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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
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Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Tuesday. We are live in Los Angeles. It is the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright one hour from now Peter Schrager giving us Some updates on NFL stories. The Steelers, the Jets, the Giants, all sniffing around at quarterbacks. Raiders as well. J. Mack. Sad story this morning. Kyrie Irving tears his acl. He got hurt last night. Bad news. And so he's out for the year. And it's over for the Mavericks. Done. Done. Over for the Mavericks. So we thought there was a chance if AD Got healthy and lively, came back. There was a chance. When I got this news 15 minutes ago, it made me think about. So LeBron needs one more point to score 50,000 points. Obviously, he's the most productive player in NBA history, one point shy from 50,000 career points. Nobody's ever done that, right? But one of the things LeBron has, and I've never seen anything like it, is intuition. If he was a sea captain and he. He was in control of the Titanic, it would have never hit the iceberg. I've never seen a guy that can see problems before they happen. The biggest mess in the NBA is now the Dallas Mavericks due to injuries, an awful trade, protests outside the arena. Prices are down 40%. Fans just sick to their stomach. Now you add on an injury, they are. You got a head coach that doesn't trust the GM Fans who can't stand the gm. Dallas is a complete mess. The Kyrie thing just adds to it. Awful injury. Awful. And yet simultaneously, man, Luca's starting to really look good. And the Lakers are in the championship bubble. I mean, think about the timing of LeBron. It's always come in different forms and shapes. But think about this for a second. He bailed on Cleveland. He said, I've been here seven years. You can't get me another player. He leaves. He was right. He go. He wins titles, goes to four straight finals, and Cleveland becomes an even bigger mess. He was right. Then his best friend's D. Wade. He gets to four straight finals, but D. Wade is struggling to play back to backs. And like a good investor, LeBron is always a year early, better than a year late. He leaves Miami, they fall off a cliff. He goes to Cleveland and wins. Then Kyrie gets in his fields. He carries, you know, J.R. smith and some quirky guys. Hard to convince other pros to come to Cleveland. He bails. Cleveland goes into the tank again, and LeBron goes to Los Angeles. And in Los Angeles, people say, oh, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, they got Brandon Ingram, but they had really good young players. LeBron gets them out, gets AD wins another title. He's right again. And then over the last couple of years, as LeBron ages, LeBron privately, he did. And, you know, it was concerned that AD could not get him easy baskets. AD was a good teammate. They worked together, but they weren't perfect as LeBron aged. And LeBron looked around the league and thought, who can get me easier baskets? The two best outlet guys are Jokic. He's locked up in Denver, and Luca. And he gets Luca. And the Lakers are now on fire. A.D. immediately gets hurt. The entire organization's a mess. Now, I'm supposed to believe that LeBron didn't know. I find that very hard to believe. And you can call him selfish, but here's something you have to call LeBron as well. Right? He is always right. I've never seen anybody with this kind of intuition. Everybody told him, be loyal to Cleveland. He was right. How can you bail on your Buddy D. Wade? He was right. You're going back to Cleveland. Cleveland can't win. He was right. Los Angeles, it's a broken franchise. Well, at least you got good, young teammates now. He was right. AD was the star that just needed help. And then AD's played a couple of really good years, and he stayed mostly healthy. And you know what that means. It was time to sell the stock. You got your title. He was finally consistently healthy. He was older. And LeBron's like, I'm still a top five guy in the league. And I think privately, LeBron had said, He's a good fit. He's not the perfect fit. And I watched the Dallas Mavericks become a mess over the last three weeks. And, you know, some of it's just bad luck. But in my life of watching professional athletes, I'll say it again, like, it's. He's a good investor. He's like Warren Buffett. He's a year. He may be a little early, but he's never late. He always knows when it's time to move off. And it was funny when. When. When Luca came here. And again, AD was really good for him, but he was 32 years old, and every Laker fan would watch AD and be absolutely honest. Weren't you always holding your breath? Weren't you always holding your breath? Of course you were now. And LeBron does this. When he went to Miami the first time, people said, hey, it's not going to work. It's clunky. You don't have a center. It's not always pretty. For LeBron, when he first goes to a place, it's not always pretty. It's a little clunky. But he made Miami, right? Oh, Kyrie's a Boss, nobody can play with him. He brings over Kevin Love. He's a stat patter, not a winner. Took a, Took about a year to get it right. He got it right. Then he brings over. AD had to get rid of the young kids, little bumpy early, and then he got it right. So I don't know if Luke is going to win the first year, but every time LeBron hits this crossroads like, like Wade Bosch and LeBron, they were still good, and the Cavs were still good, and LeBron and AD were still good. But LeBron seeks great. And I do believe he may have been given a day or two heads up, but I think he had grumbled privately that as he aged, AD Was a good fit, but not a perfect fit, that LeBron still had to always be the initiator of the offense. And LeBron knew I'd rather be a receiver on some nights, not just the quarterback. So as I, as I watch this just sad mess in Dallas, it reminds me a little bit of the mess in Cleveland and the mess in Miami and the