Wine connoisseur LeBron James shares Chambertin 2012 with co-host JJ Redick on 'Mind the Game' Episode 1
Earlier today, the first episode of the Mind the Game podcast featuring LeBron James and JJ Redick was released. The 42-minute odd episode saw the 39-year-old James talk about a range of topics spanning his illustrious basketball career. James talked about a wide range of topics and especially delved into the importance of basketball IQ with respect to making it in the NBA.
The four-time Champion was also well-prepared for the occasion and brought two bottles of wine, which he poured for himself and the former NBA sharpshooter. LeBron claimed that he had heard JJ Redick was a wine person, which prompted him to bring two bottles:
“I brought two bottles of Chambertin 2012. I bought this, this is special, my first championship year, very special to me. Very very good vintage, and then Lynch-Bages 95, I just brought that. That is a nice little aftershock. But I am gonna open the 2012 Chambertin and then we could just. I heard you were a wine guy, to0, so.”
Among the two bottles, the first one was a Chambertin 2012, available for slightly upwards of $500 on the internet. The second one, a Lynch-Bages 1995, which James sees as an ‘after-shocker,’ suggesting that it would go down well once they were done with the Chambertin 2012.
The Lunch Bages is also less expensive and is available online for merely over $200, which might still prove a bit too heavy on most peoples’ wallets.
LeBron James delivers many a revelation while gulping down wine with JJ Redick
James and Redick used the opportunity to reminisce in part about their shared years in the NBA. The two were vehement about their belief that basketball IQ was the one factor that differentiated good players from the great.
While LeBron sees Nikola Jokic as the player with the highest IQ in the current generation, he believes the likes of Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry have influenced the game the most.
What’s more, LeBron, who has played with multiple great players in his time, including Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, also claimed that it was Rajon Rondo, who had the highest IQ among the players he has played with.
While most people will respect that sentiment, OKC Thunder fans might have something to say about one part of James’ interview. LeBron, who has long made his desire to one day own an NBA team known, claimed that he wanted to employ people who made the right decisions, especially with respect to lottery picks.
James claimed that he would surely be willing to pay ‘huge bags’ to the right people, which included the OKC Thunder front office:
“I will tell you about my team. The teams that draft well, they gonna be working for my team for sure. (I will) For sure (offer them a bag.) OKC does it unbelievably well, for sure.”
The Thunder, over the years, have undoubtedly made the right decisions and now have arguably the most talented young core in the NBA. However, if James has his way, they might not continue to be employed at the organization for too long.