WEBVTT - Stephen A. Smith 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.560 That crabs in a barrel mentality, blah blah blah. Nah man, 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:05.920 we showing something different, you know. First take, I've been 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:08.880 blessed and fortunate enough throwing shade on nobody. We've been 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:11.240 number one for twelve years. Were gonna be number one 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.680 for thirteen. It's just that simple in fourteen, and damn it, 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:16.880 if I do it for fifteen, gonna be fifteen. That's 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:19.600 the way it's gonna be. That's how my mentality is. 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:23.119 And I don't root for anybody to fail. I just 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:25.639 root to be the best, right And there's a difference. 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:27.760 And as far as I'm concerned, anybody that's with me, 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:28.760 we the best. 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:33.959 All my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle bag 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.560 the price, one slice, got the brother of Geist swap 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.639 all my life. I've been grinding all my life all 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:44.440 my life, been grinding all my life, and sacrifice hustle 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:48.199 bag to price is one slight, not the brother dieyst. 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:49.080 The swap all my life. 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:52.880 I've been grinding all my life. 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:55.560 Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shane Shae. I 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:57.840 am your hole Shannon Sharp, but also the pro private 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:01.160 club Shap Shape And for my first partmership with the volume. 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:05.320 I knew I had to land someone big. He's not big, 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:09.560 he's huge. He's genormous. He's a legendary sports journalist, a 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:14.680 feature commentator, premier analyst, famed host, veterman, reporter, podcast actor, writer, 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:19.240 executive producer, businessman, New York Times best selling author, one 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.880 of the most recognizable on their personalities not just sports 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:27.640 personality personalities on television, a cultural icon, and he's also 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:32.360 HBC you a lum Steven a smill. 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:36.280 Bro, we're here, we're here, but you. 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:38.080 Keep not bracelet. I would get over the time. 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:40.600 Ain't know I could break anything on you. 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:42.440 Right there? 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.000 Yeah, Bro, I mean I don't if I'm gonna be 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:46.800 able to keep this one, because every time I hug 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:47.680 somebody comes up. 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:50.080 Bro, how you doing? 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.800 It's good to see bro, How you doing? Be here? 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:53.240 I'm here. 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.320 I need you to tell the people what you went 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:58.720 through because you promised me this, because we've been trying 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:00.480 to get this thing together for a little six week 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.480 night and I said, Stephen, and can you do Tuesday 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:04.120 at noon? 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:06.040 And you said, I do it. 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.160 But I want you to tell the people the lengths 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:09.919 in what you went through to get here. 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:10.440 At Nowton. 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:14.000 Well, what happened is is that my pastor for the 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:16.800 Christian Cultural Center in New York City, past the air Arbernard, 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:20.320 had a fundraising event at a golf tournament in Long Island, right, 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.880 and so they were honoring me the night before I 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:28.119 came here and I had to play some golf, which 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.280 I don't play, so obviously I have to embarrass myself 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:35.080 for a few hours. For every one s nothing I know, 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:38.280 nothing I know, but for every one good shot I hit, 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.120 I hit about about five to ten bad shots or whatever. 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:44.720 But then after I did that, I promised you I 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:46.880 was gonna get here in time. So I had to 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:49.120 take the private jet get up here in time, and 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.920 I flew here last night, got here about two in 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:54.320 the morning, woke up at four point thirty the prep 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.160 for first take, and then did first take, and here 0:02:57.200 --> 0:02:59.880 I am bro that's love. I really appreciate that. 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:02.680 I know you talk about your pastor, but everybody that 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:04.680 comes on you don't have my own line of cognact. 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.280 That's right, And I need to get you a bottle 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:07.800 and you will leave here with a bottle. 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:09.440 Around with that, I mean, he know, I could get 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:11.760 out of you you're just giving nothing in excess, nothing else. 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.040 What I want to told you, Bro, because you paid 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.440 the way for a lot of guys. You made it 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.520 not just athlete, and I want to give you your flowers. 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:22.799 Bro. Appreciate appreciate you man, Thank you so much. Man. 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.440 Coming from an HBCU obviously is a very very big deal. 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:28.200 That's something that's near and dear to my heart. I've 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:32.120 been an ambassador for HBCU week since around two thy 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.800 and nineteen or so, and in that span we've generated 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:39.360 over what was about sixty five million in scholarships for 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.400 over you know, three thousand students, and so I'm really 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.400 really proud of that. And HBCU is always near and 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.800 dear to my heart. And the basketball coach Clarence big 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.240 House Games, who helped the late great John McClinton and 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:55.640 integrating the sport of basketball. They were both HBCU icons, 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:57.920 and both of them were big time mentors of mind 0:03:58.280 --> 0:03:59.840 and they knew I didn't have the game that was 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:01.640 would take me to the next level, but they knew 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.040 I had the mindset of the tenacity to do what 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:07.920 I could to help HBCUs. And all he ever said 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:09.720 to me was when I said, what can I do 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:11.760 for all that you've done for me? He said, don't 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:14.440 forget HBCUs. You make sure that you help any chance 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:15.800 you get. And that's what I've been doing. 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.240 What I tell people Stephne is that when I went 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:22.120 to an HBO, when I went to Savannah State, I 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:26.359 had no idea of the importance or the magnitude of 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.080 what was going on at the time. It wasn't until 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.520 much much later that I realized that I had done 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.800 something special. So when you're going when you're matriculating at 0:04:36.480 --> 0:04:40.520 Winston Saber, did you understand what was going on at 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:42.120 the time and how big of a deal it was 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:42.880 going to be later? 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:43.480 No, I did it. 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:45.400 Man. All I was trying to do is get my 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:49.080 degree and to make sure that I positioned myself to 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.640 have a career instead of a job. When I'm giving speeches, 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.599 I constantly say to kids, there's a difference between a 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.400 job and a career. A job is doing what you 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:00.400 have to do to maintain or elevate your quality life. 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:02.680 A career is doing what you want to do. It 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:04.880 just so happens to do those things. Yes, and so 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:08.159 for me, if you don't have an education, the chances 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:10.279 of you being able to pull that off, even with 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:13.560 the advent of social media and the opportunities that present themselves. 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.320 I think it's a misnomer to think that you don't 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.159 have to have any kind of education whatsoever and you're 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:23.359 going to succeed from a normal perspective. There are abnormal examples, 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.359 of course, there's always somebody that breaks the code, but 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.599 for the most part, you got to go through that terrain, 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.719 you gotta go through that grind, and for me, it 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.719 was always understanding that. So when I was at Winster Salem, 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:39.080 it was really about getting that degree and getting practical experiences. 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:41.400 I did an internship at the Winster Salem Journal, I 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:43.760 did an internship at the Atlanta Journal Constitutions, then I 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:46.320 came back into another internship at the Greensborough News Record, 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:50.200 then back to the Winston Salem Journal before I even graduated. 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:53.440 And so for me that was incredibly important establishing that 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:57.440 resume and really really showing that I was a worthy individual, 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:00.960 because if I didn't have those internships something to prove 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:04.520 that I was really really committed by acquiring that level 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:06.560 of practical experience, then it was going to be my 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.520 resume against somebody from a p w I and if 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.920 you're somebody from a predominantly white institution, chances are you're 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.279 gonna get the nod over somebody in an HBCU. 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:17.080 So I understood the climb. 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:20.680 I understood the obstacles that I had to that I 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:22.640 had to fight off. And that's what I went about 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:23.159 the business to do. 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:26.080 Did you always want to go to an HBCU or 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:27.720 it just it just happened. 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:28.760 Bro it just happened. 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:31.880 I didn't even know what an HBCU was until they 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:34.800 came to offer me a scholarship. I had no clue. 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:39.600 I heard about the United Negro College Funds, That's what 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:41.039 they ain't never mentioned Savannah State. 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.200 That's what I'm like. All I knew it was the 0:06:43.240 --> 0:06:45.919 big with the grander than the Southern. 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.799 Universe, Robinson, but that was about it. Because the fact 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.360 is that when you took at HBCUs, I mean, there's 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.280 some up north, like Bowie Stage in the Maryland area, 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.960 what have you. But for the most but for the 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:01.279 most part, they down south, south, correct the West. They 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:03.360 ain't in the Midwest. They damn sure ain't on the 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:06.080 East coast. So if you're living in those places, you 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:07.320 simply don't know right. 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:10.640 And you know what, I caught a lot of criticism 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:13.160 because I was one of the top prospects in the 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.280 state of Georgia when I was coming out, and I 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:19.560 said an HBCU wasn't my first choice. Had I made, 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.080 had I not been prop forty eight, I mean I 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.080 had Georgia, I had Texas, I had Nebraska, I had 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:27.560 all the big schools recruiting me, and more times than not, 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:30.200 I'm like, but the best thing that I did steven 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.840 eight is when my former coach dress is Sold, Bill 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:33.760 Davis came down. 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.920 He said, son, if you good, they'll find you. He said. 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:39.440 If I was drafting, he said, I'll take you no 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:40.080 more on overall. 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:40.440 Wow. 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.760 He convinced me. And when I had an opportunity to 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:45.400 transfer and go to a p W. 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:49.120 I well, I will tell you this, it's like and 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:50.600 a lot of and I've said this to a lot 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:53.680 of my white brothers and sisters, I'm like, love ain't 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:57.440 nothing like being surrounded by your own and then. 