SmartLess - "LeBron James"
Episode Date: July 12, 2021It's been a whole year, gang. Happy Anniversary... and we love you so damn much it hurts. Also, we found this guy named LeBron James and we went ahead and interviewed him. Because we're "just... for the helluvit" kinda guys. Happy 1-year. Will you marry us? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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I just want to say is right as we start at the top of the show, I just want to say yeah, this is our 52nd episode of smart
22 that's a year in a year that's a one a year freaking year whole year God this is the 52nd episode of smart
Oh my god, so yeah, let's get to it. This is I'm not sure if you guys are aware, but this is our
52nd episode which means we have hit one year one year started the nonsense
Yeah, 52 weeks. Isn't that amazing is that incredible remember when we first started talking about doing this? Yeah, I do
Yeah, I thought it was really just gonna be three four or five weeks
Maybe something like that and then we'd a covert would be over and we'd be back to our our day jobs
But god, this is thank you everyone for listening. Yeah, thanks
I'm letting will Sean and I continue to visit with one another every week
Can I just say that friendship alive for me it?
Really spending this last year with you guys in this way even more than the normal
it's been a really great sort of antidote to it otherwise not amazing year and
And being able to hang out with you guys has been fucking a real savior to me anyway for my mental health
I really mean that likewise. It's been a nice thing to be able to count on once a week
I feel so lucky to be even closer to you guys and have this experience to echo what will said together and
And and and the opportunity to laugh together, which to me is life
Yeah, and it's not just the three of us
Obviously, it's our it's our whole team and the other part of that team is Bennett barbecue and Rob Arm your and Michael Terry
But we always know that Rob Rob's name is always Rob. I'm your arm your
Is that how you say it Sean because Jason? Yeah, I like to say that the phonetic way
I like saying Rob. I'm Jay Irv. Well, that's how it's spelled. Yeah, that's I'm saying that's instead of arm your
Because even he doesn't know how you're supposed to say it like he doesn't even know how to say Rob
Oh, he doesn't know how to say the Rob. I'm your arm your arm your Bennett barbecue. That's easy to say and Michael Terry
That's easy to say. Yeah, but they make it happen. Those guys are fucking champs and honestly, it's
We wouldn't be here without that. I want to see I want to see the socials line up and appreciation for Bennett Rob and Michael
Yeah, truly honestly sincerely. Thank you to anyone who has been spending some time with us and
Yes, letting us keep the the lights on as I think they say yeah and putting up with our nonsense and knowing that we're just here
Having fun just like you guys honestly. I'm so glad you guys don't have to pay for this. It's free. It's priced, right?
But we can but we can announce right Jason. We can't officially say that we are gonna do a
Smartlist tour a line. You're doing a smart list tour. We're going on tour. That's right. We're smart list is going on tour
We are going to six cities in North America. Yes, we have a ton to discuss dates venues even a special promo code for our listener
Yeah, yeah, but but that's too much to make our guest wait for so that's gonna be at the end
But right now, okay, we got to get to what might be our greatest of all time
Oh, oh, yeah, we have with us someone that would be best described as a true force
He's taken the gifts he's been given and the influence he holds and pointed them towards a full menu of things
That are truly too long to mention in an intro
However, a couple to throw out there would be the creation of a world-class elementary school and a family foundation
He's part owner will of one of the world's most famous soccer teams. What and he has starred in five films
He's married to his high school sweetheart. He has three kids. He was recruited to play football by Notre Dame
But instead this fool took a gamble on basketball where he just can't seem to find any success guys
Please meet mr. LeBron James
Did I have you fooled that was good intro right there Jason that's pretty good intro
You've never been introduced like that before right people go on about Jason. That was a good one
It's a good one. Oh my god
But truly let let me tell you something LeBron going through and I don't do a lot of research as the guys will attest
I will go to a Wikipedia page though your page is more of a book and I just I just hit effort real quick
I didn't know where to begin. There's so much stuff
But truly the stuff about philanthropy and family and all that stuff
We're gonna get into because I think everyone else knows the other stuff, but men go ahead
Well, you got something to say first of all, I was gonna say I just took off. I was wearing a Lakers t-shirt
This is crazy
I just took it off because I worked out and you don't want to get into my workout routine LeBron because it's
I bet he'd love to get it. Well, these shoulders, you know, they don't quit. I mean
What about the Liverpool element that was a real shocker to me that's you know, I'm not a smart guy
But will did you know that who wills a huge soccer fan LeBron? I read that I'm a big Liverpool
I'm a big Liverpool supporter and and I have been for a number of years and I'm friendly with a bunch
But I had read that you were part owner, which is so crazy because I'm like another thing that LeBron and I have in common
Oh, yeah, there it is. Shoulders and the soccer stuff
Dominating the shoulders in Liverpool. LeBron, I have to say this is
This is especially exciting for me because I know who you are. Oh, yeah
We've had a few athletes on the show and and Shawn just goes to he starts playing Candy Crush and we pick it up
After the guest goes away
Thrilling I I I can't believe you're here. This is so exciting. Thank you
No, I have so many things I want to say for to ask you that I've just thought about one of the things is
You're such an incredible Jason's right. You are a force and you've been such an incredible
