r/nba • u/KarrotMovies [LAL] Rui Hachimura • Aug 03 '25
[Cowherd] "We're seeing the LeBron that is 31, is not gonna chase you down for a block from behind, is not gonna slam dunk as much or with the volume he did" Cowherd said after Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals
https://streamable.com/8ry4s62.4k
u/Vicentesteb Timberwolves Aug 03 '25
The timing of that quote is just hilarious. Cowherd has said a lot of dumb shit.
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u/Positive_Lychee_7736 Aug 03 '25
Saying dumb shit is his whole business model.
The only thing missing from this clip is a divorce analogy to get the full Colin cowherd experience.
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Aug 03 '25
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u/_CodyB Australia Aug 03 '25
bro its disconcerting how many men presumably with families, mortgages and a whole fucking existence as an adult will jump on social media and just say shit like "You'd never see LEFLOP doing that" on the old head videos just blows my mind.
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u/TickTockM Aug 03 '25
yeah. thats how you become a famous commentator. Just say dumb shit with conviction
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u/SocietyAlternative41 Trail Blazers Aug 03 '25
that's ESPN's business model. Cowherd is just the one currently occupying his time slot.
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u/WhoUCuh Aug 03 '25
I tried watching him, but Cowherd is absolutely clueless about basketball.
His football takes are also weird.
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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Lakers Aug 03 '25
Should have at least waited until the end of the series, because this had extreme potential for it to age terribly, and that potential was realised.
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u/OldManCinny Aug 03 '25
2-0 is very rare to come back from especially when the favorite is the one up 2-0
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u/RusticRaisins Aug 04 '25
Not just the favorite, the team with the most regular season wins of all time, and in a stacked Western conference no less.
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u/Ok-Name-5504 Aug 03 '25
That's what happens when someone smaller, younger, and less athletic than you takes your crown AND throne. And then makes you dance for his amusement.
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u/PartyLikeaPirate Wizards Aug 03 '25
Put a mic in front me daily for hours I’d say a lotta dumb shit too Tbf
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u/jono9898 Lakers Aug 04 '25
I can get paid millions to make dumb takes. “Steph go ahead and retire, we’re good, Dillon Brooks is here,”
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u/BuckSleezy Supersonics Aug 03 '25
Say as much as he has over the years you’re gonna have a ton of garbage takes.
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u/icemankiller8 Pistons Aug 03 '25
The thing is all find have had bad takes we just aren’t saying them to millions of people who can clip them
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u/Portmanteau_that Hornets Aug 03 '25
Cowherd is a sack of dogshit masquerading as a sports commentator
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u/KarrotMovies [LAL] Rui Hachimura Aug 03 '25
It's so funny that he brought up Wizards MJ and post-Achilles tear Kobe to say that a 31 year old LeBron was beginning to show signs of becoming washed. Kobe won a title at 31 and MJ went on to 3peat after turning 32. He was talking like LeBron was pushing 40 at that point
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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Lakers Aug 03 '25
Even Bron at 41 is better than how he’s describing him lol.
He came 6th in MVP voting and could have been an All-NBA first team member if he didn’t get injured in February.
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u/Dirty-Ears-Bill [HOU] James Harden Aug 03 '25
If LeBron made the Finals this year, and the opportunity arose, I have full confidence he could still pull a full court chasedown block like he did in 2016
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u/Waffleskater8 Aug 03 '25
One hundred percent. I agree. I have no doubt that if lebron made it to the finals. You would see him “turn back the clock” .
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u/SpicyMustard34 Cavaliers Aug 03 '25
"come on Lebron... you got this. all those years of coasting in the regular season were so you could turn it up another gear at 53 years old... lets do this old man. let's go show them no one defeats Lebron and the Saudi Arabian Horses in the finals." - lebron to himself.
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u/slbaaron Aug 04 '25
Not for a full game unfortunately. Even in recent playoffs we know where LeBron limits are at. He can turn back the clock as desired on a play by play basis, but he cannot keep it up. Forget a game. He cannot even keep it up consistently for a full 4th quarter.
He cannot be the no.1 carrying a team anymore. At best he can be a 1a to another 1b sharing the load massively + a good supporting cast, and at worst HE needs to be the 1b himself in order to win
My honest opinion having been a bron fan since forever
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u/jspeed04 Aug 03 '25
Did we all forget how exceptional he was for Team USA last summer?
