Hour 2: Would it Be a Mistake for LeBron to Leave the Lakers?

Please stand clear of the gap. Another morning, another reminder there's a gap to be careful of. But maybe it's time to bridge the one between your 9 to 5 and your dream of living life on your own terms. At HSBC, we know ambition looks different to everyone. Whether it's retiring early or leaving more for your family, we can help. Because when it comes to unlocking your money's potential, we know wealth. Search HSBC Wealth Today, HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. HSBC UK current account holders only. Here's tonight's ESPN NBA doubleheader, DeSeltics will go up against Bam Adebayo in the heat at 730 Eastern. Then the Spurs face the Warriors. NBA countdown crew will tip off our coverage at 7 Eastern. Luka Dončić just dominated in the Lakers 127-113 win over the Cavaliers last night. Dončić finished with 42 points, 12 times, marking his third straight game in which he scored 40 or more points. Dončić finished the month of March, averaging a ridiculous 37.5 points, 8 rebounds and almost 7.5 assists per game. The Lakers have officially clinched a playoff berth in the Pacific Division title with Phoenix's loss. They reached 50 wins on the season, matching their total from last season. It's the first time they've had consecutive 51 seasons since 2007-2011. And so now we look ahead to what potentially could happen next year. Would it be a mistake now for LeBron to leave after the Lakers' success in what they've had so far this season, Steven A.? One could argue that it would because of the way the Lakers are looking. And obviously you announcing that next year will be your last. And being in a Lakers uniform, the most storied basketball franchise and basketball annals outside of the Boston Celtics. And one would say, even with the Boston Celtics, to be a Laker and to receive your shine and your flowers as you depart, going from city to city, it doesn't get much better than that. One could easily argue. I'm of the mindset, however, that he has an opportunity to go out as a champion because if LeBron James decided to leave LA and go back to Cleveland and you're still there and James Harden and Donovan Mitchell and Mobley and Allen are still there, the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James could win the championship. And that would be his swan song. So for me personally, I don't rule out that possibility. And certainly as a franchise and certainly as a city and as an area, they would welcome him back with open arms because no matter how much they cheer him in LA, he's not nearly as beloved in LA as he is in Cleveland. You know, what Kobe is, what magic is in those guys, what they are in LA, that's who LeBron is in Cleveland. So it's all a matter of whatever choice he wants to make. I don't know what he's going to do, but I do know that if he goes to Cleveland with the personnel that they have in place, they could win the championship next year at age 42 in this 24th season in the NBA. Well, Steve picked the right spot. If you're going to tell me he's going to play with Curry, I'd say, uh-uh, he's bounced around enough teams. You have to have some sort of legacy with the team. But Cleveland, since he played there, won a championship there, the only championship they've won since 1964. From Akron, I can live with it. And Steve's 100% right on the other thing he said. You know, West, Magic, Kareem, Kobe, they're all bigger, even Riley, are all bigger in a lexicon of Lakers than LeBron is. So from that standpoint, it's not like he's leaving a place where he's there for 30 years. All four of those guys, and I even control Elgin, Baylor, and if you wanted me to, I won't. But all four of those guys are bigger historically for the Lakers in that city than LeBron. So if he left to go anywhere else but Cleveland, I'd say, what? I mean, where you going? Pick the Temple Wolves? I mean, you're not a, you're a Laker or a Cav. So either one of those teams I'm okay with. Somewhere else I will not pick. Steve? Well, you could say, you could say to Miami Heat too. I think he did deliver two championships there and go and take them to four straight NBA finals. But we all know it should be LA or Cleveland first. Number one. Number two, one of the things that we can't rule out, JJ Reddick has proven to be an exceptional coach. His coaching staff is doing an exceptional job. It's just that San Antonio will victory with Miami. This freak of nature, along with OKC, essentially is standing in your way. And that's really, really problematic for you. But the way the Los Angeles Lakers are looking, you also have to analyze what tweaks they could make to their squad for a next season in the event that LeBron was interested in returning. And we can't ignore this possibility as well. You hear about, you know, Brani, obviously he's on the Los Angeles Lakers. You got Bryce. You don't know what's going to happen with him. What LeBron would want to happen with him as well. And who would be receptive to that, whether it would be the Lakers or the Cleveland Cavaliers. All of these things are things that folks have talked about, albeit quietly, in NBA circles. So you just don't know what's going to happen. But in my estimation, what it would be