PTI - LeBron responds to 76ers, Lakers are trading Ayton to Wizards

Episode Date: July 4, 2026

This episode of Pardon the Interruption features Frank Isola and Pablo Torre analyzing the latest LeBron James' free agency move and World Cup drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly cool. With a fit that creates natural movement and a wide leg that feels modern, not overwhelming. Plus, that signature, wait, for this price, moment. Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg. I'm a interruption, but I'm Pablo Torre.

proudly representing one half of today's B team. I'm Frank Isola. I think we're the A team. The A stands for available. Your best ability is availability. Come on. Where else would you rather be on July 3rd? On a nice 100-degree day.

It's the hottest Washington, D.C. has ever been, is what I'm being told, Frank. You enjoying that? It feels like Vegas on July 3rd. That's what it feels like. walking down the streets today. Not comfortable, not comfortable. Welcome to PTI, everyone. Mike and Tony are a free soloing El Capitan. So joining me is the host of the Pulitzer Prize winning podcast. Pablo Tori finds out Mr. Pablo Tori.

Just to be clear, I wasn't in the running. I do a radio show. That's a full-time job, so I wasn't in the podcast. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, let's start with the potential of LeBron James joining the Sixers. Sean reports that Philly is trying to pitch the free agent on joining Jalen Brown, Joel and B, Tyree Smaxie, and of course, VJ Edgecombe for the upcoming season. The other known suitors for LeBron's services are the Warriors, the Cavs, and the Heat. So, Pablo, what would be the pros and cons for LeBron joining the Sixers? So, Frank, I was examining the whiteboard that Rich Paul made for Max Kellerman on their podcast together, as they were explaining all of the possibilities here.

And I want to make it even simpler than that, because of course, as that podcast indicates, as LeBron's whole life indicates, he's more acutely aware of the story of LeBron as much as he is as anything else. So the question is, what's the greatest, not season, but career finale? And it's the Sixers. Really? Who have not won a title since 1983? I mean, look, the Warriors got one very recently. The Heat got one with LeBron. The Cavs got one with LeBron.

We've seen that movie before. The Sixers, what he could do for Philadelphia, a city, which, you know, you know, you know, as we both know, does not warm easily to anyone. If LeBron wins the hearts of Philly, which does not quite need him in the way that they used to because they got Jalen Brown, because they have depth on that roster suddenly, I think that is an incredible finale to a career that at this point is predictable only in the sense that he cares about the finale. Yeah. Now, Rich Paul on that podcast, which did not win the Pulitzer, he also did point out if maybe if the Knicks hadn't won, that would be the place to him to go. because then it would have been, look what I did.

I ended the 54-year championship drought. Very good story. So he's not going there. You do bring up a good point about the Sixers, because right now I do think the Knicks, when you look at the Eastern Conference, I still think right now they're the favorites. Their starting five is terrific.

Now they're battle tested. They've gone through it. But I think LeBron looks at the Sixers and thinks, I can trust Tyree Smacks, you, by the way, clutch client, very close with Rich Fall, Beach Hedgecombe, up-and-coming guy, Jaylon Brown, look at his resume. The one guy, let's be fair,

that he probably doesn't trust to Joel Embed. Because you don't know how many games he'll be available for and you don't know what will happen to him come playoff time. But we also know this about LeBron, and you're talking about good stories. This guy's entire career has been mapped out. LeBron, for me, I think he already knows where he's going. And I think it's going to be the Warriors

because of what Draymond Green did, opting out of his contract. He sends out the bat signal. And with all this stuff about tampering, I think it's a little bit of a dog and pony show. stuff with Rich Paul and the Whiteboard, Pablo, I think a little of that is performative. I think they're just waiting out. LeBron James is one step ahead of everybody, probably even two and three steps. I think he knows where he's going.

I think it's already been decided. My guess is that it's the Warriors. So here's the thing about the Warriors, right? I think the Sixers are the most interesting story for the reasons I said. In terms of the box office, here's the box office case for the Warriors. Him and Steph Curry, period. Yeah. Right?