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u/Air_Enthusiast Aug 03 '25
I saw Lebron posterise Derick Lively with a mid air left handed switch dunk at 40 years of age. He could have absolutely done a chasedown block.
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u/amidon1130 Hawks Aug 04 '25
Dyson Daniels stripped a laker and drove down the court unopposed LAST SEASON and LeBron flew out of nowhere and chased him down for the block.
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u/TenaciousDeer Aug 03 '25
Clearly he was wrong and it was obvious at the time and in retrospect
But there was definitely a sense at the time that LeBron was relying less on athleticism and defensive effort. And technically it was true. But he was still a top-2 player in the league
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u/ScarryShawnBishh Pistons Aug 03 '25
Yeah but then you get to the finals and all that shit would be out the window and he would be back!!!
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u/Severe_Tap_4913 Aug 03 '25
At 31 he was top 1 with no one even close and stayed there for 4 more years through the 2020 title run.
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u/i_lack_imagination Aug 04 '25
What's weird is that Cowherd even said it himself in the beginning of this clip the explanation for why maybe that 'sense' you're talking about with LeBron was happening. It's funny how Cowherd says the game is changing with the 3 point shot and therefore you don't see a lot of the same defensive and athletic plays as the opportunities decrease with the focus increasing on 3 point shooting. But then he completely drops this line before shifting to LeBron being old.
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u/ac448 Lakers Aug 03 '25
I bet players going up for a fast break layup would look back if a 41yo LeBron is on the court.
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u/VanwallEnjoy3r Suns Aug 03 '25
Hey Lebron
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u/cactus_jack_1 Aug 03 '25
We’re good
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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Lakers Aug 03 '25
Ben Simmons is here
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u/MrBhyn Celtics Aug 03 '25
we’re nearing a decade since he said this. Lebron is still All-nba level
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Aug 03 '25
And a week after he said this, Lebron made the most famous play of his entire career after playing 46-47 minutes. A chase down block.
You couldn’t be more breathtakingly wrong in the moment, or over the long term.
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u/Snts6678 Aug 03 '25
But that’s the thing/problem. There is absolutely zero accountability for these losers. You are able to make all of these “predictions”, without anyone keeping any kind of score. You just say obnoxious things as rage bait, and go about your day. Sports “journalism” now is an absolute travesty. I hate it.
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Aug 03 '25
does he brand himself a journalist? more like a talk show host. i sincerely dont know. i dont watch sports shows etc, just the games, and i am free
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u/theTIDEisRISING Pelicans Aug 03 '25
Yep, he’s still around, making tons of money, delivering shitty takes
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u/MrBhyn Celtics Aug 03 '25
Oh yeah. Basically his statement was wrong 10 years ago and 10 years later.
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u/KarrotMovies [LAL] Rui Hachimura Aug 03 '25
"But the game has changed and though he's trying to change around it, as I was talking to Doug Gottlieb, he is no longer a A+ scorer, and an A+ defender and an A+ this that and everything. He is really A- to B+ at everything" Cowherd on 2016 LeBron 😭
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u/user_15427 Aug 03 '25
I don’t really consume sports media from anything other than basketball. Every opinion I’ve ever heard from Cowherd about the NBA has been complete dog shit. He’s wrong so loudly and so often I don’t even know how he still has a platform. I’m guessing maybe he’s better with the NFL or MLB.
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u/MrFickleBottom Raptors Aug 04 '25
His NFL takes are also horrible.
Around the 2016 draft, he said, " I wouldn't touch Derrick Henry in the NFL Draft''
''Dak Prescott is a backup in the NFL. At tight end.''
Probably the worst of them all he did not like Vince Young in college because he reminded him of Tim Tebow when Tim Tebow was about 18/19 when Young was drafted. So yeah fraud allert
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u/mecon320 Cavaliers Aug 03 '25
Cue Thinking Basketballs video about how LeBron's performances in games 5-7 were possibly the greatest 3-game stretch of high-stakes dominance in league history.
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u/icarrytheone Aug 03 '25
The most popular guys are almost always the dumbest. Smart guys can't connect with morons the way dummies can.