one thing if LeBron had no chance at a title. In LA, although the chances are slim, it's still possible with Luca and Auster Reeves playing the way that they're playing, particularly if they continue to elevate. But there is no doubt in my mind that if LeBron James went back to Cleveland and you still have Jared Allen, Evie Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden on the squad, that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals, the moment LeBron returned, even at age 42. So if that is ultimately what matters, it really comes down to your quality of life in Southern California. Or you want a championship on your way out, which would give you five, which would tie Kobe, it would tie Tim Duncan, still be one short of MJ, but a title is a title and you can't ignore five championships. If he had a chance to get a fifth, what would matter to him more? I think it would come down to that more so than anything else. What a storybook ending that would be. LeBron, they finally found their groove in LA, they have a decent playoff run this year, then he goes to Cleveland and wins a championship, says goodbye on his way out. My goodness, that would be amazing. Let's go to the college rinks now, an unbelievable cap to a historic comeback for the Yukon Huskies as they pulled off the improbable win against Duke to advance to the Final Four. But leave it to Mad Dog to throw a little water on the moment. I want to get mad at my son, Colin, who put, he's a huge Yukon fan, he loves Yukon. He put it out on his little, you know, when he's got six people, well I shouldn't complain, I got seven, but he put it out on his little internet with the last play, the best Yukon win in the history of the program and one of the best moments in the history of the NCAA tournament. Colin's got to calm down. That's not, that's a little, that's a little short, Kyle, to be fair, that's a little, that is, as I texted him, Colin, take it easy. All right, Mad Dog, Mullin's game winner on this list. Give me your men's tournament game winners. Top five, let's go. Hey, sounds like you're going to be annoyed already before I even give you the list. All right, here is number five, right on the, right on the, don't know, explain the theories in a second. Number five is out of doubt, it's Christian Leitner, all right. 103-101, one of the great games in the history of college basketball. Shoshchevsky and Petino, Duke went on to win an Astro Championship, the great pass by Gran Hill, no question about it. That is number five. Number four on our list, and I don't know how you can argue with this, is Jordan's jumper at down 62-61 against Georgetown in the Superdome. You got to remember the sequence here. Dean Smith had never won a championship. He's got James Worthy on his team and Jordan had the guts to knock down a 18-foot jump shot with 14 seconds to go, to win a title in a championship game. In one of the all-time great games of all, no question about it, that is number four. Number three from our list scenario, this is the Chris Smart jumper from Indiana when they beat Syracuse. Also, what did I say? Chris. Chris Smart, Keith Smart. Keith, Keith, Keith Smart, I got you. Keith Smart, 74-73, they beat Syracuse, they were down by one, he made that jumper in the corner. That is an incredible big time shot, four by midnight in the year of Hoosiers. That is number three. Number two, without a doubt, is the great play by Jay Wright and the wonderful shot by Chris Jenkins against North Carolina down the court. They went, tie ball game. Here's the great pass and Jenkins knocks down the jumper to win the championship. That is number two, no question about that. That's a tremendous play. And number one is Lomendo Charles. All right, nothing is going to top Lomendo Charles. He have NC State when they beat Houston, an incredible upset. Jimmy Valvano, the Wittenberg Airball, remember, that was a Houston team that had Elijah one and Clyde Drexler. Okay, that's how good that Houston team was. Now, a couple of things, a couple of things. Okay, Duke won the title, championship game, championship game, championship game, championship game. This is a, okay, eight games. It's a big difference. All right, y'all, America, America, that garbage list, garbage list. I'm going to tell you why. Number one, Charles was a putback. Wittenberg was the shot and it was an air ball that don't count. A putback does not count. That is nonsense. Okay. Now, if Wittenberg had hit the shot, that would be different. No, it was an air ball that Charles caught and it put it back because Elijah one of those boys were getting set for the rebound and they didn't realize it was going to be an air ball, but it was an air ball and Lorenzo Charles put it back. That's what happened. A putback doesn't count. Get that off the list. That doesn't even belong in the top five. That's number one. Chris Jenkins should be number one. That clearly should be number one. I've got no problems with Keith Smart. That was a big time shot, but I put Jordan ahead of him because of what you said. Chris Jenkins, that was a big time. I was at that game, doggy. That was a big time shot right there. That was something special. No doubt about it. My heart broke for North Carolina and Roy Wittons and