LeBron James teaming up with JJ Redick for podcast

In the new podcast, “Mind The Game,” James will join ESPN’s Redick as well as his friend and business partner Maverick Carter to discuss basketball — but not deliver hot takes in search of viral clips.

James insisted that “Everything doesn’t need to be designed for internet culture and clicks,” though the show should be able to deliver plenty of clicks when it launches on March 19. But to maintain independence and avoid pressure for clicks, the show is initially launching without a corporate partner.

In February, Redick went on “First Take” and argued with Stephen A. Smith over what responsibility NBA players had to “educate” fans. Redick explained that videos where he did deep, educational analysis of NBA games were far less popular than when he’d called out 76ers coach Doc Rivers.

Now he’ll get a chance to see if there’s an audience for him and James. There’s some precedence for this succeeding. Kobe Bryant did a show called “MuseCage” for ESPN that featured video breakdowns, alongside puppetry, animated musical numbers and a fictional location of “Canvas City.”

Eventually, the video breakdowns became their own segment called “Detail.”

It could be a unique opportunity to get insight into the mind of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as his Lakers make a late push for the playoffs. And if that doesn’t succeed, James will have plenty of time to record podcasts in May and June.