rim. He was zero of three from deep. He's really one of four. He hit one where his toe is on the line, but shows off three from deep. But like the three ball looks good to me and I think he's going to be continue to be aggressive enough with it that it'll be a part of what he does. But the Bulls getting a guy who has like size athleticism and really the thing about him that differentiates him from these other Bulls wing prospects of the past. So he's super aggressive and like he wants to be one of like the really good players in the NBA and he's expressed that desire. He's showing it on the court. He's still super young, but it was a really great start from Modest Pizzealous.

[Your Own]

Yeah, that's a great one. I, you know, I think prospects like that are the most fun to have on your team because they theoretically can do everything.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

And, and, and most of the time it doesn't work out. But when you have a player like modest where you start seeing like flashes of everything starting to come together. I mean, we even started seeing it last year at the end of last season. Yeah, that's really exciting because you can really start letting your mind wander. Like, man, if you really put all of this together, like what kind of player Would that even be? You know, it's so much more exciting than, for example, like watching Patrick Williams development.

[Andrew]

You know what? I didn't have to say. We didn't have to say his name during the segment. I just kind of barely mentioned him in there if you didn't catch it.

[Your Own]

But okay. My good thing this week, I wanted to bring up a player that I had a lot of fun with last season because he was putting up some stats that didn't seem real and not in a good way. Last season. Jeremy Grant, easily his worst NBA season. Giving his standing in the league, his contract. He shot a preposterous 38% on two pointers, 37% overall. It was the type of season that was so bad, you wondered had he fallen off some imaginary cliff never to return to the player he once was. And this was a problem for the Blazers because they have other problems, but problem for the Blazers because his contract is large. Andrew, two more years, around 33 million, and then a $36.4 million player option for the 2728 season. He went from a guy who Portland could have gotten a first round pick for two summers ago to one of the worst contracts in the league. And so when the starting lineup for the Blazers was announced for their first game, Grant was coming off the bench. It made sense. And I was actually impressed that the team had bitten the bullet and made that decision. But then the game starts and Jeremy Grant was the best player on the Blazers. I was at the game. He was incredible. He scored 29 points on 10 of 14, shooting 4, 7 from 3. He had this play where he drove towards Nas. Reed faked him out so bad, he was able to get completely around Nas without Nas ever touching him, and then had a wide open dunk. I thought he was active defensively overall. Just had one of the better games I've seen from him in a minute. And to put that first game in some perspective, so Basketball Reference has this game score stat where they try to put value on each game. His game score in that opener was tied for the highest game score he had all of last season.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Your Own]

And the other thing about him playing so well is that watching this team, especially without Scoot or Robert Williams, this roster thins out really quickly and all of a sudden you're relying on someone like Chris Murray to be a real rotation player. Blake Wesley in that first game was getting a lot of minutes with Scoot out. This team needs this version of Jeremy Grant, especially with the offensive struggles they're inevitably going to face. Losing Anthony Simons. So for an opening statement after his worst season as a pro, I thought he looked really good and wanted to give him some credit.

[Andrew]

Shout out to Jeremy Grant.

[Your Own]

Those were good things. Now how about some bad things? Andrew, what's your bad for this week?

[Andrew]

Oh, can we talk about the Clippers for a minute? The, the Clippers continue this weeks long streak of being the most embarrassing franchise in the NBA and losing to the Jazz 129 to 108 is, is pretty, pretty darn embarrassing. You know you only get a few gimme games in the Western Conference. You only get a few and the Jazz are one of those teams and the Clippers got get three games against them. They already blew one of them. They look old. They did not lead for one single second in this game. And Kawhi Leonard, who a lot of people were talking up in the preseason, he got torched by Markkanen. Just absolutely torched. He was kind of, it felt like he was playing behind. He wasn't. It didn't feel like he was like almost paying attention during a lot of these games. There was a turnover and it was a James Harden pass. This was at the, toward the beginning of the third quarter, James Harden throws the ball to Kawhi. Kawhi is not paying attention. He doesn't even know the ball is coming. He turns around, sees the ball hit the ground, stands there a few seconds, throws his hands up like what's going on? He's got those big old mitts up in the air waving around what's going on here? All the while Spi Mahaluk gets behind, Kawhi gets the ball, dribbles it up the court, passes to Keonte George who then sends us to flip who gets a wide open dunk like it's just like one like small example of just the lackluster ness that existed with the Clippers at night. Now it's one game. It was, this was a pure like we are not giving the necessary effort to beat a professional basketball team kind of thing that happened. I don't expect this to be necessarily a long term thing for the Clippers, but it was concerning. And this is already an old roster that is going to have some injury problems at times. They're going to have some effort things that happen just because you, if you're that old, you just can't make all the like tiny little effort plays. But when you have so many guys that aren't going to make those kind of plays on your roster, I think it is a little concerning and so not to say like, this is going to be a horrific season for the Clippers, but there was a really, really bad start.

[Your Own]

Yeah, it's. It seems like there's probably like five times a year where either in like a group chat or, or on Twitter, someone will just post the screenshot of an ongoing score.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

And to have to have that happen on night one where everyone's posting like the halftime score.

[Andrew]

I had it four. I had it in four group chats was just, just the score. Never said.

[Your Own]

Yeah, never a good sign. My bad this week. Reed Shepherd's defense and how that relates to the Rockets overall three point shooting. So yeah, the first matchup of the NBA season, it was a doozy.

[Andrew]

Andrew.

[Your Own]

Double overtime thriller between the defending champs and the Houston Rockets. And I think if you're Rockets fans, there's a ton to be excited about, especially with their two young stars, Alpern Chengun and Amin Thompson. Yeah, but one thing that really stuck out in a bad way was Reed Shepherd's defense. And it wasn't like this was a case of OKC getting Reed switched onto SGA on every play and forcing him to guard the reigning mvp. You know, like that's going to be tough for anyone and that's still a problem. But you know, you would understand it. A lot of the defensive lowlights for Reed were against matchups where he just has to be better. Like you can't get put in a spin cycle. Against Lou Dort. He got completely dismissed by Casen Wallace on a straight line drive to the rim. These are some of OKC's lowest usage players, not exactly known for their self creation. And they were just blitzing Reed. And while this might not be as big of an issue if Reed was drafted by another team, he's on a team with championship aspirations. He's playing for a coach who might value defense more than any other coach in the league. I mean, we watched how Udoka handled Shen Goon's minutes earlier in his career until Sengun proved to him that he could be a solid defender. And what's especially concerning is how important Reed's theoretical three point shooting is to this team. Because during that first game, The Rockets took 35 threes in regulation, which would make them a bottom 10 volume team over the season, you know, compared to last season. But that, and that's not necessarily an issue. Like the Nuggets, Clippers, Knicks, they were all bottom five last season in three point attempts per game. And they were great teams. But what was crazy to me is where that volume was Coming From In Game 1 of the season for the Rockets, Amen Thompson took seven threes. He missed all seven. The last time he took seven threes was his first game in the NBA when He somehow took seven threes in 21 minutes. He's taken four or more threes only five times in his career. Alperin Shingu took eight threes in the game. This is a guy who didn't take more than three in a game all of last season. Now he was five for eight in the game. And importantly, he looked very comfortable taking those shots, which is encouraging. But if Reed's defense is this much of an issue, Shingoon's newfound three point volume goes from this exciting new development to something the Rockets desperately need from him every now. If not, if not him shooting 5 for 8 at least just taking a lot of threes. And again, you can be a good team while not taking a lot of threes. But those other teams like the Clippers for instance last year, they had established three point shooters that you could trust. Yeah, one of the overlooked effects of the Jalen Green for Katie swap was the three point volume. Because Katie obviously a better player. It was a great trade. You always make that trade. This is not a defense of Jalen Green, but it is significant that per 36 minutes you're replacing a player who took 8.8 threes per game with someone who took 5.9 last season. And then you lose Fred Van Vliet and you're left with this game where guys who you normally would have not thought are going to be taking a lot of threes for their team are now taking up the bulk of their three point attempts. Now getting dfs back is eventually going to help. I think Jabari should and could shoot more. Yeah, but watching that first game I kept coming back to Reed because he projects as this high volume shooter that they need. And yet his defensive shortcomings are going to force his coach to make some tough choices if he doesn't improve.