That is from a pure, just like, can the superheroes of this league come together? And they, by the way, Frank, you know this. You've seen it. They've been man-crushing on each other for a very, very long time. Steph and LeBron, the idea of the two of them together, right? Dremont being the first sort of signal there, I think that is something that smells like a giant, giant A1, leading every story, leading every show in the world for as long as they want to do that. that it would be the case for Golden State.

And remember something else, too. Mike Gansy, who LeBron's known for a long time, going all the way back to high school basketball in Cleveland or in Ohio, he's the GM of the Sixers. Bob Myers is now kind of in charge of everything. And once again, for LeBron, I think he comes down to trust. He wants to know he'd have a good chance. And that's why Philadelphia does have a chance here.

And I think it would be a good move. I still think ultimately would be the Warriors. Yeah, I remember Mike Gansy playing with Kevin Pitznoggle. Nice. That's how old I am. Nice. Getting pitznoggled. I want to move to the World Cup because Croatia, they got pitznoggled in a sense.

They got kicked out of this thing by a hair. Croatia had appeared to tie Portugal at two in the final seconds of stoppage time. But VAR, it ruled that Croatia's cross had brushed the quaff, the quaff of Igor, batonovich. I'm struggling through the French, which meant Mario Pazilich was offside and the goal got waved off. And so, Frank, you're feeling about this dramatic goal getting overturned as well. what? Yeah, what's the expression they use all the time with soccer and in Europe gutted? You felt gutted for Croatia for the way that it ended. I felt it should have been a tying goal,

then chances are you going to extra time with, by the way, with Ronaldo on the bench. You're a big technology guy. You always wrong robots. And I like VAR to a certain extent. But Pablo, here's the problem with it. You know, when you watch it on replay, it does not look like it touches his hair at all. But they have a sensor in the ball. And according to the sensor, There was what they call it, like a heartbeat or some kind of skip, and that's what it's being ruled on. So when you watch it with the naked eye, and Fox had a great camera angle from behind the goal,

it looks like it does not touch the offensive player. Looks like it comes off the back of the Portuguese defender. That goal should have stood, and you think about the spirit of the rule, and that really took the life out of everybody, and I felt bad for Luca Madrich, a legendary player that was his last ever World Cup game, maybe his last ever game.

Right. I am a bit tortured, given my historical takes about technology solving the problems that afflict sports. The trade-off is, of course, between accuracy and entertainment. And as I've gotten older, Frank, as I've done more and more of these shows and watched more and more of these games, I do realize that the spirit of the law does matter. And the nightmare, the nightmare for me as a fan watching that game is, technology should not take the game out of the hands of the players. And that's the thing, right? And so VAR, they have a rule built in that ostensibly does account for this.

It is the clear and obvious, quote-unquote, language, right? Was it clear and was it obvious? And the referee ostensibly gets to choose and say, you know what, we're going to let this one stand because, by the way, we would have gone to extra time. And Luca Madridge and that entire diaspora of Croatia, they would have said, you know what, at the very least we'll settle this on the field. And that, to me, is the heartbreaker. I hated it.

I hated it because it was not clear. It was not obvious. And I get the value of technology, but I'd rather see the players figure it out as opposed to short-circuiting what has been yet another incredible match in the most incredible tournament that I can remember watching in this World Cup.

You know, Ronaldo, after the game, who played with Luca Majors, they played in the same club team at Real Madrid. He called them a football legend. And, you know, you think about that Croatian team, you know, in 2018, they're runner up to France, four years ago, their third place. They're not loaded with superstars,

but it's such a great, you know, gritty team that fights all the time. You know, they have a great support behind them. It just wasn't good to see that go another 30 minutes. But here's something interesting that came out of that game. As you know, Pablo. Ronaldo was taken out with the score tied.

The guy that, in theory, replaced him at Stryker, Ramos scores the goal. You think Roberto Martinez now would feel empowered? maybe to not start Ronaldo against Spain or empowered maybe to take him off at some point during the match. What do you think about that? I think that Ronaldo's face on that statue of him

at the Madeira airport, which I have visited, would have resembled the feeling that you're describing. Good point, good point. All right, and now to Pablo's floundering Yankees. They're back on the field tonight with Garrett Cole trying to snap the squad seven-game losing streak. The swoon has come during Aaron Judge's extended absence with a rip fraction.

