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Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, Welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast.

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Speaker 1: I'm Dave Pash, play by play announcer for the Arizona

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Speaker 1: Cardinals and for ESPN and ABC. Speaking of ESPN and ABC,

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Speaker 1: I figured after the Cardinals played by far the worst

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Speaker 1: game of the season on Sunday, we could all use

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Speaker 1: a little laughter. So I reached out to my friend

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Speaker 1: Jeff Van Gundy, who I will work with this week

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Speaker 1: along with Mark Jackson on The Sun's Mavericks Broadcast and ESPN,

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Speaker 1: to come on the Dave Pash Podcast and talk not

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Speaker 1: only NBA broadcasting NFL, including his beloved Houston Texans, but

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Speaker 1: to tell some great stories like the time he blew

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Speaker 1: an opportunity at a date with Jody Foster in college.

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Speaker 1: I turn around and it's Joey Foster. I absolutely choked

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Speaker 1: and I am not joking. I turned around, yeah, and

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Speaker 1: I sprint through the gate and back to my room.

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Speaker 1: Also the dinner that he had with a legendary comedian,

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Speaker 1: plus the time he held on the Alonzo Morning's leg

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Speaker 1: after almost getting knocked out by one of his own players,

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Speaker 1: Plus when his car got destroyed by a seven thirty

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Speaker 1: seven jet I lost a car and I lost a

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Speaker 1: game on the same night. All that and more coming

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Speaker 1: up with Jeff Van Gundy. We are presented by betmgm,

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Speaker 1: gamble responsibly. Gambling problem call one eight hundred, next step.

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Speaker 1: So here he is in his fifteenth year with ESPN

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Speaker 1: and ABC as the lead color analyst on NBA broadcast

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Speaker 1: along with Mark Jackson and Hall of Fame play by

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Speaker 1: play announcer Mike Breen. Here's Jeff and Gundy. So, Jeff,

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Speaker 1: I've always felt, and I've said this, and I know

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Speaker 1: it probably like it is embarrassing, but I've always felt

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Speaker 1: that Mike Breen, Jeff and Gundy, Mark Jackson is the

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Speaker 1: best broadcast team, not only the NBA but in sports television.

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Speaker 1: And you guys have been doing it for fifteen years together,

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Speaker 1: and I know I get to pinch it here and

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Speaker 1: there like this Wednesday for the Sun's game against Dallas.

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Speaker 1: But can you believe that it's been fifteen years for

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Speaker 1: you at ESPN fourteenth coming up on the NBA Finals.

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Speaker 1: Can you believe it's been that long? But also that

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Speaker 1: you guys have been that successful, because it's hard to

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Speaker 1: stay together this long in our business. Well, first of all,

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Speaker 1: I didn't have any plan when I got let go

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Speaker 1: by the Rockets. All I knew Davis. I didn't want

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Speaker 1: to move, And thankfully I had a guy who used

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Speaker 1: to work at TNT when I was there for a

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Speaker 1: brief time one year between when I coached the Knicks

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Speaker 1: and the Rockets named Mike Pearl, who then was now

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Speaker 1: you know, when I got fired by the Rockets, was

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Speaker 1: at ABC, and he said, well, we'll try it, We'll

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Speaker 1: try you out. We'll give you a chance with them.

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Speaker 1: And I got fired the same day I did a

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Speaker 1: Western Conference final game and or Western Conference second round game,

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Speaker 1: and it was in San Antonio. So I get fired

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Speaker 1: at like two forty and I'm in the car at like,

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Speaker 1: you know, six fifteen, so and I just thankfully it's stuck.

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Speaker 1: And you're such a great play by play guy yourself,

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Speaker 1: and so you know, the value of a great play

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Speaker 1: by play guy is like a great point guard in basketball,

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Speaker 1: And so I always consider myself the spot up shooter

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Speaker 1: of the corner. Mike's the true greatness. I'm spotting up

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Speaker 1: in the corner. And Mark is that guy who does

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Speaker 1: everything he's good at, like taking us to break and

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Speaker 1: all the things I can't do. So my job is

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Speaker 1: pretty easy, and I am grateful and thankful every day

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Speaker 1: that I get to do these games with great friends

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Speaker 1: who accept me for who I am and what I

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Speaker 1: bring or what little I bring that, And you know,

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Speaker 1: it's just like you know, you look up and time flies,

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Speaker 1: and like I started this because I didn't want to

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Speaker 1: move my oldest daughter, who was going into eighth grade,

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Speaker 1: and here we are, and now she's a young adult

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Speaker 1: and I've got another one in high school. So it's

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Speaker 1: I am eternally grateful for this, you know, good run

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Speaker 1: of fortune. I want to get back into broadcasting. But

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Speaker 1: you talked about staying in Houston, and I know you're

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Speaker 1: a diehard Texans fan. We've talked about it for years.

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Speaker 1: How did that start? Was it just because you were

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Speaker 1: living in Houston or did you get to know somebody

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Speaker 1: in the organization And who's your team growing up? Again,

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Speaker 1: I can't remember. I know we've talked about it, but

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Speaker 1: who's your team growing up? Well, my team growing up

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Speaker 1: was the Raiders. I grew up in northern California, so

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Speaker 1: Darryl Lamonica, George Blandickin Stabler, Fred ballet Nikoff, the Stork.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what great teams. And they John Madden was

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Speaker 1: even before he was this iconic broadcaster. He was so

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Speaker 1: beloved in Oakland, and we got to I don't know

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Speaker 1: if there's well, they're probably not doing training camp anymore there,

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Speaker 1: but back in the day they would. They would do

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Speaker 1: it in Napa, which was like an hour and a

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Speaker 1: half from my house, and you could literally be They

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Speaker 1: would have it roped off and you would like be

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Speaker 1: like five feet from the field like you're watching Freddie

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Speaker 1: blet Nikoff would stick him reach out and the ball

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Speaker 1: just stick to his Hey. I mean it was it

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Speaker 1: was amazing the access you got, and we would go

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Speaker 1: up there. My dad would bring us up there every

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Speaker 1: every summer and I loved I loved the Raiders. I

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Speaker 1: still do, but the Texans part was my older one

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Speaker 1: loves sports, and she was getting to that middle school

