The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD – HOUR 1 – Celtics Are BETTER Without Jaylen Brown, LeBron To Cavs Is A Mistake

Episode Date: July 10, 2026

Colin Cowherd pushes back on the criticisms about the Celtics trading former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown by pointing out Boston has been better and wins game with Brown didn’t play. Colin believes LeBron James would be making a huge mistake returning to the Cavaliers and makes the point the 76ers are the team could he contend for another championship with. Soccer is popular with young and cool people, and it won't slow down anytime soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Oh, we get a good Friday show, baby. We are ready to roll. The World Cut now getting really interesting. The best of the best remain. The Jalen Brown truth to be unveiled today. LeBron is it automatic that he's going to Cleveland. Welcome in. Live from Chicago, it's the Hurd.

So over the course of the last. several years. Remember, we buy the shoes and the jerseys of sports stars. And with all this social media, there's been an amplification of the stars. We get more and more of the stars. We fall deeper and deeper in love. Look at the Instagram followings of top athletes. The media has always overreacted when a star gets traded. Oh, he's irreplaceable. Well, that team got fleeced. Well, the other team's got a dynasty. The latest example is Jalen Brown.

So when Micah Parsons got traded by the Cowboys, I was on an absolute island in the American sports media. It was me against the world. I said, Micah's overrated. He is a splash player, bad against the run, disappeared in playoff games. He will help Green Bay, who will lead games late. But Dallas will have flexibility.

and in one year see where Dallas is. Well, it's one year later. I love Dallas's defense going into the preseason. I love it. Between all the moves they've made, Caleb Downs, defensive front, I think Dallas right now, today. Micah's not even going to play in September. I would take Dallas's defense early in the season and maybe late,

and I was on an island. Oh, the Cowboys will disintegrate. No, defense is better. they were offered flexibility. The Luca Dantage tray. Oh, boy, Dallas got fleeced. And I will acknowledge that they didn't get enough in return. But I warned you, I said he doesn't equal anything.

He's a better Carmelo. No defense. Conditioning and health issues are real. He will age very, very quickly. And even last year in the playoffs, it's 41-year-old LeBron James that was healthy and leading them over Houston. Where was Luca? hurt again.

And even despite the moves this off season, they're over, under, will go down because LeBron's gone. Even with roster improvements. Here we are with Jalen Brown. So Micah was a great but flawed star. Luca was a great but flawed star. You didn't want to talk about the floss. Jalen Brown is great but a totally flawed star.

He's not a top 20 player analytically, and that's what drives the bus for the Celtics in the league. the since he arrived since he has arrived the Celtics have a higher winning percentage when he doesn't play I'm not making that up more Tatum less Brown better the Celtics are and now he was Twitch streaming

deteriorating relationships getting more vocal that stuff matters same thing kind of with Micah so Micah Luca and Jalen Brown I will again be in an island I think the Celtics will be better next year In fact, look at these numbers.

Last year, the Celtics were nine and two when Jalen Brown didn't play. Well, Colin, that is a one-year sample. Okay, let's go to the year before. Oh, they were 15 and 4 when Jalen Brown didn't play. Oh, okay, what about the title year? They were 12 and 0 when Jalen Brown didn't play in the regular season. The point differential last year, nine points better. when Jalen Brown didn't play.

Offensive, defensive net readings. Better last year when he didn't play. Go to his entire career. They win more games when Brown's not playing. Micah, great talent, flawed superstar. Luca, great talent, flawed superstar. Jalen Brown, great talent. Guy's going to make the Hall of Fame.

Flawed superstar. You did it with Micah. The dad is all in front of you. You did it with Luke. the data was all in front of you, and you're doing it with Jalen Brown. Paul George is a much better teammate with Tatum analytically. He plays off ball. He's a better peer shooter.

He's money from three. And they'll have more flexibility because a year in, they'll be able to move off the deal if they want to. Did you watch Paul George against the Celtics in the playoffs? When he was shooting 55% from three was absolutely efficient and a dog defensively. So you did it with Micah, you did it with Luca. Very few stars change a franchise. Messy does.

Mahomes does. Brady does. LeBron and his prime did. Curry does. Micah is just a great athlete. Luca is a great basketball player, score. Jalen Brown is a great athlete. Really, really good player gives you a bunch of points.