those boys, but I would put Jenkins at number one. I'd put Jordan at number two because he was a freshman. He wasn't even the starter team. Dean Smith had never won a national championship and it was against Georgetown, but doggy, you would remember the bigger moment in that game. That was what 14 seconds left. True. But it was when Fred Brown gave away the ball to Worthy. You understand by mistake and stuff like that. I actually, it might not have been that game. I'm trying to remember. Same game. Same game. Same game. That's right. Exactly. Right. Now, this kid Mullins, doggy, that's got to go up there. You want to leave, get rid of Charles, move up Jenkins, take Jordan at four, put him at two, Keith Smart at three against Syracuse. Okay. But doggy, you lied to the public that Christian Layton, a UK game that was an elite eight game. That was not the, for the national title. Yeah, but they won the championship, but they won the championship. I know that. Time out. Time out. We don't know what's going to happen with you. Con that was an elite eight game. Mullins made his shot from the logo with point four seconds left in an elite eight game. I think that was even better than later. I'd leave later at five. I'd put Mullins at four. I'd have Keith Smart at three. I'd put Jordan at two and Chris Jenkins at one. That's the list. Get Lorenzo Charles off that list. That is a put back off of an air ball. How you even have that is showing your age, how archaic you are, your nostalgia and all of that stuff. You just caught up in the moment because it's a big deal because you were younger back then, had more of your hair, didn't have a stomach back then and you get caught up in the moment. That's all that's about. That has no business on that list at all. Get it off. Okay. So we're taking that away. We're moving up Jenkins. We're going to move everyone down and we're going to put Mullins. I'm going to say a three because it was no. I said Jordan at two, Shay. How about Suggs? But he made that shot to me. UCLA. What do I do with that? What about that one? Shay, Jordan at two. Jordan is at two. Keith Smart is at three. Mullins is at four. Layton is at five. That's the list. Now what did you just say, George? No one in his face. What shot did you just say? Shot, but it wasn't like it wasn't even born yet. What do you know? Who cares? I know everything about Michael Jordan. All right. Coming up, Aaron Glenn has got a lot of confidence in Geno Smith. I mean, a lot. We reacted to the Jets head coach and his head scratching comments. We'll put it that way. He's got to stop with the theories of the comments. We already have ESPN unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.espn.com to learn how to access your account or sign up. Then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN, all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Gun down. The key to this case, it's right here. An hour before he died, he was on the phone. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now. Earlier this offseason, the New York Jets acquired Geno Smith from the Raiders in a trade that also saw the team swap late round draft picks. Smith had been widely viewed as a bridge quarterback for the Jets, but head coach Aaron Glenn spoke highly of his new quarterback at league meetings yesterday. You always want to bring in competition and that's going to happen organically. You know what I'm saying? But like I just feel like like he's the guy that's going to lead us to the promised land. He's the guy that's going to touch the ball more than anybody else on offense. And listen, I know he had his struggles and I think a lot of quarterbacks, you know, they have their struggles. If you look at over the last five years, the guy has just been on the most in the section. I mean, the top guys are up there, you know. He is the quarterback that's going to lead the Jets to the promised land. Kmart, you like or don't like this from Aaron Glenn? See, see the promised land is seen. This is so here's the problem. Shay, I'm holding you accountable as well. When you clip the quote, and I know we ran the whole audio, but when you just end the sentence with this is the quarterback who will lead us to the promised land, it sounds crazy. But all he is saying is that I trust this veteran quarterback to come in here and do the job. He's going to have the ball more than anybody. Like I don't understand why in March we are sort of, I don't get it. It's because it's the Jets and I don't think that's fair. Like Geno Smith, I get it. He didn't have a good season in Vegas, right? But also that roster, we've talked about that roster being in need of more talent, right? I don't think Aaron Glenn sent anything wrong. You expect your coach to say, I believe in the guys that I brought in and there's going to be competition. It also gave him cover in case they don't take a quarterback this year. Geno's the guy. What's the issue, Steven? I don't think it's on Geno. I think it's the fact that the Jets are going to be led to the promised land period by anybody. I think that's the part that we're all like, what, but what is he talking about? The whole thing. The last thing. The last thing. You know, I'm just going to make a confession here. You know, I