[Andrew]

Yeah, he, he also just can't really get an advantage with his dribble either, which I think is a problem. Like he can get the ball up court okay, but once he gets into the half court like there's at least against the Thunder and maybe that's the unfair thing. It's like we watched him play against the Thunder and like offensively there was just not a lot he was able to create and some of that could be that he is playing against Case and Wallace who's like one of the best on ball defenders. In the NBA, so I'll kind of reserve my judgment and maybe in that circumstance for him, but he just really struggled in all aspects of the game against okc. So, yeah, I. I think, like, kind of putting a pin in, like, the. The Reed shepherd problem is. Is a. Is a good thing to do at this point.

[Your Own]

So we gave it good. We gave a bad as time. Andrew, for your.

[Andrew]

What.

[Your Own]

What confused you this week in the NBA?

[Andrew]

Man, I. I could not decide where to put this, but I'm just putting Victor Wembanyama here.

[Your Own]

Confusing in a good way.

[Andrew]

Confusing in a. What is about to happen.

[Your Own]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

What is about to happen to the NBA? He played 29 minutes against one of the best defensive front courts that the league has to offer. He had 40, 15 with three blocks. He had seven dunks. Seven dunks. I was. I was talking to my son, taking him to basketball practice, and we were talking about the Wimby game, and we were talking about, like, the. Like, the height difference that exists. He's like, who can. Who can credibly guard Wimby? He's like, it's probably like Chet, like, might be the only guy in the league that can credibly guard him. And I was like, do you realize that the height difference between he and Chet is the same as from Chet to Lou Dort? Like, it's like, the same height difference between those guys. Like, that's why it's going to be so tough for the league to, like, credibly guard this guy. You're going to have to send two to the ball, and you're going to have to turn him into a passer, and that will be like, the evolution of Wimby is that, like, you're going to have to send two to him, but, like, it didn't really matter on night one. The Mavericks, who would be a team that you would think, oh, okay, like, they're. They're pretty well equipped to guard him. Nope, they weren't. They weren't at all. They weren't ready at all that the defense that's going on in Dallas will not win championships, and they will not stop Victor Wimanyama.

[Your Own]

Yeah, I was. I was following along on that game and saw. Because I was at the Blazers game and I saw, oh, Derek lively only played 10 minutes. Like, I hope he didn't get hurt or something. And then you just learned, like, he just f. He's got five fouls. Like, the. The way. The fact that he started off his season dominating that front line. Yeah, it's just so impressive. Especially, you know, they, they start point flag, which didn't go great game one, but I mean, that's a massive lineup. You couldn't ask for much more size other than maybe the Rockets. And he just totally dominated and that he did it in 29 minutes. Torched him. Torched him. My what this week? Well, first week of the NB season, I would say it's made for overreactions, Andrew. Yeah, when you haven't watched your team play in months, you're trying to soak up as much of that first game as possible. But it's important to remember most of these games will be forgotten to time. Do you remember who beat the Houston Rockets in the first game of last season, Andrew? It was the Charlotte Hornets. Oh, 110 to 105. And of course they went off to win 50 games and make the playoffs. So that said, the game I want to overreact to this week is making me a little confused. Was Hawks, Raptors. Because I tuned into this game honestly, because I wanted to watch the Hawks. I wanted to see this new lookouts team. Yeah, we get a ton of love in the off season for their moves. I think justifiably so. Bring in Porzingis, Nikhil Alexander, Walker, Jalen Johnson's back healthy.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

Year two for Risa Shea. People, including me, excited to see this team in action and they stunk. They got absolutely dominated by the Raptors. And while that was surprising, I'm not going to make this about the Hawks because what actually surprised me was how impressed I was by the Raptors. They looked awesome and I love the formula they have with this current team. They were aggressive in every aspect of this game. Constantly had Atlanta playing off their back foot. 34 points in transition, which you got to give the Hawks awful transition d some credit there. But it also makes sense with how aggressive Toronto was. Per cleaning the glass. When the Raptors got a live rebound, they turned it into a transition play 49% of the time. That's in the 96th percentile. They were putting an incredible amount of pressure on the rim. They took almost half their shots there. But even in the half court I thought they were moving fast. They were making quick decisions, quick passes. You know, I kind of associate Brandon Ingram teams with like pounding the air out of the ball, taking, you know, ISO mid range shots and there were some Brandon Ingram mid range shots. But like overall it was coming in the flow of the offense and I just felt like they were moving so quickly up the court, in the half court, everywhere. I just really enjoyed how they were playing and at the very least I am buying into this team being miserable to play against this season. But I'm also starting to wonder like what is their upside? Like I I was listening to the bold predictions pod with Sam Bassini on on Game Theory and Bryce and one one of Bryce's first bold predictions was that Toronto was going to overtake OKC in most like forced turnovers per game which watching this game like I at least kind of see the vision. And then Sam his first ball prediction was that they were going to be like a locked in playoff team so like a top six seed. And again watching this game like yeah, I don't know if I buy the ceiling like the upside for this team long term right now, you know they probably need another star piece on this team to really take them seriously but man they've at least got a formula like this. This team definitely has an identity and that can go a long way, especially in the Eastern Conference.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Wow.

[Andrew]

S is going to be so excited to hear about this. Oh shout out S. He's going to be so pumped. Something else I'm pumped about is to talk about this book and to talk to your own wise men right after this quick break.

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[Andrew]

With us now, we have Jeroen Weitzman, author of A Hollywood Ending the Dream Themes and drama of the LeBron Lakers. Your Honor, I'm really excited to talk about this. Thanks for joining us.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Thanks for having me on. I'm excited to be here.

[Andrew]

So your new book is about the Los Angeles lakers during the LeBron era. What initially drew you to this story and made you want to write this particular book?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

All right, a few answers. So one, I'm going to give a answer which I haven't been giving a lot, but I don't care anymore. It's. So when you write a book, part of it is definitely reverse engineering and what could sell. Right? I'm not going to lie about that. That. So, sure. Not the most beautiful answer. But like, you know, there are a lot of things that are good stories, not a lot of good stories are of interest. LeBron and the Lakers obviously are of interest. Right. But past that. Okay, so that's part of it. But you're not gonna just do something because, like, it could sell. I did three years on this, so, you know, you could. You need to be into it. And the thing I think I'm usually most drawn to in most of my MBA work is sort of the power dynamics and the way I explain it. So, like, what's happening behind the scenes that we don't see that then is impacting what's happening, what happens on the court that we do see. Right. And to me, it would seem very clear that this merger, and I think a merger is a proper term between these two iconic brands of LeBron and the Lakers was ripe to sort of unpack that. And being an outsider and not being in LA and not being reliant on the Lakers for immediate credential. And I'm saying this. This is not criticism, criticism of anyone else, because it's not like everyone's got different jobs.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

But not. Not in that. And not being like one of LeBron's guys, which is fine. And again, being one of LeBron's guys, that's an important job. I'm not making a joke, even, like, that matters.

