1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Wake that ass up in the morning. 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 2: The Breakfast Club Morning. 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 3: Everybody's DJ Envy Charlamagne to God. We are the Breakfast Club. 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 3: We got a special guest in the building. His book 5 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 3: is out today. Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen, Rich Paul, welcome, sir, 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 3: Thanks for having me. 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 2: How's everything? It's great man, I see you in years, Rich, 8 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 2: long time. 9 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: Last time we was together, we went to we had 10 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: like a little brunch. 11 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 2: We had a brunch. This is like damn like. 12 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: That was a wild that was like that was over ten. 13 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 4: Years, twenty eleven, Yeah, twenty twelve, look at you now, Rich. 14 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: It's great, man. 15 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 2: Absolutely. 16 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 4: First of all, I will tell you how I love 17 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 4: your book lucky Me than I read it thoroughly, thoroughly, 18 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 4: thoroughly enjoyed it. But I need to know the process 19 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 4: of this book because I know the publishers probably. 20 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: Wanted more like your agent life. 21 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 4: Now you know what is what is your relationship with 22 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 4: Lebron But you didn't get him that. You gave him 23 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 4: all east Side of Cleveland, very detailed, and I appreciated that. 24 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 2: But how did you get the publishers to agree with that? 25 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: Well, this wasn't a published the book was my idea 26 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: along with my team, and you know, it's a timing thing. 27 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: So it was like, you know, would you ever do 28 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: a book. I'm like, yeah, if I do a book, though, 29 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: I don't want it to be a puff piece because 30 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: I think it's important for people to There's people inspiring 31 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: to be you or be in your position, and they 32 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: see the successes, right, they see courtside of games, the 33 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: negotiated deals and all that, and so people say, well, 34 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: you know, I can be rich Paul. You got these 35 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: companies looking for the next young black guy with a 36 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: cool jacket on to be their representation of a rich Paul. 37 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: But I'm like, now you're missing a lot. If you 38 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: want to be me today, let's start here. Let me 39 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: educate you on some of the things that I know 40 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: would resonate with you. I know it resonates with you, 41 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: you and everybody, and so I just didn't want to 42 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: write a puff piece. I wanted to be something that 43 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: was impactful education. You know, you know, because experiences are education. 44 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: People look at it and what I didn't realize and 45 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: I realized even more today. You know, when you're going 46 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: through shit as a kid, like you read about my mom, 47 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: you read about, you know, just some dark days. It's 48 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: like the world is coming to an end, right, you 49 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: think like everything is crumbling. But then in the position 50 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: I sitting today, I'm like, oh shit, like those are 51 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:30,239 Speaker 1: like superpowers for me, right, because now these boardrooms. You know, 52 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: I'm on the board of Live Nation, I'm on the 53 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: board of Uta, I'm on the board of the Lakma, 54 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: you know, coming from this place, this kid, and so 55 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: it's weird how it shaped me and gave me just 56 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: this unbelievable molding, if that makes sense, right. And so 57 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: I think as we were writing a book, I wanted 58 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: to make sure that it was not exactly what you 59 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: what you was, because that's what people would think. And 60 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: when they hear the title, they immediately go to, oh, 61 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: he met Lebron in the airport, that's why he's lucky. 62 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: And I'm really being extremely sarcastic to those simple minded 63 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: thinkers like that. You know, I took some shot. I 64 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: guess I took a little page out of shot of 65 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 1: Mainz book with the sarcast. 66 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 4: But it's interesting when you said that, because when you 67 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 4: read the book, it's still luck. Because I was always 68 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 4: the person that never believed in luck. I'm still trying 69 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 4: to yeah, like create of luck, you know what I mean. So, 70 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 4: so to be in the position that you're in right now, 71 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 4: do you think it was luck, hard work or hustle. 72 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 3: But I want, I want to start from the game because 73 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 3: somebody listening might not know who Rich Paul is, right, 74 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 3: they might They might not know who Rich Paul is. 75 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: So yeah, I don't want to take that for granted. 76 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 3: Sure now, so super agent, you you, I want to say, 77 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 3: manage the careers of a lot of athletes, not just 78 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 3: in basketball and football and other sports as well. And 79 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 3: you started from Ohio, but you didn't start with with 80 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 3: this on your mind. So let's break down where you 81 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 3: came from in Ohio and how you started because your 82 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 3: story is is is crazy just talking about your pops, 83 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 3: where you came from, and what puts you into this place. 84 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 3: So let's start from there. 85 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: So Maya grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, like you said, 86 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: on the east side of Cleveland. It's an area called Glenville. 87 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: It's Glenville, and but there's a street called Saint Clair, 88 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: which is basically our broadway, right, and every every street 89 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: off of Saint Clair is essentially its own block and 90 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,720 Speaker 1: it's the neighborhood, but it's but it's also separate. So 91 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: you know, it was we grew up, you couldn't really 92 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: go to certain corner stores. If you wasn't from you could, 93 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: but you couldn't. Like and a weird thing is I 94 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: could go anywhere in the city, but a friend of 95 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: mine maybe not. They might not accept him like that 96 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: or whatever. So I always had this this support system, 97 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: right and the protection as well. You know, I think 98 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: just based upon a lot of shit that I did 99 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:56,239 Speaker 1: is as growing up, but an athlete, you know, someone 100 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: who I didn't really horse play as a kid because 101 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: I was always about betting and getting some money some 102 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: type of way love fashion, but I was into sports. 103 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: I played sports, but I wasn't the best at it. 104 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: I wasn't like growing up on my street, I was 105 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: the best, but as I grew I wasn't the best 106 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: player on my high school team. But it didn't really 107 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: it didn't deter me from wanting to play and we 108 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: wanted to state championship, you know, two years ago. I 109 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: went to state championship three years straight in high school. 110 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: But I wasn't good. I wasn't the best player on 111 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: the team by far. 112 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 2: Hey the book, you talked like he was getting buckets. 113 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: Now, well, it depends on what the age I was. 114 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: I'm still one of the best shooters out there period. 115 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: You could talk to some NBA guys about this. They'll 116 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: tell you that. But what I'm saying is, but I 117 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: was the best off the court in certain things. 118 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 2: Right. 119 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: I love to get drassket fly. I had this confidence 120 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: in any room, and I hung with older people. See, 121 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:57,119 Speaker 1: people don't understand I was thirteen, like hanging with y'all. 122 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: So I'm thirteen years old, niggas say today today. And 123 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: so when I was young, I remember I had I 124 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: lived with both grandmothers, so my mom was struggling and 125 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: we had to move in with my mother's mom in 126 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: eighty six eighty seven, And then in nineteen ninety I 127 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: moved to Saint Louis for a small stint because my 128 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: mother's from Saint Louis. I went to Vashona High School. 129 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: I had a ton of family in Saint Louis that 130 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: wasn't working for me, my brother and my sister. So 131 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: my dad put us on the Greyhound back to Cleveland. 