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USA Soccer's Reality Check & Where Should LeBron James Go Next?

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0:00 | 35:14

The United States' World Cup dream is over, and Spencer and James break down what went wrong after the shocking loss to Belgium. Was this "golden generation" overrated? Is Christian Pulisic still the face of U.S. Soccer, or has it become time for someone else to lead the Stars and Stripes?

The guys discuss Pulisic's performance, the controversial postgame comments, what USA Soccer needs to change before 2030, and why expectations have never been higher.

Then they shift to the NBA, where LeBron James appears headed to a new team. Cleveland? Philadelphia? Miami? James ranks his preferred destinations while Spencer makes the case for the best basketball fit and the funniest possible outcome.

They wrap up with another edition of No Huddle, including:

• Tobias Harris' unbelievable career earnings
• Giannis already talking about returning to Milwaukee
• Shohei Ohtani reaching another historic milestone

What Do You Want to Hear Us Discuss?

Spencer

We back.

James

We back again, big dog. Big

Spencer

Game Energy, James and Spencer together in the saddle again. We have a lot to talk about. We have not done two shows together, so we have some catching up to do. Mm-hmm. We're gonna talk about the United States' embarrassing defeat to Belgium. Ugh. What that means for Christian Pulisic and the rest of the USA squad. We're gonna talk about LeBron James, apparently down to three teams. We'll talk to you about... we'll tell you who those three teams are and which teams that LeBron James stan James wants to take his talents to. So James, how you feeling, big dog?

James

Man, dude, I am so sorry I was gone all last week. I know it was a tough time with the, in the, energy from NBA free agency to the World Cup, this, that, and now I'm here on our dead dog Wednesday with you I'm kinda glad I get to see your face anyway. So man, we got a bit to talk about, like you mentioned, man. Whoo. Man, just in the state of America, we may not be the best in soccer, but man, we always bring the best sports drama, and I think we're the only state that brings it. So let's go.

Spencer

Yeah. Let's get right into it then. Let's talk about the United States. Horrible ending to e- what was a very fun run in the World Cup. I have not ever in my entire life of watching the United States... I watched my first World Cup back in 2006. I was 12 years old. I didn't really care about soccer growing up, but that 2006 team was a lot of fun. They were- a very solid team. But alas, this is the fate that every single USA team eventually has in the World Cup, where they get through the group stage, they maybe make a little noise in the knockout round, but u- ultimately, they are defeated by superior opponents f- most of the time from Europe. And this time, it was Belgium again, like in 2014. But the problem this time, James, is that this was supposed to be the golden generation. Those teams from 2006, 2010, 2014, and, 2018 we don't talk about because we didn't even make the World Cup that year. But all those teams were littered with MLS stars, okay? And that's not gonna cut it most of the time, but they still were able to compete because of just their gritty American patriotism. It... They- they just made things work, physical brand of soccer, and they were able to scrap things out, but they would eventually- get taken out. We were sold that the 2026 edition, the 2026 cycle of the United States national team, was gonna be the most skilled, most talented team the United States had- Right ever seen. And for four matches, that was absolutely true, especially when you consider how great they looked in the first half against Paraguay, a Paraguay team that gave France a run for their money, was very competitive in this tournament.

James

Right.

Spencer

I am just s- shocked and I don't wanna get too upset because, again, I knew we had no chance at winning the World Cup. I knew that. And I even will say a lot of people were writing off Belgium and USA was even the betting favorite going into that match, which was just bonkers to me. I would've never put them as the favorite, but I did expect them to compete, and I thought there was a chance that there was an upset, especially after the news came out that F- Florian Balogun was eligible to play. It... What a non-story that ended up being, right? Who cares about that whole thing anymore? It didn't even matter. Oh,

James

my goodness. It didn't matter.

Spencer

But for them to get beat 4-1 in the fashion that they did, in my eyes, there is only one to two players who earned the American stripes. And one, Malik Tillman. Love Malik Tillman. American hero. I can't wait to see how he continues to develop and when he comes back in 2030, I love to have him in the midfield. And there were some other guys, like Antonee Robinson had a couple of good moments. Florian Balogun we know the story with him. Right. But everyone's scrutinizing and criticizing Christian Pulisic, James.

James

Yeah.