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.559 The pageantry then home comes. 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:03.720 God just don't understand. They just don't understand. I mean, 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:08.320 you know, the bands, the pep I mean, Lord. 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:09.960 That band played the whole game. It ain't know where 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:12.040 they got the ball. You gotta be quiet. The band 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.440 plays the entire game, whether we got the ball or 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.440 they got the ball. And then you got the step 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:18.840 show that you got the saw Rob, you got the frats, 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:20.040 and you got the park. 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:23.080 And everybody's coming back from twenty. 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.000 Years, thirty years, ten years, fifteen years to stop. 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:27.679 Just bring back memories. 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:32.079 He's bring They tell you something, Man, I listen, you've 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:33.960 heard me. Listen. People see me on TV. You hear 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:35.640 me can play about a lot of things like you 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:38.520 ain't never heard me complaining about going to HBC. No, no, no, no. 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:40.600 It's the greatest experience I've ever had in my life. 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.199 Let me tell you something right now. I had a 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.800 mentor of mine. God wrested soul, mister Robert Devaughan. He 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:50.520 was a telecommunications director at Winston Salem State. Loved him daily. 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:55.040 He had to convince me to graduate on time. I 0:08:55.200 --> 0:09:01.160 wanted to do internships to delay and postpone situation. Well 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:04.000 that's how that's how much I was living the life 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:07.320 at w's the Salem you're just saying. I mean, it 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:09.120 was like and then everybody's like, well you know what 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.200 you being disingenuous because you went and you did an 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.520 internship in Atlanta. I was like, uh, have you ever 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:15.160 heard of spell? 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:16.000 Yes? 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:19.040 I have, yes, I mean right down the blood, that's 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:19.720 right down the block. 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:23.960 Okay, literally just started. And look, Atlanta has always been Atlanta. 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:24.480 That's right. 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:26.000 It just exploded in. 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.679 The last twenty but Atlanta was back Atlanta back in 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:29.360 the seventies. 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:30.680 In the eighties, Atlanta was. 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.599 Like that, how about that? And then on top of 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:34.880 it all, check this out. So you gotta take a route. 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:36.920 If you're going down, you're going I eighty five, you're 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:39.200 coming up, You're going eighty five, I eighty five north right, 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:44.480 you're passing HBCUs. Yes. So it's like, yeah, I mean 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:47.800 Wister Salem, but I'm stopping Johnson's c. Smith. 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:49.480 You got john. 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:58.280 You got Bennett Collegeborough or girls? How there is its beautiful? Yeah, 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.439 your tea is like love. I mean I used to 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:02.920 take a long rock because you know you could cut 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:04.719 through and get the whistles centl State. I used to 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:06.640 take the long rock because you have to pass through 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.079 all of them things to get to whistle to sell them. 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:10.440 I was like, why would I want to rush? Why 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:11.280 would I want to do that. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:13.959 I tell a lot of people, I tell my white counterparts. 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:16.559 I think I think everybody should have to experience one 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:20.240 semester that hubc to get the field, to get the 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.520 ambiance of what it's actually like, and to have some 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:26.400 of those teachers because the professors Stephen that I believe 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:28.000 this sincerely, cared about your shark. 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.280 I remember going to a class and his name was 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:31.560 Haines Walton and. 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.440 Stephen, and he come to class with a piece of chalk, 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.880 this fig in his pocket, and he started writing on 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:37.280 the board. 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.760 I was like, okay, take the notes and everything. And 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:41.880 he said, on this page such and such, and in this. 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:42.800 Chapter such and such. 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:45.600 What damn how he know all of that? 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:49.280 Every day for like three weeks. So I got the text. 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:50.920 I said, I'm gonna find out how he knows so 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.680 much what? I started reading text by Haines Walton. 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.600 Yep, he wrote them, not him. 0:10:58.120 --> 0:10:59.520 You know everything here. 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:03.880 From that point on, every every I felt that every 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:08.040 class that I went to, every professor doctor they could 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.600 teach me something. And I was attentive. Now it didn't 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:14.720 hurt that, you know, they were in class tool. So 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:15.440 I said in front of. 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:16.640 The class had. 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:20.080 I had on you know, on Friday, I had hard 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:23.800 bottom shoes on, slack, had me a nice blazer, pretending 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:25.280 like I'm gonna be something one day. 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:26.920 Y'all need to go on and get on on shape. 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.959 That's right, ain't no question. And listen, they cared, They 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:32.160 held you accountable. They did. They felt like they were 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:35.319 an extension of the family that you departed from. And 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:39.440 they made you feel like if you disappointed, if you 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:43.320 ended up being a disappointment, you disappointed them. Yes, you 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:46.479 disappointed yourself, you disappointed your family, you disappointed your community. 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.560 It was the level of accountability. And not only that, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.560 they highlighted the obstacles, yes, that were waiting for you. 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:54.520 So it was like, listen, we've been here, we did it. 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:56.920 This was waiting for you. What you're gonna do about it? 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.240 And there's a sense of pride that kicks it. But 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.040 more importantly, when you go to an HBCU, I think 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.320 this is the most important people, most important thing for 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.360 folks to understand, particularly is it pertains to black folks. 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:13.640 Usually in every walk of society, we are alone in 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:17.560 certain respects. Yes, when you go to an HBCU, you 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:20.360 got company. Yes, people who look like you, who share 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:23.720 your cultural identity, who share your trials and tribulations, the obstacles, 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:27.679 the pitfalls, everything. You literally are looking at people, hanging 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.600 with people, and talking to people every day, where your 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.760 experiences are not foreign to them. They all know it, 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:35.960 and so they gonna lift you up unless you don't 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:37.440 want to be. Right, when you don't want to be, 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:39.240 they know to leave you to the science. You ain't 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.080 about it, right, we gonna stick with you with people 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.920 who's about something, and that self accountability elevates everybody. 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:49.199 I think back stephen A, one of our I started off. 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:50.920 I was prop forty eight, so I had to start 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:52.120 off in developmental studies. 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:52.360 Right. 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.559 Developmental studies is remedial, right, So in other word, all 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:58.680 you're taking is classes that doesn't go towards graduation, right, 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.319 Doctor George mac with more. I'll never forget. I had 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:05.120 a reading class and after two days she called me up. 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:07.439 She always called me mister sharp. To this day, when 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:08.760 I go back and see her to matter of state, 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:09.760 she called me mister sharp. 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:11.960 She said, mister sharp, I don't want to see you 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:14.360 in next quarter. Yes, they all say that. 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.600 She said, you're too smart. She said, you have no 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.640 business being in this class. Now, mister sharp, I don't 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:23.000 want to see you next quarter. She told the story everybody, 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.080 because back that time, I ended up graduating, got my 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.600 degree in playing in the NFL. She said, y'all see 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:29.760 that young young man on television. He was in this 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.720 very class, but he worked his tail off to get out, 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:35.600 and I did. A lot of my teammates were embarrassed 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.000 because you know, it wasn't a regular class, steven A. 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:40.679 It was a trailer and you know it's right next 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.199 to Peacock Hall while we're I would go eat breakfast 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:45.560 and walk right up in a just a proud because 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.760 I wasn't ashamed because I put myself in that situation. See, 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.120 you shouldn't be ashamed of something that you put yourself in. 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:52.760 I put myself in that seat. 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:54.640 A lot of times people don't see themselves are putting 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:56.520 themselves in that situation because they're not willing to absorb 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.320 and accept the accountability. See, the beauty of being involved 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:04.120 with athletics is that you're surrounded by people who make 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:08.000 you accountable for yourself. It's like a human mirror. You 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.240 know when you didn't work hard, you know when you 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:11.840 didn't put in the work. You know, when you didn't 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:13.720 listen to your coach, you know when you didn't do 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:17.600 all of these things, so that transitions to other forms. 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:19.280 It could be the classroom, it could be anything else. 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:22.240 I remember, even before I got to college, seventh grade 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.200 has sent my book Straight Shooter. My seventh grade teacher, 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.000 mister Caravan, looked my mother dead in the face and 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:31.560 she said, your son is not a dummy. She said. 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:35.560 He doesn't listen with things he's not interested in. 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:36.520 He drifts. 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.880 So what happens is you think he doesn't know what 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.120 he didn't understand, he never heard him. He will literally 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:47.000 drift and he doesn't hear anybody anywhere. He said, but 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:50.040 when you find out what he's passionate about, you'll have 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:50.920 a star on your hands. 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:51.800 Right, And that's what you said. 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:53.880 And that came in handy because years later, when I 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:55.920 was a beat writer, especially when I was covering the 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:59.280 seventy six and stuff like that, I have this uncanny ability. 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.480 I'm not say saying it's a gift, but I have 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:04.480 this uncannyability. I have been in an arena with twenty 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:08.840 thousand people and I didn't hear a word. I didn't 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.640 hear anything like I'm on deadline. I got an article 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:13.960 to write, I got twenty minutes to drive to write 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:15.640 eight hundred words, and. 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:20.640 I literally have the ability to block out all the noise. 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.880 And it reminded me of what Professor Caravan said to 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.560 my mother about drifting. I drifted to a different place, 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:30.520 except this time I saw the positive in it, because 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:31.960 a lot of times, if you're hearing that noise, you 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:33.920 can't focus, you can't sure, you can't get the job done. 