[Andrew]

Sure.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

But just that there was an opening for me to come at this and really do this in a way where I use myself as a radar. Like, if I'm interested in this, I think most NBA fans are. And, like, what's the deal here? What was these. What was this tenure? Actually, I can get to the. You know, shed some insight. So that's kind of the answer there.

[Your Own]

So the book starts with an author's note describing, among other things, the Lakers approach to you writing this book, which included hiring a famous defamation lawyer. Now, you. You mentioned that you received several letters from that lawyer while writing this book, saying things like, quote, there are many times when individuals threaten to sue with neither their reputations to stand up to scrutiny nor the resources to pursue a strong libel claim. Please have no doubt neither of those issues applies here, which sounds very scary. Now, what do you think bothered the Lakers so much about this book? Do you think it was a particular characterization of one of the main characters involved?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Short answers. I don't know. So the short answer is, I don't know. I'll give the background here. Right. So when you start the book, you reach out. Reach out to the principals involved. I'll do the LeBron part quick. LeBron. I spoke to him for 60 seconds in a locker room, and I knew he's like, go through Adam. Adam Mendelssohn's his PR guy. NBA fans might even know his name by now.

[Your Own]

Right?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

He's around enough. They weren't gonna participate. I knew they weren't gonna participate. LeBron really doesn't do that anymore. And power to him, like his. It's why he's gonna sell his own. So he's literally. They literally have cameras around him. Like there's already a documentary, I'm sure in the morgues, whatever. So that the Lakers were different. So the Lakers I reached out to and I had. I met with Genie Buss twice. Off the record. And I've said this before, I only share that. I wouldn't share that. But she has talked about this in interviews. So I feel kind of it's fair game. Where she's been like, there's a writer writing a book who has said this to me. And I'm like, okay. I thought we were off the record, but I guess not. I don't know. And they weren't. I don't. She never really understood the project, which is fine. She like didn't think there was a need for it. She didn't really understand like what there was, like why there was. Why anyone wanted to do this book. And that happens a lot. But when people inside, right, they don't understand the interest that people might have on the outside. But like you had communication. Like there's some, you know, informal fact checking stuff back and forth. I would kind of throw some, send things to her and somewhere along the line and where the first time I got a note from the Lakers lawyer from this guy named Marty Singer. So it was. I'm bad with the years. I think it was 2024, the year the Celtics won the finals. And I'm on. I was for with Fox Sports that I'm on the sidelines, Game one, let's say it's seven o' clock or whatever. I don't remember whatever it was. And I remember this. This was the day. This was the day that Dan Hurley, the Dan Hurley news broke, right? That the Lakers were. Were looking at him. There's the wolf bomb right there. Same day at the finals, if people remember. And I'm standing on the sideline and I see this note come from the letter, whatever, office of Marty Singer. And I'm like, I open it, Blake, we've hired. I've been hired by Lakers. Deal with. Deal with, lead the dealings with you. Yada, yada, yada. I Google him and he's a very famous defamation lawyer. And so then I get that. I'm like, okay, I guess informal communication time is done, right? Like we are done with that. Like that is like. So the letter wasn't threatening yet. I kind of describe it as a. Not a cease and desist, but we're watching you weird anecdote in There was like, we hope it said we hope you had a good time at the combine. Which is a little big brothery because I spoke to Rob Polinka for like 60 seconds at the combine, literally. So it was kind of like, that's what I'm saying, that we're watching you thing. It was a little. So like my made up, my and my made up. I don't know if they saw me talking to Rich. I talked to Rich Paul a little bit at the combine. They don't even, they don't know. I wouldn't share. Like I could have been talking to Rich Paul about whatever. Darius Garland. Right. They have no idea. But like, I, I, I don't know if they saw me talking to Rich. I don't know, something. And I started hearing from sources around before I got the letter that like something about Genie, something, I don't know, there was something going on that she had become worried about this project. So I don't fully know, I don't know if it's just that in the sports world these powerful people are really successful and used to sort of controlling narratives and being able to push out these stories that they want. And I just wasn't going to do that. And like I always be careful. I always counter that by saying, to be clear, I didn't come at this as like, I'm an outsider and I'm burning every bridge down and bleep this person, bleep that person. I'm taking them all down. But I wasn't gonna sugarcoat things or just changed stories that weren't the case. True. So I don't know. I don't know. And then we send them, I know I'm blabbing here a little bit, but then we send them the fact checking document later on. So the way the way this works is like, so I get that letter. I'm like, okay, we're done. So I'm send the fact checking and the fact checking. I like to explain this to people because I don't know if they fully understand, you know, fact checking the way it works. When you're done before publication, right? I'm done before publication. I send a list of things for them to respond to. And like when I have one of the Maloof brothers tell me how Genie Bus is a great owner. I don't need a Genie Bus response to that. That's great. So that's fine. So, and I'm sympathetic to this. They get a document, it's like 40 or 50 things and it's probably scary. Because it's all negatives usually. Or. And it's like, I get it, you see that? It's probably like, oh my God, this is a hit piece. But my answer is always like, and I write this. Let's get on the phone and talk. And I've done this and did this with other people, right? And like, nothing's published yet. So if you show me why this is wrong, either factually, contextually, perspective wise, like, I am all. Please, like, I am happy to change. Like, I'm happy to do it, but you have to work with me a little bit. I can't. It can't just be like, you're wrong. LeBron's people on the fact checking response was, there's a ton wrong here. And I'm not even going to answer. Show you what it is. And I'm. Do you want to point it out? No. I'm like, okay, well then I can't do anything with that. Like, what do you. That's not even saying anything. That's just like, there's a lot here. I'm like, what do you want me. Ethan wrote. I'm like, do you want me to guess? Like, what is this a game? I'm still so, like, I can't do anything with that Genie took a different path. And they write this letter and actually I think it enhanced the book a little bit in many ways, like from an entertainment perspective and from just also showing, like, it's like, almost like I said, I put a lot of them footnotes and it's almost like a secondary narrative, like that's going along along, like, you know, along with the story. And a lot of it is like, almost like proving some of the points, even if not specifically, but just you're seeing how they think it's such. The notes, so many of them are such an insight into how the genie bus Lakers operate in things. Like, I think one of the greatest quotes is from the tie. The response to Ty Lu, like, when I said, like, people accuse them of being sheep by not hiring ty Lu in 2019. And the response was something along the lines of coaching the Lakers is a uniquely special opportunity. And I'm like, that's just some. That's it, right? Like that. I can summarize my book there in like a sentence. Like, that's the insight you need. So I know. Long winded answer. I don't know what the sensitivity was. I'm assuming they got wind of something. You know, I know when you report people, things get around. So I'm sure somebody Said, hey, he asked about this, and I'm sure that set them off somewhere. And mixed with not being in control of the narrative probably was something that we weren't used to.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I give you a ton of credit. I got the book. I crack it open. I've read a lot of sports books before, and as I'm like getting further down the road at this thing, I'm like, like sitting up a little straighter in my chair. I'm like getting, getting excited to read what's next. So there is a section on the 2017 draft. You describe how Magic Johnson became laser focused on Lonzo Ball with the second pick. There's a line that just says, Lonzo, Lonzo, Lonzo. With players like Jason Tatum never even getting a workout or an invite from the team. How popular was that pick within the Lakers organization at the time? And was everyone in lock step? Were there different factions that favored other prospects?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

It's a good question. Well, the Lakers, I mean, I don't know if they might. It didn't matter. Maybe the short answer is it didn't matter. Like Magic was going to make that pick, right? Like, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. That was Magic's pick. And the Lakers, they've always had as funky setup, I should say always in recent years, they've had the funky setup where like you have the GM Magic, then you have. The scouting department is usually was ran by, you know, Ryan West, Jerry West's son, who's pretty universally respected as a scout. And then more significantly, Jesse Buss, who's one of the youngest Bus children. The Bus ma. The bus you think of the bus is, is Dr. Bus.

