02x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

[Laughter]

The thing is, man, people

Don't fight anymore in the nba

Because they will damn near

Throw you in jail.

Somehow, we all love watching

People fight all the time,

Except if they do it and backs

All jerseys the agreement on the

Everybody wants to call the

Police and shut the body down.

There is a generation of fans

Were never seen their favorite

Players get into a fight.

I once saw dr. Jay and moses mow

Double-team larry bird.

[Laughter]

These kids are being deprived.

Beautiful memories right

There.

♪ ♪

[Cheers and applause]

Bomani: thank you!

Welcome to season 2 of

"Game theory!"

All right.

We got a lot to talk about.

Chuck, let's run it!

What did we learn in

Our six game super wild card

Weekend?

Well, young quarterbacks help

Win playoff games.

Dak prescott is the oldest at

29.

When you look at the eight

Quarterbacks remaining in the

Postseason, what do they all

Have in common to varying

Degrees?

Mobility?

Bomani: it only took three

Or four generations been a full

Quarterbacks, that fast is

Greater than slow.

[Laughter]

Used to be impressive back in

The day if your quarterback and

Finish the 40-yard dash without

Passing out.

But good news to my folks, this

Probably means we get some more

Black quarterbacks.

[Applause]

But it's a new breed of white

Ones, too.

Josh allen and daniel jones out

There like those white dudes

That nobody knows can dunk until

You look up and he's got his

Crotch right up in your face.

Now that people realize there

Are a fast white dudes who can

Throw, you better get ready for

The how the "ideal quarterback"

Changes.

And they thought -- once they

Realize those slow white dudes

Might die, they started

Demanding a little bit more.

Sorry about that, slow white

Guys.

Bay done took your jobs!

And it's your own people doing

It to you this time.

But I see you, and I felt.

It only took you 100 years to

Figure out that maybe, just

Maybe, it's a good idea to have

A guy who touches the ball every

Single play the athletic.

Some real brainiac sh*t there.

[Laughter]

What's next?

A terrible night for

Tom brady down in tampa.

The dallas cowboys blew out the

Buccaneers, and that has many

Speculating if it was indeed the

Final game for the 45-year-old

Quarterback.

The man does not -- he plays

Football with fear now.

It looked like he was afraid to

Take contact.

Bomani: you know how mad I

Was so mad at myself on monday.

Honoring martin luther king, and

I forgot because I was watching

Tom brady.

What was clear watching night's

Tom brady wants to be a football

Player, but he does not want to

Play football.

Because you can't play football

Without getting hit.

You saw how fast he was throwing

That thing.

He really doesn't want to get

Hit.

Out here playing football like a

Scared cop.

You know how cops can talk when

Have to explain why they shot

Somebody?

"Hey, I didn't want any danger,

I feared for my life.

I just wanted to get home to my

Wife and --"

All right, well, tom brady just

Wants to go home.

[Laughter]

But if you've got to let one fly

Way too early to be safe, oh, he

Will.

Of officer brady had brought his

g*n to work, he would have

Dropped three steps and smoke

Micah parsons.

But the real question is, why

Don't you just give it up and

Start your $375 million contract

With fox?

It's because these guys always

Think they got one more comeback

In them.

Sir, if you want to come back

Somewhere, come back to your

Family.

[Laughter]

No matter what, that will hurt

Less than playing more football.

Let's hit the next one.

Went viral in a short clip,

Shot at a popeyes restaurant.

The popeyes kid playing d2

Football at college in ohio,

Which means he can make money

Working with brands on nil

Deals.

Dieunerst collin, signed a

Name, image, and likeness deal

With the restaurant,

Social media push to get him

Paid, once users figured out

Where he is now.

Bomani: sounds like a

Feel-good story, right?

But not the reason that you

Think.

The last thing that young man

Needs is more popeyes.

[Laughter]

He's an athlete.

But that boy has been exploited,

And he wasn't getting exploited

By popeyes.

He was getting exploited by us.

All of you tweeters are the

Problem.

