What's Wright - LeBron rumors HEAT-ing up, Hurts TUMBLES down Top 100, NFL training camps commence | Nick Wright

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: What's Wright - LeBron rumors HEAT-ing up, Hurts TUMBLES down Top 100, NFL training camps commence | Nick Wright
Date: July 24, 2026
Host: Nick Wright
Presented by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Episode Overview

This episode revolves around major NBA offseason speculation, most notably LeBron James’ impending free agency decision and the swirling rumors about a possible Miami Heat return. Nick Wright breaks down the realistic landing spots for LeBron, analyzes which franchise offers the best fit, and addresses league-wide anticipation. Additional segments include critiques of the NBA’s next generation, especially Victor Wembanyama, breakdowns of the NFL Top 100 player rankings (with particular focus on Jalen Hurts), and quick takes on Kansas City’s new stadium plan and other sports headlines.

---

Main Segments & Discussion Points

1. Programming Updates and Brief Announcements

• Nick outlines changes to the show schedule due to his travel and upcoming bonus content releases.
  • Mini NFL team episodes and a mailbag will be recorded and dropped next week.
  • [02:23]

---

2. Kansas City Chiefs New Stadium Renderings

• The Chiefs revealed plans for a new stadium in Kansas with a dome.
• Nick expresses disappointment:
  • “I hate that it’s going to have a roof. I love outdoor football. I believe football is to be played in the elements... a huge part of what makes the NFL unique.” [03:48]
  • Acknowledges it helps Mahomes’ longevity but diminishes the local, gritty KC football culture.

---

3. LeBron James Free Agency—The Miami Heat Rumor

Breaking Down the Latest Speculation

• Rumors ignited after the Miami Heat’s social team accidentally scheduled a “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference.”
  • Nick dismisses the idea this means anything:
    • “The idea that LeBron’s decision not only has been made but has been shared with enough people that it got down to the person running the Heat’s YouTube channel... is utterly preposterous.” [05:15]

The Four Finalists (As of 2026)

• Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors
  • Denver and Minnesota are dismissed as serious contenders.

The Core of LeBron’s Decision

• Nick believes LeBron is legitimately undecided and is prioritizing happiness, family, and longevity over maximizing media attention.
  • “I believe this is taking this long because LeBron is yet to actually decide.” [10:55]

Championship Outlook & Fit Analysis

• LeBron’s history of second-year titles:

  • Nick emphasizes wherever LeBron goes, he sets up for a title push by Year 2.

• Best Fit: Miami Heat

  • “The best fit—and I really disagree with Simmons on this—is Miami.” [16:55]
  • Miami can win now, with Giannis absorbing superstar matchup burdens and Spolstra as coach.
  • Miami instantly becomes a top-6 offense and defense adding Giannis and LeBron, even if the team would be below-average in shooting.
  • “A lot easier to find someone who can shoot than it is switchable long bigs like Giannis and Bam.” [18:23]
  • Spoelstra “might be the best coach of them all.” [19:30]

• Philly (2nd):

  • Great for Nick personally, but possible personality clashes—Jalen Brown, Embiid, and Maxey all needing the ball.
  • Uncertainty with Embiid’s availability limits continuity. [20:50]

• Cleveland (3rd):

  • Defensive and fit concerns.
  • Would require LeBron as a clear third option, repeating a scenario he disliked.
  • Winning the East would be possible, but not a likely Finals favorite. [23:15]

• Golden State (last):

  • “From a basketball perspective, I like it the least.” [28:37]
  • Roster is aging and injury-prone; winning four straight series is improbable.
  • Only argument: non-basketball benefits (family, Bay Area proximity).

• Notable What-If:

  • Dallas Mavericks could have been in the running had they not “accepted 20 cents on the dollar for Anthony Davis.” [36:18]

---

Notable Quotes:

• “[LeBron] has never said that next year is his last year... wherever he goes next, I believe that if not by 2027, by 2028 they can be champions.” [13:35]
• “Spoelstra might be the best coach of them all.” [19:30]

League, Media, and Scheduling Pressure

• Adam Silver quoted as saying league schedule is on pause, waiting for LeBron’s decision.

  • Nick defends LeBron’s right to take his time:
    • “LeBron has been carrying a disproportionate amount of weight for this league for a quarter century.” [43:35]

• Nick refutes the idea that LeBron is waiting for a ‘pot sweetener’ from teams before deciding. The circle is tight and no insiders have leaks.

---

4. Victor Wembanyama: The Face of the NBA’s Future

• Wimby is on the cover of NBA 2K, solidifying him as the league’s next superstar.
  • “There is no more debate about the next face of the league. It’s obviously going to be him.” [50:24]
• Nick questions Wemby’s offensive approach—elite defender but must improve shot selection and/or shooting to be a dominant two-way force.
  • “He either has to change how he approaches offense and lean into his size... or he just flatly has to become a better shooter.” [54:15]

---

5. NFL Top 100: Jalen Hurts’ Tumble

• Jalen Hurts drops to 56th on 2026 NFL Top 100, 11th among QBs (as voted by peers).
  • “I think most people, if they’re actually doing pencil to paper, have him somewhere between 9 and 12.” [58:05]
  • Critiques overrepresentation of quarterbacks on the list—18/100 is “too many.”