mess in Cleveland. And nobody avoids stepping in it like LeBron. It's not always perfect. The takeoff can be bumpy, always makes the landing. I mean, the Dallas situation now between ticket sales, the lack of trust, I mean, Mark Cuban, ask yourself this. Mark Cuban a year ago said, I'm gonna sell the franchise. You don't think LeBron James looked at that and thought, Luca may be available? I really believe this. I, I absolutely believe this. I believe every time LeBron was around Luca. Remember when Luca came into the NBA first year? Go back and look at the tapes. Kid was 20 games in. LeBron's like, that kid's great. I, I, Lebron's like a talent scout. LeBron's like, that guy's great. He just makes sure everybody around Luca knew that LeBron thought you were great. He tried to get Steph Curry a couple years ago. Steph's like, now I'm a warrior. Remember? He kept saying nice things about Steph. What Steph do? Steph can initiate the offense. LeBron can play off ball. LeBron can get easier basket. So initially he wanted Steph, and Steph wasn't available. Steph pushed back. Then he moved to Luca slowly, saying nice things, keeping in contact with Mark Cuban. Cuban leaves the Mavericks. You know, Cuban and Luca, they were tight. What does LeBron see when Cuban leaves? An opening. An opening. You lost your, you lost your owner. New people in the building may not trust him. LeBron saw it, made sure the right people knew, and he Ends up playing with them. I don't think it's a conspiracy theory. Too much of this stuff is public and well known. But how does LeBron end up once again? He tried to go Steph two years ago. I mean, good God, that was a two year rumor. He made sure he knows hang out with Steph and see Steph and talk about Steph. And Steph was great. That was what he wanted to do. And Steph's like, I'm gonna stay up here. Then he moved through the channels in Mark Cuban. Cuban sells. LeBron sees a moment. I'm gonna go get him. And it took a year of working the channels behind the scenes, but the idea this was a big surprise caught everybody off guard. I don't buy it. I don't buy it. LeBron is his intuitiveness. You call it selfish. I call it right. I've never seen a guy that. I mean, stuff just implodes. And LeBron's like, oh, what happened back there? Boy, did I get lucky. Wink, wink. I avoided another disaster. Nah, it ain't luck, man. I think he had this Luca thing planned out the minute Steph said officially. No, I think he had this Luca thing planned out the last year and a half. I really do. I'm. I absolutely do. So we. We started hot take happy hour here on. It's not even a hot take. No, no, no. This. This should be tin foil hat Tuesdays, because that is deep.
- [13:12]
Nick Wright
You're well in your bag here.
- [13:14]
Colin Cowherd
I don't hate it. I'll say that. I don't. How in the world can you go seven for seven in your career? You know how you do that? You're working the channels behind the scenes a year early. Do you think LeBron just woke up in Cleveland and decided to leave? No. He went to the Olympics the first time in Cleveland. He played with those Olympians and flying back. He's like, the hell am I doing in Cleveland? I finally played with great players. He worked that bosh d Wade thing for a year, and then all of a sudden, they get to the finals and they lose that thing. And Pat Riley's getting a little this, and I won't give you that. And LeBron starts telling his guys this time, and all of a sudden, he gets a hold of Dan Gilbert. Dan Gilbert flies and apologizes. Suddenly, he finds his way. A letter. Sports illustrate. You think that thing happened in six hours. And then he goes to Cleveland. Kyrie leaves. By that time, Dan Gilbert's like, you got me a title. We're good. He goes to the Lakers again. Everybody thought he would go Sixers. Everybody thought he would go Chicago. Everybody. He. Where's he go? The biggest brand. Los Angeles. By the time he got to Los Angeles, he had meetings with nine billionaires. Okay? And then the whole time, oh, he likes Lonzo. He likes Kuzma. He like. No, he didn't. And he's working the channels. And by the way, the ad thing with Rich Paul, who represented AD Rich Paul. I'm just saying this stuff isn't happenstance. It's not just random, and it's not a criticism of it. LeBron is a great, intuitive businessman. He is selling the stock early, never late. And all of a sudden, once again, he's got the perfect teammate. The Mavericks are swimming in chaos. Ability to see around corners, see what's coming down the pike. LeBron, listen, you just made a case that he might be the greatest executive in NBA history. The way he's pulling the strings and moving around, everywhere he goes, he wins, Colin. Everywhere. This is not a criticism. No, he bailed on Wade, and he was right. D. Wade couldn't play back to backs anymore. Bosh was having some physical stuff, but it was mostly about D. Wade. His. His. His. Robin couldn't play. Remember those games against Indiana? D. Wade would be great. And the next day, you weren't sure if he could play in the next game. And I'm. All I'm saying with this Lucas stuff is you look up today, and it's like, are the Lakers the best team in the league after Boston? I think the answer is yes. And I'm supposed to believe it's just all happenstance. I think LeBron knew a year ago. He started swimming for Stephen for a year. Plus, Steph turned him down. He said, who's my next target, Luca? And I think it was behind the scenes. And send a text and a little emoji, just enough to let him know. Believe me, LeBron knows everybody in the league. Back channel it. Make sure Luca know. And when Mark Cuban sold that team, LeBron James said, there's my moment. That is my moment. Because Cuban and Luka were tight. And LeBron, the great businessman said, I've got an opening in my head. I see Michael Douglas. Remember the movie Wall Street? He wakes up on the beach, and he's got that clunky cell phone, and he calls Charlie Sheen, and he goes, money never sleeps. Winning never sleeps for LeBron James. He's always got something in play.
