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Bomani Jones
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Right Time A Wave Original. My name is Bomani Jones. Thanks for listening wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for watching us on YouTube. Subscribe like Rate us, review us, give us five stars. You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. We got a lot to get into of these fools. Allegedly done got caught up with the gambling again. LeBron's doing LeBron things. But I need to start with a couple of the funniest things I saw this weekend, and both of them are related to the same story. In fact, it may be three of the funniest things. Okay, they all have to do with this Ace Bailey situation. I understand that I've talked about Ace Bailey a great deal on this show. I've talked about Ace Bailey as a draft pick far more than I ever talked about Ace Bailey as an actual factual basketball player. I get that, but okay, I want us to walk through these steps because I had a lot of people who hit me on the low asking how I felt about this, that and the third because people love to give free shows, right? So we all saw it. Ace Bailey got drafted fifth by the Utah Jazz. And of course it's made all the funnier by the fact that it is the Utah Jazz, okay? And it seemed fairly clear that Ace Bailey did not want to go play play for the Utah Jazz, though I'm Gonna be perfectly honest, I have no idea what Ace Bailey himself actually wanted. Right. Maybe he felt about Utah the way that Derek Fisher felt about Utah. If you were unfamiliar, you can go look up when Derek Fisher played, I think he was playing for the Mavericks again. And the Mavericks were terrible. And there was a word going out that he could be traded to the Utah Jazz. And people were a little mad at him because he did not go because the Jazz had a chance to win a championship. And he was like, nah, I got nothing wrong with Utah. But if you like Utah so much, you go live in Utah, right? Like, it's the spot that people say that nobody wants to go live. Now everybody understands why. Okay? I don't think that the Utah. What they call Ryan the Mammoth, that what they call their hockey team, the Mammoth of the Mammoths.
Ryan Brumley
I believe they're just like the Utah Hockey Club.
Bomani Jones
Oh, no, no. They got a name now. They got a name now. Yes. So I believe they are now the Mammoth. Like the NHL has gone full science fiction. We got the Kraken, we got the Mammoth. We already had the predators.
Ryan Brumley
It is the Utah Mammoth. Not, not. Not multiple mammoth. Singular mammoth.
Bomani Jones
Okay, Singular mammoth. Or let's say is mammoth is the plural situation. Okay, Got you, got you. Well, I just never. You're right. Two mooses. Two. Two mooses is moose. They're not me.
Ryan Brumley
Correct.
Bomani Jones
Okay. Anyway, you know, you talk about, first of all, the man, the boy calls himself Ace, right? Arius, Ace Bailey living in Utah. You know, we could understand why he would not want to go there, but it is obvious that is a gentleman named Omar Cooper who is running the show for him. Now, Omar Cooper had a son or has a son named Sharif. And Sharif went to McEachern High School right outside of Atlanta, which is also where Ace Bailey went to high school. There's a four year gap between the two guys, but I'm going to take that as an indication of how exactly it is that they came across each other. And the other part is, Mr. Cooper appears to have a fairly lengthy rap sheet, or at the very least, a rap sheet a little lengthier than one would prefer, generally speaking, if they were interviewing agents. Now, to me, I will say that having that rap sheet is actually not really a disqualifying factor. I've talked about this on this show many times. My feelings about agents, which is it is a very interesting job.
In the sense that anybody can do it, but not everybody can do it. Okay? Right. Like the game that you need to be an agent is not really game that you going to get in school? It is, to me, it seems to be a very intuitive sort of skill to understand what other people can and cannot do or are not willing to do. Right. Figuring out their incentives and stuff like that. While also, and this is the big one, having the stomach to truck through discomfort, right? The ability to look A in the eye and be like, no, that's what we about to do. And you know, that's what we about to do. Right? Some of the job is finesse, but another part of it is, is just the ability to sit in the discomfort. And if you can sit in the discomfort longer, you're going to win. Rich Paul is a great example. One thing that Rich Paul is really good at is waiting until the very end on something. You're not going to rush him. We saw that in various negotiations that he has done. Tristan Thompson with the Cleveland Cavaliers about 11 years ago or 10 years ago was probably the most notorious of that. But he'll sit there and we'll. Two days before camp, okay? We ain't got no deal. We just go sit in it, right? So, yeah, a dude that used to do some things I think might have the proper temperament to handle a big part of the job of being an agent. My concern with the dude is I don't really know what association attachment or whatever it is that he has with Ace Bailey and how much he actually cares about the dude. And the reason I bring that up, and this is like one of the funnier things that I saw over the weekend.
I saw a picture where.
A's Bailey.
Was up there in East Orange, New Jersey, taking a picture by a concrete basketball court.
With Vin Rock from Naughty by Nature.
Now, you may be wondering the is Ace Bailey doing in these Orange, New Jersey? That's what I was wondering. It turns out that the Cooper fella is from East Orange. And it sounds like Ace was there doing him a solid. And that's where I'm like, bruh, he's supposed to be in Utah right now. Like, he was supposed to have gone with his team.
