# LAF PRESENTS THE STEP BACK - The Chosen One (feat. Sonny Vaccaro)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dan-le-batard-show-with-stugotz-745415/laf-presents-the-step-back-the-chosen-one-feat-sonny-vaccaro
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dan-le-batard-show-with-stugotz-745415/laf-presents-the-step-back-the-chosen-one-feat-sonny-vaccaro.md
Podcast: [The Dan Le Batard Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dan-le-batard-show-with-stugotz-745415)
Published: 2026-05-12T18:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/arttrk.com/p/DF7K3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/MEADOWLARK/1/traffic.megaphone.fm/LBE9921714892.mp3?updated=1778595525
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/arttrk.com/p/DF7K3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/MEADOWLARK/1/traffic.megaphone.fm/LBE9921714892.mp3?updated=1778595525
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-dan-le-batard-show-with-stugotz-745415/episodes/laf-presents-the-step-back-the-chosen-one-feat-sonny-vaccaro
Duration seconds: 2680

## Resource

In the season premiere, Dan, Amin, and Izzy go back to the Sports Illustrated cover that turned a teenager into an industry, re-reading the prophecy with the very people who helped craft it. Plus: a resplendent Sonny Vaccaro joins us to re-live his failed $100 million offer to bring The Kid from Akron to Adidas. All that AND real talk about LeBron's untold origin story. Homework for this episode: • "Ahead of His Class" by Grant Wahl (Sports Illustrated, 2002) https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/02/18/ahead-of-his-class-ohio-high-school-junior-lebron-james-is-so-good-that-hes-already-being-mentioned-as-the-heir-to-air-jordan Homework for the next week's episode: • "The Decision" (ESPN, 2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afpgnb_9bA4 From our guest: • "Legends and Soles: The Memoir of an American Original" by Sonny Vaccaro with Armen Keteyian https://www.harpercollins.com/products/legends-and-soles-sonny-vaccaroarmen-keteyian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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