LeBron James is taking his first steps into podcasting by launching a show alongside 15-year NBA veteran J.J. Redick. The 'Mind the Game' podcast will feature James and Redick breaking down the technical side of basketball, with the first teaser clip showing James and Redick discussing defensive coverages for an out-of-bounds baseline play.
.@kingjames and @jj_redick are obsessed with basketball.
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 18, 2024
Consider their podcast, Mind the Game, a celebration of the sport as they discuss the state of the game, dissect X’s and O’s (like they do here), and wax poetic about the game they love. pic.twitter.com/lDf8ToVlHE
James also sent out a tweet expressing his excitement for the debut episode to drop tomorrow at 7 AM Eastern.
"It’s what’s NEEDED!! This is going to (be) FUN!!"
It’s what’s NEEDED!! This is going to FUN!! https://t.co/2rjIE35L9M
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 18, 2024
The podcast is being launched in collaboration with both players' media ventures, as Redick represents ThreeFourThree Productions while LeBron has Uninterrupted. Hopefully, the shared teaser reflects the podcast's actual content and not just a segment where they break the game down.
LeBron is arguably one of the smartest players in NBA history, with players and coaches often praising how insightful James is. Putting that side of his knowledge on display for NBA fans and breaking down the game without any agendas should be an extremely fun watch.
LeBron James is a basketball savant, repeatedly displaying over his career that few players have ever been on the same cerebral level of understanding the game of basketball as James has been. That knowledge has allowed him to dominate at the highest level of the sport for 21 years and will now be easily accessible to fans.
We have heard stories of James' incredible intellect before. One of the most recent mind feats about LeBron came from Rajon Rondo, who revealed how LeBron openly told his Lakers teammates that he would outcoach legendary Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra in the 2020 NBA Finals.
“This goes back to the bubble when me and Bron were in the bubble. We’re watching the game. I think it was Miami and Boston again. And we were sitting in the room watching the game, and like I said, it went down to the wire. So, Bron’s like, ‘If we get Miami, I got Spo, and if we get Boston, you got Brad [Stevens]. So that was kind of our mindset. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna beat the Heat, or we’re gonna beat the [Boston] Celtics.’ It was more so if we can outcoach or outplay the coaches on that staff in particular, which two guys we felt that we knew pretty good, we were gonna win.”
What James wanted to do ended up happening, as the Lakers beat the Heat in six games with LeBron winning Finals MVP. If he showcases the full thinking process behind how he views the game of basketball, it might be one of the most engaging NBA podcasts available.
JJ Redick is a proven voice in the game and will likely bring the best out of LeBron in a traditional podcast format, something James is more unfamiliar with.
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