---

Notable and Memorable Quotes

• On the Heat’s social media flub:

  • “Utterly preposterous...” [05:15]

• On LeBron’s next destination:

  • “This is taking this long because LeBron is yet to actually decide.” [10:55]
  • “Wherever he goes next, I believe that if not by 2027, by 2028 they can be champions.” [13:35]
  • “Miami is the only spot where... he would not be being asked ‘hey man, you gotta match what that in-his-prime apex predator superstar is presenting.’ That would be Giannis’s job.” [16:55]

• On the NBA’s next generation:

  • “There is no more of a debate about the next face of the league. It’s obviously going to be [Wembanyama]...” [50:24]
  • “For Wemby to become a consistently great, not good, great offensive player... he either needs to play more inside ... or ... become a better shooter.” [54:15]

---

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:23 | Programming notes, Chiefs stadium renderings | | 05:15 | LeBron rumors, Heat announcement explained | | 13:35 | LeBron’s legacy & title runs on new teams | | 16:55 | Miami as best fit for LeBron | | 19:30 | Spoelstra coaching advantage | | 20:50 | Philly/Cleveland/Warriors fit analysis | | 28:37 | Warriors' “plan B”/Steph Curry’s legacy | | 36:18 | Dallas “what if” scenario for LeBron | | 43:35 | Adam Silver and league waiting for LeBron | | 50:24 | Wembanyama as face of the league, NBA 2K cover | | 54:15 | Analysis of Wemby’s offensive game | | 58:05 | NFL Top 100, Jalen Hurts’ drop in ranking |

---

Additional Notes

• Emphasis throughout the episode on how generational superstars (LeBron, Steph) alter the fate and philosophy of NBA franchises.
• Nick consistently advocates for maximizing championship windows for all-time greats instead of planning only for the “post-star” future.
• Nick’s tone is conversational yet emphatic—he’s opinionated, humorous (“I’d be beside myself”), and pokes occasional fun at other analysts or fan narratives.

---

Conclusion

This episode cuts through the noise of NBA rumor season, especially on the LeBron sweepstakes, providing thoughtful context, legacy analysis, and team-by-team rationale. Nick Wright asserts the Miami Heat are the best destination for both basketball and narrative reasons, addresses potential pitfalls in Philly, Cleveland, and Golden State, and closes with sharp takes on Wimby’s potential and the NFL’s quarterback-saturated Top 100.

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary captures all insightful debates and memorable quotes, tracking the pulse of NBA and NFL offseason chatter with a critical yet entertaining lens.

Transcript

[A]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Hey, everybody. I'm Tareka Foster Brasby. What's up, y'? All? I'm your girl, Sheryl Swoops. When you tune in to a new episode of our podcast, Levels to this, you're definitely gonna get some spicy WNBA analysis. But we're more than just hoops, and the real conversation is what we actually bring. So it's been really, really cool seeing kind of these women just really step into their power off the court and understand that they are basketball, right, and they're not asking for permission. Listen to levels to this with Sheryl Swoopes and Tarika Foster brasby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

I'm Mangesha Tekodar, and I'm back with a new season of my podcast, Skyline Drive. This time, I talk to scientists, biopunks, curmudgeons, blue zoners, super seniors, and Goa's top cryotherapy lab to try to understand this obsession with living forever and what it means for all of us. And I get into a bit of trouble along the way.

[C]

I'd say probably start bone smashing.

[B]

That doesn't work.

[C]

To make it look more defined. They say it works.

[D]

I don't know.

[B]

Listen to Skyline Drive, how to live forever on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[E]

150 years ago, they were hunting us down to kill us, and now they're hunting down immigrants to deport them.

[D]

This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[E]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the thing. I talked to composer Marc Shaiman.

[B]

It's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with

[E]

the people that you're with. You know, Rob and I was always a great hang. And director Morgan Neville.

[B]

Film school teaches you all the wrong things about making documentary. What do you want to say? Documentary is all about your ear. What do you hear? I feel like my job is listening really, really hard.

[E]

Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

Welcome in what Driving nick Ride, episode 482. This episode of what's Right with Nick, right, as always, is presented to you, pardon me, by our friends at Boost Mobile. So a few programming Notes for all of you guys here. We are going to actually record a number of episodes today. This one is live on YouTube. You can subscribe to the show. This is a great time to subscribe to the show on YouTube or on iTunes or on Spotify and and get alerts on YouTube when we post a new episode because the schedule is going to be a little different over the next 10 days or so as we get our post World cup break. So we're live right now. We are going to shortly after the show record a mailbag episode, calling it a semi monthly mailbag episode. We have some good long emails from people, thoughtful ones that have been sent to what's right mailbagmail.com or we'll do that. And then we will also do backto back like 15 minute mini episodes where we spend a minute or two on each team in the NFL. Those will be dropping in your feed next week when I am out of town as I am bringing a bunch of family, extended family, a lot of people down to the Caribbean to meet Damanz's daughter Myla. And so all of that is kind of the schedule. Also I'm going to say this on the front end if you're listening to this, you know, on itunes or Spotify. So the next few episodes are probably going to have a disproportionate ad to content, you know, rate if you will. And so I apologize for that. But sometimes like the ads that we have are loaded as if we were going to have an hour's worth of content. So if there's 20 minutes worth of content, it's going to feel heavier on that front. I apologize on my end for that. I know that can be frustrating for a lot of you guys when you're listening to the show. But so you know, my apologies from it paying the bills, trying to create some content and there's no real way to cut out, you know, some of those ads. So I'll apologize. I don't know if people even care, but I know when I'm listening to a pod and feels like, man, there's almost as many ads as there is talking that can get annoying. So apologies on my end if that is the case. But that's the schedule. Today's live show, mailbag, a couple recorded NFL shows next week and then first week of August we'll be back right here live with our regular shows. Demanz should be joining us back for those as well. Straight to voicemail brought to you by Boost Mobile. Thank God the Red Sox 15 game winning streak ends. Nothing against the Red Sox. Kevin Wild's just been so annoying about it. So good job. By the Orioles winning 51, Curry becomes the first active player with a Hall of Fame exhibit. We're actually going to spend some time today talking about Steph Curry and the Chiefs. New stadium renderings are revealed. The stadium looks, you know, beautiful. I have been consistent on this. I don't like that it's in Kansas. I'm not as I think adamantly or or d diametrically opposed as I once was about it being in Kansas when this first came up like five years ago. It's like it's going to be like 25 minute drive from where the current stadium is. And for Chiefs fans outside of the Midwest there's no difference if the game's played Missouri or Kansas. But I'm a Missourian so it bums me out that it's going to be in Kansas. But the thing that I am adamantly against, I hate that it's going to have a roof. I love outdoor football. I believe football is to be played in the elements. I think a huge part about what makes the NFL unique is can you build a team that can win in the elements. I also think it has been a advantage for the Chiefs that they have a quarterback that is so good in the cold and the wind and the snow. And I don't like that we're going to have another one of the kind of, you know, stayed domed stadiums. With that said, the fact that Patrick Mahomes in his, you know, age 35 to 40 seasons will be playing indoors, probably good for the Chiefs, but overall I just, I, I wish there was more or fewer domed stadiums and the Chiefs becoming a dome stadium bums me out a bit. Okay, now to the news of the week post World cup, which is where the hell is LeBron James going? That news moved a bit I suppose this week because someone in the Miami Heat digital or social media team post posted a scheduled live stream for July 27, which is I guess Monday this coming Monday that said LeBron James Introductory Press conference. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the idea that LeBron's decision not only has been made but has been shared with enough people that it got down to the person who is running the Heat's YouTube channel. The idea of that is utterly preposterous. If that many people knew it would be out there, 100% leaked and reported elsewhere. So in that regard I think this is a, I don't want to call it harmless, but Just a mistake. With that said, right now the Heat feel like the most viable option. And I have wavered and waffled and flip flopped and gone back and forth on where I thought he was going to go, where I want him to go. What makes the is the best story, what gives him the best chance to win all of that. But as we sit here today on July 23, I am hoping he goes to Miami because the more I look at it and the more I think about it, I think Miami does. Of the. I think there's. Let me also back up a bit. I think you can safely say that the list at most, at most is four teams long. Miami, Philly, Cleveland, Golden State. That's not necessarily the order I think the list is in, but those are the four teams. Denver, which we had flirted with the idea of, I do not believe to be truly in consideration. Minnesota, which I, a lot of people are still talking about, I do not believe to be truly in consideration. I think we're down to those four. And I also, contrary to many of my colleagues, but with what I will say is with good reason, want to be very careful with how I phrase these things. I do not believe I. I believe this is taking this long. Not because LeBron is trying to perfectly time the news cycle for maximum attention on the announcement. Not because LeBron is just enjoying toying with everyone in the NBA, in the media. I believe this is taking this long because LeBron is yet to actually decide.

[B]

And

[C]

