Best of NFL News Part 1: HEATED DEBATE: KD or Ant Man to lead their team in the playoffs?! Giannis' FAKE LOVE for Bucks is only for his Nike shoe contract!

24:23Shannon Sharpe:All of a sudden, it's going to be 13, 14, 15. Oh my goodness. So now you get to add that extra year. Now you get to add 50,$60 million in the fifth year. So NBA, I know you tried to do all good, but no good D going to punish. Man, it's some guys looking at it right now. I'm talking about, they like, ooh-wee, I know I'm next in line. I'm going to make third team now. Oh, yeah. Yeah. We're in the money. We're in the money. Hey, it's a good thing for those players that are friends players that might not ever have the opportunity to be first or second team all NBA selections. Well, you get to that bag, man.

25:13Shannon Sharpe:Hey. Hey, Joe, y 'all remember Players Club? What's he called him? He came in and said, hey, Uncle Lou here. You're Luka? Money. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what about trading places? Mortimer. We're back.

25:34Shannon Sharpe:And that's how it goes. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid. Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it, Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom.

26:07And was Daniel Ricciardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better. And plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Julian Edelman, host of Games With Names. On our latest episode, we got comedian Blake Anderson from Workaholics and the hilarious This Is Important podcast.

26:45Let's go! We did beat him in improv. You had an improv against the team? Yes, we would pull up. Their schools would be there with signs for us. It's competition. What you would win is a bottle of Goldschlager. James Fester threw it out of a van because he didn't want us drinking it. For more games with names, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. If a baby is giggling in the backseat, they're probably happy. If a baby is crying in the backseat, they're probably hungry. But if a baby is sleeping in the backseat, will you remember they're even there? When you're distracted, stressed, or not usually the one who drives them, the chances of forgetting them in the backseat are much higher.

27:25It can happen to anyone. Parked cars get hot fast and can be deadly. So get in the habit of checking the back seat when you leave. A message from NHTSA and the Ad Council. If you are a founder or a freelancer or the friend who always says, hey, you know what, what if I started that? This is for you. I'm telling you I had nothing to my name. I didn't know a single person in New York. And somehow I'm dressed by Oscar de la Renta walking down that red carpet. This month we sit down with entrepreneurs and creators who actually did it. Who turned this scary leap into a business, a paycheck, and a life they are proud of.

27:59Direct center of our happiness or our regrets is whether or not we're taking action on the things that matter to us. They're not selfish. They're so important. They actually lead to our greatest contributions because when we're living fulfilled, we actually show up better everywhere. We lead better. We're better friends. We're better relationships and collaborators and all those things because we have passion about the things we're doing. If you're trying to build something of your own this year, join us in these conversations that will make you braver and smarter with your money. Listen to Dos Amigos as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

28:36I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault in Our Stars, and now I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcón, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old, I watched every game, and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer... Football. ...is a story we've shared for over 30 years, since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team.

29:11Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, we back.

29:44Shannon Sharpe:After the Lakers lost last night, J.J. Reddick crawled out the entire team on ruin. He wasn't doing his job. I took his ass out. He didn't say ass. On Vando, it was a confluence of things he did wrong. Damn. On Aiton, he can't catch the ball. Redick also said, also got on the sideline with Vando. Redick called timeout just 16 seconds until the second quarter to sub Vando out for the game, telling Don't Connect to check in in his place. Vando walked over and let him hear it. Joe, are there cracks starting to show with the legs? Well, I don't want to say the cracks are starting to show. Man, you got to look at it from this standpoint.

30:24Shannon Sharpe:I mean, damn, you got two of your best players out, you know, who makes the game easier for everybody else. Now, if those guys are out and you putting Vando and these guys in advantageous situations to where now they got to do stuff offensively that they're not accustomed to doing or, you know, basically playing both ends of the court. like yeah it's gonna be some mishaps it's gonna be some you know some grunts some players grunt disgrunt because of uh you know there's not there's not many opportunity man these ain't guys who you just throw the ball to and they can go get you a bucket they play great all for your great players you know what I mean so now that Luka and AR is out I mean hell Bron didn't play damn what Ocho what y 'all what y 'all want us to do what y 'all want me to do and that's what Vandal said so hold on no Bron no AR no Luka and then you hadn't played Dalton Connect since Hammer was a hatchet and now all of a sudden you gonna 16 seconds I just got easy and we play I ran on the court and we playing against OKC the best team in the damn league they just beat us by 50 the other day hey and now they came back and got us by 37 go ahead Ocho I say coach got to know man you got to know I understand.

31:47Oh, know your personnel, Joe. Know your personnel.

31:51Shannon Sharpe:You're too honest. He can't be that honest. Because he ain't lie. DeAndre Ayton got the worst hands I've ever seen before. You know what? I noticed that too, man. Because I'm like, he do be missing a lot of, you know, them little. Yeah. But, man, I mean, I don't think that was a. Well, I think for JJ, it was a situation to where he could make a point. You know what I mean? Like, listen, I'm going to put my foot down. We're going to get our ass kicked tonight, but I'm going to chew off in these dudes' ass tonight. But that just goes to show you, look how those guys look. Look how those guys look, OKC look, when Shea and Jalen Williams weren't playing.

