What's Wright - Best Of - Lakers BIG MISTAKE with LeBron James, Jalen Hurts DISRESPECTED + Nick's Top 10 NFL QBs

Summary

Podcast Summary: "What's Wright - Best Of - Lakers BIG MISTAKE with LeBron James, Jalen Hurts DISRESPECTED + Nick's Top 10 NFL QBs"

Release Date: July 19, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host: Nick Wright
Description: A comprehensive exploration of top sports stories, featuring in-depth analysis and insightful commentary.

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1. Lakers' Strategic Maneuvers and LeBron James' Role

Discussion Overview:
Nick Wright delves into a contentious article by Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, which ignited significant debate regarding the Los Angeles Lakers' strategic decisions surrounding LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Key Points:

• Article Breakdown: The article titled "LeBron James, Luka Doncic inside the most delicate superstar transition in NBA history" sparked conversations about the Lakers' priorities. Wright emphasizes that the Lakers' primary focus this summer is securing Luka Doncic’s long-term commitment, which is crucial for their future success.
  "The Lakers' first order of business this summer was to cement and secure their relationship with Luka because they desperately need him to sign a contract extension this summer." ([02:13])

• LeBron's Absence in Meetings: The absence of LeBron James in meetings with Luka is highlighted as a strategic move rather than a sign of discord. Wright argues that this doesn't undermine LeBron's importance but underscores the necessity of locking in Luka for the team's sustained competitiveness.
  "I wouldn't have viewed that as scandalous. Oh, the Lakers had a meeting with Luka without LeBron there... it's incredibly logical." ([04:30])

• Lakers' Future vs. Present Success: Wright discusses the balancing act between winning immediately with LeBron and ensuring long-term success with Luka. He contends that both objectives are not mutually exclusive and that LeBron likely understands the importance of this dual focus.
  "There is nothing better for Luka's long-term future with the Lakers than him stacking awesome seasons with the Lakers starting immediately." ([06:15])

• Organizational Frustrations: The conversation touches on internal frustrations within the Lakers' management, suggesting a potential disconnect between LeBron and the front office regarding the team's direction. Wright remains skeptical about the Lakers' ability to effectively replace LeBron's contributions in the near future.
  "I do understand LeBron's side of the frustration. I don't understand the Lakers' side of the frustration." ([15:42])

Notable Quotes:

• "Nick can be a lot to deal with, every all-time great athlete ever is a lot to deal with in one way, shape, or form." ([16:05])

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2. NFL Quarterbacks: Top 10 List and the Overlooked Jalen Hurts

Discussion Overview:
Nick Wright critiques the recent top 10 NFL quarterbacks ranking, focusing on the perceived undervaluation of Jalen Hurts.

Key Points:

• Top 10 Rankings Discrepancies: The inclusion of Jalen Hurts at number nine stirred debate, especially after Nick’s own changing perspectives on Hurts' performance. Wright shares his personal journey from initially doubting Hurts to recognizing his significant playoff impact.
  "I absolutely would have Jalen Hurts firmly outside of my quarterback top 10... But after watching his performances in the playoffs, I totally reevaluated." ([28:00])

• Personal Anecdotes: Nick recounts an encounter with Jalen Hurts’ mother, emphasizing the emotional investment and the challenges of publicly critiquing a player's performance.
  "A woman walks up and she's like, why do you talk so bad about Jalen Hurts?... Are you Jalen's mother?" ([34:00])

• Reevaluation of Hurts' Value: Final assessment places Jalen Hurts at number seven, acknowledging his clutch performances in high-stakes games, while also critiquing aspects of his regular-season gameplay.
  "You can't point to a single game on those two deep playoff runs where you're like, Hertz wasn't good enough for them to win." ([37:52])

Notable Quotes:

• "Jalen's consistent ability to play his best in the biggest spots, which is the most valuable trait a quarterback can have, made me reevaluate." ([35:00])

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3. San Diego Football Club's MLS Launch

Discussion Overview:
Nick Wright provides insights into the emergence of San Diego FC in Major League Soccer, highlighting its potential impact on the region's sports landscape.

