The LeBron James sweepstakes unfolding while Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" debuted in movie theaters is amusing and worthy of a chuckle.
It took James 25 days to choose the Philadelphia 76ers as his landing spot in NBA free agency, yet, with the fast and furious release of podcasts and the madness of social media, those three-plus weeks felt closer to the 20 years Odysseus spent fighting in the Trojan War and making his way back to Ithaca.
One key difference between James and Odysseus, though, is the heroic graybeard who hails from Akron is not returning home.
So, why did the 41-year-old James decline a third tour with his hometown Cavaliers?
The 76ers, Cavs, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors were the finalists in the James derby, agent Rich Paul confirmed July 24 on the "Game Over" podcast he co-hosts with Max Kellerman.

#christopher

In a promotional video posted to social media on Friday, July 24, agent Rich Paul broke out his famous whiteboard featured on the "Game Over" podcast he co-hosts with Max Kellerman and circled a group of names representing the Philadelphia 76ers in red marker.
"It's Philly. Rich, there's a star by [Tyrese] Maxey's name. Was that a breadcrumb I missed?" Kellerman asked. Paul replied, "Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't, Max. But it's Philly."
Yes, Akron native LeBron James announced on July 24 he will sign with the 76ers instead of the other top suitors vying for his services in NBA free agency — the Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors. James will join the Sixers on a two-year, $8 million contract, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, Paul told ESPN.
LeBron James news: NBA's all-time leading scorer passes on third Cavs tour and chooses to sign with 76ers
Should we have known all along it would be the 76ers?

#kellerman #philly #maybe #sign

Canelo Alvarez has opened up on his put-down of Max Kellerman, 10 months after the Mexican fighter fired up fans with his response to the commentator.
At the press conference for Canelo’s fight with Terence Crawford, Kellerman lauded Dana White – who was promoting a major boxing event for the first time – for allegedly building the UFC into something bigger than boxing.
At the time, Kellerman said: “Dana White is the greatest combat-sports promoter in my lifetime. He built an institution. You know why boxing is not as popular as it used to be anymore, right? UFC is really popular. That’s because of Dana White. He built something like the NBA.”
Fans in Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena booed Kellerman at this point, to which he said: “Stop now, because he’s about to do it again, for boxing now. You want an NBA or an NFL for boxing? Here it comes.”
Canelo, 36, took issue with this comment, telling Kellerman: “Hey Max, boxing is always [getting] bigger and bigger and bigger. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. Boxing is big, you know how big boxing is.”

#boxing #kellerman #canelo #fans

If you are waiting for LeBron James to make his free agency decision, you might want to get comfortable.
The basketball universe is waiting for James to decide where he will play the final year(s) of his NBA career after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the 2025-2026 season.
There are several potential suitors including former homes like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. There's also the possibility he could link up with stars in Golden State or even Philadelphia or Minnesota.
But on the latest edition of his Game Overpodcast with Max Kellerman, James' agent Rich Paul said that only LeBron James knows when that decision will come and that any reports or information being circulated in the media is pure guesswork.
"I'll say it again, none of these people know anything. **** ody knows nothing. And I say that respectfully because we haven't made it to where anybody knows anything," Paul said. "I think it's important for people to understand, we're not making this about attention and a spectacle. It's not about a decision or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We're not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision or that choice. It's a business choice that he's making. And I think as an athlete, why is it that an athlete has to rush his choice."

#james #decision #lebron

As the ultra-successful agent of Akron native LeBron James and many other NBA players, Rich Paul knows how to read the room, and it's an important quality to have as the James sweepstakes reaches three weeks in duration.
On the "Game Over" podcast Paul co-hosts with Max Kellerman, Paul acknowledged a reality of James' free agency. When James eventually chooses his next team, the other franchises vying for him — and their fan bases — will be left disappointed to varying degrees. In an apparent effort to preemptively soften the blow, Paul wanted to make it known neither he nor James have been "leading on" teams by intentionally creating false hope.
"We've done this purposefully that there's no leading on for anybody," Paul said during an episode of his podcast released on Monday, July 20. "I've had everyone from ownership to general managers and presidents of teams, they've all asked, 'Is there any more we should be doing? What else could we do?' So on and so forth, and it's been, 'No, you've done all you needed to do, and that's it, right?' So, there's no leading on for anybody in that capacity."
The Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors are widely considered the top contenders to win the James sweepstakes. The competition for James' services tipped off after Paul informed the Los Angeles Lakers on June 30 the NBA's all-time leading scorer would leave LA in free agency after spending the past eight seasons there.
Since then, speculation about which team the 41-year-old James will choose has been relentless. The guesswork has also extended to when James will render a verdict.

#paul

LeBron James' 2026 free agency can't be discussed without mentioning a potential team-up with career-rival Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are among James' shortlist of teams he's considering as his next destination, with Curry even openly recruiting James by explaining why he should join Golden State.
While other teams seem to be more appealing destinations, even James' agent Rich Paul couldn't dismiss the notion of a LeBron-Curry team-up on the Warriors.
On the latest episode of the Game Over podcast, Paul explained to co-host Max Kellerman why the Warriors and Curry are such an enticing fit for James from a strictly basketball perspective.
"If we're talking strictly basketball, you don't want to play them. You definitely don't want to play them in a playoff series. You don't want to get to the trade deadline and have little surface-edge type of moves made. You talk about just basketball brilliance of mind and experience, production. It's pretty tough."

Appearing on the latest episode of the "Game Over" podcast with Max Kellerman, Paul explained that James initially seemed likely to return to Los Angeles for another season. But as the offseason unfolded, that confidence faded. "So if it's about happiness, then it can't be about money," Paul said. "If it's about happiness, because if it's the most money, then it's not necessarily the most happiness."
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "So if it's about happiness, then it can't be about …

The agent for LeBron James indicated nearly half the teams in the NBA are interested in signing the league's all-time leading scorer and the decision won't be about money.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said he spoke with "12 to 14" teams about James after NBA free agency negotiations officially began during an episode of The Ringer's "Game Over" podcast featuring Paul and former ESPN commentator Max Kellerman released on Wednesday, July 1. Paul also confirmed the Golden State Warriors were one of the teams to contact him regarding James, but remained non-committal about any favorites to land his 41-year-old client.
James announced on Tuesday he plans to play elsewhere next season after spending the past eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul revealed negotiations with the Lakers never reached the point where the team's front office made a formal contract offer to James.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver poses with 2026 draft prospects before the NBA Draft at Barclays Center.

random question but is Max Kellerman ever going to be working in sports again?