32:29Shannon Sharpe:Look how they look. Now look how Lakers players look when they big guns don't play. Look at other teams when their big guns don't play, how they look. Well, damn. And y 'all talk about the Lakers. Ooh, the Lakers loaded with what? With what? With what? They got two. How many, how many, Joe, be honest. How many quality minutes are those guys getting up there on other continuing teams? None. I mean, for the Lakers, you just got too many key guys out. I mean, look, Marcus Smart out with Luka Braun. I mean, damn, what you expect? I just expect, Joe, if I throw you the ball, you to kick it. That's all I want you to do.

33:18Shannon Sharpe:And don't let it go out of bounds. The man said it was a confluence of things that he did wrong. Well, damn. Other than having Jersey took then and chuck it in the game, that was the only thing he seemingly did right. That was what J.J. said. I mean, with them, you arguably playing against the best defensive team in the league, man. These dudes, they stingy. They ain't giving up nothing. OKC? No matter who hurt. Well, okay. I can understand that. But here's the thing, Joe. Like you said, you was in the right spot. Even I'm going to be where I'm supposed to be. So we cut the tape on. I'm where I'm supposed to be.

33:58Shannon Sharpe:So I can't let who we playing dictate how I play, Ocho. I'm going to be where I'm supposed to be. I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. It seemingly, I could be wrong. I could be totally off base. But J.J. wasn't pleased. JJ, because the one thing about the little while that I did work with him, he's a very, very serious guy. And he ain't got no problem. He going to tell you. No, that ain't what happened. Nope. He very meticulous with notes. I mean, he come out there and he knows like he should have been a lawyer because his notes are immaculately wrote. You're like, yes, yes. Like he's writing a dissertation.

34:39Shannon Sharpe:Absolutely. I'm like, well, damn. my nose don't look nothing like this. Hell, my nose probably only I can read it. Somebody get his nose, they're going to be able to read everything because it's so, I mean... To the T. To the T. Yeah. Yeah, he got nose like that. So I'm...

35:09Shannon Sharpe:I'm just concerned about sometimes, like I said, the coach told me one time, I said, Sean, sometimes I got a lot to them. Sometimes I got to tell them they're good when they're not. Sometimes I got to tell them they're doing a good job when they're not. Hey, listen. I mean... Think about it, though. Think about it. I think with the Lakers getting embarrassed last night at home, fellas, I think that's really what set J.J. off. You know, you making, you making, you know, put, brush that under the rug on the road. But when you at home in front of those Lakers, that Laker crowd. Yeah, you got to. Regardless of who.

35:55Shannon Sharpe:Just play hard. Just play hard, Joe. Joe, they quit. Joe, you do your, hold on. At one point in time, the score was 43. It was 42-42. I look back up the score 63 47 that sound about right no 69 47 but I think they went on like a 25 5 or 27 5 run the score was 42 42 and then they go on like a 25 5 or 27 5 Man, but listen, Lakers depleted. The OKC Thunder, they're healthy. They're fully healthy. They ready for the postseason. Okay, Ocho, they ain't playing no games. Joe, can I just get you to play hard? Can I get you to be where you're supposed to be? If I throw you the ball, catch it. Even if you miss the shot.

36:53Shannon Sharpe:But, Joe, if I throw you the ball and it goes out of bounds, then what am I supposed to do? If you're not where you're supposed to be on defense, if we calling for a pick at the top, bro, why I got to keep go set the pick why I got to keep doing that why I got to keep saying get over get over them lights bright over there in LA and all the jokers they've been in the NBA a while Rui's been in the league far too long they've been in the NBA for a while they ain't been in the Lakers under them type of lights and that type of pressure for a while it's a difference your big guns out your big guns not playing Rui has been in those situations Rui was on the team that went to the Western Conference Finals Against Denver Rui was in the situation when they played When they were on the road And he hit big shot after big shot Joe you remember he hit big shot after big shot Against Memphis He and AR damn near single handedly Because LeBron like nope He kept beating them Kept beating them And then LeBron got him back When they got back to Got back to LA hey, Bronco, y 'all done.

38:05Shannon Sharpe:Y 'all done. It's over. It's over for y 'all. And he had that monster game the last game. But I think that's why I couldn't coach him. That's because they was expecting too much from Aiden last night. Just keep it 100. I mean. From a number one overall draft pick that's seven foot tall, that's in a contract year, I'm expecting too much? Yeah, because the guys who he typically play off of, hell, they ain't out here tonight. I ain't like Aiden can get the rebound and bring it up like a point. He got the, you know what I mean? Like, but I gave him the ball, Joe. He gave it back to him. That's what I'm saying.

38:46Shannon Sharpe:I'm saying he been playing like this. What I'm saying, I'm saying, but the fact that you've had A.R., Luke, and Braun out there, hell, that shit go by the wayside. But now that they ain't out there, now it's very glaring because it's magnified. Yeah, everything gets magnified when those guys are not there to cover it up. Yeah, so now, yeah, you're going to use him as a scapegoat. Yeah, he's sick of age and stuff. Yeah. Yeah, he's an age can't catch the ball. And that's how it is. Sometimes, I mean, you got to be playing like poop, but you had guys to pick the poop up and cover it up. Now when there's nobody there to pick it up or cover it up, you're like, well, damn, is everybody just going to let their dog just go out here?

