The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show: Best Of – July 28, 2026

Episode Overview

On this episode of The Dan Patrick Show, Dan welcomes Hall of Famers Michael Strahan and Charles Barkley, and ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson. The discussions dive deeply into NFL training camp readiness, the importance of the new National Military Monument in D.C., the ethics of sports journalism interviews, the fallout from Shohei Ohtani’s betting scandal, and the state of the NBA post-LeBron’s shocking decision to join the 76ers. Throughout, the show maintains its signature mix of humor, candor, and inside access.

---

Key Interviews & Discussion Segments

---

Michael Strahan: NFL Readiness, Military Tribute, and Interviewing Ethics

(02:48 – 15:41)

NFL Fitness & Training Camp

• TV Shape vs. Football Shape:
  • Strahan jokes about being in “TV shape,” enough to avoid “friends texting me saying, ‘you look like you gave up’” but admits, “I walked up some stairs the other day and I was out of breath. I’m done.” (02:54)
• Aaron Donald’s Prospects:
  • Strahan believes Aaron Donald could come back strong, noting:

    “If you've seen him work out since he's been retired, I don't think it's completely out of his system... As long as it's in his heart that he wants to play, then I think he'll be fine.” (03:29)

• Change in Defensive Priorities:
  • Analyzing the NFL shift from edge rushers to dominant nose tackles, Strahan says:

    “To get an interior guy who can pass rush is always difficult. It’s a very specialty thing... Aaron Donald made it look easy, but it’s not. Believe me, I wouldn’t want any part of that.” (04:35)

Super Bowl MVP Debates

• Referring to the Giants’ defensive line, Strahan reveals they even planned to share the MVP car amongst them:

  “[If] we all got the MVP trophy... All four of us could have split it every three months.” (06:06–06:35)

• But he ultimately gives credit to Eli Manning:

  “If it's not a defensive lineman, it's Eli Manning...it's usually the quarterback.” (06:55)

National Military Monument in D.C.

• Strahan details his personal connection (his father’s military service) and the significance of the new digital flag monument:

  “It’s a flag. It's a digital flag...41 million names of past and present military service members... It’s emotional to see these names on the wall behind me. And as you walk past them, it moves as if the flag is blowing in the wind.” (07:12–08:50)

• Public tribute is on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, open for visitor participation and honoring U.S. military service. (08:50–09:02)

Sports Journalism: On Interviewing Chris Johnson (ALS & NFL)

• Strahan addresses criticism about not pressing Chris Johnson on CTE:

  “That was Chris’s moment for Chris to share the story, which Chris wanted to share… I was there as a service to Chris for what Chris wanted people to understand and know about his life and where he was. Not to make a story about myself or get a big headline.” (09:33–10:58)

• Dan and Strahan agree on the philosophy:

  “Don’t make the interview about you, make it about the person you’re interviewing. That is the correct approach.” – Dan Patrick (11:32)

• Strahan expands on the difficulty in maintaining journalistic integrity in a media environment that promotes personal branding:

  “It's very, very hard to do...I do it because I wanted to give Chris that respect. And here's a guy, it’s very tough...one of the toughest interviews I've ever done, if not the toughest.” (11:33–13:53)

Life After Football & Military Service

• Strahan recounts the sobering sight of Hall of Fame legends ailing:

  “Earl Campbell was my childhood favorite...you see these guys...and you realize at the same time, I'm getting older too. We all are.” (13:53)

• He reminds listeners not to forget retired players or military service members:

  “Don't forget football. Don't forget the military service, especially 41 million Americans who have answered the call to serve since the Revolutionary War.” (15:14)

---

Tisha Thompson: The Shohei Ohtani Scandal & Investigative Reporting

(20:00 – 34:56)

Unanswered Questions in MLB’s Ohtani Investigation

• Dan asks about what Tisha wanted from MLB’s probe:

  “What was the one question...you wanted answered that baseball’s investigation didn’t answer?" (20:00)

• Tisha says her core curiosity was about the direct communication between Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara regarding the suspicious wire transfers:

  “I would have really liked to have been in the room when Shohei and Ippei talked about it...there's been a lot of confusion about who knew what, when, and it varies depending on who you talk to.” (20:31)

Federal Investigation Details

• Tisha reveals her podcast includes interviews with actual federal investigators:

  “We really, for the first time, get to hear from the actual federal investigators who were reading the text messages between Shohei and Ippei. 40,000 text messages...” (23:02)

• Critical details:
  • Federal agents reviewed translated Japanese texts and compared bank records, uncovering more than just gambling—a complex history involving money used for baseball cards and more.

The Real Ippei Mizuhara

• The podcast delves into “who is Ippei,” since he was the gatekeeper for all access to Ohtani and little was known about his personal life, even among Japanese media. (25:23–28:13)

How Tisha Broke the Story

• She describes her months of legwork, connecting banking documents, source testimony, and even direct interviews with Mizuhara:

  “Part of the reason it took a minute to get the original article was because we knew there was Shohei Ohtani's bank account involved, and we were able to prove that. But then I got some source information that said Ippei might be involved.” (28:35)

• Tisha shares the shock of interviewing Mizuhara, who confessed to lying less than 16 hours after their first conversation:

  “I said, ‘Ippei, did you lie to me?’ and he says yes. And I said, ‘Did you lie to Shohei?’ and he says yes...I’ve never encountered anything like it in my career.” (33:55)

Podcast Release

• The first two episodes of “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani” are out, with new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday in August. (25:07, 34:28)

Notable Quote:

“The federal investigators would tell you that they believe Shohei Ohtani, based on the evidence, is an innocent victim…” – Tisha Thompson (25:23)

---

Charles Barkley: Summer Life, LeBron to Philly, and Shaking Up the NBA

(35:21 – 53:07)

“Retired” Summer Routine

• Barkley humorously describes his off-season schedule:

  “I play golf every day...I'm taking the day off because it's raining. So I'm gonna go get a mani pedi and a massage because it's raining like hell here in Philadelphia…” (35:21, 35:52)

LeBron James Joins the Sixers

• Philly’s excitement is “off the charts,” but Barkley notes the twist:

  “The city's kind of pissed right now. I was like, I. I told y' all he didn't have no affiliation with Philly. That's why I was shocked he came here.” (36:18–37:36)

• Cites LeBron’s reported plan to live in New York and helicopter to Philly for games.