But he dribbles the air out of the ball. And every single number is right there for the taking. They're better when he doesn't play. Paul George much better fit. Now, how many games is Paul George going to play? I don't know. But if he gets to 54 games, remember, last year and Tatum was hurt most of the year. The Celtics were 9 and 2 when Brown didn't play.

And that was often, Tatum wasn't there either. Remember, the middle and the bottom of the NBA is awful. The Celtics with their coaching, depth, formula, and system, last year, there were games where there was no Brown or Tatum, and they were winning. Overvalue the start. In fact, I would argue more often what you see is a great coach leaves, an organization replaces them with a stiff and that team bottoms out. Okay. So the question is, where is LeBron James going to go? Listen, let's be honest about this.

Philadelphia is the best chance for him to win a bunch of games. I told you yesterday, if you start putting all those players in there with, and again, well, I thought you didn't like Jalen Brown. I think Jalen Brown, M.B., Edgecom, Maxie is just too much talent in the East, not to win a bunch of games. Okay, do I think it's going to be difficult because I think Brown and Maxie and MB, they all want to be number ones? That's why I actually think LeBron, though he's a superstar, added to this team, makes them better than if it was just Jalen Brown. I think LeBron would solve some close game issues, some distribution issues because he just got such a high IQ, EQ in big games.

But this whole thing about Cleveland, well, I mean, it's where the heart is. No, it's not. He's bailed on him twice. He's broke up with this girlfriend twice. Stop telling him. Oh, my God, he loves Cleveland. Not that much. Not that much.

Oh, but it'll feel so good. What losing to the Knicks by 20 points a game in the playoffs will feel good because LeBron will make you a worst defensive team. Slowest player in the NBA last year was James Harden. He's a calf. You know the second slowest player? LeBron James if he goes to Cleveland. They'll be a worst team in terms defensively,

and they weren't very good last year, even with rim protection. Now, will LeBron make you better in close games? Yes, Cleveland was lousy in close games. But against the Knicks, the average margin of victory was 20 points. The Knicks would blow you out with LeBron. You're going to be slower. You're going to be worse defensively. Hardin doesn't defend.

Donovan Mitchell's mediocre. LeBron doesn't care anymore about that side. You have decent rim protection, but LeBron will absolutely make you slower. Slow is not winning in the NBA. Youth, speed, athleticism is. So this whole idea about like Philadelphia has youth, has size, has speed. You can mask some of LeBron's issues in Philly because Brown can move, Edgecombe can move, Maxie can move. They've got youth in speed and athleticism.

Cleveland's slow. LeBron will solve the close game situation, but you're not going to be in close games against better teams because you're going to be slow and not very good defensively. So Channing Fry is with me. This whole thing about, to me, it's all about this. If he goes to Cleveland, that's for comfort. If he goes to Golden State, that's camaraderie with Steph and Draymond Green. Draymond and him are very close. If he goes to Philadelphia, that's contention.

And I keep hearing, all he cares about is fun. Well, what's more fun than beating the brakes off people by 20 points? You know what's not fun? Watching somebody fly by James Hardin and dunk and you lose by 17. That's not fun. But all my friends are in Cleveland. Are they on the floor? Can they defend better than Hardin?

Okay. And by the way, during a regular season, how often do you see your buddies? You're on the road all the time. You're training all the time. So Channing Fry and I believe the same thing is LeBron will make the calves better in some close game situations, but the chemistry was bad last year,

the defense was mediocre. Here's Channing. Cleveland got too many what-ifs now. After seeing what I saw, like 52-year-old LeBron ain't going to solve them issues. They got soul issues. They got like, like, I don't like you issues. What happened if, like, let's say Braun goes there. And how does he fix anything?

He doesn't fix the guys liking each other. He doesn't fix the continuity of the game. You know, there's an old saying, you can't go home again. well sometimes you can but what you can do is go home again twice that means you bailed twice oh it'll wrap a nice bow all right yes yes yes yeah it's comfortable he knows people he's got his mansion there i'm not denying that but he has bailed on them twice he once bailed on them because yeah nobody wants to play here and then he bailed on the second time because it's like yeah i got him the championship but this is not really where i want to play

So, I mean, to me, this would be the worst version of LeBron, the slow LeBron for a team that's not very good defensively anyway. I said this yesterday, all the calves will be is the Lakers with better rim protection. That's it. Three guys that need the ball. LeBron, Mitchell, Hardin. That's the Lakers. Luca, Austin, LeBron. That's all they are.