39:28because I be walking, I'm like, bro, it makes me mad.

39:32Shannon Sharpe:The guy, hold on. You pick the poop up, put it in the bag, and then throw the bag on the ground. You could have just left it down there. I mean, how sorry? Joe, how sorry do, Chad, how sorry do you have to be? You pick up behind your dog, and then instead of carrying it and putting it in the trash can at your home, you throw the bag on the ground with the poop in it. Hey, that's why I walk my dog at night. I don't take that down. We're going to let go. Come on, Joe. See? Joe, get some bags to pick it up. Come on, Joe. Don't be that guy. Oh, my goodness. Hey, that's why I walk my dog at night, old Joe.

40:12Shannon Sharpe:Hey. Oh, you don't pick up that big dog, Joe? I ain't got no bag or nothing, man. We just out there. Get the bag, Joe. Joe, come on, Joe. Man, that man be dropping some loads. Don't be that guy, Joe. Joe. You know the Mastiff? I've had two Bull Mastiffs. I've got a Barber. I've got a Nikita. Yes, I've got the giant-sized bag. And some of them sometimes it'll be like a Dairy Queen cone. I say, bro, get up! Bro, about to get up! You know, for a dog to go in front of you, that means he trusts you because that's the most vulnerable. That's why the dog's looking at you. People are like, well, why the dog looking at me?

40:56Shannon Sharpe:Because he's like, OK, you got me, right? Because you know I'm in a moral position. Yeah, hey, hey. It's just like if you were on the toilet, somebody come beat the brakes off you. Oh, man. Why you locking the door? Oh, man. You don't want somebody to run down on your own shoulder. That's a, man, don't, don't, hey, just let me put my clothes on. Hey, and don't let it be running, too, boy. I'm damn sure you're picking it up, Uncle. I'm sorry. Yeah, I got it. Hey. No, sir. Hey. Hey, I remember my brother, my grandma beat, my brother had, my brother did something. and my brother ain't have no shirt on.

41:25Shannon Sharpe:My brother, Grady, Grady, you gonna beat me like this? You damn right. Shut down on him. He thought he gonna put it, he thought he, Grady, gonna let him put that T-shirt on. Uh-uh. Grady said, and you know my Grady had to tell him, yeah, I had to shut down on that boy ass.

41:43Shannon Sharpe:Boy, my grandma was a snitch. That's where I got it from, guys. My grandma tell it. But, uh, but JJ told the truth. Max Kellerman says that he would rather have Cooper Flagg over Luka Doncic coming into the NBA. I would rather have Cooper Flagg over Luka. I like his style of play. I like Luka as a better playmaker, but Luka isn't a defender. Cooper is excellent. Cooper Flagg is one of these actual that can defend one through five level players. He's an athletic, and he has a style I like, which can lead to winning in a championship. He can be the best player on a championship team. I would say he's the best teenager since LeBron.

42:23Shannon Sharpe:Well, that's not really going out on a limb. Because his numbers are better, his rookie year, than LeBron's. But I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm a Cooper Flag fan. I like him. I like everything about him. He's been thrust into a situation. But, man, I don't know. A lot of people don't remember when Luka first came into the league, bro. He probably was about 20 pounds slimmer. You know what I mean? He used to go through that lane and dunk that ball. You know what I mean? He a hell of a shooter, a hell of a scorer. Obviously, he understands angles. He has a high IQ for the game. But you can't take that for granted, man.

43:06Shannon Sharpe:He ain't like he's 6 '2", 6 '3", out here now. Mm-mm. Let me ask you a question. If I take Cooper Flagg and I take Cooper Flagg and I put him on that Dallas team and I remove Luka, can he do what Luka did with doing to the Clippers? No, no. With Kawhi, PG, and all those defenders. See, I think some people, you lose sight of just how great Luka is. And I get it. He's not the, and most of the time, guys, because I think when we get guys that can score a bunch of points, you get a guy like a Kobe, you get Jordan, you get LeBron, that's averaging 27, 28, and you're like, man, look at him, lock it down on both ends.

43:45Shannon Sharpe:More times than not, guys that can score a lot of points didn't play great defense. Right. It takes too much out of you to, okay, I'm going to go give you this work on one end. All of a sudden, I'm going to sit in the chair and try to do what I do for 36 to 40 minutes a night. But he wasn't known for being a defensive player coming up. Luka coming into the league, like he never was known to be a stopper. What European player is known for defense? There you go. They might block some shots. AK-47, Andre Korolinko would block some shots, but he wasn't sitting on that chair. I mean, to sit in that chair, you take it for granted.

44:31Shannon Sharpe:But look, I'm not saying Cooper Flagg. Like I said, I saw Cooper Flagg, and I saw him coming out of Maine, but what I was impressed was when I saw them joker scrimmage against the men's national team that was taking their ass to Paris and trying to get that gold medal, and what he was doing to those guys, I said, oh, yeah, he didn't have no problem in the game. Yeah. Yeah. That's 12 or 15, however many players we sent over there. That's our best we got. Yeah, he's adjusting. That's Bam. That's Bam. That's AD. And he giving the work. Yeah, he's a. Oh, yeah. He adjusted well. He probably got off to a rocky start to start his rookie year.