Debate: Stacking Teams & LeBron’s Legacy

• Barkley criticizes LeBron’s “stacking” pattern:

  “He didn’t build a team. He manufactured [one]...Anthony Davis specifically said, because of Clutch, I will only go to the Lakers. So, is that naturally organic? No, that is stacking your team.” (38:11–39:11)

• On media coverage of LeBron:

  “The people around him and now guys on television, they're like Stepford Wives...you have to say, LeBron's the greatest ever or...he’s not going to talk to you. And you’re committing treason.” (38:39–40:56)

Philly vs. Cavs: Best Fit Debate

• Barkley believes LeBron-to-Cavs would have been stronger; disagrees Sixers are a lock.

Celtics Moves & NBA East

• Barkley says, “The Celtics are not better...I have no idea what the Celtics are doing...I’m not trading [Jalen Brown] into my division.” (43:57–45:20)
• Notes the quietly strengthening Eastern Conference:

  “The Eastern Conference has quietly become the better conference. I’m trying to think. There is no team in the east that’s bad...the only bad team is probably the Brooklyn Nets.” (41:34–42:50)

On Joel Embiid’s Role

• Predicts Embiid will need to sacrifice his offensive role:

  “Brown and Maxi are the two best players on the team. Joel just gotta get healthy and he can be the fourth best player on the team...Can he just play defense and rebound?” (45:49–47:34)

Blackjack, Tahoe Memories, and Golf

• Barkley teases both Dan and Grant Hill about their golf skills:

  “I want to look y' all in the eyes. I’m like an old school gunfighter.” (50:09)

• Ends with a touch of school pride:

  “Jackson Corbin, Auburn…That was beautiful to watch. So war damage our nation, brother.” (52:12)

---

Memorable Quotes

• Michael Strahan: “If there’s ever anybody who I’m proud of and happy that he can have [the Super Bowl MVP], if it’s not a defensive lineman, it’s Eli Manning.” (06:55)
• Tisha Thompson: “I’ve never encountered anything like it in my career…less than 16 hours later, I was on the phone with him again and he told me that almost everything he had told me the night before was a lie.” (33:55)
• Charles Barkley: "Dan, let me tell you something, man. You can go out and get drunk all night long, and we can wake up the next day, and that still won't make no damn sense to me..." (43:57)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Michael Strahan joins in-studio: 02:48

• NFL defensive trends, Aaron Donald return: 03:17–05:35

• Super Bowl MVP and Giants D-line: 05:35–06:55

• Military monument & Strahan’s family history: 07:12–08:50

• Journalism ethics & Chris Johnson interview: 09:33–13:53

• Hall of Fame weekend & retired players’ struggles: 12:59–15:14

• Tisha Thompson on Ohtani scandal: 20:00

• MLB’s investigation & federal insights: 23:02–25:07

• Exploring Ohtani/Mizuhara’s relationship: 25:23–28:13

• Behind-the-scenes of breaking the story: 28:35–33:55

• Charles Barkley’s off-season rituals: 35:21–36:11

• LeBron’s move to Philly; Barkley’s take: 36:18–39:11

• NBA media’s treatment of LeBron; “Stepford Wives” rant: 38:39–40:56

• Evaluating Sixers, Cavaliers, and Celtics: 41:04–45:20

• Barkley on Embiid’s new role: 45:49–47:34

• Tahoe golf stories and farewells: 49:22–53:07

---

Episode Tone & Style

The episode is relaxed, candid, and sprinkled with humor—showcasing the unique personalities of each guest. Dan Patrick’s interviews remain inquisitive and respectful, offering depth on both personal and professional topics and sparking lively debates without hostility.

---

Takeaway for Listeners

This episode is a rich blend of behind-the-scenes stories, thoughtful sports analysis, ethical philosophy in journalism, and playful banter. Whether you love football, crave details on MLB’s biggest scandal, or want an unfiltered take on NBA free agency, this best-of episode provides insights you won’t find elsewhere.

Transcript

[Dan Patrick]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Guaranteed Human. I love my phone but not my carrier. What do I do?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Like what? You can keep your phone and your

[Dan Patrick]

number and T Mobile helps pay it off up to $800 per line.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone? Yep.

[Dan Patrick]

Plus your plan price stays the same

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

for 5 years on experience plans.

[Charles Barkley]

Nice.

[Dan Patrick]

Find your reason@t mobile.com

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

via virtual prepaid guard card. Typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on TalkText to 5G data exclusions like Texas and fees apply. Hey, Portlandia fans. Kerry Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. The dream of the 90s is alive in podcast form. We're launching Podlandia AO Rewatch, our brand new podcast where we revisit every episode of Portlandia together, breaking down sketches, going deep on our iconic characters, and pulling back the curtain on how it all got made. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Krisel, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it. Here you fully improvised, not just words, but a song about. Well, I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia AO rewatch on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Hey, what's up, y'? All?

[Dan Patrick]

It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of Everyone Watches Women's Sports, a new podcast from Together in iheart Women's Sports. We're breaking down the biggest headlines. Naomi Osaka showing out shout outs to you, Naomi. The viral moments. I've been obsessed with Chrisean Rock's boxing journey. She looks good, her combos are swift. And the stories everyone's talking about across women's sports.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Because everyone watches women's sports.

[Dan Patrick]

Listen to everyone watches women's Sports on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Tyler Redicure from 23xi Racing the rush of racing. Nothing beats it, but Chumba Casino comes close.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Chumba's got fast sp, fun games, daily

[Dan Patrick]

bonuses and all the action you can handle. Now that's a ride.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Ready to hit the throttle?

[Dan Patrick]

Get in the driver's seat and head

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

to chumbacasino.com let's Chumba. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary VGW Group void where prohibited by law 21/ Terms and Conditions apply. You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. Michael Strahan, hall of Famer, joining us on behalf of USAA for the unveiling of the National Military monument in Washington, D.C. this weekend. We'll talk to him about that. You look like you're in shape, but the difference of regular shape, football shape is what

[Michael Strahan]

I'm in. I'm in TV shape. Dan, thank you for having me, as always. Great to see you, my friend.

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, I'm in t. You know,

[Michael Strahan]

what kind of shape I'm in. I'm in that shape where my friends can't text me when they see me on TV and say, boy, you look like you gave up. So I just enough to look like good football. Say, I thought about it this morning. I know training camps are starting and I said, man, still feel like I got something in the tank. I couldn't last a play. I walked up some stairs the other day and I was out of breath. I'm done.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Okay, but help me understand. Aaron Donald. Now, it's been two years since he's played. How long does it take? Would it take, do you think, for him to be ready for the season?