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Speaker 1: age where she hated everything that I did. And so

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Speaker 1: the one thing she liked that I did was got

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Speaker 1: season tickets and we went, you know, ten times a year,

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Speaker 1: you know, and it was we always played the twelve

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Speaker 1: o'clock game at here. So it was like this routine

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Speaker 1: that we got to share together, and you know what

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Speaker 1: grew out of it not just was good for us,

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Speaker 1: but the whole row of fans was the same. So

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Speaker 1: we got to like have our little community there. And

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Speaker 1: the weird part now is I've only gone one time

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Speaker 1: this year, but also the pandemic changed everything. Now when

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Speaker 1: I went to the opener this year, no one was

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Speaker 1: the same. And I don't know if that was just

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Speaker 1: Houston because we've got a historically bad team this year,

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Speaker 1: or if it's across the board throughout the NFL. What

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Speaker 1: did you notice during your time there around the team

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Speaker 1: and go into the games about JJ Watt? That makes

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Speaker 1: him bigger than life because he's here now obviously with

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Speaker 1: the team, and he's out. We're hoping he returns to

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Speaker 1: the playoffs. We don't know. But when he got here, Jeff,

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Speaker 1: he was a big part of a major locker room change.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know if you saw that firsthand. I

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Speaker 1: don't know if that started right away when he got

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Speaker 1: there in twenty eleven after being drafted in the first round,

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Speaker 1: or if that's something that developed over time for him.

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Speaker 1: But I know he's got a big imprint on the

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Speaker 1: Houston community and his involvement with charity work and stuff

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Speaker 1: behind the scenes that not a lot of people. Some

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Speaker 1: people know, but not everybody knows all that he does.

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Speaker 1: I'll say this, he was a great player right off

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Speaker 1: the bat, and he was relentless with an incredible motor.

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Speaker 1: The first play I remember was he had an interception

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Speaker 1: for a touchdown against Cincinnati in the playoffs. You know,

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Speaker 1: one year and then you know he was used on

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Speaker 1: offense some and so that's cool, like when you see

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Speaker 1: a defender out there catching touchdown passes like Mike Vrabel

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Speaker 1: used to do for the Patriots. So that was cool.

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Speaker 1: But where he really, you know, stepped up was during

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Speaker 1: the flood here in Houston. What started at very modest goal,

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Speaker 1: Like I didn't know what his initial goal was, let's

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Speaker 1: say a million dollars, and he ended up brazen I

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Speaker 1: think over thirty million dollars. I mean, he has a

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Speaker 1: magnetic personality. He cares deeply about the community, even when

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Speaker 1: he was I think he was in It was Coach

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Speaker 1: O'Brien's first year here and we contacted him through I'm

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Speaker 1: on a board of a school called Provision, and we

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Speaker 1: had to go through his mom and we were just

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Speaker 1: going to have Mark Vandermeyer, the great announcer for the Texans.

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Speaker 1: We just wanted him to talk. It was like during

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Speaker 1: the spring about you know, his relationship with his mom.

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Speaker 1: And we sold out the place and they actually postponed

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Speaker 1: or got off early from one of those OTA sessions

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Speaker 1: so he could still fulfill his obligation. And Coach O'Brien

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Speaker 1: came and you know, jj wat could have easily said,

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Speaker 1: I can't make a new staff OTA, but he was

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Speaker 1: adamant that he was going to fulfill his obligation and

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Speaker 1: that was just for Provision Academy. Like But so, I've

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Speaker 1: always appreciated like his motor on the field, but he

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Speaker 1: has even a bigger motor in the community, and it's

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Speaker 1: much appreciated. When I saw you last week and we

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Speaker 1: did that Rockets game, I'm sitting there after the Cardinals

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Speaker 1: or eight and one saying, oh, they're the best team

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Speaker 1: in football, and then they lay a major egg on Sunday.

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Speaker 1: Everybody in the NFL lays and egg. This just happened

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Speaker 1: to be the week the Cardinals did it. I got

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Speaker 1: a text from Bob Greasy after the Cardinals loss saying,

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Speaker 1: you know, thank you can appreciate it. We're having another

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Speaker 1: toast tonight because they're still the only unbeaten team nineteen

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Speaker 1: seventy two. He was the quarterback on that team. Patriots

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Speaker 1: got close, but other than that, that's it. Everybody gets

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Speaker 1: a loss in the NFL and everybody has a bad game.

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Speaker 1: And I know you watched a lot of NFL. Do

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Speaker 1: you think the Cardinals are the best team right now? Well,

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Speaker 1: I think it's hard to judge them when they're not

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Speaker 1: whole right, like yeah, yeah, I mean Murray could be

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Speaker 1: the MVP and Hopkins is like I saw it here literally,

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Speaker 1: if I was a quarterback, I would never worry about

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Speaker 1: separation with Hopkins because he doesn't get that much, but

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Speaker 1: he's gonna get every ball. He's got the best hands

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Speaker 1: I've ever seen, and he's strong, he's physical. What do

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Speaker 1: they call those those contested catches like he's like amazing.

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Speaker 1: So when those two guys are bad, I think I

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Speaker 1: think you are. Now there's no prize for being the

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Speaker 1: best team after nine games, and so the NFL is unforgiving,

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Speaker 1: and you know, it only takes one bad bounce. It's

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Speaker 1: not a playoff series like these other sports. So it's

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Speaker 1: it's really hard to say, but I would say in

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Speaker 1: the NFC, you know, the Cowboys laid an egg and

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Speaker 1: then they bounce back with a terrific win. And you

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Speaker 1: have to say the Packers too. Aaron Rodgers is taking

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Speaker 1: a lot of grief, but you cannot underestimate his greatness

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Speaker 1: and their greatness because he's so great. Do you think

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Speaker 1: that a Shaun Watson situation with the Texans? Because as

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Speaker 1: we talk about the best teams, there's also teams that

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Speaker 1: are looking to the future and trying to either rebuild

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Speaker 1: or reboot. And I'm not sure where the Texans are.

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Speaker 1: I don't even know what the word for our team is.