- [16:33]
Nick Wright
The next move on the chessboard.
- [16:34]
Colin Cowherd
He knows it. Whoa, Kyle, this is a great Start to a Tuesday. I'm fired. Positive. I love it. No conspiracy theories are are. You have to basically from soup to nuts. A conspiracy theory. There's a couple of loose fits. This isn't a bunch of loose fits. Cleveland, Miami, Cleveland, L.A. bailon, Lonzo, young players A.D. luca, this isn't. This stuff all happened and I, I, I. This, the Luca thing is too perfect. It's just too perfect. LeBron's basketball IQ. He looked around this league and he thought, Steph, Jokic, Luca, those are the guys. Well, YIC isn't going anywhere because Denver will never give him up. Steph, I tried. He didn't want to go. Cuban sells the Mavs. There's my opening and I'm not. Hey, it's, it's, it's. I've been called selfish. People get called selfish if they care about their careers. Whatever. Yeah. By the way, I invited Colin to hang out with an NBA coach tomorrow night. Yeah, Colin gave me the stiff arm. No, I'm busy. I was like, all right, fine, fine. Okay. I got your big time. I got things. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. And it brings people together with more than 100 years of family owned expertise as America's original butcher. Omaha Steaks legendary filet mignons are extra age to maximize tenderness and are tested to the highest standards to maintain the coveted distinction of USDA certified tender. And now during their semi annual sale, you can get 50% off site wide at Omaha steaks.com plus our listeners get an extra $30 off with the promo code herdherd at checkout. This weekend was a great time to bust open my Omaha Steaks assortment. Pack air. Chilled boneless chicken breasts, rib eye and steak burgers. Gourmet jumbo franks. They're great butcher's cut top sirloins and for dessert, caramel apple tartlets. It doesn't get better than this. 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Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months hey, it's a Martinez. The news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you can't just ignore La Noticias when important world changing events are happening. That is where the Upverse podcast comes in every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out. Listen up first from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, we're talking about the Kyrie Irving injury and what a mess the Mavericks have been. I guess my overall arching point is every team LeBron bails on goes into the tank and every star he moves off of goes into a worse situation. And I mean, it just the Kyrie Irving injury, by the way, because of all the injuries and because Luca shared offensive responsibilities. When you took Luca away from the Mavericks, it forced Kyrie to play more minutes. So it was very taxing on Kyrie's smaller body. Kyrie, since the Luca trade, I was just told, leads the NBA in minutes played. So again, like, like this is another reason you don't make that trade. So Kyrie, a small player who's had injuries, you're asking him to put so much responsibility, so many minutes on his body with the rest of the team beat up that Kyrie's body gives out after a while. So it's just, it just, it is crazy how often LeBron's timing is just perfect. I mean, the minute he leaves a team, they fall off a cliff. The minute he moves off a star, that star goes into a worse situation or his year is bad, or he's not the same player or the circumstances are off And I just. After a while, I don't think it's luck. I just think LeBron's got an intuition. He sees problems much better than most coaches or executives in the league. There's an argument he's the best executive in the league. I mean, you could make that argument. LeBron's the best executive in the league. He's made that many smart moves. And I think he knew about the Luca thing. I think he saw that thing the minute Cuban sold that team. I think he saw it. There's an opening. Go get my guy. I prefer Steph, maybe Jokic. They're not available. And I tried with Steph. So I saw this. This story. This is a big story. Yesterday, kind of infuriating to me. So apparently, in the combine over the weekend, you had these Shadour Sanders, you know, the quarterbacks, they'll interview with teams. And the report is Shadour Sanders was a little brash. According to Todd McShay, two people that I spoke to left the meeting with Shador, and Shador was not overly concerned with what they thought of him. Would you be. You watched the Cleveland Browns the last 10 years. So this idea that he's going to drop in the draft cracks me up. Tennessee, Cleveland and the Giants, all messes that could need a quarterback, could use a quarterback, and should draft one. These teams. One of them, two of them are. All three of them apparently didn't love what they hear. Heard from Shador Sanders. So I want you to think about this. Let's just take the New York Giants, go Back to Week 12, 2017 season. It's kind of the end of Eli Manning. He has a terrible game against Washington. The Giants are 2 and 9. He's awful. Until today, March 4th. That is 379 weeks that you knew that Eli Manning was washed until today. And you still are a disaster at quarterback. And you think Shador Sanders in an interview is supposed to walk in there and be blown away and that you as a team have the leverage. You think Cleveland has leverage? You think Tennessee has leverage? It's okay to sometimes