You're so iconic already, which is which is crazy because you're you're still a relatively young man a lot younger than we are
We can be his dad. We could be his dad
But you've done you've done so much and and it's and it's so impressive to watch you do it and you do it with such
There's a grace about you because you the part of the problem
I think about being on top and I wouldn't know but part of the problem is that you are subjected to a lot of you know
Slings and arrows, you know from from people from all sides not the least of which is I think every year since you
Got drafted people are like, who's the greatest of all time? Is it like they have there's a poll every six hours
ESPN will put it on their page like and who is LeBron greater than Michael Jordan? It's like guys. He's LeBron
He's his own person that that shit must get exhausting be honest. It must be exhausting
No, it can it can't be exhausting. Well, I mean you said it but um, you know
I've always looked at it like anytime you compared or you even mentioned with the greats that ever played this game
It's just become humbling for me because you know the same people they put me in a category with or saying
Compare this compare this to that guy or the same guys that I looked up to for inspiration when I was growing up
And I needed that inspiration, you know growing up in the inner city here in Akron, Ohio
So, you know to have you know, the Michael Jordan's and to have the you know
The Kobe Bryant's to have King Griffey juniors and a Dion Sanders all those
Unbelievable sports figures, you know what when I when I needed it, you know, they helped me
So it's like wow you guys are comparing me to these greatest players that I've ever seen when I was growing up
It's just like it's such humbling man. Yeah, the the stats will certainly
Put you in that category without even trying but what you've what you've done off the court the stuff
You don't need to do but you find yourself drawn to do and as a result of your success on the court
Has given you access to do and the capital to do. I find really really admirable
I'm envious of it
There's a there's a drive though that that has to fuel that because you're tired all bet doing the stuff
That is your day job. How do you find Jason's tired for you?
I'm sure you have a great infrastructure of people that can identify some
Charitable endeavors that are worthy of your time and and and the attention that you can put on them
I'm sure you rely on them a bit
But a lot of that's got to be your own self-drive and to motivate those people to be diligent in how they assess certain
Charitable organizations and whatnot. Well, where does that drive come from that that that drive of philanthropy?
Now you just I mean you said it Jason
I think for me that the drive comes from my upbringing and
You know growing up the way I grew up, you know, I'm a part of a single parent household just me and my mother no siblings
You know not much care my mom worked on and off, you know my whole
Childhood so, you know every day was kind of a struggle for us as a family
So I felt that if I ever was even put into a position
This is also part of my inspiration to growing up if I was ever put in a position where I succeed at doing anything
And I can make any kind of dollars anything as far as capital that I want to give a lot of it back
I want to give a you know a lot of it back to my community
Because I understand what those kids are going through on a day-to-day basis because I've walked those same streets
I've tackled those same corners. I know the hardships of what a single parent
household kid could feel like and the
Pressures and the adversity and all that stuff that comes with it. So and to see that change. Yeah. Yeah
I mean see the change of happen from your efforts. It's got to be
Unbelievably rewarding. Yeah, I mean yeah, we to hear some of the family shawning like well, you know you guys
I mean just to see some of the families come and tell, you know, either
You know the falconty members that's at my school or the teachers that you know
I've changed their lives or tell my mother because now my mom is huge into the foundation and she welcomes a lot of issue part of it
What yes, she's a she's like one of the head advisory boards of my foundation where I basically have an apartment complex here as well
Yeah, where I welcome a lot of the underprivileged families in and we set them up with Roman board
You know that we're not in a position where they came, you know, afford their own living. So, you know, it's pretty cool
My mom welcomes all these families in that's awesome. So she's set kind of like an ambassador. Yeah, exactly
But you say like you came up, you know, you talk about your own childhood and record to recognize look
I really struggled and so I want to be able to give back and really do it in a way in a really practical way
Lot of people talk about it, but you actually do it
And you know look at Sean Sean grew up you had a tougher, you know childhood and stuff and you turned your back on your community
Yeah, he went the other way. He kept things simple
He lives in a mansion and he spends his money on
No, but surely free though. Yeah, and Jason doesn't know what the what you know
Jason jumped the line famously to in line for the first iPhone. So like we all have our own
Let me just say this to you you could have a single incarnation
But my point is this my point is you could have gotten you you've had everything you've had so much success
You could have just sailed away on a yacht and never looked back
But he's finding time to do that too, right? We get some yacht hours each year. Yes
Wait, have you been on a yacht with LeBron and you haven't told
Oh, but I know how to get to the Daily Mail, right? I mean
So so you're a kid so you're a kid you're hanging out and you're thinking boy
If I can ever get this jump shot to really go down in a consistent way
I might be able to get myself to a place where I could either get out of here or stay here and and and help
Give back to this man. What was the moment when you thought to yourself? Oh, you know what this is gonna work
And I think I've got a very realistic chance of making it and now I'm starting to think about what I'm gonna do