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.880 I could because I could lock in and I could 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:37.720 tune out the noise. 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:39.400 You sound like an athlete. 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:43.560 If you've heard athletes say it, say it's like everything 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:46.920 slows down, everything is moving in slow motion. I don't 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.800 hear not one of those eighty five thousand or those 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:51.720 thirty thousand things you're screaming. 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.800 I hear nothing. Everything is just hush yeah. 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:58.240 And I can actually hear my heart beat, that's how 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.520 quiet it is, even though I'm in a state with 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:01.240 eighty thousand. 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.600 And those are the great ones as an athlete, those 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:05.720 are the great ones, because the ones who hear all 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.960 the noise are the ones who succumb to it, and 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.600 they panic, They sweating a little bit at palm, sweaty, 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:13.760 backsides tight. They can't really handle the pressure. They fold 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.360 under the pressure. But when you can, when you can 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:20.800 be composed and poised under pressure, particularly on the field 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:22.560 of the letter says, whether it's the quarter play, the field, 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:24.160 the play, or whatever the case may be, you gotta 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.560 start your hands. That wasn't me. That was me when 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:29.120 it came to my job. I could tune out all 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:31.440 of that noise. What people have is pressure. It's like 0:16:31.480 --> 0:16:33.720 you said, we do television every day. I'm in front 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:38.040 of the camera, bro, I worry about nothing. I'm not phased. 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:39.880 I don't care who's in front of me. I don't 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:41.880 care what noise people are saying on the outside. I 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:43.480 don't care about the camera folks. I don't care about 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:45.040 the producers in the control room, I don't care about 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:47.640 the bosses of this whatever. When the camera is in 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.040 front of me, I believe I own it right and 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:55.880 I'm not phased by anything. It just doesn't phase me. 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.800 But I've seen people who have been reporters, for example, 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:01.520 and you put them in front of the camera, brother, 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:04.520 they sweating bullets, They nervous as hell, they're stuttering, they 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:06.640 don't know what to say. They're trying to gather their doors. 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:08.719 They're trying to be ultra careful. They don't know what 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:10.480 to think, what to say, or whatever the case. And 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:14.280 I'm like this, they have no chance. They have, But 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:15.680 people think it's easy. 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:19.040 Everybody can't talk on camera, everybody can't speak in front 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.639 of us, in front of an audience. We've seen some 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.840 of the greatest players not be able to do what 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:27.359 you and I do on the regular, and people just like, well, 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:29.600 how do you do it? You just do it, you 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:32.800 just do it. I don't I don't see you, I 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.040 don't hear. All I hear is my own voice. 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.760 You. I'm a little different than that. I think that 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:41.560 you and I would be a little bit different than 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:45.280 that because that's your gift. And that's cool me as 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:49.040 anybody producer, anybody would tell you when I'm on the air, 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.720 that's why they named me the executive producer. First take. 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:54.840 I ain't asked for the job. I didn't need another job. 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:57.720 The last thing I needed another job. Bro It ain't 0:17:57.720 --> 0:17:59.440 like they throwing extra money my way for this, you know. 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:03.000 But they came to me and I'm like this, They're like, why, 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:06.480 they say you're producing the damn show anyway. On the set, 0:18:06.680 --> 0:18:08.800 you're looking at the camera. I know this camera is on, 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.359 I know this camera is off. I'm imagining what the 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:14.159 audience is doing because I have a connection with the audience. 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:15.840 This is what they want to hear. This is what 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:17.520 they don't want to hear. This is who they want 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.480 to hear from at this particular moment in time. This 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:21.400 is who they want to hear what this particular moment time. 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:23.600 All right, Steve, it's time to jump in a Steve 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:26.720 is time to lay back, because the objective is the show. 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.119 It's not me, it's not you, it's the show. And 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:32.119 the objective is to make sure that the people on 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:37.160 camera are maximizing their potential in terms of their presentation 0:18:37.280 --> 0:18:39.600 to the audience, to grab them and the real amen. 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.480 That's how I'm thinking, right and or now that it 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.359 wasn't at the beginning. At the beginning, I was a 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:48.040 lot like that. But as time went on, you're just 0:18:48.080 --> 0:18:50.080 seeing it. You're saying, well, wait a minute, why did 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.840 you the quarterback this person I've always That's what I say. 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:55.840 See for me, I got look, I know what everybody's 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:58.919 supposed to do, but I focus on them on my job. Now, 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:00.840 if I need to tell somebody a route or they 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.159 need to pay this, blitz you high or you got 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:03.800 a block, Well you. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:09.639 Show the world that what you wanted on Twitter. Then 0:19:09.680 --> 0:19:12.920 you like, yeah, that's what you're going to do. That's 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:14.160 that's that to me is my job. 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.480 Let me ask you a question, like when you say 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:20.520 like these viral and people ask like when do you 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:22.320 know what you're gonna say a lot of times when 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.359 stuff goes viral, I had no idea because I don't 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:28.159 know what he's gonna say, right, you don't know what 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:32.560 everybody's gonna say. But sometimes he just it just happens. 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.720 A moment happens. How much is just reactionary or because 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:38.240 like I said, you have a lot of different You 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:40.240 have mad Dog, you have Ryan Clark, you have d O, 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:41.120 you have swag Goo. 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:43.000 You have so many different people. 0:19:43.200 --> 0:19:45.840 So it's hard to get a beat or rhythm to 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.120 what they're gonna say if. 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:50.760 You don't know them, okay, and if you don't know 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.320 the audience okay. And so what happens is I know 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.000 what the audience wants from Ryan Clark, I know what 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:59.200 it wants from swag Oul. I know what it wants 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.200 from Molly. I know what it wants from Mad Dog. 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:04.520 I know what it was from Latsky. I know what 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:08.119 it wants from Shannon Sharp for the purposes of that show. 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:10.560 And so I'm looking at Shannon Sharp and I'm like, 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:14.600 and three times Super Bowl champion. That's one of the 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:17.760 greatest tight ends in NFL history. That's a Hall of Famer, 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:21.400 And damn it, he laughed, and he's boisterous. He gonna 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.919 come right at you and all of this other stuff. Okay, 0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.120 this is what they want, and this is what they're 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:30.800 going to get right now. You don't want to give 0:20:30.800 --> 0:20:33.280 it to them too much all in one bowl, right, 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:35.760 Want spread it out, he says, want s freaking it out. 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:37.520 You want a little bit here, a little bit there. 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:41.520 All right, it's ten, ten fifteen o'clock. Boom, ten fifteen, 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:44.480 Here we come. Do Momentum is swelling all of a sudden. 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:45.959 That might be a little bit too much. Might want 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:47.959 dollar back a little bit because we're coming at eleven. 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:50.400 Men might come in at eleven fifteen. Help, we're coming 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:54.600 at eleven thirty. See That's how I'm thinking. So it's like, okay, yeah, 0:20:54.640 --> 0:20:56.280 I want you to shine, and I want you to. 0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:58.439 I want you to beat you because I'm gonna beat me, right, 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:01.800 And so here we come and the audience is watching. 0:21:01.880 --> 0:21:03.440 How do you know that because you paid attention to 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:06.040 the audience, You're not sitting up there manipulating them. You're 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:09.359 not disrespecting them. You're showing them you appreciate them because 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.399 you're paying attention to what they're telling you and showing 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:15.399 you they want a lot of times you have talent 0:21:15.560 --> 0:21:17.680 and it's like, listen, this is my lane and there's 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:19.800 something to be said about that where you know who 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:22.320 you are and you know what you bring. That's not 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:25.800 to be disrespected, that's to be appreciated. Okay, here's his strength. 0:21:26.080 --> 0:21:28.560 Well if I have a different strength, how do I 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:33.400 get to compliment that so he can shine while we shine? 0:21:34.000 --> 0:21:36.919 That is the objective when you're trying to win, and 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:39.280 it's applicable on a football field, on a quarter play, 0:21:39.359 --> 0:21:41.600 or on a television set. But how many people are 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.160 thinking like that? I'll tell you who. The winners think 0:21:44.280 --> 0:21:47.760 like that, the losers don't. It's very simple. 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:48.760 You know what. 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:51.040 I want to address some comments that you said, because 0:21:51.040 --> 0:21:53.920 you said condolence is in advance yep, he's the modern 0:21:54.000 --> 0:21:54.680 day black hole. 0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:57.320 He's not used to getting beat down. Welcome to the 0:21:57.320 --> 0:21:57.720 beat down. 0:21:57.760 --> 0:21:59.600 Well, let me tell you, let me elaborate. First of all, 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:02.399 obviously I was abou physically. I got no shot. I 0:22:02.440 --> 0:22:04.159 got no shot. I mean, let's get that out the 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:06.080 way right now. Let's get that out of the way 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:08.320 right now. Saying let's get that out of the way 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:10.240 right now. I will not talk about back. I got 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.719 no shot whatsoever. But you know, I've seen you. I've 0:22:12.760 --> 0:22:15.760 seen you debate quite all. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I'm 0:22:17.760 --> 0:22:20.240 you could do your thing. But you know you ain't 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:23.000 never been up against me. You say this little a 0:22:23.000 --> 0:22:25.520 little different going up against me. You see what happens 0:22:25.600 --> 0:22:28.320 is you got people that are trying to win the debate, 0:22:28.400 --> 0:22:36.520 to be right, false. It's about your perspective up against mine, 0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:42.399 and who can convince the audience their perspective is better 0:22:42.440 --> 0:22:45.720 than the next. That's what it's about. You see a 0:22:45.720 --> 0:22:48.280 lot of times somebody get like somebody that is a 0:22:48.400 --> 0:22:52.920 mistake to argue with Shannon's shop about the facts of football. 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:57.600 You don't do that, not if you didn't play Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, please, 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:00.119 you got no shot. But you can't go like she 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:00.680 knows something. 0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:01.800 I was really nice. 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:03.720 I heard what you said, but you see you said 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:06.399 this two weeks ago. That not consistent with what I 0:23:06.480 --> 0:23:10.000 just heard. You saw this game right there? Now, I'm 0:23:10.040 --> 0:23:13.080 not you, but damn it, I got two eyes. I 0:23:13.119 --> 0:23:13.879 saw that. 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:17.000 Are you telling me what I saw was a lot? Really? 0:23:17.080 --> 0:23:19.679 You're sure about that? What did you say this a 0:23:19.760 --> 0:23:22.320 year ago? You see? These are the kind of things 0:23:22.320 --> 0:23:24.479 like you know you obviously you know you love yourself 0:23:24.480 --> 0:23:31.000 some Lebron James. Yeah, yeah, he's not. I just got 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:35.440 the foll with them JA to remind hung up on that. Yeah, 0:23:36.320 --> 0:23:38.399 the blastph for me coming out of your mouth. Right, 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:41.879 It's okay, you can believe that. You can believe that, 0:23:43.160 --> 0:23:43.639 but we'll do. 0:23:44.000 --> 0:23:48.560 I'm sure you know what the first Lebron topic, right, 0:23:48.640 --> 0:23:49.520 don't need to be nobody. 