He will solve late game meltdowns. In close games, LeBron will help. No question. He's just as a smart player. so good. I mean, the Lakers with Luke Austin, LeBron. Did you look at their numbers last year in clutch games? They were great. LeBron

is just really, he's got a Magic Johnson thing. Like he's just, when LeBron's on the floor, when Magic Johnson are on the floor, there's a minute left and it's tied. You know the right decisions will be made and the hot guy will get the ball and it will just work out. That's what LeBron adds. Like, I mean, maybe

only in my lifetime. In my lifetime, Magic LeBron, it's not always them taking the shot, the right guy that's open gets the ball in his hands. Magic and LeBron feel like above everybody that's ever played the game. Even Bird, Kobe, M.J, those guys.

The only people that are allowed to do the homecoming thing more than once is high schoolers. You know, you're going to get a homecoming every year in high school. Doesn't work in pro sports. Yeah, just, you know, no, I'm hurting your feelings,

but the Jalen Brown thing, you fell for Micah, you fell for Luca, you're falling for it. The number's really. all right in front of you. You can't deny any of them. Well, Paul's older. He's going to play 55 games. They're going to be pretty good. Get a number one, two, or three seed. I don't know. I watched the Celtics series last year against Boston. Paul George was a problem. Brad Stevens watched it was a problem. But this idea, Boston is just going to go, ooh, no or not.

More Tatum, less brown. They've been winning for nine years. All right. You thought it was Friday and I was mailing it in. Good luck with that one. Good luck with that one. In the U.S., there's a break in every 26 seconds. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.

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On the road to the July 19th final. 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stream it all live on TSN Radio. Available on IHeart Radio. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up y'all? It's your girl, Sam J.

And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from Together and I Heart Women's Sports. Because let's be real. Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week.

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So if you're already a fan, you're just getting into the game, there's a seat for you right here. Listen to everyone watches women's sports on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Okay, if you know me, you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support. and useful tools to help maximize joy.

So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer. And that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast.

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Many surprises. Welcome to Sweet 305 where the group chat comes to life. What a f*** It's like a way of saying like, Oh la, my friend, hello, my brother. What a... Look, I never have ever been to be with nobody.

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someone that you like to say I'd like to collaborate with this person. This is Sweet 305. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons

as part of my Coulura podcast network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Argentina feels very much like the old LeBron Cleveland Cavalier team

that got to the final sweat by San Antonio. LeBron had to save him all the way through the playoff run. So, but in Boppe had a moment yesterday, where he made this run up the left side line, and he is just brilliant.

It was jaw-dropping speed. He flew up the left side. He had a little Usain bolt to him, and eventually Mbapé got tackled, and that set up to Piquet, the penalty kicks. Now, I've said before, I don't mind penalty kicks at all at any part of soccer. But what was funny is, and you watch him up the left side. He's just flying past other world-class athletes. He puts on a great move, gets tackled.

Boom, penalty kick. And then he goes to the penalty kick. And the best athlete in soccer overthinks the room. Tries to be tricky. Waffles. Oversinks. Hesitates. It's just awful.

And he gets stopped on his penalty kick. It's awful. And I've seen Messi miss them too. This herky jerky, it doesn't work for pro athletes, for the great ones. By the way, Harry Kane, 93% lifetime and penalty kicks, Howitzer, bombs, no hesitation, rifles it through. He's two for two in the cup.

And I've thought about this years and years ago, I was talking to an athlete, and the athlete said, you know, the key to this whole thing is as an athlete, prepare like hell and let it rip, don't think. When Arod used to get into playoff slumps, he'd overthink the room, he'd get on the call with his therapist. Derek Jeter was once asked about a slump. He goes, yeah, I just go to the plate,

and I just want to hit it hard. Exactly. Okay. Tricks are for Alex Caruso taking the charge. Knuckleballers throw the knuckle ball because they have to. Aaron Judge should never bunt. When you are Mbapé, when you are Messe, Kane, Jude Bellingham, Erlingham, Erling Holland, attack, be fast, be powerful, be confident.