And maybe he didn't still be in Utah, but he hadn't been in Utah, but he had been in East Orange, New Jersey. And the way I look at that and the way that I view that with him being there is that is the player serving the interest of the agent. And it should never be that. It's not how this works. This is not a I do for you, you do for me relationship. This is a you do for me and I pay you A percentage relationship. That's how that's supposed to work. So when I look at that, I'm like, oh, okay. I don't really understand exactly what this cat is in it for because he could have been all those other things. Do you watch boxing? You know what I'm saying? Lots of people do lots of business in boxing while also having criminal past. Now, granted, a lot of them also steal, but he could be fully capable of doing his job, having the other stuff. But what it can't be is the 19, 20 year old is serving whatever it is that you say you need. It can't be that. And then saw the picture on the video that people put up on the Internet of the dude, right? And let's just say he don't look like nobody that got no LinkedIn page, right? He just doesn't seem like the person you're supposed to get. But next thing I know, the next funny thing I saw on the Internet, I look up and it's some white man on Front Office sports who now claims to be aces representation. I've heard some things about how this white man got here. I don't fully understand it. I don't know who made whatever call, but.
I'm a little ashamed to admit this.
But I was kind of relieved when I saw that white man on screen. I was like, oh, okay, maybe things are going to start calming down just a little bit, right? And so the white man was up there and he started talking about how Ace is very happy and go to the Utah Jazz. He talked about the Cooper fella and he was very nice and he was very kind about that. But like, I think I wasn't so much relieved at seeing a white man because I thought a white man could do better. But I did feel like the, the Utah Jazz would perhaps deal with this a little bit better and it might make things a little smoother. It sounded like they was moving in the path to getting Ace to go to Utah. Okay. And he had to go to Utah. And the thing I don't think that people understand here or what I don't think Cooper understood here was that if you're going to try to pull off, I'm not going to the place that drafted me. Ally Eli Manning. Ally John Elway. You got to have a couple of things at play here. Number one, you have to have another team that wants you. Number two, you have to have an agent who can finesse it. And so I had seen a report or seen somebody make the point that apparently what happened was Charlotte wanted to take Cod Canipple, right? They wound up taking him at 4, but they wanted him at Knipple to take him. The Wizards wanted Ace Bailey. They were at 6. They were willing to trade up to 4 in order to get Ace. But then Danny a sitting at 5, said, well, if you do that, I'm just going to take Knipple. And so the Hornets did not make the trade. You see what I'm saying? That's the game that needed to be played. Somebody needed to figure out how to massage all these things. And he didn't have an agent that was capable of pulling that off. Right? And then in the end, it's a draft, man. And so as much as I hate the draft and I'm an opponent of the draft, this is what the draft is. This is how the draft works. You can't have everything that you want out of the situation, Right? You got to figure out a way to make it happen. His guy did not have the tools in order to make it happen. And then once it didn't happen, you just needed to be like, all right, well, I guess I'm going to Utah and buy all the way in on going to Utah. Okay? And eventually, at some point, Ace Bailey did buy in on going to Utah. And Ryan, I know he bought in on going to Utah because he went to the press conference. And I don't know who they part put in charge, but the funniest thing I heard about this weekend is Ace Bailey showed up at that press conference with his dog wearing a Utah Jazz bandana.
Ryan Brumley
To pro move for. If you want to. In grace. Your. Yeah, that's. That's just a slow clap, you know?
Bomani Jones
Yes.
Ryan Brumley
If you want to. If you want to end all controversy real quick, show up. Show not. It's almost better than showing up with your kid after a game where you don't do well. Showing up preemptively with the dog.
Bomani Jones
With the dog. With the dog. Let me. Let me tell you whose idea that was. Not. That was not Omar Cooper's idea. Like I'm here to tell you right now, somebody else is running this operation. And shout out to whoever that was, everything's okay, Ace. Everything. You know, you had a little bump in the road there. You might need to show up with the dog everywhere you go for quite a while.
Ryan Brumley
But for right now, we still training camp.
Bomani Jones
That's right. Great job, though. That was an amazing move. But in the end.
You can't always get what you want. So Hood Day five.
It's what we're talking about. Here. Right. That is what Bailey learned there. I didn't care that he didn't want to go to the team that drafted him. Right. I wasn't offended that he didn't try to get out of it. He was just making terrible decisions, whoever was in charge, and I don't think he was making any of those decisions, but they were making terrible decisions. Right? Now, I actually say all that to lead into a discussion about somebody else, and that Somebody else is LeBron James. LeBron James had a player option in his deal for $52 million. LeBron opted in on the $52 million. But then after opting in on the $52 million, Rich Paul put out a statement that I think we'd all agree was a little. Huh? LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeannie and Rob and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future, we do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive, and want what's best for him. Ryan, did he just opt in and ask for a trade at the same time?
Ryan Brumley
It certainly feel, certainly these sorts of. Of statements from Rich Paul as someone who's. We followed the LeBron saga now for two decades, certainly the unhappiness saga for over a decade and a half. This usually comes in right in the middle of the season, not going into the year.