love Kimberly Martin. I really do. I do not like, I'm dead serious. I'm not even joking. I love you, girl. And I do not like, I mean, it's one thing to be critical, but I don't like getting on you. I really, really don't. Oh, don't. You have gotten soft. You have gotten soft. Yes. That's right. That's right. That's right. I said it. I said it. I said it. I said it. I'm going to tell you why you have been an outstanding NFL reporter for years. Don't talk to me about what he meant. What he say. He said promised land. We quoted him. We quoted him. He knew the media was there. Every Glenn is not a baby. He's not somebody that's never spoke to the media before. This brother said the promise land and Gino Smith in the same sentence. Now, damn it. What am I supposed to make of that? I mean, yeah, you said, I know it sounds crazy, but no, but nothing. The New York Jets have not made the playoffs in 15 years. They haven't had a winning record in a decade. And this man, first of all, what the hell you do imagine in the promise land fresh off of a three and 14 season? That's number one. That's number one. What you even mentioned in the word promised land? How'd that come out your mouth? You, Eric Glenn, that's number one. Number two, Gino Smith. Now, I know it wasn't his fault totally. Pete Carroll, 75 years old, Rhaegars, bereft of talent. We got it. Three and 14. I got it. He was two and 13 as a starter. 19 touchdown, 17 interceptions. Not as great as year. Had some good years in Seattle. He is not a scrub. Gino Smith, I'm not here to disrespect him, but there is nothing about Gino Smith that should provoke you to utter the words promised land. See, that's kind of stuff that's going to come back to haunt Eric Glenn. That's kind of stuff right there. Cause my man, R.C., knows him well, raves about him as a man, as a leader. I got it. I got it. I'm not here. I'm not rude against a man, but you got to know what you're saying. You got to understand this certain words that can't come out of your mouth in certain situations and promised land. And Gino Smith is one of them. You can't be relying and dependent on the Kimberley Martins of the world to come on national TV. That's not what he really meant. What he meant to say, well, he's a grown ass man, very fluid in speaking the English language. You can't say that. You can't. And that's what he did. The only person who should have said promised land yesterday was in Minneapolis with Springsteen when he did promised land and song number eight. That's the first thing. He happens to be right. Steve happens to be right. Kimberley, come on now. I mean, the only, as Pete, as Pete Carroll, he wants the promised land after that year issue. How about two years ago when the Seattle didn't make the plows, they bring dawn on them, they win the Super Bowl. I mean, how about, how about everyone say, you know what, he's coming off the band here. He wasn't great the first time with the Jets. We're taking a fly with, with a thorn something against the wall. Maybe he has surprised us another big year. He's getting an opportunity. How about saying something as simple as that where the jet fan can understand where he's coming from? Because when you put promised land in the same equation as Gino, we're all in big trouble. I'm with the Jets for that matter. Those three things don't go, Gino promised land, Erring Glenn, those three things don't go together. So Stephen's 100% right. Now fight us off. Go ahead. The whole clip, if you listen to it, I was walking around at the owner's meetings yesterday. Like it didn't sound crazy when you listen to the whole clip. It really doesn't. I feel like when you clip it at, he's taking us to the promised land. I feel like people are hanging onto those two words when really the manager saying the guy's going to have the ball. We're going to go as he goes, which is no different. Shae, play calling is my superpower. Okay, we let it slide. Kimberly, promise land. I can't let it slide. Put some bass in your voice when you're mocking me. I'm looking you right in your face, Kimberly. And let me tell you where you go getting some trouble. I have no doubt in my mind that I can go back and look at articles that you have written throughout the years where you've taken a couple of words or a sentence and evolved a column or an article around those profound words that have come out of somebody's mouth for you to sit up here on national television and to tell us promised land and Gino Smith with the New York Jets, by the way, let's not forget that. And you would not have made a story out of that. That is a lie. I know your work. I know how you hear for reason. There's a reason you want to see covering NFL games throughout the year and we home watching because we ain't you. You cover the damn sport. You know what the hell a story is and you know good and damn well that if you were writing or if you had to do Sunday NFL countdown and you had just spoken to Ari Glenn and he said, the coach of the New York Jets, all right, walking purgatory and football, if the coach of the New York Jets had said promised land and Gino Smith in the same sentence, greedy would have had you behind on national television saying, what did Ari Glenn say? And you would have been on the