132 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: When we moved there for a short stint, we just 133 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: stayed in a small apartment, just us. And you know, 134 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: like that's when you're reading a book where I used 135 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: to have to walk around and look on the ground 136 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,600 Speaker 1: and pick up a quarter or nicol or diamond, buy 137 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: me a cheeseburger or whatever, and I start betting guys 138 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,720 Speaker 1: at the park without having any money to get and 139 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: my jump shot got better because of that. But anyway, 140 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: so then I moved in with my father's mom and 141 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: it was her mother and my uncle Charlie. The average 142 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: age in the house is sixty five. Right, I'm ten, 143 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: So I'm watching Meet the Press and Larry king Liven 144 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: sixty minutes and ironically I'm on sixty minutes last night, 145 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: which is insane. So it was just I was that kid, 146 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:24,679 Speaker 1: that kid you see on the cover of the book 147 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: that's thirteen, fourteen years old. I chose that because that's 148 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: where there's a fork in the road in life. We 149 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: all know that. Right at that age, you start being 150 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: held accountable for your actions in the neighborhood. You start 151 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: to and you see guys you hung with every day, 152 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: and now y'all start to go. Y'all separate ways based 153 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: upon your interest. So my interest was fashion, getting money girls, 154 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: you know, and sports that those were my four pillars, 155 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: and so it took me down this path. But I 156 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: grew up in my dad's store and on that corner 157 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: rn J and Jake confectioner. Yeah, you know, on that corner. Man, 158 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: I was never allowed to be a kid. You saw things, 159 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: you heard things that you probably shouldn't have seen as 160 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: a kid, of course, and you start to mimic things, 161 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: you start to do things. And so I aspired to 162 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: be like certain guys on and off the court, right, 163 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: And so I know you love real estate, Nindy. I 164 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: never forget. I got my first apartment and my man 165 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: that I went to lunch with, he's like, his name 166 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: is Text. He's like, how long are you going staying 167 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: up in the apartment. I'm like, what do you mean? 168 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,199 Speaker 1: I just got it. He's like, yeah, Bud, you should 169 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: be thinking about buying a house, owning something, you know. 170 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, I'm nineteen years old, Like what are 171 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: you talking? So he but he showed me when you 172 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: go in the house, okay, this is kind of your 173 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: money's in your kitchen and bathrooms. And you know, so 174 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: when I bought my first home at twenty years old. 175 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: The first thing I did was I redid the kitchen 176 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: in bath. So I had this I was young, but 177 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: I also had this older type soul to me. And 178 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: so all those stories are in the book, but that's 179 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: who I am. 180 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 2: And so that picture. 181 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 4: Lets me know that story. All that picture lets me 182 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 4: know everything you said in that book was true. 183 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 2: You ain't getting that hair and. 184 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,319 Speaker 1: Bone that's in front of my dad's story, by the way. 185 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,679 Speaker 1: And you know, and by then, by that time, by 186 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:33,079 Speaker 1: this age, Christmas gifts like if I got something for 187 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:34,439 Speaker 1: Christmas is because I bought it. 188 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 2: You know. 189 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: It wasn't like I never spent I can't remember a 190 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: Christmas I ever spent with my mother, you know, prior 191 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: to being grown. So you know it was miss Peach Holidays. 192 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:52,319 Speaker 1: She was a g by the way, you loved her. 193 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: You eat sweet potato pine. Yeah, you would fly to 194 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 1: Cleveland that for her, you know, or have her ship 195 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: it to you. It was that good. But it was 196 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: just a thing where like you're saying, that picture was 197 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: taken by a lady. Her name was Picture Lady, and 198 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: Picture Lady would go around to the different blocks and 199 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: she had a polaroid camera with film and she would 200 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: charge us five dollars for the pictures, and so that 201 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:22,719 Speaker 1: would just happen to be one to me. I may 202 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: have some dudes in there, and you know, back in 203 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: the day, you would get that picture to a girl 204 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: you like or whatnot. And I was thinking about picture 205 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: lady the other day, and she was somebody's mother and 206 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: obviously she was strung out as well, but thinking she 207 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: wasn't right. She was actually Instagram before Instagram, right, because 208 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: what she was doing was she was allowing us to 209 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,559 Speaker 1: tell our story through this picture of what we were 210 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: doing at that time in the moment. I know exactly 211 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: when that was day and everything, well, I know exactly 212 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: the moment that was because I said to her, hold on, 213 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: let me take my shirt off, and you know, the 214 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: one knee on the like, everything in that picture was 215 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: detailed strategically like that because in my mind, I'm giving 216 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: that to a girl, so I wanted, you know, the 217 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: whole look to be what it was. 218 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 2: She was documenting. 219 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, she was documented. So when I talk about the 220 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: street aspect of it, I'm not glorifying it. But what 221 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying is when you young, especially young and black, 222 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: just a minority in these in these poverty stricten communities. 223 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 1: You don't grow up next to people with careers, right, 224 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: you don't. You don't understand how corporate America actually works. 225 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: And so if you have any type of entrepreneurial spirit, 226 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: your options are so small, right, and then the opportunity 227 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: is even smaller. There are no opportunities, and so you 228 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: you know, you turn to certain things. And when you 229 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: think about that, people talk about how to get to 230 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 1: this point. I can't ask you. You know, you talk 231 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: about lucky me. Part of that is I am lucky 232 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: to grow up in the community. I am lucky to 233 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: have a dad who had a I learned math work 234 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 1: in my dad's cash register and playing people's lottery numbers. 235 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 1: And you know, if your auntie been playing a number 236 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: six sixty five for a whole year, and now she 237 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: gets to the thing and this kid playing and she 238 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,439 Speaker 1: get home and six sixty five come out, but her 239 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: tickets say six sixty four. Oh oh, you either better 240 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: have the money that she missed out on or it's 241 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: gonna be some smoke in the city, you know. And 242 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: so that that was the pressure for me. There's no 243 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: pressure in what I'm doing today because of look at 244 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: the journey out for I was just trying to survive 245 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: the day. You know, you come outside, you just trying 246 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:51,320 Speaker 1: to get home that night. So we couldn't plan ahead. 247 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: There was no in the summertime. We going to Europe 248 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: for two weeks and travel o. You know, we barely 249 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: went downtown. I went with my dad on the bus, 250 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 1: but I got friends that's never been to the airport. 251 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 3: You also talk about, you know, your mom being strung out, 252 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 3: but when your father passed away, you actually started selling drugs, 253 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 3: the same drugs that strung her out. 254 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, So I respected my mom and my dad. I 255 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 1: never wanted any part of that. But as you know, 256 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: like and I respected my dad so much. And not 257 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: to mention, my dad was like air traffic control for 258 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 1: the hood. And that's the one thing like he didn't. 259 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: He was a man of principal and moral and my 260 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: dad was a man's man, like he was literally, you know, 261 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,320 Speaker 1: he's a man's man and I respected him so much. 262 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: But when he passed away, it wasn't just that my 263 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: dad passed away. My brother was locked up, my uncle 264 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: was locked up, my cousin John John was locked up, 265 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: and my mother and sister are in Saint Louis, and 266 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,719 Speaker 1: so I'm really on an island, you know. And when 267 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: I made that decision, I made the decision with the 268 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: understanding that I also know what comes with this, and 269 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: so if you're going to do it, I had to 270 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 1: make a conscious decision to try to find the right 271 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: within the wrong. And I was just trying to survive. 272 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,320 Speaker 1: I'm not glorifying it because I think there's you have 273 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: so much talent. I think there's people settle a lot, right, 274 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 1: But back then, like I said, the options and the 275 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: opportunity were so slim, and the things that I aspired 276 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: to have and that I wanted, the only way to 277 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: get it was to do And I was a hustler 278 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: period in all every step of the way. I'm still 279 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: hustling to this day. As you say, I came in 280 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: and gave you guys athletics new balance and that's a sports, 281 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: a pair of band I'm building. But yeah, man, like 282 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: I didn't. I don't glorify it, but it was something 283 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: that at that moment in my life I had to do, 284 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: or at least I felt I had. 285 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 4: I don't judge anybody for what they were doing while 286 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 4: the survival mode. 287 00:14:58,080 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, It's just what I felt I had to do. 288 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: And again, but there was a conscious to it. There 289 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: was just there was a strategy to it. There was 290 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: a less it's more component to it as well. 291 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 4: And you knew what you were doing was wrong because 292 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 4: when you lost that two fifty, you felt like you 293 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 4: shouldn't have been doing that anyway anyway. 