Bomani Jones
Yeah. And so this is tough for me, and I can only imagine how tough it is for LeBron. And quite honestly, I can only imagine how tough it is for Rich Paul, because let's be clear, they are not a team, okay? Rich Paul plays for LeBron. LeBron tells Rich Paul what to do. And this appears to be what Rich Paul was told to do, because Rich is bright. And Rich has to know he has a losing proposition here. And when I say he has a losing proposition here, this is what I mean. Okay? LeBron gave up, took less than the max. Rather, he took less than the max in Miami to facilitate winning and got absolutely no credit for it from none of y'. All, Right? He took the less than the max and got no credit for it. He is a man who, in truth, in his career, has probably been underpaid by something in the neighborhood of a billion dollars, if not more. I don't, I don't. I don't really have much of a doubt of that. I think LeBron has probably been worth over $100 million in his league every year that he has played, right? Like he, he has been drastically underpaid. He will never take a penny less than the max ever again. And he ain't got to explain that to me. He ain't got to apologize for it to me, right? He wants his bread. This league owes him his bread. And keep in mind, this is the man that got Spotify with the advertisements in it, okay? He's serious about his money. Problem is in the year of our Lord 2025, you cannot win a championship paying LeBron James $50 million a year. The reason you can't win A championship paying LeBron $50 million a year is I don't think that you can win a championship in this league when your second best player makes $50 million a year. I don't think you can win A championship with LeBron as your best player, meaning he can be at best your second best player. But you can't win a championship with your second best player making $50 million a year. It's a no win proposition in a way where I don't really understand what, what he's going for, where he's trying to work himself into what exactly it is that he is trying to engineer. I don't, I don't get it. And what I say is you can't get everything that you want out of this situation. It's not going to happen. And so for him, it becomes a matter of what to prioritize. Well, they already took the 50, right? So we're already there with him on the 50. I think he and the Lakers are stuck with each other. I don't think either of them can truly afford to move on. What I mean when I say that or why I say that? Jeanie Buss finds it to be very important that the Lakers are viewed as a franchise that takes, takes care of its stars. Okay? We first really got a glimpse into this in the way that they humbled themselves trying to keep DWight Howard in 2013 with billboards and everything else, even though he wound up leaving. Right? They tried. They gave it a go, okay? We all know what the problem was there, but, you know, you got to be careful the things we say about Debbie. So.
They wanted to keep Dwight because that's what they do, okay? They got LeBron. LeBron has been there now for seven years. Not the eight that Rich Paul said, which I found to be interesting because Rich Paul knows how many years it's been. Okay? It'll be eight at the end of this year. I don't know exactly how that mistake got made or whether he was already looking into the future. But you're not going to tell me. He doesn't know exactly how many years LeBron has been there. But that's the longest continuous stretch LeBron has been anywhere in his career. It's tied with the first run in Cleveland. That was a seven year run. Okay, so Jeannie wants to keep LeBron, but they have already invested in the Luca era, okay? That's the future. They've made that call. He is the next star. Okay? But the Lakers can't say we're not going to reside LeBron James. That is counter to what they do. I don't think that they're in the. Well, we're going to trade LeBron James. Ooh. Who? I don't. I don't really think that one's in the cards either for a player of that caliber that runs counter to the brand that they are trying to build. On the other hand, LeBron James clearly wanted to be a Laker, right? Like one of the big things that we heard when he went there was he wanted to be part of one of the bigger, established, iconic brands of the sport, one of the great franchise franchises. He wanted to have that anchor, okay? Plus he wants to be a Hollywood player. Now. Business for Spring Hill is a little bit different. They got bought out from by somebody, right? So that game has gone a little bit different. But he wants to be a guy in la, right? There was even to the point where he wanted like the thought of him being like an action star, like we've seen him in the movies, all that thing, but a player in Hollywood and a player in Los Angeles is what he wanted to be. And having that relationship with the Lakers helps a lot toward his goal. What you tell me LeBron gonna go back to Cleveland? I don't think so. In fact, I think it would be silly for Cleveland to do. But LeBron going back to Cleveland, don't see him. Where, where, where is he going to go just to win that championship, if that's what it comes down to, that is truly helpful for him and again will truly put him in a position where the team can win a championship. I personally don't see that on the board for him where I think he made a mistake or where I would have advised him is how he treated this relationship with the Lakers. And I think that he has mismanaged it basically from the very beginning.
Here's why I say that simply being on the Lakers was not going to be enough to achieve what I believe LeBron James wanted, okay? To be attached to the Lakers in the way that he wished to be attached to the Lakers. He needed to go all in on the idea of being a Laker, keeping in mind that he is the successor to Kobe Bryant with the Lakers, which took on an additional magnitude after Kobe passed. Okay? Kobe Bryant loved the Lakers. Even with the trade situation of 20 or 2007 and all of that, Kobe Bryant identified himself as a Laker fan and loved being a Laker. And his relationship with that fan base is familial. Okay? It is a relationship where, over that time, they went through things. They had highs, they had lows. But the association with Kobe Bryant, as sociopathic as he was about the basketball stuff, felt very real and very warm with the franchise.
LeBron, for reasons that make perfect sense and are informed by his lived experience, does not relate to franchises that way. I think he came to relate to, like, Cleveland or North, like Cleveland specifically, because Akron and Cleveland are not the same place. But he came to feel that way about Cleveland, and that relationship became different after they went through some things, right? And then they got the championship. But that. That was the thing for LeBron. There was. There. There's a real. There's a real thing there with him and the people. The relationship with him and the Lakers has always felt transactional, and that was not going to get him what he wanted to be. You're dealing with a fan base that spent a long time rooting against you because you're not Kobe Bryant. And Kobe never seemed to really, really, really wrap his arms around LeBron. Now, LeBron will tell you that isn't the case, but I'm saying from here, it didn't appear that way. And whether it's the truth or not doesn't matter in terms of application of what your relationship is going to be with those people there, okay? Everything needed to be. I am a Laker for life. I am. This will be my last stop, right? I would like to win one more championship with the Lakers. You could be like Will Chamberlain, who played for two other franchises, but in the end was a Laker and an LA guy and became that dude. Right? That's what I think he needed to say and he needed to do, because winning a championship is really, really, really, really, really unlikely. And Lebron told us ring culture is overrated. Got should have leaned in, I think, just on being a Laker. Make the transition to setting Luka Doncic up. If you want all of those things, to me, that is the long run. Play even if you take the 50. Okay. Take the 50 and be like, I'm never going anywhere else. I'm staying here. This is where I'm going to be instead. Ryan, it sounds like LeBron think he could play forever.
