July 8, 2025 • 14 mins
What do a fake Sopranos scene, a billionaire Russian mineral mogul, and a $30 million coaching offer have in common? They were all part of the wild, over-the-top campaign to land LeBron James during the most dramatic free agency in NBA history.In this unforgettable episode of The Ben and Skin Show, Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray—fires up the Wayback Machine to relive the 15-year anniversary of The Decision. From Larry King’s couch to Jim Gray’s painfully slow interview, the guys break down every bizarre, hilarious, and jaw-dropping moment that led to LeBron’s infamous announcement: “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.”
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You can make a donation to the Kerr County Flood
(00:02):
Relief Fund. You can do that at community Foundation dot net.
That has been vetted by iHeart. We stand behind that.
We're like, that is a great place to make a
donation and your donation will matter. Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.
That's Community Foundation dot net. Community Foundation dot net.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got the.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Hollywood Shuffle coming up, the newest highest grossing actor of
all time. We got a potential superstar coming to Dallas
to play sports.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
We could talk about that, but right now it's stop.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
For this OOS.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's time to go into the bittering schedule. Worrybat Moss.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Fifteen years ago today was a day that is now
known as the Decision. I've pulled a bunch of tiny clips.
I'm gonna piece together more of a deep dive on this.
So today is July eighth, but this is June one,
twenty ten. This is Lebron James on Larry King's show.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
You know this city, these fans, I mean, it has
given me a lot for me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Is comfortable.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
And the Calves moved quickly to find a new coach
who'd helped convince him to stay. They offered a heap
of money to Michigan State's Tom Izzo, but he didn't
like that Lebron uncertainty and declined.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
They offered thirty million dollars a year in twenty ten
for tom Izzo to leave Michigan State and coach the Calves,
and he's like, I don't know if Lebron's gonna sign.
So Cavs fans are nervous, even though he just told
Larry King love Cleveland.
Speaker 7 (01:25):
It's been the world to me.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So hold on a second, Yes, is this a Bill Simmons,
Many Simmons. That's not not some other guy. Okay, it's
just some use thing. Thirty million a year was that?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That's what they offered.
Speaker 7 (01:36):
It's what they offered Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
What is like the highest paid coach now is like twelve?
It was.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I think the highest paid coach was Popovich, and I
believe he was making twelve or thirteen. Maybe it was
thirty million in total, but that I bet it was
three years and thirty million. It could be my guest,
but dude, I mean then that would have been the
highest paid coach. But keep in mind that the owner
is Dan Gilbert, who is a Michigan State guy and
has more money than you can shake stick out.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I just said something my mom would say.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
But yeah, Dan Gilbert was crazy rich in a Michigan
state guy, So that doesn't sound that out.
Speaker 7 (02:07):
I'm a jerk.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Five years, six million a year, I'm a joke. I'm
sorry about that. Okay, thirty million, Okay, But here's the
here's the we can move on. The point is June first,
he's doing an interview with Larry King talk about how
he loves Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, Cleveland fans are nervous.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
Lebron has made it clear that precisely six teams are
eligible for his services, not that others aren't trying. The
twenty ten free agent class is deep, but once July
first hit, all six of those teams pause their other
negotiations to fly to Cleveland and line up for meetings
with Lebron.
Speaker 7 (02:37):
All right, so here are the six teams.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Wait, so is it ai Bill Simmons?
Speaker 7 (02:40):
My god, it's a guy. Don't worry about it. A
lot of people don't even know who Bill Simmons is.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You'll see.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
So you have six teams that are actually in the mix,
and here's their pitch.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
All right, The New Jersey Nets had the first meeting
on Thursday, the first. They just finished a twelve win season,
but they have brand new draft pick, Derek Favors. They
got flexibility to add another big star like Chris Bosh,
a new owner from Russia with ungodly wealth that he
got doing.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Not crimes.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
And they have Jay z one of Lebron's good friends,
as a part owner. He came to the meeting as well.