45:08Shannon Sharpe:But you talking about the second half of this season? Yeah, he's picked it up tremendously. He's been balling. Yeah, he's been everything. He's been everything they imagined. Yeah. And more. But he had to grow up fast. Because like you said, he tired of losing. Man, I ain't losing no, I ain't losing high school. I ain't losing but a handful of games in college. And here we go. I done lost more games in a damn week than I lost my whole college career. Man, losing suck, man. The NBA ain't different, bro. It's a reality. Yeah. And think about it. Even, you can win. Think about this. I mean, going 62 and 20.

45:47Shannon Sharpe:20 damn games? These guys, some of these guys lose more games in an NBA season than they lost all the high school and all the college. And you don't know how a guy going to be able to deal with that, Uncle Ocho. You know what I mean? That losing can break you, bro. It'll make you lose sight of where you're at, how you got to where you're at. You know what I mean? Like, imagine being on a team, bro, and y 'all only win eight, nine games out of 82. Man, you might lose a little bit of your swag. You know what I mean? I'm going to tell you, I know I always bring this up, talking about when I first came here to Atlanta, we only won 29 games.

46:30Shannon Sharpe:Man, it's hard to enjoy. Outside of basketball, you don't want to go nowhere. You don't want to see nobody. You don't want to hang out. You know what I mean? That's tough. Yeah, I actually... Because guess what happens when they see you? Hell, if you was home, that's why y 'all win more games. Your ass wasn't out in the club. That's what you get. I didn't go out that much. I mean, we were losing like, mm-hmm. That's why y 'all losing. Hell, all y 'all in here. I'm like, well, damn, man. We ain't supposed to have no life. I said, you know what? I said, you know what? You're right. Let me stay my black ass home.

47:06Shannon Sharpe:Let me take my ass home. We're losing. Right, right. I swear, boy. Hey. Go ahead, Ocho. What do you want to say? Nah, shoot. Hey, I only had one winning season in 11 years. Damn. Shit, I ain't had no choice, Joe. So you going out regardless, Ocho? Hey, no, I didn't really go nowhere. I'm just saying. I showed my face, but I didn't allow it to affect me and what I had. I'm saying, was it something to do in Cincinnati, Ocho? It's something to do in... Yeah, but Cincinnati, one of the greatest cities of all time in comparison to Atlanta and Houston. Yeah. You saying it can compete with Atlanta and Houston?

47:44Shannon Sharpe:Yes. No, that's not what he's saying, Joe. He lying, ain't he? He sure is. Tell him a story. My grandma, she don't like me. Yeah, you can't say lie, boy. Tell him a story. Hey, Joe, listen to him. It's like that, Joe. No, it's not. Hey, Joe, it's a hidden gem that most people don't know about unless you're from there or you play there. You wouldn't understand. I saw Speed say he from Cincinnati, and he say the women terrible. Now, that's what he's saying. He from there. Y 'all excuse me for a minute. You going against you? I'm going against you. You see my glass? You see my glass? I know y 'all probably ain't got nothing in front of y 'all.

48:31Shannon Sharpe:Unk look like he on the road somewhere. I'm on the road. I'm on the road, but I'll be back. I'll be back soon. I'll be in the air. Hey, your girl, she seen my lady at the gym. And yeah, yeah, yeah, Shelly. And she said, make sure Joe get these glasses. And I said, what better time for me to put on my toast with y 'all? I know y 'all ain't got nothing going on. What you drinking, Joe? Hey, Joe, Joe, let me tell you how you need to take it. Hey, put some ginger ale in there. I don't know if you've ever had it with ginger ale. Yeah. It's real nice, Joe. Hey, you know we only use ginger ale when we sick?

49:11Shannon Sharpe:No. My grandma said, get some ginger ale. Grady, you do know I'm like running 104 freeva, you know. She got everything going on. Hey. But you know the mold people, you get sick, you just need to go boo-boo. Huh? What boo-boo got to do with me sick? Hey, my stomach can't hurt. Go boo-boo? What is that, Grady? Yeah. Okay.

49:39Shannon Sharpe:The fight between Giannis and Milwaukee over playing time just got a little bit more complicated. As it turns out, the real money on the line is that nobody's talking about publicly until now. Multiple sources said the Bucs' decision to sit Giannis Antetokounmpo cost him significant bonuses in his Nike endorsement contract that would have been triggered if he played at least 41 games. That adds a lot of context behind Greek Freak's insistence on playing despite the team wanting to shut him down for the remainder of the season. The truth comes out, it just isn't about competitive pride. It's because he literally, it financially incentives in a shoe contract.

50:19Shannon Sharpe:Milwaukee's decision is costing him. I think it's too bold. I believe, obviously. Man, bro, they might add some extra years at$10,$15,$20 million. Second, who's on his team? two brothers. Now, what are the likelihood Pat Riley, let's just say for the sake of argument to appease Ocho, Joe, the heat trade for him. What do you think the likelihood of Pat Riley to say, you know what, I want the two brothers too? What do you think the likelihood of that, Ocho? Knowing Pat Riley, it ain't good. Okay. I'm just being honest with you. Unless Pat decides all of a sudden out of the blue, changes ways. No, sir.