294 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: So I didn't even but I didn't even trip it, 295 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: but I just kept I just kept kept going because 296 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: you know, it wasn't for me, right, And sometimes I've 297 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: never sat in my success even to this day. And 298 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: I don't see you guys much, but if you ever 299 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 1: see me, I'm gonna be the same person every time. 300 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 2: Right. 301 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: One thing about one thing about life growing up the 302 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: way I did it, don't lie to you. It don't 303 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: lie to you. So and I grew up around people 304 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: that you know, you couldn't talk about it if you 305 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: didn't live it. That's just how it was. We wasn't 306 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: taking rental cars and putting rims on it and driving 307 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: a freaknik and acting like this was my car. You know, 308 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: we would never ever do that. So today in the 309 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: chapter on your close, like those same principles stick to me. 310 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: There's just certain things I'm not going to do so 311 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: as I'm representing players, I'm not going to ever lie 312 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: to you about anything or for no amount of money. 313 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: But the title agent, you know, that was always deemed 314 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: as a shady thing. I made it glamorous, right, being seen, 315 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: being out, being on the floor, dressing fly all that. 316 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: That's just who I am. That's not because I'm an agent. 317 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: But then what I realized was, I'm saying to myself 318 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: as I worked at another company and I'm looking at 319 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 1: these guys representing players, I'm saying to myself, this is 320 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: all transaction. This is why thinking about the Streets in 321 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: the book, what the Streets does is it for most people, 322 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: it's going to allow you to build bad habits right, 323 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: get up late, You have nobody to answer to, You 324 00:16:55,240 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: have no no structure, no scheduling, no anything, pretty much right, 325 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: And every time you do something in a transaction form, 326 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 1: it feels like you've made money. Yeah, you've made money, 327 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: but you haven't made profit. It's a different dynamic, but 328 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,160 Speaker 1: it makes you feel as if you did. But it's 329 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: setting you back, right. And so that's why people never 330 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: tend to build anything. And so I took that and 331 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: I learned from that, and I said, you know what, 332 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,640 Speaker 1: these people, it's only about a transaction when a talent 333 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 1: run out. They're not investing in the person at all. 334 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: They're treating a person as if they're you know, pretty 335 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: much dumb. And the families, once they take the money, 336 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: they took the money. And that's how it was, and 337 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: that's how it still is in a lot of ways. 338 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 1: And there's still a piece of families, especially and I 339 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: target this towards black families. There's still a piece of 340 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: black families that would rather do business with them than 341 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: you for a number of things. And this is what 342 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: I learned at my dad's store. When I worked to dad. 343 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: At my dad's store, we used to give people credit 344 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: brown paper bag that come in, Miss Johnson needs some 345 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: toilet paper, some soap. You would write it down. That's 346 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: in the middle of the month. First of the month. 347 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: Come around, everybody get they checks. And me and my 348 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: brother catch you spending the money with the competition around 349 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: the corner. 350 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 4: That's right, who probably white and you still but you still, oh, 351 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 4: why you just don't come and pay us. 352 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: And it started to see in my mind that oh, 353 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: when they see me with the New Jordans on in 354 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: their mind, they're spending money with my dad and that's 355 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: helping him make me look better than them. Right, it's 356 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: the same thing today. So you know you you're rather 357 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: spend it with or you're rather pay them, But when 358 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: it comes to me, you want me to cut my fees. 359 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 3: How difficult was that when you are doing these deals 360 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,719 Speaker 3: with the NBA, NFL or whatever whatever organization it is 361 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,360 Speaker 3: because to them, like you said, they might not respect 362 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 3: you as somebody else who's who doesn't look like that, 363 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 3: that looks more like them than like you. How difficult 364 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 3: it is to get in there and say, nah, it's 365 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 3: still my worth, it's still my value. And for people 366 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:21,160 Speaker 3: that don't know, I just want to break down. 367 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: You started. 368 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 3: You met Lebron in the. 369 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: Airport, and airport. 370 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 3: Y'all connected on things outside of just sports. You're connected 371 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 3: on fashion and familihood and this, that and the other. 372 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,479 Speaker 3: And you decided you wanted to be an agent, but 373 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 3: you didn't go to streaming for sports management. 374 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:38,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you put you on pay. I don't give 375 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 2: them too much a book away, but. 376 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: That's what happened. So I was already going back and 377 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: forth to Atlanta because it actually has started here. I 378 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: came up on all women's bus trip with my man's 379 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: mom was throwing and I actually, you know how you 380 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: go over your man's house and she's in there frying 381 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: chicken or whatever. I gave it. She was like, we're 382 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 1: doing a bus trip for the girls. Whatever. Okay, gret 383 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: I said, here he go. You know, three four hundred 384 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: dollars take four people by much, it's like just sixty 385 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: five dollars apiece. Whatever, Like, yeah, go ahead, no problem, man, 386 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: I'm in the gambling house. It's about two thirty three 387 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: in the morning. My phone ring one night and they're like, 388 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: she's like, where y'all at. I'm like, what, Like, yeah, 389 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 1: we waiting on you guys. They park at a local 390 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,800 Speaker 1: grocery store and everybody park their car and you go 391 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: up and back. I wasn't gonna go. My man who 392 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: was with me, his named mike E. My man who 393 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 1: was with me, He's like, yo, we might as well go, bro, 394 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: because we had just bought these scooters that go like 395 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty five miles an hour, and in 396 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:40,239 Speaker 1: order for us to ride them without a helmet, you 397 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,199 Speaker 1: can have a helmet on or eyewear, So, you know, 398 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 1: we wanted to fly eyewear. We wanted cardies, you know 399 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: back then this is this is in two thousand, right, 400 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 1: two thousand and one pretty much. And so we come 401 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: here and take the bus trip where they get off 402 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: on Canal Street. Well, I definitely ain't shopping there. So 403 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 1: him and I we hit, you know, we hit Fifth 404 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: Avenue and hit all the story because we was flying 405 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: like we would. This was what we was doing, right, 406 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,639 Speaker 1: And so at the corner of my eye when the 407 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: NBA story was on, I think it's fifty third and fifth, 408 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, I gotta go here because I got 409 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,199 Speaker 1: these bo Jackson's on ice. I had these bow Jacksons 410 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: on ice for like six months, and we used to 411 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: buy sneakers. I'm not exaggerating literally every day, right, And 412 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: so I wanted to latrell spree. Well, the white one 413 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: because the number eight was outlined in black, and I 414 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: had the black bo Jackson's. I wanted that to hit 415 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: like that, And so I go in there. 416 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 2: So you had the orange blue bow Jackson, not the 417 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 2: black white. 418 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: Black jack See, most people would put the white jersey 419 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: with the white orange, but I didn't want that. 420 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 4: By the way, he says that in the book, like 421 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,640 Speaker 4: you literally said, That's how I know you paid. 422 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 2: Attention to that much. Thak you like everybody would do 423 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 2: the orange. 424 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, because you just exsume because he in New 425 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 3: York could go to the Knicks, he get the bull. 426 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:52,439 Speaker 1: But yeah, but I already had the bo Jackson. I 427 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: just I wanted the spree well because of that outline. 428 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: It could have been envy on the back, but I 429 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,880 Speaker 1: just wanted that eight black eight. And so while I'm 430 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: in there, I'm in line, and I don't even know 431 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 1: this young man's name, but this is crazy. When I'm 432 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:12,919 Speaker 1: in the store and I'm in line, I look and 433 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: it's an Oscar Robertson Bucks, it's an Elgin Baylor Lakers, 434 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: and it's a Bill Russell Celtics. I get to Elgin 435 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: Baylor and I get to Oscar Roberson. But prior to that, 436 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: I asked him, I said, what is that section right there? 437 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: This is very important? He said, that's our hardwood classics section. 438 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:33,679 Speaker 1: So I'm like, okay, hold on, let me go. I 439 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: grab two jerseys. I'm thinking they, you know, one hundred 440 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 1: dollars or whatever. I should go up to seven point fifty. 