Key Points:

• Community Impact: The introduction of San Diego FC is portrayed as a transformative event, fulfilling the region’s longstanding demand for a men’s professional soccer team.
  "San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team." ([29:08])

• Team Building Strategy: Emphasis on balancing veteran presence with young talent to ensure long-term success and community engagement.
  "We need veteran players and we need young players. The succession plan of long-term success needs to be defined." ([29:20])

Notable Quotes:

• "When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier... that was definitely a watershed moment for me." ([29:31])

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4. Longevity and Legends in the NBA: Myths vs. Reality

Discussion Overview:
Nick Wright explores the narratives surrounding NBA legends like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, challenging commonly held myths and highlighting the importance of career longevity.

Key Points:

• LeBron vs. Jordan Myths: Wright debunks several myths that either undermine LeBron’s achievements or elevate Michael Jordan unfairly.
  "Most of the myths serve to either tear down LeBron or build up Michael." ([50:27])

• Kevin Durant’s Career Decisions: Analysis of Kevin Durant’s brief retirement and return to the NBA, comparing it to hypothetical scenarios in other professions to illustrate potential career impacts.
  "If Patrick Mahomes quit this offseason to go play baseball and two years later came back and was awesome again, we certainly wouldn't say that time off helped his quest to catch Brady." ([58:00])

• Impact of Taking Breaks: Wright argues that maintaining consistent excellence without significant breaks is a testament to a player's greatness, contrasting it with Durant’s intermittent career breaks.
  "The vast majority of them serve one of one or two purposes, either tearing down LeBron or building up Michael." ([55:00])

Notable Quotes:

• "The number of people that think what Durant said was a hot take rather than an objective fact is how we would evaluate literally anyone in any field ever." ([60:11])

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Conclusion and Reflections

Throughout the episode, Nick Wright offers a blend of critical analysis, personal anecdotes, and passionate arguments to dissect significant sports topics. From the strategic intricacies of the Lakers' management decisions to the nuanced evaluations of NFL quarterbacks and the unraveling of longstanding NBA myths, Wright provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current sports landscape.

Final Thoughts: Wright emphasizes the importance of adaptability in opinions based on new information and the need for fair evaluations of athletes’ performances both in regular seasons and high-pressure playoff scenarios. His reflections on team management, player longevity, and the dynamics of evolving sports franchises offer valuable insights for enthusiasts aiming to grasp the complexities of modern sports.

Notable Closing Quote: "If I were running the Lakers, there are a lot of things I would not have done that Rob Pelinka and the Buss and Walter family have done, but that's what they've done." ([48:24])

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This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd serves as an essential listen for fans interested in deep dives into sports strategies, player evaluations, and the myths that shape the narratives of legendary athletes.

Transcript

[Nick Wright]

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[Nick Wright]