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Speaker 1: Well that's what I'm saying, So where are they. It's

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Speaker 1: hard to reboot, it's hard to rebuild. It's hard to

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Speaker 1: focus on what the next step is if you don't

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Speaker 1: know what's going to happen with your quarterback. How do

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Speaker 1: you are you surprised it hasn't been resolved yet. Is

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Speaker 1: this kind of what you thought would happen where we'd

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Speaker 1: be in the middle of November and he's still not

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Speaker 1: playing and there's no word from the NFL and he

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Speaker 1: was not traded. I just don't. I can't. I told

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Speaker 1: you this last week, and I still it boggles my

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Speaker 1: mind that we're paying this guy not to play. So

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Speaker 1: if he's healthy, I think what would help his trade

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Speaker 1: value is to play. If he was to play, there

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Speaker 1: is again, like I was just saying about Rogers. You

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Speaker 1: can judge his personal life, you can like do all that,

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Speaker 1: but what you can't do is say this guy's not

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Speaker 1: a great play. He's a great player and he comes

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Speaker 1: up big in big spots because our line has been

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Speaker 1: sort of shaky the last few years, and he's made

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Speaker 1: something out of nothing over and over and over again.

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Speaker 1: So I don't get why we're not playing him. I

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Speaker 1: get why we haven't traded him, because if you're the

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Speaker 1: management team of the Texans, you have only one chip.

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Speaker 1: He is that. So you either have to play him

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Speaker 1: or you have to trade him. And you can't trade

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Speaker 1: him for fifty cents on the dollar. You have to

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Speaker 1: try to get maximum value, and I think waiting you

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Speaker 1: can see where the actual in this year's draft, where

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Speaker 1: you'd actually be drafting with those draft picks. And then

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Speaker 1: you have to be great, you know, in drafting, and

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Speaker 1: you have to be great in the free agency by

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Speaker 1: identifying the right guys. Certainly, but right now we don't

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Speaker 1: have We don't have a present, and we don't have

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Speaker 1: a future, and we can't even start on the future

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Speaker 1: until this whole Watson dilemma is resolved. Your partner, Mark Jackson,

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Speaker 1: who was invited to join you on the podcast, but

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Speaker 1: he's traveling to day so we couldn't connect. But Mark

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Speaker 1: is he was a fan of the Patriots. Now he's

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Speaker 1: a fan of the Buccaneers. The reason is, Tom Brady.

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Speaker 1: Do you have a problem with Mark or anybody being

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Speaker 1: a fan of a player and following like his favorite

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Speaker 1: team is whatever Tom Brady is on. Does that bother you?

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Speaker 1: Was he a Michigan fan? No, this dude is a

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Speaker 1: front runner. He's a front runner. He didn't become a

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Speaker 1: Brady fan until they won a championship all of a sudden.

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Speaker 1: He's a fan of a dynasty. Well that isn't a fan.

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Speaker 1: That's a front runner. So let's clarify it and call

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Speaker 1: it exactly what it is. Who wouldn't be able to

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Speaker 1: admire Brady's excellence? You know all this time? I mean

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Speaker 1: forty four and they're struggling a little bit, But I mean,

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Speaker 1: who would have ever thought somebody could be this good

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Speaker 1: for this long? And so I admire Mark for admiring Brady,

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Speaker 1: But come on, that's week. I'm a fan of whoever

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Speaker 1: Brady plays for. He's a front runner. One of the

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Speaker 1: things I've always appreciate about both you guys is you

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Speaker 1: are who you are, like people will see you on

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Speaker 1: TV and that's you, like, that's Jeff Van Gundi and

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Speaker 1: Mark Jackson's the same way. Were you guys like that

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Speaker 1: in New York when you were a coach and he

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Speaker 1: was a player, And I think you coached him in

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Speaker 1: Houston too, right, I did. I was really thinking I

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Speaker 1: got to coach him as an assistant coach and then

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Speaker 1: I got to coach him as a head coach in

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Speaker 1: New York, so both assistant and head coach in New York.

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Speaker 1: After he had moved around to other teams, he came

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Speaker 1: back to US and then in Houston. In my first

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Speaker 1: year there, we were desperate for solid backcourt help and

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Speaker 1: we picked him up in the spring. It was the

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Speaker 1: last year he played. And I always say this about Mark,

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Speaker 1: He's got the best vision I've ever seen on a

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Speaker 1: basketball player. I think he should be in the Hall

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Speaker 1: of Fame. I think he's excelled at everything he's touched

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Speaker 1: in basketball. He wasn't the most talented guy, but he's

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Speaker 1: in the top five and assists. He played for seventeen

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Speaker 1: eighteen years. He's been a great broadcaster. He was an

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Speaker 1: ultra success head coach in the NBA. I mean, first

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Speaker 1: of all, I don't even understand why somebody else hasn't

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Speaker 1: picked him up as a head coach. I look at

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Speaker 1: all these vacancies and I'm like, that's just negligence by

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Speaker 1: a lot of these teams who are hiring head coaches.

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Speaker 1: Because he's a great, great leader, I mean, fabulous leader.

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Speaker 1: And so one thing about him. He wasn't always easy,

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Speaker 1: because people who are great never are. But he also

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Speaker 1: had a great deal of respect for the position of coaches.

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Speaker 1: That doesn't mean he always agreed with them, but if

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Speaker 1: you said this is how we're going to do it.

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Speaker 1: That's how he did it, and that level of respect

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Speaker 1: for the position was a testament to how he was raised.

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Speaker 1: And you know, all the coaches that he had along

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Speaker 1: the way that it instilled that in him. And so

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Speaker 1: we could be very honest. And the great thing about

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Speaker 1: Mark is he's got great sense of humor and he

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Speaker 1: can laugh at himself. And I think Greg Popovich says

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Speaker 1: this all the time, but you want people in your

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Speaker 1: program who have great humor and who have gotten over themselves,

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Speaker 1: and that's Mark Jackson. So I've always enjoyed being around him.

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Speaker 1: And he's a dear, dear friend that I can count on.

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Speaker 1: And when you think about it in life, how many

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Speaker 1: friends can you truly count on? You also mentioned pop

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Speaker 1: and you were part of USA Basketball, still are and

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Speaker 1: you've been a part of USA basketball the Olympic gold medal.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure you've had opportunities to look at other coaching positions.