50:57What you know he's not going to do because he's stuck to his guns since hell. For how long now?

51:03Shannon Sharpe:I don't think... Since he was the head coach of the Lakers? Hey, listen. If he didn't buzz for the king, he not buzzed for the Greek. He going to have to get his ass in line like everybody else. Hey, look. We trading for Giannis. Your damn brothers and them, they going to have to figure it out. But they ain't doing that. Yeah. Get G League. Get it from. Hey, you know what's funny? is when I think about the NBA and I think about the power that the players have, one of the few organizations where the players have the power and not the owners of the gym to the head coaches is if Giannis say, if I say I'm healthy and I want to play, hell, he should be able to, you would think the way they operate, hell, I'm going to put my uniform on and I'm going in the starting lineup no matter what y 'all say.

51:50No matter what y 'all think.

51:51Shannon Sharpe:No, they didn't. Now you get, now you're in some ordinate. Now I'm going to take some, I'm going to take your money from you. Is that what you want? Conduct detrimental to the team. Yeah. That what you want? Nah. Yeah. At least, Joe, right now, you know this. He getting the bread. You do something like that, now I got to take conduct detrimental to the team. Yeah, yeah. And them checks, Ocho, them checks probably like$300 ,000,$400 ,000 a game. Is that really what you want? I know what they're looking like, man. You ain't got to tell me twice. But now you're doing me wrong, but I'm going to sit on over here.

52:23Yeah, but listen. Listen. You're sitting over there. you're obliging with what they want, but now you're messing up my shoe money. My shoe money add up too.

52:32Shannon Sharpe:You messed up my season by talking about you wanting to be traded. Right. You messed up my money. You messed up my leverage. My ability to trade you. Right. You see? You see what you did? Mm-hmm. Okay. Even swap ain't no swindle. You mess up your trade value, I mess up your money. We both got something messed up. Yeah. And it's funny, you know what? Now that you said it like that, That's probably exactly how they think. Well, yeah, of course. It's exactly how they feel. Well, the thing is, it's protocol, fellas. They just, just because you say you healthy, man, like I said before, you got to show us something in practice before we just throw you out there on the floor.

53:12Shannon Sharpe:You know what I mean? And I think Giannis has, he hasn't been one to, you know, cooperate when it comes to like playing two on two, three on three to prepare to gauge and lead up to him getting out there playing five on five. He just feel like, shit, I'm healthy, so just put me out there. I'm going to put up numbers. And they ain't willing to do it for a number of reasons. Because, look, you put him out there and he get hurt, then what? Ocho? Oh, yeah. He's the end of the set. Like, they ain't trying to deal with that. And what have we had over the last couple of years? Yeah. Those calves. Calves lead to what?

53:48Shannon Sharpe:Yep. Achilles. Nah, you're not going to do that. You're not really going to suppress the market. But here's the thing. What we're talking about, Ocho, he says he wants to play. We took your word when you said you was hurt and you couldn't play. We took your word for it. Now you want us to take your word for it and say that you can play. Right. We didn't question you. Right. Now. Now all of a sudden. You see, and everybody knows I'm pro players. But sometimes when you start to own a business, you have to look at things from a business standpoint. Right. And so that's when I'm like, okay, I can see.

54:22Shannon Sharpe:I can see what you're talking about. So all these concessions that they've made, I'm a firm believer, is that nobody is going to love you like your original team that drafted you. I had a conversation with a great ride receiver once, and he's like, man, he's like, man, I need to just leave. And I say, I'm going to tell you this, and it's going to be your decision, and I'm never going to steal your own. I say, yeah, you can probably go, and you might win. I say, but they're not going to love you like they do where you are. Yeah. Because you're their own. They watched you come in, and they watched you grow in the community, and they watched you as a young man coming to a full-grown adult man.

54:59Shannon Sharpe:They watched that. This other team, they're just going to be happy to have you. You're just going to be one of the other higher guns that they've had along the way. Nothing's going to be special about you, bro. Nah. He thought about it after a couple days. He's like, man, you're right. So Giannis go and think something. He's going to be sweet. you think the Lakers love LeBron like they did in Cleveland? You think Miami love LeBron like they did in Cleveland? Or do they love Dwayne Wade? Or do they love Kobe? Do they love Shaq? Huh? Or do they love Bam? Or do they love Alonzo Mourney? Oh, no. Huh?

55:36Shannon Sharpe:See, that's what... And I don't think enough players think about it like that. They're like, man, I just need to go, go, go, go. Okay, fine. I'm never going to stand in the way of a person wanting to get his money. but just understands. And when they don't gravitate towards you like they did in your original destination, you can't be mad. You just can't. You can't. Even though, and think about it, even though Lonzo was at the Hornets first. Yeah. He was at the Hornets first. And for whatever reason, they're like, nah, nah, Zoe Howards, he was not D-Wade. He's not them. That are OGs. Yeah. That's how it goes, man.