0:23:49.560 --> 0:23:52.560 Here's what's gonna hurt you. Here's what's gonna hurt you 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:56.360 because you see when you're talking like that, people but 0:23:56.880 --> 0:23:59.800 that No, I'm gonna sit back and let you do, 0:24:00.600 --> 0:24:03.720 and then I'm gonna say you finish, are you figuring sure? No? 0:24:04.080 --> 0:24:05.800 And you're gonna be like nah, And I'm gonna say 0:24:05.840 --> 0:24:08.800 you gotta wait now because I waited. Here I come, 0:24:09.200 --> 0:24:11.800 and you're gonna have to deal with the tsunami that 0:24:11.840 --> 0:24:14.720 I'm gonna bring. I'm gonna rain down upon you when 0:24:14.760 --> 0:24:19.880 it comes, especially to that up here, and that's what's it, 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:24.160 and that'she You're gonna have to listen, Lebron, Listen. I 0:24:24.200 --> 0:24:29.040 got this man. The game was started in nineteen forty seven. 0:24:30.080 --> 0:24:35.119 I got Lebron James. The thousands of players that have 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:39.800 played in the NBA, I got him number two all time. 0:24:40.040 --> 0:24:40.280 Yeah. 0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:44.639 Yeah, you got people walking around like that's disrespect it is. 0:24:44.720 --> 0:24:46.320 I got a number. See see that's the motion. 0:24:46.560 --> 0:24:48.199 That's a much right there. 0:24:48.200 --> 0:24:50.440 Listen, let me tell you that right now, I personally 0:24:50.480 --> 0:24:53.679 believe a legitimate argument could be made that I'm sitting 0:24:53.720 --> 0:24:56.800 in front of the greatest tight end in the history 0:24:56.840 --> 0:24:59.480 of football. Some people bring in Gronk, Tony Gonzalez, other 0:24:59.520 --> 0:25:02.560 players them in Travis kelf course, but you're in the 0:25:02.560 --> 0:25:05.760 conversation yourself, and you know because you're breathren. I mean, 0:25:05.760 --> 0:25:08.240 they give you my love and respect, right, I can 0:25:08.359 --> 0:25:10.640 say that. But my point to you is is that 0:25:12.359 --> 0:25:15.040 if somebody said you weren't number one, you don't feeling 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:17.480 so so why you got to be insult to the 0:25:17.520 --> 0:25:21.080 buildings because that's the motion. 0:25:21.480 --> 0:25:25.280 But go see, you told me your storm was coming. 0:25:25.520 --> 0:25:28.160 See your storm happened for nine years, then took two 0:25:28.240 --> 0:25:30.520 years off, and it happened for three years and took 0:25:30.560 --> 0:25:32.639 another three years off, and then it kind of just 0:25:32.720 --> 0:25:35.760 was like drizzling my thought storm being going for twenty 0:25:35.840 --> 0:25:37.040 one years raining. 0:25:37.280 --> 0:25:39.240 You could say that that my retort to that would 0:25:39.280 --> 0:25:47.600 be six NBA Finals losses, six final losses, six finals losses. 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:49.320 I just want you to tell me one thing, and 0:25:49.320 --> 0:25:51.920 were going to make this sure, tell me the team 0:25:52.040 --> 0:25:54.760 that he faced that was the twenty seventeen or the 0:25:54.800 --> 0:25:56.840 twenty eighteen Golden State Warriors. 0:25:57.320 --> 0:25:58.640 What you mean, I don't want to say your question 0:25:58.720 --> 0:25:59.280 Michael Jordan. 0:25:59.359 --> 0:26:01.240 Tell me the team with Michael Jordans. 0:26:01.240 --> 0:26:02.760 I want you to tell me the team that Michael 0:26:02.840 --> 0:26:06.560 Jordan faced that was the equivalent of the seventeen eighteen. 0:26:06.359 --> 0:26:07.640 No one can I respond to that? Sure? 0:26:07.680 --> 0:26:08.439 Can I say why? 0:26:08.760 --> 0:26:11.640 No? One? Do you know why? Because none? 0:26:12.880 --> 0:26:13.560 No? 0:26:13.760 --> 0:26:17.040 That's exactly what okay, cee cee. See that's the ultimate 0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:19.800 equalizer or usurper picked whichever one you want to. You 0:26:19.840 --> 0:26:21.919 want to pick. You understand that Jordan is six and 0:26:21.920 --> 0:26:24.280 ohe NBA frontals. You understand that Jordan was m v 0:26:24.320 --> 0:26:26.680 P O six NBA frontal. Do you understand that Jordan 0:26:26.760 --> 0:26:29.200 never even allowed a final series to go seven games? 0:26:29.560 --> 0:26:31.240 Said it never win seven game? 0:26:31.400 --> 0:26:34.400 Also, I also know he just started going to the finals 0:26:34.400 --> 0:26:36.040 because I burned back excusually. 0:26:36.200 --> 0:26:41.679 Ten time NBA scoring Champion, nine time All Defensive Player, 0:26:41.720 --> 0:26:44.040 All the Defensive First Team. You do know that, right? Yeah? So, 0:26:44.040 --> 0:26:46.400 so in other words, it was Lebron on both sides 0:26:46.400 --> 0:26:47.439 of ball? Was he that dominant? Oh? 0:26:47.440 --> 0:26:47.600 He was? 0:26:48.200 --> 0:26:49.280 You know he should have won it? 0:26:49.359 --> 0:26:51.320 You know he should want you are you kidding me? 0:26:52.800 --> 0:26:53.639 I give me this? 0:26:54.119 --> 0:26:56.880 You know, Goodwell, Lebron James should have one defensive Player 0:26:56.880 --> 0:27:00.960 of the year. How do how does margins All, who's 0:27:01.000 --> 0:27:04.320 the second team All Defensive player, be defensive Player of 0:27:04.320 --> 0:27:04.600 the Year. 0:27:04.720 --> 0:27:05.360 I agree with that. 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:08.399 I agree with that. But the flip side to it 0:27:08.440 --> 0:27:11.480 is that as we watched Lebron James, even with his 0:27:11.600 --> 0:27:14.320 greatness at one point in time as a defensive player, 0:27:14.760 --> 0:27:17.400 we never looked at him and said, oh my god, 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:21.800 that's that dude. Defensively you had you had no Lebron 0:27:21.920 --> 0:27:27.840 is universally respected and revered. Mj was feared. You know 0:27:27.880 --> 0:27:30.840 the difference. You know the difference because there are people 0:27:30.840 --> 0:27:33.639 who have feared you. You know the difference better than me. 0:27:33.760 --> 0:27:36.760 You know the difference between reverence and fear. 0:27:37.520 --> 0:27:39.920 Look, you know this. You like John Wick. 0:27:40.359 --> 0:27:45.000 I like James John can I have jameson, but you 0:27:45.000 --> 0:27:46.720 could be John Wacke. I preferred James Bond. 0:27:47.080 --> 0:27:49.800 John shot up the whole place, kill everybody. Okay, James 0:27:49.840 --> 0:27:51.679 Bond killed a few people, but got the ladies. 0:27:51.680 --> 0:27:56.159 They do the same. That's right. Was walking talking out 0:27:56.160 --> 0:27:59.600 the ocean and he said, magnificent Deale. Remember that this 0:27:59.680 --> 0:28:01.880 smaller and that was where you know that that's that's 0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:05.000 stuff and stuff like Pierce Bronston. But you know Daniel 0:28:05.040 --> 0:28:10.160 Craig of course, Sean Connery demand Okay, I mean I'm 0:28:10.160 --> 0:28:12.920 trying to say the versatility of James Bond is with 0:28:14.240 --> 0:28:16.960 Jans and you could say that, but could. 0:28:16.800 --> 0:28:19.800 Guard one through five. You seen him do it. 0:28:19.880 --> 0:28:23.040 I'm not denying that park on one end and at 0:28:23.119 --> 0:28:25.800 last five minutes I got timmy. I also saw him 0:28:25.800 --> 0:28:28.400 get checked when Jason Terry was guarding him in the post. 0:28:28.440 --> 0:28:32.280 And his finals against Dallas you going to deny that. No, Okay, then, 0:28:32.480 --> 0:28:34.720 so that's your question. Has there ever been a time 0:28:35.359 --> 0:28:38.360 when Michael Jordan showed up in an NBA finals and 0:28:38.400 --> 0:28:41.640 you literally looked at him and said, yo, he show up. 0:28:43.400 --> 0:28:46.080 Playing nobody. Let me ask your question. I'm gonna do 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:48.320 you like this here? Tell me the guy that he 0:28:48.440 --> 0:28:53.840 faced that deal were the equivalent of Kevin Durant and Jordan. 0:28:53.920 --> 0:28:56.120 Well, I was. I wouldn't say. I wouldn't say the 0:28:56.160 --> 0:28:58.520 equivalent of of Kevin Durant. But let's go down the list. 0:28:58.720 --> 0:29:00.240 He beat Magic for his first time back. 0:29:00.440 --> 0:29:01.320 What's seventy three? 0:29:01.520 --> 0:29:03.280 Okay, I find I'm going I'm going down the list 0:29:03.720 --> 0:29:05.400 the list. I didn't hear you say that when Magic 0:29:05.480 --> 0:29:07.480 was here, but we're talking about you. 0:29:09.120 --> 0:29:09.560 Didn't say that. 0:29:09.560 --> 0:29:10.080 What Magic was. 0:29:12.080 --> 0:29:13.840 The man on the ninth nine. 0:29:13.600 --> 0:29:15.800 Finals And I feel you on that. And by the 0:29:15.800 --> 0:29:19.280 way he took wasn't Kareem and worthy, but. 0:29:19.280 --> 0:29:20.800 You saw what he did. But joined in the first 0:29:20.800 --> 0:29:22.880 game put a triple double on in the head and 0:29:22.880 --> 0:29:25.920 put on it. That's cool, Okay, say he backed them 0:29:26.760 --> 0:29:29.280 made look like Kareem Tom Will Jones fit. 0:29:29.360 --> 0:29:32.720 That's fair. Michael Joe, I'm sorry Magic Johnson, the first title, 0:29:33.360 --> 0:29:36.280 Clyde Drexler and the Crew, the second title, Charles Barkley, 0:29:36.400 --> 0:29:38.520 Kevin Johnson, don't ignore that, Damn Mally and them. The 0:29:38.520 --> 0:29:45.640 third Okay, okay, Peyton the Glove with Sean Camp and 0:29:45.760 --> 0:29:49.280 also you've got call Malone John Stockton, and you have 0:29:49.400 --> 0:29:53.880 an NBA game that was considerably tougher at that particular 0:29:53.880 --> 0:29:56.440 moment in time than today's NBA game is in terms 0:29:56.480 --> 0:29:57.760 of physicality and what's allowed. 0:29:57.840 --> 0:30:00.480 Yes, so you can appreciate this. You can. I appreciate 0:30:00.520 --> 0:30:01.680 that before you could. 0:30:01.520 --> 0:30:03.680 Put your when you could put your four onmre people, 0:30:03.800 --> 0:30:05.560 when you can hand check them, when you can do 0:30:05.600 --> 0:30:07.280 a lot of things you can't do now right now 0:30:07.320 --> 0:30:08.960 you get caught for passing gas. 0:30:09.360 --> 0:30:13.840 You will, But it's a different game now, Okay, what you. 0:30:13.760 --> 0:30:18.440 And the Old school Guard have equated physicality with talent 0:30:18.880 --> 0:30:22.040 and skill, the gathering the game more skilled. 0:30:22.360 --> 0:30:24.160 I totally agree with that. I totally agree with that. 0:30:24.200 --> 0:30:26.760 But you would know this better than me because you 0:30:26.840 --> 0:30:29.880 were an all world player. Even though the game of 0:30:29.920 --> 0:30:34.560 the NFL has evolved significantly. You know good and damn 0:30:34.560 --> 0:30:38.360 well that if you were playing in this time, Oh yeah, 0:30:38.440 --> 0:30:40.640 you would have adapted. Yes, you played in that time, 0:30:40.680 --> 0:30:43.240 you adapted the game in the sixties and seventies, you 0:30:43.240 --> 0:30:45.520 would have adapted to no time. So what I'm trying 0:30:45.560 --> 0:30:47.760 to say to you is this, Michael Jordan was what 0:30:47.800 --> 0:30:51.000 he needed to be. If he was playing today, he 0:30:51.040 --> 0:30:53.320 would be what he needed to be in order to 0:30:53.320 --> 0:30:56.360 be successful today. That's all I'm trying to say. When 0:30:56.400 --> 0:30:59.560 you see greatness on that level, you have to concede 0:31:00.120 --> 0:31:00.960 that that's the case. 0:31:01.120 --> 0:31:03.000 But see all they asked Michael do with the cook 0:31:03.480 --> 0:31:05.600 Lebron had to cook, he had to clean, he had 0:31:05.640 --> 0:31:07.160 to wait tables to take order. 0:31:07.200 --> 0:31:09.640 Well, you could say that, But what I'm saying that 0:31:09.720 --> 0:31:11.800 if the brother's doing it on both sides of the Florida, 0:31:11.800 --> 0:31:13.240 then obviously he's doing more than one thing. 0:31:13.320 --> 0:31:14.160 He's doing that too. 0:31:14.680 --> 0:31:17.960 But how many guys you know that on top five 0:31:18.480 --> 0:31:19.040 and Top five? 0:31:19.400 --> 0:31:22.040 How about this? How about once you Quille O'Neil with 0:31:22.080 --> 0:31:26.280 Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, three D, Dennis Scott and those boys, Yeah, 0:31:26.400 --> 0:31:30.720 going Orlando, right, how about the fact that they could 0:31:30.920 --> 0:31:34.040 even get the ball pass half court because Scottie Pippen 0:31:34.040 --> 0:31:35.400 and Michael Jordan had him on locket. 0:31:35.520 --> 0:31:37.400 Yeah, with full Corp press. 0:31:37.400 --> 0:31:38.640 We end never see Lebron do that. 0:31:38.920 --> 0:31:39.840 We never see Lebron do that. 0:31:39.960 --> 0:31:42.360 Bron that you stop it. He never did it. You remember, 0:31:42.800 --> 0:31:43.320 he never did it. 0:31:43.400 --> 0:31:45.520 You remember with d Rose with the MVP, y'all voted 0:31:45.600 --> 0:31:47.280 d Roll the m v P. What do. 0:31:48.760 --> 0:31:52.160 Excuse me? Excuse me, d Rose? What kind of team 0:31:52.200 --> 0:31:55.000 did ye? You come? Tell me know? Whing those boys wasppoint? 0:31:56.040 --> 0:31:58.480 They did enough to get the number one seed. That 0:31:58.600 --> 0:31:59.960 so what you're a. 0:32:02.400 --> 0:32:05.680 I voted him in VP and still picked Miami to 0:32:05.720 --> 0:32:07.760 win that series. I knew they want to go be 0:32:07.840 --> 0:32:10.040 Miami in the Best of seventh. The playoffs are different, 0:32:10.400 --> 0:32:12.400 all right, But that don't mean Lebron deserve the MVP. 0:32:12.560 --> 0:32:14.640 I know. By the way, I don't even knock Lebron 0:32:14.680 --> 0:32:16.840 James for not getting the MVP, because when you're that great, 0:32:17.160 --> 0:32:19.360 you're not gonna put all your efforts in over eighty 0:32:19.360 --> 0:32:21.840 two games. You're playing for April Man and ju So 0:32:21.920 --> 0:32:24.440 this is entirely plausible. I'm very fair of Lebron jaf 0:32:24.480 --> 0:32:27.920 your dollars sometimes most times, most times, actually I say 0:32:27.960 --> 0:32:29.440 all it's just that I call it like I see it. 0:32:29.440 --> 0:32:30.360 I'm not emotional like you. 0:32:30.480 --> 0:32:35.720 No no, I I like, you know what, I got 0:32:35.760 --> 0:32:38.200 a call to day for one Michael Jordan. 0:32:38.440 --> 0:32:40.400 He rolled up on me in a black ass uva 0:32:40.960 --> 0:32:41.320 the winter. 0:32:41.360 --> 0:32:43.560 That's true, that's true. Yeah, I was scary. I thought 0:32:43.560 --> 0:32:45.000 he was. I thought I thought it was a drive 0:32:45.280 --> 0:32:47.680 it was in them drive by. Scared of living hell 0:32:47.680 --> 0:32:49.640 out of me. You still say that, mean that's that, 0:32:49.640 --> 0:32:52.080 That's an absolutely true story. But at the end of 0:32:52.120 --> 0:32:54.480 the day, all I'm trying to say is that Lebron 0:32:54.560 --> 0:32:57.640 is phenomenal. He's great. We should throw no shade on him. 0:32:57.720 --> 0:33:01.360 One of the greatest ever Top B top three, you 0:33:01.360 --> 0:33:04.080 say it, one of pH He will never be greater 0:33:04.120 --> 0:33:06.560 than Jordan to me. But more importantly, let's go to 0:33:06.640 --> 0:33:10.800 Koreem Nineteen time All Star, six time league MVP champion 0:33:10.840 --> 0:33:16.800 on the high school left champion, champion in the NBA. Okay, 0:33:17.400 --> 0:33:21.040 good lord at Merka Fall, time leading scorer before Lebron's 0:33:21.080 --> 0:33:23.760 had passed him, all of that stuff happened. I'm just saying, 0:33:23.800 --> 0:33:26.520 come on now, the resume is better, But I still 0:33:26.520 --> 0:33:30.120 don't believe he was the player that Lebron James is. 0:33:30.680 --> 0:33:32.720 All right, But what I hold, and I'll say this 0:33:32.760 --> 0:33:35.000 to you, I'll tell you something that I've very really said. 0:33:36.200 --> 0:33:41.280 If you took Lebron james career from twenty twelve to now, 0:33:41.800 --> 0:33:45.680 and that was his history from his first title to 0:33:45.760 --> 0:33:48.000 what he is now, and you wanted to make an 0:33:48.120 --> 0:33:52.240 argument against Jordan, I'm listening. The problem is we don't 0:33:52.280 --> 0:33:56.120 get to ignore those first seven or eight years where 0:33:56.160 --> 0:33:58.760 there were a couple of occasions where one he was 0:33:58.800 --> 0:34:01.320 accused of quitting and number and I don't believe that. 0:34:01.360 --> 0:34:03.680 By no, I don't believe that you are drunkard. No no, no, 0:34:03.800 --> 0:34:06.200 no no, I'm talking about this. God, I got you, 0:34:06.240 --> 0:34:08.080 but I feel you. But it's true, but it's still 0:34:08.120 --> 0:34:13.399 excusing drunken. But the point is against Boston, I don't 0:34:13.400 --> 0:34:15.319 believe that it was a lot of stuff going on 0:34:15.400 --> 0:34:18.279 in Braun. That's none of our business. That people they 0:34:18.360 --> 0:34:21.360 were totally unfair to him, including his damn teammates. But 0:34:21.360 --> 0:34:23.239 that's a different story for another day. I never held 0:34:23.239 --> 0:34:27.840 that against him. But when you got four games against 0:34:27.880 --> 0:34:31.480 the Dallas Mavericks in which people looked at you and said, choke, 0:34:32.239 --> 0:34:35.520 you know what you cannot get past I can't. 0:34:35.560 --> 0:34:37.720 I can't argue that I can't. 0:34:37.760 --> 0:34:40.960 And that to me, that to me sealed the deal 0:34:41.080 --> 0:34:43.680 about the MJ Lebron companion. 0:34:43.280 --> 0:34:44.960 So what what what if he were to win a 0:34:45.040 --> 0:34:47.520 title this year, thirty nine years of. 0:34:47.440 --> 0:34:51.040 Age, So so that going to race Jordan? 0:34:51.680 --> 0:34:54.799 That interesting that you go see, that's the argument that 0:34:54.840 --> 0:34:57.160 people have when I was talking about Tom Brady not 0:34:57.200 --> 0:35:00.719 playing well, I'm not trying to take away with Jordan's accomplished. 