admit as a business, the employee may have more leverage. All right, so this idea that this kid who grew up rich because of Nil got richer and who's really good, and you're a terrible franchise, either Tennessee, Cleveland or New York, that he didn't bow down to you because Shador Sanders realizes, let's say it's the New York Giants or Cleveland, you're a hurdle to his success. He'll be successful if he goes to Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, Brock Bowers and cap space. The Giants are a hurdle, an impediment to success. So this idea that you're desperate and you think you have all the leverage. No, Caleb Williams had some leverage. Cam Ward has some leverage. It's over that the employee doesn't have any leverage. In my business, in pro football, college athletes now, the coach doesn't have all the leverage. And I think there's executives and coaches. Rick Patino said this the other day, St. John's coach adapt. You can complain or you can adapt. You know, the late Bobby Knight would complain about transfer portal, or you can adapt John Calipari to his credits, like, okay, one and done. That's how I get the best players. I can grumble and complain about it, or I can, like Rick Matino. We don't even recruit high schoolers. I can complain about it or just adapt. And so it's kind of infuriating to me. I don't know. I mean, Shador Sanders grew up rich. Nil got rich. Yeah, I'm sorry he didn't come in desperate. But this idea that these kids now these, these quarterbacks in a bad quarterback class and he may be the best one and you are a tire fire of a franchise. And you know, he came in here. I mean, the quote from McShay is actually funny. You know, the, the quote is, is that they left the meeting feeling shedeur was not overly concerned with what they thought of him. Well, I mean, they thought Daniel Jones was great. They thought giving Deshaun Watson a guaranteed contract was brilliant. Somebody drafted Will Levis. I wouldn't be overly concerned if I was a quarterback with three teams that don't appear to know what the hell they're doing. I'm sorry, he gets a little say too. You're bringing your attitude because he doesn't come in and bow down to you. The business doesn't always have all the leverage. Now it's 2025. Sometimes the employee has a little bit, you know, sometimes, you know, I was talking to a friend the other day and there are two companies battling for him. And one of the companies was sort of outraged that he wasn't just totally committed to them. And he said, well, I've got another company that's a bigger company offering more money. Like the day you're, you're. If you're an employer and you think you have all the leverage, or you're an NFL team and think you have all the leverage. I mean, I think Shador Sanders and Cam Ward, they would like to be passed on by Tennessee, Cleveland and the Giants. They'd rather go to a winning franchise. JJ McCarthy Bo Nix Best thing that ever happened to him. He fell to Sean Payton. One more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. It's the last game of the season and with amex you can save time with card member entrances at select venues and go straight to the action so you can catch every moment. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms Apply. Learn more@american express.com With Amex, you can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com Keep and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption. Required card has no cash access and expires in six months. Hey, it's hey Martinez. The news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you can't just ignore las noticias when important world changing events are happening. That is where the Upverse podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes. We take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out. Listen up first from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts, it's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts and the National Hockey League and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson. I wore nine NHL sweaters and I have story after story to share. And believe it or not, I have plenty to say. And not just about hockey. Believe me, he does. Energy Line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast and it's gonna be. Well, it's gonna be quite the ride. We're officially linemates, Nate. We're the Energy Line. We'll have plenty of folks join us, current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers, and wait to see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex. Okay, we'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what Energy Lines are supposed to do. Provide an emotional boost how do you feel about all that, Nate? I'm vibing Julie. I'm ready to roll. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You ever heard that saying? It's just a vibe. Some people are good energy, some people are good juice. The Nick Wright, top of the hour. The Golden State warriors won again last night with Jimmy Butler. Butler's not even playing well. I mean, honestly, that's what's crazy. Luke is not being that consistently great. He's still playing into shape. Jimmy Butler is shooting 11% on threes and the warriors are 8 and 1 with him. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis, and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search KO and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Kavino and Rich. It is a Tuesday. Welcome in this time yesterday, the great Jimmy Johnson was retiring from Fox after a remarkable football pro in college and broadcasting career. This is the Herd. I just. We talk. We started our show talking about LeBron James is one point shy of scoring 50,000 career points. Nobody's obviously ever done that. There is, it's, it's. I said this two weeks ago. I don't even know what I'm watching. And our staff has this. If you take LeBron's four MVP season and compare with LeBron since he turned 40, he's actually a better basketball player now. More rebounds, more assists, better shooter, three point and field goal. He averages two points less a game. That's insane. And I think today he's defending as well as he did five or six years ago. So, you know, people will say, what is he on? Well, the NBA test for hgh, they just banned a Milwaukee buck player for some banned substance. So, you know, I think your body will treat you how you treat it. And LeBron spends a couple million dollars a year in his body. And LeBron is what happens when you're an all time talent and you go all in. I've said this Carmelo Anthony, go look it up. Started to decline. At 30 years old, he was never in great shape. I mean, Hookah Luca will not play like this. At 40 years old, he's not that committed. And so, I mean, John Daly was a hoot. But at 58 years old, Gary Player is 88 or 89 years old. And Gary players in significantly better shape because Gary Player still works out. I met Gary Player twice. It's incredible. 89 years old, he works out 90 minutes a day. I talked to about his diet. It's incredible. It's the healthiest eater I've ever seen. Your body's going to treat you like you treat your body. And LeBron is just an all in guy. So, I mean, you look at James Harden, he's fallen off a cliff. If you look at Big Ben, he aged quickly. So all these guys, like I always say when people complain about the Dodgers doing the deferred payments, everybody that owns a major league baseball team is a billionaire. Everybody could do that. The Dodgers have decided they're billionaires. Dodgers do not have the richest owners. They don't, they don't drive the most revenue. Yankees still make more revenue than they do on an annual basis. So Yankees make more revenue. They do not. Now, now Mark Walters is one of the richer owners, top six or seven. Not the richest owner, but they are totally committed to winning championships with the Dodgers. The Pittsburgh Pirates owner, he's a billionaire too. He's cheap. And so anybody could do it. All these, I mean, most of these athletes, most, not all, they could spend money. But you know, James Harden, you know, his jersey hangs, I'm not joking, in the rafter of a strip club. I mean, he was legendary for being an all night guy. That's fine with me. I'm not judging it. But that's why James Harden's fallen off a cliff. That's why Carmelo started declining at 30. He was never in great shape. Cam Newton had some injuries, but Big Ben, you know, you look at Alex Ovechkin in hockey right now, top 10 in goals, Tom Brady in his 40s, LeBron James. This is what happens when you totally commit. Lou Williams was talking about this on the FanDuel TV about this. 60% of these guys can put a million dollars in their bodies if they want to. They still ain't gonna get this result. Yeah, it's just.
- [34:45]
Nick Wright
Just a credit to his genetics and.
- [34:47]
Colin Cowherd
How he's been able to maintain himself over the years. So to go through 21 years of nothing major to sit you out is a blessing in itself. Now, LeBron did have last couple of years, he had about a year and a half where he was just dealing with ankle stuff and hip stuff and. But. But the numbers he's putting up. And I will say this, I've said this about Steph Curry, and I'll say it with LeBron. These guys were on a treadmill to nowhere. And then you give one Luca and one Jimmy Butler, and it's as if they're showing off for their new friend. Like, you get a new friend in the neighborhood, hey, come on over here. My bicycle. Let's. Let's do some jumps. Like they're showing off for their friends. And that's brought a joy and an energy to LeBron. And what I'm watching is absolutely once in a generation, remarkable. Steph Curry's averaging seven points more a game with Jimmy Butler. He's taking one more shot. Efficiency, energy, vibe, juice. Analytics can't measure all that stuff. Nick Wright, co host, First Things first is joining us now live from New York. You know what it is? I. I think LeBron has always known, and this was my rant to start the show. Nobody has had his intuition. He moved off D. Wade at the right time. He moved out of Cleveland twice at the right time. He moved off all the Lonzo ball guys at the right time. And I think deep down, I really believe this, Nick, that he knew that he and AD work together. But Jokic or Luca, the great outlet Passers, would give LeBron in his twilight years easier baskets, and they wouldn't be as dependent on him initiating it. And Denver wasn't moving off Luka, or Denver wasn't moving off Jokic. He tried to get Steph a couple of years ago, and Steph said, no, Thanks. I think LeBron, the minute Cuban sold his primary share of the Mavericks, LeBron saw an opening. And through A lot. I know you think it's crazy. LeBron has always been a step ahead of teams, owners, executives and teammates. And he's been right seven straight times.