Spencer

A lot of it is valid because he has always just not put on for the Stars and Stripes. He's never had a signature moment for the United States. He's had a lot of moments over in Europe, playing in the Premier League, playing in the Bundesliga, playing in Serie A. Mm-hmm. But I'm wondering, James I'm not sure that he has the makeup to be the best player on his team. Yeah. 'Cause he's only the third or fourth best player on some big clubs in Europe, mind you, but he's not really the guy over there, and I don't know if that's the best role for him.

James

I'll say it like this, Spence. What happened Monday night in Seattle, we, everyone was hyped. Yo, the USA really performed like TCU did versus Georgia in the national championship. TCU score, oh my God, dude, hey, we're in this game, and then they get shellacked. And I was just so shocked, Spence. And then we get it, were we expected to win it all? No, we were not. But man, they had us h- rock hard down in the pants, bro, freaking whipping everyone's ass. And then it was just two different teams. What I saw Monday night, they should've just put out the second-stringers v- who played Turkey because- They, whoever was on the first team did not give it their all. And the goalie, I think the goalie, wow. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Wow. I know-

Spencer

We

James

have a

Spencer

goalkeeper issue.

James

Yeah. If, I know we're gonna talk about Christian, but wow, that guy, the goalie. Oh, man. Like-

Spencer

I'll say this. About that moment, like before we talk about Pulisic, that moment was the moment we lost. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but for the first 12 minutes of the second half when they took off Sergiño Dest, who also looked horrible, when they replaced him with Gio Reyna, Gio Reyna was actually a very solid addition to that lineup. We were actually moving the ball more down the field, getting it into the attacking third. They were actually creating chances. They still weren't getting many shots, which was so frustrating. No one wanted to step up and take any shots. They were having trouble getting the ball to ball again, but they were at least holding possession. So I was encouraged that for those first 12 minutes, they might still be able to pull back one goal and get it tied, get to extra time, get to penalties, maybe something crazy happens. That was gonna be my recipe for success. All right? And this was, again, this was after they already went back up 2-1. I really felt with their down... There was 1-2. Yeah. USA was still in it. Yeah. But Matt Freese shoulda just punted- Should have the hell out of that ball. I cannot believe he had the reincarnated moment of Yung Huai Ku kicking the ground James, he looked like me with my driver on the tee box. Smacking the ground instead of the ball.

James

Right. Yeah. Dude it... Yeah, when that happened, I was like, "What is going on?" It, that play right there- Embarrassing you mentioned it, that play right there looked like young Waiko. Another moment like it, I hate to do this, that reminded me of like, man, what on God's earth are you doing? Was the ending of that Cowboys/49ers game in the playoffs where Dak and them couldn't get the ball on the line, the refs in the way, and it was just like, really? And when I saw that moment, I was like, wow. And I... And once the USA was down three, and I just told the wife, "Hey, we're cooked. We're cooked." But guess what? Hey, I'm gonna say this for all these people. All you fake soccer fans, I know I'm a fake soccer fan, but don't get on Twitter and be like, "Man, F soccer. Soccer sucks." You were jock riding for a good whole month. I don't wanna hear this crap about, "F soccer, we got real football two months away." You were supporting. I was supporting. Of course, I don't know anyone hardly on the damn team, but I was supporting 'cause guess what? We're America.

Spencer

That's right.

James

We're America. But guess what? Yeah. I'll say this. Look, I find this very successful World Cup. I know it's only the round of 16. We were, like, ranked what? The 19th or 17th best country. So at the end, we played our skill. We got to the 16th. Cool. But hey, guess what? I'll say this. We America were the last hosting city to get eliminated. I don't care what anyone else says. We did it. We did. We outlasted Canada. They got eliminated on our day. And then Mexico yeah, c'est la vie, b- adios, amigo. That's all I'm gonna say. Thank you America for lasting longer than the other hosting cities. Let's do better in 2030.