Welcome to the Best of the Week for what's Right with Nick Wright, the best takes and moments from this week on the show. Enjoy. The summer of LeBron continues a bit and there was a very seemingly interesting article written by Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst that kind of set off a lot of conversation over the weekend and it dropped I think Friday, Friday morning yeah, we weren't on TV and then there was a Dave McMiniman report and then there was an article edit that I find the whole thing fascinating. So I'm not going to go through every single stanza of this article, but I am going to go through it considerably because I actually in credit to Chris Broussard who on our first things first morning meeting just a moment ago when we were talking about doing this topic, he was like how much of the audience do you think has actually read the article? I was like, ah, that's a good point bro. So the beginning of this article is incredibly detailed about a May 3 meeting at Craig's Restaurant in Melrose on Melrose in West Hollywood. A place I have been to I think once in my life with my buddy Colin Cowherd and where they where Ramona and Wendy and this feels like Ramona's side of it. They're just because of the LA based reporting. But I don't know detail a meeting between Luca Pelinka Redick and Luca's manager Laura, Laura Beth Seger, where we find out what doors they went in, what wine they drank, all of this and it's incredibly detailed and it talks about that meeting. But that is not what people are. People's takeaway or the thrust of the article is because the article's headline even LeBron James, Luka Doncic inside the most delicate superstar transition in NBA history. So the reason for that scene setting it would appear, is that Luca was at this meeting and LeBron was not. Which I don't find odd at all personally because the Lakers first order of business this summer, and they treated it as such, was to cement and secure their relationship with Luca because they desperately need him to sign a contract extension this summer. Now whether that's a four year deal or a three year deal, he can do 4 for 230, 223 or 3 for 160. The reason for doing the 3 for 1 60s the article lays out is it might set up better more money long term in future deals. But regardless, they need to make sure Luke is locked in and they need to do everything possible to get Luka locked in. And if I were running the Lakers I certainly wouldn't be like well anytime we're meeting with Luca, LeBron has to be there because these are the Lakers attempt to compete this season is in one bucket. The Lakers playing over the next three, five, 10 years is in another bucket. And both of those buckets necessitate a locked in, dialed in, committed Luka Doncic. So that is priority number one. And I think LeBron understands that the single most important thing for the Lakers this summer is to get Luka resigned. So I wouldn't have viewed that as scandalous. Oh, the Lakers had a meeting with Luca without LeBron there, but it was treated like it was in this article, like it was a fork in the road where the Lakers are going down the Luca path rather than the LeBron path. And again, that is, it is incredibly logical. And I anybody that thinks LeBron is put off or yeah, is bothered by the fact that the Lakers priority number one is making sure Luka is a Laker long term, doesn't know LeBron James and doesn't understand the way he views Luca. And what he understands about the NBA now is absolutely fair to say. And then I'll get back to the article that LeBron feels like all right while trying to get Luca locked up long term we should try to win right now because we were the three seed last year because I'm still playing at a undeniable top 10 level. Luca is going to go into next year as one of the three biggest favorites to win league mvp. That's a team that if you make the right moves, can compete for a championship. But those two things, not only are they not mutually exclusive, they are not in conflict at all. There is nothing better for Luca's long term future with the Lakers than him stacking awesome seasons with the Lakers starting immediately. So then the article goes on to discuss, you know, it talks about the LeBron released the statement and again, I think the statement is worth, even though it's now a few weeks old, worth reminding people exactly what it said. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future is from Rich Paul. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every decision he has left count and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him. I looked at that statement as very clearly saying, listen, it would seem what's best for all parties is continuing this partnership and trying to win a title right now. But if you guys for some reason or another think that you either can't win a title right now or making moves to try to win a title right now while you still have LeBron James at an all NBA level is actually going to hurt your chances of winning multiple titles down the road with Luca. Well, if that's if that's how you feel and that's the road you're going to take, then we should discuss whether or not you want me to be I want to be a part of this and you want to be a part of this. That to me was very, very straightforward and again not scandalous. And I think the way most people, if they were advising LeBron James would, would see it as well. And then the article gets a little confusing because then just quotes anonymous Western Conference executives on their opinions. One Western Conference executive chalked it up to an elaborate pout because the Lakers hadn't offered James a new contract extension. More on that in a moment. Another Western Conference executive felt it was an attempt to pressure Lakers front office to go all in on building the team this season and away from its strategy to keep the cap sheet as clean as possible for the summers of 26 and 27 after James's salary comes off the books. So I care less about the Western arms executives feelings and more about if that is the Lakers strategy that we are certainly out of the LeBron business after this year and we think we are going to be better positioned to win titles by getting out of the LeBron business and using his $52 million on free agents X, Y and Z. That's an interesting opinion. I'm very curious what free agents they think they are going to get. And this is an important point here because I don't know if you guys have noticed, but free agency isn't what it once was in the NBA. And I'm not talking about second apron stuff. I'm talking about the fact that guys over the last decade have transitioned from letting contracts expire and hitting free agency to signing extensions as early as possible. And then if they want to leave simply demanding a trade and the Lakers plan of well, we're just going to sign. I'm. I'm curious again who it is they think they're going to sign now. They're the Lakers. LeBron chose to save them after six years in the desert. LeBron then greatly helped them get Anthony Davis and then Nico Harrison gifted them Luka Doncic that they were only able to get because they had Anthony Davis. But they don't have this cupboard of when they traded for ad, they had multiple former number two overall picks and