If I do make it starting your plans about
Philanthropy and you know because a lot of kids fantasize in school when I'm older
I want to be a teacher so I don't have to do any of the schoolwork and I can get like what was that moment like and what were
Those first few plans you remember that was there a moment. Yeah, I feel like yeah the beginning of my junior year
I was 16 years old and so it's right after my sophomore year in the summer going into my junior year. I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated
That'll do it. They doubt they dubbed me the chosen one at 16 years old
And a lot of pressure by the way, no pressure
Right, right and the jinx of the cover on top of it all right right and the jinx of the cover
And so a lot of NBA execs were talking and they were saying that you know if I entered the draft
You know right now I could be the number one pick and you know, but you know do it all those things
so I felt like I seen the success that I was having and
The reason that I knew I wanted to come back and give back to my community is because I knew the success that I was having
Yes, it had to do with my God-given abilities and my talent and me putting in the work
But the support that I had for my coaches and my friends and my mom
They stayed on my ass every day like listen. Yeah, this is what we're going. This is what we doing
We all listen. We have an opportunity to make this bigger than even what other people are saying
Let's not fuck it up right? Oh
You know, so, you know, it's tough on a 16 year old because listen me and my friends we want to do
You know first year driving we want to go to house parties
We want to go, you know, we hang with the other high school kids and do kid things, but you know
Yeah, right, you know Jason knows about the kid things right like driving off the Warner Brothers lot when you're 16
But with your but LeBron with with your kids your own kids
What an incredible story you have to pass down to them about your struggle and then how you turn it around and how you're giving back
Is it something that they get and if they don't get it you grind it in their brains?
It's like you've got to keep looking at me. You've got to keep looking at my story. You have got to learn how to give back
I mean, it's so cool to have a dad that
That does all that there's absolutely nothing I can do
Nothing I can do to give them the same moment or aspirations or like drive that I had
It's just to I mean you can't teach ambition. No, I can't I know I grew up in Akron, Ohio in the inner city
You know and the hood is what we call it the projects and my kids are growing up four years in Miami on South Beach
And now four are going on five years in Brentwood. So
Yeah, you know and when we were here for those four-year run when I was in Cleveland, they were younger
You know, we're in it. We're now in the suburbs
So I went to public schools and challenging public schools until I got the high school because of my basketball ability
But these kids are growing up in private schools. So the one thing that I can do is it's still of the morals
And what we do in this house? Yeah, and this is how you need to represent yourself when you leave the house as a young man
I got two boys two teenage boys. I got a daughter that's seven years old
So you give them the blueprint and then you got to let them, you know, we I hope that they have some adversity
You know, they need some hardships
They hope they find some along this way because you really only know who you are and you only gonna be able to come back from
Situations because the best teacher in life is experience. Yeah. Yeah, and I bet you lean on mom a lot too, right? Your wife
I bet your wife is
Incredibly important to with all the time you're spending on the road
I mean, I the three of us know as well
The amount of time you spend away from home is immense and you really have to lean on your your partner
To like my wife is part-time dad too, you know, yeah for sure
They're literally the boss of the household like we're we're gone so much
We all know that that it's hard for us to come home and be like, okay. This is the hell we doing
This is how we doing it like dad you've been going for four or five months straight like like dad
Okay, yeah, like mom already told us go sit down dad
Your kids are gonna have a little bit of adversity with that that sunset traffic coming out of Brentwood
The Barrington is just
And now back to the show, you know, you do all this stuff and you've got this school
Where you you provide opportunities and Jason brought it up
I love the way by the way as you were talking about growing up you kept saying
We you know that the people who are around you're saying we have an opportunity we have an army
You know, we got to keep going
We got to keep doing the things the way that you were part of something and that you relied like as you talked about these people
That you leaned on I love that you talked about in that way
I think it's so
Important to sort of to have that kind of support system
But as you talked to kids who don't have the job shot that you had as you what do you say to those kids who are like look man
I hit the lottery. I had a tremendous amount of skill. I had great people around me
I'd God-given gifts and I had the willpower to do it. That was the perfect storm
That's not going to be the experience for ninety nine point nine percent of the kids
No question. No question about it. That's the one thing that we have like at my school here
We don't we don't even have a basketball complex at my school, you know, but we have we have a art
We have an art room. We have a music lab. We have a technology lab world computers
Like so like we're we're we're every single day asking our kids
What do you want to do, you know, a lot of them say sports but a lot of them like listen
I want to be a doctor, you know
So we have doctors that come in to talk to our kids a lot of them say, okay
I want to be a cop, you know
We got cops, you know
Obviously at the front door when they walk in it's so kind to our kids and they can talk to them and give them guidance
Like what do you want to be like what do you want to be? What's your aspirate?