Spencer

Yeah. I- and let me say this too. I was cheering for the Mexican national team whenever they were playing their matches. My girlfriend's Mexican, she was in those games, so I was not gonna cheer against them. But let me address some of these M- Mexican national team fans that were talking trash about the USA getting beaten 4-1 and talking about how, "Oh, y- you didn't compete in your match like we did in ours." Let me... Two things. One, oh, so y'all lost better than us? That's really the thing you're willing to die on? You lost better than us? That makes you feel better? Oh, man. But if you really wanna go there, let's talk about the fact that Mexico had about 30 or 35 minutes playing a man advantage, had all the possession, and could not score a goal. Could not score a goal. They scored a penalty. Whoop-dee-doo. You could not organically score a goal. And oh, by the way, you scored a penalty, but you had conceded your own penalty up a man advantage right before that. I don't wanna hear about how we lost better whenever you couldn't score on 10 men. I don't care if we got beat 4-1 like we did. But all that to say I had to get that out of the way. It p- Yeah it was pissing me off- 'cause I was over here this year ignoring that there's a heated rivalry between the United States and Mexico- and I was supporting Mexico, supporting CONCACAF. But you know what? After I saw some of those fans talking trash about this United States team, it just reminded me Dos Acero, Dos Acero.

James

Yeah. I look at everyone, and you're probably gonna cut this out, but I look at everyone and be like, "Yeah, you puto." No, I'm just ki- Are you kidding? I, I might leave

Spencer

I might leave that in.

James

Oh, well, thank you. No. But- One thing- Go ahead I will say one thing, one thing I also didn't like since we've been eliminated, spence, guess what? Someday when you become a father, you're gonna want your kids to do sports. You probably when you were young, you did sports. Your ki- your parents put you in sports, and that's what you did. And yeah, when we probably got to high school, there were AAU basketball, travel baseball, travel this. I don't know what I've been re- It's like it seems like since we've been eliminated, the biggest blame is travel soccer teams all of a sudden. I'm like, yo, who... Hold up. First of all, just because we got eliminated as a, a professional soccer team in the World Cup, the biggest, sports match of all time, let's reel it back a bit because I'm not blaming travel soccer. Yeah, if you got money to do travel soccer, AAU basketball, travel baseball, you can do that. The people you should blame is not the travel. It's your parents that don't wanna work with your skills. If your parents- sit on them damn couches and TVs. I get it. Look, I'm a parent myself. There are some days, I got a four-year-old, I don't get to play with her that much 'cause I come in after work and cook and this and that, but guess what? Once she gets of the mindset of, "Hey, Dad, I wanna play golf. Hey, I wanna play basketball. Hey, I want to do this."

Spencer

I wanna play soccer.

James

I wanna play soccer. Even though I may not be the best, we are going to work as a father and daughter or as a father, son, mother, whatever. Parents, do not blame travel sports. It is either you and your kid, that is it, 'cause either A, if they don't develop through their own practice, and you don't help them develop what, what's going on?

Spencer

Yeah. And I'll say this too. I saw a video, and I have to echo this. I wish I knew who posted the video, but it's so true. If we wanna get better soccer in America, the easiest way to do that, not changing up how we do youth sports. That definitely would work. If we adopted the European model, I definitely think that would work. But realistically, we're America, we care way too much about money. Right. Everything's gotta make money. Everything's gotta make you a millionaire. I get it. That's not gonna change. What could change and actually could make an impact- Tell me on our athletes playing soccer? Go put a soccer field in the middle of Harlem, in Baltimore- in St. Louis, in Chicago. Right. Maybe instead of picking up a basketball, maybe some of them pick up a soccer ball. That is gonna be how it works in America, and I'm not even sure that's enough, but that's a start.

James

It's a

Spencer

start. That's

James

a start. Yeah, 'cause guess what? We don't play when it comes to basketball, that's for sure, when it's the Olympics. We make sure to put belt to...

Spencer

Yeah. Pulić, I know everyone's slandering him. I wanna defend him on one thing that's been bothering me. I've been seeing him catch a lot of slack for asking to be subbed out of the game If you watched him play and I'm, I was critical of him in this moment. I wanted him to get off the field sooner. I was not hating on the fact that he asked to get out of the game. I was more mad that he didn't ask to get out of the game sooner. 'Cause the couple of times they kicked the ball to him after he went down with his injury- Right he did nothing with it, and he was visibly limping around on the field. Even if you are the star player, the Captain America, the captain of the team, the future of the program, of the nation, if you are out there on one leg, you are useless. I don't care- For real how talented you are. And a lot of us American sports fans, we have that mentality of "Play through the injury. You're a dog. Act like you're tough. You know, that's soft." None of us know exactly the extent of that injury. I don't know if, like how bad it was or not. He kicked another dude's foot. I can't tell you how ba- how that is. And he does have a injury history where he's constantly injured. He's very much, in that category of the Kawhi Leonard type of situation. He's extremely talented but just can't stay healthy.