camera. Yes, he said it. You know it. I know it. Doggy knows it. Shay knows it. Everybody knows it. Come on, Kimberly. You know that. You can't say that if you Ari Glenn. You just can't do that. You can't. Oh, no, left you speechless. Okay. I'm trying to be in blue contact. She knows. On the way, Mike Rabel isn't dismissing the idea of acquiring AJ Brown as the Eagles wide out the missing piece for another half Super Bowl run. Also, Mad Dog, what you know about? Yeah, you know, Julia Grant, that's your list is his wife who won the Civil War. She didn't like Mary Lincoln and that hurt Abraham Lincoln at the foot of that night. That's a matter of April fools. Like what is happening here? Mad about 9 11. Where's the emergency? It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. A search gets underway for the missing driver. 19 year old Sarah Stern. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. Old friendships, buried cash and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life. I'm juju Chang from 2020 and ABC audio. Listen now to Bridge of Lies wherever you get your podcasts. Strike me down. Are we ready? We got some good ones here. Mad abouts number one. I tell you, I had so many St. John fans call me there on Friday night when Carlos Boozer, the two kids of course, good kids handled themselves well all weekend. But when they beat St. John's in a very close game the other night, this is the game Friday in the regional 16 game. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this. You don't act like that. I mean, he's waving goodbye to the St. John's fans who are sitting in the other end of the arena. That is, that's a 20 year old doing that. Who's not too many beers. That is not the right thing to do in a game that could have gotten either away. Very close game. I mean, he did it all. Could I had so many St. John's? That is a classless thing to do. And you know what? Karma came back to bite him in the rear end. And this is why everybody hates Duke. You will not find anybody who's neutral rooting for Duke. It never happens. And what happened the other day, they blow an incredible lead. One of the worst losses in the history of the incident when they tournament. They had a 19 point lead. We know that 15 point lead at the half. They had the ball at 10 seconds to go. All they had to do is hold the ball, get fouled, make a one on one and the game is over. And they pass it all over the place. Mind bogglingly stupid. And you know what? How about CBS? When we went all weekend and showed us every five seconds, Boozer watching his two kids. How come he didn't see CBS go to show Boozer late on Sunday night when his team blew the game? And his young kid, who's a good kid. I hate to even bring him in, makes the bad pass. Why didn't CBS cameras go show Boozer then? And then it could wave goodbye to his Duke fans. That really bothered me on Friday night. To do that to St. John's, that was the wrong thing. And it came back to bite Duke in the fanny, which everybody loved in sports. That's number one. Steve, go ahead. Oh, please. Oh, stop it. You're such a grinch. You're such a commudant. You got to be kidding me. Now, I do agree with you about CBS. If you're going to show him waving goodbye to St. John's in, you know, in, you know, the sweet 16, you could have turned around and showed him after Caden Boozer made the turnover and Yukon and Mullins hit that game winning shot. I mean, fair is fair, but that ain't Carlos Boozer's fault. That CBS's fault for not making sure to be fair enough. If you're going to show him when they winning, show him when they lost too. They should have done that. But I got no problems with Carlos Boozer. He's a retired NBA player. He was a big time dukey. He was sitting in the stands enjoying himself and enjoying his son's balling and winning. I got no issues with it whatsoever. He was a fan sitting in the stands. It's no problem. It's no problem at all. I agree with Stevie here. Stevie's right. Stevie's right. I like who cares? He's a, he's a competitive guy. He's waving goodbye. My husband would do the same thing if I saw him. I was like, I would do the same thing. But bye. Kimberly would do it. Kimberly would do it. Definitely. Kimberly would do it. You won't find me trash talking Carlos Boozer. He's my dog. Oh man. Not for the, all right. Number two. Did the NFL learn in 2012 that these replacement officials do not work? Does anybody remember the failed Mary? This was an, this was an ESPN game. Tariko had to call. This is Russell Wilson against Green Bay. It's the first game. It may have not been the first game of the year. It may have been the second, third game of the year. But the Hail Mary in the end zone with Lockett, they didn't know it was a touchdown. One guy, look at this. One guy waving it off. That was the biggest embarrassment. And then five minutes later, finally the NFL made a deal with the officials and they brought them back on the field and away we went. What is the NFL doing right now, screwing around with this CBA deal with the, with the referees association? They have more money. Unbelievable. But my money with betting, gambling, fan duel, all this nonsense. And they're going to sit there and they're going to bring in replacement refs, scared refs. They're