[Andrew]

He had four.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Well, five. We'll get to that. Four. He had four. He basically had four children with his first wife, Janie, Jimmy, Johnny, Genie. If you can see all those names 10 times fast, congratulations to you. And then he had Joey and Jesse in with a second woman later on, right? And then there's another kid who came on later and whatever, separately. But they're basically the six, Joey and Jesse. Joey was running the G League, Jesse was running the. A lot of basically becoming the head of the scouting department. So Jesse was always the one more in the weeds on this stuff. And his team, his group I should say as well, like other people around him in the weeds. And the Lakers historically been great, like their G League operations and this guy, Nick Mazzella. And under Joey, Joey was really good at kind of empowering some of these scouts around him. Like the G League historically, for the past 10 years, you can see the G League results. They don't. These guys don't always stay through right after they come up. But, like, they've had a lot of success with those guys. So answer your question. Like, it didn't matter if other people were on board or not, right? It was Lonzo. It was going to be Lonzo. It was very clear. Lonzo, Magic, like, went to, like, one of, I think, two of his games in person, which for him was a big deal. Right. And to be fair, like, I know Alonzo hasn't panned out like, Lonzo was Lonzo. First of pre. Injury was really good. Really good.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And I'm sort of like, I judge NBA. Like, my judging of draft picks is like, you don't know who's gonna be a star or not. If the guy's really good like that, then you hit. Like, if you didn't nail the super, I don't know. The guy said Lonzo was a really good player. And most scouts liked him a lot, too. So, yeah, some people had Darren Fox ahead of him. And I think his scouts, I think I had in the book, like, a lot of them had Darren Fox ranked as a higher point guard. But to me, the Magic, like, that's not a mistake, but it's also indicative. Magic wanted both ways.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Magic wanted to be, like, the ceremonial president, like, I'm Magic Johnson. But he also wanted to get his hands in on certain decisions as well. And, like, you can't do both. That's where the. That's where the issues can come in.

[Andrew]

In.

[Your Own]

Could you retell the anecdote about rookie Lonzo Ball getting called out by the coaching staff?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm so glad this hasn't got picked up at all.

[Andrew]

It's fine.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And this is like these. I love. I feel like these are the anecdotes that, like, make sports books, like these random things. Yeah, yeah, I know. Actually, I should. I should tweet this out at some point, but this is good. So this. It's Lonzo Ball, basically. And, you know, he failed the draft day test. Like the movie Draft Day. He failed it. So they're in the locker room, and there's some. His rookie year, and there's some concern among the coaching staff that Lonzo's maybe not being the greatest professional as a. As a professional. Right. And not reading scouting reports. And it's before Thunder. Getting into Thunder. And I gotta remember. Exactly. Andrew probably remember either. But, like, Russell Westbrook, they go to ask him about the scouting report, and I Think it's that he goes left, right, even though he's a righty, if I remember correctly. Feel like that he's going, he goes left. And Lonzo is basically jibber jabbering. You know, we've all been like, when a teacher calls on you and you don't really know. So that's Lonzo. He's doing that in this locker room in front of the players. Not meant to be in front of players, but they're all, you know, when you're in a room and you can sense something's happening. So like they're all kind of slowly honing in on this. And Alonzo's like. And Lonzo's like, no, no. And the scouting, the assistant coach, Clay Moser goes, well, he goes left. You didn't know that? Alonzo goes, no, I did. He goes, well, if you read the scouting book report, you would know. And let me show you how I know you didn't read the scouting report. And he takes out the book and there was a hundred dollar bill taped to the back of it and he's dangling it up in front of the locker room and the whole rock room starts laughing. And it's literally like, I don't, I know, I don't know if it was. If he got this on draft day, but it's like the Kevin Cost the draft day thing where.

[Andrew]

Yes, it's the Kevin Costner trick. Yeah. In real life with real people.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I forgot. Was it Bo Callahan? Right, Bull Callahan. So he. Yeah, he failed the Bull Callan test. And it's pretty, it's pretty funny. It's pretty great.

[Your Own]

Oh, so one of the, so good. One of the greatest what if moments in the league that probably doesn't get enough attention as it should, was the proposed three team trade between the Cavs, Nuggets and Pacers in 2017, which you write about in your book and this was reported on at the time, but I honestly just forgotten about it and how far those conversations got with all three teams agreeing to the terms. So as a reminder, the Cavs are going to get Paul George.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

You're gonna have to help me write the details on this one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Your Own]

Nuggets would get Kevin Love and then the Pacers were going to get Gary Harris, plus I assume like a pretty good amount of draft picks. And if this had gone through multiple championships would have been affected Bubble Lakers OKC last year. What was the story about why this trade ultimately didn't get done?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

You got to help me out here. Remind me some of the Details that I remember because I'm forgetting the exact. I'm sure I get it right. Andrew, help me a little bit, and then I'll fill in the details. Details. Javier, would you remember as I'm. As we go through.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I think it was essentially like that. That three.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm looking at something.

[Andrew]

Trade was done, but then it was like, conveyed that, like, hey, LeBron is probably just going to stay in Cleveland now.

[Your Own]

Correct.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

You're right. That's what it was. You do.

[Andrew]

If you. If you go down this road, you are keeping LeBron in Cleveland and.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Correct.

[Andrew]

That felt like a.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That's.

[Andrew]

That's when they were like, okay, never mind, let's go. Let's do something else here.

[Your Own]

And that was Kevin Pritchard telling Herb Simon this.

[Andrew]

Herb Simon.

[Your Own]

Yes.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Who did not want to take on. Right?

[Your Own]

Yes.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, he did not want to take. Yeah, he did not want to take it on. And. And their intel was.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That's the thing. Paul George, I mean, I never know. I felt this is the quote I put it in because someone close to LeBron, who I trusted, told me, if Paul George, if that trade, if Paul George goes to Cleveland, LeBron doesn't leave. And I weighed when they put it in because I'm like, I don't. That seems like a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking. But I. I mean, I know, like, I trusted the quote enough where I was like, I put it in, and it's fascinating the thing. And. And I could. The answer would be, I guess that if the team's that Good, like, is LeBron really leaving Cleveland if Paul George is there? Right, right, right. It's just we're pointing out that trade was so funny because it's one of these also examples where, like, I heard the story, you know, you get tipped from five different people five different ways. I think I. And one of the reasons I was asking for help is I think I kind of. I think it's one of the things where I had to X out like a thousand words because I didn't have it fully verified or like there was some. One assistant GM was contradicting something another player personnel guy and another GM was saying from a different team. And I think it just became one of these things. The wires got crossed on some of these things. But in the end, it's the ownership and that Indiana, correctly, I guess it seems like, realized that LeBron, whether it was intel or assuming that, like, hey, if Paul George is here, he's just not going to leave. Right. Like, that's a Great team, but was able to convince Herb Simon and as the case is always. And you see it like the GM's job, others have told me number one might be managing up. And if you can figure either that could be manipulative or making sure the correct information gets through, but, like, that's the job. And if you could figure out that, like, then you can do a good job.