- [36:56]
Nick Wright
Was one of those steps. Drugging Nico Harrison? I mean, I. I mean, cuz that's the piece of that that you're not including. So I don't quite get it, by the way. I'm hearing myself in my ear. So I don't know if they can fix it, but I'll power through in the meantime. Y. But it doesn't take a basketball genius, which LeBron is, to be like, yeah, my life probably gets easier on offense. If we had Luka Doncic. Yeah, I do think that he probably wanted Luka. I don't think he thought that Nico Harrison would make that possible. But you were, you were talking about LeBron scoring 50,000 points.
- [37:36]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [37:37]
Nick Wright
Can we stay there for a minute?
- [37:38]
Colin Cowherd
Sure.
- [37:40]
Nick Wright
So I know that compiling is not really considered that impressive.
- [37:48]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [37:49]
Nick Wright
And I understand that. But what LeBron's doing isn't compiling. What LeBron's doing is continued sustained excellence.
- [37:58]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [37:58]
Nick Wright
And that's what I think matters. So there have only been five guys in NBA history to reach 36,000. 36,000. These are 50 career points. And I do think it's noteworthy to discuss what they looked like when they reached those final milestones. So Kareem scored 44,000. It's fixed. Thank you, guys. 44,000 and change. When he got his 44,000 point, Colin, it was the worst year of his career. He was averaging 10 points per game.
- [38:34]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [38:34]
Nick Wright
Karl Malone got to 41,000. When he scored his 41st thousandth point, he was averaging 13 points a game for the Lakers, the worst year of his career. Kobe and Michael both got to 38,000. When Michael did it, he was averaging 20 a game on 19% from 3 and 41% from the field for the Wizards. And when Kobe did it, he was averaging 17 a game on 35% from the field. LeBron James tonight is going to get to 50,000 in a season. He might be top five on MVP balloting and should be first team all NBA. So it's not so much about, you know, he just was healthy and was able to put in 15 a night for 25 years. It's that in year 22, he is still, on any given night, maybe the best player in the league. And over the course of the season, clearly one of the five best players in the league. Brady is the only athlete that we have any comp for it to. And Brady didn't have to play both sides of the ball. It's really a remarkable thing we're seeing right now.
- [39:49]
Colin Cowherd
You know, I was thinking about this. J. Mack was on this, like the first couple days. He said Lakers are a championship team. And I think there's only two teams in the league right now that are complete. Boston and Cleveland. And one won't get to the Finals. I think Boston plays interior defense, wing defense. They have wing scoring. They can score down low. Boston's a totally complete team. If Derek White's your fourth or fifth best team player, you're a great team. I think Cleveland is very, very close again. They can defend, they've got size, they've got wing defenders, they've got a great guard. Those are complete teams. I don't think anybody in the west is complete. Teams are either too young, they don't have the depth. I don't think Denver has the depth. They're bad defensively. I don't trust Houston can't shoot. Golden State could use another shooter. So when I look at the Lakers, I think, you know, I wish they had a rim defender. And my take is until you get to the Finals, everybody's got a hole in the west. And I get LeBron and Luka. So my two stars are better than you two. And I do think right now I would take the Lakers to win the West.
- [40:57]
Nick Wright
Well, they are certainly on the very short list. I knowing myself, I'll probably end up picking them. It's going to be hard for me to pick you, all of us. You have my favorite player of all time and my second favorite player in the league playing together. And they're both playing great basketball. So I'll probably end up picking them. I do think you're short changing OKC a bit. The OKC question is really, to me, I have two OKC questions. One is, will the non SGA players play better this postseason than they did last postseason? That's right, because last postseason Shay played well, but the other guys didn't, you know, kind of play up to their billing. And the other OKC question is, is Shay gonna suffer from something James Harden has suffered for? Joel Embiid has suffered from the past, which is a playoff whistle. Anyone who gets such a huge benefit from getting to the foul line, you worry about them a bit in the playoffs, but OKC is awesome.
- [42:01]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. No, let me, let me say this about okc and I've seen this before. SGA will not get the regular season whistle which Karl Malone and James Harden and SJ Live on he won't. The other thing and you know this. Young players and rotational players in the playoffs are often great at home, but in big spots in road games, they can disappear. I think Oklahoma City is still. Chet Holmgren is still a year away from being able to go to Los Angeles in a crucial game and beat LeBron and Luka.