Let guys like me in the media overthink stuff. This is a prime example of, you know, I like reading interesting articles about thoughtful athletes. But on the pitch, I don't care if it's hockey basketball. When LeBron had his worst NBA moment ever, it was against Dallas in the finals, it got into his head. Aeron would get into his head. Mboppa had to get into his head. It's like the reason Mbaparte got the penalty kicked was sheer athleticism, training cardiovascular superiority. Harry Cain's got it right.

just smoke that puppy when you're a great athlete you attack you dictate terms here's john strong on the call from that sequence imboppe has it most row we try to recover

killing himboppe direct decision to award the penalty now what can kill himboppe do with it here we go imboppe against yassim bono imbapes trying to just wait for bono to go and when he did go he went the right one wait. Yeah, like, don't wait.

You're the star. You're the great one. As Derek Deeter said, just go hit the ball hard somewhere. Just, I mean, he didn't even get a lot of velocity on it by Mbapapé standards. Out thinking. Sports is like a lot of jobs. I don't care if you're a trial attorney. Self-doubt's a killer.

Prepare like hell. and then in the moment, let it rip. Go with your instincts, attack. And it was just fascinating to me to watch. Juxtapose the brilliance that got him the PK and then the hesitation once he got it. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, let's dive right into an interesting story in the NBA, Kauai Leonard, and that trade to Toronto, it's on hold. Adam Silver and the NBA keep dragging their feet with this aspiration issue, this investigation into the no-show job Kauai had.

And now, Colin, both teams have essentially announced, whoa, the trade is on hold until the NBA wraps things up. Adam Silver has totally botched this situation. You've been investigating this for months, and there's no resolution. So now, remember Kauai was going to go back home to Toronto. The Clipper said, we're rebuilding.

the trade is on hold. Colin, this could go multiple ways, just a big black eye for Adam Silver in the NBA. Ask yourself this. In the last five years, what has worked with Kauai? Tailu's a great quote. What has worked?

Oh, he's a great playoff performer. Well, when he's healthy. Has he been healthy? Not really. Is he dependable? Not really. Okay, we'll trade him. Can't really work.

I mean, the whole thing with Kauai is Toronto's doing it, right? because they've got this soft spot for, well, it worked the last time. And he's using Toronto to just get paid. He didn't want to live in Toronto. I mean, most pro athletes, even hockey players would prefer the states over Canada. Well, and also, the clippers don't want to extend him. They're not paying him.

Toronto's like, we'll pay him. We'll pay him. So, Kauai is doing this for the bag. I'm not critical of that. Pro athletes want to, you know, the last, your back nine, last couple holes, you make whatever you can make pro athlete. I got your back on that one. go join the best team, you know, hit from the blue T's, don't have to get from the black

teas, don't have to get on a cart, don't have to walk the course, talked about it yesterday. But, I mean, everything with Kauai, he's kind of an enigma in the NBA. Like he doesn't communicate much. He's not really a leader, but he's talented. I mean, the Clippers haven't won a playoff series. Think about this since 2021. With, you know, I mean, when they brought him there and Steve Ballmer and pounding the podium and it's Paul George.

Paul George has ended up in a great spot. Great GM, very good coach, great teammate. Paul George has had injuries, but when he's healthy, he plays and delivers. Kauai, there's just a cloud that always hovers. Oh, I just wouldn't want to get into the Kauai business. Yeah, it's ugly. I don't know what the ramifications are going to be. If this, let's say Kauai suspended for a year, the NBA says, oh, we found you guilty,

suspended for a year. Raptors aren't doing that deal. No way. And then you have to unwind. mind it with, hey, Kauai, you got to go back to the clippers and then you're suspended. I mean, it's just a total disaster for the league. You know, we've seen this in the NFL, other sports. Just make decisions, guys, quickly so we can move on.

Like, I don't want to be talking about Kauaiian aspiration. What I do want to talk about, Colin, is the next story, and that's the Lakers. Now, when you were out sick on Wednesday, I came out and I said, listen, this Jonathan Comingo stuff is huge for the Lakers. He is being rumored to maybe head to L.A. there's a report the Lakers offered him a two-year $20 million deal via sign and trade. He's due, I think, $24 million with the Hawks, and they do not want to pay him $24 million. This is the same Cumminga who kind of beefed with Steve Kerr in a weird situation.

I've never understood the fascination with the G-League star. I still don't know what his game is. I can't trust him to hit a jump shot. He's the classic. Oh, he's a long athletic guy. what's his game. What is his game? I can't figure.

If you don't, five years in the NBA, stop using youth as an excuse. You've been, I don't care how old you are. If you're on the air for five years, I got to have a feeling what you are. Camingo's long and athletic.