[Your Own]

Yeah. I thought that story made Kevin Pritchard's moves that summer, like, even more impressive because everyone talks about when that trade was made. It was kind of panned initially and clearly turned out great. But then you figure out the backstory and that he was actually able to convince the owner to go against another trade. It's like, damn, that's really good, right?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

It's good move. That's good. And that's not you, by the way. That's the heady player. It's like, I don't know, man. It's my owner. Like, I didn't. I didn't go back on my word. Like, he. I can't do it. We all, you know how owners are.

[Your Own]

You know, Owners.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

What are we gonna do? You know?

[Andrew]

Yeah. Yeah. That section particularly stressed me out. Just imagine how close. How close things were there. So the chapters covering Russell Westbrook's time in LA were very entertaining. Everyone understands why this partnership didn't work out on the court, but there are a lot of details in the book about why it didn't work off the court either. For our listeners that haven't read an excerpt that was posted on the Ringer, will you tell us the. The Will Smith story, which was a great look into the Westbrook LeBron off the court dynamic.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah. So I'll go, okay, so, yeah, so Will Smith. So this is year. It's year two of the Westbrook experience, and it's. We curse you. I mean, it's a show, right? It's just like a disaster. Like, it's. No, it's just a disaster from the get go. And one, it's one of the, One of the rare trades where I think most people, like, we weren't Monday morning quarterback. I think most people are like, this is not gonna work. Like, this makes no sense in the moment. Right. And it proved to be as bad as anyone thought and even worse. So it's year two and the con. So Darvin Ham now is taking over. It's Darvin Ham's first year. And the context is that this was when Kyrie. I'm gonna try my Brooklyn, right? Basically, Kyrie is available very clearly. Right. And LeBron is making it very clear that he wants Kyrie Irving to be a Laker. By the way, he's right. Like, from Encore perspective, he's right. Which we can get to after. But the only way the Lakers can get Kyrie Irving, salary cap wise, is by trading Russell Westbrook. That is it. Not even. Just like the Nets will only do it. Salary cap. That's the only way it can happen, really. And so LeBron keeps saying in public, or sorry, not afterward, he would say in public how much he wanted Kyrie, but he keeps leaking. It's basically making it clear he wants Kyrie. He might even tweet it. I lose track of when he tweets, hints and stuff like that. And so Russell Westbrook's not an idiot. Like, he knows what that means. Right? It's trying. But yet at the same time, LeBron's being like, no, I love Russia, want Russ to be Ross. All that. And Westbrook is frustrated because. And there are, like, you. There were press conference quotes of him saying everyone said Rusty Ross, but then that wasn't the case. Frustrations like that. Yeah. I mean, we can get to this later. Like, the notion that it's LeBron's, that. That the partnership didn't work because LeBron didn't let rust be Rust is ridiculous. But that's a separate conversation anyway, so. Okay, back to us, because that's the context here.

[Your Own]

Right?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And. Well, so then the Lakers do this thing, they call it the genius series, where it's very Lakers, very Rob Polinka. They bring in, you know, quote, geniuses. So the Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Elon Musk. Before he was Today's Elon Musk, others would come in. And on this day, Will Smith is coming in. It's like six months after. After the slap, also, which is funny. I mean, it's nothing to do with anything. I just kind of find that funny in general. Right. Like, it's just like it was almost like his first public appearance after that was, like, on Lakers social media. So I don't know. So he's there, and so they finished the film session. They're all in three. Season's not going well. And it's like, what? I don't think. It's not a vicious film session, but, like, the vibes aren't great. And Darvin Ham goes, okay, guys, I'm gonna go get Will Smith now. We'll. So he goes out and goes to go get Will Smith. Pause for a second. So Will Smith is walking around the Lakers office right Now I think he's in the middle of shooting at this moment. He's, like, shooting free throws with Rob Polinka or something, right? Which is just funny in its own. Himself. So after Darvin ham goes out, LeBron's like, no, man, you guys got this. I'm out of here. And goes out of back door. And Anthony Davis follows at a back door. And there are players are like, the hell's going on? What do we do? They're just confused. And Westbrook's like, are we all leaving? And Patrick Beverly goes, you know, no, no. You understand? They can do whatever they want. They want a title. We're different. And to Westbrook, this wasn't a front. And I get it, right? He's like, what do you mean they're different? I'm Russell Westbrook. I'm hall of Famer, mvp, whatever. How's different? Goes back and forth, arguing. Ham comes back in. She's like, what the hell's going on here? Like, we need a few minutes, guys. Coach, we need a few minutes. Okay? Comes back, back, whatever. Eventually goes out to. He's listening. Goes out. This is the part I don't have. He gets LeBron and AD to come back. I would love to know how he did that. And honestly, that might be the best example of leadership in his coaching career in any. Like, I don't know how that's impressive, honestly, to get LeBron and AD to come back in. Like, I'm being like. It's like, funny, but I don't know how he gets him to come back in. Goes get Palinka. I'm like, he's running all over the place. Goes get Palinka, brings Polinka in, and sorry. Goes to get Plinkin. Will Smith brings them in. And Will Smith does the whole, like, you know, I'll use it spiel, as my Jews would say, but just the whole, you know, talks about his movies, whatever, all that stuff. His new movie, emancipation. And at the end, any questions? And one hand goes up again and again and again and again. And it's LeBron's hand. He's asking a ton, ton of questions. And the way it's described to me is like, teammates and people in the room could just see their. Russ is sitting there picking it. I love this detail. Picking out a bowl of fruit just, like, angrily. And you could, like, see the steam rising out of his ears. And he says to a teammate, they do a team photo. On the way to team photo, he says to a teammate, like, I hate that fake bleep. Right. And. And the best part is the team photo was posted. Right. And at the time, like, the Lakers posted the team photo of the group at the time, it had gotten a little pickup. Like, I remember a little bit like, hey, look at Russia. But, like, he's scowling, and it's clearly for a reason. Right. And then. So that part's wild.

[Andrew]

The part.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm gonna add this as, like, an epilogue. What I found so interesting, and I kind of hinted this at the first, is, like, this story got picked up, and I'm hearing, looking at all the reactions and mentions to on it and stuff. And, like, it's so interesting and so telling how so many of them are. Yeah. LeBron's a phony. Go get him. Team Ross. Team Russ. LeBron's a phony. It's like, okay, fine. I'm repeating again, the idea that, like, anyone but Russell Westbrook is responsible for. I mean, the trade was bad, but anyone but Russell Westbrook is responsible for how poorly that went is ridiculous. And we have proof of now, I don't know, maybe 16 teams that Westbrook has been on since. Since OKC, where it hasn't gone well. And it just was still telling. It's still telling to me about, like, how people feel about lakers fans and NBA people in general feel about LeBron that, like, even anyone that would latch on to, like, Team Ross on that.

[Your Own]

Yeah. One of the aspects of that story that I love is that the argument is between Russ and Patrick Beverly, because they obviously have that history. Like, one of the reasons or like one of the people involved in Russ not having a better chance at winning a championship was Patrick Beverly.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I never thought about that.

[Andrew]

Yep.

[Your Own]

Getting him injured in 2013. So I, I, I, I could. I can only imagine how pissed Russ was in that moment, that it was Patrick Beverly delivering this message.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And it kind of summarizes the whole thing where you get it. It summarizes the issues there, for sure, but it just. But it doesn't make, like, Russ. Right, Right.