if that's the case and he's weighing pros, cons, whatever it is, here is how I would stack. Now, again, I keep interrupting myself, but there's a lot here. He has made it very clear and Rich has made it very clear. This is about happiness and I can't define and about family and about Zuri and I can't define what make, you know, will make LeBron the happiest. You know what? I obviously don't know what his wife, Savannah, his daughter Zuri want. So I can't weigh those parts of the decision. All I can do as far as weighing parts of the decision is look at however much of this decision is about winning a fifth championship. Where is the best place to do that? And when you're weighing that piece of it, you have to keep in mind what I have been saying for, gosh, months, more than a year. And now folks are finally, I think, catching on, that LeBron has never said that next year is his last year. That while this almost assuredly is his last team change wherever he chooses this year is not necessarily, and in fact I think it is unlikely to be a one year final stop as opposed to a couple year tenure and an attempt to continue his history of every time he has changed teams. By year two, that team has been a champion. I've talked about this a lot, but it is, it does warrant m, you know, revisiting. He leaves Cleveland to go to Miami. Miami had not won a playoff series since they won the title in 2006. He gets there in 2010, in 2012, their champions. He leaves Miami to go back to Cleveland. Cleveland had been the worst team in the N B A in the four years he was gone. Had not sniffed the playoffs, had picked number one three times. He gets there in 2014, by 2016, their champions. He leaves Cleveland to go to Los Angeles. Los Angeles had been literally the worst, had the worst record in the league in the five years before he got there. Had not won a playoff game in a half decade. He gets there in 2018. By 2020, their champions. Wherever he goes next, I believe he is going to go somewhere that he believes that if not by 2027, by 2028 they can be champions. And for that reason I think the best fit and the best option, and I really disagree with Simmons on this is Miami. Because Miami is the only spot where if they were to make the finals and be up against Joker or Wimby or Shay or Luca or whomever comes out of the west, he would not be being asked, hey man, you gotta match what that in his prime apex predator superstar is presenting. That would be Giannis's job. And as good as Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxi are, if he were in Philly, it would fall on him. As good as Donovan Mitchell is, if he were in Philly, it would fall on him. And then we'll get to the issues with the warriors in a moment. In Miami, that would fall on Giannis, one of the 20 greatest players ever who has something to prove. Furthermore, in Miami, Miami last year, the number 13 offense and the number 13 defense, a decidedly barely above average team on both sides of the ball. Adding Giannis and LeBron immediately gives them the opportunity to be a top six offense and six defense. Because you're adding Giannis, you're losing Tyler Hero. So the D, even if LeBron is not adding much on the defensive end throughout the regular season, that Hero to Giannis flip is just in almost undefinably great on that side of the ball. Giannis is 30 points per game on 55% in his sleep and every offense LeBron orchestrates is somewhere from super elite to very good. LeBron would on this team with Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bam Adebayo Giannis be able to spend all of his energy on the offensive side of the ball.

[E]

And

[C]

while they wouldn't have they, they would be a below average shooting team. Bobby Portis And Tim Hardaway Jr. Coming off the bench might give you just enough spacing at times. And then you add to the fact it's Miami and I do not think it would be just as I'm saying for the a one year experiment. You would have a couple more transaction cycles to try to fill out the shooting but you would have the athleticism, you would have the defense, you would have the requisite wing play that is so hard to find. A lot easier to find someone who can shoot than it is some than it is switchable long bigs like Giannis and Bam. You add to it that of that entire group. Spolra with respect, I mean Nick Nurse, very good coach. Steve Kerr is obviously an all time coach. I think Spoelstra might be the best coach of them all. I think that makes a lot of sense. So I stack Miami here. Number two. I would have it Philly. Now Philly is a cleaner fit as far as Maxi Edgecomb Braun, Jalen Brown, Embiid than any of the other options. The problem for Philly is, and I've been a long term, you know, fan supporter, however you want to put it of Embiid but how do you get continuity and get in a rhythm and develop an identity when you simply have no idea whether or not a guy who on any given night can look like the best player in the whole league is going to be there. I think that makes it a little clunky. I think Jalen Brown, who is going to want at some point a contract extension and and clearly I think it's fair to say wanted his own team all of a sudden going somewhere where it's like, well, Embiid's the MVP who's been here the longest, Maxi's the superstar on the ascent and oh yeah, LeBron freaking James is here. I think that would it again it could potentially difficult personality wise. So I don't think Philly is a bad idea. And from a purely selfish me being able to go to the most games possible for LeBron's final act in the league. It is the best for me personally, I don't think it works quite as well as the Heat where everyone would know exactly their role and then to me, there's a big gap. And in third place as far as fit and winning a championship is Cleveland. And we've talked about this, we talked about this ad nauseam the moment they traded for Harden, which is LeBron didn't seem to love third option with Luca Austin than him. He would be in a very similar position. Donovan Harden him, where he's clearly better than Harden. But Harden can only play one way, needs the ball in his hands. And I don't know, I understand that team has bigs in Allen and Mobley, but I don't know that they have anybody to guard a point guard, to guard one of the shifty perimeter players in the league to prevent them from getting to the rim. Now, you would have rim protection, but I just don't know how capable that team is defensively. In a series against Shea, in a series against the perimeter guys the spurs have in hell in a series against Edge com and Maxi in the East. I think that's tough. And because I believe if LeBron was definitively just doing a farewell tour and it was just one more year, then, okay, maybe it just makes sense. Finish where you started. And also to be clear, I think any of these three teams I've listed, if they add LeBron can win the east, but winning these is one thing. Winning that extra series, the finals, is something else. And I think of the three Eastern Conference teams, Miami, Philly and Cleveland, Cleveland, who have the toughest shot at winning that final series. And so that's why they're third. They are, however, ahead of the warriors, who I will discuss how I think the warriors screwed this up, or I shouldn't say screwed this up, where I think the warriors have misstepped. Why I don't like the fit. And one other team that I think has to be kicking themselves saying, were we just going to be the favorites to get LeBron had we held our water on one transaction. We'll discuss that in a second. But first, today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock BET Sportsbook. Some sports fans call this the slow period until football season. But on Hard Rock Bet, we call it baseball season. Full slate almost every day for you to bet on your favorite teams and players. Build epic same game parlays, even live bet. Every inning from first pitch to the final out. However you like to play ball, Hard Rock Bet has you covered. If you think baseball's too slow, think again. The average first inning lasts just 17 minutes, making first inning bets one of the fastest, most exciting ways to get in the action. Will there be a run? Will it be a no run? 1st inning? You need parlay 1st inning bets for an even bigger potential payday. So if you're ready to step into the batter's box, sign up with Hard Rock Bet today and place a $5 bet. If it wins, you get $150 in bonus bets on top of your winnings. That's right, an extra $150 in your account. Plus hard rock bet gives you new promos every single day. No Sweat bets, profit boost, bonus bets and more. Open Hard Rock Bet now and see what you've got today. Sure, Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal sportsbook, but you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan, with more states on the way. So download Hard Rock Bet and swing for the fences today. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC and all other states must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida? Call 1833 play wise in Indiana. If you or somebody you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it in Arizona, Ohio, Virginia, call 1-800-my-reset gambling problem call 1-800- gambler from

