Ramona Shelburne Discusses LaVar Ball Kayfabe, LeBron to the Lakers?, and Her Career Ascent

ESPN Swiss Army Knife Ramona Shelburne joins the podcast! We discussed:

• With so much national spotlight on Lonzo Ball, has the NBA summer league ever had this much interest that she can remember?
• Was she surprised when Magic Johnson told her, on the record, that LaVar Ball told him his persona was just “marketing”?
• How did LaVar Ball earn the money to buy the family house in Chino Hills?
• What are the chances LeBron joins the Lakers next offseason? Is there any way to make the math work for Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and/or Dwyane Wade to join him?
• The stretch in her career at the Los Angeles Daily News, in her late twenties, where she strongly considered pivoting to do something else.
• What gives her the most personal fulfillment — a deeply reported feature (on, say, how Jeanie Buss took control of the Lakers, or Ronda Rousey’s existential anxieties), breaking massive news like Paul George to OKC, or taping a television program during frenetic news times?
• Her advice for aspiring sports media talents.

Hope you enjoy.