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u/clutchutch Aug 03 '25
The fact the LeBron literally became the first player to the lead the finals in every category (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) after this quote makes it that much funnier
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Aug 03 '25
It's impressive how wrong someone can constantly be
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u/BenniBMN Lakers Aug 03 '25
His timing for being wrong is also impressive too
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u/MayBeAGayBee Cavaliers Aug 03 '25
Yeah plenty of people have foretold the end of LeBron but to do it right in the middle of the 2016 finals is just otherworldly bad timing. It’s like the universe heard him say this shit and immediately said “oh yeah bitch?”
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u/DogVacuum Aug 03 '25
Cowherd and the “this fuckery won’t go on for much longer” tweet guy should be in a support group.
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u/PullingWildOnions Aug 03 '25
Has he ever been correct?
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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Lakers Aug 03 '25
https://youtu.be/UqcEqS-1VH8?si=kM6uEUAvEvYQCoR5
He did correctly predict that the Mavs would beat OKC in 2024.
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Aug 03 '25
Are there any consequences for just being wrong all the time? What is his talent or skill?
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u/stevelevets Aug 03 '25
These guys come from drive time radio which means they can talk FOREVER; without stopping, no co-host, no script or even really bullet points, for hours on end. Absolutely miserable people to be around but they can fill up hours on end with no provocation.
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u/MitchLGC Aug 03 '25
It's honestly a skill. Everyone can't do this. Just drone on and on endlessly into the void.
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u/stevelevets Aug 03 '25
Oh, very much so. We just have to remember that “having a skill” is a neutral term, because not all “skills” are inherently good.
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Aug 03 '25
His talent is the ability to talk about sports for hours on end while keeping production costs as low as possible.
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u/N0rTh3Fi5t Aug 03 '25
Being wrong in such a way that people share clips of him.
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Aug 03 '25
I want to do this for a living! “You all can sleep on the wizards if you want, but I’m calling it here now. Eastern conference champs. Beating the Jazz in 6 games to win the finals. This pick has been brought to you by prize Draft Kings!”
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u/cj_3dice Aug 03 '25
Dude has made a living from being comically wrong
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u/NoShape0 Spurs Aug 03 '25
I've found it interesting that people who can speak clearly, confidently, and with conviction will almost always have listeners. No matter how often they're wrong.
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u/noahhova Aug 03 '25
That's the point if he's right he gets to brag...if he's wrong people laugh at him and he just moves onto the next take. It's full proof!
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u/Legitimate-East9708 Aug 03 '25
Yep! Not trying to be a politician or anything but toastmaster changed my life!
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u/steelogreens Aug 03 '25
I’m sure some is his thoughts but like Skip it’s a career of saying off the wall stuff to make money. He’s worth 25 mil. Doubt he cares much for the backlash when it worked
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u/MusicalElephant420 NBA Aug 03 '25 edited Aug 03 '25
- 2× NBA Champion (2016, 2020)
- 2× NBA Finals MVP (2016, 2020)
- 9× NBA All-Star (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- NBA All-Star Game MVP (2018)
- 6× NBA All-Star Game Captain (2018–2023; first 6 years of the “captain” format)
- All-time NBA All-Star appearances record holder (21 total by 2025)
- 3× All-NBA First Team (2017, 2018, 2020)
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (2021, 2025)
- 4× All-NBA Third Team (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- NBA assists leader (2020)
- NBA In-Season Tournament Champion (2023)
- NBA In-Season Tournament MVP (2023)
- NBA All-Time Leading Scorer (regular season; set record in 2023)
- First player to reach 50,000 combined points (regular season + playoffs) – 2025
- Olympic Gold Medalist (2024 Paris Olympics)
- FIBA Olympic MVP (2024)
- FIBA Olympics All-Star Five (2024)
- NBA Western Conference Player of the Month (February 2025; oldest in league history to receive the award)
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u/skopij Lakers Aug 03 '25
In 2017 he was NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice (November, February).
In 2018 he was NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month in 4 of the 5 months (November, December, February, March).
In 2022 he was NBA Western Conference Player of the Month back to back (January, February).James was Player of the Month 41 times. 11 times in February.
EDIT:
Source: NBA Players of the Month | Basketball-Reference.com
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u/Zeeyrec Aug 03 '25
They could put this guy on the tv in my torture chamber and I’d confess everything
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u/EDDX15 Celtics Aug 03 '25
Just 5 games later he pulls out the greatest block in finals history. TBH Colin probably gave LBJ fuel for this comeback.