I'm not denying that. Good dunks, long. He is a, I mean, he can, like, you'll see highlights and you're like, wow, Steve Kerr would have loved to have kept it. They needed his length.

They let him go. Atlanta, another great coach. I can't figure out what do with him. I mean, I'm looking at guys getting paid in this league. Quinn Snyder's an elite coach. No thanks. Steve Kerr's a great coach. No thanks. I mean, so you can, I mean, I see this all the time. I understand the love of length and the athletic ability and he can be kind of productive, but ask yourself this. When you're building a business, I don't care if it's a podcast network or a team,

what is he? What is she? Caitlin Clark is our distributor and shooter. Okay. Sophie Kennedy. Ham, she can be the intimidator and the defender. Okay. Angel Reese, rebounds and defense. I know what they are. You've got to define who you are in any company after five years. And I just don't know what Kaminga is.

I would go a slight disagreement. Yes, he is on the young side. Sure. But we're not going to use youth as an example. I think what the problem is, is we don't know what he is, but we know what he can be, right? Yeah, but I've been hearing that for five years. Well, okay, so if you put him in the right system,

the right players and maybe the right coach. So you're thinking, Steve Kerr's awesome. Okay, okay. So Quinn Snyder, again, this is his classic Laker fanboy. Steve Kerr knows basketball. He couldn't figure it out. Couldn't fit him in the system.

Quinn Snyder, brilliant. Couldn't figure it out. But you're going back to, well, if a coach can figure, two of the top five coaches are like, we give up. Well, the problem is he wanted to start in Golden State. He wasn't ready. So he wanted to start in Atlanta and he did do well. If you look at the numbers, he was good.

The problem is they have Jalen Johnson. They've got a great defensive way. Dylan Johnson, I know what he is and he's a much better player. He's awesome. So here's where Cominga fits. The Lakers don't have a small forward right now to play that PJ Washington role. Hey, stand in the corner, catch some lobs and play lockdown defense. Time out.

He doesn't want to be a lockdown defender. Well, he struggled with the three-point shooting and he thinks he's a star. That's the one big thing. Can JJ Reddick be like, dude, you're not a star yet. You couldn't be a star. No, he'll never be an NBA star. he'll never ever be an NBA star. Okay, so here's the comp that I keep seeing and talking to people about it.

PJ Washington defends. He doesn't want to defend. Well, that's the thing. He's got to do some more things. But Colin, I'm just telling you, when O.G. N and OB came to the NBA out of college, you could see there's something there. By the way, OG's never made an All-Star game, never made one All-Star game. Every GM in the league loves OG.

Every team in this league, every one. I said this during the Knicks playoff run when Brunson was killing. I'm like, OG's the guy. Every NBA scout I've ever talked to loves OG on an OB. He is the rare player. And even great players, this is always true. Like Donovan Mitchell's great, but he wouldn't fit on every team. OG would start for every NBA team.

San Antonio, he would start for all 30 teams. Jonathan Comingo, two coaches are like, we give up. And we're not even paying him anything. OG's in his late 20s, Cominga's still early 20s. He's got to be selfless. If Cominga's willing to be selfless and accept a bit of a role,

you know, that's not what he thinks he is. If Luke is willing to play defense, how many years am I going to hear that? This is, I'm being negative. Come on, that is so negative. Cominga, essentially, Redick is not promising a starting spot, but, dude, we don't have a small forward. Quentin Grimes is a little too small.

I don't root against anybody. I didn't root against Baker Mayfield. I'm not rooting against Cominga. Yeah. But I don't want to hear, like when people say he's young, okay, that's the first three years in the NBA. But at the time it's year four, second grade coach, second team, I'm over it. Nobody takes that long to develop.

Like Kevin Garnett came into the league at a high school. You're like, he's going to be good. But by the second year, you're like, whoa, Kevin Garnett is something. I could see what Kevin Garnett was. So even these guys that come into high school, the first year they're flawed. But by year two, they have a defined. sense of self maturity. It's KG,

second year in the league out of high school. He was an all-star. You're like, holy God, and he got better fast. Kaminga, I got nothing against a kid. I can unequivocally tell you he's not going to be Kevin Garnett or anywhere near that. But again, OG and

Narnobe really good player, accepted a role and after five years, it's like this guy's pivotal. If Kuminga's willing, and by the way, his measurables are right there with OG, size, length, weight. Like if in an ideal world, he accepts that. And Luca is known as a razor of people's talents playing with him. We'll see.