0:35:00.840 --> 0:35:03.800 I agree, he got those rings, he got six finals MVP, 0:35:04.239 --> 0:35:06.280 he has six championship, he has five. 0:35:06.080 --> 0:35:07.000 Regular season MVP. 0:35:07.280 --> 0:35:11.759 Right if Lebron gets another title stephen A, I'm not 0:35:11.760 --> 0:35:15.320 gonna raise what Jordan did, but he already he already 0:35:15.320 --> 0:35:17.439 here from me. Okay, all he doing is just. 0:35:17.440 --> 0:35:19.760 But but what I'm saying to you is I already 0:35:19.800 --> 0:35:22.600 talked about the Dallas thing, and I talked about moments 0:35:22.680 --> 0:35:25.279 which you can appreciate. What I'm trying to say to 0:35:25.320 --> 0:35:29.520 you is that when you are that dude, that doesn't 0:35:29.560 --> 0:35:31.920 happen to you often that happened to Magic when they 0:35:31.920 --> 0:35:35.840 called them tragic, because yeah, four you get all of 0:35:35.880 --> 0:35:37.680 that under sad I'm saying, but for the most part, 0:35:37.680 --> 0:35:39.440 that doesn't happen. And this is the kind of thing 0:35:39.440 --> 0:35:41.479 that you also have to pay attention to as well. 0:35:42.200 --> 0:35:45.040 Not only do you not get to say that about Jordan, 0:35:45.760 --> 0:35:48.719 but when you look at Lebron, think about this. You 0:35:48.760 --> 0:35:50.319 want me to tell you what I hold against him, 0:35:50.400 --> 0:35:52.320 just as much as I held against the Dallas before me. 0:35:52.520 --> 0:35:55.960 What the following year with the All Star Game, you 0:35:56.040 --> 0:35:59.200 got the ball in your hands. It's an exhibition. It's 0:35:59.239 --> 0:36:04.480 an exhibition. It doesn't count. It's all in fun. Kobe 0:36:04.520 --> 0:36:07.239 claps his hand, God Rest his soul. He's like, yo, listen, 0:36:07.239 --> 0:36:09.520 come on, wait, you got d Wade on the court, 0:36:09.560 --> 0:36:12.080 you got Mellow in the corner, and he threw the 0:36:12.160 --> 0:36:17.200 past and all three of them, along with Kobe, descended 0:36:17.239 --> 0:36:20.399 on Lebron and said, yo, what's up what you're doing? 0:36:20.520 --> 0:36:23.680 Because they knew he was psyched out, he was messed up. 0:36:23.960 --> 0:36:26.560 And what I'm saying to you is that Kobe wasn't 0:36:26.600 --> 0:36:30.120 like that. MJ wasn't like that. It's d Wade wasn't 0:36:30.160 --> 0:36:32.120 like that. In his first NBA Finals appearance, they down 0:36:32.120 --> 0:36:35.200 owe to the Dallas. E Wade goes berserk, averages thirty 0:36:35.239 --> 0:36:37.320 seven in the last four games. I'm just saying this 0:36:37.520 --> 0:36:41.200 stuff like that. It's not that you look at Lebron 0:36:41.239 --> 0:36:45.000 and you diminish him. It's just that you can't elevate 0:36:45.120 --> 0:36:49.520 him above somebody like MJ. When I got that evidence 0:36:49.560 --> 0:36:52.560 to support my argument, that's all, and that's why I 0:36:52.560 --> 0:36:54.960 got him number two author on God strike me down. 0:36:55.040 --> 0:36:56.319 I mean, my lord, I mean what it is. So, 0:36:56.520 --> 0:37:00.080 I mean, the number two all time in the history 0:37:00.120 --> 0:37:02.759 of the game. And it's an insult. 0:37:03.080 --> 0:37:06.400 Only you and Rich Paul and people like that feel 0:37:06.440 --> 0:37:09.800 that way, most of us saying individuals know better. 0:37:09.920 --> 0:37:11.799 No, let me ask you this. 0:37:12.080 --> 0:37:14.160 Yeah, you and I have conversation, and people like, well, 0:37:14.200 --> 0:37:16.359 how closely you're Stephen there? I said, I met him 0:37:16.400 --> 0:37:19.279 in twenty fourteen when I came on the show. I said, 0:37:19.320 --> 0:37:21.319 we've talked over the here, we exchanged numbers, and we've 0:37:21.320 --> 0:37:23.439 talked over the years. But I said, over the last 0:37:23.480 --> 0:37:25.680 year and a half or so, I was going through 0:37:25.719 --> 0:37:27.840 some things and he was the one guy that was 0:37:27.880 --> 0:37:29.759 in this business that I felt I could talk to. 0:37:30.239 --> 0:37:32.400 It would stay between us, but he would give me 0:37:32.480 --> 0:37:36.000 sound advice. And so now you have your thing with 0:37:36.040 --> 0:37:38.040 First Take. You you are the voice, you are the 0:37:38.080 --> 0:37:40.400 face of First Take, You're the first face of ESPN. 0:37:42.080 --> 0:37:46.400 What made you reach out say, bro, I want. 0:37:46.200 --> 0:37:49.520 You because I got love for you, bro, and' that's 0:37:49.600 --> 0:37:53.080 just me being a man and speaking his two brothers. 0:37:55.239 --> 0:37:58.040 You know, you know our former boss at first Take, 0:37:58.160 --> 0:38:01.240 Jamie Hardwiz, who was over brought you over that first 0:38:01.239 --> 0:38:04.040 one and all of that, and he knows my history, 0:38:04.080 --> 0:38:07.120 he knows what I stand for. I remember when I 0:38:07.120 --> 0:38:09.040 first You can ask him. I remember when I first 0:38:09.120 --> 0:38:11.600 arrived on first Take and I rolled up in there 0:38:11.640 --> 0:38:13.799 and I saw a bunch of white folks, and I said, Yo, 0:38:13.840 --> 0:38:16.839 we're the brothers and the sisters that you don't think 0:38:16.920 --> 0:38:18.560 I'm gonna be sitting here working with a bunch of 0:38:18.560 --> 0:38:21.080 white folks, do you? I don't mind white folks. I 0:38:21.120 --> 0:38:23.799 ain't got nothing against y'all. God bless you. You understand saying 0:38:23.800 --> 0:38:25.799 we all brothers and sisters the eyes of God. When 0:38:25.800 --> 0:38:27.200 all of a sudden, dumb but you ain't gonna just 0:38:27.239 --> 0:38:29.160 have me surrounded by a bunch of lily white folks. 0:38:29.239 --> 0:38:35.080 You better sprinkle sprinkle some in. And so you know, 0:38:35.400 --> 0:38:37.880 he brought one. And then the next thing, you know, 0:38:37.960 --> 0:38:40.520 I picked two or three others and made sure to 0:38:40.560 --> 0:38:43.560 diversify that staff. And then one of the things that 0:38:43.640 --> 0:38:46.280 I did when I came in there. I knew Skip 0:38:46.400 --> 0:38:48.440 was going to want to debate me and whatever, but 0:38:48.480 --> 0:38:50.640 I was talking about subject matters that we needed to 0:38:50.719 --> 0:38:53.120 broach because it was still his show. But he respected 0:38:53.120 --> 0:38:55.160 me enough to get my opinion, and I was like, look, 0:38:55.200 --> 0:38:58.520 we need all of these other people because I want voices, 0:38:58.560 --> 0:39:01.680 and I'm just I'm built. What I mean by that 0:39:01.800 --> 0:39:04.359 is there's no shade on you, on anybody else. But 0:39:04.440 --> 0:39:07.400 I don't believe anybody's knocking me off my perch. I 0:39:07.440 --> 0:39:09.560 will knock me off my perch. You know, corporate stuff, 0:39:09.600 --> 0:39:12.000 bureaucratic stuff, that's stuff you can't you know. But I'm 0:39:12.040 --> 0:39:13.880 talking about in terms of my own air performance, my 0:39:14.000 --> 0:39:16.560 job performance. I don't worry about it. You know what 0:39:16.600 --> 0:39:19.000 I worry about the day that I want to leave. 0:39:19.440 --> 0:39:23.560 And I haven't done anything to create opportunities for us 0:39:23.600 --> 0:39:26.120 to continue. And so for me, it's like I look 0:39:26.160 --> 0:39:30.400 at you, I think that you're smart, You're obviously incredibly accomplished. 0:39:30.520 --> 0:39:33.400 You ain't gonna never hear me say no disrespect to anybody, 0:39:33.440 --> 0:39:35.200 not to bring up nothing. Ain't gonna never hear me 0:39:35.239 --> 0:39:37.920 say three super Bowl championships, a Hall of Fame status 0:39:37.960 --> 0:39:40.120 don't mean nothing. I don't roll like that. That's not 0:39:40.200 --> 0:39:43.160 who I am. I'm the kind of person that I 0:39:43.560 --> 0:39:46.360 argue with you about football, but I want the audience 0:39:46.400 --> 0:39:49.440 to know, Yo, you the football expert, right, not me. 0:39:50.040 --> 0:39:52.960 I'm the reporter that walks in and I'm like, this 0:39:53.120 --> 0:39:55.080 what I saw, and tell me I'm wrong. This is 0:39:55.080 --> 0:39:57.080 what I'm seeing. Tell me I'm row. This is where 0:39:57.080 --> 0:39:58.600 I'm comforting. Just like me and you talking about that. 0:39:58.800 --> 0:40:00.800 I know you. I don't give damn how much basketball. 0:40:00.800 --> 0:40:02.560 You know, you'll know no more of basketball than me. 0:40:02.800 --> 0:40:04.839 I've been coming. I learned from living legends and all 0:40:04.840 --> 0:40:06.239 this stuff. But I still want to hear what you 0:40:06.280 --> 0:40:07.600 have to say. If you can listen to me talk 0:40:07.640 --> 0:40:09.239 to football, why the hell can I listen to you 0:40:09.320 --> 0:40:11.719 talk about basketball? And so all of that and then 0:40:12.640 --> 0:40:17.160 your heart being conscientious brother, caring about the issues that 0:40:17.200 --> 0:40:21.600 you're caring about, speaking about the issues that you speak about. Now, brothers, 0:40:21.760 --> 0:40:25.000 iron sharpens iron, and yeah, I got mad Dog Russo 0:40:25.080 --> 0:40:27.799 that's white. I got Dan Olofski. That's a white dude. 0:40:27.800 --> 0:40:30.279 You see what I'm saying. You know, Jeff Saturday, at 0:40:30.280 --> 0:40:32.439 one time he was on the show That's a white Man. 0:40:32.640 --> 0:40:34.799 But the bottom line is I want it all. I 0:40:34.840 --> 0:40:38.880 want to make sure there's brothers, the sisters, black and white, ethnic, 0:40:39.080 --> 0:40:42.040 you know, Hispanics, Asian. I don't give damn who it is. 0:40:42.239 --> 0:40:44.920 I want to make sure we're representing America and we 0:40:44.960 --> 0:40:47.560 make sure that everybody that looks at our show says 0:40:47.840 --> 0:40:50.640 I can identify with what they're saying. But in the end, 0:40:50.680 --> 0:40:53.839 when it comes to me personally, you know whether it's 0:40:53.920 --> 0:40:58.280 Ryan Clark, it's Marcus Spears, all right, it's Damian Woody, 0:40:58.400 --> 0:41:01.520 it's Lewis Riddick, the list goes on, and nor my brother, 0:41:01.600 --> 0:41:04.600 Michael Irvin. That's now Aver, That's that's one key, Shawn Johnson. 0:41:04.680 --> 0:41:06.600 These are my boys. I go back decades with these, 0:41:06.640 --> 0:41:07.440 These are my brothers. 0:41:07.680 --> 0:41:09.680 You know what I'm saying. They will tell you. 0:41:09.680 --> 0:41:13.880 You ask anybody that knows me. I'm about getting you paid, 0:41:14.280 --> 0:41:18.280 I'm about helping you become successful. I'm about letting you shine. 0:41:18.600 --> 0:41:23.000 I'm not threatened by anybody's appearance. It's my obligation. 0:41:23.040 --> 0:41:25.440 But you've heard it, you do it. You've heard the comments. 0:41:25.520 --> 0:41:30.080 Yes, man, Stephen a man, he's strong will he bragged 0:41:30.120 --> 0:41:33.520 blah blah blah, like Shannon strong Will. 0:41:34.960 --> 0:41:37.160 Blah blah blah. How is that gonna work? 0:41:37.600 --> 0:41:39.440 They don't know. They don't tell people. 0:41:39.800 --> 0:41:44.200 I'm say, two people that strong will can absolutely get 0:41:44.239 --> 0:41:48.720 along as long as there's respect. Absolutely, the moment one 0:41:48.920 --> 0:41:52.839 disrespects the other, the other losers respect for the one 0:41:52.840 --> 0:41:53.839 that disrespected him. 0:41:53.880 --> 0:41:56.480 Right, So now it's just a matter of time exactly. 0:41:56.560 --> 0:42:00.040 And that's not gonna happen because I don't roll like that. 0:42:00.680 --> 0:42:02.680 It's like, Yo, I'm gonna argue with you about your points, 0:42:02.719 --> 0:42:05.440 but you know what, we gonna agree. We gonna disagree, 0:42:05.600 --> 0:42:07.200 but at the end of the day, we brothers, and 0:42:07.239 --> 0:42:08.759 we gonna sit up there and try to do what 0:42:08.800 --> 0:42:12.360 we can to make our product shine. That's our responsibility 0:42:12.400 --> 0:42:15.160 because if we do, if we do otherwise, all we're 0:42:15.200 --> 0:42:17.920 doing is inhibiting the other success. Right, we're getting in 0:42:17.920 --> 0:42:19.759 the way of what we're trying to do. That makes 0:42:19.800 --> 0:42:21.960 no sense whatsoever. And not only that, that's setting a 0:42:21.960 --> 0:42:24.000 bad example of our community. If I really need to 0:42:24.000 --> 0:42:26.200 get deep about it, because what happens is is that 0:42:26.320 --> 0:42:29.200 always so they can't chill, they can't sit up there 0:42:29.400 --> 0:42:31.719 and do a show together. They can't get along. You 0:42:31.800 --> 0:42:35.040 see that crabs in the barrel mentality. Blah blah blah, 0:42:35.120 --> 0:42:37.520 nah man, we showing something different, you know, first take, 0:42:37.600 --> 0:42:40.360 I've been blessed and fortunate enough throwing shade on nobody. 0:42:40.520 --> 0:42:42.680 We've been number one for twelve years. We gonna be 0:42:42.760 --> 0:42:46.160 number one for thirteen. It's just that simple. In fourteen 0:42:46.200 --> 0:42:47.759 and damn it, if I do it for fifteen, gonna 0:42:47.800 --> 0:42:50.359 be fifteen. That's the way that's gonna be. That's how 0:42:50.440 --> 0:42:54.280 my mentality is. And I don't root for anybody to fail. 0:42:54.719 --> 0:42:57.080 I just root to be the best, right, And there's 0:42:57.120 --> 0:42:59.279 a difference. And as far as I'm concerned, anybody that's 0:42:59.280 --> 0:43:01.960 with me, we the best. This is what we're gonna do. 0:43:02.000 --> 0:43:05.560 So now it's we. It ain't stephen they it's weak. 0:43:05.840 --> 0:43:07.719 And when you come to first take, because you ain't 0:43:07.760 --> 0:43:11.120 start yet, you're gonna see it's a family. You gonna 0:43:11.120 --> 0:43:13.960 see we get along. It ain't fake. We rolled with 0:43:14.000 --> 0:43:16.600 one another, We vibe for one another, We watch one 0:43:16.640 --> 0:43:20.120 another's back. It has always been that way under my 0:43:20.239 --> 0:43:22.680 stewardship of the show. And I can say my stewardship 0:43:22.680 --> 0:43:24.560 of the show because the show was handed to me. 0:43:24.840 --> 0:43:26.840 They ain't come to me, and I just took the 0:43:26.880 --> 0:43:29.759 title and off. No, they came to me and said 0:43:29.880 --> 0:43:33.879 it's yours. You're responsible for it. If I didn't want 0:43:33.920 --> 0:43:35.759 share this shop at first take show and be a 0:43:35.760 --> 0:43:38.600 first take how I roll, no question. But I had 0:43:38.640 --> 0:43:41.480 to come out that day because with all that you 0:43:41.520 --> 0:43:42.920 were behind. 0:43:42.960 --> 0:43:46.360 See what you're saying now is that you told me 0:43:46.520 --> 0:43:48.920 month in advance, because you were telling me things that 0:43:48.960 --> 0:43:50.719 were going on at Park Hell, I didn't know it. 0:43:50.800 --> 0:43:53.680 I'm like, hold on, I drive this building every day. 0:43:53.680 --> 0:43:54.640 How the hell you know what? 0:43:54.719 --> 0:43:58.319 I don't know you and you telling me, Bro, it's 0:43:58.360 --> 0:44:00.200 going down like this, it's happening. 0:44:00.160 --> 0:44:01.919 Like this, and I'm just scratching my head. 0:44:01.960 --> 0:44:05.760 I'm like, I'm at this building every day and everybody cheezing? 0:44:05.960 --> 0:44:07.319 Reason? Was I right? 0:44:07.400 --> 0:44:09.000 You was absolutely spot on? 0:44:09.640 --> 0:44:11.960 And tell you I was right, you know. And by 0:44:12.000 --> 0:44:16.880 the way, it wasn't because a fox. It's because I 0:44:16.920 --> 0:44:19.879 know the business, right. I've been here for thirty years. 0:44:20.239 --> 0:44:22.759 I can see them all away, you know. I can 0:44:22.800 --> 0:44:25.000 see the hand writing on the wall. I knew when 0:44:25.000 --> 0:44:27.279 it was over for you, Bro. I'm gonna be real 0:44:27.360 --> 0:44:29.040 with you. I knew when it was over, and I 0:44:29.120 --> 0:44:32.799 was like, I'm here, you see what I'm saying, because because. 0:44:32.520 --> 0:44:33.760 I knew what was gonna happen. 0:44:34.000 --> 0:44:36.799 What happens is when you got noise and we gonna 0:44:36.800 --> 0:44:38.640 call it like liten. I'm gonna call it like I 0:44:38.680 --> 0:44:40.319 see it. You don't want to do this, let me 0:44:40.400 --> 0:44:42.760 do it, all right, because I've been in the business 0:44:42.760 --> 0:44:48.400 long enough. When you're black and you have the kind 0:44:48.600 --> 0:44:56.200 of evident apparent meaning public situations like that, we don't win. 0:44:59.000 --> 0:45:02.680 Everybody circling. The Sharks are circling. Now it's not one 0:45:02.680 --> 0:45:08.680 person and it's not you know, the collusion going on. Instinctually, 0:45:08.920 --> 0:45:12.560 people tend to believe this belief. Disbelieved that and the 0:45:12.600 --> 0:45:15.920 Sharks are circling. And that's why I came out. You 0:45:15.960 --> 0:45:18.240 know the number one reason I came out, even before 0:45:18.320 --> 0:45:19.799 first tape was even on my mind. You know the 0:45:19.880 --> 0:45:22.399 number one reason I came out, Shannon Sharp and I said, 0:45:22.680 --> 0:45:25.840 I want Shanna Shop on first tape because I wanted 0:45:25.880 --> 0:45:29.279 the world to know that you will want it. That 0:45:29.480 --> 0:45:32.080 was the most important thing to me. I wanted the world. 0:45:32.080 --> 0:45:35.280 I didn't want you to be in a situation where 0:45:35.320 --> 0:45:37.400 the sports world looked at you and said, what do 0:45:37.440 --> 0:45:37.640 you do? 0:45:38.120 --> 0:45:41.080 He must have done something persona round blah blah. 0:45:40.880 --> 0:45:42.719 Blah blah blah. So I said, I said, if he 0:45:42.880 --> 0:45:44.080 ends up, he ends up here. 0:45:44.080 --> 0:45:45.680 The Hanchos know I want him. 0:45:45.800 --> 0:45:48.440 But more importantly than that, this is a brother that 0:45:48.480 --> 0:45:50.160 I think has done a lot of good work on 0:45:50.200 --> 0:45:54.040 television that has helped our community. And as a result, 0:45:54.239 --> 0:45:56.920 it's incumbing upon me because of the perch that I 0:45:57.040 --> 0:45:57.400 sit on. 0:45:58.080 --> 0:46:00.520 To let them know he's. 0:46:00.400 --> 0:46:03.400 Wanted, right, don't cut him off, because that's what they 0:46:03.440 --> 0:46:04.919 did to me in two thousand and nine. 0:46:05.280 --> 0:46:06.919 They cut me off and left me for dead. 0:46:06.960 --> 0:46:09.520 Bro. And I'm not talking about ESPN. I'm talking about 0:46:09.520 --> 0:46:12.319 the industry. They cut me off and left me for dead. 0:46:12.360 --> 0:46:15.520 They thought I was done. They were write my epitaph 0:46:15.960 --> 0:46:19.240 and I knew it, and I said, I was blessed 0:46:19.239 --> 0:46:22.279 and fortunate enough to have enough connections and to do 0:46:22.320 --> 0:46:24.640 what I do to overcome it. I don't know if 0:46:24.680 --> 0:46:27.239 this brother does, so let me let the world know 0:46:27.760 --> 0:46:30.640 he has me and we'll go from there. 