the number four pick of that draft they were able to include in that trade. That's not there and I just don't see this. Oh my goodness. Giannis is a free agent in a year and if you have your cap sheet open he'll pick la. So it's, it's curious to me but a lot of the moves the Lakers have made her curious to me. And then there's, there's this. The Lakers had made their statement in not offering James a contract beyond this season. It was abundantly clear that the 21 time All Stars time as face of the Lakers had for the first time a planned end date if even, even if James's record setting NBA career did not. And this is where the reporting gets interesting to me because this to me feels Ramona's incredibly plugged in with the Lakers and for reasons I don't totally understand and we've talked about me not understanding it, Wendy and LeBron have had something of a falling out it would appear. And so I think it's safe to say the info on this is Lakers info. And then Dave McMinimon who is pretty plugged in with LeBron and said he's, you know, was not, was not quoting anonymous people close to him was quoting Rich Paul directly. Dave McMenamin then reports during Summer League two days later. Oh by the way, look, we didn't ask for nor want a contract extension. And then there is the other reporting which is to me interesting because the article initially said that when the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise, Mark Walter On June 18, Doncic was given a heads up and notably posted congratulations on social media. LeBron James was given no heads up. The article was then edited and it writes now after the publication of this article, sources said James was notified of the sale via his representation, but he did not post any public acknowledgment. And then it has the part. Then of course the coup de gras. The Lakers by not offering James extension indicated they were comfortable having him on the rosters expiring contract. A rare position for a superstar player of his caliber. So I don't There is, there are pretty clearly at this point it is a less than happy marriage and it's for reasons and this is the part that I've spent a good deal of time thinking about but I just can't totally understand why. And you might say Ah, LeBron is LeBron's doing this. But here is to me a like a fair and LeBron is obviously doing a lot of this but is there reason for it as and is are there reasons for the Lakers doing what they're doing? So let's just go through the blow by blow of it. Is there a reason to believe that LeBron is not okay. Taking on a secondary role within the organization. Not that I've seen. What I saw was for four years LeBron all but begging Anthony Davis to take the car keys. Nad God love him, future hall of Famer, great player, couldn't quite do it and wasn't willing to do it. They then trade for Luca. LeBron correctly does not ask Luca to change his game at all. LeBron changes his game massively and all of a sudden turns into maybe the Lakers best defensive player is far and away their best defensive player and arguably their best overall player in the postseason and greatly changes the way he's playing while doing nothing but support Luca, who famously LeBron's on the record that the only guy he ever tried or wanted to get to be a LeBron athlete wearing like the, the way Jordan has Jordan athletes at Nike. A LeBron spin off sneaker was Luca, a guy who. Luca who modeled his game after LeBron and was his childhood idol. So the idea that well, these guys just won't fit that has not been the case at all. And then there is the well, we just don't think we can compete with these guys. I think that is a loser mentality. And I think it is beyond optimistic that again, if you simply remove the name and the age when talking about LeBron and say, hey, what is the likelihood over the next four years if the Lakers were to move LeBron, move on from LeBron? And they don't. They this article talks about they don't want to trade him. They want him to just leave in the off season either into retirement or free agency for nothing. Who is the guy? How are they replacing second team, all NBA production? Where is that coming from? And why would they not say right now, this moment we have something, an asset we're not going to have, we're not guaranteed to have it all three years from now, which is two top 10 players. So maximize this window. I think that's foolish. But I also, if I were running the Lakers wouldn't go three straight off seasons without making a single trade. If I were running the Lakers, there are a lot of things I would not have done that Rob Belinka and the Bus and Rambus family have done, but that's what they've done. And so I do, and I know this for a lot of you guys, not going to be surprising coming from me. But I, I do understand LeBron side of the frustration. I don't understand the Lakers side of the frustration. And if it's that, and if it's that, well, you know, LeBron's a lot to. A lot to deal with. Yeah, man, every all time great athlete ever is a lot to deal with in one way, shape or form. And people keep saying nothing tougher than dealing with an all time great who's not great anymore. And that's, that's the part of this that I find so puzzling. It's almost as if the Lakers are frustrated that LeBron hasn't fallen off LeBron. The Lakers post Westbrook debacle, which obviously LeBron had influence on, have treated every year as if, well, LeBron's not going to be that good. And therefore it wouldn't make sense for us to leverage everything to try to win at this moment. And then each year LeBron shows up on the All NBA team. Each year LeBron comes to work and gives you 25, 7 and 7. It's like, okay, what do you need? And now like, I understand why LeBron might say, you know, I don't want to sign an extension because maybe I do want to hit free agency and then in my final year go back home to Cleveland or may find a way to play with Steph and under the new CBA, me making $50 million doesn't make a lot of sense. And next year there could be teams with some cap space more than the minimum that I wouldn't mind going to play for. I understand why LeBron might say, I don't want the extension. I don't understand why the Lakers wouldn't say, hey, you want to tack one more year on this? So a lot of this is just to me, more, more evidence that when the Walter family does come and take over and they do a true audit of the decisions and decision makers, that the people in charge of the Lakers should be anxious. And I understand that all the reporting is Genie bus going to run the team for the next five years. Let's check back in four or in three and see who's running the Los Angeles Lakers. And let's also check back in four or three and see if this cap space of 2027 played out the way they hoped it would. But I cannot imagine this article landed softly on LeBron's desk where it is a lot of innuendo and a lot of Lakers pretty naked Lakers Lakers personnel whispering in the ears of Ramona and Wendy about essentially how eager they are to get out of the LeBron James business. Me personally, if I'm trying to win NBA championships, I'd love having two top 10 guys on my team. I. It doesn't seem like the Lakers necessarily feel that same way. 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[Justin]

