LeBron James is CONFIDENT in his abilities 🗣️ ‘I COULD PLAY IN ANY ERA!’ | The Pat McAfee Show

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James joins Pat McAfee and The Pat McAfee Show crew for “The LeBronversation” to discuss his thoughts on the media debates on NBA eras.

0:00 How moves of today would go in the older era
2:05 LeBron’s Hummer comparison
3:24 “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points”
5:15 Discussing the alleged flopping
6:42 LeBron’s relationship with Kobe Bryant
9:14 Moment playing in front of the Griffey’s
10:36 Bronny James’ cardiac arrest
12:59 Being proud of Bronny
16:31 Could LeBron play with Bryce James?
18:55 LeBron’s fruit drama

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you’ve played through what n three erors three years back whenever Koozie was doing no look pass yeah the first ever no look pass y he’s a dog hey he was an exciting white wasn’t he he was an exciting White had game KO had game for sure boom had game yeah but we’re watching these highlights and I’ll speak for you for that for that era exactly thank you you don’t have to say this yeah for sure I’ll say this I’ll say this yeah game I watched I didn’t I grew up in Pittsburgh so we didn’t have an NBA team so I was more NHL guy but I would watch the Lake Show at night cuz I couldn’t sleep so I did know the NBA but not like I didn’t follow it as closely when I watched the last dance I was watching a lot of highlights and I was watching people dribble a ball like this and I was like I don’t know how that works in modern basketball I think you guys have played a couple different sports I think there was a koozie era of sports where a no look pass holy then there was an ERA where people were starting to get like nasty there some more you had Pistol Pete mic he started coming in and started you know getting a little bit n but then that the ball was off guys heads and stuff so they looking at him like what are you doing like never see those low lights though only see the Highlights Highlights are the B only bangers survive then obviously Jordan comes in and transforms everything that takes place with you guys this modern era do you feel that how do you address that no no no I I definitely feel it and I think um you know we just have to recognize that evolution is just a part of life man like you know you look at the the the Hummer from the 1970s to the Hummer of today it’s like it’s you’re going to be like okay you might be nostalgic about it you loved it in the 70s but do you really want to drive that every day right now in 2025 you’re going to get out the car and your goddamn neck and your back is going to be hurting so bad like seriously you’re going to be hurting so bad you’re going to be like okay you know what this might be just a Sunday car like I drive it up the street get some ice cream come back home but I refill it cuz it gets 2 miles exactly I got to just start it up let it just just crank the crank the gas for about two hours just to make sure it’s still running but like you know like we have to understand that there’s there’s players and eras and things of that nature like we get it but like you know you watch some of the you know you watch some of the NFL games as well from the 70s and the 80s and you got like you know Jack Lambert and those guys like coming through like completely decapitate people you know like murder Ronnie lot like Ronnie lot TOS pinky off and then went to the sideline was like just tear the rest of it off I’m getting back out there like like I I get it like those are nostalgic moments but like the game has the game is different and we should respect all erors in that era you know we can’t be saying okay just because Wilt was great in the 60s and 70s that he’ll be great now and we also can’t say to some of the guys now be great it is what it is respect that era and we move on but the whole every single day that he’s better he’s not better he wouldn’t you trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the 70s he wouldn’t be able to deal with neither would you neither would you jannis jiannis answer the Copo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s 250 is that Koozie when was Koozie play KY Kyrie Irvin they would have called him a witch they would have called him a witch no no they would have told Kyrie you you’re not you know how they used to tell uh uh Lou Al cender at the time that he couldn’t dunk in high school gang they would have told Kyrie you’re not allowed to dribble anymore that’s what they would have told him dribbling is out rude they would have seen that how so how tall are you I’m 69 and how heavy are you I’m uh give or taken between 215 to 28 I don’t know depends on the day depends on if you give my cookies or not yeah Pat ry’s like we’re tipping too close to 280 LeBron okay the needles are becoming a heavyweight battle um so 69 yeah yeah yeah let’s say you’re two you look very thin right yeah yeah I feel good so 215 69 220 could easily get to 260 though I think that would play in a lot of uh different eras I yeah come on I I could play I be able to play playing in a it’s funny you hear some of them older guys like LeBron James couldn’t play in this era never been fouled by bill lambir before yeah I think I’ve seen like Dennis Robin said that one time he was like didn’t LeBron James not skilled enough yeah not big enough he’s not nah doesn’t we enough he’s not strong enough can’t handle it nah I’m like okay okay let’s talk about you flopping all