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Speaker 1: You stay with the ESPN, ABC doing the broadcasting. Is

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Speaker 1: it cool to have the mix to be a part

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Speaker 1: of coaching and a program like USA Basketball get a

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Speaker 1: gold medal and then still be able to broadcast the

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Speaker 1: NBA Finals. It is I'm really you know, in the

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Speaker 1: dictionary under lucky. It should be my picture because everything

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Speaker 1: that has happened, you know, from when I got to

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Speaker 1: the Knicks and then I got my head coaching chance

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Speaker 1: at such a young age. Whoever, you know, starts out

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Speaker 1: with a Hall of Fame player like I had in

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Speaker 1: Patrick Ewing, who you know, basically carried me, you know,

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Speaker 1: and you know, and so I loved USA. I still

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Speaker 1: I loved USA basketball. I love everything it stands for.

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Speaker 1: And the Olympics this year it was hard because we

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Speaker 1: didn't get you know, you know, Devin Booker was. I

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Speaker 1: was on the flight with him after the finals, he

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Speaker 1: and Middleton and Holiday we were on the flight together

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Speaker 1: and the Olympics were starting the day we landed, I mean,

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Speaker 1: and they played, so you know, a quarter of our

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Speaker 1: team was arriving as the games were starting. And it

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Speaker 1: wasn't easy, and we got beat by France early. We

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Speaker 1: were down fifteen to Australia in the semifinals back in one,

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Speaker 1: and then beat France in a five point, hard fought

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Speaker 1: game in the gold medal game. It was it was

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Speaker 1: exhilarating to be a very very small part of that,

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Speaker 1: but to watch Greg Popovich and watch these great players,

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Speaker 1: and I think I mentioned that, you know, to see

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Speaker 1: the work ethic of a Kevin Durant was you know,

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Speaker 1: greatness is never a coincidence. It's like this dude. I

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Speaker 1: watched him work after practice, so efficient, so diligent, and

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Speaker 1: I see, you know, to go along with his great

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Speaker 1: God given abilities, but the work ethic has made him,

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Speaker 1: you know, this incredibly skilled player. I mean, the dude

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Speaker 1: in his workouts literally doesn't miss. And then people think, oh,

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Speaker 1: you're exaggerated, No, I'm not twenty five minutes and I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna say he probably misses, you know, one out of

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Speaker 1: every ten fifteen shots. It's it's and this is full speed.

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Speaker 1: This isn't like some half ass, you know workout. This

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Speaker 1: is like game speed, game shots. It was really really

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Speaker 1: great to watch. So you're on the flight after the

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Speaker 1: NBA Finals going over for the Olympics. It's a quick

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Speaker 1: turnaround from you broadcasting the NBA Finals to then get

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Speaker 1: back into coach mode. And for Devin Booker, you're playing

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Speaker 1: in the NBA Finals, now you're getting ready to play

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Speaker 1: in the Olympics. We're obviously doing a Suns game. This

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Speaker 1: is airing on Wednesday. The Suns are playing great basketball

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Speaker 1: right now. It took a little while for them to

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Speaker 1: kind of get untracked at the beginning of the season.

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Speaker 1: Do you think the Suns can do it again? They

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Speaker 1: took everybody by surprise last year. But I remember you

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Speaker 1: and I did a game, I feel like it was

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Speaker 1: late in January, and you could tell there were some

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Speaker 1: signs that they had a chance to be really good.

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Speaker 1: And you even said, I remember on the air, they're

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Speaker 1: not just a playoff team. They can do damage in

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Speaker 1: the playoffs, and they certainly did that. They came within

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Speaker 1: two wins of an NBA championship. Do you feel like

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Speaker 1: they can get back there? Jeff, I know it's hard

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Speaker 1: to get back to the finals, and everything had to

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Speaker 1: go right last year. You know, it certainly didn't hurt

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Speaker 1: that Lebron was hurting the Lakers weren't the Lakers. But

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Speaker 1: do you think they can do it again? The Suns? Well,

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Speaker 1: I don't think the West is as deep or even

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Speaker 1: as good at the top as it has been, so

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Speaker 1: I think there is great opportunity there. Chris Paul, Devin Booker,

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Speaker 1: and Monnie Williams, to me, is a great threesome to

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Speaker 1: lead a team. I think a lot of it goes to,

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Speaker 1: you know, does Ayton continue to grow and get better?

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Speaker 1: I thought he was phenomenal last year. Does his contractual

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Speaker 1: situation at all up end his progress? Does any of

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Speaker 1: the noise on the outside right now about the Sun's

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Speaker 1: leadership in an ownership, does that get in the way.

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Speaker 1: But I like what they've done with their team. I

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Speaker 1: think they're probably going to try to add even a

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Speaker 1: little bit more. And yes, there's no doubt they can.

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Speaker 1: They could win the West. It's right there for them,

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Speaker 1: and a lot goes into it. A long way to go,

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Speaker 1: but they're talented, they're well coached, they're deep, and I

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Speaker 1: really like the addition of Javelle McGee. I think Jabelle

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Speaker 1: McGee gives them a lob threat at the rim in

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Speaker 1: short minutes that they haven't had. And Frank Kamenski has

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Speaker 1: really as a third center, has really filled it in

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Speaker 1: well when Ayton's been out with injury. So I think

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Speaker 1: they have a lot of pieces. And one of my

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Speaker 1: favorite players in the league that we didn't speak about,

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Speaker 1: but one of the best complimentary players in the league

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Speaker 1: is Michael Bridges. I just love the way he his

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Speaker 1: strengths mesh so very well with Paul and Booker. I

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Speaker 1: think he's a terrific, terrific player. When Monnie Williams was

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Speaker 1: with the Knicks, were you an assistant or are you

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Speaker 1: the head coach? Then I was an assistant. Montie Williams

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Speaker 1: and Charlie Ward they came in the same year. They

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Speaker 1: were both late first round picks, and they were incredible

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Speaker 1: friends right away, and we were a threesome. That was

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Speaker 1: before every practice. Neither one got a ton of minutes.