Ryan Brumley
It's a wild thing because by any metric, he was one of the 10 best players in. In the league during the regular season. But everything the finals taught us were that Finals was won by young dudes and teams that have a lot of dudes.
Bomani Jones
Yes.
Ryan Brumley
And things you can't do if you pay two players $50 million with the new CBA, it's impossible.
Bomani Jones
And even if he's a top 10 player, he is too old to give you LeBron. Like, LeBron, LeBron. But so often. Right, Right. Like, there's going to be this.
It's kind of what Bruce Bowen talked about, man. These cats ain't supposed to still be playing basketball this long. Right. But it's complicated by the fact that he's so good.
Ryan Brumley
Yeah.
Bomani Jones
But not quite that level anymore. Right. But he needs to say, I am a Laker. I think that's the win. But all the stuff you want to get, you want to be paid this much, you want to have this chance at winning a championship. And kind of the coldness of the tone in the way they. Nah, man, you're not going to be able to get those things there. I don't think those things are available, but I don't blame them at all. Get that money if that's what you want. Try to get yourself to the best chance at a championship if that's what you want. Try your hardest. It's just not going to work.
Oh, guys, guys, guys, guys. I have been saying for a very long time, I feel like I got a little bit too much credit for saying this obvious thing and making this obvious point, but we're ticking closer and closer to a big gambling scandal. Now. We don't really have a big one right now, but we did get word that Malik Beasley is under investigation by the feds for gambling. I can only presume that this news has been leaked because Beasley is a free agent, and somebody needs us all to understand why it is that nobody's going to sign him. And it is probably going to be this because it is too risky.
I have no idea if Beasley actually did what he is accused of and and I or being investigated for that is a better way to put it. Our guy Tom Haberstro did a really interesting look at the allegations or what the investigation is in and a game that in the report that Sean Charania did for espn, a game that they're looking at is when Milwaukee, when Beasley played there, played a game at the Portland Trailblazers and it was a an over under bet on rebounds and that right before the games there were a lot of bets on rebounds right on his over under for rebound. But the thing is there was a huge surge of action on the under.
And Beasley went way over and Haberstro looked at the clips and like it was like it does not look like he was out here trying to do what they said, like the eyeball test at the very least did not match. Again, I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but Haverstrow did a really interesting look at it and on its face it is not a slam dunk case against Malik Beasley. Okay. I think thus far the league is fortunate that all the stories that we have heard about are about props, okay. And I don't think the general public cares about Malik Beasley running game on props like him running game on how many rebounds he gets. I don't think the general public cares about that. I think the general public cares about point shaving and fixing games.
That's the concern. And so when these stories come out like these, like John J. Porter the same way, I don't think anybody cares about that. I don't. I think it matters within buildings and teams have to make decisions about whether they're going to have those guys. But this is not the stuff that threatens the integrity of the game. That hasn't happened yet. Yet. But it's coming. I don't see any way that anybody can think that it's not going to wind up coming. And the reason I think it's going to wind up coming is I think it's so incredibly stupid to try to run the game that they're trying to run on Malik Beasley, for example. So let's say for a moment that Beasley was in on some kind of fix, right? And all these people rushed and put the num put this money in on his under for rebounding. Cause the under is really the only part that you can feel confident that you can fix, right?
So let's say the Beasley comes in and hits the under on the rear. Everybody puts in the money on the under for rebounding. Ryan, I think you've seen this also. The way that they catch you is that once you have this odd betting behavior, this unusual amount of activity, they take it off the board and now they start paying attention because they're like, who. Who are all these people? Who. All these people that care about Malik Beasley getting rebounds.
Ryan Brumley
It's the thing that always blows my mind about these stories is, you know, the way they. They always phrase it is defrauding a. A gambling enterprise. You know what the normal way of saying that is? Trying to steal from a casino.
Bomani Jones
Yes. Which all of us know. Terrible idea.
Ryan Brumley
Yeah. We've.
Bomani Jones
We've all seen the movies.
Ryan Brumley
Well, yeah, we've seen the movies. It's very difficult.
Bomani Jones
Excuse me, sir. Why don't you come back here and get your check, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Back in this other room. And the next thing you know, you got your finger in a vice. Like. Like. Or. No, no, no. This is a hurt. This. They're gonna notice all these. Who the is betting on Malik Beasley getting rebounds. You understand what I'm saying? Like, the caliber of player that gets caught up in this is the caliber of player nobody bets on. Like, everybody.
Ryan Brumley
Very easy thing to catch.
Bomani Jones
Every. It is a very. Know why it's a very easy thing to catch? Because they got a whole department whose entire job is catching. You do these things.
Ryan Brumley
Catch stealing from the casino.
