While LeBron James has put together another impressive season, at least individually, this year, he likes to think of himself as more than an athlete. In recent years, he has branched out into acting, business and social activism, just to name a few things.
On Tuesday, he teamed with former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick to host a new podcast, which is called “Mind The Game.” While there are seemingly a million different podcasts out there that cover pro basketball, some of which are hosted by former players, the fact James is co-hosting this one is sure to draw a large audience.
In the podcast’s debut episode, James and Redick talked about a number of interesting issues, including the criticism Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum gets.
James has seemingly embraced being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and all the pressure and historical context that comes with being the face of the storied franchise. But it didn’t prevent him from defending and praising Tatum.
Even though the Celtics forward has made five All-Star teams and two All-NBA first-team squads, some doubt whether he can be a true franchise player, especially since he has a history of coming up short in big games. That’s not the way James sees it.
Speaking of the Celtics, Rajon Rondo won an NBA championship with them in 2008 when they defeated Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals. Many years later, he came to the Lakers and played a key role off the bench when they won it all in 2020.
It allowed James, who lost twice to Rondo’s Boston squads, to get an up-close-and-personal look at the point guard’s basketball IQ.
When people talk about the superstars who have influenced basketball the most, people will mention Bryant, Michael Jordan and Julius Erving. In the current era, an argument could be made that Stephen Curry has been hugely influential.
During a recent era, Allen Iverson had a cult following, not so much for the way he played, but for his immense chutzpah and his keep it real ethos.
James touched on that…
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