“Ain’t Gonna Last Very Long”: LeBron James’ Biggest Fanboy Makes Bold Prediction for JJ Redick & the King

When LeBron James and JJ Redick announced the collaboration for a new podcast, Mind The Game, many were left pleasantly surprised. It was out of the blue, yes. But the two were quite the fan favorites. Redick has already garnered a loyal base with his own pods and broadcasting career. And well, James, you don’t need us to tell you just how popular he is.

However, the whole thing took a sharp turn when Darvin Ham was fired and it was understood that JJ was looking for a new head coach job. The timing of the podcast and the fact that, despite having no coaching experience, the former NBA star was one of the leading candidates for the Lakers’ head honcho job, all proved to change their narrative pretty fast.

And of course, it warranted a lot of opinions from analysts and basketball pundits. But a huge LeBron James fan and the NFL legend, Shannon Sharpe, seems to have a unique take on it. Joining First Take with Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith, and Kendrick Perkins, he had a word of caution towards the end of the episode.

“Let me tell you something: if you ever want to start a podcast, and this is what I tell Stephen A., you’ve got to be able to adapt. You’ve got to be able to branch out. Because if all you talk about is Xs and Os, it ain’t gonna last very long.”

The 3x Super Bowl Champion has two successful podcasts up and running – Club Shay Shay and Nightcap. Known for the entertainment value Sharpe brings to the table, along with both his co-hosts, Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Gilbert Arenas, it’s obvious why he would think James and JJ’s venture wouldn’t exactly be successful.

The insides of a basketball podcast

The latest episode, What Makes The Celtics Offense Almost Impossible To Stop, has 436,000 views. Launched on March 17th, they have 652k subscribers in the span of almost 3 months. And if we were to look at their YT channel, the metrics there show an upward graph in views, more specifically 32,893,639. And quite frankly, it was a given that, contrary to the ‘n’ number of podcasts, this was going to be different.

The pair said their discussion would be centered around the Xs and Os. The description of their channel in itself points it out. “Mind The Game is an entry into the heralded basketball minds of LeBron James and JJ Redick. The two sit down weekly to discuss the state of the game, dissect X’s and O’s.” While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly is somebody’s.

Sharpe was talking long term, of course. One could say that LeBron James does not invest in businesses that are not bound to be successful. But Sharpe has been doing this longer. Club Shay Shay, started in 2020, has 3.23 million subscribers. Nightcap was a recent addition (2023), but it too has a 1.3 million fan following. So, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the man knows what he is doing and saying.

So, do you see any chance of the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s words becoming true? Let us know your thoughts. But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese.

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