over the place that’s why people get mad yeah I know yeah I know now why do you do that Patrick Mahomes does the same thing he’s the greatest of all time uh for us in the conversation of the greatest of all time the rules indicate in convers that that if you’re to hit him he gets 15 no doubt is that the same thing for you I wish I wish cuz I am like literally over like the last five six years why everybody’s been claiming I flop all the time I’m not going to bottom half of free throw attempts per game oh they won’t give you the whistle get you don’t get the Whistle the super treatment you know the funny thing is I have a lot of teammates that be like they come to the Lakers and they be like man when I used to play against you I used to think you got every goddamn call and I hated it and now that I’m your teammate it’s like oh my goodness you don’t get any calls I’m like hey you know don’t worry about it just just keep playing no just wait till wait till you see me in the third quarter I got go flop I practiced on this one last night because there’s a video from last dance where I think the ref says to Michael uh Jordan he goes I didn’t see it uh Michael I I am so sorry I would have never do that to you walk away yeah I believe you Michael yeah that’s the the clip and oh yeah I saw that I saw that and Michael like yall saw that oh we okay so you and you and Michael uh at a good spot who me and Michael Jordan yeah we in a good spot we don’t talk why not you think uh because I’m still playing I think I’m still playing I’m still focused on my craft right now when you’re done you think you two will be the only two that could have a conversation I hope so you know you know the funny thing is like me me and Kobe besides are you know the late great Co obviously me and Kobe never had a real relationship either until we we was on Olympic team we had a great relationship there Olympic Team 8 Olympic team 12 but it was always competitive between us we were always like I was on East Coast he was on the west coast and it was like even though we never and didn’t beat Orlando and I think it was 09 didn’t beat Orlando and didn’t get him opportunity to play him in the finals but like and until I became a Laker and then he retired that’s when our relationship like became really really good yeah you know he like welcome me called me like bro anything you need in La like I got you you’re a Laker now you family you know and we would have multiple conversations he was obviously you got to saw him coming to a lot of games and things of that nature and when I when I passed him in the scoring record in Philly you know I think he had a tweet out there like keep on going like keep transcending the game keep going like and that like meant so much to me so like I think it’s cuz I’m still playing you know and MJ’s we all know MJ even if you don’t know him personally he’s one of the most ruthless competitors there is and till I’m done and he doesn’t have to look at me run up and down wearing the number 23 and every time my name is mentioned is mentioned with his don’t talk to me right now I’m I’m on the back nine do not call me it was great to see y’all at the the top 75 yeah that was dope that’s that’s straight that’s straight respect admiration and just like you know me for sure I mean like I said I 23 um because of MJ you know and that that the inspiration that he gave me as a kid at akan Ohio that don’t have much inspiration in your hometown you look at something it’s it got to somebody in sports somebody in music somebody on the TV screen so like Will Smith from fresh PR fres fresh prella air Michael Jordan playing for the Bulls Jay-Z Biggie and Tupac that was like yeah that was my Inspirations you know what I’m saying like I I needed that cuz I didn’t have have like Lang Jerome Lang he’s like they know me and so like you know what I’m saying kind of on that note uh bronnie your son he obviously had that inspiration in the home and we talked about it since years ago wanting to play long enough to play with your son so you obviously visualize that how was the real moment with that happening cuz I know me seeing it you know seeing the griffy there see like that was just a just an unbelievable moment so what was that like for you really actually being in it like uh um you know seeing seeing that that that that pop fly head towards King griffy Senor and then see Junior over there right before the ball got to his glove and he snatched it out the air and run back to the Dugout like laughing at his pops like that was a cool ass moment and um and for that moment that game open that home opener versus Minnesota and then just over there and see griffy Jr man the kid and seeing his pops over there and us getting that pcture at half court and then us going out on the floor and having that that that moment I was it wasn’t even I wasn’t physically I wasn’t even there I wasn’t even there you’re floating I’m floating and and I can I I can only imagine where bronnie was I don’t know I we haven’t even talked about it yet at some point we will but I wasn’t even there like I was so I wasn’t I might have been in the rafters I might have been at home my body may have been at home watching the game watching the moment I I I completely was not there and um but damn that was an unbelievable moment man for for me to be able to like have that dream be able to speak it into existence for it to come to fruition um for my mom and my wife and my my daughter and my my youngest son to be there was