As is always the case with LeBron James, even in the midst of everything he has to focus on on the basketball court itself, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar also has plenty of off-court projects as well. The most recent one came in the form of a new podcast, ‘Mind the Game,’ with former NBA guard JJ Redick.
The announcement of the podcast, and the pairing itself, caught many by surprise, but this was no accident. LeBron felt the basketball world was missing something in terms of what was being talked about and how the game was being discussed and the Lakers star felt teaming with Redick on this podcast was just perfect.
“I feel like we was losing the essence of the game of basketball,” LeBron said when asked what sparked the podcast with Redick. “The true meaning behind the game of basketball and teaching our youth and teaching the people what the game of basketball really truly means.
“I think I was getting very frustrated with the daily comparisons every single day. You know, who’s better between you and Dave McMenamin, or how does this affect your legacy? If this guy played in the 50s, would he be this, or if this guy in the 50s played in the 2000s? It’s not good for the youth. Obviously, if you want to hear that you go to the barbershops but when you hear it every day on national television and I felt like our audience needed a different approach and understand the true essence of the game and how I fell in love with the game.
“And when you have someone like JJ who has kind of the same mindset about the game of basketball, very smart, fell in love with the game for all the right reasons. This is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. JJ was just, it was perfect timing.”
These days, especially on television, it is all about spiking ratings which often leads to the same subjects being talked about and lots of screaming and arguing, but little substantial actual talk about the game of basketball. James wanted to get back to that and another intelligent basketball mind who has media experience like Redick was the perfect partner to do it with.
There has only been one episode so far, but the idea of what LeBron and Redick are going for can already be seen and it is certainly different than what is seen on most mainstream outlets.
Lakers’ LeBron James discusses his issue with the 2-for-1 shot
In the midst of that first episode, LeBron James would bring up the 2-for-1 shot as something that really bothers him. While LeBron understands and agrees with the idea overall, he isn’t a fan of how it’s executed at times.
James noted that there are a lot of variables that some players don’t take into account when going for it, adding that the state of the game, whether or not the team is playing well at the time or if the opposition is on a run should all come into play.
In LeBron’s eyes, just getting a shot up in that moment can potentially do more harm and sometimes, taking your time and just getting up a good shot is the better option.
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