Hour 2: Rich’s Top 5 World Cup Observations, LeBron’s Best Fit Debate, plus O’Shea Jackson Jr.

0:00Lamin-Yemal steps into McDonald's, looks left, sees Pulisic, looks right, sees Jimenez. Gives a nod to Ronaldinho in the corner with a FIFA World Cup meal. Ronaldinho sees Son in the booth. Son finds Beckham going for extra Big Mac sauce. He's got Davies at the table just behind him. Davies going for his collectible cup. A steal by Henri, who pulls his own collectible cup. Collect one of nine legendary cups with a FIFA World Cup meal. At participating McDonald's for a limited time. While supplies last. All rights reserved. 2026 McDonald's at FIFA World Cup 2026. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.

0:37Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with Power Boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Goats only trust Goats, because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.

1:26Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show.

1:33Rich Eisen:What is the plan for Miami to build around Yonish? It's going to be hard. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. LeBron has not made himself available to meet with the Lakers. I'm choosing those words carefully. Earlier on the show, Academy Award winning actor J.K. Simmons. Coming up, Apple TV lead MLS analyst Taylor Twellman. Actor Colin Hanks. And now it's Rich Eisen. Hour number two of the Rich Eisen show is on the air. Taylor Twelman's going to join us top of hour number three to talk about the World Cup. And then we've got Colin Hanks in studio and it's going to be a fun hour number three.

2:12Rich Eisen:Hour number two is just for us. 844-204-RICH-NUMBER-TO-DOT. I have a conversation. We had hour one with the Academy Award winning actor J.K. Simmons here in studio. It all began with the latest, do we call it a Shams bomb? What do we call it? Sure. I think that's fine. Shams shout. I don't know. Shams shout. Shams bomb. I mean, it rhymes. That LeBron's told the Lakers, we're done. LeBron James. Rich Paul told ESPN that he's told the Lakers they can move on without him because he's playing elsewhere. That he's going to play. The Lakers expressed to James that they wanted him back, but the NBA's all-time leading scorer decides to move on elsewhere, says Shams.

2:50Yeah, a little follow-up to that. Anthony Slater covers the Warriors for ESPN. He has said that the Warriors have not been given any indication that they're the front runners. And while there's optimism, some say that there will be a level of recruitment required to get LeBron up in Golden State.

3:06Rich Eisen:Man, I mean, if LeBron is going to go through free agency, I would imagine this is going to take a while. A tour? Are we doing a tour? I don't know about tour. Some people have to come. he's not going to him. The mountain's got to come to him. I mean, yeah. Chris Haynes, you'll pop it up on the screen here. Chris Haynes says the Cavs are interested. Yeah, you bet they are. Cavs are interested. If I'm the Heat, I'm like, you want to play with Giannis? What about the Spurs? Hey, come mentor Wemby. We're that close to a title. We can get you. We are the best spot to get you that. The question is, is what is he willing to take as compensation?

3:51Rich Eisen:That's it. Has LeBron ever taken a discount? Did he do it with Cleveland as a hometown? I don't know. Again, I'm not familiar off the top of my head here about it. Jeannie Buss has sent out on the Lakers X. I'm sure it's on the Instagram as well. The statement, thank you, LeBron. One of the greatest athletes in history. We'll be thankful for his eight years, eight years with the Lakers, including the title under the toughest imaginable circumstances. That's true. Again, I'm always the don't tell me about an asterisk. You mean the oldest team in the league got four months of rest? The countless records he broke in purple and gold.

4:36Rich Eisen:We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family. Has O'Shea answered the bat signal? Yeah, he's going. He's occupied? He's going to call in within the next few minutes or so. But his last text was, and let me just make sure I quote him correctly. Let me take a shower since it's over the phone. So that's your boy. What the heck does that matter? The shower means he's getting ready for Zoom. What does that mean? He was just trying to be jokingly. Let me take a shower since it's over. If he's fully showered, then I want to see him.

5:17Oh, you want to Zoom? Yeah.