I'm optimistic. I'm being a fan boy. Yeah, I have the Laker jersey on underneath this. Final story, Colin, let's go to the NBA Summer League. We had a great showdown last night. AJ DeBonsa versus Darren Peterson. DeBanza had 27 and 26 minutes. Really nice dunk as well.

Wizards got the win. Peterson was good. But people are, you know, he nearly fouled out, which is a little goofy, had nine fouls, eight turnovers. But this is what people are talking about today. Darren Peterson was asked about, you know, how did it go after the game? And he said, I'm back to having fun.

Colin, I wasn't really experiencing it that much at Kansas. I was off the ball a ton. So I feel like myself again. Yeah, that's been what Scout said coming in is that he's a bit of a silo player. They don't know about the hamstring injuries, but he's better with the ball. his hands, scoring than he is off ball. Kansas used him a lot off ball. I think Peterson's going to be fine. I would have taken DeBonsa number one, fewer questions. By the way, I've watched

Abonza highlights on YouTube twice. I already feel like he's defining what he is. I mean, I've watched two Summer League games, and I'm like, he's a willing defender, not great, but willing. He has to become a better shooter, but there's a physicality with DeBonza. There's a toughness. There's an attack mode. Like, I watched DeBonza, and I am, and this is probably a bad cop, there's a little bit of Chris Weber here with DeBonza. There's a little bit of Chris Weber where I love his hands. I love his feet. I love his size.

I love his emotional intelligence on the floor. I see a little Chris Weber. Now, I'm not a scout. I could be totally wrong. But when I watch Chris Weber in college, I'm like, I knew what his game was going to be in the pros. I'm watching A.J. DeMontza, two games. And I'm like, oh, I know what he is.

He is a high-end score, long attack mode. I think he's going to be a shot will get better, willing. defender, not great, but willing to put a body on somebody. He's not a soft player. It can't take that long for me to go, oh, I see what you are. DeBanza is a stud. Just remember who was calling Washington a 45 win team. Did you see the entire Washington roster came out to watch him last night? They're already bonding. The young kid, Trey Johnson from Texas, is cooking. This wizard team's dangerous. Just quickly on Peterson, Colin. So we just talked about being selfish versus selfless.

Darren Peterson doesn't seem to have that. He wants the ball. He wants to control everything. I don't know that I love that unless he thinks he could be at one. Because the kid George is already there in Utah. He's good. And there's going to be a bit of a clash there over who's handling the ball. Peterson is going to be, they're both going to be good scores.

Peterson's going to be a great score. I worry about the hamstring creatine stuff. I worry that he kind of plays in the silo. It's summer league. so let's not go crazy. It looks like when I watch Peterson, this is where I said, I remember, Doug Gottlieb said, watch this kid play.

I remember I was on a phone call. He said, I want you to watch this kid play. Literally three possessions with Darren Peterson. I said, oh, that's what Kobe looked like at 18 years old. I mean, literally looked like Kobe. And so there's no question the kid's talented. But we know this. Are you a good teammate?

Are you good analytically? Do you share the ball? Do you have self-awareness? Are you willing to be physical? Like AJ DeBanza, I can see the frame, the shoulders, the butt. He's going to bang up on people. And like, that's a big part of the NBA, that physicality component. J. Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. And I don't root against anybody. I got nothing against Kaminga. But yeah, five years of telling me what you're going to be, land the plane. Okay. Don't keep circling the airport.

are you? Show me. And I also, I'm a big believer, like, if really smart people in sports can't figure you out, you become kind of a Rubik's Cube. It's like it can't be, I mean, there are players. Now, in fairness, there are players like Steve Nash, who was very, very good in Dallas. And then he went into, it was at Mike Dan Tony's system. And in Phoenix, and he flourished. Jalen Brunson was a very good player. Luca always said, he's a really good player. when I got hurt and Brunson had to play a playoff series. I mean, he lit people up. So, like, Brunson was good in Dallas, but he got into an offense where he could be

to star and he flourished. So, you know, there are players that leave and all of a sudden it's like, wow. But, man, Steve Kerr and Quinn Snyder, these guys have been in basketball combined a hundred, it feels like 80 years. Been basketball forever. Quinn Snyder's been around forever. College coach, pro coach, player. And if he's like, yeah, it's not like Atlanta wants to get rid.