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Speaker 1: Monty played son, Charlie played not at all. But I

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Speaker 1: laughed to myself right now, a coach would be absolutely

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Speaker 1: sued if they had to go through the workouts that

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Speaker 1: those guys had to go through with me, and then

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Speaker 1: go through a truly a three hour practice with Coach

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Speaker 1: Riley back in the day when you practiced like hard

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Speaker 1: and all out and physical, man. And I'll tell I'll

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Speaker 1: give you this one story, Dave, the most incredible thing,

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Speaker 1: and it's obviously wouldn't fit today's times, but back in

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Speaker 1: the day, Coach Riley had the draft choices run what

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Speaker 1: he called the gauntlet, meaning he had the players line up,

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Speaker 1: you know, across from each other and the rookies had

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Speaker 1: to run through and anything like within reason went So

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Speaker 1: guys were body chucking him and Monny went through and

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Speaker 1: we had like I mean, we had a nasty group then,

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Speaker 1: I mean, and they were big and strong. It was

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Speaker 1: a different league. It was like the hand check era,

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Speaker 1: and you know, there was no such thing as a

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Speaker 1: flagrant foul. It was like, you know, it was just

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Speaker 1: like going to the lane at your own wrist. So

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Speaker 1: Monnie went first. My man came out battered and bruised

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Speaker 1: on the other end, and then little Charlie. I was

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Speaker 1: worried for him because I was like, this guy's gonna

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Speaker 1: get killed. And he came through with his high knees

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Speaker 1: like from his football days, and he had such great

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Speaker 1: balance that they were hitting him and he didn't even move,

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Speaker 1: and like it was amazing. Like I don't know if

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Speaker 1: Monny remembers that or he's blocked it out of his memory,

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Speaker 1: but it's something I'd all never forget. One thing I

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Speaker 1: didn't know about your time in New York and Jim,

428
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,199
Speaker 1: I'm a hundred. Our producer was researching and brought it up,

429
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,640
Speaker 1: and I had no idea about the story. Did your

430
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,119
Speaker 1: car get blown away by a jet. Is that a

431
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:18,240
Speaker 1: true story? Yes? We had four straight years we played

432
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,440
Speaker 1: Miami in the playoffs, so and each of the series

433
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,280
Speaker 1: went to a final game, and they had home court

434
00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,879
Speaker 1: advantage in all four series. So we were coming back.

435
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,359
Speaker 1: We had just lost a game five in Miami, and

436
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:40,000
Speaker 1: we flew into this small airport in white planes, New York,

437
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,479
Speaker 1: so just outside the city, but they would bring our

438
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:48,479
Speaker 1: cars onto the tarmac and I was always first. And

439
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,640
Speaker 1: it was late spring, so it was the second round

440
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:55,000
Speaker 1: of the playoffs and we had just lost a heartbreaking

441
00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 1: game to go down three two. So we're flying in

442
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:02,800
Speaker 1: we Land. I'm gonna say probably you know two two thirty.

443
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,919
Speaker 1: And we used to have the same pilots basically ninety

444
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,240
Speaker 1: percent of the time, and they would just come in

445
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,840
Speaker 1: and they would park, we would get off and the

446
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:13,440
Speaker 1: cars will be there and everybody would get in the

447
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,760
Speaker 1: car and go. And my video like a video guy

448
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,919
Speaker 1: would always be sitting in my car to hand me

449
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:24,200
Speaker 1: these stats that I wanted and breakdowns that we'd already

450
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,880
Speaker 1: called for so I could watch it. Right. So our pilot,

451
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,280
Speaker 1: this backup pilot, comes in and instead of just pulling in,

452
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,520
Speaker 1: he does like a circle, So he goes in front

453
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,640
Speaker 1: of the cars and then circles and then comes in.

454
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:40,240
Speaker 1: So I see my car out of my window. And

455
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,120
Speaker 1: then he pulls in, and I'm always first off. I'm

456
00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:45,600
Speaker 1: in the first seat getting off, and I get off

457
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,720
Speaker 1: and the video guy, it's a warm night. The video

458
00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,720
Speaker 1: guy is standing right at the bottom of the stairs.

459
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,880
Speaker 1: And now my car's not there, and I have a Honda,

460
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 1: and I'm like, where's my car? Don't us with me tonight.

461
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,760
Speaker 1: It's not even close to what I said. But let

462
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,560
Speaker 1: me paraphrase, this is not the time to mess with

463
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 1: me and hide my car. So where's my car? And

464
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,640
Speaker 1: this young guy, like he starts pointing, he goes, it's

465
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 1: over there. I mean over there. As he pulled around,

466
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:23,520
Speaker 1: the exhaust from the airplane blew my car, he said,

467
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,800
Speaker 1: fifty feet up in the air and it came down

468
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:32,120
Speaker 1: and it landed and it totaled my car, Brennan Malone's car,

469
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 1: Alan Houston's car, and somebody else's. There were four cars

470
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:43,560
Speaker 1: totaled on that like tarmac because this knucklehead had hit

471
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:48,119
Speaker 1: the you know, I guess you know the So I

472
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,760
Speaker 1: have no way home. We just lose Game five and thankfully.

473
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:54,200
Speaker 1: Usually the video cordair would be sitting in my car,

474
00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:56,800
Speaker 1: but because it was so warm out, he was standing

475
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:58,399
Speaker 1: up or he would have been shot up in the

476
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:02,240
Speaker 1: air with this thing. Yeah, so I lost a car

477
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:05,840
Speaker 1: and I lost a game on the same night. And

478
00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,440
Speaker 1: and Mark always jokes about, he goes, that was God's

479
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,160
Speaker 1: plan that that Honda ended. It's like six or seven

480
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,439
Speaker 1: year run that night on the tarmac. Well, you're not

481
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,280
Speaker 1: a fancy car guy, if I think you still drive

482
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:25,119
Speaker 1: a Civic. I got a Toyota Toyota Hybrid though, all right,

483
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,359
Speaker 1: a little bit more elitist than than you had before.