5:19Rich Eisen:Man, tell him if he's showered. You know what? I'm just going to call him here. TJ, this is a fun game that we like to play. Oh, you're going to call him. I was going to say, you want to play LeBron James career earnings game? Oh, it's got to be a billion. Oh, no, no, no, no. No, hold on. 1-4? No, career earnings, NBA salary only. $750. $450. $580. That's a lot. Well, then you count him. He's a billionaire, so. I mean, a billionaire, ring chasing in sports. You know what I mean? Yeah. And that's what I'm saying. The best shot. It's not Golden State. Golden State is not the best shot to win a championship.

5:57Rich Eisen:And by the way, when you're talking about salary caps in the NBA and space and things of that nature, it's similar, in my mind, to the draft where it's like, I don't care what hat you're wearing. You're going to be on another team. You already know it, but we're still letting you wear a hat. um bobby marks sent out um on social who's got money in free agency there's three teams with cap space and 9.4 million room as a mid-level okay brooklyn the bulls and the lakers well he's not playing i got it there's 15 million non-tax mid-level and 5.5 million biannual what Does that mean you can build? You know what I mean?

6:42Rich Eisen:There's half the associations there. Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Clippers, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio, Utah, and Washington. So out of all of them, with all due respect, right, you got Boston, Detroit. Does he want to go play with Cooper Flagg and Dusty May and Kyrie? Hey, come play with the Clippers and win us a chip if you're so bad. That ain't happening. All right? Come on. Why not? San Antonio. Dallas, San Antonio. I mean, San Antonio is the best shot to win a title. Correct. I mean, they were in game seven of the analytics finals with the Cavs, another team that's interested.

7:26Rich Eisen:That's true. Analytically. LeBron, right? Analytically, they were playing for it. Game seven. They were just right there. Do we have the video of Kenny Atkinson in the analytics parade? 6.1 million tax mid-level. Again, I don't know what this means. There's Golden State, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Phoenix, and Toronto. You said Philly, though, right? Philly was in that mix with, yes, with Boston and Detroit and San Antonio. Veteran minimum. Cleveland's there. He's going home. He's not playing for the veteran minimum, is he? No. No. Denver, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Sacramento.

8:07Rich Eisen:But does that mean that's their only option? They can't move this around, that around, or they got this exception or that. You know what I mean? Aprons. I don't know what the hell this means. Because if LeBron says, I want to play for your team, you're moving heaven, earth, and everything else. I feel like doing the Wendy thing. It's the truth. Remember when everyone assumed that Draymond was going to opt in to his player option this year? He opted out. And Wendy told us it's because he does that, so it frees up money now. Right. So they can pay this guy. You don't think... Yeah, but they brought Porzingis in after that, too.

8:40But I don't think... I don't know if that affects it. You don't think LeBron was like...

8:42Rich Eisen:There's not a chance that they are signing Porzingis at the risk of not getting LeBron. Right. Not a chance. I'm just saying what happened. No, I'm just saying that there must be some sort of capology that we're not familiar with. Right. Yeah, I'm no capologist. I'm not a math person. I'm more verbal. That's all of us. I'm neither. I'm saying you don't think LeBron was like, hey, Draymond, look, you opt out. that saves X amount of dollars and now I can come. And then you, you re-sign a new deal. They might've been saying that while I was letting Draymond putt out, you know, for all we know, just saying, that's why I'm saying, you know, the word is like, you know, the, the warriors have been not told that they're the front runners.

9:19Rich Eisen:Hell no. He's going to go and get everybody's offer. You don't think he's going to, the guy who once sat down with, with Jim Gray, isn't going to play this thing out. You better shop around. I would do that too. You've got one. And I don't blame him for if certainly if he had no interest in staying with the Lakers at the end of the day that he he did this on purpose to not give the Lakers any leg up in a negotiating window that was exclusive to them. And man, one would think if he wants to use maximum leverage, he would keep the Lakers in the mix. but he's told them that door's shut shut i don't think he needs that everybody needs leverage pal everyone needs any maximum lever you can pull certainly if you're dealing with somebody like the warriors but he's by the way uh and and it it it's a benefit to also say you're not only getting me you're taking me away from the lakers so i mean that's wow man 844-204-RICH meanwhile the World Cup is just so amazing I don't know is it because it's all in a time zone friendly I think that has a lot to do with it world that we're not waking up and see that something got played at 3 in the morning is that what it is?