James

Right.

Spencer

But man, dude would you really want him to just be out there on one leg to prove a point of how tough he is? No. We have guys, at least we, in, in theory, we have guys that could come off the bench and actually use two legs and be better. And honestly, Sebastian Berhalter, who came on for him, he showed more heart than a lot of those other players out on the field. But I wanted- Right to defend Pulisic in that regard, but the rest of it is totally valid. And even if that's the case that he did need to get asked out- I could not stand his- post-match interview- Oh, no. Bad where he said, "Oh, thank God I have time to rest now." You mother How dare you look at all of us in the face. You were supposed to play for us, play for the stars- Yep and stripes. And I get it. If you're h- if you're upset that you got hurt in a match that meant everything for you, the biggest match of your life, the, one of the biggest matches in this country's history, and you have to leave early for that, I understand you're probably not in a good mood, but you cannot get up there and be like, "Hey, at least I got time to rest now." This is no time for silver linings. We wanna see you heartbroken and depressed how we were feeling.

James

Yeah.

Spencer

If he had acted better, I promise you he would not be getting as much slander as he has been, but because he said that, now everyone's pulling out the receipts. We didn't make the World Cup in 2018. He has a terrible, subpar performance this entire World Cup except for the first half against Paraguay. He's never had a signature moment for the United States. Right. And so is he the most talented player in this country's history? I will still stand on business that he absolutely is the most talented player the country has ever had at soccer. He is playing at a higher level than anyone else has ever played, higher than Howard, higher than Dempsey and Donovan. He has played for Borussia Dortmund. He has played for Chelsea. He has played for AC Milan. These are three of the top clubs in Europe. But like I mentioned earlier, he's not the guy on any of those teams. He is, at best, on all those teams, he is their second or third best attacker. And he is very good in that role, but perhaps him being asked to be The Man with a capital T- It's a little too much is too much for him, and he just doesn't have that makeup. Yeah. Maybe we need to start focusing on Balogun as being that guy going forward.

James

Oh, yeah, definitely Balogun moving forward. I would say, you mentioned it Pulisic is not the guy on those other teams, and the only person that came to my mind, and I don't know why I'm throwing slander at this guy, 'cause he's done very well, but he's never been that guy DeMar DeRozan. That's who Christian Polozic reminds me of. You know he's got all the talent to be the number one guy, but he's just not. No shame to DeMar. He just got weighed by the Kings. That's pretty sad. It's a pretty low blow. But yeah, Christian, yeah, the... when I saw the post-game interview, I'm not saying it reminded me of this era was the same, but it reminded me of when LeBron lost to the Mavs, and he was like, "Well, I wake up tomorrow and I'm rich." Yeah. Like, mother-

Spencer

Terrible look.

James

Yeah, terrible ass look. Or when he lost to the Warriors and I think, I forget which year it was the four, 4-1 or the 4-2, and he came out and he was like, "No, I'm fine." And then the next day, Yeah, no, man I broke my wrist punching a wall." Dude, don't do that. Don't do that. And, but those two interviews I remember from LeBron and Christian. Yeah. I would say, hey, man, make him a valuable veteran role player. Put him on the bench. That's what I'm gonna say. If there is a chance he plays in 2030, which I don't believe so.

Spencer

Like it or not, he's still extremely talented, and the USA, it's, for them to do things that they've never done before, the United States national team, they have to have Christian Polozic playing at a high level.

James

"Hey, man, why don't we get, uh, the Clippers owner and just buy out, hey, let's, let's get Cristiano Ronaldo on the team. Let's get Messi on the team. Let's get your guy on the shirt on the team, and let's just run this, bro."