What are your dreams? You might not even know what your aspirations are right now, but you do have dreams
We all had dreams about what we wanted to be so, you know, if it's something that they have passion about
We try to bring it to the school and try to give them the resources to you know, let's let's see if we could tap into it and
We might you might fail that first one, you know, let's let's try it again
Or you might say I don't let's try something else, you know, that's all about being a kid
You try so many things until you finally figure out. Okay. Oh, this is what I want to do
And then let's try to give them the resources. That's that's my whole thing
I want to just give them the resources to be able to tap into whatever they want to do
I love that and now I want to get I want to ask you stuff about playing in the game because you know
I played basketball when I was a kid and I was like, I'd be like buying a child
No, I did and and I was like when everybody went when the ball would be
Here we go
When you did when you're talking when you're saying the LeBron you're describing playing basketball the LeBron James
I'm sorry. I interrupt. So when I was a kid I played about your experience playing basketball
I played basketball and whenever there was a rebound and everybody would run to the end of the other opposite end of the court
I'd go go. No, you guys go. I'll catch. I'm right behind
I'm so close. I'm I'm I'm just gonna take a beat, but I'm right behind you guys
But wait, but here's the thing
But I look at you because I've been to a couple Lakers game live courts
I was lucky enough to have courtside seats and see you
I have to say seeing seeing seeing you play live and seeing the whole team play life is so much more thrilling than TV
But TV is thrilling too, but to see it live. It's just unbelievably exciting and and I don't I couldn't even possibly
begin to understand
How you do what you do, but here's the thing here comes a question guys. It's worth the wait
When you're running death, I mean it seems like it's you get tired
Yeah
Endless amount of energy who cuts the oranges to the parents take turns
I'm bringing oranges for half-time
You've been doing it for so long
tired
No, God
LeBron, I got a question
Here's now. What about what about your foot? Wait, I want to know about injuries. My whole point was asking about injuries
Okay, so I'm obsessed with medical stories, right? I I host another podcast
It's called a hypochondria actor because I'm an actor who's a hypochondria anyway, and and I just wanted to know
What kind of injuries have ever had what was the worst one you've ever had where you and did you play through it?
The worst injury I had tore my groin
Two years ago. How does that have a plan all Christmas Day in Golden State?
Shawn did the same thing in Mika nose
Yeah
But it was so worth it
Sitting up there and hit hard. Oh
My I swear if I was in Mika nose it's on my groin. I've been working too. I'll tell you daily mail would love it
Oh, I know I did not keep playing. I feel like my balls was ripping off. Yep
Oh
Really yeah
Something that I think is very very interesting among many things is Randy Maverick and Rich now now fellas
These are these are three of his best friends from growing up and you guys figured out a
Sort of a four-legged table to go through the rest of your life and everyone kind of talked about I would imagine
What their lanes would be and how we can be a unit and we can drive this thing?
What was what was what were those conversations like and how early did that start?
Well, let's start. I mean it was it was early on after my
My rookie year in the NBA. I
Realized that 19 years old that the representation that I was under at that time
Wasn't best suited for me and it wasn't gonna allow me to grow not only as a basketball player
But also as a I wanted to you know be a businessman as well. I wanted to get control of my my business and it was something that was
Unprecedented and shone upon in the NBA because everyone always expects for you to have a agent NBA agent
But when I you know part of ways with my NBA agent and agency and started my company LRMR with Maverick rich and Randy
People were like they're uneducated. They don't know anything about the sports world. They don't know anything about business
It is gonna be a complete disaster
For me, I didn't give a damn about what they were talking about because I feel like if I'm
Who are the people to trust more than the people that I know?
And we can all learn together because I don't want to to learn at a rate
Then now these guys are so far below me, then how can I ever bring them into any room?
Let's all learn at the same time. Let's learn at the same rate. Let's take bumps and bruises
Let's take let's fail at the same time while we all going along in this journey
So when we get to a point where oh, we've done so much. We've learned so much. We've experienced
You know failure, but we've done it together. So we know how to we you know, when the next point come up
We know how to attack it. So, you know, that was my whole mindset
I think it's just incredible that not only were you guys successful at that you didn't fall on your face
They did negotiate great contracts for you. You have found incredible business opportunities
But I'll bet what you're probably most proud of is that you were able to navigate all of that and still maintain the friendship that it
I'm sure it got complicated at times
But that you guys stayed so close and so trusting and probably felt very equal
Everybody respected each other. I mean, I'm sure that takes a ton of work. It's like a marriage, right? No, absolutely
I mean every day every single day and we're still going I mean and we're still, you know
We've been in this for almost 20 years now, but I mean, we're all relatively still young. I mean, I'm obviously I'm the youngest out of the crew
But I'm 36 my guys are in there, you know early 40s or mid 40s
And you know, we're in a good place today
But we want to continue to climb because it's you know, we want to continue to build and build
Relationships and and build great content for for everyone. Yeah, yeah
And you get to do with the people you get to do with the guys like you said that you trust
But who are your friends and that's nice and we go through the same thing here
I mean, we get to do this podcast with I get to do with two guys that I love and who are my friends and I'm not the youngest
But I I'm I sort of I'm not in my I play 38, but you know, I'm sort of I don't think so
I mean, I could probably or like a 40 or just like a kind of a rugged 40
But the point is
We we get to do and I get that and that's it's part of the experience
I mean, you might as well do the experience the way you want
I love the way you also you answer that like you're like people say that you guys didn't know what you're doing
You don't know the sports world and all that stuff and you're like, I don't give a damn like who gives a shit
There are always who gives it their life is way too short
And that was kind of like my earlier question like it's part of the problem about being on top is people always have
Opinions and you hear it all the time and you you do, you know
In credit you have a lot of people who support you and you're so great at what you do
But you always have this really organic kind of natural way about you and you're very much
You're very authentic and that comes across and I think that that's so admirable
It's send such a great message of like all these all these critics to people who want to I remember though
Do you remember the the decision Sean? Do you know what the decision was?