Bomani Jones
Hold on. The casino. Not the bodega. The casino. You might be able to shoplift from the bodega. That's fine. The Nordstrom look like Howard Hughes with the room with all the screens on it. They gonna get you. Right? And so the caliber of player that gets caught up in this is typically a guy like this. And I just feel like everybody involved. Why do you think you can get away with this now? Maybe you think you can get away with it because you get away with it once, and they let you get away with it once, and then they just let it keep going. And you too stupid to realize that they just letting you rack up a fella. Right. You don't understand that that's the direction that this is going in. Maybe that's it. I don't know. But this is the. This is the small part. This is only the beginning. This is only the beginning. And the more and more it happens, the more it eats away at the integrity of the sport. And that's when this all falls apart. This is not wrestling. What makes this. This compelling is the real live drama that is involved, and it is based on the sanctity of what happens. And so, like I say, it's a thin line. I think people can live with the props once it takes one more step. And look, I saw something and I don't understand this one. And it's a game. Now this is pretty hilarious. It's a game where Michael Beasley, I mean, like a Michael Beasley, sorry, Michael Beasley. Malik Beasley scores like seven points in the last minute of the game. And the Timberwolves then covered like they were something like eight and a half point underdogs. And they wound up covering because he went on this barrage at the end of the game. But that if you bet on your own team to cover or you're part of an operation that bet on your own team to cover, like it's a bad idea, you shouldn't do it. Right? But that's not the one. I think that's going to really shake people up that much. That's part of why people want to let Pete Rose slide is because they really always been on his team. That one doesn't really offend people in this way, but it's going to go farther, farther. And the assumption always is that somebody who does this like John J. Porter is desperate and owes people money. And that's how they get caught up. This gambling thing is going to hit our entire society. It's going to. And the reason is very simple. It's one thing when you had to go to the track to bet, but now the OTB is in your pocket, right? Like I think I told you, I was reading this book that made a very important point about being online is that you. Online used to be a place you had to go, right? You had to sit down at your computer.
The next thing you know, he was online. Well, now online is a place that goes everywhere that your phone goes. You're always online. That means with the casino, that you're always at the casino. Somebody is going to get themselves in this trouble because it's almost impossible not to. We are addicted to our phones as is. You think somebody's not going to get addicted to the part of the phone that you can make money with? It's going to come. It's here, right? And so these slow trickle stories that's coming out. Okay, my question is what else they know? Do they know something else? How tough is this going to get? How far is this going to go and when is it going to happen? Ryan, would you like to do something ironic?
Ryan Brumley
We got a big baseball game tonight. I like Giancarlo Stanton to have more than one and a half hits plus runs plus RBIs. I also like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. To have the same thing over one and a half. One and a half hits plus runs Plus RBIs. That's what I like today for DraftKings pick six foreign.
Bomani Jones
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Ryan Brumley
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Bomani Jones
About Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Summer is here, which means more opportunities to celebrate the warm weather. Before that backyard barbecue brew, glass of Pinot, watching the sunset at the beach, or cocktail by the campfire. Don't forget your Zebiotic Pre Alcohol drink one before drinking and wake up feeling great and ready to take on the next day and all that summer has to offer. Go to zebiotics.com bomani to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use Bomani at checkout. Zebiotics is back with a 100% money back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to zebiotics.com bomani and use the code bomani at checkout for 15% off. We know you can't be on top of all the news and information of the day. No need for the social media feeds. We got you now if you haven't.
Ryan Brumley
All right, Beau. Our first story is about weight loss.
Emily Stewart
The quest to work out without working out is really endless. Everybody wants this great summer body, but we'd rather not spend endless hours at the gym getting it. And so we look for all these sorts of fitness miracles. Sometimes stuff is pretty questionable. There are a bunch of contraptions that promise to whip us into shape with little or no effort. In the 50s, housewives were sold these vibrating belts that supposedly did the trick. Nowadays we have ab belts and vibrating platforms and shake weights and all sorts of devices that supposedly help us get fit. The claims around this stuff can be pretty dubious. Marketers obviously overstate their effectiveness, and a lot of the research on these products is done by the companies that make them. So you can maybe see the problem there. Experts say that some of this stuff does have some pretty purpose depending on the thing and the circumstance. And honestly, if some random tool gets you started exercising, that's fine, but you might quit pretty quickly. But we're also in the age of OIC and weight loss drugs, and people are really looking for more miracles and quick fixes. They figure if this shot can make them thin, why can't some electromagnetic vest make them fit? The tough thing is that fitness is this ongoing kind of slow game. Same with health. It would be really great if a shake weight could get your arms ready for summer, but it's probably not your best bet.
Bomani Jones
You know, Ryan, I talk about this that I'm the wrong person to really. I can only say, but so much on this. Like, I have metabolism that makes it such that, like, I was on John Oliver's talking something about the Irish ones, and he was like, I can't really say anything about it because I talk like this, right? Like, like, he's like, I feel like I'm in a very similar situation. Like, I can't really get on y' all about these things and moves. I'm just.
This isn't how the world works, man. Like, this is a just as an absolute across the board thing. I'm just going to press this button and it's going to. That's not. It don't go that way. None of those things are going to do the job that you're hoping for.
Ryan Brumley
Yeah. I mean, usually I think a good rule of thumb for most things, and if it's too good to be true, then it probably is.
Bomani Jones
Yeah. But it's, it's. And I feel bad for people because, like, people who have giant level, like, huge weight loss swings. Right. And I'm, I'm getting the words wrong. But you know, people who have a situation where they lose a lot of weight, one thing I hear them say is they realize when they lose weight just how much people hate fat people. Right. They can instantly tell the difference in how they're treated and how people look at them. And that's tough, you know, like. And so if you're in the position where you feel like people look at you like that. Yeah. You'll want to do anything to make it such that it doesn't go that way. But, you know, we read these stories about like, oh, zempic changes the way what it is to go out to dinner with people because people don't want to eat. Like that doesn't. That doesn't sound fun at all. Right. Like that. None of that sounds like the game that you want to play. So I get it. People want to. Can't get everything you want. Right. Like, we want to find a way to eat all the stuff that we want to want eat and do all the fun stuff and not take the consequences that come with it. Right. And you just got to figure out which one you want. Like, I realize this is obviously I'm not like at a risk of obesity necessarily, but I'm a big fan of sugar. Right. I enjoy those things greatly. Amen. I have realized that there's some limitations in some of my goals that come up from eating all this ice cream. Right. And drinking all these simply fruit drinks. I recognize that if I stop for a little while, I get the thing I'm looking for. I have decided I would rather eat ice cream. That's the, that's the call that I've made.