[E]

taco night in Tulum to sushi in Tokyo, make every bite rewarding with gold from Amex. Wherever you dine four times membership rewards points at restaurants worldwide are piling up. Learn [e-mail] Explore Gold terms and points

[B]

cap apply I'm Mangish Chitigarh and I'm back with a new season of the podcast Skyline Drive. This time I'm diving into a rabbit hole of peptides, organoids, blood boys, blue zones and brain replacement. To try to understand what this longevity obsession is all about and what it really means to live forever for all of us. I learned about some rad science.

[C]

I can make a brain for you and then we can test what drug is the best for your brain as opposed to his brain.

[B]

Here are some hard truths.

[C]

I would expect Indians to age faster, but I did not expect it to

[B]

be almost a four to five year acceleration and get myself into a world of trouble.

[C]

I'd say probably start bone smashing. That doesn't work. Make it look more defined. They say it works. I don't know.

[B]

Listen to Skyland Drive how to Live Forever on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

The Declaration, which is full of these beautifully rendered, you know, sentences and paragraphs about enlightenment ideals, does also have this darker history to it.

[D]

Why is it important for the darker part of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution? Why is it important that Americans know about it?

[C]

Well, if we don't understand the full context in which our nation was founded, we won't understand the full context in which our nation now finds itself.

[D]

I'm Rebecca Nagel. Gohin Tawadon Jalecayetli Que la citizen of Cherokee Nation.

[C]

Are you guys big Chiefs fans? Hell yeah.

[D]

This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

All right, so the warriors, which at one point in time I think I said I wanted, I, I didn't want him to go there then I did want him to go there. Hat if they had been able to swing a trade for Anthony Davis, then it makes a little more sen as presently constituted. If they were to add LeBron James, they would, excuse me, obviously be a team that you would hate to play in a series, but also a team with Kristaps and Steph coming off an injury riddled season and Horford at 40 and Jimmy Butler coming off an ACL and Draymond at, I think 35. Is Draymond 35 and LeBron at 42, that would be very difficult to shoot. No, Draymond just turned 36 to see how they could win four straight series. And I really did enjoy seeing LeBron and Steph play together in the Olympics. And we know that works, but I understand folks who feel like it would just be weird. Now what I said at the front end that if I can't figure out how you know, where LeBron's wife and daughter want him to go, and if the fact that San Francisco is the easiest flight and it would be the least disruptive to his family plays a large factor in it, then God bless. Salute. I like totally understand it, but from a basketball perspective, I don't. I like it the least. Which brings me to Anthony slater, who on NBA Today yesterday. Oh, that's my pal MJ Acosta hosting in this clip.

[E]

Shout out.

[C]

MJ was asked what the warriors plan B without LeBron is and he said quote, boring. I think stable part of the warriors long term plan is post step right now it's not really about the next Couple of years. Think about the way they've kept their books clean. They have a lot of optionality, they've kept their draft picks. I am here to tell you, and I am consistent on this and Steph fans, many of whom can't stand me, I'm your biggest ally on this one, you should be beside yourself that they have not done everything they can to maximize the end of Steph Curry. He was an all NBA level player two years ago. The he has obviously he was. Hell, he was an all NBA third team all NBA player three years ago this year. The reason he didn't wasn't an all NBA guy was because of the injury, didn't play enough games like a lot of the older legends. Yes, he does not have as much of an impact on winning as he once did, but he is still without a shadow of a doubt one of the 20 best players in the league. And if you get him in the right spot, one of the 10 scariest playoff guys in the league. And for the warriors to be focused on and worried about and thinking about their post staff life, it's just abominable. And I've talked about this before, but I will talk about it again. It is what I saw the Cleveland Cavaliers do. It's crazy that this was eight years ago, but in or I guess nine years ago, but when they had an opportunity when Kyrie was demanding out to have Paul George be the focal point of that trade but they weren't going to get any draft picks attached to it and they wanted to focus their post LeBron life. And so instead the focal point of the trade was little Isaiah Thomas coming off a hip injury because they so desperately wanted to pick that ended up becoming Colin Sexton, the eighth pick of the draft. And LeBron dragged that team to the finals anyway, but then found himself drawing dead in those finals. And now eight years later they've made one conference finals and their only hope to get further than that is praying LeBron saves them again. When you have one of these guys and many franchises go the entirety of their existence without ever having one of these guys, you do everything you can to elongate and maximize your contention window with them and the warriors being like, all right, I guess we'll trade for Jimmy Butler, not going all in to get ad, not doing the things necessary to maximize Steph's final what might be his, I mean for all we know two years ago was his final year of actual semi contention, but we'll see if he has one more in him. I'd Be beside myself. Beside myself. Now I said there was another team that if I were a fan of I'd probably be a little frustrated. And I this all of a sudden. I've seen this take on Twitter the last 36 hours. You simply have to take my word on this that this is something I've been talking to Bruin Wilds about off the air for days. Really. I started talking about this and I don't know if I ever did it on the pod when we did the Rich Paul from his podcast with Kellerman game over the whiteboard and that what Dallas had underneath it was, you know, gas. I'm sorry not gas, oil. Because Macau, Africa, because of Masai. I think there is a very real chance that if Dallas had just held their water and not accepted 20 cents on the dollar for Anthony Davis