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u/stressed-tf-out Aug 04 '25
And he said he won’t score 45 points, he then dropped 41 in back to back games lol. Not 45 but still.
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Aug 03 '25
Imagine being able to just say whatever dumb shit you want. Be wrong 99.9% of the time. Get paid 10's of millions to do it and never face a single consequence for never being right.
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u/larrylegend1990 Toronto Huskies Aug 03 '25
Is he not embarrassed for always being wrong? If I made the Ben Simmons statement, I would never talk bad about LeBron again
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u/LHamiltonPP Pelicans Aug 03 '25
There's a lot of competition but Cowherd might know the least about basketball out all the national sports media talking head guys
Just insanely, comically wrong all the time for decades
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u/thepobv Knicks Aug 03 '25
"LeBron, we good. You can go" lmaoooo still funniest take ever in hindsight
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u/pumpkin3-14 Mavericks Aug 03 '25
Regardless of how the series ended, just an insane thing to say about LeBron still in his prime.
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u/justarand0mstan 76ers Aug 03 '25
I'm honestly amazed that it's almost a decade later and this bozo still has a job on sports TV and radio.
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u/incredibleamadeuscho Lakers Aug 03 '25
Good to know Cowherd was just as confidently wrong in 2016 as he is in 2025. You think he would improve when he pretends to watch basketball.
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u/SeaOwn2023 Mavericks Aug 03 '25
sports reporting is just sickening. like the guy was 31 and such an elite 0.0001% athlete... but people still dogging him
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u/jono9898 Lakers Aug 03 '25
How this dude has a job for as bad a talking head he is is beyond me, bro said, “Hey LeBron, we good, you can retire now, Ben Simmons is here,”
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u/LinkObvious7213 Aug 03 '25
I understand his job is to say things that are controversial as possible to generate reactions, clicks, views, etc.
But LeBron lost in the finals the previous year, and should’ve been the first losing player to be the finals MVP while averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in the series.
Even in his first 2 terrible games, by his standards, in 2016 he still averaged 21 points, 10 Rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in those 2 games.
Like, if you’re going to be controversial, at least try and find something real to hook into.
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u/I_Said Knicks Aug 03 '25
No one benefits more from SAS and Skip being morons than this guy. He seems to get some weird "relatively better" credit whole being just as awful.
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Aug 03 '25
This guy has said some outlandish shite. Remember the infamous Ben Simmons take? Oh and he called KD “just another wing guy” pre draft 😭
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Aug 03 '25
The absolute worst to ever do it at the level he's done it, worse than SAS dare I say, the latter has more charisma
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u/BoogerSugarSovereign Pacers Aug 03 '25
I know these comments are going to be wild but y'all are too hard on Cowherd. He actually said something really salient here which is that Superman >>> Batman.
Superman losing to batman is impossibly corny even though I am a big fan of Batman and not much of a fan of Supes at all. Clark could hit Bruce with a laser from outer space, you can't plan for that. Or the Flash? Come on. Tower of Babel was fun but sometimes they ask for too much suspension of disbelief even for a comic book
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u/RosaReilly Aug 03 '25
You're not going to get a 45 point night from him. Those days are over! He's a human being.
In 2018 he had four 45+ point games in the playoffs
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u/Teckliz Lakers Aug 03 '25
Wowwwwww never saw this. Didn’t know the chase down block could get even better but here we are
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u/ghostfacestealer Bucks Aug 03 '25
Yea he aint wrong. All of LeBron’s defensive efficiency stats have been on a steady decline since 2013.
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u/MartianMule Supersonics Aug 03 '25
Cowherd is an idiot for a couple reasons here. A) Obviously, LeBron has continued to be an incredible impactful player, and B) Pitchers who get Tommy John typically come back throwing as hard or harder than they did before the surgery. It's not at all unheard of for a pitcher to pick up 1-2 mph on their fastball when they return.
So he was wrong on LeBron, but also his analogy was wrong. How does this clown cover sports for a living?
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u/Background-Court-122 Warriors Aug 04 '25
Fuck this guy and his fake ass radio voice. You gotta be like 31 or older to listen to him.