441 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: I'm like, but I'm in line. I'm not gonna get 442 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: out of line. And I'm like, you know, forget it, 443 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: come on with it. Boom. So now when I get home, 444 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: we go back. I get home, I wear one jersey. 445 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,120 Speaker 1: It was this neighborhood called Superior Hill, and they throw 446 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: a block party, right, so I knew I wanted to 447 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: wear the Bucks with some butters and tams because that 448 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: orange and green, I mean that green and red will 449 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: hit with the tams with the butters. I didn't want 450 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 1: to wear no red and white shoes or whatever. And 451 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: then so I wore that, and everybody asked me about it. 452 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: But I was fly, so they always would ask me 453 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: about the I was wearing Vershachi in like ninety four, 454 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: like tight, when nobody was wearing Charlottagne. Would be would 455 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: have got on me. But I got pictures of this, 456 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: you know, And I was always a kid that would 457 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 1: if I had one thousand dollars, I spent eight hundred 458 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: on the sweater. It didn't matter to me. So anyway, 459 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 1: so I do that, and I wear the Elgin Beta Lakers. 460 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:33,679 Speaker 1: When I wear this jersey to the club called the 461 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 1: Millennium everybody's asking me, and the millennium is every hood 462 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: from everywhere is in here. So now I'm like, I 463 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,479 Speaker 1: get home first house I ever bought, and I had 464 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: a little makeshift office, and I couldn't sleep, and I 465 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: couldn't sleep. Man, I'm like, this is on my mind 466 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,360 Speaker 1: because everybody kept asking me. And I remember the kid said, 467 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:58,640 Speaker 1: that's our Hardwood Classic session section. So I'm already getting 468 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,639 Speaker 1: into about four point thirty in the morning. You know, 469 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: you can't really doze off my energy up. So I 470 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 1: go into it and I get on the computer and 471 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: it was still like might have been like it wasn't 472 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 1: definitely wasn't Google. I don't think. I don't know what 473 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,120 Speaker 1: search engine, may be AOL or whatever. But I put 474 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 1: in Hardwood Classics and distant replays came up. It was 475 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: a story in Atlanta, and that was the first thing 476 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: that popped up. So now I can't wait. It opened 477 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:26,119 Speaker 1: at nine called I buy three Jerseys. I do this, 478 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 1: I repeat this for two months. I get close with 479 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 1: the guy's name is Andy Hymen. I get close with him. 480 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: I say Andy, I'm hustling. I say, Andy, do you 481 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: would you mind if I you know, and allowed me 482 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: to invest in your store. He said, rich, if you serious, 483 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,159 Speaker 1: come and see me fly down. I had never been 484 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: on the plane because you know we live in Cleveland. 485 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,439 Speaker 1: Do we drive everywhere in Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, everything is close, Philly, 486 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: d C. So my man d Hodge, he graduated from 487 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: a school called Cleveland Heights. And when you graduate from 488 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: Cleveland Heights as a as a man, most of these kids, 489 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: especially the black kids, they went to hpcu's so they 490 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 1: either went to Clark or Moorhouse. He was like, my 491 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: man went to Clark. His name was Gerald. He lived 492 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: in Marietta. He's like, my man went to Clark. Man, 493 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: we can go to his spot. He'll let us stay 494 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,639 Speaker 1: with him. I'll book the flights. Well, if anybody know 495 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: de Hodge, he's kind of like he's not cheap, but 496 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: he's cheap, you know in terms of he gonna spend 497 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 1: the money wise. He so he found a flight on 498 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: air Tran from Akron Canton. That's what got me flying 499 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: out of Akron, Cant because if I would have booked 500 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: the flight, I would have probably just took Delta out 501 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: of Cleveland because it's a fifteen minute Rocketer Airport versus 502 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: a forty five minute rochet because the way I think 503 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 1: the time I'm spending is money. But he didn't think 504 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: that way, Thank god he didn't. And so now I 505 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 1: get down there, I sleep on Gerald's couch. I'm sleep 506 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: on Gerald's couch. They get up, take me to I 507 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 1: get there eleven thirty. Is at twelve. I get there 508 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: eleven thirty because the book away, man, am I yes, 509 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: I just so, but but they should go and read. 510 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: They still got tod But so when I have the meeting, 511 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: Andy tells me, I can't let you invest, but if 512 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: you work in the store, I'll allow you to get 513 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: forty percent off whatever you buy. But you know I'm 514 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: trying to I'm like, come on with it. And that's 515 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: what really started me going back and forth. So through 516 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: that those travels, I actually met Lebron in the airport 517 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:33,959 Speaker 1: one day. That's what happened. 518 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 4: But it was interesting because Bron, you said, y'all, y'all 519 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 4: kicked it became friends just on life, right. 520 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,439 Speaker 2: Did he put you on salary? You don't even know why. 521 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: No. He called me down to his house one day, man, 522 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: And by the way, I wasn't even looking at it 523 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,120 Speaker 1: from that perspective. But as we got cooler and cooler, 524 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:53,160 Speaker 1: he put me, you know, and I'm and I'm showing 525 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: him a little. So I've been buying diamonds and so 526 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: I was seventh eighth grade, so I'm showing him about 527 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:02,400 Speaker 1: stuff like that. And we really bonded over our mothers though. 528 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,520 Speaker 1: And I'm the last one too. I'm not from I 529 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:08,120 Speaker 1: don't play the fake cousin thing. I'm from Cleveland. They're 530 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:12,679 Speaker 1: from Akron. We wasn't friends. It wasn't fake anything. It 531 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: just it was a fake thing, it really was. And yeah, 532 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,119 Speaker 1: he called me down to his house one day. He 533 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: asked me for my social Security. I'm like, man, no way, 534 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: I'm gonnaiving you my social you know, you can't play 535 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: with nobody's social But after about forty five minutes, forty 536 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: five minutes, I ended up giving it to him. And 537 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,880 Speaker 1: we had been to camps, Jordan Camp, Nike Camp, all 538 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,679 Speaker 1: these different camps and so yeah, man, like about a 539 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: month or so later, my a check coming to mail 540 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: and my mother. I didn't when I said I didn't 541 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,959 Speaker 1: know how to read a check. It's just because if 542 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: you never got a check before, pretty much outside of 543 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 1: a summer job at the post office. I did wasn't 544 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: reading a check in terms of understanding pay period whatever, 545 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 1: no title or anything like that. And my mother was like, yeah, 546 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: you know, you're making forty eight thousand pretty much a year, 547 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: two thousand, whatever it was. And I'm like, cool, but 548 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: nobody's called me and told me anything. So I called him. 549 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,959 Speaker 1: I was like, Yo, what am I supposed to be doing, Like, 550 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: what's my job? He was like, I don't have nothing 551 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: for you, bro, I don't got nothing. He was like, 552 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: I just he told me, He's like, ever since you've 553 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: been around me, it's been nothing but love. Like I 554 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,119 Speaker 1: don't I don't feel threatened you damn sure, ain't no 555 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,840 Speaker 1: leech or anything like that. And I will figure out. 556 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 1: I just gotta have you around me, cause like cause 557 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: you know, like it's situations in which I remember one 558 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 1: time he didn't he might not have wanted to sign 559 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: an autograph for a kid or something, and I had 560 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: a conversation with him, like you should sign an autograph 561 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 1: because you just never know, not knowing that he was 562 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 1: gonna play, you know, thirty years in the league. But 563 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: back then I'm saying, you don't know how long you 564 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: know somebody's gonna want your autograph, and you also don't 565 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 1: know what it does to this kid, right, And so 566 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: I said to him, I said, God chooses people for 567 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: a reason. And you know you got to play the cards. 568 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: That's dept the car that's dealt to you. Just so 569 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: happy to come with an abundance of pictures being taken, 570 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 1: in autographs being signed. And this was prior to him 571 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 1: being drafted. 572 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 4: By the way, I believe that all the wisdom your 573 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 4: father instilled in you. And that's that's another reason I 574 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 4: loved the book, because of the way you honor your 575 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 4: father in the book. I believe a lot of the 576 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 4: wisdom he instilled in you you were able to instill 577 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 4: in Brawn one. 578 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:23,080 Speaker 1: Hundred percent, you know, undred percent. Yea moment and it 579 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: was and you know it was four of us, but 580 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: I brought we all brought some different to the table. 