Best of The Ben Maller Show

LeBron James has told the Los Angeles Lakers he is leaving. The news broke during the early-morning hours of the Ben Maller Show, and host Ben Maller spent the bulk of the episode unpacking why the departure was inevitable, where LeBron might land, and what it says about the psychology of a superstar who can no longer stand being the third option.

The game ball that broke the camel's back

Maller argued that LeBron’s decision was not sudden. He pointed to a specific incident from March 31 that he believes foreshadowed the split. After the Lakers beat the Cavaliers, the team held a locker room celebration for several milestones: Rui Hachimura’s 5,000th career point, Luka Dončić’s 15,000th point, and head coach JJ Redick’s 100th win. The locker room video showed a loose, joking atmosphere—players razzing each other, a kid’s video congratulating Redick. LeBron also reached a historic milestone that night: the most total wins (regular season and playoffs) in NBA history, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But his achievement was treated as a footnote. Maller replayed the audio and described LeBron storming out of the locker room early. “I bet he was pissed about that for months,” Maller said. He acknowledged it sounds petty but argued that anyone who is the second-best all-time in their field would bristle if a company rolled out a kid’s video for a coach’s 100th win while treati