484
00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:34,439
Speaker 1: Maybe you talked about the rivalry with the heat, the

485
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,520
Speaker 1: Alonso morning thing when you ran on the court there

486
00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 1: and grabbed him. I don't feel like people talk about

487
00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 1: that anymore. Like that was back because you touched on

488
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,680
Speaker 1: the NBA. You touched on the NBA and how physical

489
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,960
Speaker 1: it used to be, and it's still physical. But they

490
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,840
Speaker 1: just can't get they can't get away with the stuff

491
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:52,480
Speaker 1: they used to get away with. Obviously, what do you

492
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,240
Speaker 1: think of that if that happened today, if a coach

493
00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,720
Speaker 1: ran out of the floor and grabbed a player, Now

494
00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,040
Speaker 1: you grabbed his leg to break up a fight. But

495
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 1: what do you think would happen today if that occurred. Well,

496
00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,239
Speaker 1: first of all, I started in high but then I

497
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,800
Speaker 1: slithered down because one of my players, Larry Johnson, who

498
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:13,520
Speaker 1: was in the midst of swinging at Mourning, actually clipped me.

499
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,200
Speaker 1: And I have a like, now I can say this,

500
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,040
Speaker 1: I have the glass jaw of all coaches, like a

501
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:25,600
Speaker 1: sort of slithered down onto his leg. But think about

502
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,360
Speaker 1: what if they would have said, Okay, you want to

503
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,400
Speaker 1: you want to be involved in this, Yeah, go ahead,

504
00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 1: you and Mourning, you know, so go at it. I

505
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: mean all I can say, people say, well, what were

506
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 1: you thinking? I was like, obviously not, I was not thinking,

507
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,120
Speaker 1: and I just plead temporary insanity. I know why now

508
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,800
Speaker 1: criminals plead that because I have no recollection of what

509
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,880
Speaker 1: I was doing. And I am so grateful for Mourning

510
00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,240
Speaker 1: being like, get this fly off me, but not just

511
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:58,840
Speaker 1: cracking me, like and I sat behind the next year

512
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,680
Speaker 1: Dave after or all that, and then you know, we

513
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,200
Speaker 1: go down there and win a game. You know, Mourning

514
00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,720
Speaker 1: was suspended, Johnson was suspended. Like, we end up winning

515
00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:12,440
Speaker 1: the series and the next year I'm fortunate to coach

516
00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:16,200
Speaker 1: the All Star team, and I never talked to any play.

517
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:19,320
Speaker 1: I never spoke to a Heat player. I hated them

518
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 1: so much. My brother and I even stopped talking, like

519
00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,960
Speaker 1: because of these fights. Right, so we didn't talk. You know.

520
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:28,400
Speaker 1: Coach he was an assistant, he was an assistant on

521
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,160
Speaker 1: the mind. Yeah, Coach Riley, who I worked for, he

522
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:35,520
Speaker 1: wasn't talking to me. There was like true animosity. Right.

523
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:40,040
Speaker 1: So the next year mornings on the All Star team

524
00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:44,840
Speaker 1: and like, I'm like dreading having to coach him in hardaway.

525
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,240
Speaker 1: I just want to like it was awful. When I

526
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,920
Speaker 1: was an assistant for Coach Riley. We had Jordan and

527
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,560
Speaker 1: Pippen and they were beating us like every year in

528
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:56,720
Speaker 1: the playoffs, just breaking our hearts and like having a

529
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 1: look at them in Salt Lake City, I was like,

530
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 1: oh man, I just want to like douge people's eyes out.

531
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:08,760
Speaker 1: So anyway, I'm walking in to do the media and

532
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,959
Speaker 1: I'm gonna actually have to talk to Morning, right, and

533
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,200
Speaker 1: he comes up from behind me and bear hugs me

534
00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: and breaks the ice. And I was so thankful that

535
00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,920
Speaker 1: like he didn't hold it against me, and that you know,

536
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,600
Speaker 1: for that forty eight hours we actually enjoyed each other's company,

537
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:30,160
Speaker 1: and then once that ended, it was right back to

538
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:34,920
Speaker 1: the old animosity, which I appreciated about those series. Somebody

539
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:36,400
Speaker 1: needs to do. I don't know if a book's been

540
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,600
Speaker 1: written on your life, but we need a book or

541
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,760
Speaker 1: a movie because it's not just that you've had an

542
00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:46,280
Speaker 1: interesting life, but it's how colorful you are and funny

543
00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,400
Speaker 1: and I just feel like somebody's missing the boat here.

544
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,240
Speaker 1: There needs to be a book or a movie on

545
00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:56,080
Speaker 1: either just Jeff or Jeff and stand like, who would

546
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,600
Speaker 1: play you? If you there was a movie on Jeff

547
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,960
Speaker 1: van Gundy, who would be the actor to play you?

548
00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,960
Speaker 1: First of all, no books, no movies. But if I

549
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,040
Speaker 1: had to have an actor like you don't have to

550
00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:10,720
Speaker 1: try to find the ugliest guy that you could find

551
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,520
Speaker 1: and then try to like put makeup on him to

552
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,440
Speaker 1: make him even look worse, like I would hate to say,

553
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:20,560
Speaker 1: oh can you don't imagine if an actor said I

554
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,160
Speaker 1: look like Jeff dang gunny, he'd be banned from movies

555
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:28,280
Speaker 1: for life. So you know what's interesting is I never

556
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,480
Speaker 1: when I was growing up, all I wanted to do

557
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 1: was like I wanted to coach. My dad was a

558
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 1: small college coach. Man, I would have been happy doing that.

559
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:41,560
Speaker 1: I really like and to get all these like you know,

560
00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:45,920
Speaker 1: because coaching isn't like playing playing. The best players make it,

561
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:48,920
Speaker 1: you know, it's hard, but they make it. But coaches,

562
00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,080
Speaker 1: you know, so much of it is timing and good

563
00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,440
Speaker 1: fortune and being in the right place at the right time.

564
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:59,120
Speaker 1: And Man's that's the name. That should be the name

565
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 1: if you ever did a book Lucky being at the

566
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,600
Speaker 1: right time, at the right place, at the right time,

567
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:09,520
Speaker 1: Jeff bing Gundy's story. You know, I've gotten to be friends.