10:46Rich Eisen:that we're seeing it all because it's on our continent Being a casual, just kind of surfing in and out during these big events is also kind of helping it too. I think the women, when they started being really good, helped. Yeah, for sure. And now, 94 was different. Now it's different, Rich. Now we're following. It helps that our team is playing well. That's what I mean. We like winners. Women started that, I say. A lot. the fact that the united states is playing in the knockout round it doesn't it's it's not what's causing me to sit down and everything watch all of morocco versus the netherlands you know what i mean like and again that might be because it is a time zone friendly tournament yeah for me that game started at six local you know what i mean and and so there there's that but there's It's really compelling.

11:41Rich Eisen:I mean, you've got some evenly matched people. And the fans, the fans that were in Monterey last night in Mexico, they were lit. When Morocco scored in stoppage time to tie it last night, right? I'm going to make sure I'm getting all of this right. When they scored in stoppage time on Monday night, right, One minute into stoppage time to tie it on the Netherlands. They were showing a shot of the crowd. And I think John Strong, who I really like him and Holden. And by the way, you know how I feel about Ian Dark. Ian is amazing. Ian and Landon Donovan are a great list. The announced teams that Fox has for this are also terrific, right?

12:27Rich Eisen:So that enhances. But when they scored in stoppage time, they showed the shots of fans. I think John Strong mentioned that he said that Monterey is a dry town on a Sunday, but not on a Monday night because the amount of alcohol that was thrown in the air when Morocco tied it. So I'm getting goosebumps just reliving it because it means so much. It means so much. And then the story, the stories that you hear as well, this fella, Gakpo of the Netherlands, and he lost his baby. A newborn, right? Well, no, I think, I believe his partner had yet to give birth. and he scored to put them up, Cody Gakbo.

13:28Rich Eisen:He went down in a heap, and the whole team jumped on him. What a scene this was. In Monterey, this isn't a United States thing. It just isn't. I'm so compelled by all of it. And then Rebecca Lowe mentioned before the penalty kicks, or I think before the two 15-minute periods that prior to penalty kicks because no one scored, I think that's when she mentioned that it was 25 goals now in stoppage time in this tournament. And 25 stopped me. I'm like, wow. And you could see it stopped Lawless because he's like, Project 25? and then you know zlatan and his zlatan is opinionating he went all in on on um uh the way the dutch were playing thierry as well i just wish they would leave things in the stadium a little bit oh i they they jump back to the studio so fast and i wanted to see because again i'm watching and again i understand i'm i'm belying my or i'm exposing my lack of complete knowledge because again i i feel like i'm i'm a casual that's now becoming a diehard watching all of this i had no idea when they're going through the coin toss prior to the penalty kicks i would have loved to have had this described to me maybe by strong and and and holden did you see that that they flip a coin twice did you see that that again as an nfl fan i think okay they're flipping the coin about and whoever wins gets to decide do they go first or sec you know do they go first in the penalty kick and that side makes that decision thus it's left to the other side to choose which goal but they do two coin tosses for both and the dutch won both of them they got to choose which goal and whether to go first or second and the penalty kicks man it's exciting oh it's exciting epic i love it the draw is there anything like it in sports where obviously it's a specialty right that's deciding something that's massive massive massive but it's not like a one place kicker is doing the place kicking to win a super bowl no as if you have the whole offensive line kicks no but that's not on the lane these are all like you're kicking you know these are all scores one would think that it's attempting the same shot that has the goalie at a significant disadvantage until you include the pressure upon the kicker the guy's trying to score especially when the other team misses now it's like oh you have an advantage now just put it in right do you want to go first or second yeah right you want to go first you want to go you want to know you want to put the pressure on the other pressure on and then when germany because it's you know the netherlands and morocco was the second penalty kicks of the day when it was paraguay and germany germany was toast and they stopped the last two penalty kicks to force a sixth round in which they bricked paraguay didn't and they were out and it was epic and i turned to susie because susie and i are watching this and i'm thinking to myself and i said to sue like i don't recall ever just susan i sitting down and watching a soccer game and you're quiet during the and we were locked yes so tense locked i mean when i'm mixing it's amazing and i turn to suzy and i'm like you know the whole world is watching this right now continents billions worldwide ratings for yesterday.