0:46:31.160 --> 0:46:31.600 That happened. 0:46:32.080 --> 0:46:34.320 That absolutely happened like that because you and I was 0:46:34.360 --> 0:46:36.719 talking and you was like, Bro, I got this, but 0:46:36.880 --> 0:46:38.759 soon as I get out of this meeting, I'll hit 0:46:38.800 --> 0:46:41.440 you back. And we were talking twenty minutes, thirty minutes 0:46:41.480 --> 0:46:44.760 an hour, and you took every last one of my calls. 0:46:45.000 --> 0:46:46.719 And I'm thinking to myself, and I remember getting on 0:46:46.760 --> 0:46:48.359 the phone calling my sister and I said, like, maybe 0:46:48.360 --> 0:46:51.880 it's probably gonna happen. I say, because it's not coming 0:46:51.880 --> 0:46:55.160 from inside, it's coming from somebody that I knows the business. 0:46:55.320 --> 0:46:59.560 And he wouldn't bullegize me, but he told me that 0:47:00.040 --> 0:47:02.440 it's a ninety five percent chance that is going to happen, 0:47:02.840 --> 0:47:04.440 and he wants me on his show. 0:47:05.000 --> 0:47:07.479 And I'm like, I don't want. I think I'm good 0:47:07.520 --> 0:47:08.359 at what I do. 0:47:10.080 --> 0:47:14.400 And for him, it did my heart good because I 0:47:14.480 --> 0:47:17.400 know what you represent in this industry to say I 0:47:17.440 --> 0:47:21.040 want him on my show. Whatever it is, I don't 0:47:21.080 --> 0:47:24.920 believe nothing. Look you go back and from when I 0:47:25.000 --> 0:47:27.560 was with the Broncos for twelve ten years, went to 0:47:27.560 --> 0:47:30.880 Baltimore for two, back to the Broncos for two CBS 0:47:30.920 --> 0:47:32.120 for a decade. 0:47:31.719 --> 0:47:33.120 I would fall for six years. 0:47:33.320 --> 0:47:33.480 Now. 0:47:33.600 --> 0:47:35.839 One person ever said anything bad about show that you're 0:47:35.840 --> 0:47:39.040 difficult to work with. He did this that my greatest 0:47:39.040 --> 0:47:41.480 compliment from players is guys that were on my team 0:47:41.520 --> 0:47:42.360 said shouting, show off. 0:47:42.400 --> 0:47:43.399 The greatest team I'd ever had. 0:47:43.880 --> 0:47:46.560 He's my favorite teammate, the way he approached it, the 0:47:46.560 --> 0:47:49.200 way he was. And so for you to come to 0:47:49.280 --> 0:47:52.360 me and to say what you said when you didn't 0:47:52.400 --> 0:47:54.840 have to do any of it, and nobody would have 0:47:54.880 --> 0:47:57.040 held that against you, because, like you said, that's what 0:47:57.040 --> 0:47:58.120 would have happened. 0:47:58.040 --> 0:47:58.799 And I heard it. 0:47:59.080 --> 0:48:02.759 Man, he must have did no, showed up every day 0:48:02.760 --> 0:48:04.680 on time and did a hell of a job. I 0:48:04.680 --> 0:48:07.600 remember when Jamie Horwitz, who we were talking about, came 0:48:07.640 --> 0:48:11.160 to recruit me in twenty sixteen in April at the 0:48:11.320 --> 0:48:14.960 w Hotel. He said, you're gonna be a star. Yeah, 0:48:15.000 --> 0:48:17.239 I said, I said, James, I know what he said. 0:48:17.320 --> 0:48:19.560 Trust me. He says, I know, Tavern. 0:48:19.680 --> 0:48:23.840 It goes deeper than that, because you see Jamie. Whether 0:48:23.880 --> 0:48:26.440 he wants to tell you this or not, I knew 0:48:26.480 --> 0:48:30.759 back then Skip was auditioned in you because whenever I 0:48:30.800 --> 0:48:34.440 took off, you would be there. Yes, And what Jamie 0:48:34.480 --> 0:48:36.880 wouldn't tell anybody is that there were extra days that 0:48:36.920 --> 0:48:39.879 I would take off just so Skip could bring you on. 0:48:40.640 --> 0:48:46.600 Because again, if you're not creating opportunities for other people, 0:48:46.600 --> 0:48:47.439 what good are you? 0:48:47.520 --> 0:48:47.640 Right? 0:48:47.760 --> 0:48:50.040 My pastor says that I'm not the most religious person 0:48:50.080 --> 0:48:52.520 in the world. I mean, as promiscuous as I've been 0:48:52.520 --> 0:48:54.600 in my lifetime, at least for the person I mean. 0:48:54.760 --> 0:48:57.040 I mean, I am in no position. You know, I'm 0:48:57.080 --> 0:48:59.760 a lot better now over the last over the last decade. 0:48:59.760 --> 0:49:01.759 And so, but Lord, I have my issues, no question 0:49:01.800 --> 0:49:05.399 about it. And and and you know, my pastor would 0:49:05.440 --> 0:49:09.960 say all the time, there's no success without a successor. 0:49:10.680 --> 0:49:13.000 And so when I look at you know, for me, 0:49:14.239 --> 0:49:15.960 all the brothers that are on the show. One of 0:49:15.960 --> 0:49:19.279 my proudest moments was when Michael Irvin came last year. 0:49:19.880 --> 0:49:22.200 And the reason why it was proud because I loved 0:49:22.280 --> 0:49:25.160 the playmaker. He and I are very very tight with brothers, 0:49:25.760 --> 0:49:29.960 and I know what his name brings and the stature 0:49:30.000 --> 0:49:34.880 that it holds. And so you're thinking that he comes 0:49:35.160 --> 0:49:38.520 and others are gonna feel alienated, But if you watched 0:49:38.600 --> 0:49:40.560 him when he was on the show with us, it 0:49:40.600 --> 0:49:43.799 was a brotherhood. You see what I'm saying. It was 0:49:43.800 --> 0:49:48.120 a brotherhood. You know how great he is exactly. But 0:49:48.160 --> 0:49:51.200 it's like all of these all I mean, or Lobsky 0:49:51.280 --> 0:49:54.560 and are C and everybody's regular They wanted to be 0:49:54.600 --> 0:49:56.360 on the air with him, right, And so my point 0:49:56.480 --> 0:49:58.200 is is that. 0:49:57.480 --> 0:49:58.759 That's how it's supposed to be. 0:49:59.000 --> 0:49:59.959 It's like, wait a minute. 0:50:00.080 --> 0:50:04.000 It the NFL constantly talks about what a brotherhood exists. 0:50:04.520 --> 0:50:08.719 Well guess what first take is a platform for brotherhood. 0:50:09.200 --> 0:50:11.440 So when Shannon comes on, yeah, you're gonna be on 0:50:11.520 --> 0:50:14.239 the air with me, but guess what them brothers gonna 0:50:14.239 --> 0:50:16.719 slide up in there. Y'all need to be with each other. 0:50:17.000 --> 0:50:18.919 You need to be next to each other. You need 0:50:18.960 --> 0:50:22.320 to be, you know, verbally knocking somebody like me upside 0:50:22.360 --> 0:50:24.879 the head when I'm coming at y'all like, ye, I'm 0:50:24.920 --> 0:50:28.560 not a new journalist. I saw this, look at it, 0:50:28.600 --> 0:50:30.160 and y'all like, look at this guy right here. You 0:50:30.160 --> 0:50:32.560 know what I'm saying. I mean, and we're laughing and 0:50:32.719 --> 0:50:36.880 having a blast. It's entertainment, bro, But it's information, right, Okay, 0:50:36.960 --> 0:50:40.360 it's perspective. It's serious stuff that needs to be addressed. 0:50:40.440 --> 0:50:43.640 It's the whole gamut. And think about it. We got 0:50:43.680 --> 0:50:49.080 the national airwaves for the worldwide leader available to us 0:50:49.280 --> 0:50:53.680 to disseminate and display our message. I believe, our culture, 0:50:53.800 --> 0:50:57.520 our perspectives and put them all on display for everybody 0:50:57.560 --> 0:51:01.080 to see to come back or to breaks. But the 0:51:01.160 --> 0:51:03.879 point is, at the end of the day, you ain't 0:51:03.920 --> 0:51:07.520 gonna fill alone. You gonna be there and we gonna 0:51:07.560 --> 0:51:10.320 be together. Why Because I'm gonna have your back, That's why, 0:51:10.560 --> 0:51:12.560 and they gonna have your back. And that's the way 0:51:12.600 --> 0:51:14.880 it's gonna be. You know, people ask me it's gonna be? 0:51:15.000 --> 0:51:17.560 Will people ask me? Stephen A is like, bro, how 0:51:17.560 --> 0:51:20.160 do you say? What you say? 0:51:21.640 --> 0:51:23.960 And then Chuchelle, you go to the game. You might 0:51:24.000 --> 0:51:26.120 be bumping into some of these guys, say, how do 0:51:26.160 --> 0:51:28.799 you handle that situation? I say, if I see them 0:51:28.840 --> 0:51:31.279 out now, they acknowledge me, I acknowledge them back. 0:51:31.280 --> 0:51:33.040 If they don't, I keep it moving, keep it moving. 0:51:33.280 --> 0:51:35.759 I don't make it personal because I don't know these 0:51:35.760 --> 0:51:38.720 guys well enough to make it personal. I'm talking about 0:51:38.800 --> 0:51:41.160 a given situation. You didn't play good. 0:51:41.040 --> 0:51:41.560 And last night. 0:51:42.200 --> 0:51:45.480 It doesn't diminish anything that you accomplished before last night. 0:51:45.560 --> 0:51:48.480 It doesn't diminish anything that you might accomplish moving forward. 0:51:48.800 --> 0:51:51.840 I'm talking about a specific set of events that happened 0:51:51.920 --> 0:51:52.600 last night. 0:51:53.040 --> 0:51:54.319 How do you handle that? Stepen day? 0:51:54.320 --> 0:51:55.960 Because I know see most of times they look at me, 0:51:56.000 --> 0:51:57.719 they do a double take. They're like, nah, I'm gonna 0:51:57.760 --> 0:51:58.040 let that go. 0:51:59.560 --> 0:52:01.879 They don't want that's person. 0:52:05.480 --> 0:52:08.000 But with you, I'm thinking it, like, man, why you 0:52:08.040 --> 0:52:08.399 say that? 0:52:08.800 --> 0:52:12.640 Yeah? Well, first of all, I respect any of them 0:52:13.080 --> 0:52:15.560 who comes up to me, man to man in confront. Yes, 0:52:15.920 --> 0:52:19.040 because if you want to have a conversation. Here's where 0:52:19.080 --> 0:52:22.640 I'm big on. If I said something publicly and I'm wrong, 0:52:23.160 --> 0:52:25.439 I'm gonna correct it publicly, thank you. I'm not gonna 0:52:25.440 --> 0:52:28.200 do something publicly and then apologize privately right now. If 0:52:28.239 --> 0:52:30.240 I'm wrong, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it publicly. 0:52:30.280 --> 0:52:32.239 I'm a man up because that's the kind of man 0:52:32.239 --> 0:52:35.080 that I am. That's how my mama raised me to be. 0:52:35.560 --> 0:52:37.560 The other thing that I'm gonna do. But if I'm right, 0:52:37.640 --> 0:52:40.520 I'm not budgeing. You ain't gonna scare me, You ain't 0:52:40.520 --> 0:52:43.120 gonna intimidate me, you ain't gonna phaze me. Let's get 0:52:43.160 --> 0:52:45.440 it on. Like I tell people all the time, figurarely 0:52:45.520 --> 0:52:48.560 or otherwise, it's not about getting your ass kicked. It's 0:52:48.560 --> 0:52:49.200 about what you're. 0:52:49.080 --> 0:52:50.360 Willing to take an ass kicking for. 0:52:51.239 --> 0:52:54.279 You gotta be principled, and you gotta be somebody that's 0:52:54.320 --> 0:52:56.239 willing to stand on something and I'm the kind of 0:52:56.239 --> 0:52:58.680 person THAT'SI understand on something. I'm not trying to get personal. 0:52:58.840 --> 0:53:02.480 I'm talking about your game, right Listen. I've seen players 0:53:02.520 --> 0:53:06.000 do some stuff behind the scenes. Man, I'm walking out 0:53:06.040 --> 0:53:08.520 of a hotel room whatever, I see whatever, and I'm 0:53:08.560 --> 0:53:10.360 like this. It ain't a legal or nothing like that. 0:53:10.440 --> 0:53:12.680 But I'm just going like this, I don't know what 0:53:12.719 --> 0:53:15.000 you talking about. I keep it moving. You know, my 0:53:15.040 --> 0:53:18.640 business my business some means. But when you shoot two 0:53:18.719 --> 0:53:22.040 for twenty h that's my business. Where you losing gage, 0:53:22.040 --> 0:53:23.920 that's my business. When you sticking up the. 0:53:23.880 --> 0:53:24.640 Joint, that's my business. 0:53:24.640 --> 0:53:27.160 Wen, you're not showing up in practice, that's my business. 0:53:27.200 --> 0:53:29.279 When you're sitting there bitching and want and wan in 0:53:29.280 --> 0:53:32.000 the morning about your money but you ain't earning it, 0:53:32.280 --> 0:53:36.680 that's my business because that's your career that you've decided 0:53:36.880 --> 0:53:38.080 to put on public displays. 0:53:38.200 --> 0:53:38.359 Right. 0:53:39.000 --> 0:53:40.960 That's the difference with your personal business. 0:53:41.200 --> 0:53:41.359 Man. 0:53:41.400 --> 0:53:43.680 I always got you covered with that. As long as 0:53:43.680 --> 0:53:45.879 you know, don't ask me to assist in breaking any 0:53:45.960 --> 0:53:47.400 laws or anything like that, because I ain't going to 0:53:47.440 --> 0:53:49.760 jail for your ass it ain't gonna happen. But outside 0:53:49.760 --> 0:53:50.960 of that, I mean, ain't none of my business. 0:53:50.960 --> 0:53:53.000 I keep it moving football. 0:53:54.120 --> 0:53:56.799 You love your team, I'm thinking you like all things 0:53:56.880 --> 0:53:58.040 New York Stealers. 0:53:58.160 --> 0:54:00.359 You the Steelers got gonna die hard Steelers face because 0:54:00.400 --> 0:54:01.960 the first date, the first game I ever saw was 0:54:02.000 --> 0:54:05.120 the Immaculate Reception, Wow, when I was six years old, 0:54:05.239 --> 0:54:08.840 my dad the Immacular reception Franko Harris against the Raiders, 0:54:09.239 --> 0:54:10.600 and I fell in love with the Black and Gold. 0:54:10.600 --> 0:54:14.200 Ever since, I still haven't given Neil o'donald for that interception. 0:54:14.280 --> 0:54:16.120 Through the Lag Brown and Super Bowl. I still am 0:54:16.120 --> 0:54:18.360 recovering from that. I still have given Ike Taylor for 0:54:18.400 --> 0:54:20.759 given up a damn touchdown passes the Maarius Thomas that 0:54:20.760 --> 0:54:22.040 t Bow threw. Don't get me. 0:54:23.200 --> 0:54:24.879 That might have been the worst moment of your own 0:54:24.920 --> 0:54:27.120 that career. That might have been the worst ones either. 0:54:27.239 --> 0:54:27.399 Man. 0:54:27.680 --> 0:54:30.799 Listen, man, I had Oh my. 0:54:30.800 --> 0:54:34.080 God, I was. I was with a girl I was 0:54:34.160 --> 0:54:37.920 dating at the time, you know, her fond self and everything, 0:54:38.000 --> 0:54:42.160 and I had my mind on other things and t 0:54:42.360 --> 0:54:47.920 Bow connected that pass. I collapsed face first on her 0:54:47.960 --> 0:54:52.799 living room rug and laid there for two hours. Didn't 0:54:52.840 --> 0:54:55.880 do nothing at night. Totally ruined my night. Yeah, totally 0:54:55.960 --> 0:54:59.000 ruined to do nothing. I didn't want anything. It was 0:54:59.080 --> 0:55:03.279 I was so damned depressed of all people. And I 0:55:03.320 --> 0:55:06.240 love him deally, he's my friend. But that non throwing 0:55:06.320 --> 0:55:09.759 Tim Tebow throws eighty yard touchdown Pad, I could not 0:55:09.960 --> 0:55:14.040 believe to save my life that that happened. And I 0:55:15.040 --> 0:55:17.400 couldn't recover that night, Bro. I was depressed. 0:55:17.440 --> 0:55:19.920 But those two moments are my worst as a Steeler speed. 0:55:20.880 --> 0:55:24.160 So obviously, if you're a Steelers fan, you have to 0:55:24.160 --> 0:55:27.960 hate the Cowboys because when the seventies, they always met 0:55:27.960 --> 0:55:30.480 in the Super Bowl, and the Steelers always beat. 0:55:30.360 --> 0:55:36.319 Him the right, the right, Roger Starbuck and Drew Drew, Tony, 0:55:36.960 --> 0:55:39.279 Joe ass out of here come in and Stealers took 0:55:39.360 --> 0:55:43.000 him out. Yes, Bradshaw, Swan, Stalwarts, even Franco Harris Well, 0:55:43.000 --> 0:55:44.799 I really didn't like that much as a running back, 0:55:44.920 --> 0:55:46.680 you understand. I like Rocky Blant more than I like 0:55:46.719 --> 0:55:47.440 Franko Harrison. 0:55:47.440 --> 0:55:49.319 He was a full back. But the Steelers and the 0:55:49.320 --> 0:55:52.200 steel Curtain me and Joe Green L C. Green with 0:55:52.440 --> 0:55:55.560 Jack Lambert, Jack Han Melt blunting. I like, Lord, this 0:55:55.640 --> 0:55:58.399 is what's all about? Yeah, steel Yes, I couldn't root 0:55:58.400 --> 0:56:00.719 for no New York teas they didn't win any It 0:56:00.800 --> 0:56:03.880 was terrible. They're terrible. They're terrible, terrible. 0:56:05.440 --> 0:56:11.120 So now you basketball, that's your thing. What's what's steven 0:56:11.160 --> 0:56:12.359 A's favorite sport? 0:56:12.600 --> 0:56:15.520 It's basketball. But I've grown to really really love footballs 0:56:15.560 --> 0:56:18.320 because because football has been established as an event. 0:56:18.719 --> 0:56:19.799 So that's Sundays. 0:56:20.000 --> 0:56:21.040 You know what I'm saying, when you come to New 0:56:21.120 --> 0:56:22.439 York one the time and bring you by the crib 0:56:22.440 --> 0:56:24.520 and bring you you the crib. You know saying, I 0:56:24.520 --> 0:56:26.879 got I got the main cave, just set up. It's 0:56:26.920 --> 0:56:27.279 set up. 0:56:27.320 --> 0:56:29.120 Now you know we're gonna watch the game together. 0:56:29.600 --> 0:56:31.200 They're right, They're right. We can do that. We do 0:56:31.239 --> 0:56:33.399 that with Ryan Clark, Barcus spills all they talk about 0:56:33.400 --> 0:56:35.040 coming one time. I was just invite you all over 0:56:35.160 --> 0:56:38.759 to make sure I got some catered food. Yeah, hell no, 0:56:39.000 --> 0:56:43.080 hell no. I cooked some lasagna, cook some stek Hell yes. 0:56:42.960 --> 0:56:44.359 We do alf here. 0:56:46.040 --> 0:56:48.120 You might not eat the lasagna, you know what I'm saying, 0:56:48.120 --> 0:56:50.640 knowing you you're watching the cabs and stuff like that, 0:56:50.719 --> 0:56:52.440 but with some of us gonna eat it. But I 0:56:52.440 --> 0:56:54.759 will tell you this, I ain't cooking for a bunch 0:56:54.800 --> 0:56:56.480 of men. That ain't happening. But I'll tell you if 0:56:56.480 --> 0:56:57.640 I tell you this right here, I tell you this 0:56:57.719 --> 0:57:01.240 right here, right now, you know you're gonna go. Football 0:57:01.239 --> 0:57:05.080 has established itself as an event. But really the two 0:57:05.120 --> 0:57:10.920 things I love most, it's basketball, and nothing beats a 0:57:10.960 --> 0:57:14.640 big time boxing event. Oh yeah, Like when I was 0:57:14.719 --> 0:57:18.520 at Ero Spence, I saw you right, It broke my 0:57:18.760 --> 0:57:19.840 I picked Corfort to win. 0:57:20.040 --> 0:57:21.040 I ain't know even win like that. 0:57:21.200 --> 0:57:24.000 Ye, it broke my heart to see Ero. 0:57:23.960 --> 0:57:26.560 Spence get whipped like that. It really really did. 0:57:26.560 --> 0:57:27.600 I didn't see that coming. 