56:20Shannon Sharpe:So Giannis, wherever you go, and you might win a championship. I hope you do. They're not going to love you like they did. No, they're not. But I bet you Giannis is thinking like this. Okay, Ocho. He thinking, okay, I got two years left on my deal. But if they trade me this summer, then wherever I'm at, I can play. And then the next summer, I can get that five years versus. You're going to get four because you got traded. But I'm saying he'll get to play a full year wherever he got traded. Yes. So at the end of that season, they'll be able to offer him that big deal. I think once you get traded, Joe, I think that is out.

56:59Shannon Sharpe:Look that up, Ash. Look that up. I think that's the thing. That's what they try to do because they want to keep you at the regular team. So you say he can't get— So that's why they can offer you that extra year, which is that fifth year at that max number. Right. Okay. Look that up, Ash. I think now, maybe if you stay four, because a lot of times, I think Luka could only sign a four-year deal. Now, once he plays, he can come back and get the deal. Because Luka got traded in his contract year, right? No, I think he had another year left. Oh, did he? So it would be the same as Giannis. Giannis got, yeah, okay.

57:36Shannon Sharpe:Okay. Oh, they would have never let him get that. Oh, no. Because remember, that's what Milwaukee said. Milwaukee said, sign the deal or we trade you. We're not going to let you walk out the door like KD. That'd be foolish business. You can never let a guy of that caliber get to the last year of his deal. Because if you do, he's done. That's why I think they got to trade him this summer, fellas. They can't bring him back, you know, considering everything they're going through right now. I think Giannis is a little disgruntled. He probably will never come out and actually say it or demand a trade.

58:16Shannon Sharpe:But I can bet you behind the scenes they probably going to be working when this season is over with to get him traded this summer for sure. Oh, he gone. According to ESPN, Giannis is eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension in October if he stays in Milwaukee. If he's traded during the offseason, he would need to wait six months from the trade date to sign the extension, which would be four years. Correct, Ash?

58:50Shannon Sharpe:Yes. So he's going to get it no matter where you go then, huh? I don't think you can. I don't know if he can get that. So if he signs, if he waits six months after the trade and sign the extension, how much is the four-year extension then? Because what they try to do is kind of like what the NFL did, Ocho, because they didn't want the quarterbacks to leave. That's what the franchise tag was really envisioned. The key guys, the quarterbacks, your Bruce Smith, your Jerrys, your Emmits, we want to keep those guys. So we'll pay you the average of the top five. so what this is the max the super max is basically to keep because we can give you something no other team can we can offer that fifth year the other team they give you four now if you want for look four years at 225 oh that's good money we can give you five we can give you five years but hey depending on where he go though he can he can make it up and uh and uh off the court uh endorsements depending on where he go because this markets there because milwaukee ain't no huge market.

1:00:02Shannon Sharpe:So if he was a ghost, well, he need to get a Harley deal. He should have got a Harley deal. Hey, I know one market he can go to. He'll make it up no matter what. The damn Texans gonna kick his ass, though. Woo! Oh, low. California even worse. 13.3%. That's state. And when you kick in that 36 % at the fan level, they're taking 49 % of your money. you gotta kick in FICA your agent's fees your attorneys so when it's all said and done let's just say somebody getting a hundred million you down to probably like 47 46 and you pay cause they take it 3.5 % your agent take 3.5 % your financial guy gotta get his cut come on now you think I'm working for free?

1:00:56Shannon Sharpe:you ain't working for free Hey, you and I both know we got managers. We got attorneys. We got agents. Hell, I've been paying money since 90. Well, my first couple of contracts, I ain't paid nothing because I had my brother's agent. He's like, nah, he ain't making no money. You can't charge him. Well, what you talking about? When you see all that money you having to spend out like that? Because I know exactly what you're talking about. Attorneys and the shit. Hey, but look, that's why, boy, that Florida, that Miami don't sound bad. Yes. It don't sound bad, fellas. hey they got a team they ain't got no tax we ain't got no team in Vegas yet does Tennessee got a team?

1:01:38Shannon Sharpe:what about Dallas? Dallas, Houston? Dallas, no I don't know if y 'all noticed but 13 % when you making that kind of money you do realize 13 % if you making$50 million a year hey hold up though Houston got some pieces over there, though. I don't get old children. Oh, I thought you got some pieces. They got some pieces. They really got some pieces. They got some two-legged pieces. You talking about them quarter pieces, the dime pieces. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know exactly what you're talking about. But they got some pieces. You know, if they underachieved this year, they could possibly get up off of and bring Giannis over there with KD.

1:02:25Shannon Sharpe:I still think they need a point guard I think Van Fleet I think they need Van Fleet I think he's the missing ingredient they need a point guard they do but it's going to be some furniture moving this summer I'm talking about I know Bron just built that I know he building that old however I can see Bron teaming up with some guys bro Where at, Joe? What do you think about it? Hey, look, I can see Giannis and Bron teaming up together. Where at, though? No, it ain't going to be. But you know what? If I'm LeBron, man, I'm done chasing rings. I'm going to go to a bad team because we've seen on a bad team what he can do.

1:03:09Yeah.