[B]

and

[C]

LeBron had the opportunity to go to Dallas which is might be as close to Los Angeles and flight wise, damn near as close as San Francisco is to play with Kyrie, Anthony Davis and year two and three of Cooper Flag with a little added bonus of all right, the Lakers, understandably, of course. Yeah, you prioritize Luca, he's younger, got it going to where Luca was and then having the Lakers have to deal with him there. I think they would have been, if not at the top, very high on his list of possible options. But instead they traded Ad for nothing and now they're, you know, the biggest thing they have going for him is that the Adelson Zone casinos in Macau and golf is good in Dallas. That's a very interesting little sliding doors moment. Now I also want to address this idea that I thought at one point that LeBron is waiting for a pot sweetener. So we'll do that in a moment. But first, the World cup may be over, but there's still plenty of events for you to go see in person. Which is why I want to give the sponsor of today's video SeatGeek a huge shout out. With over 35 million downloads, SeatGeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There are more than 70,000 events listed on SeatGeek including concerts, sports festivals and more. MLB's in full swing in the NFL season is right around the corner. I love using SeatGeek like I have. Let me just. Just looking at this right here, I've got in the last just in June and July, I use SeatGeek for Nixit Spurs Finals Game 5. You can see it right on my phone. Brazil against Norway, round of 16 game. The Jay Z concert at Yankee Stadium Remember the one that was delayed to, like, midnight? I was there. The World cup final. All of these are events I bought on SeatGeek. And again, it's so easy to use. Guys, each ticket is rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Big green dots. Again, big green dots means a good deal. Little red dots. Find a different ticket. Every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee. That's very important. Heard some horror stories from other ticketing apps during the World cup that didn't have this type of buyer guarantee. Don't have to worry about that with SeatGeek. And of course, as I've told you guys, there's a code for you. Use code, write 10W, R, I G, H T10 for 10% off your next set of tickets at SeatGeek. That's 10% off any tickets with promo code, right? 10. Make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you to my friends at Seat Geek. All right, so Rich Paul said recently on Game over, there's been several people to call and say, hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing we could be doing? And my answer is no. We don't need you to go above and beyond anything. We understand. It's clear all the messages have been sent. Now, Kevin OConnor yesterday said the popular theory around the league is that LeBron has been slow playing. His decision to see if any of his suitors could find a way to land Irving or Davis If a team proved capable of acquiring one of his championship teammates, sources say it might sway him in that direction. So Kevin's theory was a theory that I shared a couple weeks ago that I wonder if there's a pot sweetener, if there's a way for Cleveland to turn James Harden into Kyrie Irving, would that get the deal done? We obviously, at one point in time, I do think it's accurate to say, you know, had the warriors gotten Anthony Davis, that the. The. The decision would be greatly affected. But I have since been told whether that was true in the past or not, that what Rich is saying is absolutely true, that this decision is not predicated on another team making another move and that they are not waiting for another team to make another move. And the only critique I would have on Koc quote and shout out Koch I he's 100% correct that this is a popular theory around the league. But when he says if a team proved capable of acquiring one of his championship, championship teammates, sources say it might sway him. I am really here to tell you, and this is not an indictment on KOC at all. He's talking to people in reporting. You know what they're saying. Whatever sources out there are claiming they have an insight to this decision are not being honest. I. Which is why I have not claimed at any point an insight to this decision. And I am not saying I am an NBA reporter. I'm not. I'm not even. Actually, I don't consider myself a journalist. I have a journalism degree. I occasionally practice journalism. Journalism. But I am not a journalist. I am saying that this process is being held as close to the vest as anything I can remember. And they are simp. Not only are they not talking, they're not giving you little wink nods in any direction. So when. If a source is saying, hey, I'm hearing this would sway LeBron, that source is misinformed. So I. I don't know when this gets resolved. Which does bring us to Adam Silver at Fan Fest saying, quote, we have to finish up the schedule. Where LeBron plays affects the schedule, and it will influence how we set the schedule, opening week, Christmas. So I need him to make a decision. I'm sure Adam Silver. I didn't watch that. I just read the quote. I'm sure he said it with a smile and maybe even a laugh. This is what I would say to any of the teams in the LeBron sweepstakes, if you will, or to the like, let me talk to the teams in the league. Any of these teams are totally within their rights to be like, you know what? We got to move on. We got to set our rosters. We've got to know we're out of the running here. There's a reason they haven't, because all of those teams know that either their only shot at winning a title or certainly their best shot at winning a title is them adding LeBron James for almost no money. And as far as the league, and even if this was said with a smile and a laugh, LeBron has been carrying a disproportionate amount of weight for this league for a quarter century. If and if the league thinks they still need LeBron James to rate on opening week or Christmas, well, that's a league problem. You're in about year seven of bonus years that you've gotten out of LeBron, so figure that out on your own. And because LeBron is sacrificing money and not prioritizing money, he can take as long as he wants. There's no cap space to be spent