The Nets thought their meeting went great.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Cool all right, So the Nets with twelve wins and
Derek party favors, Yeah, let's go.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
We can get Lebron and dude that remember that Russian owner,
he was like made all his money off minerals and
rocks and stuff. He wasn't around long really, Yeah, he
was here for like four or five years and then bounced.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
If you made all your money in minerals too, Like
what do you need America for? Just go back to
where all the minerals are. Yeah, okay, this is where
it gets real good.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Later on July first, the Knicks got an audience with Lebron.
They have room not just for Lebron, but for a
couple free agents. The Knicks made that clear in their
meeting and talked up the benefits of Mike d'antoni's fast
paced offense and the benefits of playing in a market
like New York, but the Nicks mostly let others do
the talking. They presented a video with testimonials from all
(04:05):
sorts of New York celebrity.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
Chris Rock, Spike Lee, and Mayor Rudolph Juliani.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
Awesome, And they even recruited James Gandalfini and Edie Falco
to get back in character and film a fake Sopranos
scene that they presented to Lebron because he's a Sopranos fan.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I'm not joking.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
I would like to hear the fake Sopranos. So Pablo
Tori got this somehow, I've found it. And the idea
is that Tony Soprano is in witness protection now because
the show's over. Twenty ten, the show's over. Yeah, he's
(04:47):
a witness protection now with Edie Falco, and he's reading
the newspaper on a couch.
Speaker 7 (04:54):
She's in the kitchen looking at places for Lebron to
live if he moves to New York. And here's the scene.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Tony so glad.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh sorry, you're gonna hear laughing and that's just Pablo
Torri's podcast crew all laughing.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Tony, I'm so glad we moved to New York. Life
is so much better now if we are in a
witness protection program. Now, we just got to find a
place for your friend Lebron to live. What's he like.
He's a modern guy, he respects tradition. Do something classy
on the East Side. Was it big enough? It's gonna
be entertaining a lot of people in New York. It's
(05:25):
very expensive. Oh, that's not gonna be a problem. You
gotta find something magnificent. Something. There's nothing in the world
like in one of a kind like he is.
Speaker 7 (05:34):
Well, here's a place, he says.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It gets really loud. Take a look. Oh yeah, that's
gonna be perfect for him. Allow me to reintroduce myself.
Speaker 7 (05:49):
And then they look.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
The song plays and it says it's winning time on
the thing and they're smiling at the camera.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
That's pretty damn good, dude, that's pretty good.
Speaker 7 (05:59):
Okay, that's how we're going to get Lebron. If Lebron
really liked the show, I didn't know. I mean, Lebron's
pretty young to be liking the Sopranos. At that point.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Pretty interesting that he had a meeting with the New
Jersey Nets and the Knicks just jacked the sopranos from
New Jersey.
Speaker 7 (06:14):
We'll do one more before he keep this going here.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Lebron's first meeting on July second was with the Miami Heat.
Heat president pat Riley pulls strings his own way. When
the Cavs came to Miami for a game in November
two thousand and nine, Riley arranged a meeting between himself.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Lebron, and Michael Jordan.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
You know, just a couple of basketball guys hanging out
and not tampering at all. Soon after, Lebron dramatically announced
he would stop wearing number twenty three as soon as
possible out of deference to MJ's legacy. So Riley knows
he's got some influence, and he exerted every bit of it.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
In the free agent meeting.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
He showed Lebron his numerous championship rings, invited Alonzo Morning
to talk about Heat culture, and made sure to mention
that there's no state income tax in Florida.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
So when we come back, I'll tell you what the
other three teams did, and then how Lebron and Jim
Gray made TV history.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Okay, won the eagle. We have the Hollywood Shuffle coming
up a little after four o'clock with the new highest
grossing actor and in history.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Who is it? We'll tell you who that is.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
But we're picking back up with KT's exploration because it's
the fifteen year anniversary of Lebron's decision.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah, and where we left off, we gave you the Nets,
the Knicks, and the heat pitch to Lebron, including a
little backstory of pat Riley gathering Lebron with Michael Jordan
six or seven months before free agency even began.