1:03:09Shannon Sharpe:At the number one or number two option, LeBron can still give you 25, 26 a night. Did you not see him on a bad team when he just played Sunday against the Mavericks? He gave you 30. He gave you what? 30, 15, and nine. It's just he needs some more ball handling duties. But he understands the role he's in right now. With A.R. and Luka playing the way they've been playing. Like I said, because he started off the season slow, meaning he missed the first, what, 15 games or so, and they were playing great. He just, you know, put himself in to where he wasn't going to be disruptive. You know what I mean?

1:03:45Shannon Sharpe:He was going to be a complimentary piece to those guys, and I think he's done a great job of that. But, yeah, Unc, I agree with you. You put him on a team, I ain't saying necessarily to where he is the guy, but where he can handle the rock, make decisions, you know, make plays. Yeah, he still got some ball left in him. Oh, no worse than two. Yeah, no worse than, yeah. Oh, he going to get, yeah, yeah. He'll give you the numbers that he gave you last year. Mm-hmm. Because if you go back and look like when games were, okay, Luka's out or a game when A.R. is out, and now he has more responsibilities.

1:04:19Shannon Sharpe:He going to do his thing. Yes. But I'm not surprised by this. The only thing is, is that Giannis kept trying to be sneaky about it. Oh, you know, whatever my agent decide, you know, I don't bro. Your agent works at the behest of you. And he doesn't want the criticism with coming because he saw the criticism that LeBron got. He saw the criticism that KD got. He saw the criticism that some of these other guys got. He doesn't want that. So he wants to pretend. He wants to throw the rock. We know you broke the window. He got, I ain't doing nothing. That's my agent. No, bro. Agents don't. Just like the same thing, Ocho, we talked about with Nico.

1:04:58Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. Okay, Nico, that fell on Nico. But the owner, Josh Dumont, threw the table on him. Yeah. So Giannis leaving Milwaukee. I got no problem with it. So I don't want y 'all saying, oh, so you got a problem? No, I don't. The only problem I got is that he won't stand up and face the music. Yeah. Yeah, I won't out. You don't. I don't feel I can win here anymore. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't think they can put the pieces around me. But everything that they've done over the last four to five years was at your bequit. They got rid of the coach. You don't think you think they did that without Giannis missing?

1:05:37Shannon Sharpe:That man was second in the ease. Yeah. Yeah. They went and got damed. You think Giannis didn't sign up on that? They got rid of Holiday. They got rid of all those pieces. That was because of Giannis. That was Giannis' blessing. Yeah. You got to own it, though, bro. It's okay. You're not the first to request a trade. You're not the first to move pieces. That comes along with the territory. You're a superstar. Superstars get certain privileges, and that's okay. But don't hide behind it, bro. don't make it seem like they want to get rid of you. You know you've been asking for this for a minute, and they should have moved you last year.

1:06:19Shannon Sharpe:He don't want that. They should have moved you last year. He don't want that backlash, man. No, he doesn't. But even with that, I still think he'll be all right. I mean, it's just part of it. It's part of being a megastar. Obviously, things ain't going right in Milwaukee. Man, you got to at least get you some pieces, get you some good pieces. and I think Milwaukee kind of trying to wait to this draft to kind of see who get what picks and who can really help them. You know what I mean? Because, okay, we can trade Giannis, but we're going to package you with these picks because maybe we can get a top three pick or a top five pick out this draft to send Giannis off.

1:06:59Shannon Sharpe:Okay, that's a different story. You know what I mean? Now we bring in one of these young phenoms who can carry us for the next 10, 12, 15 years. So I think that's why they waiting. Joe, Ocho. Yeah. I bring Ocho in. I do everything Ocho asks. I hire Chauncey. I hire Ryan. I give Doug a job. Things don't go right. Man, I've done everything Ocho asked me to do. Then when things don't go right, man, I can't make... Bro, I hire Chauncey. I hire Ryan. I hire Doug. And now things ain't going right. You want to dip. I done brought both of your damn brothers here. I got you a new coach. I got up off Holiday.

1:07:46Shannon Sharpe:I got up off of... But damn. You don't think... I mean, does Giannis think that we're that naive? To not think that he has that kind of leverage in Milwaukee? They held on to him because they don't want to trade him. They don't want to trade him. But they just know he's not going to sign. and I'm not going to let you walk out the door. And I don't mean to keep bringing KD up, but KD contract was up and it was well within his right to leave. But KD walked out the door and OKC ain't get a damn thing. Let that sink in. They didn't. Some people say KD is a top 10. He's probably a top 15 player in NBA history.

1:08:29Shannon Sharpe:History, yeah. He walked out the door and they didn't get a thing for him. They didn't get Gatorade. They didn't get socks. They didn't get tape. got nothing, Joe. They didn't get no iPad. They didn't get a projector. They didn't get Jack. You cannot let Giannis walk out the door like that because if you do, you're ruined. And Milwaukee knows that. They know that. That's why they refuse. I know they refuse to let that happen to their franchise because they won't be able to recruit from that. It'll set them back, hell, five, seven, even probably longer than that. What got What got OKC was what happened.