So when LeBron was gonna leave Cleveland the first time he was deciding and tell me if I got it wrong or whatever
But I think this right and you're deciding where you were gonna go
And there were people who criticize it who still to this day. Yeah have time on their hands enough
They want to go back
Relitigate something from 15 it was international news that whole thing. Yeah, I was
So what let him do it how he wants to do it. Yeah, he's not it. He's not your experience. Why are you mad about it?
Yeah, yeah, I love that buddy, man, you know, so at the end of the day, I mean, you know
You'd be so successful you try to be so successful to where when we reap the benefits I do with my friends
So, you know, when I see Sean and Mika knows and I'm with my guys that we can all
We can all tear our groins together and have some
So when you're talking about having success and having the the courage to try to have success in other areas one of the things
You said was content and of course you got Space Jam coming up which looks incredible
Yeah, where where does this drive for for entertainment for for acting producing and all that stuff
Were you always a fan of the entertainment industry? Is that something that that just kind of grown? Yeah Jason always man
When I was a kid, you know, not only was the inspiration coming from like sports figures
There was also coming from like, you know TV shows that I was watching like I always felt like I wish I was the fresh Prince of
Bel Air, so I was I was the Fresh Prince of Akron, Ohio, you know, I was in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio and Bath Township
And I could you know look up to a mansion, you know cover from the inner city like the Fresh Prince of Brentwood
Yeah, yeah, the Fresh Prince of Brentwood like I've always I love that storyline or like, you know
I wish you know at times like, you know, it's you know, just being in certain movies like action movies and things that nature growing up
so like
Yeah, like the the the passion of watching that and seeing that and being a kid like just trying to find any inspiration
That's where it kind of came from and I've always kind of respected that I did not had no idea of the damn hours that you guys
Hours but I always let me ask you this like look at what Dwayne Johnson has done. Could you ever see yourself?
What at some point retiring and then starting and having an incredible career as an action star in movies?
I'm not against that. Yeah, I mean listen to rock man Dwayne Johnson is incredible
He's I mean shit. I was watching him when he was in the WWE, right, you know growing up and he had all the he had all the hair at that time, you know
But you but you but you could crush that LeBron LeBron you'd be fantastic
I've seen you act you you get it you absolutely get it
And you've got all the charisma and the size to be carrying around two or three weapons
When you I remember when you first hosted SNL my my ex-wife at the time Amy was on the show
I remember I was kind of we actually met briefly
I wouldn't expect to remember but we at the time everybody talking about how natural you were kind of to what Jason was saying
Like you were really great on that episode. Yes
Thank you. Yeah, yeah
I just wanted to have a hello, but I like having a great time man and just diving into it and you know
I like like comedies
That's like really my thing because I'm a fucking
Jokester with me and my friends and all we do is like rank on each other and joke on each other
But it's fun man. What's the thing that's making you laugh right now?
Are you are you watching a show or a movie or what's what's your what's your brand of humor?
Are you more of like a money Python silly guy or or more more cerebral kind of dry humor?
I'm a little bit of everything. So I'm a I'm a I'm a Seinfeld funny guy. Yeah, I'm also like a
Wedding Crashers funny guy, right? Yeah
I'm like and I'm every a road trip kind of guy. Oh, like I'm any I'm all of that like and I'm also like like scary movie
Like those type of right. Yeah, silly
Yeah, yeah all over the genre of comedies
Yeah, and where are you taking a lot of these in on the plane in between games or you a kind of guy that sits at home and nests and
Just gets all comfy on the couch. Yeah, I'm a guy that gets comfy on the couch
That's what I'm gonna do. I would a glass glass of wine on the couch. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure
Now do you let your kids watch our rated comedies? I do my boys do how old were they when you let them start to watch stuff
That was really kind of edgy edgy comedy cuz I'm dealing with that right now with my 14 year old daughter
Yeah, yeah, I'll let I'll let my my boys start watching around like 10. Yeah
11 years old. Yes, my daughter can watch certain but not I don't let her watch just she's only six going on seven
So I'm gonna wait till she get a little older. Where are you on cursing my kids?