[Michael Strahan]

When he retired, I thought he still had a lot more in the tank, to be honest with you. I thought Aaron, I think he had at least three or four or five years left. He retired when he just got, ah, maybe I'm a little tired of it. But if you've seen him, if you've seen him work out since he's been retired, I don't think it's completely out of his system. And now you get a guy like Miles Garrett, you can't double team both those guys. I think that if I were Aaron, I would really give it a legit shot because I don't think he ever got out of shape. As long as it's in his heart that he wants to play, then I think he'll be fine. But if you're really not into it, that's how you get hurt. But I have no doubt that if he decided to decide to go back and play, he's going to be all in.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

It feels like we've gone from that edge rusher to now everybody wants that nose tackle. And I don't know if that's a shift, but it, you know, I'm certainly aware of if you look at Leonard Williams, Vita Vea, Dexter Lawrence, Kobe Turner, Aaron Donald coming back, everybody needs or wants that guy. It's not that easy. Is it easier to Find edge rushers still than it is that nose tackle?

[Michael Strahan]

I think. I think so. Well, it depends because it's a different thing. You have. Remember John Randall? Of course, hall of Famer John Randall, he was an interior guy, but he could rush the passer. You know, that's the hardest thing to find. A guy like Aaron Donald who can dominate from the interior. You can get a guy who can kind of stuff the run. But to get an interior guy who can pass rush is always difficult. I think that that's a very specialty thing. I think it's easier to find an edge R because guys specialize in edge. You have guys who probably have a better build for being an edge rusher. You have guys who are just athletically gifted in that way. And a lot of guys, when they're playing and they're growing up, they look at the list and they go, quarterbacks make the most, and then edge rushers make the second most. I want to do that instead of go inside and get beat up when I'm getting beat up by two or three guys at a time. So I think that it's kind of. These guys understand playing the edge is a little bit easier than playing inside. Being an inside pass rusher is a very difficult thing. Aaron Donald, he made it look easy, but it's not. Believe me. I wouldn't want any part of that.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I don't know if there was any talk at the time I, I brought it up. I've since brought it up a couple of times. The front four for the Giants against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. You guys collectively were the MVPs, but they have to give it to one person. Did you guys ever talk about, you know, like the Green Bay packers offensive line when the Broncos offensive line against the packers in the Super bowl? They were the MVPs, in my opinion.

[Michael Strahan]

Well, I mean, I love Eli and, and Eli Nathan played to help us win that game and, and thank. I'm grateful for Eli because without him, my life is completely different. I probably don't retire. I'm crazy enough to go. Try to get. Go back again. But, you know, if you're going to give it to one guy, I, I agree. Give it to Eli Manning. Or you could have given it to Justin Tuck or if you had given it to the defensive line, we had already worked out a plan because, you know, don't you get a. Could have got a car or something. We could have. Winter, spring, summer, fall. All four of us could have split

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

it every three months.

[Michael Strahan]

Yeah, they didn't think that we had already worked through this if we all got the MVP trophy. But Eli deserved it. He, he did it twice. So there's ever anybody who I'm proud of and happy that he can have it. If it's not a defensive lineman, it's Eli Manning. But I, I do agree they do have to give it to one person and it's usually the quarterback.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Help me understand what you're doing. The unveiling of the national military monument in D.C. this honoring more than 41 million Americans who have answered the call to serve since the Revolutionary War. How'd you get involved in this?

[Michael Strahan]

Well, you know my father was in the military. Retired Major Gene Willie Strahan Senior. And I'm a military brat. I grew up on military bases all around the world from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Mannheim, Germany. And I'm a military kid so I always try to do everything I can to support the military and also usaa. And USAA is doing an amazing thing. It's first of its kind. It's a flag. It's a digital flag, Digital display, double sided, 41 million names of past and present military service members who have served our country very well. And it's perfectly fitting for the country's 250th and military. The armies just celebrated their 250th last year. And I'm very proud of my father and what he accomplished. I'm very proud and honor all those who have sacrificed their life for what we have now for our lives. And, and I'm just here to support them and support that. And as a visitor you can walk up here, they have a kiosk, it's interactive. You go over, you put in the name of a family member. They'll show you where within the display that is going to show up. And if you, if you have a family member who's not in that 41 million, you can submit their names because they've gone through all the records getting as many as their they could. But maybe they missed one, maybe something that you know. And if, and if you're locally in the D.C. area, I suggest you come check it out because a small way to honor them. It's just showing up and it's emotional to see these names on the wall behind me. And as you, you walk past them, it moves as if the flag is blowing in the wind and the names change as they go and it's just, it's really a beautiful thing to see.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

The tribute is open to the public on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. For everybody to remember Today. Today Open right now. Honoring generation Open today.

[Michael Strahan]

That's right. And go to USAA.com monument250 as well. That. That's another way you can get a chance to check it out.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

You got a lot of attention on the Chris Johnson interview. A lot of positive things. There was one thing that wasn't brought up, and I don't know why, and I brought it up, that it should have been brought up, the connection between CTE and football. I don't know. In retrospect, should that have been a question, a topic for Chris Johnson, when you interviewed him?

[Michael Strahan]

Well, I had that. I actually thought about that because I saw whatever. Well, you should have asked this. You should have asked that. Well, you should have got the interview.

[Charles Barkley]

How about that?

[Michael Strahan]

That's one thing.

[Charles Barkley]

Two.

[Michael Strahan]

Two. That was Chris's moment for Chris to share the story, which Chris wanted to share. And when I got the call that Chris wanted to share that he had. See, you know, als, that was the story. It wasn't for me to try to grandstand, which I hate when people do this. Dan, as an interviewer, our job is deliver information. I'm not trying to get a bigger name for myself by putting somebody else in an uncomfortable position. I was there as a service to Chris for what Chris wanted people to understand and know about his life and where he was. Now, I was not there to make a story about myself or to get a big headline. That's what it wasn't about. The headlines were about. Chris is where they needed to be. I did ask Chris about football, how the NFL has been supportive and all those things. He has twin boys who play football right now. So there are so many things that people don't know, but. But a few were critical of. But overall, I'm very proud of what we did there at ABC and bringing that story. And I'm very proud and very happy that Chris trusted us to tell it, because that was Chris's story to tell the headlines about Chris Johnson, not about Michael Strahan. I don't make any of these things about myself. And that was a disappointing thing for a few people who are critical of that. But if you don't have critics that mean you're not doing a good job, too.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Yeah. And I appreciate you putting in context there. And look, when I do interviews, somebody will always say, oh, why didn't you ask? No, it. You know, and you're in the moment, and there are times when you go, yep, I could have. Or I could have pressed somebody a little Bit harder with that. It goes along with the territory there. But you brought up something really, really important that I try to tell people in this business. Don't make the interview about you, make it about the person you're interviewing. And that is the correct approach.