- [42:37]
Nick Wright
So that, listen, that might be true, but they also might not have to win any road games like they. And so I, I am, I, I'm not trying to build them up to more than they are, but I do think their record and shape playing at the level they deserve respect. I also oddly when I was in Los Angeles over, when was it over? Thanksgiving. I went to Lakers okc. I sat right next to the guy that holds up all the Lakers. Doesn't matter. Nobody cares what that point is. I had good seats. Lakers okc, unlike Colin Coward, they're not given to me. I pay for them out of my own pocket. Man of the people. And OKC just throws waves and waves of defenders at you. So I will give them respect. What the Lakers have going for them that no other team in the league has is this. They have two offensive supercomputers at the wing slash point guard position. And almost every contender has one guy you can throw on someone like that. The Thunder have Lou Dort. The Nuggets have Aaron Gordon. Like you have someone, you have a guy to throw on those to throw on LeBron or throw on Luka. Only Boston has two guys who you can has multiple guys to throw at these to throw at LeBron and Luka. Like when you are playing Denver in a series, if Aaron Gordon is guarding LeBron, then who the hell is guarding Luka? Like that is the real question. So yeah, I thought people totally overrated how bad of a fit it was going to be. It's two of the smartest players ever. I also think those of us hand up who the last few years was like Darvin Ham is doing a poor job. And then a lot of people in the media was like, ah, LeBron knifing Darvin Ham for his podcast buddy. So if JJ Redick, who we all know was only hired because LeBron made him do it. LeBron's podcast buddy. If JJ Redick wins coach of the year, does LeBron get to at least take a picture with the trophy? Like how does the LeBron runs the Lakers stuff work? He made them trade for Russell Westbrook, but he also made them trade for Anthony Davis. What trading for Anthony Davis got you a championship and Luka Doncic for the next decade. So I don't know like it. I just don't know where LeBron's influence starts or ends. I do know the Lakers right now. I agree with you look like a team that can win the championship.
- [45:05]
Colin Cowherd
We've been. I've been saying two things about the face of the league. I only believe. I think there's been three in my life. Magic. I don't count Bird. Bird didn't want it. French lick, feisty. He didn't have the magnetism of Magic Johnson. Magic and Bird may have been together. It's like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Caitlin's the face of the league. Magic was the face of the league. They just happen to be rivals. Then I think it's Michael Jordan, the best looking, the best player, the most relentless. And then I think it's LeBron James. Steph Curry's close, but in his prime. LeBron's in his. Sorry. LeBron wins. So my take is there's only been three. Kareem wasn't. Wilt wasn't. Duncan wasn't. They weren't. And the other thing is, it's not just about going to Duke or playing for a big brand. There is certain. There are two things that matter, an aura. Jason Tatum doesn't have it. And we can't ever question that. You shrink in big spots in the gold medal game. Jayson Tatum had two points game before he was a coach's decision do not play when he played with the best players in the world. Secondly, Jaylen Brown wins MVP of a conference finals and the finals. They traded Marcus Smart because he was taking the ball out of his hands. I love Jayson Tatum. I think the league thought Zion could be.
- [46:22]
Nick Wright
Knows that about you.
- [46:24]
Colin Cowherd
Okay. I thought Zion had a chance, but he just wasn't. Because. And I don't really blame him because they come into the league at 19 years old. He wasn't mature enough. Jaw had a chance. He just wasn't ready for it. That the league mostly doesn't need it hasn't had it and Tatum's not it.
- [46:45]
Nick Wright
All right, so a lot. You threw a lot there one is. Can I sell you on one other face of the league in that time frame?
- [46:53]
Colin Cowherd
All right.
- [46:53]
Nick Wright
And that's the Shaq Kobe duo.
- [46:55]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, I think that.
- [46:58]
Nick Wright
But after Michael, before LeBron, I thought the Shaq Kobe collective with the Lakers fair was the face of the league, if that exists. But it's a very, very short list. And we actually, I actually talked Tatum because, you know, who's a Huge Jayson Tatum fan is my son Damanze.
- [47:17]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [47:17]
Nick Wright
Who co hosts the podcast. I do. And we were talking about that actually this morning and about why Jayson Tatum online in particular seems to get so much criticism from America's honesty broker. Gets so much criticism. And I think, I think there is a feeling, and it might be unfair. It is just a feeling of a little inauthenticity that people don't wrap their arms around. It's the exact opposite feeling people get when they watch or listen to Anthony Edwards. So for good or for bad, people watch Anthony Edwards and say, you know who he's being, Anthony Edwards. You know what he's saying, whatever's on his mind, you know what he's doing, whatever he wants.
- [48:04]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [48:04]
Nick Wright
Now there are some maybe issues with that. But you, it's why people are drawn to him. Tatum, I think for a lot of people feels a little too pre produced. And then there is also the factor of. And this is. And people, Celtics fans might not want to hear it. And he is the best player on the defending champion and a team that might win again. But Will is j. To be the face of the league, you have to be in eligible to be the best player in the league.
- [48:41]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [48:41]
Nick Wright
And Jayson Tatum is not.
- [48:43]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [48:43]
Nick Wright
And people can say I'm putting a ceiling on him. Jason Tatum will never be the best player in the NBA. There is no shame to that. Kevin Durant, who has reached heights, Tatum has not, I think Will not never was the single best player in the NBA.