Wait, Jason, what did you just let your franny watch something? What was it?
It's pulp fiction and
She was confused in a couple of spots and I didn't bother
The epi-pen yeah Jason and this weekend are you guys you're you're we aren't this weekend
Aren't you guys watching human centipede?
Wait, wait LeBron, where are you on cursing my 14 year old? I'm allowing her to now
I haven't started complaining about her cursing or else, you know, she's not like a like a like a sailor, but
You know, she's just casually using the s-word or the f-word or whatever
And I'm like, well, I guess I was doing that afford or she's doing that with her friends
So why can't you do that with us? Where are you with that the kids kids?
Walking around the house. So my boys are they have an exception to the rule of cursing when they're playing sports
So they can curse when there's playing sports. Yes, because yes, they could curse when they play in sports
Because it's a lot of emotion. I get it, you know, but then you get teed up, right?
Yeah, you know, they can get teed up
But they don't my kids don't mess with the refs much
But like if they you know missing assignment, they say fuck or they like or something have a damn or shit like, you know
But but my oldest son and his past tournament over the 4th of July weekend a kid was talking a little smack to him
Oh, and he told him to fuck off and I started laughing
I saw you in that tournament and the reason I saw you is because it was on like one of the on the internet and I'm thinking like
Who's letting these photos be taken of this high school basketball game? Like what is going on? Oh my god?
Are there photographers or yes, yes, there's what's families with phones?
No, they really had no there were families with big lens cameras like their own set really
Trying to capture this stuff and sell it to the internet. Yeah, they capture it. They yeah. Yeah, so yep. Yep
Maybe you should turn around and tell them to fuck off
Right, I should take a page out of my son's book
So wait, so so if he spills a cereal in the house and he says god damn it son of a bitch, that's not okay
Right, that's when he's got to go to his room. Yeah
Hey, what the hell you talk? Oh, oh, sorry
And if you were to punish him what what are the punishments like with my kids?
It's got it you take away the iPad and that that straightens them out. What's what's the kryptonite there?
We tried taking away his video game system before
Okay, he still had his phone right and then without his phone. He okay, didn't he had his company had his iPad
Yeah, and then he had his desktop if he didn't have his desk. He had his desktop
They what are you gonna do? Sending them to the room is actually not a punishment. They know
Yeah, yeah, they want to be in the room. Yeah, I'll just tell them come downstairs
They sit down here with mom and dad just come sit down here with mom and dad. That's that. Tell us about your day
I say if you guys don't if you don't you know smart enough, but I make them FaceTime with Sean
Yeah
They shape up real quick. They really shape up quick and Jason you had an instant
Didn't one of your daughters spill some electrolytes recently and you got
That was a tough moment for you
And now back to the show
Talking about electrolytes doing my incredible research abroad what tell tell us about ladder. What's ladder?
Yeah, one is so ladder is a
supplement
It's a powder form supplement that you put into water
Has electrolytes. We also have like pre and post workouts. So what happened was in 2012
I caught cramps during the NBA finals and my legs. I could not get the cramp out
So I was able to work with some scientists from Harvard and some other
Institutions and we was able to find all organic product that
Helps out with the electrolytes and it gets to the system faster and it stopped. I haven't had I haven't had that problem in nine years
After that, so I want some of that. So we have I'll make sure I get something to you guys
I'm Jason you guys Jason. We got it recorded here. I'm gonna make sure I get some ladder to you guys
Yeah, I would love that LeBron. I want to know like, you know
Everybody associates you with the obvious things that we see like the talent and basketball the talent on the screen when you decide to act
So what is the thing that would be so surprised like would I ever find you at the Hollywood Bowl listening to some classical music?
You know what's funny shot that you say that I love classical music
Oh, yeah, I really do like if you if you if you would have happened to pull up on the side of me when I'm not in the dark dark tent car
Yeah, you can catch me out of light listening to some old
Beethoven Mozart come on. That's as opposed to the new ones. Yeah
You know that
I'm fully I'm fully addicted to that stuff and so is Sean Sean's a classically trained pianist, right? Yeah, yeah
Wow, but that's cool. I love that now
Are you ever listening to classical music on your headphones as you're getting ready to play or you listen to something?
That's that gets gets the blood flowing a little bit more. No, I'm listening something get the blood flowing a little bit more
Yeah, sure and that's sure and that changes each game
Or is there like a go-to that if you if you need to really get it going? Yeah, like who is it?