568
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,520
Speaker 1: I know you're not on Twitter, but they have this

569
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:15,200
Speaker 1: thing on Twitter where it's called DM Direct Message, and

570
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,960
Speaker 1: I've got I've become friends with Richard Lewis. He's a

571
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 1: huge Ohio State fan, the comedian who's part of Curb

572
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,760
Speaker 1: Your Enthusiasm. Oh yeah, and I heard that. I guess

573
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,320
Speaker 1: he I assumed probably was going to the games back

574
00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,520
Speaker 1: when you were coaching. Absolutely, But but I go back

575
00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,360
Speaker 1: and forth with him all the time about Ohio State

576
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,280
Speaker 1: and college football. Maybe Larry David, maybe he can ask

577
00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,840
Speaker 1: Larry to play you there. There's some similarities there, a

578
00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,720
Speaker 1: little bit. Maybe, you know, one of the best times

579
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,840
Speaker 1: in my life somehow Mike Bream got to know Larry

580
00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:51,040
Speaker 1: David and we were in LA and he said, I

581
00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:53,040
Speaker 1: don't like to I'm not a big like go out

582
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,040
Speaker 1: to dinner guy on the road because everybody takes too long.

583
00:33:56,320 --> 00:34:00,520
Speaker 1: I want to order the entree, the appetizer, entre, and

584
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 1: dessert all at the same time and be out in

585
00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:07,320
Speaker 1: twenty seven minutes. Right. Mike likes to like sit around

586
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,319
Speaker 1: and talk and it just drives me crazy going to

587
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,319
Speaker 1: dinner with him. Right, But he says, you have to

588
00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,640
Speaker 1: come to this dinner. So I said, okay, and I said,

589
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:19,440
Speaker 1: who's coming. He goes, it's a surprise, but you'll like it.

590
00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:23,839
Speaker 1: It was me, him and Larry David. This guy had

591
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,920
Speaker 1: me laughing so hard, and I think he was actually

592
00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,200
Speaker 1: he was going in a couple of weeks to do

593
00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:30,640
Speaker 1: a play and I forget the name of the play

594
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,480
Speaker 1: he did in New York, but I know he was

595
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:35,960
Speaker 1: working on material in his head as he's like looking

596
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,799
Speaker 1: at all these people in like it's fact, great comedians

597
00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:44,080
Speaker 1: are like fascinating. He had me doubled over and I

598
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:45,840
Speaker 1: don't even know if he was trying to be funny,

599
00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:50,920
Speaker 1: he just was. I mean, great comedians are truly geniuses.

600
00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,719
Speaker 1: They really are, and I was Mike pulled me. That

601
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 1: was the one dinner I went to with Mike that

602
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,920
Speaker 1: I would have sat there all night. I thought it

603
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,799
Speaker 1: ended too early. Most times the dinners with Mike, I

604
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,160
Speaker 1: can't wait to get out of there so long. I

605
00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,640
Speaker 1: gotta let you go here soon because I know you

606
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,640
Speaker 1: have better things to do. But since we're talking about actors,

607
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,360
Speaker 1: and I know the story, but I want you to

608
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,319
Speaker 1: tell a story because you're not restricted by television right now,

609
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:21,279
Speaker 1: where you only have a short amount of time, So

610
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,080
Speaker 1: feel free to take as long you need to tell

611
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:27,440
Speaker 1: the Jodie Foster story from which would have been what

612
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:34,280
Speaker 1: nineteen eighty Okay, So Jodie Foster and I both enrolled

613
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,279
Speaker 1: at Yale in the same year. I lasted one year

614
00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,640
Speaker 1: and then I found my rightful place in junior college. Okay,

615
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,600
Speaker 1: But in that one year at Yale, they have an

616
00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:53,160
Speaker 1: unbelievable freshman quadrangle and the entrance. One of the entrances

617
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:58,759
Speaker 1: is that I would take every day to go to classes, yes,

618
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,439
Speaker 1: but to the gym like it was right by this

619
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:09,200
Speaker 1: candy shop. I mean, this candy shop on campus was phenomenal,

620
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,120
Speaker 1: not sure it's still there. So anyway, we know Jody

621
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:17,640
Speaker 1: Foster lives in this quadrangle. I actually have a class

622
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,000
Speaker 1: with her, but it's a big class, so it's not

623
00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,480
Speaker 1: like I'm getting any chance meetings. So early in the semester,

624
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:28,120
Speaker 1: we had twelve guys on the floor, three rooms of four.

625
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,839
Speaker 1: Everybody puts in one hundred dollars. First guy to get

626
00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,320
Speaker 1: a date with her a legit date gets twelve hundred dollars,

627
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,200
Speaker 1: so early in the semester. Now I am coming back

628
00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:43,320
Speaker 1: from the gym, and I'm right by the candy shop,

629
00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:47,759
Speaker 1: which cooks the best popcorn you could ever hope to eat,

630
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,680
Speaker 1: and it smells unbelievable. So right at the moment I

631
00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,480
Speaker 1: hit that shop and I'm about to turn into the grid,

632
00:36:55,680 --> 00:37:00,800
Speaker 1: this gate sirens come wailing down the street, like five

633
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,839
Speaker 1: or six of them, right after one after another. And

634
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:08,560
Speaker 1: so I am stopped outside the candy shop and the gate,

635
00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,319
Speaker 1: and I watched these sirens, and as the last one

636
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:18,680
Speaker 1: clears me, a voice from behind me says, boy, that

637
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:23,799
Speaker 1: popcorn smells good. And so I turn around because I'm

638
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:26,239
Speaker 1: the only one there, and I'm gonna say, yeah, it

639
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:31,840
Speaker 1: smells awesome, And I turn around and it's Jody Foster.

640
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,880
Speaker 1: And instead of saying, you know, like someone with some

641
00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,040
Speaker 1: poise would would have done, Hey, yeah, it smells good.

642
00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:40,640
Speaker 1: Do you want some, I'm gonna go in there and

643
00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:43,040
Speaker 1: buy something. I could have had twelve hundred bucks plus

644
00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:49,000
Speaker 1: I could have gotten to know Jody Foster. I absolutely choke,

645
00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:53,400
Speaker 1: and I am not joking. I turn around and go yeah,

646
00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:56,640
Speaker 1: and I sprint through the gate and back to my room.