Spencer

Like- I wish that was the case, but FIFA has pretty clear rules- about citizenship and eligibility to play for teams. But I wish we could say "Hey, Messi's been living in the United States for a couple years now. He should play for the USA, and we'll just throw a huge bag of money at him 'cause we're America, and that's what we do." But Christian Pulisic will be 31 the next World Cup. Ideally, he should still be, maybe not in his prime. His prime should've been this year, and that's just the truth. That's why it's another reason why it's so disappointing. But- Right he might still be at a high enough level that he should still be at least one of our top guys. Again, he needs to be playing well, and we'll find out the next World Cup if Christian Pulisic is men- mentally strong or if he is as mentally weak as he appears to be. Because if he can take all this criticism, use it as fuel to- Uh-huh come back in 2030 and really put on for his country. And here's the other thing, too. A- no more skipping Gold Cups. No more skipping Copa Américas, Christian Pulisic. You need to be playing in all these domestic cups that you skipped in between 2022 and 2026. Damn. Skipping 'em, saying, "I wanna get ready for the World Cup," and you come out, and you lay eggs like you did. Uh-uh. Wow. You better be playing for the United States. You need to have yourself a signature game. I wanna see a game where you have a couple of assists, maybe a hat trick or two. Mm-hmm. You need to come out and have a signature moment for people to believe in you. And then that's just the way it is. I... He may not have asked to be anointed as Captain America, but here we are, and he is the most talented player that the United States has ever had. He needs to step up, and he needs to play like an American.

James

American, yeah, man. Some grit, man. Like you mentioned, we need some more grit. That's all I know.

Spencer

But this is what I wanna pose. I wanna ask this question to the commenters. Explain Christian Pulisic to me in NFL, NBA, or MLB terms. The guy that is extremely talented, but fails to show up when the lights get bright, and always is injured. He's always something. He's pouting- in the sidelines. He's horrible in the post-game press conferences. Explain Christian Pulisic in NFL, MLB, or NBA terms, 'cause I have a hard time trying to figure out which one. I like your DeMar DeRozan. I gave Kawhi Leonard. You might throw out- around a name like from the NFL maybe Christian McCaffrey is someone that could come to mind.

James

Oh my God, that's a perfect one for him. Yeah. Yeah. And I just saw his videos of him doing those silly pushups. I'm like, "Train those hamstrings." What's your pick? Bro.

Spencer

Yeah. But all in all, James I'm gonna continue to watch the World Cup because I- Yeah it's been so much fun to watch, and I- Yeah I love this high level of soccer, i- Oh, man you know I'm a footy guy. I love soccer. Yeah. I wish it was bigger in the States. We took a step forward this year despite- I think so how ugly of a loss this was. Everyone was excited about this. All the watch parties across the country, seeing those w- were very exciting. So I think there's future, and I think we will be better in 2030, but is it better enough to lose in the round of 16 by one goal next time, or can we actually break the glass ceiling and get past the round of 16? We got a long time between now and the 2030 World Cup. But I am excited- about the outlook. I'm gonna... I'm sad right now, but I promise you in these next four years I will buy back in, and I will convince myself that the United States is gonna do something special.

James

Yeah, for America. We're gonna be back in four years, man. Forget all you fake homies, man.

Spencer

All right. The other big news, James, LeBron. LeBron

James

James.

Spencer

LeBron James. LeBron James.

James

LeBron James. James.

Spencer

Yeah, he is officially leaving the Lakers, and they officially renounced his rights today. So even if they wanted him back and they had buyer's remorse, they aren't gonna be able to afford him anymore 'cause they no longer have his rights. Right. He will be playing for a new team in 2026.. Now, the rumors came out that there's three teams in the lead. Goin' back to Cleveland, goin' back to Miami-

James

Yep

Spencer

or joining the Philadelphia 76ers and forming a mega starting five. James, you are a lifelong LeBron stan. You have- I have been there not had an NBA team in your life. You have followed LeBron from the Cavs to the Heat, back to the Cavs, and now to the Lakers. You're gonna be taking a new residency with your fandom- wherever he goes next, at least for one season.

James

Yep. More or one.

Spencer

Where would you, as a LeBron stan, like to see him sign?