Pablo, does this slump feel significant or temperate here? So it feels like an Aaron Judge thing, and it's hard to say that in baseball typically, but since 2020, I believe, the Yankees are 138 games over 500 when Aaron Judge is in the lineup. And they are eight under 500 when he's not. And so try to isolate the variable. That's a pretty big sample size, Frank, over hundreds and hundreds of games. And so that is the first thing. We want Aaron Judge in the lineup whenever possible.

So that we hope he returns. The second thing, though, is that there's a starting pitching problem. Yeah. They've had an ERA over five in the last 30-some-odd innings right now. The bullpen's looking great, but the starting pitching is floundering. And so, look, I think the ALE East is right there for the Yankees to get that wildcard spot. I think they're currently first right now in the AL wildcard race. I like that.

But there are some fundamentals, Aaron Judge-related, that continue to worry me if he's not going to be held. That is an amazing stat, like what they've done with Aaron Judge in the lineup. And that's a guy that, you know, plays one position. He's batting once every nine times in the order. It's incredible what he's done. As you know, tomorrow, George Steinbrenner's birthday. Can you imagine the Yankees going into July 4th on an eighth game? It's parked on my calendar.

But here's the good news, though. They're playing the Minnesota Twins. And if you even go back to kind of like the Derek Jeter era, all they ever did was beat the Minnesota Twins. The ALDS against the twins was the safest I've ever felt. Yes, as a sports fan. And, you know, Aaron Boone, by the way, since he took over for the Yankees,

he's 23 and 13 versus the twins. The Yankees are. And then Garrett Cole, tonight's starter, 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA in 53 strikeouts in six career starts against the Minnesota twins. So this is their team.

But to your point, the starting pitching is struggled. And now you have Carlos Rodan is on the IL with elbow inflammation, which is big. Can they hold the four down until Aaron Judge gets back because everything has

changed. Their record since he went out is 12 and 15. They just can't win with Aaron Judge. So when you talk about MVP, that is the definition of MVP. But this is what it's like to be a Yankee fan who was 40 years old, which I am, Frank. I remember steamrolling

the twins every single postseason. And yet now I'm also the guy who went on Stubhub and bought a ticket to watch the Yankees have the worst defensive inning in the history of Major League Baseball against the Dodgers and watching Garrett Cole, the aforementioned, not cover first base. So I have old confidence and new trauma, and I am caught between it. I just want my binkie, meaning I want the giant guy playing in the outfield to make me feel better.

40 years old. You know, I was 39 the first time I didn't win the Pulitzer, so I kind of have you beat by one year. All right, let's take a break, but coming up, should Mexico or England be favored in Sunday's World Cup showdown? And is Kalingan Mbapé or Leonel Messi more of a must watch right now? I have a feeling that toss up is next. Have you been to any games yet? You know, Frank, I've been waiting to voyage to the great state of New Jersey, haven't mustered the confidence yet.

I'll be there Sunday. I don't know how I'm going to get there because you can't park there. And it's too expensive to take the train. Brazil? Is that Brazil? Yeah, Brazil, Norway. Erlin Holland. Two cultures.

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify.

In Toronto, every arrival is a statement, and nothing says it better than this. Cadillac Optic was the number one selling luxury EV in Canada for 2025. Find your rhythm across a seamless 33-inch display and an immersive 19 speaker AKG surround audio system. This city demands agility and optic delivers with precision to make every drive extraordinary. Let's take the Cadillac. Find out more at Cadillac canada.ca. Luxury sales claim based on S&P Global Mobility Canadian New Vehicle Total Registrations for calendar year 2025 for the Cadillac definition of luxury. It's time to tussle with Mr. Pulitzer and toss up. What's first? Toss up, who do you favor Sunday, Mexico or England?

So, Frank, when I think of England, you think of it's coming home. Yep. And when I think of Mexico, I think of them being home. The Estadio Azteca, 7300 feet above sea level. I'm doing the math on how many times Mexico has lost when they play there and they played, because records are a bit hazy, 150 times. They've lost eight. Yeah.

26 in a row they've won. The elevation is real. The lack of like sudden acceleration and burst is what the sports science will tell you. That's what you lose when you're visiting that place. And so Mexico has always had a home field advantage, the sports science on top of that, plus the general idea that this Mexico team is actually really good. And England tends to choke. I like Mexico, man. I really like them a lot on this.