So the yearly top tens have come out. First off, we've got the quarterbacks, so executive coaches and scouts all vote on this. Patrick Mahomes, your guy was at number one. Weirdly enough, Jalen Hertz was number nine. Nick Sirianni was asked about this and at Philly carried Jalen Hurts to the Super Bowl. Sirianni called bs. So what is this? Is this disrespectful? Obviously. Hertz has two Super bowl appearances in the last three years, 37 and 10 in the last three seasons. What's. What's going on with that Justin?

[Nick Wright]

Her? Yeah. So I do think it's disrespectful and I think that people have to be willing to move their opinion based on things that happen after you have formed your opinion. Like it is totally fine. And this is maybe self serving of me to say because I'm going to describe kind of my opinion evolution on Jalen Hurts. I think it is totally fine to be like, listen, there have. There were times last season that I thought the weak link of the Philadelphia Eagles offense was their quarterback. That. And that can be. That was actually the exact, that exact opinion of mine. It was the subject of the animated, more than a little awkward conversation I had the night before the super bowl with or two nights for the super bowl. One of them with Jalen's mother, when she confronted, probably too strong, approached me and I at first didn't. If you guys didn't hear the story, we were at a Super bowl party. I'm standing there, a woman walks up and she's like, may I ask you a question? I said, yeah. And she was like, why do you talk so bad about Jalen Hurts? And then I'm like, well, I don't know that I talk bad about him. And we. And she's like, no, you do. And then I give my defense of my take. She comes back. And then about six, seven minutes into it, I say, miss, may I ask you a question? She said, yes. I said, are you Jalen's mother? And she said, yes. And I was like, oh boy, we're in a trickier spot than I had thought. And one of the things that I said to her, I was like, listen, I just, I want you to know the things I have said and the things I haven't said, right? For good or for bad. I was like, and something I have said that I'm sure you would think is totally unfair as I did call him the weak link of the Philly offense. I was like now contextually you should know I did say that within the framework of they have a top three offensive line, a top three receiving core and a top one but top three running back. So if he just simply is not a top three quarterback in that framework he would be the weak link because everyone else is. But it so it wasn't that was calling the weak link of a bad team. However, I was saying last year that I thought they were going to get in a spot demand a when they had to throw the football and they weren't going to be able to throw the football like those that was and so that and I would have last year had Jalen hurts pretty firmly outside of my quarterback top 10. I absolutely would have. I don't think it is at all contradictory to then say but then I watched the NFC championship game and the super bowl and his performance in those two games by itself made me totally reevaluate. And his consistent ability to play his best in the biggest spots, which is the most valuable trait a quarterback can have made me reevaluate. Like. And so I think people far too often get tied and married to their prior opinions Cowards the best at not doing this and you know, shamelessly is the wrong word. But almost like he, he will have a adamant, strong, vociferous opinion and a week later be like, change my mind. Like.

