The Dan Le Batard Show

LeBron James didn't just become the most famous athlete on Earth — he became one of its most careful, and occasionally most explosive, political voices. In the most contentious episode of our LeBron series, Dan, Amin and Izzy trace the moments that turned a basketball player into a lightning rod:

The Trayvon Martin hoodie photo — and Dan's own take on it at the time, warts and all. The killing of Tamir Rice, and the "I Can't Breathe" shirt that, in the moment, didn't include his name. The ESPYs speech. The White House years, plural. The Bubble. And the legacy that's still being argued over, for better or worse.

With firsthand memories from Jemele Hill and Cari Champion, plus a LeBron teammate history conveniently forgot.

Homework for this episode:

• "Reaction to tragic killing shows growth of LeBron" (The Miami Herald, 2012)

• "Kevin Durant x LeBron James x Cari Champion" (Uninterrupted, 2018)

• "Trump Attacked Black Athletes — and Paid for It in the End" (The Atlantic, 2020)

• "LeBron James Doesn’t Talk About Politics Anymore" (New York, 2022)

Encouraged homework for next week's season finale:

• "There's Always This Year" by Hanif Abdurraqib (2025)

More from "The Step Back":

• Episode 1: The Chosen One (feat. Sonny Vaccaro)

• Episode 2: The Decision (feat. Jim Gray)

• Episode 3: I'm Coming Home (feat. Iman Shumpert)

• Episode 4: LeBron Inc. (feat. Pablo Torre)

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"The key is always under the mat."



Jess settles some of the biggest show debates from throughout the week about donuts, forks and knives, Robin, and musical instruments before revealing she may have been part of a cyber-bullying campaign. Plus, the crew drums up enthusiasm for tonight's biggest American soccer game in... an indeterminate amount of time.
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"That's a fact, Jack."



Dan dry humps Jeremy. Then, because he loves us almost as much as he loves himself, Greg expands his Top 60 catchphrase list to a Top 70 and explains the perfect bacon. Also, we finally learn who dropped the donut in the commissary, and Dan CRUSHES the NBA media for avoiding discussing the punishment Kawhi Leonard should receive.
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"I'm going to the movie with the old lady..."



JuJu is 1% Mexico and ready for a big World Cup run, has a suggestion for movie-theater candy, and has a Top 5 TV Shows To Watch Right Now.
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"Folk Boston."



The Marlins just wrapped up the best month in franchise history. How? Plus, we have the potential for a truly EPIC World Cup match that includes condoms full of urine, and the crew breaks down the definition of "Sicilian Pizza." Also, Mike and Jeremy are continuing their war with the Boston Media after new accusations have been levied against them.
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