581 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: I brought that element, like you're saying, just that cold 582 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: hard truth street, you know, a protection in a lot 583 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: of ways he felt, and a confidence for all of 584 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 1: us though, like you know, I would do. You know, 585 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: I had corns and Jacobs and Rolexes, and if it's 586 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 1: here man, not him, because his risk was too big. 587 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: But like I was a guy, I wanted everybody to 588 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 1: look like something right, And so that mentality I got 589 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: from my hood, Like if it was your turn, envy 590 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 1: to go and buy the Jordans. You bought them for 591 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: all ten of us. Damn you know, That's how it was. 592 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 1: And if it was my turn, or if hours somebody 593 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 1: had to go or and buy this, like they get 594 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: them for it wasn't nothing like that right. Even when 595 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: we brought the scooters, I didn't have the money on me. 596 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 1: My man might had it. I'm like, he lived closer. 597 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: I'm like, just give me it, Just give me ten 598 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:19,960 Speaker 1: I'll give it to you when we get back down 599 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: the way. He's like, okay, cool. You know that's how. 600 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 1: That's how our relationship. And I'm still friends to this 601 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: day with pretty much all the guys I grew up with. 602 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 1: I can't hang out with him because I'm in a 603 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: different space. But when I go home, I don't really 604 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: have no new friends. These are you know, my friends. 605 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 4: Why was it important for you to honor and celebrate 606 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 4: your father the way you did? 607 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 2: In Lucky Me. 608 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: He was just such a great example from me and 609 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: growing up, most of my friends didn't have their father. 610 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: And even though my father didn't live in the house 611 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: with me, he was just such a great example, and 612 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: not for me, for everybody. Everybody respected my man. When 613 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: my dad funeral, you had two thousand people there from 614 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 1: the age of three to ninety three. Wow. Everybody came 615 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: and paid their respects. And I never forget. A man 616 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: came in my dad's store one day after he pass 617 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 1: and he was like big rich here and he was like, nah, man, 618 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: you know he died. This grown man. He had to 619 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: be about fifty seven years old. Man, you would have 620 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: felt like he got hit by It was just it 621 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: hit him hard. He couldn't believe it. Because my dad 622 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: helped people grow. My dad helped people. He raised a 623 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 1: lot of these people, and men and women like girls, 624 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: if they got pregnant and didn't know how to tell 625 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: their parents, they come to my dad. Guys went to jail. 626 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: The payphone in my dad's store when you call a 627 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: lot of guys that went to jail, they would call 628 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: and my dad would actually bond him out, so you know, 629 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:56,480 Speaker 1: and a lot of ways, that actually saved my life 630 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways because I had so much 631 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: protection from the foundation that my dad, my uncle, my 632 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: brother laid down. So when I'm in the back alleys 633 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: and I'm gambling behind abandoned building or the basement of 634 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 1: abandoned house, for me to make it out of there 635 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: with the money of this guy that I know, I 636 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: know what he do. I know. And that's the thing 637 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: about the business I'm in. I don't come from a 638 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: place to where you can have anonymous people going who's 639 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: hype and talk bad about rich Paul Like, I don't 640 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: give a shit about any of that. But I'm a 641 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 1: stand on business and so I also don't play that 642 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: aspect of it. And when I had the conversation on 643 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: gills Pot with Stephen A. Smith, remember when I said 644 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:45,320 Speaker 1: that's cap. I wasn't trying to be negative towards him. 645 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: I'm saying this cap because I come from an environment 646 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: where I survived that energy for somebody to tell me 647 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: get the you know. 648 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 2: Oh you talk about Stephen A. Smith when he said. 649 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: When he said he told me to get the fuck 650 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: out of his face, I'm like, you never said that 651 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: to me. Not because I'm this tough guy, because I'm 652 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 1: for I'm for peace prophet, but I'm a stand on 653 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 1: what I believe in. It's because where I come from, 654 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: that energy is every day and if I can survive, 655 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 1: navigate my way throughout that and get to this point, 656 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 1: I'm I'm in Disney World right now. I'm talking about 657 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: in terms of the energy and the aura and just 658 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: everyday life trying to make it out. My energy is 659 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:33,040 Speaker 1: not gonna push you to say that to me nobody, 660 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: And that was that was my thing, not because it's 661 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: this tough thing. No, it's I never my aura doesn't 662 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: exude that, and so that's what But it's because of 663 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:42,880 Speaker 1: how I grew up. 664 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 2: Speaking of podcast, why you disrespect Michael Jordan like that? 665 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 2: On the podcast? 666 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:47,680 Speaker 1: I didn't disrespect Michael Jordan. 667 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 4: You said that he you said bron is Platinum and 668 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 4: Michael God damn. 669 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: I said, for me, the whatever you call them, the 670 00:33:56,320 --> 00:34:01,880 Speaker 1: answer for me because again in Okay, the way I'm 671 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: looking at it. 672 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:04,920 Speaker 2: Is you never respected Michael Jordan too. You said that 673 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 2: in the book. 674 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:11,719 Speaker 1: I did not see. I did not say that, But 675 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: you're not gonna do that. 676 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,680 Speaker 4: You said you said you respected him on the court, 677 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 4: but off the court, he wasn't for the culture basically 678 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:17,320 Speaker 4: what you said. 679 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,240 Speaker 1: No, I said, I respected him on the court, of course, 680 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:24,320 Speaker 1: but there was no touch. Michael Jordan was a different 681 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:25,400 Speaker 1: guy off the court. 682 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 4: You know. 683 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: I had several examples of Michael Jordan off the court, right, 684 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: So that's not a slight to me. I love Michael Jordan, 685 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:35,439 Speaker 1: by the way, every shoe until like after fourteen, because 686 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:38,319 Speaker 1: it started getting a little weird every game I used 687 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 1: to watch the commercials. Wouldn't even shore I was a 688 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:40,760 Speaker 1: Michael Jordan. 689 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,480 Speaker 4: Everything you said about Jordan in the book, I understood 690 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 4: exactly what you mean. 691 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:49,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's my thing. So like I was more culturally, yeah, 692 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: but but okay, So when you think about a guy 693 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:55,920 Speaker 1: like Alan Iverson, imagine if Alan Iverson had a rich Paul. Yeah, 694 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,800 Speaker 1: you see what I'm saying. It's a different dynamic because 695 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,279 Speaker 1: I understand him. I understand culture, and I know what 696 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 1: those braids and what that armsleeve did, and I understand 697 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: the business that that that didn't necessarily go with rebound. 698 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 2: Who you were talking with back then, Nike? Did Nike? 699 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 2: You understand it because he was there. It's not like 700 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,040 Speaker 2: I'm sure Nike off of him something. 701 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: Alan Iverson knew what his agent told him, you can 702 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: spend it higher, which way you want to spend it. 703 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:33,040 Speaker 1: And if you don't know culture, you don't know. Just shoot, 704 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,759 Speaker 1: how how many how many pairs of sneakers you think 705 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: his agent bought? 706 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 2: I don't know, but I know I bought a bunch 707 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,320 Speaker 2: of the man I'm just saying prior. 708 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 1: To Alan, I how many pairs of sneakers you think 709 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:43,879 Speaker 1: his agent probably bought? 710 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 2: Yeah? Probably nothing exactly. 711 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,560 Speaker 1: So how could you? How could you do a shoe 712 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:51,840 Speaker 1: deal for me? And you don't. You don't have no 713 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 1: because you're gonna get very few guys that can actually 714 00:35:55,480 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: move product. Everybody have a signature shoe cannot move product. 715 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 1: So that shit just for your ego. When you have 716 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: a signature shoe, to go is to build a signature business. 717 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:10,000 Speaker 1: There's been very few guys that can build a signature business. 