[Justin]

And so new information, right?

[Nick Wright]

And that's what he says. He's like, I got new information. And so and I think that so again we've got to be careful about what we've said and whether so if I said and I did not but if someone has said I'm telling you this player will never be a top five quarterback then it is a little tougher. You can still come back and be like I was wrong, you know, but it's. It's a little tougher. I don't think people at this point are fairly evaluating Jalen hurts based on his ability to play his best in the biggest spots. And I think that that should whatever credit that people want to take away from him I think fairly because he is not a guy that over the course of a season if you built the offense around Jalen hurts passing game I don't think you'd have an elite offense. I think and I do think that's fair to ding him for. I don't think that the negative credit he gets for that what I believe is a Fact should outweigh the positive credit for the fact that we've seen him now on two deep playoff runs. And you can't point to a single game on those two deep playoff runs where you're like, ah, Hertz wasn't good enough for them to win. Hertz didn't do enough. Like you just can't. And he had to go two years ago, toe to toe with Patrick in a Super Bowl. He had the one fumble, which is why I thought Patrick outplayed him. But still, he played an A minus level game. The offense scored 35 points, he accounted for four touchdowns. And then last year he had to go toe to toe with Jaden Daniels in a playoff game when Daniels was the hottest quarterback in the league. Phillies offense scores 55 points. And then in the super bowl, he has the fourth and five pass down the sideline. He wait, I think it's the NFC Championship game. He had the fourth and five pass down the sideline. The super bowl was the kill shot start of the second half. He was great. And so. Go ahead, pal.

[Justin]

So where would you have him? Like you. Because you said you had him outside of the top 10 last year. With the information that you have now, where would you have them?

[Nick Wright]

So I have a. I've developed a new opinion on how we have to rank the quarterbacks. I don't think that it is fair anymore to say it's a big four. And then we can debate after that that. Because. So here's to me where I'm at going into. And it can obviously change when a new season comes. Like the, the new season has to matter. I believe the top three has to be in this order. Patrick, Josh, Lamar. I think that is the only. Because what is the knock on Lamar? And at this point there's only one left. He does not play his best in the postseason. And I'm not going to harp on that. I think that is, you know, two years ago, folks were mad at me. I was making too big of a deal of it. Last year folks were annoyed with me. I was making too big of a deal with it. Going into this year, folks begrudgingly, without saying, it's like, okay, yeah, Nick clocked this the whole time that it was. And he showed some different.

[Justin]

I was just about to say Lamar didn't play badly, though. Lamar played pretty well. You might have had a rough first.

[Nick Wright]

Half, but, yeah, rough first half, the cost of the game. But it was still. I mean, you're right, it wasn't. It wasn't as bad as some of the other but again I this is what I'm what I'm about to say here is actually a defensive Lamar My the point I'm making is this demons A I do not think it is fair to penalize Lamar so much for bad playoff performances that he drops beneath a player who has not been in the playoffs the last two years in Joe Burrow. Like for all we know Joe Cool had his emperor has no clothes moment with the playoff loss to Patrick Mahomes and from now on in the playoffs Burrows just going to be a shaking shell of himself. But we haven't seen it because he hasn't been in the playoffs since then. Now to be clear I think the odds of that are almost 0% that burrow all of a sudden is going to freak out in the playoffs. My point is you can't say Lamar playing poorly in the playoffs is worse than a guy not even getting to the playoffs. You just can't. And one of the other reasons that two years ago I had burrow ahead of Lamar firmly was Lamar's injury risk Lamar the last two years aside from his annual bout with the flu Lamar has been incredibly durable and Joe's missed time and been banged up so I think it has to and the I don't think I need to defend Mahomes being number one but the argument against him is he hasn't had the go the last two years gaudy regular season numbers. The problem is anyone you want to put up against him. He then has played in the playoffs and thoroughly outplayed and beaten them. So it's not just his team is one he has played better than Josh in both the playoff games the last two years he has played better than Lamar. He is so it's just not it's Mahomes has to be one I think Josh right now do you demand that you're the Lamar guy? Do you think it's fair to have Josh too? Yeah, yeah I do I think it's.