All they did was stand there ten

Years ago.

Y'all be using him to be funnier

Than you actually are for your

Internet friends.

Y'all been stopping him at the

Mall and doing bad impressions

On him, just seeing him, like.

[Laughter]

And he didn't give them a dime.

That boy deserves royalties.

Popeyes is doing the work we

Should've done.

You freeloading m*therf*ckers

Should have started a gofundme

And given that boy some cash.

[Applause]

Yeah, that's right.

These kids in these means need

To unionize.

Where is

Where's lil terrio?

He can be their jimmy hoffa.

♪ ♪

Three-time cy young award

Winner.

Mario rivera.

Kawhi leonard.

Kareem abdul-jabbar.

Michael gilchrist.

Dan quintin berry, the relief

Man.

Michael jim on the phone the

Other night.

Alejandro pina.

The big three, steph, dream

On, you guys are incredible.

Mike piazza.

♪ ♪

[Applause]

Bomani: you may know

Tonight guess is the cohost of

"First things first" on

Fox sports 1 or from his podcast

"What's wright? With

Nick wright," but remember on

"Game theory," I am right, and

He is nick wright.

What's up?

[Applause]

All right, man.

We tried to book lebron or

Savannah to come talk about this

Season.

We couldn't get them, so we got

You to talk about

Lebron james.

Being the best 38-year-old is

One thing, which he absolutely

Has been, but especially the

Last month and change, he has

Been outright and credible,

Except the team is bad.

Nick: the team is terrible

And they seem to be fine with

That.

Lebron signed an extension

This off-season and what

Everyone thought was there was

An agreement.

Okay, I will commit to you guys

For the short term, as long as

You guys commit to try to win in

The short-term.

And instead, they are trotting

Out their lineups that, for any

Winning team, the guys would be

Tenth or 11th men and they are

Starting for the lakers, and

Folks are like, oh, how much

More help does lebron need?

He just needs starting caliber

Players and it is amazing to me

The lakers are so concerned

About a future seventh grader to

Be named later in the form of a

2029 First-round pick, when you

Have the greatest player ever

Still playing like a top ten

Guy, not like the best player in

The lead command anthony davis

Before he got hurt was playing

The best basketball of his life

As a laker in a wide open

Western conference, but they

Don't seem to care.

Bomani: can we talk about

My man?

I'm just saying, what can you

Say bad about yoga chanel?

The argument, they were not

Winning games, even though he

Was dragging bombs.

They have the best record in the

West, and he looks as good or

Better as he has in the years

Before.

Nick: in a just universe,

Nikola jokic would be in route

To running away with his first

Mvp.

Hold on a second.

But in the universe we live in

Now where we have bent and

Change the rules, luka should

Win at the irreverence as I hate

Jokic, no, I just like history

And standards, the standard has

Been league mvp you have to be

On a chamfer end.

We change the rules two years

Ago, I thought it should be

Crisp welcome everyone voted for

Jokic, chris paul swept his as I

Would.

Then the rule had been, at least

Be a top 4 seed.

Jokic was the sixth seed, I said

Luka should have one like last

They're like, jokic, of course,

Loses to steph and the warriors

In round one.

It's not his fault -- kind of

His fault because you were the

Succeed.

Now the 1 seed and his numbers

Are unbelievable and he is on a

Championships contender.

Now the whole universe is

Allowed to win mvp, does not

Matter the mavs are the 5 seed,

Look at luka's numbers, and here

Is the other thing.

All of nba history, we did not

Give you back-to-back mvps

Unless you are one of the 15

Greatest players ever or steve

Nash.

We bent the rules for jokic.

All of nba history, you have not

Been allowed to win a third mvp

Unless you have won a title or

Been to multiple finals.

Lebron had not won yet, been

To multiple files, moses,

Multiple finals, this guy has

Not sniffed the finals, going to

Win three straight, so the push

For anybody as this, let's say

He wins again this year.

And they get swept in round one.

Just saying.

As a hypothetical pier for next

Year he averages a 40-point

Triple-double --

Bomani: give it to him

Again!