going to bring them in course and picket lines and then they're going to sort of train them how to officiate an NFL game because the NFL officials want a 10% raise and the NFL only wants to give them a 6% raise. I mean, you've got to be kidding me. The NFL, that prints money, prints it. They got more money than God. Now we're going to look at a nickel and dime. And if I understand that, you know, we can scream and yell about NFL referees all night every week, I get that. But still, you're going to bring some college or some high school guy to officiate a Sunday night game or a Monday night game with Buck and Akeman and they screw up the game with a call. You're going to have all of America scream because they lost money on the game because some kid who doesn't know how to officiate, you're not going to teach him how to do it in June. And the lights are on, that's when you learn and he's going to screw up, cause the team, the game, the NFL is going to be embarrassed all over the place and the NFL prints money and they're going to quibble, get the deal signed. This is mind bogglingly stupid by Roger Goodell. That is item number two. Agreed. Yeah, agreed, Stephen. Agreed. Nothing, nothing, nothing agreed. I mean, I don't want to appreciate you calling the commissioners stupid. I mean, let's show some. I said this is stupid. I called him stupid. I said this is stupid. Okay, that's good. That's good. That's good. That's good. That's good. But I would say to you, the last thing the NFL needs is an officiating issue. You have enough officiating issues with the guys that really, really know what they're doing. They're bringing scabs to officiate. That would be a disaster for the NFL. Okay, number two, number three. Thank you there, Kimberly. You agree too? I agree with that. Thank you. All right, it's good. Finally. Excellent. All right, number three. Give Kyle Shininghand all the credit in the world. Did you see Shininghand this week at the Biltmore? Kimberly was at the Biltmore this week. She was, she was. When the ESPN sends me, I'm at the Motel 60, a Sky Harbor Airport. Yeah, fly and drive it at the Motel. Kimberly at the free, anyway, make a long story short. Kyle Shininghand is my hero, because he, I love him anyway, the four-and-enters head coach. Did Judy said about the Niner Ram first Friday night game of the year when I got to go to Australia? He said, this is stupid. I'm going to spend a week in Australia, fly 17 hours to play the opener, and then come back and play week two. And he says, that's not fair to us. We're going to play two international games this year. He said, I got to go to Australia. I understand globalization, but this is mind-boggling and good for Shininghand, because the NFL playing rams and niners around the world. You know how far it is? It's a 16-hour plane ride from LA, San Francisco to Melbourne. It's a long way. And the game is going to be played at 10 o'clock in the morning. So it's on 8.35 at night in America, the night before. So they're going to play a game at 10.35 in the morning local time. And then they're going to fly back to America and play in week two. Hatchick McEnroe, you know heavy works for ESPN. He tells me, well, that's how many covers to Australia. I don't want to take some six days to get over jet lag. And believe me, this idea that the NFL people care about in Australia, care about football, I lived in Australia. 1980. I went to school at University of Sydney. Every Monday, Tuesday, every day of the week, I leave French's Forest. I take a little town in New South Wales. I take a little bus to the Chatswood train station. And I would take the Chatswood train station train to Sydney over Sydney Harbor, that bridge, with the Sydney Opera houses. You've all seen it. I know, of course, Kimberly's been there. And then I get ready to go to school. And every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I buy my Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. You know, I love the newspapers. And as a 20 year old, I get on that train. I couldn't find an NFL football score, no matter what I did. They don't care about football in Australia for crying out loud. In 1980? I bought one of the same Brown's Charges on a Monday night game. I couldn't find the score. Nowhere. There was no scores anywhere. I found baseball scores. I found hockey. I, they could kill us at the National Football League. 40 years ago? I got that old. Anywhere to make a long story short, shot a hand now. I was 16 hours away playing double in Australia. This show up because to give away the tickets, but nobody in Australia cares about the National Football League. And I can prove it because I can never get a Sunday score in the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1980. Number three. In 1980. I'm a 21 year old. I beg to disagree. We got some kickers now coming over from Australia. Got some kickers that are dabbling in the water. This man, this man, this man just gave us a diatribe on national television about a place that he lived in 46 years ago. As if times have not changed. Okay. That's doggy. By the way, doggy, if the NFL is clearly making, aiming to globalize its brand, if it wasn't working, they wouldn't be doing it. And let's not forget the popularity, the