I'll tell you what, with all due respect to France, the first half that Mexico had the other night at Azteca, against Ecuador, they looked as good as any team in the tournament. They scored two quick goals, including that second one by Rahulimenez. They look terrific, and you're 100% right about the elevation and their record at Azteca 100%. But let me just give you some of the teams at their last 14 matches that they played there. Guatemala, Jamaica, Canada, the U.S., El Salvador, Costa Rica. What are you trying to say?

Portugal was a friendly nil-nil-nil in that one. My point is, they have played really. good teams. They haven't played France. They didn't beat Spain there. And now they're going to play England. Now, England has some issues. At right back, is Declan Rice going to start? What are they going to do? And we know the British press is cynical. All my friends who are British, are the most cynical people you're ever going to meet. They're great people. Correct. But they're incredibly cynical. I think England, based on this, they're the better team. And I think if they could survive, I heard Brad Fidel talking about this on the podcast with

Gary Linnaker. That first, you know, 20 to 25 minutes, which brings you to the hydration break. If they could survive that, maybe they'll be good. I just think that England is better than Mexico. That's why I think England will survive. That's what is going to come down. Many have said that. Many have lost. All right, what's next?

Toss up which player and team would you rather watch right now? Mbapé in France or Messi in Argentina? So you complimented Mbapé just a second ago. I will also do the same before taking the other side of this. When I was covering the World Cup in Brazil in

2014 and I got the privilege of doing that for ESPN. Watching Leo Messi is so interesting, Frank. Because for so much of the game, he looks like Wilbot. He's just patting around slowly, just kind of inching as if he's in his slippers.

And then suddenly he does what he does this tournament and he's, what, six skulls now in this World Cup? So the idea that his swan song is also the most interesting version of him and plus I just enjoy the way that he suddenly springs to life

after lulling you to sleep? Messi, the all-time greatest, arguably. Ambape, we'll have other chances to watch him. But Messi right now feels like somehow he's at his peak while he's also at the end. Yeah, and also, you know, the one thing with Messi, and I think Ronaldo wishes that he had this where everything seems to operate around him.

And it seems like every player on the team, even some great players like Enzo Fernandez, who plays at Chelsea, they all kind of understand their role and they're all kind of worker bees and then Messi at the right moment strikes and he always delivers. For me though and Bapa, the way that he's playing right now,

he just, first of all, it seems like he plays at a different speed and I'm always blown away by guys who you're on a field with other fast guys but you look that much quicker, that much faster and his movement without the ball is unbelievable with the ball at his feet. He's terrific. And right now, Pablo, France looks, I don't know what it's going to take. beat them. You're probably going to have to get a little lucky. You're going to have to hope that

maybe, you know, when they show up and Bapé's having a bad day, I'm going to get to see them play in person tomorrow in Philadelphia against Paragu. I'm hoping for a 65-degree day. You think I'll get that in Philadelphia tomorrow? Maybe some nice wind blowing. Many hydration breaks. Many hydration breaks are in store for you, that is what I predict. All right. That's it for toss-up. Let's take one last break, but still will come. A change at the top of the German team that just got bounced from the World Cup. And Billy Donovan resigned as a head coach only to become an assistant. And I wonder how the head coach feels watching that guy on his bench.

Yeah. Hopefully they'll guard the inbound pass it. They're up one with 5.7 seconds to go in game four of an NBA finals. How about that? Just hypothetically, purely... When you're a mid-sized business, you need every competitive advantage you can get. Like an AI solution that works for you, not against you. SAP Grow is built with AI embedded at its core,

working across every system, and it's ready to go from day one, so you can hit the ground running. Bring it with SAP Grow, AI Cloud ERP for any size business. This episode is brought to you by L'Oreal Group. Beauty is a powerful force that moves us. That's why Loreal Group has built a business

that is inclusive at its heart with 100% of its brands, championing diversity. With 25,000 professional, opportunities for people under 30 worldwide and 54% of leading positions held by women. Diversity is a strength that helps L'Oreal Group create the best beauty products for all people. Visit L'Oreal.com to learn more. Happy time, folks. Happy 32nd birthday, Chris Jones.