Ryan Brumley
Yeah. I mean, we've all, we've all got to make our decisions.
Bomani Jones
Yes. Yes.
Ryan Brumley
All right, this next one's about summer.
Matt Fuchs
Hi, I'm Matt Fuchs, contributing reporter for Time magazine. I recently wrote an article about the science of using air conditioning in ways that'll keep you cool without making you sick. AC is a great invention for getting through summertime without a heat related illness. Acs cool you down and reduce dust, pathogens and outdoor pollution like particulate matter. 2.5. AC also drops humidity, which helps prevent unhealthy mold and dust mites. But used the wrong way, AC can work against you. Breathing in very dry air makes your body add moisture, and that moist air leaves your body with every breath. According to experts I spoke with, this can dry up your airway, causing coughs, sore throats, and vulnerability to microbes. It's probably worth getting a fairly cheap humidity sensor. If humidity drops below 40%, give the AC a rest. If humidity tops 60%, crank it back up. Also, change your AC filter regularly. With a dirty filter, the coil and ducts could become cesspools of mold, bacteria, and allergens, which the AC blows into your home. People view AC as this magic black box for making cold. Researchers told me we just think about it when it stops making cold. But even if the cold magic still works, a specialist should inspect the coil and ducts yearly to ensure they're clean. Experts point to another issue. If the AC is always on with windows shut, your air may be rife with an indoor toxin. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, released by personal protection products and linked to chronic diseases. ACs don't filter them out, but a HEPA air purifier with a carbon filter can. It traps VOCs and particulate matter. 2.5 VOC monitors aren't always reliable, but monitors for PM2.5 are better. And they show humidity levels. Every home is a unicorn. So try these strategies. Check your monitor and find what works best to stay healthy, not moldy this summer.
Bomani Jones
Hey, man, I appreciate our man putting us up on game about this air conditioner. Because let me tell you something, brother, if the AC kills me, that's just what it does. I don't care if it's Legionnaires disease. I don't.
Ryan Brumley
We're going down. You and me both, brother.
Bomani Jones
That's just how it has to go, man. Ryan, we completely skipped. Let's go hang out at the park. Weather in New York City completely blew through.
Ryan Brumley
Missed it.
Bomani Jones
It did not happen. Like, I love going and just sitting in the park. It. Not a chance had. I don't. I don't know what just. Just went right through it. I'm just in here running this air conditioner, baby. Running it hot. That. Look, I'll do all those things that man said, okay? I'm gonna change out every filter. I'm gonna get all these pathogens, these toxins out the air, whatever it may be, right? And look, maybe it ties into what I was just saying about the Weight loss, right? What. What we talk about with the AC is not how the world works. It's not supposed to be so easy. You could just press a button and it's cold. You know what? It's not. It ain't supposed to be that way, but it is now.
Ryan Brumley
I'm gonna push that button on that cold box and make it go cold as long as it can, man.
Bomani Jones
I got a new air conditioning set up, and it's so weird to where, like, I like to sleep with a super cold, and it won't let me take it down below, like, 65. And I'm like, no, no, no. We need to keep going, baby. I got to figure out how to fix that. Keep it going. Keep it going. I can't think of my boy George. Boy, he talked about his daddy, God rest his soul. He said his daddy said a thing. I'll never forget this as long as I live. He said I work too hard to be hiding my own house. I refuse. Refuse.
Ryan Brumley
No. Being hot outside is terrible. Being hot indoors is worse.
Bomani Jones
Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. Like, so a thing about living in New York that's kind of hard to explain is that nobody has everything they want out of their home. Nobody. Like, it's just. It just. It don't work that way here. Everybody's making some level of trade.
It ain't about to be the ac, brother. It's not. There's a lot of these old buildings that ain't got, you know where. AC is not an option. No, sir. No, sir. Can't be. I'd be out there on the street looking for the Iceman, bro. We just have a block in the fan in my house at all times. Me not. Hell, no.
Ryan Brumley
All right, our last story is from dating. There's a new experimental dating site called Browser Dating, which aims to match singles based on their web browsing histories. The unconvincial approach analyzes users online interest and activities to create compatibility scores. Site emphasizes transparency, allowing users to see their browsing habits, how their browsing habits influence potential matches. The platform seeks to foster connections based on shared interest behaviors, challenging traditional mining methods that often rely on superficial metrics. Bo your thoughts.
Bomani Jones
Absolutely not.
No chance. No chance. I might as well let you put something on my brain that tells you all my thoughts.
Ryan Brumley
I don't know how to describe this without sounding, you know, like. Like gross. I wouldn't let anyone see my browser history.
Bomani Jones
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not. If I had known that that was going to Be an option. I would have browsed differently, of course. This is. This is not. And on top of that, let me tell you something. The last thing I want to be is with somebody who browse the same stuff as me. We gotta talk about. Yeah, yeah. Not what are we. Yeah, no, no, I ain't. I don't. No, no, no, no, no. Like, it's a very interesting idea. I see why somebody would do.
