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LeBron James’ Podcast Partner Under Scrutiny: NBA Millionaire’s Basketball IQ Sparks Heated Debate

Published 03/20/2024, 11:34 AM EDT

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LeBron James took the basketball community by storm after announcing his first-ever podcast, Mind the Game. Joining him as his co-host in this basketball-centric podcast is JJ Redick, a member of ESPN’s top play-by-play broadcast team. This podcast isn’t your typical sports show aimed at the casual fan looking for the next hot take. The show delves deep into the nitty-gritty of the sport of basketball and breaks down coaching schemes and individual plays, rather than focusing on flashy, headline-grabbing content. However, despite James’ unprecedented efforts, NBA analyst Cam’ron has one issue. Why JJ Redick as the co-host? Why not someone else?

In the recent episode of Come and Talk 2 Me, Cam’ron unraveled his honest thoughts about James and Redick’s new venture. “It kind of shocked me because LeBron could pick anybody in the world, and I’m not saying JJ Redick isn’t worth that,” said the American rapper. And when his co-host Mase pointed out that Chris Paul would have been a better fit because of his higher basketball IQ, Cam’ron agreed, stating, “It isn’t like JJ Redick has championship experience either.” 

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Undoubtedly, Chris Paul’s basketball IQ is unmatched. Rightfully dubbed the ‘Point God,’ Paul’s ability to orchestrate offense with surgical precision is like no other. Even though age and attrition have slowly caught up to the floor general, his masterful understanding of tempo and decision-making is still sharp. However, the panel suggests that being a good podcast co-host requires more than just basketball knowledge.

Cam’ron added, “I’m not saying Chris Paul couldn’t do it. But you got the best basketball IQ, best football IQ, soccer, boxing, whatever it is, if you don’t know how to talk into a camera or talk to people or have, you know, banter back and forth with your co-host, then it’s not for everybody.” However, he still might appear as a guest in one of the episodes to share his insights about the game. Interestingly, basketball IQ was also a topic of discussion in the first episode of the podcast released Tuesday.

Who has the highest basketball IQ according to LeBron James?

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In the premiere episode of Mind the Game, the Los Angeles Lakers star showered praise on his former teammate Rajon Rondo for his incredible basketball IQ. When asked to name a player he thinks has a high basketball IQ, James singled out Rajon Rondo, highlighting Rondo’s ability to read the game with precision and make split-second decisions. “Rajon Rondo. For sure. He can process flip, do things on the go.”

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James further expressed his astonishment that Rondo is not pursuing coaching at a high level. “It is very weird for me that he is not coaching at a high level. I think it is because he doesn’t wanna do it. It is a lot. Who wants to deal with all these rich entitled guys all the time?”

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Rajon Rondo is James’ pick, but which NBA player do you think has the highest basketball IQ? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by:

Darshita Daga

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Darshita is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports who is creating her own space in the spectrum of sport journalism. Darshita specializes in dissecting post-game interviews, trade, and contracts. Her appetite for literature, akin to her affection for the Milwaukee Bucks, knows no bounds.
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Edited by:

Caroline Joseph