17:56Rich Eisen:All three matches were... All watching the same thing. The collective... Give me another thing that collectively the whole world is watching. It's unbelievable. And the Olympics are a level... Right, but... Not like the same thing. This is way more. It's not the same. It's not the same. It's not the same for various reasons. One of them has got to be also gambling. to be honest with you no doubt um but this is another you know entire countries are rooting for one individual in the olympics or a team or a team but this is a different level man it's beyond epic um we'll talk about it with um taylor twelman an hour three uh and then later on in this hour um my top five world cup observations outside of what we just went through excited for that scoreless right now uh between ivory coast and norway yeah no real scoring chances for you go three more knockout round matches that's the other thing about the world cup it's just it's over and over and over again like a drum beat day like when canada um played south africa on sunday It was just one match.

19:14Rich Eisen:I'm like, when's the next one? Yeah. Right. When's the next one? Yeah, France, Sweden, 5 o 'clock Eastern, Mexico, Ecuador, 9 Eastern. Locked in. From Mexico City, by the way, I can't imagine what that is going on down there right now. Right. That's Stadium 2. Wow. What a scene it is there, too. What a scene. You know, and Canada didn't win its group. Otherwise, they would have been up in their country. Yeah. You know, man, anybody can, it feels like anybody can win it. And then you watch France and Argentina play and you're like, yeah, those, by the way, France, are they high-fiving right now that with Germany and the Netherlands out on their side?

19:57Rich Eisen:France is a big favorite right now in odds. A SoFi Purse loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible, overcoming high interest credit card debt. walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed rate monthly payment no fees required and as soon as the same day funding that is right pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a sofi personal loan visit sofi.com slash trick to learn more loans originated by sofi bank na member fdic terms and conditions apply nm ls 696891 a certain showered star was now falling asleep because he talked too much World Cup while he was winning.

20:36Rich Eisen:O'Shea Jackson Jr. when we come back. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

20:48Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. You can always tell when something big is happening in a city. I know what it's like when I'm traveling for big games and events. I remember being in Pittsburgh earlier this year and experiencing the beautiful architecture and passion those fans have for their home teams. That was so infectious. Now, it was a great trip, but you know what it's like dealing with the travel. The airport is packed, hotels are booked up, restaurants all busy. And when you have that kind of influx of visitors in your city, a lot of them are searching for a place that feels a little bit more like home during their trip.

21:20Rich Eisen:That's why this can be a smart time to think about listing your own space on Airbnb. If you've got plans to be away this summer, consider listing your space on Airbnb while you're gone and earn some extra cash. It's simple. You're already traveling, so your place doesn't just sit empty while your city is busy. And from my experience on the road, having a comfortable home base can change the whole experience of a trip. So whether it's a big sports weekend, a concert series, or a major event coming to your area, this could be the right time to list your space on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think.

21:54Rich Eisen:Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host. Need parts fast? O 'Reilly Auto Parts as fast. Need them now? We've got now. No matter what you need, we have thousands of professional parts people doing their part to make sure you have it. We're O 'Reilly Fast. Just one part that makes O 'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people. O, O, O, O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Parts.

22:31Rich Eisen:Heat up your 4th of July at the Home Depot with our wide variety of grills under$300 and make every gathering one to remember. Give your outdoor space a glow-up, whatever your budget is, with savings on seasonal plants starting at$5. With the grill fired up and your backyard set to perfection, you'll be able to invite friends and family over to kick off the party. Start celebrating with low prices guaranteed. at the Home Depot. Prices may vary by store. Exclusions apply. See HomeDepot.com slash price match for details.

23:04Rich Eisen:Our radio audience has returned. O'Shea Jackson Jr. kind enough to zoom in on a big Laker news day. Last day of June, LeBron James has informed the Lakers. We're done. And we wanted to get your two cents on the subject matter. O'Shea Jackson Jr. It's unfortunate. You know, I definitely would have loved to see him retire and Purple and Gold. He's been with us and one standstill I think the longest of any of the stops he's had in his career. So it would have been great just because I'm a Laker. I feel like all great things should end with me. But it's time. It's time. As a fan, I am grateful that dude won a championship for the Lakers after we lost Kobe.