647
00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:03,879
Speaker 1: And that I mean. And so now Rich Eisen, who

648
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,520
Speaker 1: a great talk show host, has her on after I

649
00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,600
Speaker 1: tell this story on the air, As you said, it

650
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:14,200
Speaker 1: was abbreviated, and he says, hey, do you know Jeff

651
00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:17,080
Speaker 1: Van Gundhi? He mentions you on the air, and she goes,

652
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:21,600
Speaker 1: oh no, He goes, does this photo from college? Look

653
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 1: at all? Look at all familiar? She goes, She looks

654
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:28,160
Speaker 1: at the camera, goes, na, not at all. If I

655
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:30,239
Speaker 1: ever see her? She and she made fun of me

656
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,279
Speaker 1: after that. So not only did I choke lose twelve

657
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,560
Speaker 1: hundred dollars a chance to meet her, but now she's

658
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:40,880
Speaker 1: embarrassed me because she mocked me. So she's she's had

659
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:43,839
Speaker 1: a Laker game. Every once in a while. I am

660
00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,680
Speaker 1: going up to her, and I'm going to ask her

661
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,439
Speaker 1: for the twelve hundred dollars and I want to get

662
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,839
Speaker 1: my self respect back because I choked so badly back

663
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,359
Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty. Well, first of all, you're you're doing

664
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:59,319
Speaker 1: okay financially without the twelve hundred from that day. And

665
00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:01,520
Speaker 1: we all know who is most thankful that things didn't

666
00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,480
Speaker 1: work out between you and Jodie Foster, and that's the

667
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:10,400
Speaker 1: legendary Kim van Gundy, or or you could say after

668
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:15,960
Speaker 1: dealing with me for over thirty years that she, God gosh,

669
00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:19,799
Speaker 1: I wish it would have worked out. So you can

670
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,120
Speaker 1: look at it either way. All right. Last one, I

671
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,719
Speaker 1: don't know if it's a serious one, but just a

672
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,760
Speaker 1: hard right turn back to basketball, because I'm sure people

673
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:33,200
Speaker 1: listening watch your thoughts on Lebron James because you've done

674
00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:36,960
Speaker 1: his games since he's been in the NBA, and he

675
00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:41,200
Speaker 1: coached against Lebron. You coached against Michael Jordan. I'm not

676
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,440
Speaker 1: going to follow the trap us saying who's better, you know,

677
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:46,160
Speaker 1: Jordan or Lebron. But where when it's all said and done,

678
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:50,560
Speaker 1: how do you think we will look back at Lebron

679
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:55,960
Speaker 1: James's career in comparison to other great players, And I

680
00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:01,760
Speaker 1: think that's a great distinction Dave his career versus who's

681
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:07,200
Speaker 1: the better player. When Lebron James ends his career, he

682
00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:12,400
Speaker 1: could be very well the most prolific scorer that ever played,

683
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:17,000
Speaker 1: as far as passing Jabbar for number one on the

684
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,240
Speaker 1: all time scoring list. And it's not even his best

685
00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,440
Speaker 1: skill on the court. His passing is his best skill.

686
00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:32,440
Speaker 1: So I think Lebron James most definitely has a top

687
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:38,960
Speaker 1: three NBA career of all time and very likely could

688
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:43,480
Speaker 1: have the best career ever depending on health and continued

689
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:48,080
Speaker 1: you know greatness. What he's doing this deep in his career,

690
00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:52,359
Speaker 1: playing you know, deep into the playoffs every year, I think,

691
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,240
Speaker 1: you know, it could go down as the best career

692
00:40:56,239 --> 00:41:01,680
Speaker 1: of all time. Now, Michael Jordan, that's not to diminish him,

693
00:41:01,719 --> 00:41:07,399
Speaker 1: because Michael Jordan is the best player that I would

694
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:11,560
Speaker 1: I ever coach against. Like I was an assistant when

695
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,239
Speaker 1: Jabbar was at the end of his career and a man,

696
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:18,880
Speaker 1: that guy was phenomenal, like what he accomplished in college

697
00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:23,120
Speaker 1: and the NBA, and I mean just ridiculous. And I

698
00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:26,400
Speaker 1: think he gets far often too overlooked and frankly, what

699
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,960
Speaker 1: he's accomplished after his career, you know, so bright and

700
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:36,760
Speaker 1: so terrific with his thoughtful approach to serious issues. But Jordan,

701
00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 1: I always reflect back and how efficient he was, and

702
00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,759
Speaker 1: he played under totally different rules where the spacing wasn't

703
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,320
Speaker 1: as good because there wasn't as many three point shots,

704
00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:51,040
Speaker 1: where the level of contact, you know, the level of

705
00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:54,600
Speaker 1: contact that great scores are facing. Now, it's funny they're

706
00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:59,560
Speaker 1: all complaining that pales into comparison to what Jordan had

707
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,720
Speaker 1: to face and the physical toll that that must have taken.

708
00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:09,520
Speaker 1: But he remained so highly efficient. He's the best player

709
00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:16,120
Speaker 1: I've ever coached against. But lebron Man, this guy's career

710
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:18,400
Speaker 1: I think at the end of the day is going

711
00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:21,120
Speaker 1: to be second to none. Awesome stuff, Jeff, thanks so

712
00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:27,320
Speaker 1: much for the time, Brother, appreciate you. I knew Jeff

713
00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,600
Speaker 1: would deliver exactly what all of us Cardinal fans needed.

714
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,680
Speaker 1: Some laughter after last Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

715
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:38,600
Speaker 1: Great stories by Jeff going back into the archives. His

716
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:43,239
Speaker 1: incredible recall about the time he blew an opportunity to

717
00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:45,239
Speaker 1: get a date with Jody Foster and also win twelve

718
00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:48,960
Speaker 1: hundred dollars, the time that his car got destroyed by

719
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:53,080
Speaker 1: a seven thirty seven jet, a moment that sports fans

720
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:54,840
Speaker 1: all remember, The time that he was hanging onto the

721
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:58,480
Speaker 1: leg of Alonzo Morning, plus Jeff's thoughts on the Cardinals,

722
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:02,040
Speaker 1: growing up a Raider fan in his beloved Houston Texans,

723
00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:06,279
Speaker 1: the Phoenix Suns, Lebron James, and so much more. We

724
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,160
Speaker 1: are presented by bet MGM, the official sports betting partner

725
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:13,400
Speaker 1: of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos.

726
00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,480
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Jeff Van Gundy for being this week's

727
00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:18,480
Speaker 1: guest on the Dave Pash Podcast