[Charles Barkley]

But that's very.

[Michael Strahan]

But it's very, very hard to do. I mean, we're. I don't know if it's. Maybe it's just the way things are with social media and everything is as if every story, everybody needs to be out there. They need to show, oh, I'm doing this and I'm doing that, and I'm smarter than the next guy. I'm no smarter than anybody else out there. I'm a normal guy who has an extraordinary job where I get to have incredible conversations with people like your. And when I'm asking questions, I'm asking them as somebody who is really. Someone who really cares. I never do an interview or do anything and think, what am I going to get out of this? How is it going to make me look? I do it because I wanted to give Chris that respect. And here's a guy, it's very tough. I'm looking at him, Dan, and I remember him as the incredible football player that we all watched on the field. He's sitting next to his wife, who's very emotional. And then to the left, out of my. Out of my. To the left of my left. His four kids are sitting there. Not. You couldn't see them in the camera, but they're sitting there. And I'm watching their reaction when I could slightly. And I could glance over at what their dad going through. And we walk away from that interview and we go home and we talk about. And people have the, you know, they're for Chris, but they got to live with that every day. That's the reality of their life, man. And it was ever the very. One of the toughest interviews I've ever done, if not the toughest. But I'm glad that Chris trusted me to share his story, and I hope that people go out and contribute and donate to help als, and hopefully they can find something, something that can help Chris and all the others who are going through it.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I just mentioned to the audience that a lot of times we see somebody play, we love watching them play, and then we move on once they retire because there's somebody who takes their place. And I said, if you go to a Hall of Fame weekend, like next weekend, you're going to see players in a condition that you never thought, you know, when I, I see Steve McMichael, you know, Earl Campbell, like, it breaks your heart because yeah, we moved on from you. They live with and granted they chose to play football, but the, the aftershocks of your body and what it does to them the rest of their lives. And you're going to, you know, witness this in Canton coming up next weekend where you're, you know, you're going to see people. Great to see them, but yeah, they're in bad shape.

[Michael Strahan]

Yeah, Earl Campbell was my childhood favorite. And to go to the hall of Fame and see Earl Campbell, it really shocked me. And to see Jim Brown when, when Jim Brown was, was still living, that shocked me because you see these guys who kind of like looking at your dad, right? My dad's a military man, always strong, always powerful, you know, my hero, the strongest man in the room. And then you eventually see that, that father time catches up. And that's the tough thing when you go to the hall of Fame and you see those things because you realize at the same time, I'm getting older too. We all are getting older. So I'll be out there next. I'll be out there to support, of course, everybody who's going into that class, especially my brother Larry Fitzgerald, who I'm so proud of him and happy for him and everyone else. And you know, we forget, we move on and but one thing you don't forget, don't forget the military service members, all armed of the military who have supported us, who still support us, who get away from, have to move away from their families and dedicate their lives to something that's bigger than just them and come to D.C. check it out. Or like I said, usaa.com monument 250 pay honor to those who've honored us by giving their lives and giving their service to the country. And yeah, but yeah, don't forget, don't forget football. Don't forget the military service, especially 41

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

million Americans who have answered the call to serve since the Revolutionary War. Always great to catch up with you, Michael. Thanks for joining us.

[Michael Strahan]

Hey, you got to have me more often, man. Good to see you. And maybe do a little pickup football in the yard or something when it comes to playing.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I, I, I retired. Well, before you retired, Mike, I retired after my freshman year in high school. Just letting you know.

[Michael Strahan]

Smart man.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Yes, smart man.

[Michael Strahan]

But I appreciate you, dad, as always, man.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Thank you, buddy. All right, that's Michael Strahan. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, we're Covino and Rich, Fox Sports radio every day, 5 to 7pm Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything honestly, because this guy is over promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubber lips blaming me. Well, you know what? It's called Over Promise. You should be good at it because you've been over promising women for years. Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show and we want you to be

[Michael Strahan]

a part of it.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

We're gonna be talking sports, of course, but we're also gonna talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over Promised. Well, if you don't get enough Covino and Rich, make sure you check out Over Promised and also uncensored, by the way, so maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's gonna be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Over Promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen Over Promised with Covino and rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Hey, what's up, y'?

[Michael Strahan]

All?

[Dan Patrick]

It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of Everyone Watches Women's Sports, a new podcast from Together and I heart women's sports because, let's be real, women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. So Kelsey Finler, she became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii. My first thought is, like, what's up with the.

[Charles Barkley]

Like, what are we.

[Dan Patrick]

What are we eating? The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline and the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports. Naomi Osaka showing out. She beat Sabalenka. Shout out to you, Naomi, you get the Palm. Naomi, you get the palm for that. Because we're not just interested in what happened, we're interested in why everyone talking about it. Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's Sports on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Hey, Portlandia fans. Kerry Brownstein and Fred Armisen here, you know us, or rather, you know them. Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike and yes, the chicken. We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia. Ao rewatch our brand new podcast. Each week, we'll revisit an episode of Portlandia from the very beginning, breaking down the sketches, exploring the backstories of our most iconic characters, revisiting the Portland locations you know and love, and opening up about our creative process. How did any of this get made? Why do we think that was a good idea? We're ready to talk about it. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life, guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Krisel, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it. Here you fully improvised not just words, but a song about. Well, I thought he was gonna write. I thought you were all gonna write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia Ayo rewatch on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Turturro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the Longest Yard, or Spike Lee's blackkklansman, but I'm also from Queensland, which means I know pizza. And on my new podcast, Delivering Happiness with Nick Turturro, I deliver pizza from

[Dan Patrick]

Prince Street Pizza to a new guest.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Are you delivering pizzas now? Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing? My belt. To Alex Rodriguez. Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Turturro. It's called Happiness. Delivering Happiness, Mariano Rivera, and many, many more. Open your free iHeartradio app search delivering Happiness with Nick Turturro.

[Dan Patrick]

And listen now, Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing Victory Lane.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Yeah, it's even better.