718 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:10,399 Speaker 2: That's true. 719 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:15,640 Speaker 1: Okay, So my thing is, you can't help me make 720 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:19,799 Speaker 1: that decision. Now, you can help ninety nine point nine 721 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:23,440 Speaker 1: percent of the players make a decision on a shoe deal, 722 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: because it's just pretty simple. If you don't care about 723 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: the brand, pretty much, most guys go on to where 724 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,839 Speaker 1: who's paying the most money. It's only gonna work while 725 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: I'm playing. But if you're an alan iverson. That ain't 726 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:40,840 Speaker 1: what you need. You need somebody that understands culture, understands cool, 727 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: understands product. You get what I'm saying, because you have 728 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: the opportunity to build a business that can have sustainability 729 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,720 Speaker 1: in the marketplace much longer than you play. 730 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 4: He still eat off the answers, though only because it's 731 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:58,359 Speaker 4: something that the agent did or somebody took some money away. 732 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:03,239 Speaker 1: Now his data deferred based upon his spending habits, so 733 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:06,799 Speaker 1: they deferred his money, which was great. I'm not knocking that, 734 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,400 Speaker 1: But you also could have got the money right now 735 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:15,080 Speaker 1: and diversified his portfolio to where he couldn't touch it 736 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:18,280 Speaker 1: and let that money compound and investigate it. He's paying 737 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:23,520 Speaker 1: up you know. Then now he's paying capital gains instead 738 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:28,359 Speaker 1: of paying an income tax. Right, So I mean, I'm 739 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:33,160 Speaker 1: not knocking it. I'm just saying for him, it was 740 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,880 Speaker 1: the right thing in terms of, oh, he likes to 741 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:38,279 Speaker 1: do this, so we're going to do this so he 742 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: doesn't mess it up for his family or whatever the 743 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 1: case may be, which you have to appreciate that. But 744 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,320 Speaker 1: there's also a side to where you can educate him 745 00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:50,080 Speaker 1: on what you're doing and put that money in the 746 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:52,239 Speaker 1: dictor you give what I'm saying, because if I'm not 747 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 1: getting it to fifty two, then look at what was 748 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: he thirty two? So twenty years that money not working 749 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 1: for me? Is that necessarily the right thing too? Like, 750 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:06,839 Speaker 1: I don't know, I'm not again, I'm not knocking. I'm 751 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,880 Speaker 1: just saying the way I think versus. 752 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 2: You know, got you? Yeah, I got it. Let's go 753 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:14,520 Speaker 2: back to the platinum Antlast thing. 754 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: Though, No, Okay, So all I'm saying is that's just 755 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: for me. I think people people oftentimes want you to 756 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: think how they think for whatever reason. Obviously we know 757 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 1: MJ's a goat of his era. No, he's the goat 758 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:31,360 Speaker 1: of his era. 759 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 2: He's the goat Rich's okay. 760 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 1: Of listen, you can't compare eras man like because you 761 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:40,960 Speaker 1: can't fallt MJ for the era he played in. You 762 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 1: can't fault Lebron for the era he played in. You 763 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:47,560 Speaker 1: can't fault Steph Curry for changing it. Steph Curry changed 764 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:50,360 Speaker 1: the game of basketball and the way it's played. My 765 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,959 Speaker 1: coach Frank Novak or coach j May rest in peace 766 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,479 Speaker 1: of Glenville, legendary coach. If you stepped across half court 767 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: and shot forty foot jumper. The only guy I know 768 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:07,799 Speaker 1: did that was Damon Stringer Cleveland Heights. Gard Cappeletti let 769 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,319 Speaker 1: him do that, but he actually made him. That's a 770 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:13,279 Speaker 1: bad shot. Steph Curry turned a bad shot into a 771 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:16,920 Speaker 1: great shot for Steph Curry, not for everybody. You get 772 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:20,480 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. We can knock those things. And again, 773 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 1: when you talk about the Jordan Lebron, everybody gonna have 774 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:29,040 Speaker 1: their own opinion. You're tired, you're entired to that. Michael 775 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,440 Speaker 1: Jordan was the best guy I ever seen play the 776 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:38,839 Speaker 1: game of basketball until twenty years of Lebron. Me saying 777 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:42,479 Speaker 1: twenty years of Lebron. That's not a knock because Lebron 778 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,279 Speaker 1: could also Lebron could also play with Mike. But I 779 00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:50,719 Speaker 1: think Lebron would have been just as good in Mike's era. 780 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:53,960 Speaker 4: Do you think people will ever fully appreciate Bron. No, 781 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:56,960 Speaker 4: if we keep comparing him to Michael Jordan. 782 00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 1: That's my thing, and but it's but it's because people 783 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:07,560 Speaker 1: Lebron was the first person that did things how he 784 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:13,759 Speaker 1: wanted to do it right, unapologetic, unapologetically. They wanted him 785 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:15,759 Speaker 1: to do everything like Mike well, I don't have to 786 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 1: do that right, and it's not that shouldn't be a 787 00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:19,200 Speaker 1: knock on me. 788 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 2: Good marketing, though, Like Mike, everybody wanted to be like Mike. 789 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:27,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, but you know everybody wanted to be like Mike. 790 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: That was a great. That was a great you know. 791 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 2: When you think about himself. 792 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: But when you think about that, that. 793 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 2: Shot hurts you. That bad man beat Cleveland in the playoffs. 794 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:40,759 Speaker 1: No, I actually I was actually Mike fan. I was 795 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:42,919 Speaker 1: actually I'm still a Mike fan. I talked to Mike 796 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: all the time, like it's not that's not a thing. 797 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 2: Do y'all argue about who's better him? 798 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,279 Speaker 1: Aroun Me and Mike never had we argue, but we 799 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:52,360 Speaker 1: had we go on the base about different things. I 800 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 1: got the utmost respect for Mike. We're gonna rebate debates 801 00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: about different things. But I'm also a truth like I 802 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 1: don't sugarcoat things. And I'm never gonna get in the 803 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:05,520 Speaker 1: room and it could be Jay z in here and 804 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:08,640 Speaker 1: Mike and here, and then here comes Charlotte Magne and 805 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 1: I act like I don't know you, or I start 806 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:12,319 Speaker 1: talking different. I'm not gonna get to New York and 807 00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:14,360 Speaker 1: start talking like I'm from New York, I don't. We 808 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:16,640 Speaker 1: don't play that where I'm from. So it don't matter 809 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:19,240 Speaker 1: who it is on the other end. If I believe something, 810 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,520 Speaker 1: that's what I believe. It's not a slight to anybody. 811 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: I think Mike's to go. I also think Lebron's to go. 812 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:27,319 Speaker 2: I agree with that. 813 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:31,960 Speaker 1: I think the antlers are a little different for different reasons. 814 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:34,279 Speaker 1: That has nothing to do with the game of basketball, though. 815 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:38,279 Speaker 4: It's if he has the problem with Lebron Jordan thing 816 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,680 Speaker 4: because it always turns into what what type of man 817 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:41,840 Speaker 4: they are off the court? Now? 818 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I'm not I'm not looking at that either, 819 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:45,600 Speaker 1: because I can't. I can't judge Mike for a type 820 00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,800 Speaker 1: of man. Mike's a great, great man, take care of 821 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,279 Speaker 1: his family, kids, everything so great business time, my top 822 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 1: five all timetime. You know, people be trying to front 823 00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 1: on Isaiah Thomas from a point guard perspective, like they 824 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:06,799 Speaker 1: need to stop that, go stop because Zeke. Very few 825 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:10,920 Speaker 1: guys touching Zeke. So from a point guard perspective, there's Zeke, 826 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:19,720 Speaker 1: there's Magic, there's Steph you know. Yeah, I mean yeah, 827 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: I would, I would, I would even throw even though 828 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:27,880 Speaker 1: he hasn't won a championship yet. As a point guard, 829 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,080 Speaker 1: you know, you gotta respect what what CP has done 830 00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,160 Speaker 1: to you know, you. 831 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:37,520 Speaker 2: Say five point guard, you just five players. He's players. 832 00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:40,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's tough. But my top five of all time, 833 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:47,399 Speaker 1: Bron Mike. I mean, I gotta put Steph in there 834 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:56,319 Speaker 1: now because at three, not in no particular, I'm doing positions. Yeah. Man, 835 00:42:56,360 --> 00:43:02,680 Speaker 1: See that's where it gets tough, because I gotta put 836 00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:04,719 Speaker 1: I gotta put Kobe in there too. 837 00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:06,480 Speaker 2: You got to think about it. 838 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,400 Speaker 1: No, No, I'm just saying I gotta put Kobe in there. 839 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:15,480 Speaker 1: That's four four and then ship you magic, you go shack, 840 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:19,080 Speaker 1: you go nah, because I already got my point guard 841 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,319 Speaker 1: and I rock with magic. But I mean, you know 842 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,359 Speaker 1: I would go shack. Yeah, I would probably go shack. 843 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:27,239 Speaker 1: But you know it's the whole top five. I don't 844 00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:30,319 Speaker 1: do top five. You know, if I would, that's my 845 00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:34,440 Speaker 1: team that nobody can beat. That's my team. But then 846 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:38,560 Speaker 1: when you talk about just great players, Kevin Durants a 847 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:42,280 Speaker 1: great player. Despite what anybody has to say, the league 848 00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:44,600 Speaker 1: is full of great players right now. Giannis is a 849 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:50,320 Speaker 1: great player. You know, Damian Lillard, you know, like people 850 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 1: try to get on a guy like a d But 851 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:55,720 Speaker 1: there's no better basketball player. When you talk about Anthony 852 00:43:55,800 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 1: Davis when he's playing the game of basketball level, he's unbelievable. 