James

Spencer, man, you mentioned it the career I've gone through. This, LeBron moving around things, kinda like my wife and this military lifestyle. I just move every three, four years, and I get a new residence. Look, Spence, to the three teams I like all three, obviously. I like them all. If I had to rank them, how I would go, you definitely gotta go Philly, Cleveland, Miami. I don't like Miami's three-point shooting ability, the stretch. I can't imagine having LeBron, Giannis, and Bam all on the same court, just because who's gonna shoot? Like- is Bam your best three-pointer? Pack the paint. Yeah. Like-

Spencer

Pack the paint

James

yeah, is this gonna be like the old Miami Spurs finals? "Hey go for it. Shoot, LeBron." So I don't like that. Number two, For the Cavs to be number two, storyline ending. You start in Cleveland, you come in the middle, win a title, now you end in Cleveland. Again, with this team, I don't like the fit, I like Donovan Mitchell. Gets a huge contract, which I can't imagine Donovan Mitchell getting paid 70 million a year, but that's a different story. That is insane. Oof. When are we gonna get a lockout for the NBA? Guys, you cannot make this much. We talk about it for baseball. Guys, Donovan Mitchell is making on- is gonna make 70 million. What? But- Yeah, I got

Spencer

something for you about that in No Huddle.

James

So the Cavs in my mind, they're the second favorite for me, but the best storyline. I don't like the fit either between the big lineup with Mobley and Allen, and LeBron and Donovan. Again, where's the shooting coming from? I have to go Philadelphia because one, this would fit perfectly in my wheelhouse just because I'm an Eagles fan. Go Birds. I don't like any of the other Philly teams, but this would be a perfect ending. I don't care what Bob Myers has said, this is the best chance to win, blah, blah, blah. I like this team a lot. You got the young versatile guards. You have Jaylen Brown, and then you have LeBron, and then you have Joel Embiid. Holy crap, I might actually like Joel Embiid not to even play for half the season. Rest, big dog, 'cause the other four can handle the first 82 games. But Spence, if... I'll say it like this. I would prefer LeBron to go to the Cavs. Why? Number one, I don't have to buy another jersey. Two, the storyline pits- fits perfectly, and then three, you just, you gotta come back home, man. And I think the trend is already going to Cleveland anyways. We've heard LeBron buy a membership in Northeast Ohio for a golf course. Yeah, we like that. We like those things. But- I'm not gonna lie to you. I would love to see LeBron win a chip in Philly. You thought Philly Eagles fans would go crazy? I couldn't imagine, like the year that Philadelphia had and the hate they have for Boston, and then you get Jaylen Brown, and then let's say you do sign LeBron. What did Philly do to deserve this? And this has to be a one and done, and then get it over with.

Spencer

Yeah.

James

But overall, the one thing I'll say about this process that I don't like, and I think you've seen some videos before, the whole Rich Paul thing, that's got to stop. He can be on podcasts, but that-

Spencer

That

James

whiteboard

Spencer

was the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life.

James

Thank you. Okay,

Spencer

yeah. And no way you actually are this is how I'm gonna ponder his next decision. I'm gonna write starting lineups out on a whiteboard." Brother.

James

That is so stupid. And again, maybe it's a new trend. We all do podcasts now these days, and Rich Paul's the, maybe the only and first agent to be doing podcasts. But he needs to step away from the trade deadline era, the free agency era. Just do it in-season. That's all I care about. You can talk to Max Kellerman all you want, but I do not care, because I feel like you're giving me inside information, which is, in this era, great. But as someone who works in the finance industry, if I give you inside info, I'm gonna get screwed. I'm gonna get penalized for that. And Rich Paul, I don't like it. I want the suspense, the mystery of LeBron James. Where is he gonna go? I'd rather deal with somebody on Bob3459 on Twitter giving me the highlight instead of Rich Paul. You ruin it for me. I want the surprise birthday gift, and I want LeBron to sign with somebody quick, because I cannot wait to pre-order that jersey.

Spencer

Yeah. We need this news to pick up. The NBA off-season has pretty much come and gone. Dead. Like, all the big signings are done. News announcement from Sham was Mo Bamba going back to the Jazz. And I was like, "I didn't know they picked him up. All right, cool. Going back to the Jazz, Mo Bamba." But LeBron, when he signs somewhere, it's gonna take all the headlines. I would love for it to be just some random team out of nowhere. We joked recently about the Hornets picking him up. Yeah. That'd be so funny. I... It seems like the Warriors dream is dead. It doesn't seem like that's gonna happen. So- we'll see what, we'll see where he actually ends up. Of those three, I think I'm in agreement with you. I would like to see him go back to Cleveland. But let me cape for Miami for a sec. I agree with you there'd be spacing concerns, but wouldn't it just be funny if he's already gone back to Cleveland. So let's go back to Miami. Let's

James

go back to Miami.