like you know I started thinking about everything from what the hell he went through uh not less than a year before with his uh di his Cardiac Arrest man that came out of nowhere seeming that came out of nowhere it was a it was a birth defect that um pra you know quite honestly if he never played sports or he never like started to become you know strong and run fast and all those stuff we probably wouldn’t never we would never have to worry about it but as he got stronger and things of that nature it was just something inside his heart that you know was just pounding at his heart and pounding at his lungs that unfortunately we had incident and thankfully you know a lot of a lot of these kids we’ve been seeing a lot lately in sports not only in basketball but in football yeah and unfortunately we we was able to catch it and to all the families out there that haven’t had the opportunity to catch their kids before it gets to the point where they’re not here anymore like um to see that happen to bronny and for him to be able to play that same year after that happened you know at USC and then uh less than a year later be drafted by the Lakers and then in that fall we go out there together so that’s why I wasn’t there yeah yeah like I was we walked in together but I I was not there that’s a dad moment that’s really cool people forget uh you know you’re only one name now LeBron but you’re uh still a human too and I see I’m see for sure you know your baby boy you know a chance experience dream and then obviously that led to the thing with uh Stephen a talking about him and how critical everybody has been ab bronny and I think that’s a pressure that a second generation star has on him his whole life he’s had that it feels like he is very I mean he’s like a 55y old it looks like the way he kind of handles it all and I think you’ve even said that as well but how about his development we had Rich Paul on the day after the draft because there’s a bunch of rumors about rich Paul was telling teams hey you draft them we’ll send them Australian there there’s a lot of those types of things happening likely the suns were in involved there was a chance he could get you but he ends up with the Lakers with you and obviously it’s a whole storm like LeBron James is bullying blah blah blah everything the way it always goes of course this guy’s not good enough this guy’s not this and he does start out a little bit rough NBA was but now I mean he just dropped 39 last night in the G League I think he had like a double double or something he had his best game in the NBA last week he’s obviously getting better and better you have to be loving every moment and how proud of bronny are you for what he’s going through listen for me as a dad um I don’t it doesn’t matter if he never scores ever for me as a dad I’m just super proud of him period as a young man for me as a mentor and as a teammate of his and that one to see him Thrive because I’ve seen the work he’s put into the game I am super proud of of his development to where he is now from the moment that you know he was drafted in June of 2025 to us being now in March of 2026 his development is skyrocketed you know and I just think I had a good friend of mine um you know who went through a cardiac arrest as well and um and he told me that you know it it took him and he played basketball as well and back then when it happened to him in the early 2000s um they didn’t they didn’t they wasn’t with um going back to performing it was like if it happened it’s over with what do not rolling dice yeah we’re not rolling the dice there was not enough data on it it’s like you have a cardiac arrest it is over we don’t want this on our resume they was not going back to performing uh perform to play and he told me he was like man I’m gonna be honest it took me about two and a half years to to finally get back to just normaly like I I my body my mind and you know he said when happened to me I was 23 years old bronnie was 19 years old you know and he’s like it’s going to take a little time and and I and I reason with that but also he’s doing things right now less than two years yeah you know and it’s because of his determination and his will to want get better and his will to like I don’t really care what y’all saying I hear it he did an article the other day he was like yeahall hear the noise I use that as motivation but I also know what I’m capable of and you know I’ve always told my kids like all of them you know they all play sports two basketball players my youngest son going to Arizona um on a full ride my daughter what is he s foot tall by the way that came out of nowhere right he popped up out of nowhere cuz we follow your family on the internet obviously uh we see it all and it’s like bronie okay and then Lil Bryce Lil Bryce with the glass and then all of a sudden one video popped up of it wait a minute a minute so he on his way to Arizona my daughter’s you know she’s playing 12 and under volleyball she just turned 10 so like and I just tell him like it doesn’t matter about the noise that’s going to happen it’s only about like if you love it go out and practice if you think you want to if you fall in love with it you only can fall in love with the process don’t worry about the outcome fall in love with the process and that that will take care of your so super proud of bronnie man I know very longwinded when you talk about the kids I just start thinking about him but no super proud of his his uh his game and where he is today you