Hour 2: Who is The Best Running Mate for LeBron?

First Take

ESPN Radio

Sports

4.0 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

First Take resumes with finding LeBron's next running mate. How crisp would his pocket passes to Steph coming off a screen look? Would any player score with LeBron guarding them on the perimeter and a menacing Giannis waiting in the paint? Then, is there more pressure on Luka or the Lakers front office now that LeBron is officially gone? Next, we break down Mitchell Robinson betraying his brothers by signing with the Celtics, and the Lakers massive overpay for Walker Kessler. Sound off in the comments: what's the best/worst free agent signing so far?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Tune in for MLB action tonight as the NL Central leading Brewers host the Reds at 8 Eastern,
0:06.8	catch every game live on ESPN, and stream every pitch on the ESPN app.
0:12.9	Welcome back to first take.
0:14.7	The entire sports world is on notice, anxiously awaiting LeBron James's next decision.
0:20.4	LeBron has instructed Agent Rich Paul to talk to teams around the league who are interested in him
0:26.0	and come back to him with some options with the Warriors, calves, and the heat, reportedly three of the teams in the running.
0:33.6	Those three teams would all be great if they had LeBron James, but obviously he can only choose to go to one.
0:39.5	So you think about the superstars in the mix there, Stefan Curry, Janice Antenacompo, Donovan Mitchell.
0:45.4	David, who would LeBron best be suited to suit up, to suit up with in 2026?
0:51.4	Okay, so first I'm going to throw Donovan Mitchell out there.
0:53.5	No disrespect to him,
0:55.3	but I don't put him in the same category as Janus and stuff, partially because I don't think LeBron James, we're talking about happiness. I don't think he wants to go someplace and instill a championship culture. He just got through doing that with the Lakers. I don't think that's how he wants to end his career.
1:08.5	While Yanis may be the best player
1:10.8	out of the bunch right now,
1:12.6	I just don't think that that is a good fit he wants to end his career. While Yanis may be the best player out of the bunch right now,
1:12.5	I just don't think that that is a good fit sort of schematically, offensively.
1:17.8	Steph Curry for me is the best fit for LeBron, and it's not just because, as you guys are
1:22.4	learning firsthand, there's nothing better than teaming up with a Davidson alum. It's just the fact
1:26.1	that these two guys just work hand and fist together as we've seen. It just works well. The offense is already ready made.
1:32.7	They've played together. They know each other back and forth. They know just by studying each other
1:37.5	playing against one another. They know what they're going to do on the court before the other
1:41.5	person does it. One thing that Stephen Curry talked about in that Olympic game was that he was getting
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