Spencer

Let's go back to Miami. We're just gonna make stops. We're only gonna be a three jersey guy, but we're gonna- Yeah have five different stints with each team, with my teams. Then that'd just be a funny way to end things. I like it. I think that's that's another reason why I don't wanna see him with the 76ers. Correct in another jersey. Let's just keep- Right three jersey guy

James

Yeah, 'cause I'm with you 'cause you already know what's gonna happen. If he was to go to Philadelphia, man, we about to hear from the Michael Jordan fans. "Michael Jordan only played with one team." No, he technically played on two teams, and one was a baseball team. He didn't leave his sport. LeBron didn't leave his sport. So F you, Jordan fans, just for that second. But other than that, we're gonna get ki- I will say this too, Spence, and I know this is a new era, and this will be quick. I do wish LeBron goes to Cleveland just because I do believe he went to too many teams. That's just a me thing. It's way too many. I think Kevin Durant has gone on way too many teams. I will-- As much as I hated Steph during the Cav era and the Warriors, I respect the guy for staying with the one team no matter what. Giannis, I'm okay with, his stint, 'cause it wasn't like- He

Spencer

overstayed in Milwaukee. We know that.

James

Yeah, he overstayed. If he does two teams, I'll be okay with that. But I know in this era we just don't get the same vibe like we got the Dirk, the Tim Duncan, and the Kobes.

Spencer

Yeah, valid. But y'all let us know in the comments where y'all wanna see LeBron James

James

end up. Orlando Magic.

Spencer

That would be a great twist out of nowhere.

James

Gosh.

Spencer

Now James, let's go to no huddle. Yeah. I actually have a couple for you. Ooh. I don't know if you were collecting some while you were on vacation, but-

James

Oh, I always do

Spencer

here's a big one for you.

James

Okay.

Spencer

James, Tobias Harris signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs for two years, $31 million- Oh my gosh bringing his career earnings in the NBA, James- Yep to $330 million. Okay? Man. The NBA is where the contracts are at. If you are tall and can put a ball in a hoop, you're gonna get paid. Yep. So much so, James-

James

Oh, man

Spencer

I'm gonna put you on the spot. Uh-oh. There are only three NFL players that have higher career earnings than Tobias Harris. Three. Can you name them?

James

Did you say active or just three NFL players?

Spencer

Three NFL players all time.

James

Okay.

Spencer

I'll give you this hint if you're gonna ask that, two are active.

James

Yeah. And so we'll, get the obvious one out. Let's go with Patrick Mahomes.

Spencer

Eh. Wow. Patrick Mahomes' career earnings of $232 million.

James

Wow. Oh my gosh. God dang it. Okay, let's go with the player that's not active. Let's go with Tom Brady.

Spencer

Tom Brady. Okay. And bro, slimmest of margins, $332 million. So essentially, Tobias Harris and Tom Brady have the same career earnings in their sport. Now, Tom Brady, way more wealthy. He has way more- Right endorsements and sponsorships- Businesses. Yeah, yeah, yeah notoriety, fame, yada, yada. But just for what they earned in their sport, basically the same amount, but Tom Brady does have more. So two more guys, both these guys are active.

James

Oh my goodness. Okay, let's go with... Man, let's go with the big dipper. Let me get Matthew Stafford.

Spencer

Matthew Stafford is the all-time career earnings leader in the NFL, $408 million. God dang.

James

And the numbers, oh gosh, this active guy. I'm gonna go on a limb. This is, we joke about this guy. Give me Kirk Cousins, man.

Spencer

So Kirk Cousins is not the answer, but he is right on his tail, actually. $321 million. He's the fourth-highest earnings of all time. Very close. But Tobias Harris out earns him.

James

Wow. Okay. Holy moly. All right, so we

Spencer

got one more guy. Now, uh, and you're in the right ballpark. You know it's a quarterback. Yeah. And it is a quarterback.

James

It is a quarterback. We know this part. Who am I? Oh my goodness. Spence. He is active. He is playing, and it wasn't Pat Mahomes, and if not, I'm gonna hit myself in the foot because- It is Dak Prescott

Spencer

Dak Prescott, number seven all time, $297 million Dang it.