Speaker 7 (07:38):
Here's the fourth team on the list.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Lebron's next suitor on July second was the Clippers. Clippers
GM Neil Olsha has known Lebron for a while and
he just wanted to talk about basketball. Forget glitz and glamours,
said Neil. The Clippers have talent. They have Baron Davis,
they have Blake Griffin who missed his whole rookie year
because of injury. But still they have Chris Cane. It
was a short meeting, but you never know.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Yeah, Okay, so they're like, you know what, this is
a basketball guy, true and true This is our guy
right here, true and true, through and through h this
is our guy right here.
Speaker 7 (08:12):
They just thought basketball were the Clippers.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Well, chalk talk, look at our roster. Do you like
what you see? Little Chris Caynan Chris Cayman action.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
So obviously didn't go well for the Clippers.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
On Saturday, July third, Lebron had his last two meetings.
The first was with his current team, who'd enlisted fans
to hold up signs and rallies and wherever Lebron went.
Throughout the weekend, Lebron met with new coach Byron Scott
and new GM Chris Grant. The Calves also played a
video depicting Lebron as part of a homemade family guy
style cartoon that referenced inside jokes only members of the
(08:48):
Cavaliers would get.
Speaker 7 (08:49):
I looked for it and couldn't find it.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
No, I couldn't find It's disappointing we wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Get it because we weren't members of the Calves.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Let me tell you something, bad strategy hate everyone follow
him around and make his life hell for the weekend
in Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Well it could, that's his hometown, and so they were
trying to guilt him into staying at home. Yeah, you're
gonna crush the hopes and dreams of our entire community.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
That's your community. Was a good play.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
What they should have done is they should have busted
the entire city of Akron up to Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That would have been the power move.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Every resident of Akron is hanging out in the city
of Cleveland right now.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
Um, and this is the last team, the Bulls.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
The Bulls pitch was simple.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Lebron can pick up where mj left off and win
a bunch of rings in Chicago. His all star supporting
cast is already in place. The Bulls have Derek Rose,
they have Joke him Noah, and they'd have cap space
even after signing Lebron.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Oh, and it's what President Obama wants.
Speaker 7 (09:47):
That's powerful.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, except for the man who wants to go follow
Michael Jordan.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Like, but who would want to go follow Kobe and
go to the Lakers. Oh wait, Lebron.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
That's a good point.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Like Lebron is awesome, but he does a lot of
this stuff to himself, and he has done a lot of
this stuff to himself over the years, including this.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, but by the time he got to La he
had already won multiple championships.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, true, true, true true. Let's go to the decision.
I did not realize. I guess I just didn't remember
because I haven't watched it and I've had no reason
to go watch this again.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
But it's Jim Gray. Man, Jim Gray. He's amazing.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I know Ben was obsessed for Jim Gray for a
while back in the past.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You gotta remember too, this is an hour of live television.
This is an hour long live television show that's based
around a thirty second statement. It's kids on a gym floor.
It's in it's the boys and Girls club that Lebron built.
If I remember correcting up.
Speaker 7 (10:51):
In Connecticut or near his hometown.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Right, Well, he's not from Connecticut.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
Well that it was in Connecticut, That's what they said
in this.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
So yeah, well okay, but here's a this is this
great question from Jim Gray.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
He's still a nail bier.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I have a little bit, not a blade.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Well, you've had everybody else biting their nails, so I
guess it's time for them to stop chewing.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Stand up for Chuck. You've got everyone else so just
needs to stand up.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You got to realize that's after fifty five minutes of
a penalty kill like it is. I remember watching it
just thinking this is excruciating.