[Your Own]

So this book, one of the things I loved about it is just the incredible cast of characters. And these are some of the biggest names in the NBA. I'm sure you came into this project with some preconceived ideas about some of the people involved through writing the book. Did your perception of any of these characters change dramatically after you learned more about them?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I don't know. I don't know if this is the exact answer. The Rob Pelinka. I am endlessly fascinated by Rob Pelinka. Like, that. I Found myself, like, I cannot get enough Rob Polinka stories. I could write a whole book on Rob Pelinka. I could do, like, I just give me everything on Rob Polinka. I find that guy so interesting and so fascinating and so, so weird, for lack of a better term. Just like. Just like, I cannot. So, like. And I guess you kind of knew that beforehand, but just the extent of which. And I'll go a little deeper with it. Like, I. I wanted to learn about him, and I talked to a lot of his high school friends and, like, got his backstory and the idea that he was this, like, real striver and he wouldn't parties and because he wanted to be a Division 1 scholar. Scholar, Division 1 athlete and get scholarships and all that. And so he would give up on parties so you can go shoot. And his dad was hard on him, but they were close and really considered a. I'm gonna choose my words here. Stand up guy. And, like, his friends loved him. And I don't know where this streak of ambition was unlocked for him, but somewhere along the line, some. I don't want to say something changed, but, like, he started chasing these things in a different kind of way. And I just find it so interesting. And I find it interesting that anybody would operate in such a closed ecosystem like the NBA world is, and think you can do things, like, you know, be a little iffy with the truth, let's say sometimes. Or. I mean, I hear. I'll attribute. I had a GM tell me that when Rob was an agent. When Plinko's an agent, like, he. The way it was phrased to me is there were some agents you knew you could do. Agree to something at the combine, April, and you'd be good through July. Rob was not one of those. Right. And, like, to have that as your reputation and be able to succeed, and you're doing that in a world where, like, you're talking the same people over and over. It's a really small world. It's just so interesting and so fascinating. I mean, I love the anecdote, like, you know, going around. They're doing fun facts and everyone's sharing, like, where they're from. And he's like, yeah, well, I played horse with Obama in the White House. And, like, not realizing that, that's, like, weird. Like, people are gonna be like, what we're talking. Like, we're not. This is just. I. I can't get enough of Rob Polinka.

[Your Own]

I'll say one for me. I thought your book did a good job. Of just giving a fuller picture of what they're like is Magic Johnson. Because I do think his Twitter Persona is like so goofy and fun that everyone just has this idea of what Magic is like in real life. And there's a scene earlier in the book where he's just cursing out like the baby Lakers, just furious at the way they're playing. And it just, that that one scene just like all of a sudden opened up like, oh, there's a whole different side of Magic that I am not aware of. And, and I, you see that through the rest of the book, you just get a better picture of who he is for sure.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And by the way, it's interesting going back. Like, it wasn't new. Like, I, I kind of, I did a quick thing on when he, they brought him to coach what year. I forget what year it was in the 90s for half, half a year. And like he's basically cursing out the guys at one point being like, you guys like it here. You like. I think he said, you like the ladies here. You like the we're ship you out to Cleveland. You guys are all bums. Like, cursing them out. And like really, really foreshadowing what he would be as an executive and abrasive and to, to employees. Like, there's a thing about, you know, I have a stack of resumes on the desk. Anyone I could have replace all of you to feature Zubash, he was really, really hard on and like calling him soft and other stuff. Luke Walton, like there was at the time, it was reported at the time, Woj reported at the time, Magic chewing him out after a regular early season, regular season loss. But what I learned is he did it after a preseason game. He went to a coaches meeting and stormed in there. And like, this is the thing again, I alluded this before. It's that, you know, in a way he had. He couldn't figure out if he wanted to be like, my job is I'm Magic Johnson and I'm more kind of ceremonial and big picture and we're gonna have a nitty gritty GM in there. Or if it's like you're going to be your hands on, but you can't be the guy who's, I mean, I wouldn't go for that sort of. I, I wouldn't endorse that sort of behavior in general. But you certainly can't do that if you're also going to be taking a month off, you know, the train, the summer to go yachting with Samuel L. Jackson. Right. Like things like that, like it just. You can't have it both ways. You can't do both.

[Andrew]

I'm sure, I'm sure this has probably crossed your mind, but if you're going to write a bonus chapter about this upcoming Laker season, is there like a particular angle or story that you're interested in following throughout the year?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I mean, I'm just fascinated by LeBron angle, obviously, but I. Where I've sort of landed is like, I don't think he knows yet how he wants this to finish. Like, I really don't.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Or that's what I've landed on. And just seeing how for the first time in his career, he's not in control, literally with his contract, as with these on expiring deal for the first time, but also in terms of just leverage and power structures.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

He's just not that guy. So for the first time in the career, is that for the first time in the career he has the team hinting that they might not want him back. Right. Like that was Rob Polinka. They was asked about the contract and he gave a non answer. Like he said, we love him. The Fisher story here, he didn't say whatever. Like LeBron's home, part of family. Like, it doesn't seem like they intend on giving him sort of the golden parachute type contract that Kobe got. Right. That does not seem like something that they're going to want to do. And I think, I think some of the stuff we've seen from this offseason where like you opt in, but then you have that strange Rich Paul statement where like we care about winning. And listen, you know the Lakers, like are they mortgaging every draft pick for the future? No, but they have Luka Doncic on the team, so to say, like they're not interested in winning. Like, I mean, that's just false.

[Your Own]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

But then you come in media day and like, no, I don't know, I'm happy, I look good, my wife looks good, everything's great. But then we're not in training camp. Yeah, I think he's kind of figuring.

[Andrew]

It out on the fly.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And again, for the first time, he's. He's not in control. And that's got to be really, really difficult for sure for anyone. But imagine for him. So, yeah, that's where I'm kind of looking at and what that looks like.

[Your Own]

All right, Jeroen, thank you for answering all of our questions about your brand new book. A Hollywood ending. The dreams and drama of the LeBron Lakers now available wherever you buy books. I would also say you wrote a book previous to this called Tanking to the Top, which I loved. All about the process, Sixers. So go check out that one as well. But now your own. It is time to play Andrew versus the Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against an NBA beat writer, or in this case, an author, Jeron Weitzman. Now, Jerome, how this works is I've come up with eight trivia questions, and they are all related to the LeBron era Lakers. So all questions. I'm gonna be exposed here, aren't I?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

This is not good.

[Andrew]

We'll see.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

We'll see.

[Your Own]

So all questions will exist between the 2018-19 season and. And last season. Some questions are easy, some are hard. You're going to pick a number, it'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. And if you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. And then we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Let's go. Let's go. Six. Wasn't LeBron six in Miami? We'll go six. Look at that. I'll tie in.

[Your Own]

That's great.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I like that.

[Your Own]

Question number six. Since the 2018-19 season, Anthony Davis and LeBron James have totaled 196 and 194 double doubles, respectively. Which Laker has the third most double doubles since LeBron came to LA?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Double doubles since LeBron came to LA.

[Your Own]

One and two. Makes sense.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I can't tell. I'm gonna give you. I'll throw something out in one second. I can't tell if I have a good, like, random answer. There's no way, man. That's wild. What, that. This damning or what? By the way, is this like it is really?

[Andrew]

No, this. This is how it goes every week.

[Your Own]

No, this is.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

And so not even on me. I'm saying the Lakers. Andrew, do you think. Do you think you have it or no?

[Andrew]

Do I think I have it? No, I don't think I have it. Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm still trying.

[Andrew]

I'm still racking my brain currently.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

So that's what I think. Yeah, I'm gonna. I'm gonna save myself. I think this is more. Damn. Forget me. This is more damning the Lakers that there's, like, been such a revolving door. Never been like, a clear. Like, it speaks poorly on them.