You know, they gave the Knicks trouble for a couple games. They want to keep everything they can that helps them win. And they're like, nah, we're going to move on. You know, Steve Kerr was dying for his length. No one feels like the Warriors are too small. They were dying for his length. Yeah, we give up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Listen. And you're there. for heart-wrenching knockouts. The world's biggest stage. And breathtaking triumph. In 2026 FIFA World Cup. The knockout stage. Every match.

Every moment. Listen on TSN Radio. Join the globe. On the road to the July 19th final. 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stream it all live on TSN Radio. Available on IHeard Radio. What's up, fam?

I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up? y'all, it's your girl Sam J. And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from Together and I Heart Women's Sports. Because let's be real. Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars,

the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports. We'll give you our tapes, our debates, and probably a few disagreements. We'll talk to athletes, celebrate Big Mom. and get into what's happening on and off the field, sport, track, and beyond.

Because we're not just interested in what happened. We're interested in why everyone's talking about it. Because everyone watches women's sports. So if you're already a fan, you're just getting into the game, there's a seat for you right here. Listen to everyone watches women's sports on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby.

Okay, if you know me, you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer. And that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartum depression.

I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My first guest is. is Harris Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerin, Samira, and Gracie.

I'm so excited. On the bouncy bed. You have surprises? Many surprises. Welcome to Sweet 305, where the group chat comes to life. What a . It's like a . Oh, my friend, hello, my brother.

What a . Look, I've never I've ever been with nobody. Except with my kids, my children, my children, I see my amante. Oof, oof, that's incredible.

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So we have heard, I like Friday shows, because you can kind of wrap up things, the Jalen Brown trade, you can have wrap stuff for. up. And one of the things we've heard since that really humiliating loss, especially in the second half, to Belgium is, well, where's the growth? What's the difference? Come on. The difference is a number I'm going to show you. USA, Belgium got over 50 million viewers. 50 million. That's a Super Bowl number. Mexico, England got 47 million. That's the growth. Well, what do you mean? That large enough. equals influence, kids inspire to play, families watching with their kids, thinking football's a little too violent, baseball's too boring, hockey's too expensive, soccer now is cool. And you know who

sets the trends in America on fashion and music and cool? Young people, not cranky rural guy on X yelling and screaming at clouds. Young people now, think soccer is cool. Okay? And young people dictate cool in this country. I don't. They do. Mbapé is cool.

He's good-looking and athletic. Jude Bellingham's an underwear model. I mean, these guys are great-looking. You take a football player, an offensive lineman takes a shirt off. My take is put it back on. You see Ronaldo with the beach with his beautiful wife, If you're like, these guys are like hip. They're good looking.

They're influencers. They've got the world's largest IG following. So there's, I just think young people like cool. At my age, I'm not cool, nor do I really care. 14 to 24, it is huge. You want to be part of cool clubs. When you get older, you prune your tree. You cut friends out.

When you're young, you join clubs. And right now soccer's the cool club. The numbers tell you that. Soccer also has two things working in their favor. It's great on social media. Social media is great for good-looking people. It's good for youth. The clips are fun.

They're dramatic. They're wild. The second thing is, and I was on this when I used to work at the other place, soccer is under two hours. To get my wife to watch a baseball game or a college football game is impossible. You never know what it ends. Hell, the last two minutes of an NBA game can be 30 minutes. These things wrap up.

Two hours, thanks for flying United. And if they do end, they end dramatically with PK kicks often, right? So to me, there's so many things working in the favor of soccer. But more than anything, are those numbers. Football participations going down. If you want your kid to be a baseball player and all the youth baseball, you can't play. any of sports. You're on the road every weekend.

It's a pain in the butt. Basketball, let's be honest. Most basketball players are six, seven. They're genetically superior. Soccer, kids run around, very few interruptions, hydration break maybe, orange slices, home by noon. I think it works. I think the number is fascinating.

Erling Holland on playing this World Cup in the United States. He likes it. I think it's a good thing. because I like the Americans. I think they are kind of hilarious as well. They are funny. So I like the way they are. So I think it's just good.

And it's been, honestly, on every single thing, with the World Cup so far here, it's been amazing from games to the stadiums to everything. It's been amazing training rounds before where we're trained. It's been amazing. Yeah, they like it. European fans like it. We've embraced them.