- [48:57]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [48:58]
Nick Wright
It's only like 16 guys across history who have ever been the hands down best player at any given moment in the NBA. So I don't, I, I, Tatum's right. I check off all the boxes except for the one that matters, which is what we feel like, what we know. And so, so again, the Celtics probably should win another championship and if they, if he's a multiple time champion, probably get a Finals MVP at some point, he's going to be first. All of the accolades, all of it. But that doesn't mean that you're going to be on a list alongside of LeBron, Kobe, Shaq Michael, Magic. Again, it's a very, very short list. So I agree with you on that.
- [49:40]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, so finally, Shadour Sanders. So you know, I said most of the time in my life the corporation or the organization has the leverage over the employee. But when you're the Giants or Cleveland or Tennessee. In Shadour Sanders interviews, he grew up rich. He's even richer now with Nil you're awful. He's talented, and he would probably rather drop to a good team. I don't want to hear in the combine that he came off as, you know, a little standoffish. Well, maybe because he'd rather you pass on him and go to a better team. And my take is the world changes, the culture changes. I mean, Mike Krzyzewski is like, I'm not doing one and done. And then he realized he was getting beat by guys that went to Carolina that were one and dones. And Mike Shevski said, okay, I'm doing one and dones. The culture has changed. Players come in now as millionaires. Owners in the NFL are billionaires. They're more impulsive. They fire coaching staffs. I don't want to hear that Shador Sanders didn't bow to you. These kids come in with sometimes more leverage than the team.
- [50:56]
Nick Wright
So I. So I have maybe the most odd Shador Sanders opinion of anyone, which is I have zero off the field concerns and a ton of on the field concerns. So, like, all of the Shador Sanders conversation seems to be about Shador Sanders. Like, the negative conversation is about Shador Sanders the guy. And I, from everything I have seen, from everything I've heard from people who actually know him, from watching him in the spot spotlight, I. I'm like, I think this kid has handled obscene fame, a ton of wealth, and a huge spotlight about almost perfectly. Not perfectly. There are last year, when kids were transferring out, a few tweets. I think he would want back. Yeah. But given, you know, given where he's at, the scrutiny, his dad, his brothers, all of it. I think Shador Sanders, the leader, the intangibles, all that stuff is super high marks. I just worry about Shador Sanders the quarterback, and whether or not he act like what I saw from him at Colorado, which coach Mangini mentioned this, I thought it was a good point. It felt like a lot of the potential red flags you saw occasionally from Caleb in college, you saw a lot of those same ones with Shador without nearly as many of the oh, my God, what did I just see? Type of wow throws. And so I would not be worried about drafting Shador at all, because I think he's arrogant or character or any of this nonsense, which really just means confident in this case, rich, young black kid. Like, that part, I think is ridiculous. I do have legitimate concerns about whether or not if the quarterbacks in last year's class were in this year's class.
- [52:57]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [52:58]
Nick Wright
Would Shador be the sixth quarterback off the board.
- [53:02]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [53:02]
Nick Wright
Would the, Would Caleb Jaden, Drake, Cam Ward this year and JJ McCarthy all go ahead of him? Maybe that's. That to me, is far more legitimate than any of this arrogant stuff.
- [53:15]
Colin Cowherd
Nick Wright. All right, that was good stuff, my friend.
- [53:19]
Nick Wright
How are you celebrating tonight, Colin? The 50,000 points? I mean, you'll never see it again. No one will see it again. You know, it's rarer than Haley's Comet, literally.
- [53:29]
Colin Cowherd
You know what? Let that percolate, let that bake. I'll try to. I'll try to do something special. Maybe I'll have a Go to one.
- [53:36]
Nick Wright
Listen, I know you like going out these days. Go to one of your fancy members only LA restaurants, order yourself, you know what I mean? One of your, you know, double cocktails and just be like, man, billion years of, of world history. I was alive covering sports at the same time as LeBron James. What are the odds? I mean, it's unbelievable.
- [53:59]
Colin Cowherd
Just enjoy me into it, my friend. Good seeing you.
- [54:01]
Nick Wright
There you go.
- [54:02]
Colin Cowherd
This is Nikki Glazer from the Nikki Glazer Podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country and it's gotta stop. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out and you can learn more by following ot'supwithhate. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate first. Like, you know, to check for the nearest bathroom first before the game starts. Now you're heading in the wrong direction and it sounds like your team's taking the lead. Checking first is smart, so check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate Savings. Vary subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Hey, it's a Martinez. The news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you can't just ignore las noticias when important world changing events are happening. That is where the Up first podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out. Listen up first from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? Julie Swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name Energy Line with Nate and JS Be. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.