Nick: that's what I'm

Saying.

Bo, where the same age, from an

Era where there were standards.

Should be able to carry the

Team --

Bomani: the standard in

This case is somehow the dude is

Magic johnson and larry bird

Slightly lesser versions of both

At the same damn time!

Nick: here is the thing.

Even his biggest fans I don't

Think really believe it.

Do you think the nuggets are

Winning the title?

Do you think -- if jokic is this

Level of player, he has a

Healthy cast, the west is wide

Open.

They should cruise to the

Finals.

Bomani: if they stay

Healthy, they are winning the

West.

Nick: are they winning the

Title?

A little scared of giannis --

Bomani: slow down, giannis

Is the best player in the nba, I

Am not saying he is not.

One last thing before we go.

Lamar jackson and baltimore,

Which to me is the strangest nfl

Situation that I can think of.

You do not think you will be

There next year.

Nick: no, I don't.

Listen, I know lamar was hurt.

I also think have they given him

His contract, he would have gone

Out there and played her to.

I don't blame him at all for

Being like, you have $0 tied

Into me, not going to risk my

Knee.

If they put him on the

Franchise, why does anybody

Think he will sign it and play?

I think the other day at the

Press conference they are like,

He is going to be involved in

The offensive coordinator

Search, and lamar is going to be

There 200%.

You better give him the

$200 Million guaranteed.

Here is the other problem for

Them, bo.

Everyone has said deshaun, kyler

Kyler, did not get guaranteed.

What if justin herbert gets a

Fully guaranteed deal?

Bomani: justin herbert is a

Fair question.

Mike brown ain't fully

Guaranteeing a damn thing.

That is the team they said was

Reusing jockstraps.

I am not making that up.

They are not -- that guy is not

Going to get it.

I don't think he gets 200.

I think he stays, they

Eventually wind up ponying up.

What I don't get for baltimore,

He built a whole thing around

Him and we knew how invested you

Were in him when you made the

Depth chart, nothing but black

Quarterbacks, if it was a white

Dude behind him he would have

Been hopping on one leg to make

Sure --

Nick: it's an odd strategy

Of it, our quarterback hierarchy

Is lamar jackson, and then

Increasingly worse versions of

Lamar jackson.

I didn't understand that from

The beginning.

But they also boxed themselves

In.

If he is going to be like, I'm

Not signing the franchise tag,

You have to trade me, the only

Trade that works -- I don't know

Chicago would do it -- is lamar

For justin fields 1 for 1p or

You cannot trade him and be

Like, we are going to sign jimmy

Garoppolo.

You need a very specific type of

Quarterback for that offense to

Work.

They built everything around him

And then do not want to pay him

To run the offense.

It is a bizarre situation.

Bomani: see how it goes.

Nick wright come appreciate you,

Sir.

Nick: thank you.

[Applause]

If you had ultimate power at

Your job, how would you flex?

First of all, everybody is

Getting free catfish, fried

Catfish.

Free catfish for everybody?

Have you thought about running

For office?

There's a lot of dudes that

Make pizza, so I would hire all

Females.

I never thought about it

Until you said it but I've never

Seen a woman tossing that pizza

Up in the air.

Am I right?

Am I right?

Yeah.

Let's call it lady five.

I am all the way on board

With this.

A little bit of weed out the

Back, I don't know.

How much with the weed cost?

I would say just a smile.

Oh!

Frown.

Lady pie l.a.

Lady pie atlanta.

We have to get back to the

Kids.

I do not know how you're

Going to do this from a catfish

Shack that sells weed out the

Back, but okay.

I need to retire.

You want to be an owner, but

None of the responsibilities of

Being an owner?

Kind of like a shadow owner?

Yeah.

It is funny you mentioned

That because what we're talking

About on the show tonight is

Lebron james.

Okay.

And player empowerment.

Do you know what that means?

I mean...

Kind of.

At them having choice,

Basically?

Player empowerment is about

Choice.