23:55Same year and that is something that you can't take away from the city just how we felt and and how it felt to you know get rid of that that 10-year span of not having a championship um and also i think about what if solomon hill doesn't take out his knees what about if anthony davis doesn't get injured in that phoenix series and you know the westbrook trade how that set us back about four years four or five years but you know you can't live in what if just be thankful for what happened

24:27Rich Eisen:and I'm thankful for King James you're right by the way um first seven years of his career in Cleveland and he spent four more in Cleveland for an 11-year aggregate but that was after his four years in Miami and his eight consecutive years with the Lakers is the longest stint with one team in his career. So why do you think this happened? You said it's time. I mean, why is it time? Wouldn't it be time for us to see a full season of what we saw in March? Didn't the Lakers went 16-2 in March or something like that? And then Luka was the player of the month of the Western Conference. And I'm sitting here on this set saying that's a team that can win the championship.

25:13Rich Eisen:and then Luka hurts his hammy and everything spiraled. Why not give a full year of that? I mean, to tell you the truth, Rich, hold on one second. Sorry about that. I'm a popular guy. I apologize. You are. By the way, the freeze frame was outstanding. Thank you. I appreciate that. I was really very. But it's only I'm only saying it's time because his ass said he's not coming back. It's not like I'm really thinking. thought. I drilled down and got the answer, TJ. But, yeah, I mean, I would have loved to be able to go into the playoffs with a healthy squad. You know, thanks, Oklahoma, for injuring, Luca.

25:55Appreciate that. But, I mean, we got to just take whatever cards we're dealt and we're the Lakers. We got to move forward now. We got to look at this free agency pool and what's left and what we can make out of it and do what we can to get to our real home, which is the NBA Finals. That's where we live.

26:16Rich Eisen:Okay. TJ thinks that when LeBron comes back, there's booze and crypto. What do you think? I put out a tweet that said our relationship wouldn't be right if I didn't get to boo you one more time. And, you know, after they do the video and we all clap and shed our tears and it's great to see you. After that, bro, no, yeah, it's coming from the diaphragm and it's not anything, it's not any malice. I booed Shaq and we traded him so like, bro, you gotta hear it. You gotta hear it. And if we keep Bronny, Bronny, I hope you go right at him. I need you to go right at him. The pop that will fill that arena, it's all fair you know it's all it's back to being in war that's all as soon as that first ball goes up in the air he know what time it is yeah Bronny's contract just yesterday became guaranteed 2.3 million fully guaranteed held on long enough to make sure his son secured the bag yeah I mean that's yeah I mean Bronny it's alright my dad made me do sideline reporting in Detroit by myself last week for big three so I completely understand your dad just leaving you at work sometimes.

27:33Rich Eisen:Were you the one that sparked the brawl then? That was the week before. That was in LA. That was in LA. But you know, it's definitely interesting. It made us go viral. But at the Big Three, we all black children. It's just all peace and love. Alright, so right now with Luka coming back, now it's his team and AR getting his money. Aiton's coming back apparently Aiton's coming back it looks like or at least he's alright he opted in we'll see what else so we got Oklahoma City and the Spurs where are we where are we putting the Lakers where are we putting them let's do this let's play it out this way LeBron goes to Golden State oh what a weird ending to your movie dude Dude, don't do that.

28:27Go to the Eastern Conference.

28:28Rich Eisen:Why? Why would they go to the Warriors and play him with Curry and Draymond and a healthy Jimmy Butler when he comes back? Poor Zingas. Al Horford. Steve Kerr being the coach. Why isn't that a great ring chase? End of the movie. People don't forget, dog. You was talking crazy in 2016. You was talking wild. And I just, you know, the report said that if he got AD to go there, then he'd see that, but it'd just be a weird ending to the movie. If I was him, you know, obviously the Cavs were dismantled by the Knicks, but maybe a LeBron James would help that team along. I think he goes back east. I really don't care where he goes, Rich.

29:14It doesn't matter anymore. I'm tired. I can't do the political thing no more. This is going to be a real test for J.J. Redick because now you don't have your eyes that were, you know, the player coach that he is. So they're really going to be watching you. But I got faith in you, JJ, because I'm a Duke fan. And I need you to lock in. All right. I need us to put it together. All right. Because it's an ugly taste in our mouth right now. And we the Lakers. And they need to remember that. We're the logo of the damn league. And we need to start acting like it. Everybody can get their jokes off. Adam Silver letting everybody win a championship.