Speaker 7 (11:26):
He was talking. I mean, it is amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
He's still a nail bighter.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
I have a little bit, not a blade.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
Well, you've had everybody else biting their nails, so I
guess it's time for them to stop chewing. The answer
to the question everybody wants to know, Lebron, what's your decision.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
In this fall?
Speaker 8 (11:43):
Man?
Speaker 5 (11:44):
It's very tough, and this fall I'm gonna take my town.
It's the Stupa Beach and joining Miami Heat.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Miami Heat.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Okay, listens, Miami Heat.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Like four kids were Heat fans of the hundred kids
in there.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It sounded like that owl hit the window.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Yes, this is every sales meeting with the mediocre, A pause.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Take my talents to South Beach and joining Miami Heat.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Miami Heap.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
That was the conclusion this morning.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
And what a great follow up from from GYM Miami
Miami Heat.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
That was a conclusion you woke up with this morning.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
That was a conclusion I woke up with this morning.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
That's just so egotistical the way he said it too.
I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
It was a bad.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Line he got. There was a lot. I mean, there
was so much bad pr over this.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Like I said before, I feel like it's it's going
to give me the best opportunity to win and to
win for multiple years, and not only just to win
in the regular season or just to win five games
in a row or three games in a row. I
want to be able to win championships and I feel
like I can compete down.
Speaker 8 (12:59):
In Was it always in your plan to go and
play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
I mean, this is really tough because he's got to
figure out his lie.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Yeah, and guz he's the worst guy for Lebron to
have doing this because he will ask hard questions.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
The banana boat, guys, Uh, well, in the banana boat,
Chris Paul was on the banana boat. But that in
Carmelo's part of that too. But keep in mind they
planned all this with Team US a dream team. Yeah,
so it was already wheels in motion and so now
he's got to figure out his line. And by the way,
do you guys realize how old Lebron is in this?
Oh forty down he's twenty about twenty five, well twenty
(13:43):
five really about because he'd been in Cleveland for probably
seven years.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He went to Cleveland when he was eighteen eighty four.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
Yeah, twenty six years old. Yeah, man, twenty five going
on twenty six.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
How about that? The Wayback Machine delivers once again the
fifteen year anniversary of Lebron's decision. All right, Coming up
next in the Hollywood Shuffle, a new highest grossing actor
of all time?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Can you guess who it is that's coming up next
You can make a donation to the Kerr County Flood
(00:02):
Relief Fund. You can do that at community Foundation dot net.
That has been vetted by iHeart. We stand behind that.
We're like, that is a great place to make a
donation and your donation will matter. Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.
That's Community Foundation dot net. Community Foundation dot net.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got the.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Hollywood Shuffle coming up, the newest highest grossing actor of
all time. We got a potential superstar coming to Dallas
to play sports.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
We could talk about that, but right now it's stop.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
For this OOS.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's time to go into the bittering schedule. Worrybat Moss.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Fifteen years ago today was a day that is now
known as the Decision. I've pulled a bunch of tiny clips.
I'm gonna piece together more of a deep dive on this.
So today is July eighth, but this is June one,
twenty ten. This is Lebron James on Larry King's show.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
You know this city, these fans, I mean, it has
given me a lot for me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Is comfortable.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
And the Calves moved quickly to find a new coach
who'd helped convince him to stay. They offered a heap
of money to Michigan State's Tom Izzo, but he didn't
like that Lebron uncertainty and declined.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
They offered thirty million dollars a year in twenty ten
for tom Izzo to leave Michigan State and coach the Calves,
and he's like, I don't know if Lebron's gonna sign.
So Cavs fans are nervous, even though he just told
Larry King love Cleveland.
Speaker 7 (01:25):
It's been the world to me.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So hold on a second, Yes, is this a Bill Simmons,
Many Simmons. That's not not some other guy. Okay, it's
just some use thing. Thirty million a year was that?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That's what they offered.
Speaker 7 (01:36):
It's what they offered Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
What is like the highest paid coach now is like twelve?