How many players do think I have

Been able to do the same thing

Because of lebron james?

I'm going to say 5-15 people.

That is pretty generous.

Is that generous?

Probably closer to five

Vehicle let's just say lebron

Ain't giving out no free

Catfish.

[Applause]

Bomani: all right.

This season marks 20 years of

Lebron james in the nba.

He is set to pass kareem

Abdul-jabbar's scoring record.

But man, it is hard to imagine,

But once upon a time, all of

This lebron success was just

Theoretical.

James is young enough to

Have been born during

Michael jordan's rookie season.

Some say he might be the next

Jordan.

If he is half as good as all

I have heard about him, he is

Going to be one special athlete.

Does he have the skills?

Of course.

Who knows.

Is the 18-year-old from akron

Truly the savior?

I don't think you can really

Just bring a high school player

In and really just think your

Team is gonna turn it around

Like that.

Bomani: for those of you

Who don't remember dim area

Smiles, he is a dude who came

Out of high school and did not

Turn in nba franchise around.

But lebron did.

Just like that.

Somehow lived up to all of the

Hype.

And man, this could have gone so

Badly.

Nine times out of ten, is out of

The league by 2011 and selling

Used cars in akron.

Calling himself "the king...

Of low, low prices!"

But instead, he's maybe the best

Player to ever step on an nba

Court.

Been one of the most

Marketable athletes on the

Planet.

And he might even stick around

Long enough to become the nba's

First helicopter dad.

What's your hope for bronny's

Future?

To be happy and find

Happiness in whatever he does.

Whatever it is.

I just want him to be happy.

I want him to get to the nba.

[Laughter]

Bomani: yeah, and I want to

Wish listen to old kanye without

Feeling guilty, but we don't

Live in that world, do we?

Outside all of the accolades he

Has wrapped up, lebron's most

Important legacy is kickstarting

The so-called "player

Empowerment era."

When we talk about player

Empowerment, the king of player

Empowerment is lebron james.

No one, no one close, has

Taken player empowerment the way

He has and put it forward for

The rest of these players.

Lebron pretty much changed

The landscape of basketball from

A standpoint of a player finally

Being empowered to do what he

Wants to do.

He's definitely the most woke

Superstar we've ever had.

Bomani: he is still on the

First page of the autobiography

Of malcolm x but he is the most

Woke superstar we ever had.

Sorry, bill russell, if only you

Had marched a little bit harder

With dr. King.

Now lebron gets credit for

Starting this movement, but is

Fundamentally misunderstood.

Because people look at player

Empowerment in two main ways.

The first, cultural player

Empowerment.

Recently the ability to freely

Speak your mind about social

Issues.

And for lebron, this is

Largely meant things like

Calling donald trump a "b*mb,"

Or more importantly, wearing

Hoodies with his heat

Teammates, protesting the

k*lling of trave on martin.

As you might expect, this

Cultural commentary has gotten

America's worst and dimmest all

Riled up.

Keep the political commentary

To yourself.

Or, as someone once said, shut

Up and dribble.

Bomani: man, that line

Actually hits so much harder in

The original german.

[Laughter]

But political commentary aside,

The other part of player

Empowerment is financial.

That's the ability to force

Trades, act as your own general

Manager come and have an

Hour-long special for a

30-Second decision.

Rush mark

Lebron, what's your decision?

Um, in this fall, man, this

Is very tough, in this fall,

I'm going to take my talents

To south beach and join the

Miami heat.

Bomani: yeah, your talents

Say "south beach," but his shirt

Says "job interview at the

Cheesecake factory."

[Laughter]

Now, lebron gets credit for

Starting player empowerment.

But I've got a secret for you...

It's not actually new.

Lew alcindor boycotted the 1968

Olympics, went muslim, changed

His name to kareem abdul-jabaar,

Forced a trade to the lakers in

1975, And trained with bruce

Lee.

That stuff is legendary.

Yet lebron's treated like

Che guevara for moving to miami.

[Laughter]

And I used to think this

Modern player empowerment

Movement was a big deal, too.