[D]

and

[C]

it is remarkable that a guy at this point in his career is still this influential and important, but it's where it is that LeBron is going to be, without a doubt. Well, no, I shouldn't say that. Yeah, let me put it like this. LeBron is going to be, without a doubt, one of the three best players to change teams this off season. Giannis is the best player to change teams this off season. Jalen Brown and LeBron are the rest of the top three. Order them how you want. And I'm not, I don't want, I'm not trying to get the ball family after me. But LeBron is more impactful, better. And it's just, I'm not comparing LeBron to LaMelo Ball. I'm just, I refuse to engage in it. And so you're 24 or not. It's, it's a seismic event for the league and the fact that for Giannis, for Jalen Brown, hell, even for Lamelo, you had to trade a bunch of stuff to get the guy and they're making a Max deal. And LeBron, you're gonna have to give up nothing and he's making almost no money that that makes him all the more impactful. Boost Mobile's proving that you don't have to overpay for great wireless Unlock the Savings with the $25 a month Forever Unlimited plan permanent price with no contracts and no price hikes, you can keep your phone and your number, but you save up to $600 a year compared to the major carrier. Stop overpaying and switch to a fair price@boost mobile.com today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit Boost Mobile.

[E]

From taco night in Tulum to sushi in Tokyo, every bite is rewarding and Pulse worthy with MX Gold's 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide. Wherever you dine, points are piling up. So bring your friends along for your next course. Because it's not all about the posts, it's about the company and the memories. How can Gold from Amex sweeten your next food moment? Learn [e-mail] Explore Gold terms and points Cap apply.

[B]

I'm Mangesha together and I'm back with a new season of the podcast Skyline Drive. This time I'm diving into a rabbit hole of peptides, organoids, blood boys, blue zones and brain replacement. To try to understand what this Longevity obsession is all about and what it really means to live forever for all of us. I learned about some rad science.

[C]

I can make a brain for you and then we can test what drug is the best for your brain as opposed to his brain.

[B]

Here are some hard truths.

[C]

I would expect Indians to age faster, but I did not expect it to

[B]

be almost a four to five year acceleration and get myself into a world of trouble.

[C]

I'd say probably start bone smashing. That doesn't work. To make it look more defined, they say it works. I don't know.

[B]

Listen to Skyline, how to Live Forever on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

The Declaration, which is full of these beautifully rendered, you know, sentences and paragraphs about enlightenment ideals, does also have this darker history to it.

[D]

Why is it important for the darker part of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution? Why is it important that Americans know about it?

[C]

Well, if we don't understand the full context in which our nation was founded, we won't understand the full context in which our nation now finds itself.

[D]

I'm Rebecca Nagel. Gohin Dawadon. Jaleka Yadli, gay citizen of Cherokee Nation.

[C]

Are you guys big Chiefs fans? Hell yeah.

[D]

This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

All right, few quick non LeBron stories. Wimby is gonna be the COVID athlete for NBA 2K,

[D]

and

[C]