It was.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I think the highest paid coach was Popovich, and I
believe he was making twelve or thirteen. Maybe it was
thirty million in total, but that I bet it was
three years and thirty million. It could be my guest,
but dude, I mean then that would have been the
highest paid coach. But keep in mind that the owner
is Dan Gilbert, who is a Michigan State guy and
has more money than you can shake stick out.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I just said something my mom would say.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
But yeah, Dan Gilbert was crazy rich in a Michigan
state guy, So that doesn't sound that out.
Speaker 7 (02:07):
I'm a jerk.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Five years, six million a year, I'm a joke. I'm
sorry about that. Okay, thirty million, Okay, But here's the
here's the we can move on. The point is June first,
he's doing an interview with Larry King talk about how
he loves Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, Cleveland fans are nervous.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
Lebron has made it clear that precisely six teams are
eligible for his services, not that others aren't trying. The
twenty ten free agent class is deep, but once July
first hit, all six of those teams pause their other
negotiations to fly to Cleveland and line up for meetings
with Lebron.
Speaker 7 (02:37):
All right, so here are the six teams.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Wait, so is it ai Bill Simmons?
Speaker 7 (02:40):
My god, it's a guy. Don't worry about it. A
lot of people don't even know who Bill Simmons is.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You'll see.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
So you have six teams that are actually in the mix,
and here's their pitch.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
All right, The New Jersey Nets had the first meeting
on Thursday, the first. They just finished a twelve win season,
but they have brand new draft pick, Derek Favors. They
got flexibility to add another big star like Chris Bosh,
a new owner from Russia with ungodly wealth that he
got doing.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Not crimes.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
And they have Jay z one of Lebron's good friends,
as a part owner. He came to the meeting as well.
The Nets thought their meeting went great.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Cool all right, So the Nets with twelve wins and
Derek party favors, Yeah, let's go.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
We can get Lebron and dude that remember that Russian owner,
he was like made all his money off minerals and
rocks and stuff. He wasn't around long really, Yeah, he
was here for like four or five years and then bounced.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
If you made all your money in minerals too, Like
what do you need America for? Just go back to
where all the minerals are. Yeah, okay, this is where
it gets real good.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Later on July first, the Knicks got an audience with Lebron.
They have room not just for Lebron, but for a
couple free agents. The Knicks made that clear in their
meeting and talked up the benefits of Mike d'antoni's fast
paced offense and the benefits of playing in a market
like New York, but the Nicks mostly let others do
the talking. They presented a video with testimonials from all
(04:05):
sorts of New York celebrity.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
Chris Rock, Spike Lee, and Mayor Rudolph Juliani.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
Awesome, And they even recruited James Gandalfini and Edie Falco
to get back in character and film a fake Sopranos
scene that they presented to Lebron because he's a Sopranos fan.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I'm not joking.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
I would like to hear the fake Sopranos. So Pablo
Tori got this somehow, I've found it. And the idea
is that Tony Soprano is in witness protection now because
the show's over. Twenty ten, the show's over. Yeah, he's
(04:47):
a witness protection now with Edie Falco, and he's reading
the newspaper on a couch.
Speaker 7 (04:54):
She's in the kitchen looking at places for Lebron to
live if he moves to New York. And here's the scene.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Tony so glad.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Oh sorry, you're gonna hear laughing and that's just Pablo
Torri's podcast crew all laughing.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Tony, I'm so glad we moved to New York. Life
is so much better now if we are in a
witness protection program. Now, we just got to find a
place for your friend Lebron to live. What's he like.
He's a modern guy, he respects tradition. Do something classy
on the East Side. Was it big enough? It's gonna
be entertaining a lot of people in New York. It's
(05:25):
very expensive. Oh, that's not gonna be a problem. You
gotta find something magnificent. Something. There's nothing in the world
like in one of a kind like he is.
Speaker 7 (05:34):
Well, here's a place, he says.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It gets really loud. Take a look. Oh yeah, that's
gonna be perfect for him. Allow me to reintroduce myself.