Except these dudes don't really

Have power like that.

Lebron james mentioned he has

Power.

Now, I will disagree with lebron

On that.

Within the context of

Basketball, lebron james has

Influence and leverage.

Power is from those who own.

Bomani: yeah, see, leverage

Is the ability to tell cavs

Owner dan gilbert you want to

Sign dwyane wade to the cavs.

Power is the ability for

Gilbert to write an entire

Letter after "the decision"

Telling you to f*ck off in comic

Sans come and you still go back

And work for him for years

Later.

Owners have the actual power.

There's a reason those

Goofy-looking m*therf*ckers get

To hoist the larry o'brien

Trophy before anybody else.

Let me present the

Championship trophy.

[Cheering]

Bomani: that trophy made

Bank in that harassment

Settlement.

[Laughter]

The owners of nba franchises

Don't just hold the power in the

League, they have always held

Power in the league.

And in 1999, they took even

More.

The owners want to control

Labor costs, in effect, create a

Hard ceiling or cap on the

Percentage of revenues that is

Paid to the players.

The system that's been

Created, uh, we think has worked

Too well for the players

Economically the last several

Years and not well at all for

The owners.

Bomani: before that

Collective bargaining agreement,

The players' share of

The money from basketball

Related activities was 57%.

Today, it can be less than half.

Now explain how players today

Have more power, but take home a

Smaller share of the pie.

In '97, michael jordan made more

Than his entire bulls team

Combined.

This year's lakers?

They make more than twice as

Much as lebron.

If lebron were allowed to make

The same percentage today of

Lakers salaries as jordan did

Then?

He'd be making $101 million a

Year.

That's right.

Lebron is so rich, the money

Found in his couch cushions

Could change your life, and he

Is still underpaid.

Lebron james really is the

Nba's biggest bargain because of

His halo effect.

The miami franchise before

Lebron went there, 2009-2010,

Was valued at $364 million.

Last year, it was valued by

"Forbes" at $744 million.

Because you can't pay him

What he's really worth, which

Might be 50 or 60, he just gets

To pick where do I want to live.

Bomani: lebron is a big

Reason these teams go up in

Value, but he doesn't get that

Money.

The owners do.

That's not player empowerment.

That is, as the french say,

"Getting pimped!"

[Laughter]

Yeah, lebron can get his coaches

Fired and hire his buddies, but

Real player empowerment would be

Getting rid of the salary cap.

Or refusing to play unless

Players started getting

A bigger share of nba revenue.

And you know who has never

Pushed publicly for either of

Those changes?

Lebron james.

But that's because he doesn't

Need to.

For years, he's been getting the

Majority of his money through

Endorsements and business

Dealings.

And that's the money that will

Fund his ultimate goal.

What's your thought of the

Atmosphere when you come out to

Las vegas and how the fans

Respond to you out here?

Oh, it's wonderful.

It's the best fan base in the

World, and I would love to bring

A team here at some point.

That would be amazing.

I want the team here, adam,

Thank you.

Bomani: if you ever want to

See your family again.

[Laughter]

If there was really as much

Power as we think there is in

Being a player, lebron would

Have no interest in being an

Owner.

He'd want to be head of the

Players' union.

Instead of people thinking he's

f*cking up rosters as a shadow

Gm, he wants people to know he's

Really f*cking up rosters as an

Owner.

Ultimately, player empowerment

Is really just lebron

Empowerment.

This notion of empowerment,

You've been a leading voice in

That.

You've changed the nba in a lot

Of ways.

I don't know.

I don't look at it like that.

I look at it as, I make my

Decisions based upon me and my

Career and my family and if it's

Changed the landscape of

Something, then hopefully for

The greater good.

Bomani: see!

Even he says this player

Empowerment thing is about him.

He is empowering himself to

Become an nba owner.

Just like the guy he's spent his

Whole career chasing.

Michael jordan.

Who once shouted, "if you can't

Make a profit, you should sell

Your team."

When mj was a player in the

League, he sounded just

Like lebron.