This has really been a five-week party. That's really what it is. It's Mardi Gras. People keep going back year after year. It's a vibe. It's a feeling. Like a lot of times, sports, you know, I hate this team, I hate that team. There's a lot of love.

There's a lot of joy. People are dressing up, going to the games. The weather's good. The party's good. You're hanging out with Europeans. You're feeling smarter and more global. It's just a really good. vibe. Don't listen to cranky guy on the

inner web. Don't listen to that guy. Young kids are into this, and young kids change and modify and inject influence, really lead it in this country. So I want to talk quickly about Messi. Messy's amazing. And I said, there's very few

athletes, I mean, the most valuable player, I'm not saying the best, but probably the best, Erling Holland and Messi. If they're not on their teams, it's not the same team. France is good regardless. Embapé is great. The guy in the other wing, It's like MVP, best player in the Euro League most of the year. Like, I mean, France is stacked, right?

It's the dream team. But Argentina is a little like that first LeBron Cleveland team where, if you remember that they were down in that playoff series, I think like the Detroit 2-0. And LeBron, it was just caring Cleveland. And then eventually they met the stone wall named Tim Duncan, Pop, Manu, Parker, and they got swept in the finals. I think Argentina would get boxed by, like, like England or France.

I mean, half of their starting lineup and the last game was 32 or older. They are totally driven by Messi. They needed a VAR break to beat Egypt. So France, entering the World Cup, Fox did a 100 best player list. France has three of the top five players in the cup. England has five of the top 33. basically it's messy and one other pretty good player for Argentina. Like he is just unbelievably dominant and he's 39.

So I mean, when I watch Argentina, I just get this feeling. I'm watching LeBron at Cleveland and it worked the entire Eastern Conference playoffs and then they met San Antonio and you're like, yeah, this isn't close. LeBron has a ceiling. and that's i kind of feel like argentina eventually is going to hit a ceiling uh here's fox sports uh broadcaster derrick ray earlier this week with j mac on messy's brilliance it's not just what he does individually as as a footballer it's the influence he has on his teammates and the regard the esteem in which he is held within the argentina side and of course he had a big part to play in

in all of it. I'm pretty confident in saying in 20, 30, 40 years time, people will tell their grandchildren, yeah, remember that that Leonel Messi inspired comeback against Egypt. It's right up there, right at the top of the tree. Yeah, I just don't feel arch. I feel right now, France is the best team, England's the second best team, Spain's probably third. I don't know. I think Belgium's pretty good. I think Belgium's pretty good. I don't know. I just think basically messy. And that's why I say there are so many great athletes. The Brady's, the Messies, the Erling Hollands, the Mahomes, the Stephs, they change conferences. They change cultures. Jalen Brown, Luca, Micah, they're just going to be Hall of Famers. Not all Hall of Famers are the same.

And very, very few athletes in my lifetime. I mean, Will Chamberlain was unbelievable. Magic changed the culture of the Lakers. Magic was different. Like Kobe's a culture changer. Michael Jordan changed the sport. LeBron changed the sport. Kevin Durant just really talented. Curry changed how you shoot.

Kevin Durant's really talented. Hardin's really talented. So is Donovan Mitchell. LeBron changed the sport. Literally, was it, nine straight years to the finals? Sometimes he didn't even have good teams. So it's just very, very well. What Messi's doing, what Messi's doing is it is that, you know, eight, 10, 12 players ever, ever.

What's up, fam, it's sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam Jay. And we're the hosts of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from together. We're breaking down the biggest headlines, the viral moments, and the stories everyone's talking about across women's sports. From game-changing performances to culture-shifting conversations, we'll give you our takes, our debates, and a few laughs along the Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports.

On the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy,

tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby is presented by CVS. I'm Jake Brennan, and on the Disgraceland podcast, I explore the wild lives of rock stars and unbelievable true crime stories from music history. These are the stories you haven't heard,

the kind you'll end up telling someone else. Like the time Paul McCartney spent in a notorious prison or the bizarre crime Lady Gaga is accused of where that time Blondie's Debbie Harry escaped Ted Bundy. Listen to Discraceland on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My first guest is Terrence Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. Have surprises?

Many surprises. Welcome to the Sweet 305 podcast where the group check comes to life. What on? You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst. It's glamorous. This is Sweet 305. Here, oversharing is encouraged. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lelepon's on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.