[Dan Patrick]

With Chumba by my side.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Race to chumbacasino.com, let's Chumba. No purchase necessary VTW group void where prohibited by law. CTNCs 21 plus sponsored by Chumba Casino. Tisha Thompson, ESPN investigative reporter, senior writer and the podcast A 30 for 30 podcast, the Betrayal of Shohei Otani. Great to have you on the show. What was the one question maybe that you wanted answered that baseball's investigation didn't answer

[Dan Patrick]

what the two men were saying to each other when we first said, hey, we've seen the wires. And can you explain why Shohei Otani's bank account is sending half million dollar wires to an illegal bookmaking operation? I would have really liked to have been in the room when Shohei and Ippei talked about it. I would like to know exactly when they talked about it because there has been a lot of confusion about who knew what, when, and it varies depending on who you talk to. The version of events that I've been told was that Shohei didn't know about the questions I wanted answers to about these wire transfers until after I did an interview with Ippei, after he had played his first game of the regular season with the Dodgers. After there was a locker room meeting with the whole Dodgers team and organization where Ippei got up and said, hey, there's a story coming out. And I,

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Oh, I think you froze up there, Todd, you want to see if maybe we can get Tisha on maybe a phone? Yeah. Paulie.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, it's really interesting as going back and looking at this and the entire

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Ohtani interpreter debacle happened as they were getting ready to go to Korea. Like people were in flights in the air. And it was very interesting how it was being dealt with by MLB and the Dodgers. Yeah. And that's what I want to talk to Tisha about, because I don't. I mean, baseball and, you know, I, I said the NBA. The NBA has spent 10 months on Kawhi Leonard investigation. It felt like baseball wrapped up the Shohei Ohtani investigation rather quickly by comparison. And it felt like, you know, a lot of times you'll get an alert if something happens with a bank account. That's what I'm surprised that $5 million and you don't get an alert. That would surprise me. Tisha, thank you. Jumping on the phone here. So, as you were saying, you had some questions that initially weren't answered. I was wondering, baseball wrapped up their investigation. I thought quickly, did you have any problem with the timeframe for that?

[Dan Patrick]

You know, I can't be critical of their timing because I think there was so much confusion in the beginning about what, who was telling the truth about what. And I think everyone, myself included, wanted to see what the federal government would uncover, because the federal government has subpoena power and the federal government can compel people to come in and do interviews with them. And there, you know, I think we all wanted to know, all right, Ippei told Tisha me this version of events. Shohei's people are saying, wait a second, it's this version of events, and that he had nothing to do with it. So what would the Feds find? And that's Dan, that's something that I'm excited that we're going to be able to share with people in the podcast the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani, because we really, for the first time get to hear from the actual federal investigators who were reading the text messages between shohei and Ippei. 40,000 text messages between these two men. We interviewed the IRS lead investigator who has never done any interview in a two decade career before, but he agreed to do this interview for this podcast because he wanted people to know what they found and why they came to the conclusions that they came to. I mean, the investigation. 40,000 text messages, all in Japanese. So not only did they have to read all these text messages, they had to translate them. They had agents with the Department of Homeland Security and agents with IRS reading through all of these messages. They also went through all of the bank records. You'll learn that the Feds seized not just evidence from epay, but they also had seized evidence previously from the bookie. And so they were able to combine the phones and the different things that they found, bank records, particularly from the bookie, and compare bank accounts and we really get into the details of that investigation so people can hear what, what they found and why they came to the conclusions that they came to.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Episodes one and two, the letter O and the interview debut today, followed by episodes every Tuesday and Thursday throughout August, or at least first couple of weeks of August. Is there still doubt about Ohtani side of this?

[Dan Patrick]

The federal investigators would tell you that they believe that Shohei Ohtani, based on the evidence, is an innocent victim and that Ippei Mizahara pleaded guilty, he turned over his phone, he cooperated with several investigators, he pleaded guilty. And in the podcast we're going to show you that it's more than just what he said and it's more than just the bank account. There's other evidence that the Feds uncovered that led them to believe that this was more complicated than a man who had a terrible gambling addiction, which is how Ippei's attorneys presented it in court. I obviously was in court following all of this as it went along. Ippei was presented as a man with a terrible, terrible sports betting addiction got $40 million into debt with the illegal bookmake. But there's other evidence that the feds uncovered that showed that Ippei was using Shohei's money for things beyond the gambling. There's a very interesting storyline about Ippei's. I don't know if obsession is the right word, but long, lifelong love affair with baseball cards. Baseball cards become very important in this story. In episode three, we really explore something that I've always wanted to try to learn more about, which is. Is, who is Ippei? Dan, who is Ippei? This is a man that stood next to reporters that fans thought they knew for years, and he essentially was the gatekeeper to Shohei. You could not get information about Shohei without Ippei, whether you spoke English or Japanese, the Japanese media, which of course covers Shohei. So, you know, they're there every day. They're looking for news about Shohei every day. Because he's such a big news item in Japan, they needed to go through Ippei. And when you start to talk to folks, they didn't know he was married, they didn't know anything about him. And we were able in the podcast to this 30 for 30 podcast to explore this idea of who is Ippei? Who is this man that had so much access to Shohei and ultimately was controlling. Who could get to Ipe, including. I'm sorry, who could get to Shohei, Including Shohei's own people. We really look at how much communication. Shohei's team. And when I say team, I'm talking about his agent, his financial advisors, his bookkeeper, his accountant, all of those people. How much. How much communication did they really have with Shohei? And what kind of role did Ippei play when it came to Shohei's money? And it was very unusual, very different from what you and I have experienced

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

with other athletes who exposed this whole story.

[Dan Patrick]

And Ippe, do you mean who was my tip?

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

No, no, Like.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, because I'm not telling you that.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Okay, so the authority. Okay, but did he almost get away with this?