overwhelming popularity of flag football. The more football you see, the more people become interested in it. The more the chance the sport has of continuing to thrive down the line. That's what they're doing and evidently it's working. Strike. There it is. All right. After the break, three time Olympic gold medalist, Michaela Schiffer, enjoys the show. Talk about her incredible success on the slopes. You don't want to miss it. This is a name you absolutely need to know in the meantime. Doggy, that was a very good mat about. Bye. Bye. Even you need the boozer wave. Yeah. Bye. That was incredible. Serena Williams, Katie Ledecky, Diana Tarasi, Simone Biles, all these women, icons, frequent mainstays in the greatest American female athlete of all time debate. But there's a name that absolutely deserves to be a part of that conversation that you need to be more familiar with. Her name, Michaela Schiffern. Schiffern is an alpine skier who may fly under the radar in terms of mainstream goat conversations, but when she is flying down those snowy slopes, there's arguably nobody who can match her skill or speed. Don't believe me? The accolades speak for themselves. Michaela Schiffern holds the record for the most World Cup wins, surpassing 100 victories as of March 2026. She's won six overall World Cup Crystal Globes and numerous discipline titles, including a record eight in Slalom. Michaela is the most decorated American alpine skier in World Championship history with 15 total medals. She's a four-time Olympian. She's won multiple gold medals, including Slalom in 2014, Giant Slalom in 2018, and most recently in the 2026 Winter Olympics. We now welcome the aforementioned three-time Olympic gold medalist, Michaela Schiffern. What a mouthful all of those accolades are. We are so happy to have you with us. Hello, Michaela. Hello. Hi. How are you? Great. And she brought the championships here with us. So it's good vibes all the way around, okay? Absolutely. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are something special. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much. All right. So, Michaela, just a week removed from clinching the women's overall FIS alpine ski World Cup Crystal Globe. There it is right there. That ties the record. Sixth title. Congratulations. I know now this is fresh. Season just kind of came to an end. But if you can put into words what this season was like for you, what would you say? I mean, exhilarating. This season has been a whirlwind. During the Olympics, we were actually throwing around the term vortex quite a lot. And honestly, it's just, it really has been, in some ways, a little bit of a dream. I was able to get back to this is Giant Slalom playing here. And I was able to get back into the top seven and standings in Giant Slalom after a really bad injury last season. And that was a huge victory for me. I was able to win my ninth Slalom Globe, which is a small globe on the table here. And then, of course, my sixth overall globe and, of course, the Olympic gold. All these things came together. It was just, it was a big effort from a lot of people. And I'm really grateful. Michaela, I imagine, listen, with every great athlete I've ever interviewed, there's a moment in time. They didn't always know they were going to be that great. But there's a moment that hit them when they were like, I'm that person. I'm that guy. I'm that girl. When did you know that was the case for you, that you were somebody that would be this special? I don't know if there was really ever a moment. Sometimes things hit me like well after the fact that they after they've happened. I when I was younger, I wanted to be the best ski racer in the world. And I didn't know what that looks like. I just I looked up to athletes like Bodie Miller, who were who were doing such incredible things in the sport. And, you know, so many of my idols. And I just thought like, I that overall globe, that one, I want that. And who knows if I can get it, but I'm going to work, I'm going to work really hard. And that was kind of my path. And flash forward, I guess now I can say it's all worked out really, really well. But I don't, I'm not the kind of person who ever really believed it would happen until it did. So you mentioned Bodie Miller. Are there any other sports icons figures that you admired or looked at growing up male female doesn't have to be skiing? It doesn't matter? Yeah, I watched quite a lot of tennis growing up. So definitely Serena, you know, Billie Jean King before that. I big, really, really big fan of Roger Federer. Have you had a chance to meet or talk to any of them? Yeah, I've actually spoken with Roger quite a bit. Pretty often he's always been the most kind, like, I mean, just truly like a real inspiration through and through. Amazing. One of the things I wanted to ask you is that in 2022, obviously, you struggled in Beijing, and you were very, very hard on yourself. And then you come back in Milan, and you win the gold. I want to know what that period was like for you. And not only that, I mean, to go through what you went through to look at yourself and to judge yourself so harshly, to overcome that, what was that experience like for you? And how did you do it? How did you reverse course