853 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:02,920 Speaker 1: But our league is in the But these young guys today, 854 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 1: you look at what Jason Tatum, I mean, all these 855 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:09,319 Speaker 1: and I have the guys that I represent, the young 856 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:14,719 Speaker 1: guys that I represent. We got dogs Man Garland, Maxie John, 857 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:19,160 Speaker 1: tay Trey, you know, Miles Bridges is back. You got 858 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:23,440 Speaker 1: you got, I mean, we got so many Zach Lavine, 859 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 1: Darrin File in. 860 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:35,080 Speaker 2: The world just playing. So maybe what was the dude 861 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:37,560 Speaker 2: named Drew Rosenhouse. Maybe a little bit, but not. 862 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:44,279 Speaker 1: Because you understand, like I'm appreciative of my guys, You're 863 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:46,000 Speaker 1: only as strong as the guys allow you to be. 864 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,640 Speaker 1: My guys state, And it's I'm not just representing them 865 00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:52,920 Speaker 1: as basketball players. There are young men, they're people. We 866 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 1: talk about everything. Draymond Draymond is at my house more 867 00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:58,480 Speaker 1: than me. I don't even have to be there. Draymond 868 00:44:58,480 --> 00:44:59,480 Speaker 1: could be in my house right now. 869 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:03,520 Speaker 2: That's my favorite play in the league. And it's not 870 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:06,359 Speaker 2: because I just like the way he leads on the. 871 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:09,920 Speaker 1: Court, and I like to show, you know, the young 872 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,719 Speaker 1: guys coming up right. Like I said, you know, this 873 00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:16,600 Speaker 1: year our draft was was great. Not because we had 874 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 1: every pick one through ten. No, it's not about that, 875 00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:22,719 Speaker 1: because if you do the numbers, there's on sixty picks 876 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:25,480 Speaker 1: a lot of guys will make it the second deals. 877 00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:28,880 Speaker 1: But the character of guys is what I really focus 878 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 1: on just as much as the talent today. And I 879 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:33,560 Speaker 1: can't name everybody. I was just naming a few guys, 880 00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: but you know, the way I go about and we 881 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:40,720 Speaker 1: go about our business as a company, it's just different. 882 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:42,000 Speaker 1: We know I'm not I know I'm not gonna be 883 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,480 Speaker 1: able to represent every player. Every family don't want to 884 00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:47,280 Speaker 1: hear the truth when you're in a when you're in 885 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:50,040 Speaker 1: a meeting, And at the same time, you know you 886 00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 1: still got parents that believe in the so called establishment, 887 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,440 Speaker 1: and you still got people that are divined by their 888 00:45:57,480 --> 00:45:59,920 Speaker 1: business card. I don't. I don't carry a business card 889 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:03,080 Speaker 1: because I defined a business card. It's a difference, you know. 890 00:46:03,239 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 2: So let me tell you my top five. 891 00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,880 Speaker 4: Then I got two more questions for you, Okay, Michael Jordan, 892 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:10,480 Speaker 4: Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, Lebron Magic in that order. 893 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:11,680 Speaker 2: That's my top five. 894 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:17,399 Speaker 1: Okay, I went by positions though, when the league tried 895 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,600 Speaker 1: to box you not top five a team that doesn't, 896 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:20,680 Speaker 1: I don't do the top five thing. 897 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:22,840 Speaker 3: When the league tried to box you out, How difficult 898 00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:24,840 Speaker 3: was that because at one time they tried to change 899 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:28,360 Speaker 3: the rich Paul had to go to school, and this, that, 900 00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:29,759 Speaker 3: and the other. When they tried to box you out, 901 00:46:30,040 --> 00:46:30,880 Speaker 3: break that down. 902 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:32,719 Speaker 1: A couple of things happened. So when I first got 903 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:35,520 Speaker 1: in the business, the first thing there was an article 904 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:42,840 Speaker 1: written on me that tried to basically stuck my growth 905 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:46,719 Speaker 1: or or stop me from being put in position to 906 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:52,040 Speaker 1: even represent players. That was done strategically coming from a 907 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:55,839 Speaker 1: place that I once was, and they tried to do that. 908 00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:58,799 Speaker 1: You know, a couple of people did. That was one 909 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:02,960 Speaker 1: thing that many people skip over and don't even know about. 910 00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:04,640 Speaker 1: And so I had to go through this whole thing. 911 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:09,040 Speaker 1: The nc DOUBLEA investigating me all that found nothing but 912 00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:12,600 Speaker 1: the young man lost his eligibility, which was bad. It 913 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:19,000 Speaker 1: really cost him. But that came from somebody strategically targeting 914 00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:21,560 Speaker 1: me to try to do that number one. And at 915 00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:27,160 Speaker 1: the time when the article was written, it was like, damn, 916 00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:30,000 Speaker 1: you got them to write this article about me that 917 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:34,000 Speaker 1: you know not true, and so that was that really 918 00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:38,640 Speaker 1: pissed me off. And then from there the rule from 919 00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:41,560 Speaker 1: the nc double A about that became the Rich Paul 920 00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:44,960 Speaker 1: rule that said agents had to have a college degree 921 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,040 Speaker 1: to be able to represent people that are testing the water, 922 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:51,120 Speaker 1: meaning that I'm not sure if I'm a pro or 923 00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:55,440 Speaker 1: not and I want to keep my eligibility. Well, I 924 00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:57,799 Speaker 1: don't really represent guys that's testing the water anyway, So 925 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:00,719 Speaker 1: I really wasn't focused on that. At the same time, 926 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:03,640 Speaker 1: when I thought about it a little bit more, I'm like, damn, 927 00:48:03,719 --> 00:48:06,160 Speaker 1: this is not even about me per se, because I'm 928 00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,360 Speaker 1: already over the heill in terms of I made on 929 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:11,120 Speaker 1: another side, it's nothing that could really do to me. 930 00:48:12,200 --> 00:48:16,319 Speaker 1: This is about people come behind me, right, and so 931 00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:19,000 Speaker 1: they're trying to stop that. And that's when I wrote 932 00:48:19,239 --> 00:48:24,759 Speaker 1: the opt head and I think it took six days 933 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 1: from to take it down or whatever. It was like, 934 00:48:26,680 --> 00:48:30,799 Speaker 1: they totally removed it because that was BS and it. 935 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:31,600 Speaker 2: Was clear and blatant. 936 00:48:31,640 --> 00:48:33,080 Speaker 1: They know that, Yeah, it was blatant. 937 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:35,319 Speaker 4: Yeah, Now now I know books are always you know, 938 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:38,040 Speaker 4: great first steps, first steps in the journey of healing. 939 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:39,840 Speaker 4: So what are you doing to unpack some of the 940 00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:41,880 Speaker 4: trauma that you experienced throughout your life? 941 00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:44,560 Speaker 1: Writing this book was very therapeutic for me. Man. I 942 00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:47,279 Speaker 1: needed that. I needed that because you know, as a kid, 943 00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:50,359 Speaker 1: I bottled so much and I didn't know anything about 944 00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,400 Speaker 1: talking to a therapist back then. You know, the therapist 945 00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:56,919 Speaker 1: was like guy with a fifth of rolls in his hand, 946 00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:02,399 Speaker 1: he drunk, you know. But today I'm in a much 947 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,960 Speaker 1: different space. And that's why I felt there was you know, 948 00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:11,200 Speaker 1: kind of like four things motivation the book. I think 949 00:49:11,239 --> 00:49:18,279 Speaker 1: it was important to give people perspective and perception, and 950 00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:21,279 Speaker 1: then to allow people to walk with you through your 951 00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:28,120 Speaker 1: journey and these experiences because we have shared experiences despite race, gender, 952 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:31,600 Speaker 1: whatever the case may be, background, wherever you came from, 953 00:49:31,880 --> 00:49:34,680 Speaker 1: there's a chapter in this book that you share an 954 00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:37,640 Speaker 1: experience with me in some shape form of fast for sure, 955 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,080 Speaker 1: and for some people, most chapters in this books you're 956 00:49:41,080 --> 00:49:44,680 Speaker 1: gonna share experience and experience with me. So the timing 957 00:49:44,719 --> 00:49:46,840 Speaker 1: of it just felt right. And anything I do is 958 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:50,000 Speaker 1: gutting heart, man, like you know, and just like I 959 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:53,400 Speaker 1: was texting me and Lebron was texting the other day 960 00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:55,520 Speaker 1: and I was like man, I really want to get 961 00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:59,120 Speaker 1: the artists to do like a self destruction or all 962 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:02,640 Speaker 1: in the same game type of song because it's just 963 00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:06,680 Speaker 1: what's happening today with our youth, just just so much 964 00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:11,520 Speaker 1: careless killing. And you know, I lost my my little 965 00:50:11,560 --> 00:50:14,920 Speaker 1: cousin the other day, was seventeen years old last Thursday, 966 00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:17,799 Speaker 1: was found, you know, shot in the drive by, like 967 00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:20,440 Speaker 1: seventeen years old. And I buried his father in two 968 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:22,640 Speaker 1: thousand and nine. So I'm talking to my uncles, my 969 00:50:22,640 --> 00:50:26,799 Speaker 1: mother's brother, and you know I can I can hear 970 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:29,400 Speaker 1: his hurt. And my uncle Kevin, like is my mother's 971 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 1: second youngest brother, great guy hunt, you know, big farm 972 00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:38,680 Speaker 1: down in Mississippi, do his thing, and this is his grandson. 973 00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:42,839 Speaker 1: But he lost so now he lost his son and 974 00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:45,799 Speaker 1: his grandson. And I'm connected to like I'm not bro. 975 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:48,120 Speaker 1: I don't know how many funerals I paid for this year, 976 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:52,320 Speaker 1: just yearly, I don't know how many you know times 977 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:55,120 Speaker 1: I send money to people books and I've been doing 978 00:50:55,120 --> 00:50:58,680 Speaker 1: that for twenty years. So I'm still connected as it 979 00:50:58,680 --> 00:51:02,560 Speaker 1: pertains to just people because I understand it. 980 00:51:02,640 --> 00:51:04,520 Speaker 2: You know, it means nothing's changing. 981 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:06,920 Speaker 1: You know, it means nothing change, nothing's changing man. And 982 00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:10,280 Speaker 1: so I just think, like I don't knock the music 983 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:16,719 Speaker 1: in terms of sharing your story, but but it's just 984 00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:18,920 Speaker 1: to a point to where we need. We need a 985 00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:22,279 Speaker 1: different message. And that's not to not be cool and 986 00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:25,640 Speaker 1: not to be relatable and all that. I know the 987 00:51:25,080 --> 00:51:29,560 Speaker 1: relatability thing, but it's also relatable to talk to tell 988 00:51:29,640 --> 00:51:33,160 Speaker 1: somebody what you're doing, why you're doing it, and why 989 00:51:33,200 --> 00:51:35,040 Speaker 1: not to do it as well, because that's what we 990 00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:37,120 Speaker 1: grew up on. You know what I'm saying, like change 991 00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:39,319 Speaker 1: is cool to cop but more important, as lawyer fees, 992 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:42,279 Speaker 1: That's how it is now, That's how it always be. 993 00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:44,759 Speaker 1: I never changed. It's always me, you know, Like I 994 00:51:44,800 --> 00:51:46,920 Speaker 1: can't expect people to be Jay and I don't and 995 00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:50,879 Speaker 1: I but at the same time there's a balance, right 996 00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:53,480 Speaker 1: and so but we need that we need because it's 997 00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:57,120 Speaker 1: just it's just crazy. That's what's going on, you know 998 00:51:57,239 --> 00:51:59,759 Speaker 1: right now. It's not even about no money. You know this, 999 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:02,239 Speaker 1: And there's there's a there's a chapter in the book. 1000 00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:04,839 Speaker 1: Remember I talked about the kid who said, well, that's 1001 00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:06,879 Speaker 1: why your mom smoke crack and. 1002 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:09,359 Speaker 4: You learned how you learned when you was a good 1003 00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:12,000 Speaker 4: you used to snap crazy and then when they do that, 1004 00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:12,840 Speaker 4: you would get frozen. 