I think he is. There is no more of a debate about the next face of the league. It's obviously going to be him. You could argue he already is. I think that as long as LeBron is playing, and certainly, you know what I'll add, as long as LeBron and Steph are playing, those guys are going to take the gold and silver for face of the league. But Wimby is the heir apparent and no one's going to challenge him, it would appear. I also saw what Tracy McGrady said, that Wimby's going to sweep all the awards. Defensive Player of the Year MVP said in season Tournament mvp. I think he, you know, Finals MVP is the implication there and he certainly might. The 65 game rule is always going to be, I think, a struggle for him. And you know, he's played three years, he's played 180 games. He's averaged 1800 minutes a year. Last year he played 65 games on the nose including the in season tournament championship game. And so you know, he desperately wanted to win MVP last year and he barely made the cut for eligibility. But let's just assume he plays 65 games defensive player of the year. Sure, I and we talked about this a bit on the TV show yesterday. I just want to hammer this point home right here. I am really interested in the types of shots in what Wimby works on this offseason because Wimby fancies himself an elite shooter but he at no point in his career has he been and his shot diet, as they say, is one of a guy who's an excellent shooter and he is an excellent free throw shooter but in no way shape or form is he an excellent three point shooter. And you know we, we can go back far and it's probably not fair to go back too far because he was a kid. But his final two years playing in France, he was 26% and 27%. From three in the pros, he has been 33%, 35%, 35%. From three playoffs he was 34%. Last year there were 88 guys who took as many threes a game as Wimby. He was 65th of those 88 guys in three point percentage. Last year in the playoffs there were 44 guys who took as many threes per game as Wimby. He was 24% or is 24%. Sorry. He was 24th of those 44 in three point percentage. I said it after game one of the conference finals that I thought he had made his Casey's best player in the world. I and so if your best player in the world, you obviously are in the running for MVP every single year. And whether he is or isn't the best player in the world, he's going to be in the running for MVP every single year. I also. Sorry. I also fervently believe that for Wimby to become a consistently great, not good, great offensive player. Now I'll interrupt myself again. He does not have to be a consistently great offensive player to be the best player in the league because he's so far and away the best defensive player that if he's just a very good offensive player plus being an a quadruple plus offensive player, he can be the best player in the league. So don't get it. Twist what I'm saying. But if he wants to become a great player, absent of his impact on the defensive side of the ball, a great offensive player, one of two things has to happen. He either has to change how he approaches offense and lean into his size more heavily and add some strength or he just flatly has to become a better shooter. Last year he was same attempts per game, same percentage from 3 as Cade. Like he's within a couple tenths of a point on attempts per game. And three point percentage of these three other players, Cade, Cunningham, Lou Dort, Scoot, Henderson, all none of, by the way, none of those guys are bad three point shooters but none of them would be considered good three point shooters. They're fine. They're all fine three point shooters. And when you're 76 and have that type of physical advantages letting unless you become a knockdown three point shooter, you're letting the other team off the hook. So that's really. Listen, there's obviously big questions about Wemby's, you know, health and how many minutes you can play those types of things, put those to the side. The on the court game stuff is he either needs to play more inside and get and to do that he's gonna have to get stronger or he's just got to become a better shooter. And that's as fair of a critique as you're ever going to hear. And then last but not least, the NFL top 100 keeps coming out. And Jalen hurts. This year's quarterback list has been weird. Lamar in the 60s after being in the top 10 and for top five I think in back to back years and now Jalen after being in the top 23 straight years comes in at 56. And not only do I think that's mostly fair, I, I think most people, I don't care so much about the 50, you know, the numerical ranking amongst all players as much I as I do where he is amongst quarterbacks. My little back of the napkin. Wait, what quarterbacks haven't been revealed yet? I think there's 10 guys quarterbacks who are going to be revealed who haven't been revealed. Mahomes, Allen, Stafford, May Burrow, Caleb Goff, Darnold, Herbert Deck. Which would put Jaylen herz as the 11th best quarterback according to the players ahead of Lamar. Which a lot of people under I get are going to take issue with. I get and I'm one of those people, I get that. So and, and I don't think Herbert's better than him. But a lot of people think Herbert's great point is this on the Jalen Hurts thing. I think most people he comes in at 11. I think most people if they're actually doing pencil to paper on their quarterback rankings have him somewhere between 9 and 12. So you might take individual issue with this guy, him being ahead of this guy being behind, but directionally having Jalen hurts right now is the 11th best quarterback in the league. I think is about right. Also, NFL top 100 players list by the players. You're gonna have 18 quarterbacks on this list. Too many. Can't have eight. Can't have 18 of the top 100 players be quarterbacks. Just can't. It's too many. All right, we're gonna do a mailbag. We're gonna hit on every NFL team. We're gonna do all of that in our next three episodes that are going to be coming to you tomorrow and then throughout next week. So subscribe to the pod so you don't miss those. This is our last live show until I get back from vacation. I will talk to you guys then or I will talk to you guys tomorrow with the mailbag. Thank you to Boost Mobile, to seatgeek, to Hard Rock bet, to Volume, and to Blue Duck. See you guys tomorrow for the mailbag episode. What's right.

[B]

I'm Mangesha Tigular, and I'm back with a new season of my podcast, Skyline Drive. This time, I talk to scientists, biopunks, curmudgeons, blue zoners, super senior, and Goa's top cryotherapy lab to try to understand this obsession with living forever and what it means for all of us. And I get into a bit of trouble along the way.

[C]

I'd say probably start bone smashing.

[B]

That doesn't work.

[C]

To make it look more defined. They say it works.

[D]

I don't know.

[B]

Listen to Skyline, how to Live forever on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[E]

150 years ago, they were hunting us

[C]

down to kill us.

[E]

And now they're hunting down immigrants to deport them.

[D]

This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

Hey, it's Nora Jones.

[A]

And my podcast Playing along is back with more of my favorite musicians.

[C]

Check out my newest episode with Finneas. So I went home and I asked Billie if she wanted to sing it. She immediately made it her own thing. You really know how to make me cry when you give me those ocean eyes and I'm scared. So come hang out with us in the studio and listen to Playing along on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

[A]

wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everybody. I'm Tareka Fosta Brasby. What's up, y'?

[C]

All?

[A]

I'm your girl, Sheryl Sw. When you tune in to a new episode of our podcast, Levels to this, you're definitely gonna get some spicy WNBA analysis. But we're more than just hoops, and the real conversation is what we actually bring. It's been really, really cool seeing kind of these women just really step into their power off the court and understand that they are basketball, right? And they're not asking for permission. Listen to Levels to this with Sheryl Swoopes and Tarika Foster brasby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.