0:57:28.200 --> 0:57:32.960 I might be at Canilo versus Charlo o'challo and it, 0:57:33.080 --> 0:57:35.560 but se, my problem is that Charlo's moving up to 0:57:35.680 --> 0:57:39.400 weight classes. I'm scared for him now. He got mad 0:57:39.520 --> 0:57:42.760 skills and he got hard and he walks around looking 0:57:42.800 --> 0:57:45.200 like the bigger guy. But he ain't been in the 0:57:45.280 --> 0:57:48.200 ring with somebody that's punching him from one hundred and 0:57:48.240 --> 0:57:51.560 sixty eight pounds r in a real fight, And so 0:57:51.640 --> 0:57:54.200 that's my concern. His brother got some issues that he 0:57:54.240 --> 0:57:56.720 got to resolve, that's what they say. But he's the 0:57:56.840 --> 0:57:59.800 natural super middleweight, so he was the one who's, in 0:57:59.800 --> 0:58:03.200 my opinion, should have been fighting Charlo. I'm sorry for 0:58:03.240 --> 0:58:06.600 the Canilo rather than this guy. But those big Tom 0:58:06.640 --> 0:58:10.800 boxing events in Vegas, I mean, nothing beats it. 0:58:10.880 --> 0:58:13.560 I mean, this Dispense fight was really big. But it's 0:58:13.560 --> 0:58:16.120 been a while since you had those. I remember going 0:58:16.120 --> 0:58:19.520 to the Mike Tyson and the Mayweather. It was an event. 0:58:19.640 --> 0:58:24.920 Now you Mayweather Pacia, Mayweather Canilo Hoyer. Yes, that was 0:58:24.960 --> 0:58:28.240 a big event too. But I will tell you nothing 0:58:28.360 --> 0:58:31.840 was really bigger than Mayweather Pacquia. We had waited so long, yeah, 0:58:31.960 --> 0:58:34.280 and want it was five years too late late, But 0:58:34.360 --> 0:58:36.120 we didn't know until after the fight that it was 0:58:36.120 --> 0:58:37.440 five years too late, you know what I'm saying. So 0:58:37.560 --> 0:58:40.560 leading up to the event, oh my god, it didn't 0:58:40.560 --> 0:58:41.160 get any bigger. 0:58:41.320 --> 0:58:45.000 But you know the thing is everybody that Mayweather fought, 0:58:45.160 --> 0:58:47.600 he made him look like it was five years too late, right, 0:58:47.920 --> 0:58:50.360 And that's how the great that's the greatness of him. 0:58:50.480 --> 0:58:53.400 Yes, everybody that he fought, they like what he beat. Sugar, 0:58:53.440 --> 0:58:55.280 he beat Sugar, Sugar. 0:58:55.120 --> 0:58:59.960 Jane mostly he'd beat Sugar Shane mos second round. Yeah, 0:59:00.080 --> 0:59:01.840 almost heart up as dropped him. 0:59:01.840 --> 0:59:03.840 But you look at you look at the champions that 0:59:03.920 --> 0:59:07.640 this man beat and made them look mundane and beating them. 0:59:08.200 --> 0:59:11.800 You talk about Mayweather I would say the same about Jordan. 0:59:11.920 --> 0:59:16.080 But that's the difference. Oh you know, I'm glad that 0:59:16.160 --> 0:59:18.440 you heard that about what I'm talking about. That's what 0:59:18.440 --> 0:59:21.120 I'm saying, you know, because Jordan will make you look 0:59:22.240 --> 0:59:24.680 like you're less than what you're all like before Scotty 0:59:24.760 --> 0:59:27.320 Lebron fos Scotty and Lebron will beat you, I know 0:59:27.400 --> 0:59:28.920 he but mj would make you. 0:59:29.000 --> 0:59:31.000 Look like less than what you are. 0:59:31.080 --> 0:59:34.320 I know Scott Scotty, I know Scott is gonna don't 0:59:34.320 --> 0:59:39.000 call list and don't invite what's transpired and everything, you know, But. 0:59:39.000 --> 0:59:40.040 That Scott is fault. 0:59:40.040 --> 0:59:40.680 Scotty was wrong. 0:59:40.680 --> 0:59:41.400 Scotty was wrong. 0:59:41.480 --> 0:59:43.840 Oh yeats. But no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me 0:59:43.840 --> 0:59:44.600 tell you how it started. 0:59:44.640 --> 0:59:47.680 Okay, you know it started in the Last Dance, because 0:59:47.680 --> 0:59:50.160 the Last Dance was supposed to be about Jordan's last dance. 0:59:50.800 --> 0:59:53.360 Why are you putting Scotty Pippen in there for an 0:59:53.360 --> 0:59:56.040 event that you weren't even on the team. 0:59:56.400 --> 0:59:59.120 Let the journalist in me correct you go ahead. The 0:59:59.240 --> 1:00:02.320 last dance it was about the last season for the 1:00:02.400 --> 1:00:06.200 Chicago Okay, the last season. Yes, So what happened is 1:00:06.200 --> 1:00:09.000 is that they all on their way out so you're 1:00:09.000 --> 1:00:12.680 telling different stories about them and their careers with the 1:00:12.720 --> 1:00:16.480 Bulls while they're fading into the twilight. Yeah, so that 1:00:16.560 --> 1:00:18.560 kind of stuff does make it relevant. 1:00:18.560 --> 1:00:20.680 But you know you're gonna make Scotty look bad. 1:00:21.080 --> 1:00:23.720 Well, Scotty deserved to look bad. 1:00:23.560 --> 1:00:25.080 But you don't have to tell it. There are a 1:00:25.120 --> 1:00:25.840 lot of times. 1:00:25.640 --> 1:00:29.200 Steven A wait a minute. Now, it ain't like he said, Yo, man, 1:00:29.200 --> 1:00:31.240 this is the woman he was messing with her something. No, 1:00:31.520 --> 1:00:33.760 he said, Yo, you've passed up this contract. 1:00:34.160 --> 1:00:35.160 You wanted more Miami. 1:00:35.280 --> 1:00:39.560 Damn this public information. You Ryan Stork, don't sign this 1:00:39.680 --> 1:00:43.120 deal because if you sign this deal, you can't come 1:00:43.160 --> 1:00:45.480 back to me because I'm not gonna renegotiate your deal. 1:00:45.920 --> 1:00:49.440 I mean, damn, Michael Jordan's gone. You want to be 1:00:49.560 --> 1:00:51.800 that dude, and then you're gonna sit up there and 1:00:52.240 --> 1:00:54.480 refuse to enter the game because of Tony kok coach. 1:00:54.640 --> 1:00:57.480 I mean, that happened in front of millions of people watching. 1:00:57.480 --> 1:00:57.960 It did. 1:00:58.080 --> 1:00:58.640 Come on, man, I. 1:00:58.960 --> 1:00:59.560 Tell you the story. 1:01:00.040 --> 1:01:03.520 Why not part of the story. But Dan, let me 1:01:03.520 --> 1:01:08.000 ask you tell we weren't around me. Excuse me, excuse me. 1:01:08.480 --> 1:01:10.200 Jordan was still around. He was coming to visit the 1:01:10.200 --> 1:01:12.640 team Scottie, people wearing the sneakers, kicking his feet up. 1:01:12.720 --> 1:01:14.840 Look at the bottom of the soles of the shooter. Jordan, 1:01:15.000 --> 1:01:17.840 come on back, come on back, all that other stuff. Hell, yo, Jordan, 1:01:17.880 --> 1:01:19.520 wasn't there that You didn't say nothing about that. By 1:01:19.520 --> 1:01:21.160 the way, where did you play? Did you play different? 1:01:21.400 --> 1:01:21.600 Yes? 1:01:21.640 --> 1:01:23.600 Did you play in Baltimore? Yes, So we shouldn't talk 1:01:23.600 --> 1:01:26.360 about that. Yeah, we should talk. We should talk whatever 1:01:26.400 --> 1:01:28.000 having to Baltimore. We need to be, we need to 1:01:28.120 --> 1:01:30.000 get we need to be. 1:01:30.400 --> 1:01:32.280 Keep that quiet. But here's the thing. It's a part 1:01:32.320 --> 1:01:34.120 of your story. But here's the thing. 1:01:34.280 --> 1:01:36.640 Just the way I look at it, I'm not gonna 1:01:36.640 --> 1:01:39.880 tell an event that I wasn't a part of. So 1:01:39.960 --> 1:01:42.640 anything that happened in Baltimore from two thousand and two 1:01:42.640 --> 1:01:45.040 thousand and one, if I tell it in my story, 1:01:45.480 --> 1:01:47.520 I can tell it in my story because I was 1:01:47.600 --> 1:01:50.480 there when Ray went through what he went through in Atlanta. 1:01:50.880 --> 1:01:53.560 I was there. I was picking him up from the courthouse. 1:01:53.760 --> 1:01:56.000 He was living with me in my basement. So if 1:01:56.040 --> 1:01:59.240 I want to tell my story, that I should. 1:01:58.920 --> 1:01:59.880 Be able to include. 1:02:00.160 --> 1:02:05.160 But that's a far that's a far different angle. The 1:02:05.240 --> 1:02:08.280 man was accused of a crime. It was off the 1:02:08.400 --> 1:02:12.080 field is very personal and even though you were involved, 1:02:12.480 --> 1:02:16.520 that's his personal business. There's nothing about Scotty Pippen turning 1:02:16.560 --> 1:02:19.600 down a contract for Scotty Pippen refusing to enter a 1:02:19.640 --> 1:02:21.640 playoff game. That's personal. 1:02:22.040 --> 1:02:24.120 No, but he's saying light. 1:02:24.360 --> 1:02:26.880 But he said when Scotty was talking about having the 1:02:26.920 --> 1:02:29.800 back surgery and he wanted a contract, and Jordan said 1:02:29.840 --> 1:02:33.240 he's being selfish. Even though I might agree with, I 1:02:33.280 --> 1:02:35.400 ain't saying nobody's gonna be selfie because I want everybody 1:02:35.400 --> 1:02:37.440 to get as much money as they can, right, So 1:02:37.520 --> 1:02:39.800 I'm not gonna say that. But I'm just saying I'm 1:02:39.840 --> 1:02:43.480 not saying George. I just think that Scotty was surprised 1:02:43.840 --> 1:02:46.600 that Jordan took the stance that he took and said 1:02:46.640 --> 1:02:47.200 what he says. 1:02:47.320 --> 1:02:49.480 That's fair. But I will tell you this, Jordan wasn't 1:02:49.520 --> 1:02:51.680 only the start to show. He was also an executive. 1:02:52.400 --> 1:02:55.760 So we all know that that's number one. He is 1:02:55.800 --> 1:02:59.280 an important component to bring up number two. And more importantly, 1:03:00.240 --> 1:03:03.400 you gotta remember that was in the aftermath of him 1:03:03.440 --> 1:03:05.760 turning down the contract and then being bitter about it. 1:03:06.440 --> 1:03:09.320 I'm sorry taking the money rather being a bit about it, right, 1:03:09.400 --> 1:03:12.200 and so you took the money that Jordan and Ryan 1:03:12.240 --> 1:03:15.080 Stoff essentially advised you not to take. You ended up 1:03:15.120 --> 1:03:17.360 being bitter about it, and that was willing to let 1:03:17.360 --> 1:03:19.160 the team suffer because you got to remember where it's 1:03:19.160 --> 1:03:23.120 personal for Jordan. If you're a tight end, which you 1:03:23.200 --> 1:03:28.480 were and your quarterback, you say it, yo, bro, don't 1:03:28.480 --> 1:03:30.600 take this money because you're gonna be bitter about the contract. 1:03:31.280 --> 1:03:34.280 He doesn't listen to you. He takes the money anyway, 1:03:34.720 --> 1:03:37.480 then he's bitter about it later on and refuse to 1:03:37.520 --> 1:03:40.480 step on the field with you. Leave you out there 1:03:40.560 --> 1:03:44.640 hanging by yourself. You don't have something to say. 1:03:45.040 --> 1:03:47.120 Whoa you mean to tell me? Jordan and went on 1:03:47.200 --> 1:03:48.320 them jabs buy himself. 1:03:48.440 --> 1:03:50.160 No no, no, no, no, no, no, no no, I'm talking about this. 1:03:50.200 --> 1:03:52.200 At the time, he complaint. Oh no, at the time, 1:03:52.240 --> 1:03:55.080 he complaint. At the time he was complaining about Scotty 1:03:55.480 --> 1:03:59.120 being selfish. He was on the court without him. But 1:03:59.240 --> 1:04:01.160 he was like, come on, you're leaving me out here 1:04:01.280 --> 1:04:03.400 because of the decision I told you not to make, 1:04:03.480 --> 1:04:04.920 but you didn't listen and you made it anymore. 1:04:04.960 --> 1:04:07.760 But I think you will agree that hurts Scotty more 1:04:07.800 --> 1:04:09.760 than anything to hear Jordan's say that. 1:04:10.400 --> 1:04:11.880 Okay, fair enough. 1:04:12.320 --> 1:04:14.480 Are we sure that that's all that's hurting guys? 1:04:14.640 --> 1:04:16.720 No, there's some other thing that's going on behind this. 1:04:17.080 --> 1:04:23.960 There you go. There's never just always. 1:04:24.000 --> 1:04:26.240 I didn't say what, and I ain't gonna say what. 1:04:26.560 --> 1:04:29.040 I just asked you a relatively rhetorical question that I 1:04:29.080 --> 1:04:30.800 know you know the answer to. I think it's safe 1:04:30.800 --> 1:04:31.680 to say that we all know. 1:04:31.880 --> 1:04:33.840 Yes, this other thing, Scott is a little enough said 1:04:33.840 --> 1:04:34.120 about it? 1:04:34.240 --> 1:04:38.600 Yes, okay, okay? You and what is it with you? 1:04:38.680 --> 1:04:41.080 Like every time you say something, you say my sources 1:04:41.120 --> 1:04:44.120 say this right, And it seem like players go out 1:04:44.120 --> 1:04:47.120 of their way to try to refute what you said 1:04:47.160 --> 1:04:47.480 on there. 1:04:47.760 --> 1:04:51.200 Well, first of all, when your voice is potent and 1:04:51.240 --> 1:04:54.360 it's gonna go viral, right, and it's gonna resonate, and 1:04:54.400 --> 1:04:57.240 they think it's gonna compromise their brand, that's what they're 1:04:57.240 --> 1:04:57.640 gonna do. 1:04:59.040 --> 1:04:59.880 I understand that. 1:05:00.840 --> 1:05:03.800 I remember, I tell you a story one time I 1:05:03.840 --> 1:05:09.320 had a coach go up in front of reporters. Stephen 1:05:09.360 --> 1:05:11.920 A's wrong. He don't know what the hell he's talking about. 1:05:12.240 --> 1:05:14.200 I can't believe they even let him report on the team, 1:05:14.240 --> 1:05:17.360 blah blah blah blah blah, and then walk by me 1:05:17.800 --> 1:05:23.440 and winked because he did it because he didn't want 1:05:23.480 --> 1:05:24.920 people to know he was the one who gave me 1:05:24.960 --> 1:05:28.760 the story. I've been a journalist for thirty years. I 1:05:28.800 --> 1:05:31.960 got sources all over the sports world, right, every single 1:05:32.040 --> 1:05:35.520 segment of every single show, I get text messages. It's 1:05:35.520 --> 1:05:39.080 a player, it's a coach, it's an executive, it's a 1:05:39.080 --> 1:05:42.960 player person or director. In my case, sometimes it's owners, 1:05:43.400 --> 1:05:45.920 cause I know quite a few, right, Okay, And so 1:05:46.040 --> 1:05:48.480 I have sources all over the place. Does that mean 1:05:48.520 --> 1:05:52.880 I'm always right? Absolutely not. What happens though, is I 1:05:52.920 --> 1:05:55.800 never said I was. I said this is what I 1:05:55.880 --> 1:05:59.640 was told old. And when you make that judgment call, 1:05:59.720 --> 1:06:01.360 what do you making a judgment call about. 1:06:01.560 --> 1:06:03.640 I ain't making a call about your personal life. 1:06:03.840 --> 1:06:06.600 I ain't making a call about something ultra and dacive 1:06:06.720 --> 1:06:09.240 or whatever. You know. The other day, when I made 1:06:09.240 --> 1:06:12.960 the news about Lonzo, I'm like this, they said, Yo, 1:06:13.040 --> 1:06:16.680 Stephen ame. They said, sometimes it's like it's hard for 1:06:16.760 --> 1:06:19.280 him to stand to stand up from the position in 1:06:19.280 --> 1:06:23.200 the chair. All right. I'd heard the same thing on 1:06:23.240 --> 1:06:26.880 several occasions well, two years ago, you missed forty two games. 1:06:26.960 --> 1:06:30.080 Do the injury. The next season, missed the entire season. 1:06:30.680 --> 1:06:34.080 This season is coming up, the team announced. Think about this. 1:06:34.560 --> 1:06:38.480 The team announced the June that he would be available 1:06:39.160 --> 1:06:42.400 before the new year. Think about that. So I'm going 1:06:42.480 --> 1:06:46.520 like this, you gonna literally sit pool side and hop 1:06:46.600 --> 1:06:48.720 up and down in a chair from a seating position 1:06:49.120 --> 1:06:52.680 when you done missed forty eight percent of your games 1:06:52.720 --> 1:06:55.680 and just your fourth or fifth year your career. Brother, 1:06:55.720 --> 1:06:58.520 you clearly are not healthy. Okay, you wanna get literal 1:06:58.600 --> 1:07:01.480 with it. Maybe I shouldn't said or whatever. That's what 1:07:01.520 --> 1:07:04.920 they say, but you ain't exactly. So I'm like, really, 1:07:04.920 --> 1:07:06.760 that's what you want to refuse. And I like Lonzo 1:07:07.000 --> 1:07:08.880 not nothing against them. I hav done against his daddy, 1:07:09.120 --> 1:07:12.440 whatever the case may be. But I would say to you, 1:07:12.440 --> 1:07:14.560 go back to the days when I've covered I was 1:07:14.600 --> 1:07:16.480 a beat writer for the felth in seventy six ers, 1:07:16.520 --> 1:07:19.040 and I'm covering Alan and Iverson and beyond. I've been 1:07:19.080 --> 1:07:21.360 a journalist for thirty years. I was a beat writer 1:07:21.480 --> 1:07:24.160 for ten. I was a general sports columnist for another 1:07:24.240 --> 1:07:27.400 seven or eight. I've been around and so there's been 1:07:27.400 --> 1:07:29.960 plenty of times when people have refuted what I've said 1:07:30.160 --> 1:07:32.800 and then years later come to find out I was 1:07:32.840 --> 1:07:35.080 telling the truth all along. You go ahead and you 1:07:35.160 --> 1:07:37.680 denied that. I remember one time I had a player. 1:07:38.120 --> 1:07:40.680 I'm in Saint Thomas is where my family's from. And 1:07:40.720 --> 1:07:43.080 if you go to Saint Thomas's spot called red Hook, 1:07:43.400 --> 1:07:44.920 and Red Hook is where you're going. You take the 1:07:44.960 --> 1:07:48.400 boat from Saint Thomas to Saint John's. It's only a 1:07:48.400 --> 1:07:52.560 fifteen minute boat rocket and I'm literally docking away from 1:07:52.600 --> 1:07:54.560 Red Hook going into the ocean. I get a call 1:07:55.280 --> 1:07:57.600 up one out and it's saying I'm lying. I'm like, 1:07:57.640 --> 1:07:59.440 what the hell are you care? You already told them 1:07:59.440 --> 1:08:04.600 you leaving. It's hurting my brand. And you realize how 1:08:04.680 --> 1:08:07.320 a lot of cats are thinking. They're thinking about their 1:08:07.360 --> 1:08:10.440 social media following. They're thinking about the connections that they have, 1:08:10.560 --> 1:08:13.880 They're thinking about how that's gonna be parlayed in a 1:08:14.000 --> 1:08:16.720 monetary value for themselves down the line, and how I 1:08:16.720 --> 1:08:19.760 could be compromised. And so when you see these denials, 1:08:19.920 --> 1:08:21.760 let's say, you say, all right, it makes sense, I 1:08:21.800 --> 1:08:22.160 got it. 1:08:22.240 --> 1:08:23.200 I leave it alone. 1:08:23.280 --> 1:08:26.120 But my attitude is I'm not giving you a death sentence, 1:08:26.120 --> 1:08:28.160 And I'm not talking about your personal business, right, I'm 1:08:28.160 --> 1:08:30.840 talking about relatively obvious stuff. Calm the hell down and 1:08:30.840 --> 1:08:33.000 stop making it bigger than what it is and you'll 1:08:33.040 --> 1:08:33.840 be fine. 1:08:33.560 --> 1:08:33.680 Right. 1:08:35.320 --> 1:08:37.680 The conversation that I saw a little bit of it 1:08:38.040 --> 1:08:41.759 about well, Steph Curry, I think on gilb with Arenas 1:08:41.760 --> 1:08:43.839 Agent Zeros podcast saying. 1:08:43.640 --> 1:08:48.280 He's the greatest point guard. You agreed or disagree. 