[Justin]

Fair like I think it's I think it's pretty close but yeah and then Lamar after it's and then Lamar just.

[Nick Wright]

By the playoffs right and last you know Josh won mvp Lamar could have you know but the so I that's where so here's my point and the reason I said all of that I think it is fair if somebody says Joe Burrows 4 by the way I probably agree with him for the record but if somebody says to Monze Jalen hurts is four and what you're losing in the prolific stats Joe Burrow Gives you. You're adding in toughness, availability, the tush push and huge playoff moments. And Joe's biggest accomplishment ever is being one and one against Patrick in AFC championship games and Jalen's one and one against Patrick in Super Bowls. So my. The point I'm trying to make is when you say it's a big four, you're saying you can't argue anyone outside of that top four is better than anyone in it. And I don't think you can make a credible argument even with all the flowers I've given to Jalen hurts right now that Jalen's better than Lamar, Josh or Patrick. I do think you can make an argument over Joe and I love Joe, but he's. He starts here slowly. He does have. Now Jalen has this as well, obviously. Embarrassment of riches on the outside catching the ball. And I do think that there is a. He probably has us. The fact that Josh, Patrick and Lamar are three of the most dynamic and successful rushing threats the position has ever seen has to count. And people might say Nick Patrick's not in that class. Not in the regular season. But if you look at quarterback, career yards per carry, playoff yard, rushing yards, playoff rushing touchdowns. If you remove kneel downs, Patrick's right there. And he's had iconic, you know, so that he's kind of more tactical with it choosing. Yeah, say it again.

[Justin]

He's more tactical with. When he chooses.

[Nick Wright]

Yes. Well. And I just don't. He's not as fast.

[Justin]

No.

[Nick Wright]

And he's not as bruising and big as Josh, so he has to be more. So if you're here is what my rankings would look like if I were doing. I would go 1, Patrick 2, Josh 3, Lamar 4, Joe 5, Stafford 6. Jalen hurts 7 with an asterisk of. It's probably too early, but I give it to him. Jaden Daniels, 8, Baker. And then it gets trickier.

[Justin]

Did you say golf already? Did you say golf? You didn't say golf.

[Nick Wright]

I didn't say golf and I didn't say Herbert. This is a message that applies to 99% of you listening right now because that's how many of you can be covered by fast and reliable service on the Boost mobile network with 99% nationwide coverage. And if you don't think you deserve a deal, listen up. You got another thing coming right now. When you switch to Boost Mobile, you can get iPhone 15 with Dynamic island and a 48 megapixel main camera for 99.99. That's $99.99 cents for iPhone 15 on a nationwide 5G network. This may only apply to to 99% of you, but I'm 100% positive boost mobile just gave all of us a really freaking great deal in store offer $35 device setup fee may apply. Requires credit, qualification, ID verification and activation on $60 plan. Taxes extra 5G speeds not available in.

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Will Ferrell]

Check out behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved.

[San Diego FC Host]

San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team.

[Nick Wright]

We need veteran players and we need young players. Like, you're building a team from scratch and so the succession plan of long term success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community.

[San Diego FC Host]

When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier and we watched Paraguay against Chile pouring rain. Just watching the fans jumping up and down, I think that was definitely a watershed moment for me.

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[San Diego FC Host]

Not only was that going to be my game, but it was going to be my life.

[Will Ferrell]

Listen to San Diego FC behind the Flow now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

This I meant to talk about last week and I screwed up and I forgot, but Kevin Durant was on Mind the Game with Steve Nash and LeBron and he was talking about longevity. And while we can just play it for you courtesy of our friends at mind the game. Yeah.

[Degree Advertiser]

1012 years in, I got four MVPs and four championships like.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But do I still want to do this?

[Nick Wright]

You know what I'm saying?

[Degree Advertiser]

Because you know how hard it is.

Some people say I want to go play baseball.