1:09:14Shannon Sharpe:Actually, Kawhi. Because Kawhi going to the Clippers, wanting a veteran, someone that he knew, Paul George. PG. Oh, you want PG? What you got? Let me see what you got. I'm going to need Shea, and I'm going to need probably like four unprotected first-round picks. And Sam Preston, we know one thing. He can pick a player. He picked KD. He picked Russ. He picked Harden. He picked the Baca. He picked Reggie Jackson. And look at what he's done. He's picked Chet. He's picked Jalen Williams. He picked Jalen Williams. Look at what he's done. He's got Lou Dort. Yeah. So now, what probably would have been purgatory for OKC, even though they're a small market, they write it right back here.

1:10:07Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. And they're going to be there for the foreseeable future. They are, man. Sometimes it's one move. Changed everything. It changed everything. And Preston's done a great job. But the linchpin was getting shaped. Once he got shaped, the foundation is strong. It's hard to build him to be strong. and you just you gotta hope you know when you make these type of changes and you bring in a guy who you uh think has a great upside you you gotta hope he takes the game serious and he he meets your standards or over delivers like shea i mean hell this man finna probably be a two-time mvp that won you a title he won you a title man you had westbrook and kd y 'all made it to the finals, but y 'all ain't winning one.

1:11:01Shannon Sharpe:You get this kid. Yeah, and Harden. Yeah, and Harden. And Ibaka. And Ibaka. You get this kid, and within what, three, four years, man, he done won you a title, and you're on the brink to win another one. So if you go back-to-back, oh my God. Yeah. So basically, you got Shea in 2019. Was it 2019? Yeah, I think 2019. Summer 2019. You got it. because Kawhi came from Toronto. And that was the domino that started this. We didn't know that a move over here would trigger something over there. You know, sometimes you have a tsunami because there's an earthquake that happened in the middle of the ocean.

1:11:46Shannon Sharpe:Man, look what this thing triggered. The Clippers wanting, getting Kawhi triggered. A series of unfortunate events. And I'm not talking about limiting snickets. Y 'all will catch up with that in a minute. But anyway, but that's what happened, Joe. So I don't fault Milwaukee. I'm going to try to get as much as I possibly can because of the likelihood. Think about it. You had Kareem. It took you 30-plus years before you got something comparable to Kareem. You had some really good teams now. I remember the Bucs was a really good team. When they had Nellie, Don Nelson was their coach. They had, who did they have?

1:12:29Shannon Sharpe:Lanier. They had Sidney Moncrief. They had, oh, Terry Cummins. I do. I don't remember Terry Cummins. Terry Cummins was a bloke. I do power forward, big body. Yeah. Yeah, from DePaul. They had Brian Winters. They had some really good players. They did. They did. Kareem and Giannis. And so normally when you lose a player like that, it's hard to ever, ever get another again. It's hard. And you're not like the Lakers where people want to come. Will retire, they get Kareem. And then you get Magic. And then Magic retire, you get Shaq and Kobe. And then get down. And here come LeBron. And now you got Luka.

1:13:11Shannon Sharpe:You see how everybody don't get it like that. Because not only is it a big market, it's a great market in LA. And everybody want to play in LA, bro. I mean, let's keep it 100. You know, playing for the Lakers, I don't know about y 'all, but growing up, watching the Lakers play, you know, the Lake Show, the Laker girls, things of that sort. Milwaukee don't have an attraction. They don't. So, yeah, they're not going to get no big-time free agent. You know what I mean? So, you do have to go through the draft, and hopefully you hit big. And OKC. Yeah, OKC. Develop well. Develop your players. But when it gets to this point to where I know Giannis is going to move on, they know they're going to move on from Giannis, you have to try to get great value from him.

1:13:57Shannon Sharpe:I don't know if you can get the same value, but you have to get a guy who you feel like, okay, in two years, he going to be a superstar. You know what I mean? Yeah. Well, you don't know. I'm saying Giannis, but Giannis is a different animal. but I mean when they traded PG and all those picks they like man OKC got took they gave up PG who was what second in the MVP third in the MVP mode in one year and now they like boy boy OKC really suckered Clippers that's what people are saying now it went from the Clippers sucking OKC to OKC man OKC got one over on them that's because Shea over delivered over delivered Peace to the planet.

1:14:47Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen, we are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yeah. And the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Eggs podcast. Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Cat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call me white, girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, sweetie, with Crystal Renee. We got reality with the king with Carlos King. And yes, Drink Champ will be in the building. Plus, you know, we're going to have a lot of guests, so you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast, and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival.

1:15:24Tickets are on sale right now. Go get yours at blackeffect.com slash podcast festival. Don't play yourself, okay? Pull up.

1:15:35Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent gumster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Daniel Alarcón, and this is my friend who's much more famous than I am.

1:16:10I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeart Podcast presents Soccer Moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hip since high school.

1:16:46Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a BOGO. Well, then you got them. Listen to Soccer Moms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:17:10Shannon Sharpe:I'm Miles Turner. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before. Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court. Nothing's off limits. We talk tanking. I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's, like, definitely happening in the WBA. We talk about our mistakes, too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man. You can't be rolling around the city like this the night before games. Check out Game Recognized Game with Studi and Miles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.