[Dan Patrick]

I would like to say no. I mean, I'm the reporter, right? I'm the one who spent five months trying to get to the bottom of this before I ever approached Shohei Ohtani's people. You know, the folks at the ESPN investigative unit work really hard. I say to people, I'm not in the business of spreading rumors. I'm in the business of gathering source information. So, you know, we gathered up documents, documents, you know, sources. This was a federal investigation. It was a sealed federal investigation into the illegal bookmaker. So even that information was secret at that point. You know, that was not common knowledge. So we had to crack that. And we had to get documentation to prove that Matt Boyer was an illegal bookmaker. And then we had to get documentation that showed that Shohei, at least his bank account, had some kind of relationship with this illegal bookmaking operation. So we were able to. I was able to. And we talk about, in episode one, see some of the wires. So we really gathered up evidence, hard evidence, but we also gathered up a lot of source information. And part of the reason it took a minute to get to the original article was because we knew there was Shohei Ohtani's bank account involved, and we were able to prove that. But then I got some source information that said IPEI might be involved. Okay, well, what is that? What does that mean, Dan? Ippei might be involved? Does that mean. And we do this incredible interview with the illegal bookmaker in episode four of the podcast. And if you bet on sports or you know someone that bets on sports, I really recommend you listen to this podcast and you listen to episode four, and you listen to the illegal bookmaker talk about how he hooks clients, how he keeps them in his book, how he. There's this delicate balance between making as much money as you can off of your client, but not letting them go bankrupt because he wants you to keep spending money with his book. I mean, it's a fascinating inside look into the bookmaking business and how an illegal bookmaker thinks and how they do what they do. So, you know, we looked at all of that before we ever went to Shohei Ohtani, folks, and said, hey, we want to understand what's going on here. And I said, right from the get go, I want to interview Shohei Ohtani. And I mean, you can imagine, I would like to interview Shohei Otani. Yeah, right. And I, by the way, I keep asking, I mean, every time I get on the phone with his people, I say, I would like to interview Shohei Ohtani. When are we going to make that happen? And in the beginning it was maybe we'll see, but we'll give you someone else. And that's how I end up interviewing Ippei Mi Zahara. And that interview, Dan, I, you know, I didn't know how long that interview would go. He had a reputation. You know, my colleagues at ESPN who cover the Dodgers and the Angels every day warned me, you know, this is not A man who says much, this is a man who barely talks about his personal life. And when he says anything, it's very short sentences. So I went into thinking, well, maybe I'll get a statement. Maybe he'll, you know, give me a couple sentences. And that's how it starts in episode two. You know, I, I'm excited. There's not a lot of opportunities for reporters to let folks listen to an in depth interview like that. I mean, it was a 90 minute interview and we're not going to make you sit through 90 minutes of it. But the reason why it was so long is we really get into nitty gritty. And Ippei just kept talking and he kept giving me information. And the interview, I think is fascinating. There are, you know, as an investigative reporter who's been doing this for two decades, I've done interviews with people that I know are lying to me. You know, I don't do these interviews until I'm really well sourced more often than not. And in this case I was very well sourced. And Ippei starts to tell me his story. And there are moments in that interview in real time where I'm, I'm pretty skeptical. I'm like, I'm not sure he's telling me the truth here. But you know, as a reporter, you listen and you, and you ask that. You ask the tough questions. And that's what I tried to do. And the answers we got were fascinating. But I will say it is the first time in a two decade career where less than 16 hours later, I was on the phone with him again and he told me that almost everything he had told me the night before was a lie. I said, Ippe, did you lie to me? And he says yes. And I said, did you lie to Shohei? And he says yes. So we really take you through that whole bizarre 24 hour period both before and after that interview. I've. Dan, I've never, I've never encountered anything like it in my career. And you know, I'm glad. So folks can now listen and hear what I was hearing and know what I knew, when I knew it, and understand the context in why we were asking the questions we were asking what we knew, what we later found out, and why the feds immediately began to investigate Ippei because he was not a target, so to speak, of the investigation before we did that interview is my

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

understanding from sources everything I've said to you today has been a lie as well. Tisha.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, Dan, don't tell me that. Don't tell me that.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Congratulations.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I know these things are exhaustive, but that's why, you know, you're an investigative reporter, that you do a deep dive on that and sometimes you're getting nuggets. There you go. Wait a minute. Where'd this come from? And then you follow it. Six part 30 for 30 podcasts, the betrayal of Shohei Otani. So you have. The first two episodes are available today, the letter O and the Interview. Those are the titles of those two episodes. Good luck with this, Tisha, and thank you very much.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you. Thank you, Dan, for having me and. And love your show. So thanks for doing this.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

That's Tisha Thompson. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Charles Barkley, hall of Famer, Inside the NBA how's your summer going?

[Charles Barkley]

I play golf every day. I have a great damn summer. I don't do anything. I try to stay off tv. I'm only doing this because of you. I try to stay off tv. I play golf every day. I don't want people to get sick of me. So I do, like one thing every two or three for two or three weeks. But the rest of the time, I'm playing golf every day. I'm taking the day off because it's raining. So I'm gonna go get a mani petty and a massage because it's raining like hell here in Philadelphia all day. That's my day today, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

No, that's not a bad day.

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, I'm going as soon as I hang out with you. I'm gonna go get a mani pedi. I'm gonna go get a massage and then I'm gonna chill and I'm gonna back on the golf course tomorrow. But it rained like hell yesterday and today, so I'm back on the golf course tomorrow.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

All right, well, maybe you should have stayed in Arizona where you could have been able to play. Or is it too hot out there for you?

[Charles Barkley]

It's like 120 degrees every day right now. It's brutal.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

So how's the morale in Philadelphia here?

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, it's off the charts right now, Dan. It's. The people are going crazy. They should be excited. You know, getting LeBron is a, is a coup. So they're going to be favorites probably in the east on paper. But man, it is going crazy here. I mean, because I think it caught everybody by surprise, to be honest with you, even myself. You know, I. I was hoping he went back to Cleveland, but, man, it is on fire here right now. You 247 LeBron right now, ever since the story broke last week.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Feels like you had a problem with it.

[Charles Barkley]

I didn't have a problem with it. I want him to go to Cleveland. He has no affiliation to Philly. What's really funny, I guess the story broke yesterday that he's not even gonna live in Philly. He's gonna live in New York and helicopter back. Back here for practicing games. So the city's kind of pissed right now. I was like, I. I told y' all he didn't have no affiliation with Philly. That's why I was shocked he came here. Yeah, I was. You know, it was so funny. I was playing golf yesterday early, and my phone starts going crazy. Like, can you believe this? I'm like, what? Y' all just got LeBron? Be happy. He's not even gonna live here. He's got to live in New York and take a helicopter in for practice and games. I, like, I just started laughing because you can't make this stuff up.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Why don't you let him stay at your place?

[Charles Barkley]

It's a condo, Dan. You know, I'm a firm believer in. The hermit was ruled one house, one car. You don't need more than one house. That's a waste of money. Don't waste your money on jewelry. I drive a Kia and an Explorer. That's all you need, brother. Don't waste your money on cars, you young dummies.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

You were on with Stephen A. Smith. That's why I thought you had a problem, that LeBron's always stacking his teams.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, that's been one of my critics. Well, most people criticize him for that. He always stacks his team.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

But what's wrong with wanting to build a team that can win a championship or going to.