and correct things the way that you did? Oh, goodness. I mean, you're right. It is like you are your own harshest judge or toughest critic. And in sport, we are really, we're taught and trained to constantly look for improvement, especially in an individual sport. It's you're constantly looking inward at yourself, what you're doing, your physical shape, your mental shape, whether you're doing enough, if you are enough. And it can, you know, you can really tie your own self-worth and your value to the success you have on the slopes, at least for me. So it, Beijing was a catalyst for a lot of growth in my life. I started seeing a psychologist after that, sort of partially because of the experience I had in Beijing, but more so because I hadn't really even started to dive into my grief after my dad passed. And that was, it just started, it all kind of came together at that timing after Beijing. That was like, I really think we're going to, I'm going to need to like, open up the brain a little bit here and see what's going on in there. And up until that point, I had never, never really thought it necessary, but now I will never go back because this has helped me in communication skills and in team management work and like helping, helping to bring everybody on my team, the staff and coaches and my ski technicians and everybody who's involved and who work there, like work so hard every day for this dream. We bring each other together and to really, you know, to show up in unison and that it kind of goes without saying, but it's not always the case that you really show up with your team feeling unified. My biggest fear this year after Beijing, my biggest fear going into Cortina was that I was going to feel really isolated and alone. And because of this work that we've all done together as a team day in and day out, I didn't, I didn't feel that way. I felt fully together with them every step of the way. So that was, I think that was probably the biggest area of growth. Amazing. Oh, Makayla, obviously your growth is showing with the accolades and your resume. We really appreciate you joining us here on first take. Congratulations. Thank you. And good luck the rest of the way. Thank you so much. We like goats on the show. We like goats on the show. Way to go girl. Way to do your thing. Pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Coming up on first take, what are our early impressions of ABS and Major League Baseball? We got laugh stakes coming your way next. Hey Sainsbury's, we get through so many snacks. Have you got anything to help me save? Well, we're always matching and lowering prices. So hundreds of Sainsbury's fresh fruit, veg and everyday products are price matched to Aldi. And every week with Nectar, you can save money on thousands of the products your family loves. So you can snack away knowing you're saving money. Sainsbury's good food for all of us. Selected products, Aldi price match, not in an eye. Nectar prices require Nectar account terms at Sainsbury's.co.uk slash Aldi price match and Nectar.com slash prices terms. ESPN is the home of the women's final four on Friday night highlighted by all four one seed. South Carolina will face Yukon at seven Eastern, then Texas will take on UCLA. Our final four pregame special from Phoenix begins at six Eastern. Major League Baseball implemented the ABS challenge system for the 2026 season. It's taken Major League Baseball by storm. On average, the league has a 54% success rate so far and the Yankees lead baseball with an 86% success rate. Do we like the new ABS challenge system dog? Well, the fans do because it's something to entertain them during a course of the game. I don't know if the older umpires like it because if they get it wrong, you know, they look bad if they get the cause wrong. CB Buckner got back to back strike three calls wrong last week in the Reds with two outs and a bottom of the six. Suarez got all upset. Anyway, yes, it's an excellent system, something a little different. And this is the one with Buckner. This is Buckner. Buckner's had a rough stretch. Yes, I'm a big fan of it. It's a good job by the sport. Really is. That's so nice right there. You pointed to a set. Sorry there. I like it. I like the system, but here's the reason I like it doggy. I like it because it can only be challenged by, you know, batters, hitters, pitchers. You know, that's what I like. The players can challenge it. So okay, go ahead and challenge it. You miss it twice, you lose it. You know what? You get it right. You can keep on going. I like that. That doesn't bother me at all as long as it doesn't take too long. But the umpires for the most part were doing an outstanding job, particularly over the last couple of years. In my estimation, I just think that, you know what? The age of technology is kicked in and advancing the game a bit further, particularly with sports gaming being prevalent as much as it is. I think it's the right way to go. I don't mind it at all. Yeah, I think it's been excellent for the sport. Ray Joe. I do too. And a robo umps maybe next. I don't know how many. I hope not. I don't want to go that far. I knew your baseball purist wouldn't happen. Hey, doggy. Yes, there's Steve. Good job today. Good job. Bye, buddy. Goodbye. Yes.