But now?

When he's the owner of a

Low-rent franchise?

He sounds like the owner of a

Low-rent franchise.

You're starting to see a

Little of it now to where all

The stars are starting to g*ng

Up and go on one team.

I think it's going to hurt the

Overall aspect of the league

From a competitive standpoint.

You're going to have just one or

Two teams that are going to be

Great and the other 28 teams are

Going to be garbage, or they're

Going to have a tough time

Surviving in the business

Environment.

Bomani: hey, I see you

Aficionado.

Got the jordan exclusive before

Big-a*s jeans monthly.

Point is, you can't be a player

And be empowered.

'Cause at the end of the day,

You still got a boss.

And "employee empowerment" feels

A whole lot different than

"Player empowerment."

You remember kevin durant trade

Request last summer?

Look where his empowered as is

Now.

Kevin durant is now

Supposedly staying in brooklyn.

In a statement, general

Manager sean marks said durant

And the team have agreed to move

Forward with their partnership.

In other words, if durant wants

To get paid his $50 million

Annual salary, he'll suit up

With the nets, or he won't suit

Up at all.

Are you surprised you're

Still here?

No.

Bomani: yeah, let's play a

Game of I gave you $50 million

So sit your a*s down.

But there is no greater example

Of player empowerment's

Limitations then during the 2020

Nba bubble.

That is specifically when the

Players, led by lebron,

Threatened to strike following

The police sh**ting of jacob

Blake.

The biggest weapon labor has on

Their side is the threat of a

Strike, and with the entire

World watching, the nba players

Were set to do something

Unprecedented.

Until someone with real world

Power stepped in.

There was a time when we were

Ready to leave, too.

The lakers, myself included, we

Were ready to leave.

And I'm lucky enough to have a

Friend, you know, the 44th

President, that allowed me and

Allowed cp and allowed us to get

On the phone with him and get

Guidance.

Given the power that the nba

Players had, my suggestion was

That you use that platform to

See if you can start asking for

Some specifics.

Bomani: calling obama to

Give you advice about going

Against the system is like going

To waffle house to lower your

Blood pressure.

[Laughter]

Lebron has never pushed for

Players to withhold labor,

Whether it be for financial or

Cultural reasons.

When tamir rice was k*lled in

2014, In lebron's city, he did

Nothing.

He didn't even say anything for

A year.

Said he hadn't had time to

Research the subject.

That doesn't lead to change.

If you want real change, you've

Got to actually do...

Stuff.

[Laughter]

Power is not given, it is not

Negotiated around.

It is taken.

And if you don't want to take

It, player empowerment is

Nothing more than a buzzword.

Nice term to soften the fact

That players are drafted into a

System that does not accurately

Value their work.

The very system lebron may one

Day run.

And when he is an owner of an

Nba franchise in las vegas, and

He doesn't want the players to

Strike, or talk about social

Justice, or anything else that

Might mess up his money, I know

What he'll be telling his

Employees...

Keep the political commentary

To yourself.

Or, as someone once said, shut

Up and dribble.

[Laughter]

Bomani: happy 20 years,

Lebron.

I can't wait to see which font

You write your "f*ck off"

Letters in.

[Laughter]

And that's our show for tonight.

It is over.

Just like lebron's hair.

And mine.

[Applause]

If you had ultimate power at

Your job, would you trade out

All of the people that were

There to bring in your friends?

No, that's f*ck up, that's

Rude.

That's nepotism.

They did that in cuba and my

Family left, don't do that.

Okay, would you ask your

Employer to hire your son?

If I had ultimate power as my

Employer, no, I wouldn't want my

Son to work.

That kid is going to be

Insufferable.

Yeah, well, take after his

Father.

Would you make everybody call

You the king?

I got friend to call me sir.

But I make the band do it

Because after 30 years you can

Get away with it.

You make your friends do it?

I don't make them do it.

I think they choose to -- I like

To think they choose to do it.

I would have loved to get an

Interview with them.

Benevolent dictator.

That's what they always say.