The Chief's defensive tackle has a nice resume. Three Super Bowls, seven consecutive Pro Bowls. Not bad for a second round pick, but Jones says he needs to up his sack totals this season. He had seven of the teams 35 last year. A total that ranked just 22nd among all NFL teams. Jones' teammate, Travis Kelsey, is reportedly marrying Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden tonight. No word on whether Jones will be there. The big question is, will you be there, Pablo?

Frank, the idea that I'm hosting this show with you right now makes it way less likely that the facial recognition system will let me in. I dislike that they're letting in two cabs fans. Growth from James Dolan, welcoming in Cleveland's finest. into the greatest arena on the plan. I want Taylor Swift to say I do right under the Patrick Ewing number 33 banner. That would be really good. Sweating like Ewing. Exactly.

Wiping a brow. Happy anniversary Brad Stevens. On this date 13 years ago, Steven shocked everyone by leaving Butler to become the head coach of the Celtics. Stevens had been remarkable with Butler making back-to-back title games in 2010 and 2011, but he took over the rebuilding Celtics team at the age of just 36. That first year was rough at 25 and 15. at 25 and 57, but the Celtics have made the playoffs every year since with Stevens, either his head coach or president of basketball operations. Now, Stevens isn't yet 50,

and he just made one of his biggest moves of his Boston tenure, trading away Jalen Brown. And Pablo, he's getting a lot of heat for that one. Yes, and Jason Tatum just went on Instagram, if I have not been fooled by the internet. And that should alleviate things a little bit. But the whole choice here was Brown or Tatum. Stevens made the right and obvious. his choice, Tatum, but the handling of it, the price that they got for Brown, you'll watch him now age like a president, I think, as a result of all the questions are going to surround him this season. Very good.

Tatum should have said, I predict next season will be my favorite season of my career. Happy Trails to Germany's coach. Julian Nagelsman is out following Germany's loss to Paraguay in the round of 32. It's been a rough stretch for the 2014 champs who couldn't even make it out of the group stage in 2018 or 2022. have the Germans turn into the legendary Juergen Klopp, who hasn't coached since leaving Liverpool in 2024, where he won both Champions League and Premier League titles.

Klop would be a hire with some real teeth, Pablo, and not just the veneer of progress. Oh boy, yeah. Just an orthodontic level of subtlety with that read. I will point out, I saw Germany 7 Brazil won in person in Brazil in 2014. They looked so happy. And now, of course, they feel like that. of course they feel like Brazil did maybe on that day happy trails to unemployment for

Billy Donovan the 61 year old is joining the spurs as the lead assistant to head coach miss Johnson Donovan stepped down his head coach of the Bulls in April where he was 30 games under 500 over six seasons earlier he went 86 games over 500 when he coached the Thunder and of course Donovan won back-to-back national titles while coaching Florida the Long Island native and Mitch Johnson reportedly have a strong relationship which should benefit John who got some heat for some of that decision making the finals lost to the next. Just three of the biggest blown leads in the history of the finals happening in the same series.

And so congratulations, you get a chaperone, Mitch Johnson. One omission, Mosala and Egypt are through to the final 16 after beating Australian penalties this afternoon. Congratulations, Mossala. All right, we're running out of show. Let's go to the big finish. The Lakers have traded D'Andre Aiton to the Wizards for Jaden Hardy in two second rounds. What do you read into it? I just like that the Wizards are involved

in the most Wizards way possible. Baseball suspended Cade Cavali and Wilson Contrera, seven games apiece for their dust-up on Tuesday night. Is that okay by you? That seems pretty harsh. It seems pretty harsh. Novak Djokovic tied Roger Federer for the most men's singles wins at Wimbledon.

That's significant. 105 is significant. FIFA can confirm flow ball against suspension for Monday night's game against Belgium. How does that say with you? Oh, it was unfortunate, but I think it works. What about last one? Showhound him outside against the Padres.

Who do you got? Give me Otani. Always give me Otton. We're out of time. Thanks for watching. I'm Frank Isola. Pablo Torre, have a great weekend, but you're a sports center. There we go.

The man himself. Hey, y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder, what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what if. Just style you love and quality you can trust.

Visit Wayfair.ca.cair, every style, every home.