1005 00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:14,760 Speaker 2: You learn how to navigate through that. 1006 00:52:14,680 --> 00:52:17,319 Speaker 1: Right, And today it's hard for kids to do that 1007 00:52:17,360 --> 00:52:22,680 Speaker 1: because social media is observer's paradox. And so if me 1008 00:52:22,719 --> 00:52:25,839 Speaker 1: and you got into that school and we was in 1009 00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:29,200 Speaker 1: the bathroom, but Envy was the only one that's seen us, 1010 00:52:29,960 --> 00:52:32,160 Speaker 1: you know, it's like, well, I want to know you 1011 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:34,680 Speaker 1: say you want, well, m be the only one that's 1012 00:52:34,680 --> 00:52:37,439 Speaker 1: seen us. Maybe he want to comment on it, Maybe 1013 00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:37,880 Speaker 1: he don't. 1014 00:52:37,960 --> 00:52:39,879 Speaker 4: I think would have been teasing Envy. I just feel 1015 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:41,160 Speaker 4: like that. I feel like I feel. 1016 00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:44,239 Speaker 1: Like he's got Yeah, you gotta you gotta relax on 1017 00:52:44,480 --> 00:52:48,600 Speaker 1: v with the last kids, Relax than rich. 1018 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:49,360 Speaker 2: You know. 1019 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:51,880 Speaker 1: I support Envy back in the day when they did 1020 00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:53,880 Speaker 1: a lot for us in the culture, like you got 1021 00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:57,840 Speaker 1: to relax. But what I will say is just like, 1022 00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:02,120 Speaker 1: but today, anything you do, if a kid don't get 1023 00:53:02,160 --> 00:53:04,839 Speaker 1: a like, they take the picture down or enough likes, 1024 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:07,279 Speaker 1: you know, and then now it's about comments that people 1025 00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:12,920 Speaker 1: are making and it's calls in this retaliation and you're 1026 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:15,560 Speaker 1: losing the kid prior to so I look at it. 1027 00:53:15,600 --> 00:53:19,040 Speaker 1: I'm saying like you got to be able to get there, 1028 00:53:19,239 --> 00:53:22,759 Speaker 1: like these kids not even allowing themselves to get there 1029 00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:25,000 Speaker 1: to where. You know, we all did crazy stuff when 1030 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:28,239 Speaker 1: you're young, but like who you are today, how you 1031 00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:30,799 Speaker 1: perceive life and you know, your family and different things 1032 00:53:30,840 --> 00:53:32,880 Speaker 1: like that, your job. When you look back on some 1033 00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:34,440 Speaker 1: of the things you did when you was young, like 1034 00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,759 Speaker 1: and that was stupid. That was really stupid, you know, 1035 00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:40,560 Speaker 1: and so but they're not even getting a chance to 1036 00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:42,680 Speaker 1: look back. They want to do it. They want to 1037 00:53:43,160 --> 00:53:45,000 Speaker 1: It's a cloud thing, and it's and it's a it's 1038 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:46,640 Speaker 1: just a weird place right now. Rich got to go 1039 00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:52,279 Speaker 1: by it, lat question whatever, east side of Cleveland, Yeah, Mton, Yeah, 1040 00:53:52,400 --> 00:53:55,480 Speaker 1: Saint Clair, you know, fifth of Edmonton is like the 1041 00:53:56,120 --> 00:54:00,640 Speaker 1: to the exact Google map boom origin. But Glynn Community 1042 00:54:00,880 --> 00:54:02,960 Speaker 1: in Saint Claire's where where I'm from. 1043 00:54:03,160 --> 00:54:05,000 Speaker 2: How does the del fare environments? 1044 00:54:05,400 --> 00:54:06,080 Speaker 1: I took her there? 1045 00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:07,719 Speaker 2: Really hell yeah? 1046 00:54:08,480 --> 00:54:09,359 Speaker 1: What yeah? 1047 00:54:09,480 --> 00:54:10,120 Speaker 2: What did she say? 1048 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:14,680 Speaker 1: By the way, it's funny hundred percent one hundred percent. 1049 00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:17,279 Speaker 1: And by the way, you know, we're pulling up and 1050 00:54:17,320 --> 00:54:24,719 Speaker 1: I got security right in the Cleveland police everybody. So 1051 00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:29,440 Speaker 1: I'm pulling up to houses and you know what it 1052 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,360 Speaker 1: looks like when we when we're pulling up, you know, 1053 00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:33,839 Speaker 1: all black trucks. 1054 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:39,040 Speaker 3: The president, they think the presidents. 1055 00:54:40,320 --> 00:54:40,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1056 00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:44,600 Speaker 1: So so they're like, man, you know it starts spreading 1057 00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:47,560 Speaker 1: throughout the neighborhood. Like man, like you, bro, you can't. 1058 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:49,400 Speaker 1: You got to give us a heads up for something 1059 00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:53,840 Speaker 1: pulling up like that. But no, like we went to 1060 00:54:53,920 --> 00:54:57,360 Speaker 1: the hood though, No, for sure, you know, like my 1061 00:54:57,440 --> 00:55:01,360 Speaker 1: family is my family, bro, I don't. I can't. You 1062 00:55:01,400 --> 00:55:04,120 Speaker 1: know in the book, when you and when you in Cleveland, 1063 00:55:04,120 --> 00:55:07,960 Speaker 1: all we all we saw was Cleveland. So no matter 1064 00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:09,960 Speaker 1: how far I go in life, I take Cleveland with 1065 00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:12,640 Speaker 1: me because I couldn't be me without Cleveland, and not 1066 00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:15,279 Speaker 1: just Saint Clair, all of Cleveland, you know, up the way, 1067 00:55:15,400 --> 00:55:18,560 Speaker 1: down the way, cross town, like it's it's just. 1068 00:55:19,160 --> 00:55:20,680 Speaker 2: This book is a love letter of Cleveland. 1069 00:55:20,719 --> 00:55:23,239 Speaker 1: It raised me, really, it really, it really raised me. 1070 00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:24,799 Speaker 1: And it'd be hard for me to be who I 1071 00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:28,719 Speaker 1: am without the way I grew up. And I really 1072 00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:32,920 Speaker 1: appreciate the guys in the Dice House that that that 1073 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:36,640 Speaker 1: raised me, you know, all of them, you know, little 1074 00:55:36,680 --> 00:55:39,799 Speaker 1: Mos and Texas and Wings and and you know, like 1075 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:43,160 Speaker 1: it was my uncle Lance, my uncle Warren. 1076 00:55:43,360 --> 00:55:45,839 Speaker 4: You know, how did they embracing Adele though? How did 1077 00:55:45,840 --> 00:55:47,399 Speaker 4: the hood embracing Adele when you. 1078 00:55:47,360 --> 00:55:47,919 Speaker 2: Had her out there. 1079 00:55:49,440 --> 00:55:51,680 Speaker 1: They loved it, you know. Yeah, they rock with it. 1080 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:53,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's some legendary rock with it. 1081 00:55:54,200 --> 00:55:56,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, they look at me. They rock with it because 1082 00:55:57,000 --> 00:56:00,319 Speaker 1: because you know, like and and again that's part to me. 1083 00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:03,560 Speaker 1: It's hard to date me and then I'm not me 1084 00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:07,680 Speaker 1: that like that'll never happen. I'm not changing for for nobody. 1085 00:56:08,400 --> 00:56:10,640 Speaker 1: I had. I had Jake to sending the hoods one 1086 00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:13,239 Speaker 1: one day during the tour. This was like five, and 1087 00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:15,880 Speaker 1: he came out and where am I this guys at? 1088 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:18,120 Speaker 1: Where this guy's at? Where my where my Saint Clair? 1089 00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:18,719 Speaker 1: Is that? 1090 00:56:18,800 --> 00:56:20,839 Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying, grew up in Mars. 1091 00:56:21,560 --> 00:56:23,640 Speaker 1: No, no, no, I understand that you said. You're saying that. 1092 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:26,239 Speaker 1: I'm just saying in terms of just me being me. 1093 00:56:26,360 --> 00:56:29,239 Speaker 1: But no, they they they love it. They love it 1094 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:32,800 Speaker 1: for sure. They embrace it. Life is good, Charlotte, man. 1095 00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:34,760 Speaker 2: Are you as her husband? 1096 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:36,000 Speaker 1: Life is very good? 1097 00:56:36,160 --> 00:56:37,359 Speaker 2: Okay? 1098 00:56:38,320 --> 00:56:38,920 Speaker 1: I don't you know? 1099 00:56:39,440 --> 00:56:41,000 Speaker 2: Why are you on in that man's personals? 1100 00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:43,799 Speaker 1: Ask your question is always in people's personal. 1101 00:56:44,920 --> 00:56:47,640 Speaker 4: Web, the internets, Like I saying, I don't care, let's 1102 00:56:47,680 --> 00:56:48,840 Speaker 4: asking questions for the Internet. 1103 00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:51,879 Speaker 1: I know everybody's asking questions for the internet. I'm just saying, 1104 00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:53,080 Speaker 1: you know, life is good. 1105 00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:58,120 Speaker 3: The book is out today, Lucky Me, and we appreciate 1106 00:56:58,160 --> 00:56:58,680 Speaker 3: you joining us. 1107 00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:01,840 Speaker 1: Brother, I appreciate you guys. Man. That was just great. 1108 00:57:00,840 --> 00:57:03,440 Speaker 1: I'm happy about the book. I'm happy. 1109 00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:03,560 Speaker 4: You know. 1110 00:57:03,719 --> 00:57:05,360 Speaker 1: I'm just in a good space. Man. You know, I 1111 00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:08,400 Speaker 1: never get too highed too little about anything, and I 1112 00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:11,840 Speaker 1: don't really sit in my success, so I'm just just grinding. 1113 00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:12,040 Speaker 2: Man. 1114 00:57:12,080 --> 00:57:15,120 Speaker 4: This is a fantastic reed. I think everybody should go 1115 00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:16,919 Speaker 4: out there and get Lucky Me. And it was funny 1116 00:57:16,960 --> 00:57:18,400 Speaker 4: because everybody, remember they was talking about when you were 1117 00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:20,600 Speaker 4: supposed to have a movie about your life. Yeah, and 1118 00:57:20,640 --> 00:57:22,760 Speaker 4: everybody was saying, like, why would Rich Paul have a 1119 00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:23,520 Speaker 4: movie about his life? 1120 00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:25,400 Speaker 1: You'll let you know why. 1121 00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:25,680 Speaker 2: You need. 1122 00:57:26,440 --> 00:57:28,840 Speaker 1: Congrats of y'all too, man, Like you know how long 1123 00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:29,360 Speaker 1: y'all been. 1124 00:57:29,280 --> 00:57:31,640 Speaker 2: On that thirteen years before fourteen? 1125 00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:35,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, crazy starting a lot of shit, just a lot 1126 00:57:35,720 --> 00:57:38,960 Speaker 1: of shit started with you, Charlotte Main saying, I agree 1127 00:57:39,280 --> 00:57:43,560 Speaker 1: that lead people alone. I agree you've definitely matured, You've 1128 00:57:43,560 --> 00:57:44,160 Speaker 1: gotten better. 1129 00:57:44,600 --> 00:57:48,439 Speaker 2: Shit therapist, absolutely. I started going to therapy in twenty sixteen. 1130 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:51,280 Speaker 1: And that's when it changed because prior to that you was. 1131 00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:54,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, he was minister and me and Rich used to 1132 00:57:54,160 --> 00:57:58,600 Speaker 4: argue about stuff like I'm gonna bring no light there, 1133 00:57:58,720 --> 00:58:00,320 Speaker 4: But we used to have some good common station. 1134 00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:02,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, I missed those conversations. We need to do that. 1135 00:58:03,040 --> 00:58:05,600 Speaker 1: I'm with more often. Absolutely, now I miss those conversations 1136 00:58:05,600 --> 00:58:07,640 Speaker 1: because I like the debates. It's all good. 1137 00:58:07,680 --> 00:58:10,160 Speaker 2: Absolutely, he needs he needs a light skin therapist. 1138 00:58:10,200 --> 00:58:11,680 Speaker 3: That's what he needs to stay up the light skin 1139 00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:12,280 Speaker 3: brothers man. 1140 00:58:13,080 --> 00:58:15,400 Speaker 1: See, I mean you know he. 1141 00:58:15,480 --> 00:58:17,440 Speaker 2: Was no Brown. Cut it out, stop it all right, 1142 00:58:17,480 --> 00:58:22,200 Speaker 2: cut it out. It's Rich Paul Breakfast. Wake that ass 1143 00:58:22,320 --> 00:58:24,680 Speaker 2: up in the morning. Breakfast Club.