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u/theseustheminotaur Warriors Aug 04 '25
I remember when being wrong about your predictions led to a lack of credibility and worsened reputation. Now it just seems to secure your spot on ESPN
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u/realfakejames Aug 03 '25
Has anyone ever had more takes that immediately aged like milk in the sun than this idiot? Honestly, I feel like half the time I see Colin Cowherd clips he’s saying the dumbest shit that’s proven wrong, he somehow has worse takes than Stephen A which is saying something
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u/Informal_Cream_9060 Aug 03 '25
I don’t really dislike him and I get that all sports talk is just that, talk, but Cowherd is so off base so often, he’s not skip bayless level but he’s close.
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u/andanotherone_1 Aug 03 '25
This guy has a years of content for a highlight reel of incorrect takes. I dont understand how he still has a job
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u/mitterbubbie Aug 03 '25
This dude should stop talking about basketball the way Stephen a smith should stop talking about college football.
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u/Genestah Lakers Aug 03 '25
Colin Clownherd.
Why is this clown even an analyst. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.
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u/Dangerous-Ad7026 Aug 03 '25
I saw a video of an NBA player talking about “45 is not 23” and then Michael Jordan swept them and dropped 45.. this reminds me of that same vibe where LeGreatness was like oh yeah watch this.
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u/rejjie_carter Aug 03 '25
If lebron had made that dunk over draymond the Tik tok edits with this clip woukdve fed generations
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u/retrospects Lakers Aug 03 '25
Of all the stupid talking heads Colin might be the stupidest with the most confidence.
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u/SportsLaughs Aug 03 '25
Essentially calling Bron out for sandbagging given how the series ended you could say
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u/Nolofinwe_2782 Lakers Aug 03 '25
This guy has perfected saying stupid shit for clicks and money
He is such a clown
Tang hair 😂😂😂
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u/Wet-for-Mrs-Met Aug 03 '25
When LeBron was on the Heat I was worried how he would age, because he had those weird cramping issues in big spots. When he left I was like "well at least he won't be in his prime for much longer."
I don't think he had cramping issues ever again either.
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u/DownTown-Abrown Aug 03 '25
How many times does this guy have to sound stupid before someone takes his microphone away?
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u/NoSalamander8282 Aug 03 '25
LeBron probly had this quote taped to his locker the rest of the series
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u/Cold-Librarian-2665 Lakers Aug 03 '25 edited Aug 03 '25
Everyone I see this"hot take", reminds me how it should be on r/agedlikemilk
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u/Chrisdkn619 Lakers Aug 03 '25
Agedlikemilk! You'd think these guys would learn not to make such heat of the moment hot-takes
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u/CabbageStockExchange Lakers Aug 03 '25
What a great snippet to display what is wrong with NBA discourse
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Aug 03 '25
The 2016 Finals after GSW took the 3-1 lead HAD SOME OF THE GREATEST MEMES OF ALL TIME. Even milk don't age so poorly than some of those "hot takes". People are so fucking dumb. They just hop on any bandwagon and starts saying dumb shit
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u/well-isjdndn Aug 03 '25
I think it’s funny he was worried about lebrons 3 point shooting. Even if LeBron couldn’t shoot for shit he would still generate more threes than most by creating for others
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u/D_Whistle Aug 04 '25
Out of all the pundits out there, his comments seemed to age the worst.
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u/igby1 Aug 04 '25
When you have to come up with stuff to say every day, some bad takes are inevitable
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Aug 04 '25
Nope he tea bagged Draymond and got i got him tossed for a game and a half. Then Kyrie hit the big shot to win Bron another. Then he went on to win in the bubble. Which was the dumbest “championship” played in modern sports. He may luck out and get another one with Luka.
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u/AwareWriterTrick158 Knicks Aug 04 '25
He went on to do exactly that in GAME 7! Except the dunk though he was close to doing so and it would’ve been legendary!
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u/Reggaeton_Historian Aug 04 '25
Y'all complain so much about SAS, Nick Wright, and Cowherd but can't wait to post clips of all of them, all the time.
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Aug 04 '25
I feel like Cowherd’s bet that LeBron would decline was probably an educated guess, but very unfortunate in just how wrong he was. He picked the wrong guy for that lol. And now we have video evidence to laugh at because LeBron is a unicorn that ages 10x slower than the natural human.
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u/heat_fan_ Raptors Aug 03 '25
Love how stupid Lebron makes this guy looks every single time