James

Oh, damn. Okay.

Spencer

Next contract he will surpass Tobias Harris. But he just signed a new one, so he never mind, he might not. He's probably gonna be... he might not get another contract. We'll see.

James

So this is Aaron Rodgers.

Spencer

It's Aaron Rodgers- with $394 million in career earnings. So Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady, the only NFL players to out-earn Tobias Harris. Absolutely mind-blowing stat. But hey, kids, learn how to shoot a basketball and please be tall.

James

Yeah, please be tall, man. All right, man, what's the next one?

Spencer

So one thing that was weird to me this week, James, that I wanted to- Okay to get your take on, I don't know, did you see the Giannis interview with the Bucks on his way out?

James

No, I did not.

Spencer

So I, I didn't see the whole thing, but he posted on his social media, he was already teasing the idea that he's gonna go back to Milwaukee. Imagine being a Miami Heat fan, and Giannis has not even played a single minute for your team, and he's already talking about leaving your team and going back to where you got him from.

James

Oh,

Spencer

my goodness. That just smells "Oh, we got fleeced, didn't we?"

James

Yeah, no. Oh, my gosh, if I heard that too that's "Hey, man, I just got this new girl, but God, my ex-girlfriend, man, she was my first true love. She used to coddle me when we watched Netflix and popcorn and all that crap." You the new girl, you like, "Damn, bro. You was with this girl so long and you left and now you still talking about her? Bye, Felicia." That's why LeBron not coming, man. That's why, man. He saw that interview and he said, "You know what? I'm not doing this either." I would be disappointed if I'm a Heat fan, but you gotta think about it. If I am a Miami Heat fan, you think about the longevity of this franchise. You think about two players who have... Okay, let's say three players. Three players who have really stood out in this Heat culture. D. Wade, who's not on the team no more. Udonis Haslem, who's not on the team, and then I know Alonzo Mourning did two stints, but I think of Alonzo Mourning as well. Some other guys that maybe like Tim Hardaway, but- Other than that, you think about it, Spence. You get LeBron James for four years, he's gone. You get Jimmy Butler for a couple years, he's gone. It just seems like in Miami, man, it's like your hoe phase. You get in and then you get out.

Spencer

A- and that fits for the city of Miami.

James

That fits for the city. Man, that and the micro- micro skims, Kim Kardashian bikinis.

Spencer

Yeah. All right, James,

James

Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th home run. Spence, I'm not gonna lie, I know he's been playing baseball for a while. Holy crap, he's already at 300. Spence, I don't know how many years this guy's even played. I wanna say, is it like six or seven, or is it 10 years? I don't know how many years he played, but I just feel like it was yesterday he was an Angel, and now he's at 300 home runs. How far do you think he'll go?

Spencer

Yeah, he's in the middle of his ninth year. he's in his 30s, but I think of him hitting 300 home runs in nine years, I don't think... I definitely think 500 is gonna be attainable for him if he's keeps up this rate of hitting home runs- Yeah and he stays healthy. Of course- he's had some health issues over his career, but a lot of those were when he was with the Angels. He's been pretty healthy as a Dodger. He ain't going nowhere he, that contract- He ain't going he locked in. I'd say he's a guarantee to get 500, and he's got a real shot at 600 home runs.

James

I couldn't imagine, man. Nah, man, I was just shocked, man, seeing baseball, now that's our sport for a little bit until we get to that preseason football. And I, you know how the Dodgers are, man. They always find a way to pay players and find a way to win. But I was just shocked seeing that, man. Shohei's already reached 300 home runs, so like he's in the middle of his ninth. He's probably on pace for like 620 if he just kept his pace, or maybe 650, but- Wow it won't be better than Barry Bonds, the GOAT. That's

Spencer

right. He is the GOAT. All right, James good stuff. It was great to be back in the saddle. Yeah. We will be back next week again, keeping things going. We'll start talking a little football, though, going soon. Oh my. It is almost here, James. College football's seven weeks away. NFL shortly after. I can't wait. But until next time, for James, I'm Spencer. This has been Big Game Energy. Y'all take it easy.

James

Yeah, man. Except you, Christian Pulisic, you wimp pussy bitch.

Spencer

Polish bitch.