[Charles Barkley]

First of all, let's see. There you go. He didn't build a team. He manufactured.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

He built a team in Los Angeles. They were bad before he got there.

[Charles Barkley]

And he and his agency forced them to trade for Anthony Davis, who was ran by his group, Troop.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Okay, but he didn't. He didn't go to a team that was.

[Charles Barkley]

No, he did. He's. Listen, Anthony Davis. Everybody in the league would have won an Anthony Davis. Plus specifically said he has to go to the Lakers. That. That. That's. That's. That's a fact, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

But you still had to pull off the trade to get him. They didn't say, oh, here you go.

[Charles Barkley]

He Would. He said he would only go to the Lakers. He said he would. Like, everybody wanted Anthony Davis, but he's clutch. Said, no, he can only go to the Lakers. So it is what it is. It's a fair criticism. Yeah. Everybody wanted Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis specifically said, because of Clutch, I will only go to the Lakers. So you think that's naturally organic? No, that is stacking your team.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

But that's LeBron's power.

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, okay.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

And he deserves that credit. That guys want to play with it,

[Charles Barkley]

and we can't criticize it if we think it's unfair.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

What's unfair about wanting to go better your life?

[Charles Barkley]

Like, hey, you should. You're not. You shouldn't be guaranteed a championship. One of the reasons Michael Jordan is to go. He got beat in the head. He kept, you know, you know what? I'm going to get bigger, stronger. That, to me, is the way I would like to see it done. That's why I admire Dirk Nowitzki. He's like, you know what? I'm not going anywhere. We just gonna keep getting better. That's why Steph Curry, same thing. They never. He's like, you know what? We got a team. They were not any good in the beginning. Then Clay got good, Draymond got good. Iguodala, everybody. So, listen, we can disagree. I'm not mad at LeBron, but I could, you know, I'm not gonna do the Stepford Wife thing. Like, all LeBron and his friends do. Like, these guys on television now. Like, I don't want to upset LeBron because I wanted him to talk to me and I wanted him to do an interview. Like, if you don't, like, that's the one. You know, LeBron's a great dude, too, but the people around him and now guys on television, they're like, Stepford Wives. It's like, you have to say, LeBron's the greatest ever. Or, like, he not going to talk to you. And you. You're committing treason. Like, like I said, LeBron is the third best basketball greatest basketball player I ever seen. But when you're around them Stepford wives that. Around LeBron and people on television like that, they want to be friends with him. Like, I think me and. Me and LeBron, I think we're cool. But I don't have to say he's the greatest basketball player ever. I don't. I mean, I don't think I'm committing treason.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I just did not. I don't have a problem. If he wanted to go to Philly, I Think it's a big risk, but it's his best chance to win a championship.

[Charles Barkley]

I don't agree with that. I also think if he went to the Cavs, they would have had the best team in the East.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

They got James Harden. I don't think he wanted to play with James Harden.

[Charles Barkley]

James Harden, not even on the team right now.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Well, but they're. They're. They're talking to him about a contract.

[Charles Barkley]

Let me. Let me tell you something. We can disagree. I mean, this is all. That's. We all have an opinion. I thought if LeBron went to the Cows, they would have the best team in the East. That's just my personal opinion.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

If Darius Garland was there, I would say yes. Not. Not James Harden.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, you don't have to play James that much as LeBron is there. And also think about this. There are a lot of questions about this 76ers team. Can LeBron and Joel Embiid stay healthy? That's a big question. LeBron hasn't played a full season in five years. Joel Embiid ain't never played a full season. Those are fair questions. And what's scary, man, One of the dark secrets nobody's talking about. The Eastern Conference might be better than the Western Conference right now. The Eastern Conference, like I say, can LeBron stay healthy, which he hasn't done in five years. Can Joel stay healthy, which he hasn't done ever. The Eastern Conference has quietly become the better conference. I'm trying to think. There is no team in the east that's bad. There's not one single team in the east you can say is bad. I mean, and can Joel and LeBron stay healthy? Man, I'm telling you, Dan. And people aren't even talking about it. But they look at OKC and the Spurs. Rightfully so. They're head and shoulders. But the Knicks, Boston, Atlanta, Indiana, Orlando, the Wizards, man, the east, the only bad team is probably the Brooklyn Nets.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

They are bad.

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, and let me tell you something. I think the Chicago. I said this. Oh, I think the Chicago Bulls got the best rookie in the NBA. When I was talking to coaches and general managers, which I do, and I always keep our conversations private because it's a private conversation. They're like, who'd you take the number one pick? I said, caleb Wilson. They're like, what do you mean? I says, hey, I like the Boston. I like Peterson. But the one guy who I think. And like I said, we're all kind of thinking about the future. There's no player I would have taken before Caleb Wilson. Not one. Because the way he. His athletic ability, not like Peterson and demonstrate. They're probably better scorers at this stage, but he can learn how to shoot. And let me tell you something from an athletic point where you can. God. 1, 2, 3, 4. Ain't nobody more talented than Caleb Wilson, period.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Talking to Charles Barkley, hall of Famer, I'm still trying to understand what the Celtics did and are doing. Are the Celtics better now than they were a month ago?

[Charles Barkley]

Dan, let me tell you something, man. You can go out and get drunk all night long, and we can wake up the next day, and that still won't make no damn sense to me. Whatever. And listen, what's. Okay, you don't like Jalen Brown. I get that. They clearly didn't. But I'm not trading him to a team I got to play five times a year and got to beat in the playoffs. The Celtics are not better. And I. I don't understand. Like I say, okay, you want to trade a player, I have no problem with that. And Jalen's a hell of a player. I'm not trading him into my division. I'm trading him out west more than anything. So I. I have no idea what the Celtics are doing. And then you hear people talk about the money. Paul John's making a lot of money, so you can't say they didn't. Because about that I heard. I hear guys talking about, well, they didn't want to pay Jalen Brown. I'm like, Paul George's making $50 million

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

a year, but only for one more year.