[Andrew]

No kidding.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm gonna throw. I'M gonna. I can't tell if this is crazy. I'm gonna throw a random. I'm gonna go Dwight Howard. I'm gonna throw a random name in there. I'm gonna try that.

[Your Own]

Dwight Howard, D12. That is incorrect. Andrew Steel.

[Andrew]

I was actually gonna guess Dwight as well.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Are you two. 10 years. I figured, like, we had the two stretches there. Maybe we stacked up a little. Like, that's kind of what.

[Andrew]

That's kind of what I thought. That's kind of what I was thinking, too. Good golly. What about Rui Hachimura? Like, I don't know Rui Hachimura.

[Your Own]

Andrew, that is also incorrect. The correct answer was none other than Russell Westbrook.

[Andrew]

No way.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I guess that makes sense. Two years. Two years of stat padding. Oh, my God, that's good.

[Your Own]

All right, Andrew.

[Andrew]

That is Morning Shores. That is so good. Number one.

[Your Own]

Question. Number one. LeBron joined the Lakers in the 2018-19 season. We're going to name the top 10 in minutes played for the Lakers since LeBron came to town. So how this works is Andrew will give me a name, then your Rona will give me a name. We'll go back and forth. So we all know that LeBron is number one in minutes play. So I'm going to take him off the list. So there's nine other names in the top 10 minutes played for the Lakers since 1819. Andrew, start us off.

[Andrew]

Oh, boy. Austin Reeves.

[Your Own]

Austin Reeves. Number three on the list. Your own.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That's the. Do I go next or does Andrew keep going?

[Your Own]

You are next year on.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, let's throw. I'm gonna throw. I'm gonna throw a Caldwell Pope in there.

[Your Own]

Kentavius. Caldwell Pope, number five on the list.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Oh, my God.

[Andrew]

Andrew Anthony Davis.

[Your Own]

Thank you. I was wondering.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Oh, did he not get. Was he not in that? Okay, yeah.

[Your Own]

Number two. Number two.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

O.

[Your Own]

We got AD.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Okay.

[Your Own]

Your own.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

So we have 1, 2, 5.

[Your Own]

What was 1, 2, 3, 5?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, I'll put Kuzma in there. Where's Kuzma Go?

[Your Own]

Kyle Kuzma. Welcome to Kuz World. Number four.

[Andrew]

Okay.

[Your Own]

Number four on the list.

[Andrew]

Welcome to Goose World.

[Your Own]

Wasn't that a quote from the book? There was a quote.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

He told. I forget which player that he. They went out one night. I forget it was one. It was like a random. Like a. And the bench guy and Kuzma, the next night was like, welcome. Send him a text. Welcome to KU World. Kuzma LA scenes.

[Your Own]

I love that. It's a text, too. That's so much.

[Andrew]

So funny.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Golly.

[Your Own]

All right, Andrew, so you've got the top five. We just need six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

[Andrew]

I guess I'll go. Westbrook.

[Your Own]

Russell Westbrook, number seven on the list.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Okay, I'm gonna throw Rondo out here.

[Your Own]

Rajon Rondo is not on the list. In the top ten, the other names. Rui Hachimura, number six, Dennis Schroeder, number eight, d', Angelo. Russell, number nine, and Alex Caruso, number ten.

[Andrew]

AC Is on the list.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I know, honestly, this. I should. This is like such a. I was asked earlier to think, like, is Rob Link a bad. A good or bad basketball executive? And I kind topped out. But I gotta say, this is. This. Is this trivia game might be the answer.

[Andrew]

I don't know.

[Your Own]

Okay, so Andrew's up two points. Your own. The board is yours.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Number two. Let's go. Number two.

[Your Own]

Question number two. There have been eight Lakers to score 40 points in a game since LeBron came to town. Now, three of those players, LeBron, AD and Luca, name two of the other five Lakers to do it.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Who's first? Me.

[Your Own]

And you're gonna. This is your question. So you'll name both of them. You just have to give me two names.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Okay. I believe Reeves got the 40 ones.

[Your Own]

Okay. And what is your second name?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

So got to 40s since LeBron's there.

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Now, we said we named. And who do we know who was named originally?

[Your Own]

AD, LeBron and Luca. So there's five other names.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Russ couldn't have gone to 40. Could he have got it to 40? Oh, God.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm not gonna take too long. So I'm thinking he's gonna be my fallback.

[Your Own]

Did.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm trying to think of a random. I'm gonna. You know what I'm gonna try? Let's say Russell Westbrook. I'm gonna try it. I'm gonna play the odds.

[Your Own]

Those odds are not in your favor. Russell Westbrook did not do it. You did get a point. Andrew. Austin Reese was correct. Andrew, you can steal a point. Just name one more laker who had a 40 burger.

[Andrew]

Oh, boy. What about Kuz?

[Your Own]

That's right. Kyle Kuzma did do it. The other names.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

What he catch Final Day? Yeah, go ahead.

[Your Own]

D'. Angelo. Russell.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Ah, that makes sense.

[Your Own]

Malik. Monk.

[Andrew]

No.

[Your Own]

And the best. Monk and the best one. Do you remember it? Taylor and Horton.

[Andrew]

Tucker. Oh, yeah.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That was the. That was the game Vogel got fired. Right. Like, I think that was the end of the last season. Like, that was the last game of the season. Wasn't It. I think, yeah, like, he had a triple double. Everyone was happy. Was it a 40 point triple double? I can't, and I believe so. And then that was a night, I think, if I remember correctly, that was in the store. I mean, then Vogel, they felt happy and like they think they end the season. Okay. And then Vogel gets the. He sees the text from Woj, sees a tweet from Load saying he was fired.

[Your Own]

So, yeah, that was a funny scene because you said he was like, sitting around with the other coaches.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

And then just like looks at his phone's like, oh, I'm fired.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yep.

[Andrew]

Right.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I believe that. I believe. If I remember correct, I think that was this Taylor Hornet Tucker game. I think. I think I could be wrong that.

[Your Own]

Okay, Andrew, three question number three. Prior to what LeBron season, did the Lakers have their highest preseason over under with 52 and a half? So you have to tell me what season. So, like 18 19, all the way up through last year, 24, 25. So before, what season did they have their highest preseason over?

[Andrew]

Oh, I see what you're saying. Very good question.

[Your Own]

Thank you.

[Andrew]

2021. 2020, 2021. There's so many 20s in that.

[Your Own]

2020, 2021. That is incorrect, Andrew.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

You know the problem with that is, Andrew, the over under, that you have a short. The season that was a shortened season, you got to go, the over under is going to be too late.

[Andrew]

Oh, man.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That. I'm gonna. I'm gonna say 2019, 2020. I. The year two.

[Your Own]

The.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

The bubble year. The. The year. The title. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm gonna say 2019. 2020.

[Your Own]

You're on. That is also incorrect. Would you believe it was 21, 22, the year they traded for Westbrook? That's how excited people were. 52 and a half over, under.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Maybe I was. Maybe I was wrong. I've been saying that most people at that time like, that they're not Monday morning quarterbacking. Most people are out in the trade. But maybe. Maybe I've been wrong this whole time.

[Your Own]

Maybe I think they were.

[Andrew]

And was that like the lowest win total that LeBron's had since he's been a Laker? Isn't that right?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, it has to be. I mean, I don't. I mean, it just has to be year one. They missed the playoffs too, but, like, I. I don't think they were. Yeah, he. I think I. I think that has to be always the win percentage.

[Andrew]

I don't know.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Again, made the win total wild.

[Your Own]

Okay, so it Is three to one. We've got four questions left. Your own. The board is yours.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Go four. Let's go. Keep going to order.

