Michael Jordan and the MLB? Zion got paid? | Dunk Bait
Could MJ have gone pro in the MLB? Zion's agent brings to light some interesting news. UFC stands are empty, will NBA stands be empty?
Video Transcript
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Hey, fellas. Hey, this is hour 23rd episode.
ZACH SCHWARTZ: Hey.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: In honor of the greatest number 23 of all times, LeBron Raymone James--
ZACH SCHWARTZ: I knew it.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: --still the GOAT!
ZACH SCHWARTZ: I knew it was coming.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Still the GOAT!
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Welcome to "Dunk Bait," where we talk mostly basketball. Today we talk "The Last Dance." We talk Zion in legal battle with his former agent. Shaq says, cancel the season. They just want to start the NBA season right into the playoffs. How would that affect other teams?
And the UFC is back. They actually fought without any fans. And how would that look for the NBA?
So this week with "The Last Dance," I thought it was the best weekend. I thought, you know, episode seven was my favorite. Jordan leaving to go and play baseball. The Bulls were still super good, winning, like, what, 50 games? Pippen was third in the running for MVP, and then they let the rookie take the last shot. Pippen was like, I'm not playing.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Yeah.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: [INAUDIBLE] on his team. It was a real emotional scene in the locker room afterwards, but I kind of understand that, man. You know what I'm saying? Jerry Krause was swinging off of a-- off of Kukoc. You know what I'm saying? He's the third runner up for MVP-- or second runner up for MVP-- third-- third in MVP overall. You know, like, bro, why are you giving the ball to Kukoc? It worked.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: And let's not-- but let's-- but let's not forget Kukoc was getting a bigger bag that Scottie. Let's just be real.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: You out here with the Monopoly money.
[LAUGHTER]
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Let's see. It was cool to see MJ kind of-- you know, obviously there's been all these rumors about why he decided to retire and all that stuff, but seeing the relationship that he had with his pops, and obviously his pops tragically passing away, and that kind of motivating MJ to make the shift to baseball. And all the people, I think, clowning him for baseball didn't realize, like, dude hadn't played since he was 16, went out there, hit .200.
I've talked to a few people that know-- that know what they're talking about, and they say that MJ could've definitely made it the major leagues if he would've stuck-- stuck on that trajectory. And to see him come back out there, you know, and-- and just take down juggernauts, like the Charlotte Hornets with BJ Armstrong, honestly one of the greatest teams in the NBA history. And just you know--
ZACH SCHWARTZ: [LAUGHS]
JOSIAH JOHNSON: [LAUGHS] [INAUDIBLE] I think it was funny to me just to kind of see back in those times the kind of-- the expansion era and how those squads looked.
ZACH SCHWARTZ: For me, the best part of this whole thing has been the trash talk. Like, I've always just cherished Michael Jordan's trash talk. I was a little sad they didn't show some of the trash talk from the final series, because Gary really got in Mike's ear, and it was hilarious.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: It was interesting seeing Jordan laugh-- that forced ha, ha, ha! The glove? Bro, like, you know what I'm saying? Jordan, yes, you're MJ, bro, but the glove was the glove. It's OK, bro. [INAUDIBLE] defensive play of the year that year.
So Zion is being sued by his former agents saying that his parents took some illegal benefits. And I will say this. Good for him. I stan a king that knows his worth.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Give me a break, bro. Get your bag. Whether it's true or not, I hope whatever they're paying him it wasn't enough. I'm all about athletes getting their bread. I don't think this is a stain on Duke. I wish more schools would break bread, and I wish the NCAA would back off and let these dudes get their bread, unless they want to see all these dudes go to the G league. And then we're not gonna have [BLEEP] to watch.
ZACH SCHWARTZ: I am appalled, and shocked, and disgusted that something like this would go on in college basketball. This is a joke. We knew-- we had heard a rumor that he got 500 grand. He's one of thousands that get money and deserve money.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: If he only got 500, I think that's more appalling than him actually getting his full worth. All right, so Shaq said we should cancel the season. He said there should be a big asterisk by whoever wins the chip. My response to that is it's still a chip. I don't care about an asterisk if I'm winning a chip.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: I like what the NBA is trying to do with the Vegas, Orlando thing. I think-- honestly, if you get rid of crowds, and all the home court advantage, and everything, wherever-- whoever ends up winning this thing is probably actually the best team-- one of the best teams we've ever seen, because they don't have no advantages, no luxuries. They're in Vegas with no buffets. I mean, you know, the Lakers are still gonna win, but how can you be in Vegas, and you can't hit a buffet?