[Lenovo Advertiser]

Right?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. And then I want to come back. Well, some people say I'm gonna go 22 straight. One of the lines in there is some people say I want to go play baseball and some want to play 22 straight. And I, I don't think this is a controversial or hot take, guys. And yet somehow, and this is, this is one of my. And if you think about this, it really will maybe reframe how you view some of the LeBron Jordan stuff, which is so of the myths that exist in NBA history. The vast majority of them serve one of one or two purposes, either tearing down LeBron or building up Michael. So like in no, in no particular order, I think here's a, here's a myth that just everyone believes, man. The 1980s were just the peak of NBA physicality and tough defense. When in reality, up until the 2000s, the 1980s were the highest scoring decade of. Of post 60s NBA basketball. Now there were more flagrant type fouls, but it was running gun high scoring era another one. You know, on the flip side of that is like one of the most just up is down, black is white myths is LeBron great player, not that clutch when he has more playoff game winners, regular season game winners, all of that at a higher efficiency than any other superstar ever. Just on its face, incorrect facts. And the Michael Jordan quit the sport because of the tragic murder of his father. And therefore it's almost a third rail to discuss him walking away is just a myth. And the reason I know that and the reason you guys know that is because Michael and Ahmad Rashad told us in the Last Dance, if there was ever any question that I don't know which episode of the Last Dance, but where Ahmad said, you know, Michael was telling me essentially for months that he was going to walk away. And now if you believe, as I think is a totally legitimate belief, that Michael looked at it as I beat the game, I did something no one's done since Russell Celtics, I have nothing left to do here. I'm not enjoying this scrutiny and this and all of it. And then if he was, you know, on the edge, the tragic murder of his father was like, all right, I need a fresh start on everything. And then it is even like so wildly impressive that he came back and after half a season where they couldn't get it done, he then rips off another 3p. And that is part of his absolute legend. That's totally fair. I shouldn't even just say it's fair. That's my opinion, that I think that is a remarkable feat. But the number of people that think what Durant said was a hot take rather than an objective fact, that is how we would evaluate literally anyone in any field ever, which is you certainly don't get extra credit for quitting the thing that we are grading you on. And Kevin Durant's point, not only was it not a hot take, it is damn near tautology, which is if we are discussing the greatest career or greatest player in the history of the NBA and we say, well, one guy, after a little more than 10 seasons, after a dozen seasons, said, okay, this is not even a dozen seasons, my apologies, I'm going to step away now after 10 seasons, pardon me, and then quit the game and then came back two or year and a half later. That that year and a half certainly doesn't help his basketball career because there was no basketball career. And that if at least in the consistent year after year after year excellence, the guy who never stepped away and played at a top one level as long as any player in their street of the league has a top three level longer than any player in the history of the league has, and a top five level twice as long as any player in the history of the league has that, that's at least a check mark in that guy's column. Now, is that the whole column? No. Is that the only thing that matters? Of course not. But is that obviously true? Yes. And people saw it and were like, oh my God, LeBron's brainwashed another one. As opposed to what are you guys talking about? If the. If Patrick Mahomes quit this off season to go play baseball and two years later came back and was awesome again, we certainly wouldn't say that time off helped his quest to catch Brady. And that's all Katie was saying. But because there's been so much mythology associated with this person and this career, things that are just obvious in literally any other Mad Lib style remove the proper nouns and say, in Nick Wright's quest to be an all time broadcaster, did the two years he took off to go try to be a professional poker player before returning to his broadcast career? Those two years, did that help or hurt his quest to be an all time broadcaster? We'd be like, well, they, they certainly didn't help, probably hurt. And so it's just, it was very informative to me the way people got angry at that take when it's the most obvious take anyone's ever had that being excellent at something for a span of time with no break and no years, you weren't excellent. That is a different type of accomplishment than being excellent taking a year and a half off from it, being excellent, taking three years off from it than being okay, like that's just obvious. So another take of KD's. I agree with. How about that? Unbelievable.

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[Ryan Seacrest]

Stolen and it's up to Donkey Kong and his buddy Pauline to get them back.

[Nick Wright]

This unlikely duo is going on a.

[Ryan Seacrest]

World smashing adventure using DK's destructive abilities.

[Nick Wright]

To explore an underground world and the power of Pauline singing to activate wild transformations. Donkey Kong Bonanza available now.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Rated everyone 10 and up only on.

[Nick Wright]

Nintendo Switch 2 game and systems sold separately.

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[Nick Wright]

This is an iHeart podcast.