[Your Own]

Question number four. Oh, this is my favorite question. Lakers traded Avitza Zubots for Mike Mascala during the 2018-19 season. How many points did Mike Moscala score as a Laker? Now, before you answer, you get to choose who answers first. You can make Andrew answer first, and then you go higher, lower. Or you can answer first and then Andrew would go higher, lower. The one wrinkle here is that if you make Andrew answer and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm giving. I'm taking the 50. 50 shot. I'm making Andrew get the. I'm making Andrew hit the.

[Your Own]

All right. Andrew hit the. Their big trade, bringing in Mike Mascala. Moose. How many points did he score as a Laker?

[Andrew]

Oh, Moose. God, I don't even know how. I don't even know how to guess a number on this.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

You know what you should do? I'm gonna give you. You should price his. Right? It is what you should do. That's what you should do to me. You should. You. You know, like, go one or whatever.

[Andrew]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Over. Under. One point for Moose. Gosh. Shout out to Moose this. He's a good dude. I don't know. 39.

[Your Own]

All right, the over under has been set at 39.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I'm hammering that under. I am hammering that under.

[Your Own]

You're hammering the under.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

Mike Mascala for The Lakers scored 100 points. No, no, he's.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I gotta look it up. The real question is, like, I think 13 or 17 points he scored against the Lakers in a game that, like, most people think is the reason Magic wanted to trade for him. Like, he saw. Light them Up. And then he's like, oh, that guy. Go get me that guy. And there's Michael Beasley with the Knicks, too. Like, Magic had a streak of guys who did well against the Lakers. In a game like that would. He would want those guys. It was pretty funny. All right, Andrew, I'm failing.

[Your Own]

Okay, board is yours. 5, 7.

[Andrew]

Moose on the Sun's coaching staff now.

[Your Own]

Is he really?

[Andrew]

Yeah, he is. Number five.

[Your Own]

Question number five. In LeBron's first season as a Lakers, three players had triple doubles. LeBron and these two players, you have to name both to get the points. First season with the Lakers, three players had triple doubles. LeBron and these two players. And you have to name both of them to get the points.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Andrew.

[Andrew]

Lonzo and Rondo.

[Your Own]

Oh, that's what I was gonna say, Andrew. That is correct.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I had that one.

[Andrew]

Damn it.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That was that.

[Your Own]

Yeah. Okay.

[Andrew]

I was, I was, when you were asking it, like, those two seem too obvious.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Too obvious.

[Andrew]

So I was like, racking my brain, like, would Josh Hart have done it as a Laker? Like, probably not. Like.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, that's not a bad one.

[Your Own]

Okay, you're on Two questions left. Seven or eight?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah, let's go seven.

[Your Own]

Question number seven. During the LeBron era, the Lakers have played the most playoff games against which opponent?

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Denver Nuggets.

[Your Own]

That is correct.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Oh, there you go.

[Your Own]

All right, Andrew, final question. You get first Dibs. During the LeBron era in LA, this player holds the record for most dunks in a season with 201. So this is just during the LeBron era. Who had the biggest Duncan season?

[Andrew]

Wow. Javale.

[Your Own]

Wow. Andrew. That is correct.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Wow. I was gonna go, Dwight, you, I would. You would have that. Very good.

[Your Own]

Yeah.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Is that the bubble year? That's the 1920 season.

[Your Own]

Yeah. It must have came back. Yeah. I thought either Dwight or AD would, would trip you guys up.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

He likes that jumper, right? He likes that jump shot.

[Andrew]

He does.

[Your Own]

Well, congrats, Andrew. You have won this edition of Andrew versus the Beat.

[Andrew]

Listen, if you're a basketball fan, you like the NBA at all, when this book comes out, you gotta go get it. You're on. You did, you did so well with this. I, I hope that people buy a ton of copies of this book because I think it will help inform so many different stories, not even just Lakers. Like, if you don't have to be a Lakers fan to like, want to read this book because it really, there's so many things like the, like the Paul George trade that kind of shape the entire league. That'll kind of just get your, your mind rolling. So go, Go get it. It's called a Hollywood ending. The dreams and drama of the LeBron Lakers. Anything else you want to promote before we go? No, no, I'm good. That's it.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

I appreciate it. I, I, I like the thing. I, I think I agree, like, I agree with that, but I appreciate you saying that means a lot. No, I think if you're, if you're listening to the show, I feel very comfortable saying you will like this moment. Yeah. Com on that one. So I appreciate you guys having me. That was pretty, that was a lot of fun.

[Your Own]

All right, Andrew, It's a new season, first week of the season. Which means it's time for the first spin of the wheel. A fandom. If You're a new listener. This is something we do every week during the season. We have a digital wheel, and on that wheel the names of all 30 teams. And each week we spin the wheel. It lands on a team and we become fans of that team for the next week. So we'll watch the games, we'll read the blogs. I'll probably be on the subreddit reading comments from random fans. And then next week we'll come back and we'll talk to someone affiliated with that team. Well, not affiliate. We'll talk to a beat writer, probably. We'll have the GM on of whatever team we land on. It'll be great. We'll usually have a beat writer. And so without further ado, I have reset the wheel so all 30 teams are on. There could be anyone.

[Andrew]

Could be anyone.

[Your Own]

Any team. And I will say first spin. There's basically no losers because every team is interesting at the beginning of the season. We. We don't get into the bad stuff until the end of the season when you're spinning.

[Andrew]

Give us Utah. They. They won a game. Give us Utah.

[Your Own]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Dominated. Let's get it out of the way.

[Your Own]

Okay, so here we go, spinning the wheel for the very first time. The 24. No, 25, 26 season. And our first wheel phantom team is going to be the Houston Rockets.

[Andrew]

The Houston Rockets, wow.

[Your Own]

We have already watched play a team that, as I mentioned earlier, I'm very interested in what happens going forward.

[Andrew]

Three.

[Your Own]

Shepherd.

[Andrew]

Yeah, let's.

[Your Own]

Let's see who they play this week. Well, they got a Friday night game which will already happen when this airs against Detroit. Oh, then we get to see the Brooklyn Nets.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

That's great.

[Your Own]

That's exciting to see.

[Andrew]

Amen Assar on Friday.

[Your Own]

That's true.

[Andrew]

True.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Yeah.

[Your Own]

And then kind of an interesting game. It might be disgusting, but it's an interesting game. Wednesday at Toronto. That is Rockets, Raptors.

[Andrew]

God, that has Esperahenny written all over it.

[Your Own]

Wow.

[Andrew]

He's gonna. He's gonna love that.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

He's gonna love that one.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that's. This is a good one because they are intriguing. This is. They're. They're new, they're funky. I got to see him in person the other night up close. There are a lot of very interesting things about the Houston Rockets. So I'll be hitting up my buddy Will Guillory on that one. Who's. You guys probably know him better as a Pelicans beat writer, but he's writing about the Houston Rockets for the most part this season. So looking forward to. I mean, I hope that Will's our guest because I always love having Will on. So. Yeah. Houston Rockets, here we go. Amen. My son. My son has an Ahmed Thompson jersey that he's wearing around these days. Really? He's obsessed with Amen. Yeah.

[Your Own]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Loves him.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

Loves him.

[Andrew]

I barely let it into my house, but nice. Okay, thank you so much for listening to this episode. Please share it. We're on YouTube, we're on Apple, we're on Spotify. If you will, please share it. That would mean a lot to us. We appreciate you guys tuning in and we'll be back every single week now. Very exciting. We'll be back again next Saturday.

[Jeroen Weitzman]

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