ZACH SCHWARTZ: For me, it's-- it's the-- it's the fact that we're heading into the playoffs, and, at least in the west, everyone is healthy. And that would have been-- that's going to be such a fun playoff run, but to-- like, seeing Kawhi at full strength and PG at full strength against AD at full strength and a well rested LeBron. Like, that would be so much fun. And to get deprived of that, potentially, like, who knows what would happen next year? So just please don't cancel it.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: And then like, what? They were 50, 60 games into the season or something? I mean, that's no asterisk, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like, the Lakers were leading the league for a long time, bro. I mean, I just-- I don't-- I don't-- I don't-- I don't get that, you know? And when we talk about the Spurs, you know, and them winning in what, was it '99 when they had the-- the lockout? Nobody-- when they talk about the number of championships they got, nobody talks about that-- puts an asterisk by that. Nobody thinks about that. I mean, this is-- that's [? played. ?]
So they're talking about jumping right into the playoffs. How do y'all feel about that?
ZACH SCHWARTZ: Fine, because here's the thing. I get it not having-- what-- the Pelicans would miss. It seems like that-- like, I-- I was one of those guys that was--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I would love to have seen them.
ZACH SCHWARTZ: I know. I know.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I would love to have seen them [INAUDIBLE].
ZACH SCHWARTZ: But like, Zion missed a quarter of the season. So it sucks, but did they really earn it? Nah, I don't know.
Also, like, it would be great to have them in the playoffs, but what, they're just gonna get two-pieced into the first round of the second round? So, what? I don't know.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Yes, by the Lakers.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yes, yes, but--
JOSIAH JOHNSON: I want to see that. I want to see that passing of the torch. I'm serious.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Exact-- exactly. I mean, yeah. I mean, I would love to see Zion under that pressure. I'd love to see, you know, Zo. You know what I'm saying? Like, it would be great to watch that team. That team is fun as hell to watch, you know what I'm saying?
And against the Lakers, especially. Like, when they shipped off a lot of those young guys to the Lakers. You know, it'd be great to see.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: They may win one game just for pride, but it would be great for me to see LeBron kind of pass that torch to Zion, you know, kind of like when MJ went into the Garden when the Bulls were 30 and 52, and nobody talks about that part, but they talk about him dropping 63 and all that other stuff. Like, seeing Zion-- a young Zion in the playoffs. I got a chance to see him during the regular season at Staples.
That dude is a beast. He's a grown man. He's literally is taking dudes' cornbread. I would have loved to have seen that series and kind of-- you know, Zion putting up like 50 or 60 in a game against Bron just to get the chatter going. But they wouldn't have won, but it would've been funner to watch.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: So obviously to finish the season they would do it with no fans. The UFC just had matches with no fans. I know you watch that, Schwartz. How did you think-- how did you feel about that?
ZACH SCHWARTZ: Well, it was great. It was a little weird watching the walkouts. You know, they got the music going. Guys are doing the whole thing where they're pretending to high five the crowd on the way out. The coolest part-- this is the part that I would be most excited for with the NBA-- is that you'd get to hear a lot of the talk.
So one of the things that happened-- now, there's not a lot of talk between the fighters, but one of the things that happened last night was Greg Hardy was losing his fight. DC-- Daniel Cormier-- is announcing and goes, Greg hardy, he's got to really fix some things, says what Greg Hardy should be trying to fix. Greg Hardy, because there's no audience, can hear him, changes those things up, wins the fight, and then after the fight, he says this-- you know, I fixed this because I heard DC saying it. If the NBA comes back, to hear guys [BLEEP] talking each other, and to hear coaches getting mad about things, I think it would be a ton of fun.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Playing in front of fans isn't the same for players, but for us, I mean, if they change the way they approach the production of it, it can be a great experience.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: Hey, if they do it like ESPN did with "The Last Dance" and let it be, you know, all cursing, no-- no censorship. Honestly, I think that would be a fan's dream, and that would probably make up for not having fans there to hear-- hear these dudes be able to talk [BLEEP] to each other. I also wonder if the league's going to take that into account and maybe do something, because that could become an issue the other way, too.
If we're now hearing huddles, we're hearing coaches talking, trying to game plan, and strategize, and all that other stuff. Maybe they do something with the home team where they let them get a DJ there that could play crowd level at a certain decibel beat.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yeah, there we go. There we go.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: We can get a lot of fun out of that, too, but it's gonna be interesting to see, man. Do I think it really is gonna happen? I don't think so, but I'm-- it's good for me to dream and hope.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: All right, well, that's the end of show. I'm @LaJethroJenkins.
JOSIAH JOHNSON: I'm @KingJosiah54.
ZACH SCHWARTZ: I'm @ZachZachZach.