Ryan Brumley
It's certainly the most honest representation of what your thoughts actually are.
Bomani Jones
Yes. I actually think that all that's going to do is make it harder to find somebody. Like I would be. Says, I don't I is compatibility. If compatibility is done this way, is it measured by similarity? Is it measured by, like, complementarity? I don't know if that's a word, but, you know, but like, how they fit together rather than whether or not they're just, like, straight ahead? Like, I'm not exactly sure.
Ryan Brumley
The scary thing about that to me is what you'll have is just people who like all the same memes.
Well, that will just lead us to couples who just think the same memes are funny.
Bomani Jones
Now, I will say, though, that if you have this service and one of the factors that you put on there is, shall we say, what is your search term?
That might work. Could work, right? But you gotta. You gotta leave it there. You gotta leave just at the term. Just leave it there. Everybody keep it highly confidential. Highly confidential. Let them find out together that they have that in common.
Ryan Brumley
All right, voicemails. Oldie, but a goodie. Tell us about the best fight you see on the pickup basketball court. Great responses as always. Here's the first one.
Voicemail Callers
Hello, Bomani, this is Arthur. I'm a big fan. Been following you since your ESPN days. And I wanted to respond to your question about best fight that you've seen on a pickup game. So at university, my best friend was playing a pickup game, and I just. My team had lost. I was off on the side. I'm watching, and they're playing against this guy that's on a soccer team at our university.
Bomani Jones
And.
Voicemail Callers
And he's playing like an athlete that doesn't play basketball, if you know what I mean. Especially, like, football players are the best example of that. And he's being rough. And my friend, he's like 6, 4, 2, 20, pretty big, athletic guy. And the soccer player is like typical soccer player, size like 5, 9, maybe something like that, Smaller. But he's playing really hard. Really hard. Hustle, hustle, hustle. And then my friends started getting More serious with him and just started abusing him on the post and getting bored and stuff like that. So then the soccer player decided to get into his soccer player bag, and he headbutted my friend. Now, my friend, his mom is a vice president at this school. So I'm like, I need to go protect my friend. So I run out there, Me and this other guy go out there, and we grab my friend. We're like, we don't want you to destroy this other guy. This is not going to be a good look for you, for your mom or whatever. And we try to calm him down. And we do calm him down a bit. The soccer dude just kind of ticks off at this point. Then I look at my friend, and I see his mouth, and that's. His two front teeth are, like, pushed back in. And I'm like, oh, damn. I should have let him fight him. I felt really bad about it. So it wasn't much of a fight, but it was just kind of crazy to see that. And a rare moment, because I'm a pacifist at heart. I don't like seeing fighting. But at that time, I was like, damn, I really should have let him throw some haymakers at that boy again. I've been following you for a long time. Enjoy the show. Thanks. Take care.
Bomani Jones
Yo, by, you did the right thing. I want you to always know that you did the right thing. You did what your friend needed. But, yeah, it's been all these years. You could facilitate making it happen at another place, you know what I'm saying? Like, in the same school. It could be at homecoming or whatever, but the next time y' all see that, you know what time it is.
Ryan Brumley
All right, here's our next one.
Voicemail Callers
Yo, Bo. This is Jay from PG County, Maryland. And I'm gonna tell you a time where I would. A fight broke out at a basketball game that I was participating in. So I set the scene. This is about the year 2000. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm playing on a. I don't want to say it in Clark, but it's around the Clark campus. I have a couple of Morris Brown. I went to Morris Brown. I have a couple of Morris Brown guys with me, and we're playing hoop. I have my roommate, my dorm mate. At the time. We're going against these two older. Older classmates. They had been at Morris Brown for at least two years. So they were upperclassmen. They knew each other. Me and my roommate was still getting to know each other. We had summer school together. And so you know, coming into the fall, you know, we were still trying to get to know each other. And so we're playing the game against these two upperclassmen. And I, for some strange reason, blacked out. And when I mean blacked out, I mean, everything I'm shooting is going in. It's. It's never happened to me, those kind of games my whole life probably happened three times. I'm 44 years old. I probably had these games grand total of three times in my entire life. So this is one of those times. Everything's getting in, going in for me to a point where they start, you know, bickering about who's going to guard me. And so they make the switch, and then everything continues to go in. And so now we stopped the game. And these two are in each other's faces. The upperclassmen at Morris Brown are in each other's faces about to fight each other. Because of what I was doing on the court. It was the first time I felt bad and good, and it was weird because I couldn't really enjoy it because I'm seeing these two dudes, literally. And yes, they got. They threw blows. Yes, blood was drawn. It wasn't a big gash, but it was a gash over one of the guys's eyes.
Yeah. And that. It was just crazy, man. I will never forget that. Shout out to Morris Brown. Shout out to Atlanta. Those are some fun times in my life. I'm back in Prince George's county now, and I've never had a game like that since. So that should tell you how far and beyond those games are for me. Thank you for listening. Appreciate you. Keep doing what you do, bro.
Bomani Jones
Brother, I would have left like. Like, this is like the next. All that's. All that's waiting on you. After that is a hard foul because somebody got to show what it is. Also, when you say hooping around, Clark, that reminds me of that time I played some ball in university homes. And it was the one time I dunked in a game. And we should have left right away because the locals did not appreciate the. The milestone that I had achieved in that very moment. Man. Man. Yeah. Well, hey, man, at least they wouldn't fight you.
Ryan Brumley
All right, here's our last one.