know starting off the g-league season with like you know just trying to figure it out and now like you said last night 30 you know 39 and more than anything when I talked to him he was more pissed off at the technical free throw that he missed more than anything he’s like I could have had a 40 he said I could have had a 40 ball and I missed that day of technical free throw so and the kid is he’s he’s awesome he’s been fun to watch it is and the story has gotten so loud and I think that’s why listening to you talk and you say you get longwinded about the kid it’s like well that’s why everything happened that happened a couple weeks ago but like you playing with him obviously was a dream you said that years ago Bry now though I mean very possible that is uh oh don’t do that to me my good 25 not where nowhere near 280 the best shape exactly the best shape you’ve been in um that conversation’s loud about now about how many uh more does LeBron James have I think fans I think the league I bet you Adam Silver is wondering the same exact thing because of what you’ve done for the league for how long you’ve done it uh that combo pops up every year is it for you too or is it just for outside no no it’s it’s popping up more and more every year cuz obviously I know I’m on the other side of the Hill than the previous side you know so uh I’ve done this for a long time and then obviously I know it start like okay now you you get to the top of that roller coaster and it’s like okay when is this damn roller coaster going to go down Kennywood yeah you know like so I understand that so um I don’t know man it’s it’s all about for real for me it’s my mind if I could if I could continue to I am all about the process like I am all about the process and if it gets to the point where I don’t feel like showing up to the arena 5 hours in advance or I don’t feel like training or I don’t feel like studying the Scout sheet of guys like when it if it gets to that point like I know like you know what Bri it’s a wrap yeah you kind of you’ll be able to tell yeah you’ll be able to tell you will be personally 5 hours before the gamer shown up every day yeah 7:30 game I’m usually around 2:15 too what do we got we got a cold tub we’re drinking some uh putting some wine on our feet what are we doing we’re doing a little bit of everything for sure I’m some wine you drink a little wine too oh I saw you walk into the game remember big boo bag yeah gu was walking with the wi to the game yeah I remember that mailed it in LeBron’s quit showing up drunk everything you do uh talked about yeah I I had one former Laker uh I had I wasn’t even playing it was preseason I had worked out before the game I wasn’t playing in like a former Laker I was on the bench like you know eating fruit like you know I worked out I had okay I got a shower let me get out here to watch the guys support the guys during the pre for preseason game but I’m a good guy I love my teammates and I’m a good teammate so I go out there and the next day I wake up like that’s very selfish LeBron why is he over there eating fruit what is he doing he could have did that in the back or he could have had that at home I’m like bro I’m literally just trying to like replenish everything I just lost in my workout in the weight room and in the back that you didn’t see but you worried about me about a damn bowl of fruit seriously you’re not being committed is conversation that is LeBron James this guy’s not committed not like I had a steak in eggs over there or some like I don’t know man something to think about yeah that might be next give him something to really think protein in there uh Conor massive Boston Celtics fan has a question for you who’s Boston Celtics fan you know try if you can you know who knows this this might not be the year but looking at the league and looking forward the big combo is you know once LeBron is gone who’s the face of the league everyone’s talking about the face the league you know as a Celtics fan of course I say like why doesn’t Jason Tatum get more love but even even talking about the future when for you uh did you become the face of the league like what what year was it obviously right away you’re getting talked about as you know a one name guy but when did you feel like okay this is officially my league like I I am taking over this entire you know what I I never had that notion I never had that notion and never like woke up like after I brushed my teeth like yeah this is my league you know I’m the face of the league God damn it shines up I’m a shines up but I did know there was a responsibility uh put on me uh to carry the league in a certain fashion you got to you got to think that um like before I entered the league and like right after MJ retired after he came back the third second or third time yeah he came back and he had he was done with Washington there was a big like you know a fan uh player separation with our league you know um they just wasn’t resonating with a lot of the players or you know a lot of the guys was you know didn’t really didn’t really care you know or whatever the case may be and I felt like I felt like in in order for you know myself to make a name for myself obviously I knew the play was going to take care of itself because I knew how much I committed to it but also had to I wanted to handle the responsibility you know of showing a face of the league in the sense of like a modern citizen you know or being a role model [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]