Do you want to share it? It's not a go. It's like it changes. It's not a go-to
You know, you know, I'm listening to a lot of like hardcore hip-hop, you know
It could be like either Wu Tang or it'd be like, you know, some some DMX some early DMX
I'm sure it's an NWA, you know
I want to get to a real or even like Eminem like when he was doing his thing like at a higher level too
So like, you know, I tap it to it to a whole another I'm not the father at home with the kids LeBron when I tap it to that mode
I'm like get the hell out of my way. I'm ready. I'm ready for war. I'm ready for war. Yeah
You should listen. You should listen to our podcast right before the game
Just with your headphones on and you're coming in that's gonna give you the fighting spirit
Tell us a little bit about about Space Jam before we before we let you go
You've been very generous with your time
But I'm very very curious about about this because that's that was a great first film this this this one is
Is it pick up where it left off? How is it? How is it different on what? No, it's nice
It's different. First of all, it's totally different from the first one that came out 25 years ago
But yeah, I was very intimidated just from when I got when the script came to me and I sat it on my desk
I was very intimidated just because I understand, you know, the legacy behind the first one
You know, I was I was one that was like it all of it
I was 12 years old or 11 when it first came out and love the Looney Tunes
Obviously my aspiration for Michael Jordan is out of this world. So very intimidated
But I was able to get myself to a point where I was like I want to I want to do this
I felt like, you know, the Space Jam legacy is so
Iconic and so great. I wanted to be a part of the legacy and obviously the the movie is now called a new legacy
It's kind of how I want myself out, but we was able to I worked with a great director of Malcolm Lee
Don Cheeto is in the film as well
He's great. Yeah, so I love him. He's helped me out a lot when we were on set, but I just dove into it
I gave him, you know, everything to it
How'd you like working with all that green screen and all that, you know, I need you to look over here and just trust that later
We're gonna we're gonna paint in a little character. You got to look at like a little C-stand with an X on it
Exactly. It's like working with Sean. Just a nightmare, right?
Yeah, working with Sean. Yeah, or you mean the green screen. Yeah, green screen gives more
No, it was a nightmare the first few weeks. Yeah, of course. It's weird, right?
It's so it's super weird because they're like, no, no, no, you're I you're you're you have to be looking up
So is that was that like a three-picture deal or we're gonna see how the first one goes or what did you do?
Is it just the one? No, no, it was just the one
But I mean listen, I've been hearing so much about people's reaction to it so far that's actually seen the movie so far
We got an opportunity to private screen it so, you know, if Warner, you know wants to, you know, tackle it again
I wouldn't mind, you know, trying to see we could fit the right script in and and keep it going
But I think this one is gonna it's gonna surprise a lot of people. This is a family movie
It's a family movie with a lot of laughs. Obviously a lot of looniness. I'm dealing with the damn tunes. They crazy
Is your daughter excited about it or are your son's a little too old for it or what?
My daughter is super excited about it
She doesn't know I mean she's too young to know about the original tunes
But now because of her dad she's getting back into it now
Was she on the set and was she like wow, yeah, yeah, yeah
My whole family stopped by set, you know a few times and they just like wow and my boys is 16 or 14
They only care about how cool that the person that's playing them in the movie looks like dad
Does he look like me? Is he wearing my hairstyle? Is he dressing the right way?
Like I don't want somebody playing me and not like so you so you cast some actors to play your sons
Yes, we cast the actors to kind of look like my family. We change the names
But they are yes, I got an older son a younger son and a daughter and a wife in the movie
So yes, it's kind of the same your kids didn't have approval over that casting
No, I didn't let them because they would it would have took too long
I said dad got to get on the work
I and after after a long hours did they did you mix them up? Oh the kids?
Yeah, I'm almost brought my fictional family home one time
Long as I don't bring the fictional wife home. I was good. Yeah, right
So so LeBron, let me ask you after all this stuff and everything you're doing get back to basketball
You've had a lot of success with the Lakers already
I don't want to put you on the spot, but I mean you could conceivably just keep going
You're so good at what you do. You're still at the top of the game
How long do you see yourself playing for the Lakers and how cool is it playing for the Lakers a great storied franchise?