Voicemail Callers
Hey, Bo. So I'm slightly outside of the criteria with this one. It was a practice fight, but still a good story. So we had these two dudes. This was in college. They were like power forwards, a little bit heavier dudes. So they were like, you know, 6, 6, 6, 7, ish. They start going at it, and practice just sort of seemed out of nowhere, but, like, just haymakers. So when I say seeing two dudes who are a little heavyset, it's six, six, standing toe to toe, just throwing haymakers for, like, probably 10 to 12 straight seconds. That sounds really short. My God, it was forever. I went and was like, oh, I'm going to jump in there and break it up. You know, my teammates fighting, blah, blah, blah. Coach holds me back. He's like, the hell are you about to do in there? I was like, you're right. I'm probably going to get knocked the hell out. So anyway, the way that this fight ends is one guy just cold clocks the other, goes down, hits the ground, kind of comes back to, and then just throws up on the court, like, so totally nuts. Starts dragging himself off, and the other dude yells at him, yeah, that's right. Throw up, you little bitch. So just totally nuts. I'm like, okay, that's got to be it. Like, he cold clocked you, Called you a little bitch as you're dragging yourself off the court in your own vomit. No. My man gets to his feet. He looks at him from across the court with every. The whole team between the two of them. He goes, that's all right. I'll catch you in the locker room. Stab you to death. Yo, what. What are we doing here? So, like, you know, these sound like big words, and some of your listeners might be like, oh, my God, what happened next, man? Nothing. We got down into the locker room and those two dudes dabbed each other up. We started talking about what had happened in practice and what we were about to do after, because that's how college basketball works. All right, man, talk to you later.
Bomani Jones
Hey, brother, let me explain something to you right now. I don't know how long ago that was, but you need to know this, and I mean this, that stabbing is still in the cards.
It's still on the board.
Ryan Brumley
Statute of limitations.
Bomani Jones
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It may take some alcohol to bring it out or whatever. Like, dude realized right then and there that stabbing him was probably not the best play. But his desire to stab him has not gone away, right? Now, granted, it's clear that he was given a concussion, and so maybe that. But. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't you think this is. This is not over. This is not. No, no, no, no, no. I am going to stab you. Hey, man, I don't want no parts. Any dude that's willing to stab you, that's real, man, right there, boy. You don't like any gun. The problem with a gun is anybody could be a killer with a gun, a knife. You got to have it in you even to say that word out loud. Yeah. No, no, no, not me. No, sir. No, sir. But ladies and gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us here on the right time. We do this here three days a week. Ryan Brumley handles everything behind the scenes. Thank you, sir. Also, thanks for if you haven't heard contributors, thanks to Emily Stewart of Business Insider. Check out her story about working out without working hard@business insider.com thanks to Matt Fuchs of Time. Check out his story about whether air conditioning can make you sick@time.com Remember, follow the right time. Subscribe like Rate us, review us, Give us five stars. You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are hater. We'll talk to you guys in a couple of days. Take it easy.
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This episode covers the NBA draft drama around Ace Bailey, LeBron James’ complicated relationship with the Lakers and his contract move, and the ongoing (and growing) concerns about gambling scandals in the NBA—particularly the Malik Beasley investigation. It also touches on pop culture topics like fitness fads, air conditioning in summer, and a hilarious debate about a new dating app based on web browsing history. The show features Bomani's signature sharp analysis, humor, and engagement with listener stories.
(01:05–12:36)
“Let me tell you whose idea that was. Not. That was not Omar Cooper's idea.” — Bomani (12:08)
“You might need to show up with the dog everywhere you go for quite a while.” — Bomani (12:17)
(12:36–25:16)
Bomani is sympathetic to LeBron’s desire for money and legacy but believes his approach with the Lakers has always been transactional—missing the kind of organic, emotional connection Kobe Bryant fostered.
(25:16–32:40)
“You know what the normal way of saying that is? Trying to steal from a casino.” — Ryan Brumley (29:08)
“Hold on. The casino. Not the bodega. The casino.” — Bomani (29:53)
(36:27–46:39) Segments with contributions from Emily Stewart and Matt Fuchs.
"If the AC kills me, that's just what it does." (42:08)
“I might as well let you put something on my brain that tells you all my thoughts.” — Bomani (45:09)
(47:01–54:51) A set of detailed, humorous listener stories about intense (sometimes bizarre) fights during or around pickup hoops and basketball practice.
“You need to know this, and I mean this, that stabbing is still in the cards. It's still on the board.” — Bomani (55:02)
On agents:
"Anybody can do it, but not everybody can do it. ... If you can sit in the discomfort longer, you're going to win." (05:15)
On LeBron:
"LeBron has probably been underpaid by something in the neighborhood of a billion dollars, if not more." (14:31)
"Everything needed to be I am a Laker for life ... That's what I think he needed to say." (22:24)
On gambling:
"It's not the stuff that threatens the integrity of the game. That hasn't happened yet. Yet." (27:39)
"Hold on. The casino. Not the bodega. The casino." (29:53)
On dating by browser history:
"The last thing I want to be is with somebody who browse the same stuff as me." (45:16)
On pickup fights:
"You did the right thing. I want you to always know that you did the right thing. ... But the next time y'all see that, you know what time it is." (49:02)
As always, Bomani combines sharp, informed basketball analysis and strong social commentary with humor and directness. The conversational banter with Ryan Brumley is witty and self-aware. Listener stories further build the community feel of the podcast.
If you haven’t listened, this summary gives you all the insight, laughs, and context you need!