Speaker 7 (05:49):
And then they look.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
The song plays and it says it's winning time on
the thing and they're smiling at the camera.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
That's pretty damn good, dude, that's pretty good.
Speaker 7 (05:59):
Okay, that's how we're going to get Lebron. If Lebron
really liked the show, I didn't know. I mean, Lebron's
pretty young to be liking the Sopranos. At that point.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Pretty interesting that he had a meeting with the New
Jersey Nets and the Knicks just jacked the sopranos from
New Jersey.
Speaker 7 (06:14):
We'll do one more before he keep this going here.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Lebron's first meeting on July second was with the Miami Heat.
Heat president pat Riley pulls strings his own way. When
the Cavs came to Miami for a game in November
two thousand and nine, Riley arranged a meeting between himself.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Lebron, and Michael Jordan.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
You know, just a couple of basketball guys hanging out
and not tampering at all. Soon after, Lebron dramatically announced
he would stop wearing number twenty three as soon as
possible out of deference to MJ's legacy. So Riley knows
he's got some influence, and he exerted every bit of it.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
In the free agent meeting.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
He showed Lebron his numerous championship rings, invited Alonzo Morning
to talk about Heat culture, and made sure to mention
that there's no state income tax in Florida.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
So when we come back, I'll tell you what the
other three teams did, and then how Lebron and Jim
Gray made TV history.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Okay, won the eagle. We have the Hollywood Shuffle coming
up a little after four o'clock with the new highest
grossing actor and in history.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Who is it? We'll tell you who that is.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
But we're picking back up with KT's exploration because it's
the fifteen year anniversary of Lebron's decision.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah, and where we left off, we gave you the Nets,
the Knicks, and the heat pitch to Lebron, including a
little backstory of pat Riley gathering Lebron with Michael Jordan
six or seven months before free agency even began.
Speaker 7 (07:38):
Here's the fourth team on the list.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Lebron's next suitor on July second was the Clippers. Clippers
GM Neil Olsha has known Lebron for a while and
he just wanted to talk about basketball. Forget glitz and glamours,
said Neil. The Clippers have talent. They have Baron Davis,
they have Blake Griffin who missed his whole rookie year
because of injury. But still they have Chris Cane. It
was a short meeting, but you never know.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Yeah, Okay, so they're like, you know what, this is
a basketball guy, true and true This is our guy
right here, true and true, through and through h this
is our guy right here.
Speaker 7 (08:12):
They just thought basketball were the Clippers.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Well, chalk talk, look at our roster. Do you like
what you see? Little Chris Caynan Chris Cayman action.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
So obviously didn't go well for the Clippers.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
On Saturday, July third, Lebron had his last two meetings.
The first was with his current team, who'd enlisted fans
to hold up signs and rallies and wherever Lebron went.
Throughout the weekend, Lebron met with new coach Byron Scott
and new GM Chris Grant. The Calves also played a
video depicting Lebron as part of a homemade family guy
style cartoon that referenced inside jokes only members of the
(08:48):
Cavaliers would get.
Speaker 7 (08:49):
I looked for it and couldn't find it.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
No, I couldn't find It's disappointing we wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Get it because we weren't members of the Calves.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Let me tell you something, bad strategy hate everyone follow
him around and make his life hell for the weekend
in Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Well it could, that's his hometown, and so they were
trying to guilt him into staying at home. Yeah, you're
gonna crush the hopes and dreams of our entire community.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
That's your community. Was a good play.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
What they should have done is they should have busted
the entire city of Akron up to Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That would have been the power move.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Every resident of Akron is hanging out in the city
of Cleveland right now.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
Um, and this is the last team, the Bulls.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
The Bulls pitch was simple.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Lebron can pick up where mj left off and win
a bunch of rings in Chicago. His all star supporting
cast is already in place. The Bulls have Derek Rose,
they have Joke him Noah, and they'd have cap space
even after signing Lebron.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Oh, and it's what President Obama wants.