Yeah, yeah, I mean listen
I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers and how many years that is if it's four or five six
Whatever seven we go, you know, I hope I could continue to play the game
You know, I love being in LA my family loves being LA being with a historical franchise like the Lakers or something like it's like me
You know being in space gym now
I never thought it'd be possible you think about Kareem and magic and will and Jerry Weston and Elgin Baylor Kobe Shaq all the whole list
Goes on so Lewis cage, you know, Lewis cage, you know, the great Lewis cage
Greatest Lakers fan of all time
He's like the greatest
Well LeBron can't thank you enough for spending some time with us man. Appreciate you guys
That was really exciting. What a thrill
We're all huge huge fans of yours and feel very very flattered that you chose spend some time with us
So thank you. I appreciate Jason will shine. I appreciate man. Hopefully see you guys in person soon man. Yeah, that'd be great
Yeah, all right, pal wait man. Such a fan
Guys, thank you. Bye. Bye. I
Could have talked to him all day, but I wanted to respect his his time
He had a hard out and I think we just we were like one minute over it
But man, I could I could talk to him forever. Yeah, what a cool guy. What a cool career. He's had so far
I have to be honest like I was floored
LeBron James like looking at James and living legends so crazy
One of the he was one of the earliest people I sent to to Michael our producer to see if we could get and I honestly had
Forgotten that I'd put him down as one of the people I'd left to grab on my list
And then he sent me a text a couple days ago saying so LeBron's people reached out they can do it on this day
But only this time I was like, oh my god, that's right LeBron. Jane
Like I've been like a panic for like 36 hours like we're we're gonna be talking to LeBron James and then doing the research looking at his
I just like and screw this. I just I can't
There's too much there's it's it's it makes your neck
I mean after like only it was only a couple weeks ago that we had to throw and then now we have
It's I know because we were so
Scraping with Justin in his stories about it growing up, and I don't want to get all the MVP's Justin has gotten
You know what I mean, but the rose
That way Justin's Wikipedia page Mike
That's wrote in himself. There's is you know, there's a there's a there's a comparable element there on the shoulders
I don't know why but whenever we meet like just huge gigantic celebrities like LeBron James
I'm so surprised that like they're just normal and down-to-earth people like he's so down to earth even though
He's he's literally huge and gigantic. Yeah, yeah, and off the earth
He's spent a lot of time off the earth in the air. Yeah, he's got great great leaps are incredible vertical
Yeah, all right, but you know we are very generous with our oh my gosh
This person was so great, and we love them and they're so down to earth, but genuinely this guy
I mean he could he doesn't need to talk to us. He doesn't even know
And Jason you're right. We do we do do that a lot
We do do that a lot of a lot of the episodes were like oh my god
This person was so great, and we do feel that way in the moment. We're not lying
We we really like the people but but this guest could literally qualify as the greatest of all time, and yeah
He could he could I could go on forever, but let's not let's let's give the listeners what we promised
Which was a little bit more detail on our tour. Yeah, let's start with a tour. Yeah, sorry
Let's get back to the tour. Let's get back to the tour. We're going to six cities
So we start in Toronto Massey Hall Wednesday February the 2nd and then February 4th
We go to Boston, Massachusetts at I'm not sure how to pronounce it Bach or botch Center Wang theater the Wang theater
Yep, and then February 5th Brooklyn, New York at Kings Theatre. Yeah, February 8th Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago theater
Yes, Sean, and then where are we going February 9th? Jason, can you guess we're driving? Yeah, we are driving
We're gonna we're to dress we're gonna fly between those cities and then from Chicago
We're gonna just up the up the coast there a little bit the Lake Coast
It's not really on the coast. No, it's more sensual. It's nowhere near the coast, but go ahead
Well the coast of the coast of the lake, right? Sure. Sure. No, you're thinking Milwaukee, but no, where are we going?
We're gonna end up going Madison, Wisconsin
At the Orpheum theater to see Tracy my sister Wednesday February 9th Tracy
You better start laying out your outfit right now because you're coming up on stage and then we end on February 12th
Which is Saturday in coming Los Angeles, California at the Orpheum theater, right and just like the show
We we can't announce who the guests are those will be a surprise
Surprise on the night, but here's what's really really cool for you guys
Who have been so awesome and kind and loving to be listening to us all the time
We wanted to give you guys something in exchange, which is a head start on tickets
So if you go to smartlist.com and put in the password, which is
Tracy yeah, well with an e spell with an e t r a c e y
You get a head start on tickets before the rest of the general audience
So when you want to go and you want to buy tickets to this tour, you just you use the code tracy
t r a c e y
Right correct and it's starting today
Monday 9 a.m. Eastern through Thursday at 10 p.m. Local time and
Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday at 10 a.m. Local time right for all those venues and Thursday July 15th
At 10 a.m. Local is the local venue pre-sale. So head to our website to buy tickets and you can get more information at smartlist.com
and
Again, Wednesday February 2nd Toronto Massey Hall Friday February 4th Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday February 5th Brooklyn, New York Chicago is February 8th Tuesday
Wednesday Jason February 9th, you know where we're going just up the coast there, right?
Just the coast of just up the up the eastern coast there to Wisconsin
Yeah, I guess they didn't have a geography class in the in the in the trailer
Universal and then Saturday February 12th back home in Los Angeles with our family and our friends and everybody at the Orvium Theater
So guys we're so excited to bring the show to you and we're so
So honored that this is even a possibility and we can't wait to have fun with y'all live
I hope to see you there. Anyway, see you at the show. I'll see you guys at the show. We're gonna go together, right?
We'll go together. Yeah, let's go together
We'll travel together. We'll stay in the same hotel room together. Maybe stay in bed. We'll stay in the same hotel room
We're gonna are you driving?
We're gonna shake hands. We're gonna bump fist. We're gonna high five people. I know Sean's gonna take a take a bow
Probably maybe a call or something. I'm gonna wear tails. I'm gonna wear tails
Believe me. Sean's gonna have a spotlight on him. So he's gonna do a fucking song you watch
That top hat and cane. I'm set. So anyway, so that's that's all the info that you need to have for our big tour
I mean, that's it. Those are the dates in the cities and then the very exciting how great is it that the promo code is Tracy again
TRACY
TRACY and that's where you can go and you can buy
Buy your tickets. Buy them.