[Charles Barkley]

Two more.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Well, he's. There's an option, but.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, he gonna damn sure take the option.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Well, Jalen. But Jalen is. You know, you're locked in for three more years, and Philly is going to extend him as well. They're not trading for him and then letting him go.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, so, okay, but at that point, they didn't know they were going to get LeBron either. So that trade, even though Jalen Brown's a better player, you still bought back a hundred million dollars for the next couple years. I think Jalen makes a little bit more, but I didn't understand that tree whatsoever.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Your guy Shaq said he thinks Joel Embiid is going to have a great year and he's going to be the best big man in the game.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, what, somebody going to kill the joker by now? Listen, no, I think the. The two winners in this trade are maxi and MB in the trade and LeBron, because they're a better team. And Joel, he's got to be the fourth best player because Maxi and Brown are the two best players. They're the two best players on the team. LeBron's the third best player if he's healthy and he's the probably the guy who can play without the ball the most. It's going to be some growing pains with this team because they all need the ball to be successful. But make no doubt about it, Brown and Maxi are the two best players on the team. Joel just got to get healthy and he can be the fourth best player on the team. Now that's going to be an adjustment for him because he's just going to play defense and rebound and he gonna have to sacrifice, he probably gonna have to sacrifice the most because they're not gonna walk there with them three thoroughbreds. They're not gonna walk the ball up and down the court and let him post up, up. He's gonna have to concentrate on defense and rebounding, so he's gonna have to sacrifice the most. But the number one thing he's got to do is get healthy. Then he's never played. I mean, I, I, I'm not even sure I shouldn't talk talk like that. I mean, I'm pretty sure he hasn't played a full season in five or six years. So the notion that he's going to be healthy, you're gonna have to wait and see. And same thing with LeBron. But man, it's not going to be as easy to just put those four guys out there and think the Sixers are going to win the championship.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Okay, let's match up the Knicks with the Sixers. Who do you like?

[Charles Barkley]

You know, I think they gonna miss Mitchell Robinson. I do, I think they're gonna miss Mitchell Robinson. I think that's a pick them series. I think that the now the Pistons got to figure out what to do. I didn't even mention them when I mentioned them earlier. They got to figure out the Jalen Duran situation. But the east is going to be fun to watch, man. Even though they got LeBron and Jalen, that don't the Sickers are not going to have a cakewalk. It's going to be a huge adjustment for those guys because all four of those guys need the basketball to be successful. And to ask guys like that say, hey, I need you to just play defense a lot. Like I said, it's going to be the hardest for Joel because he, he gonna get the ball the least out of all those four guys. He can does he have the mindset to be like, you know what? Let me just play defense and rebound. And some nights I'm gonna get big. A few nights I'm gonna get big numbers, but I just gotta play defense and rebound. And that is not going to be easy. But the number one question with the Sixers is their health. Can. Can Embiid and LeBron, can they be healthy for 82 games, which right now the heart is probably a hard no. And then what position are they gonna be in? Because they're gonna have to. If, if those guys are unhealthy, they're gonna have to win three series on the road against really good teams because. Amen. Indiana might be the sleeper in the east next year. Yeah, they get Zubaz back, you know, so. But it's. The east is going to be very interesting going forward.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

We missed you in Tahoe. We were out there and you. You were really busy, apparently.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, that's called winning money, Dan. I was winning money. So I was like, when you win money, you have to. You have to choose between doubling down on 11 or doing interviews. And you get that face card on that 11, because you always double down on 11, and you always double down on 10 if the dealer don't have a face card showing. Lake Todd was very profitable for Chuck this year, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Well, scores on the course weren't.

[Charles Barkley]

I beat you.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I wouldn't. I wouldn't say that too loudly.

[Charles Barkley]

This, that, you know, hey, listen, as long as I beat you and Grand Hill. Because Grand Hill's a coward, too. He's a coward.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Why is Grand Hill a coward?

[Charles Barkley]

He won't play with me. He could see. I want. Dan, I'm like a gunfighter. I want to look you in your eyes. I want to look you in your eyes. Grant Hill won't play because he know he can't beat me. So I. I want to look y' all in the eyes. I'm like an old school gunfighter. I want to play with you. Like Anthony Anderson. He came out there all blustery, and then I got to look him in the eyes on the first tee and he crumbled like a.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

You're. You're sounding like you're, you know, young tiger here. Yeah. A guy who's going to go get a Manny Petty acting like a big, tough gunslinger.

[Charles Barkley]

I. I know who to go up against, though. I said you, Grant Hill and Anthony Anderson. I didn't go out there and grab the heavy gun fighter. I went out and grabbed the bottom of the.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Of course, you Did. Why didn't you go after Dylan Dryer and Rich Eisen next time?

[Charles Barkley]

You know, I think Dylan. I love her, but I think I'm better than Rich Eisen. I am. I think I'm better than Rich.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I think he finished last.

[Charles Barkley]

Did he?

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I think.

[Charles Barkley]

You know. Hey, listen, you should be.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Charles, you play golf all the time. You're a former professional. You make it sound like, you know, we should be surprised that you can play decent golf. You play all the time.

[Charles Barkley]

I've been. Dan, listen, I've been to hell and back.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

You have you.

[Charles Barkley]

Hey, shout out to my coach. Dan. Early. Dan. Dan. I've been to hell and back. I played one handed. I played left handed. I have done it all. I have done it all, man. I. Listen, there was a time when I quit, when I would. Had to yield for 20 some years. It was brutal. Jackson Corbin, Auburn, War Down Migo. That was awesome to watch Sunday. We're so proud of that kid. You know, Auburn won back to back national championship because of him. He was the leader of the team. But, man, I spit my whole Sunday around watching him at the 3M. That was beautiful to watch. So war damage our nation, brother.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

All right, well, good luck with your Manny Petty, tough guy, and we'll. I'll tell Fritzi to leave you alone for the next month or so.

[Charles Barkley]

Well, there's nothing happening in basketball.

[Michael Strahan]

Okay.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

But this did. And that's why we were reaching out.

[Charles Barkley]

And I hate. And I'm here, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I know. I appreciate it.

[Charles Barkley]

I've never turned you down, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I know that.

[Charles Barkley]

I'm not doing any more interviews for like the next month, probably. Unless somebody in the NBA get traded, which is which. I will tell you this, Dan, The Jalen Duran thing is interesting. Yeah.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

I don't want him at that price.

[Charles Barkley]

That's the key. But some. You know, there could be a team that's desperate that might want to pay him that price.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

No, no, the salon is. The salon's waiting for you. Okay, you go.

[Michael Strahan]

Okay, brother.

[Charles Barkley]

All right, first of all, I don't do salons. I. I don't have that type of mind. I go to a spa. I mean, I just go to a regular nail place. Come on, Dan.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Thank you, Charles.

[Charles Barkley]

All right, brother. Appreciate y'. All.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

That's. That's Charles Barkley.

[Dan Patrick]

This is an I heart podcast.

[Dan Patrick (Host)]

Guaranteed human.