Speaker 7 (09:47):
That's powerful.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, except for the man who wants to go follow
Michael Jordan.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Like, but who would want to go follow Kobe and
go to the Lakers. Oh wait, Lebron.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
That's a good point.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Like Lebron is awesome, but he does a lot of
this stuff to himself, and he has done a lot of
this stuff to himself over the years, including this.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, but by the time he got to La he
had already won multiple championships.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, true, true, true true. Let's go to the decision.
I did not realize. I guess I just didn't remember
because I haven't watched it and I've had no reason
to go watch this again.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
But it's Jim Gray. Man, Jim Gray. He's amazing.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I know Ben was obsessed for Jim Gray for a
while back in the past.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You gotta remember too, this is an hour of live television.
This is an hour long live television show that's based
around a thirty second statement. It's kids on a gym floor.
It's in it's the boys and Girls club that Lebron built.
If I remember correcting up.
Speaker 7 (10:51):
In Connecticut or near his hometown.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Right, Well, he's not from Connecticut.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
Well that it was in Connecticut, That's what they said
in this.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
So yeah, well okay, but here's a this is this
great question from Jim Gray.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
He's still a nail bier.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I have a little bit, not a blade.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Well, you've had everybody else biting their nails, so I
guess it's time for them to stop chewing.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Stand up for Chuck. You've got everyone else so just
needs to stand up.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You got to realize that's after fifty five minutes of
a penalty kill like it is. I remember watching it
just thinking this is excruciating.
Speaker 7 (11:26):
He was talking. I mean, it is amazing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
He's still a nail bighter.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
I have a little bit, not a blade.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
Well, you've had everybody else biting their nails, so I
guess it's time for them to stop chewing. The answer
to the question everybody wants to know, Lebron, what's your decision.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
In this fall?
Speaker 8 (11:43):
Man?
Speaker 5 (11:44):
It's very tough, and this fall I'm gonna take my town.
It's the Stupa Beach and joining Miami Heat.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Miami Heat.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Okay, listens, Miami Heat.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Like four kids were Heat fans of the hundred kids
in there.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It sounded like that owl hit the window.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Yes, this is every sales meeting with the mediocre, A pause.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Take my talents to South Beach and joining Miami Heat.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Miami Heap.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
That was the conclusion this morning.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
And what a great follow up from from GYM Miami
Miami Heat.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
That was a conclusion you woke up with this morning.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
That was a conclusion I woke up with this morning.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
That's just so egotistical the way he said it too.
I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
It was a bad.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Line he got. There was a lot. I mean, there
was so much bad pr over this.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Like I said before, I feel like it's it's going
to give me the best opportunity to win and to
win for multiple years, and not only just to win
in the regular season or just to win five games
in a row or three games in a row. I
want to be able to win championships and I feel
like I can compete down.
Speaker 8 (12:59):
In Was it always in your plan to go and
play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
I mean, this is really tough because he's got to
figure out his lie.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Yeah, and guz he's the worst guy for Lebron to
have doing this because he will ask hard questions.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
The banana boat, guys, Uh, well, in the banana boat,
Chris Paul was on the banana boat. But that in
Carmelo's part of that too. But keep in mind they
planned all this with Team US a dream team. Yeah,
so it was already wheels in motion and so now
he's got to figure out his line. And by the way,
do you guys realize how old Lebron is in this?
Oh forty down he's twenty about twenty five, well twenty
(13:43):
five really about because he'd been in Cleveland for probably
seven years.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
He went to Cleveland when he was eighteen eighty four.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
Yeah, twenty six years old. Yeah, man, twenty five going
on twenty six.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
How about that? The Wayback Machine delivers once again the
fifteen year anniversary of Lebron's decision. All right, Coming up
next in the Hollywood Shuffle, a new highest grossing actor
of all time?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Can you guess who it is that's coming up next
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