1:08:48.640 --> 1:08:51.400 I agreed, but I was mistaken. And the reason why 1:08:51.439 --> 1:08:54.120 I say I was mistaken is because what I wanted 1:08:54.160 --> 1:08:58.520 to elaborate on is when you're talking about a typical, 1:08:59.120 --> 1:09:02.559 quintessential point god, you're talking about a facilitator. Magic Johnson's 1:09:02.560 --> 1:09:04.960 the greatest ever. Yeah, there's no question. What I was 1:09:05.000 --> 1:09:08.080 talking about was impact from the position, and to me, 1:09:08.560 --> 1:09:14.280 Steph Curry's marksmanship, combined with his ability to move without 1:09:14.320 --> 1:09:18.240 the ball, puts a defense's head on a swivel. And 1:09:18.280 --> 1:09:20.519 as a result of that, because of the panic he 1:09:20.600 --> 1:09:25.679 creates because of his extraordinary marksmanship, you have to pay 1:09:25.760 --> 1:09:28.160 rapt attention to him. You can't afford to Billy pay 1:09:28.160 --> 1:09:31.000 attention to anybody else. And that, to me, is a 1:09:31.040 --> 1:09:34.960 similar impact to Magic Johnson's ability to get to the 1:09:34.960 --> 1:09:38.400 basket throw, no look passes, and especially Magic Johnson in 1:09:38.400 --> 1:09:40.120 the open court in a fast break. But if you 1:09:40.120 --> 1:09:42.880 put Magic Johnson in a half court setting, he backs 1:09:42.920 --> 1:09:45.719 you down, he throws the ball to Kareem abdu Jabal. 1:09:46.439 --> 1:09:49.479 Open court is worthy? Is Byron Scott's cooper. You know 1:09:49.479 --> 1:09:52.240 what I'm saying, This stuff like that, pick your poison. 1:09:52.720 --> 1:09:54.440 I was talking about impact. 1:09:54.760 --> 1:09:57.320 I wasn't talking about a quintessential facilitator. 1:09:57.400 --> 1:09:58.040 That's the point guard. 1:09:58.360 --> 1:10:00.120 Steph Curry is clearly not that. 1:10:00.120 --> 1:10:00.680 That's what I'm saying. 1:10:00.720 --> 1:10:02.200 I don't really look. I look at Steph as a 1:10:02.240 --> 1:10:04.960 two right. I understand that because. 1:10:04.760 --> 1:10:07.800 All of you got new age guys, Dame Lillard, Steph Current, 1:10:07.880 --> 1:10:10.439 all these guys are two guards masquerading. They just they're 1:10:10.479 --> 1:10:12.559 not the point guard. I'm looking at point guard like 1:10:12.640 --> 1:10:16.599 Magic John, Stockton, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson. When I think 1:10:16.680 --> 1:10:18.599 point guard, that's what I'm thinking. 1:10:19.600 --> 1:10:23.080 I got you. We agree, we agree, we agree. I mean, listen, 1:10:23.479 --> 1:10:25.880 Magic Johnson is so phenomenal. And Michael Jordan has been 1:10:25.920 --> 1:10:27.720 arguing on me about this forever because Magic John's the 1:10:27.720 --> 1:10:29.200 greatest in his eyes as well. So you know what 1:10:29.240 --> 1:10:31.439 I'm saying, it's one of those and changing that dudes 1:10:31.479 --> 1:10:34.559 man changing antal changeing Michael George's you ain't got no 1:10:34.560 --> 1:10:37.479 snowball chance in Helifloria. But but but but he's right, 1:10:37.560 --> 1:10:41.240 And and Eddie Johnson does NBA radio, He's absolutely right. 1:10:41.320 --> 1:10:43.080 He was talking about a mad Dog Russo and his 1:10:43.080 --> 1:10:45.120 story and he was talking about he was absolutely right. 1:10:45.320 --> 1:10:47.559 We know that as a pure pass that Magic Johnson 1:10:47.640 --> 1:10:50.760 is the greatest facilitator the game has ever seen. But 1:10:50.880 --> 1:10:53.719 I'm saying as an impact, you could talk about Steph 1:10:53.800 --> 1:10:56.120 Curry being the two guard, but I would tell you 1:10:56.200 --> 1:10:58.839 he has the ball in the hands enough the offense 1:10:58.960 --> 1:11:04.480 runs through him, and the impact his marksmanship creates creates 1:11:04.720 --> 1:11:08.639 just as much habit as Magic Johnson situated. And that's 1:11:08.720 --> 1:11:11.360 all I was trying to say, which is why, even 1:11:11.479 --> 1:11:14.320 though if you're taught them about a prototypical point guard, 1:11:14.520 --> 1:11:17.479 you would pick others before him, if you're talking about impact, 1:11:17.600 --> 1:11:18.759 it's him and Magic Johnson. 1:11:18.920 --> 1:11:22.439 Yeah, oh we do, no question, there's no denying that. 1:11:22.600 --> 1:11:27.080 Exactly when you look at Lebron. Let's take Lebron and you. 1:11:27.080 --> 1:11:30.559 You were covering the NBA when Lebron got in, yep, 1:11:32.320 --> 1:11:34.960 I said Lebron is overachieved because no matter what you 1:11:35.040 --> 1:11:38.320 thought he might be, ain't nowhere in hell you thought 1:11:38.360 --> 1:11:39.720 he would be this good Steve to day. 1:11:39.840 --> 1:11:41.760 No, I didn't. That's why I got him number two. 1:11:41.800 --> 1:11:46.760 Old time. Lebron James is one of the greatest ever. 1:11:46.840 --> 1:11:49.920 Do it and listen, we're gonna miss him. 1:11:49.920 --> 1:11:50.479 When he's going. 1:11:50.720 --> 1:11:52.080 I can sit up there and I can have my 1:11:52.120 --> 1:11:55.960 basketball decisions as if Michael Jordan won him two. But 1:11:56.000 --> 1:11:58.400 I gotta tell you, man, I got so much love 1:11:58.439 --> 1:12:01.400 and respect for Lebron, and a lot of people they misconstrue. 1:12:01.960 --> 1:12:03.680 You know what I mean by that when I say 1:12:03.720 --> 1:12:05.840 I got love for a brother that I barely know, 1:12:05.880 --> 1:12:07.559 because it's not like I talk to him every day 1:12:07.600 --> 1:12:07.920 or whatever. 1:12:07.920 --> 1:12:09.839 Even though we accord you to one another in the whole. 1:12:09.720 --> 1:12:13.120 Nine, I'm saying, I appreciate who you are and what 1:12:13.240 --> 1:12:20.479 you've meant. Yes to our community, to basketball, to young men, 1:12:20.640 --> 1:12:24.599 particularly young black men everywhere the student is phenomenal. Man. 1:12:24.680 --> 1:12:26.640 And And to be a guy that was on the 1:12:26.720 --> 1:12:30.479 cover of Sports Illustrated and the only blemish in his 1:12:31.000 --> 1:12:34.240 entire career is that I'm taking my talents to South Beach. 1:12:34.560 --> 1:12:39.640 That is literally the only staying on his career. 1:12:39.400 --> 1:12:41.000 And he raised money for the boys and Glad. 1:12:41.080 --> 1:12:45.240 I mean, it's ridiculous. A businessman, extraordinary actor, he did 1:12:45.240 --> 1:12:46.920 a great job and everything. Think I'm joking when I 1:12:46.960 --> 1:12:48.760 put the tick of him great actor, great because because 1:12:48.800 --> 1:12:50.680 you know, we so sens of develolebron Jas actually had 1:12:50.680 --> 1:12:53.720 a ticker creator for first take great actor, great business man. 1:12:57.560 --> 1:12:59.000 Don't be there for you, it's no be there when 1:12:59.040 --> 1:13:00.760 you bring about saying, I said, can we get it 1:13:00.760 --> 1:13:02.280 out of the way, because I want to make sure 1:13:02.320 --> 1:13:04.800 he knows I recognize all the greatness about him. Listen 1:13:04.840 --> 1:13:06.400 to the movie Trade Wreckord. You see what he did. 1:13:07.240 --> 1:13:09.280 He was great, He was great. He did a great 1:13:09.360 --> 1:13:11.760 job you know with Amy Schulman. Believe I mean, he 1:13:11.840 --> 1:13:12.560 was fantastic. 1:13:12.600 --> 1:13:13.680 You know, I got it. 1:13:13.880 --> 1:13:17.280 But the point is that the dude is phenomenal on 1:13:17.320 --> 1:13:20.519 a multitude of levels. And when he has done for 1:13:20.760 --> 1:13:24.640 us as black people in this nation in terms of 1:13:24.680 --> 1:13:28.920 his business acumen, his commitment to excellence. You know, this 1:13:29.040 --> 1:13:32.000 brother takes care of his body. He's always in shape. 1:13:32.280 --> 1:13:34.960 I mean I looked at He's the reason that I 1:13:35.000 --> 1:13:37.080 got mad at Anthony Davis last. 1:13:36.960 --> 1:13:38.759 Year because I'm looking at Anthony Davis. 1:13:38.880 --> 1:13:41.080 You know this brother vouched for you, right, you know 1:13:41.160 --> 1:13:44.400 this brother his name on the line for you, right, 1:13:44.560 --> 1:13:46.280 I know you. I know you got him the ring 1:13:46.320 --> 1:13:48.040 in the bubble, but you understand that. 1:13:48.080 --> 1:13:48.760 Don't stop there? 1:13:48.880 --> 1:13:51.960 Right? How is he in better shape than you? How 1:13:52.080 --> 1:13:54.760 is he more focused and dedicated than you? Could you 1:13:54.960 --> 1:13:59.080 take your ass over his house and and mimic his workout, 1:13:59.439 --> 1:14:03.800 use his trainer, use his nutritionness, do something, and you 1:14:03.880 --> 1:14:06.439 under saying I'm saying, I'm like, it's like, come on now, 1:14:06.560 --> 1:14:12.240 look man, I'm the star. First day he tell you 1:14:12.320 --> 1:14:16.800 some shin shaw, I'm gonna do some more pushups. Bro'ess 1:14:16.800 --> 1:14:18.800 what I'm saying. I'm gonna change my diet even more. 1:14:20.040 --> 1:14:22.519 I ain't gonna let you down, bro, I'm not. I'm 1:14:22.520 --> 1:14:26.160 not gonna be there. I got shinning and Ron RC 1:14:26.479 --> 1:14:28.720 sitting across from me with him with his sitting this 1:14:28.880 --> 1:14:31.200 facility in Louisiana and all of this. 1:14:31.160 --> 1:14:33.880 Other stuff, And I'm gonna roll around with a belly. 1:14:33.560 --> 1:14:35.519 And looking all shit. Oh no, no, no, it ain't 1:14:35.520 --> 1:14:37.519 going down like that. It ain't going down like that. 1:14:37.680 --> 1:14:39.680 I'm gonna be in shape, bro, I've been getting the 1:14:39.760 --> 1:14:42.280 shape I already lost some pounds. I really do it. 1:14:42.320 --> 1:14:44.240 My body fat and half. I did all that. But 1:14:44.320 --> 1:14:47.559 what I'm I'll never be the black Hawk, but you are. 1:14:47.600 --> 1:14:49.760 I ain't trying to do that. But you ain't gonna 1:14:49.760 --> 1:14:52.400 look at me and go like this. Damn he needed 1:14:52.400 --> 1:14:55.599 to get the Jimmy ain't in shape. I ain't gonna 1:14:55.600 --> 1:14:57.680 do that. I ain't gonna do Homa bring it that. 1:14:57.720 --> 1:14:59.800 You got Molly sitting in the middle and stuff like that. 1:15:00.080 --> 1:15:03.200 You sitting across from me. I'm like, and I'm looking Chabby, Nah, 1:15:03.200 --> 1:15:05.200 it ain't going down like that. And I'm looking at 1:15:05.240 --> 1:15:09.120 Anthony Davis like, ain't there's nothing inside of you that said, 1:15:10.160 --> 1:15:12.400 you know, I need to be in shape. You gonna 1:15:12.439 --> 1:15:17.280 drop forty one game and eleven and next Come on, bro, 1:15:17.800 --> 1:15:20.479 come on bro. You know it's like you looking at 1:15:20.560 --> 1:15:23.599 Lebron and I literally almost went on the air. 1:15:23.600 --> 1:15:26.000 It was like, you know, Lebron, I'm. 1:15:25.840 --> 1:15:29.080 Sorry I felt that bad for you because I'm like, 1:15:29.360 --> 1:15:34.560 in his twentieth year in the league, he's in better shape, 1:15:35.000 --> 1:15:37.720 and he the best player, and he actually don't want 1:15:37.720 --> 1:15:40.320 to be He actually wishes you were in better shape. 1:15:40.360 --> 1:15:43.360 He actually wishes you were the better player which you 1:15:43.479 --> 1:15:47.560 are where you bring your a game, but it's sporadic 1:15:47.920 --> 1:15:50.559 because of a lack of dedication. In my opinion, I 1:15:50.560 --> 1:15:53.720 don't know that, but I'm like, wouldn't you think that 1:15:54.280 --> 1:15:57.320 if you were Lebron, Like, wait a minute, when something missing? 1:15:57.640 --> 1:15:59.000 You ain't doing sun right. 1:15:59.320 --> 1:16:02.880 I'm almost ten years more in the league with more 1:16:02.920 --> 1:16:03.479 wear and tears. 1:16:03.520 --> 1:16:05.479 Come on, man, come on, man, and you in l 1:16:05.520 --> 1:16:07.320 A and you know this because you've been out here, 1:16:07.479 --> 1:16:11.560 live out here now a different flavor. You know you 1:16:11.720 --> 1:16:14.400 got to be disciplined to be out here. You can't 1:16:14.760 --> 1:16:18.880 you you you can't easily locate the distract I mean 1:16:18.960 --> 1:16:21.280 they are easy to find. Distractions. 1:16:21.320 --> 1:16:23.280 Well, that's the thing with discipline. It requires you to 1:16:23.320 --> 1:16:24.760 do your best with no one. You think, no one 1:16:24.840 --> 1:16:27.000 is watched. There you go, there you go. You know 1:16:27.040 --> 1:16:27.519 what I'm saying. 1:16:27.560 --> 1:16:30.760 Listen. When I'm in l A, Bro, I don't come 1:16:30.800 --> 1:16:32.760 outside until I finish my work out. Other than the 1:16:32.800 --> 1:16:34.840 first take, I don't come outside until I finish my 1:16:34.880 --> 1:16:38.240 workout because I know once I get outside there's gonna 1:16:38.280 --> 1:16:40.080 be a wild before I get back. 1:16:41.160 --> 1:16:43.439 I'm just not gonna put You're gonna. 1:16:43.280 --> 1:16:45.280 Be because I'm just I'm just not gonna want to. 1:16:45.280 --> 1:16:46.360 I'm just like, you know what I'm saying. You know 1:16:48.280 --> 1:16:48.639 that's right. 1:16:48.640 --> 1:16:51.080 We're gonna be We're gonna be in the gym together, in. 1:16:51.160 --> 1:16:55.320 Gym that I'm not listen, you wanted you want to 1:16:55.439 --> 1:16:57.600 meme that people will be laughing at me for the 1:16:57.640 --> 1:17:00.320 next two decades have me in the gym with sharing 1:17:00.320 --> 1:17:02.800 his shop. Come on, man, you know what I'm saying. 1:17:03.280 --> 1:17:05.960 That's like, that's like the rock standing next to Snoop Dog. 1:17:06.200 --> 1:17:08.800 We ain't doing that. We're the snupids my job. You 1:17:08.800 --> 1:17:10.479 know you know I love you, baby, You know I 1:17:10.520 --> 1:17:12.120 love you. Know what I mean? Come on now, I 1:17:12.120 --> 1:17:15.120 ain't doing that. I'm not getting in the gym with you. 1:17:14.600 --> 1:17:16.840 You won't work out, huh, just won't work out. 1:17:16.880 --> 1:17:19.200 I'm gonna work out every listen, I work out. You 1:17:19.240 --> 1:17:21.960 know what I might do that I might I'm gonna 1:17:21.960 --> 1:17:24.400 wait a few months, though, I'm gonna wait a few months. 1:17:24.560 --> 1:17:26.120 I'm not gonna do that just yet. 1:17:26.320 --> 1:17:29.960 Okay, Dame yea man and James Harden situation. 1:17:30.120 --> 1:17:33.160 Yes, shir Dame is you know he looks he saw 1:17:33.280 --> 1:17:36.120 James Harden get fined one hundred thousand for calling Daryl 1:17:36.160 --> 1:17:38.760 Mourray a liar. He's like, I ain't trying to, you know, 1:17:39.200 --> 1:17:43.120 lose any of my money. So what's what's your take 1:17:43.120 --> 1:17:44.080 on those situations? 1:17:45.320 --> 1:17:49.400 Well, when I think about Dame, it's more sensitive to 1:17:49.479 --> 1:17:54.640 me because Dame could have demanded out several occasions and 1:17:54.680 --> 1:17:58.160 he never did. And it's Portland. It ain't like he 1:17:58.200 --> 1:18:00.720 didn't demand out of La on my end, right, he 1:18:00.760 --> 1:18:03.760 didn't demand out a poor right, okay, and he was 1:18:03.800 --> 1:18:05.800 never gonna get anybody to come to pot he was gonna. 1:18:07.439 --> 1:18:10.240 So now that he's been there a decade and he's like, 1:18:10.360 --> 1:18:15.000 it's time look out for the brother now. Now, should 1:18:15.040 --> 1:18:17.679 he have handled it a tab bit differently in terms 1:18:17.720 --> 1:18:22.320 of all right, I shouldn't have said, just Miami, try 1:18:22.320 --> 1:18:25.160 to work behind the scenes to get this done. Maybe 1:18:25.160 --> 1:18:27.599 he shouldn't have done that, right, But the bottom line 1:18:27.680 --> 1:18:31.120 is he's given Portland everything he's had, right, and you know, 1:18:31.160 --> 1:18:33.320 you moving in a different direction, you drop your number. 1:18:33.360 --> 1:18:37.519 The third overall pick is your school. Henderson's play your position. 1:18:37.800 --> 1:18:40.400 Come on, y'all, get it done, you know. And so 1:18:40.560 --> 1:18:43.799 that's how I feel. I support Dame on that. James 1:18:43.800 --> 1:18:47.040 Hard is a different animal, and I like James, but 1:18:47.640 --> 1:18:51.439 James gotta be more accountable. You got everything you want. 1:18:51.479 --> 1:18:53.559 They gave you everything but a Pacify and a BIB 1:18:53.640 --> 1:18:57.639 in Houston. Whatever you wanted they gave They did everything, money, 1:18:57.760 --> 1:19:01.519 helicopter rods, massad, therapist suits, hang out, the strip club 1:19:01.560 --> 1:19:04.200 or whenever you want to everything, you want to Vegas, 1:19:04.240 --> 1:19:07.000 whenever you want me. They gave you everything, and Darryl 1:19:07.040 --> 1:19:09.280 Moury took care of you to the point where Mike 1:19:09.320 --> 1:19:11.439 d'antonia didn't even show negative players at James Harder. When 1:19:11.520 --> 1:19:13.360 James Harden was in the film room, he showed about 1:19:13.360 --> 1:19:15.599 everybody else wouldn't even show home in the film room. 1:19:15.680 --> 1:19:17.280 This is me covering the NBA. I'm telling you what 1:19:17.320 --> 1:19:20.040 I know. Then you force your way out. You want 1:19:20.040 --> 1:19:21.760 to go to Philly because you want to go with 1:19:21.800 --> 1:19:24.320 Darryl Moore. You want to follow him there, but they 1:19:24.360 --> 1:19:26.160 say no, So you want to go to Brooklyn. They 1:19:26.160 --> 1:19:28.320 tell you no. Initially, you show up the camp out 1:19:28.320 --> 1:19:29.920 of shape. You make it very very clear that you 1:19:29.960 --> 1:19:31.880 ain't trying to do anything because you're trying to get 1:19:31.920 --> 1:19:33.960 the hell out of town. So they ultimately trade you 1:19:34.000 --> 1:19:36.920 to Brooklyn. You get in Brooklyn, they you force your 1:19:36.920 --> 1:19:38.320 way out of it because you want to go with 1:19:38.360 --> 1:19:40.120 Daryl Morey and Philly, which is where you wanted to 1:19:40.120 --> 1:19:45.160 go all along. Now, although we can't absolve Darryl Morey, 1:19:45.200 --> 1:19:46.920 if you lied to the man, you lied to me, 1:19:47.360 --> 1:19:53.880 ain't nobody giving, ain't nobody blaming, right, you know, if 1:19:53.920 --> 1:19:57.400 you told him that, you owe him that correct fit period. 1:19:58.160 --> 1:20:02.479 But why is anybody gonna be sympathetic to James Harden 1:20:02.479 --> 1:20:05.839 with what James Harden has done on three separate occasions, 1:20:06.240 --> 1:20:08.439 and now you're doing it a fourth And you gotta 1:20:08.439 --> 1:20:11.559 remember when he was in Houston. I want Dwight Howard. 1:20:12.320 --> 1:20:15.920 I don't want Dwhight Howard. I want Carmelo Anthony, don't 1:20:15.920 --> 1:20:19.240 want Carmelo Anthony. I want CP three. I don't want 1:20:19.240 --> 1:20:24.200 CP three. I want Russ. I don't want Russ. And 1:20:24.200 --> 1:20:27.800 now one single championship to show for it. It ain't 1:20:27.920 --> 1:20:31.280 like you are champion making these demands. You getting paid. 1:20:31.360 --> 1:20:33.760 You're a show stopper, we get it, but you have 1:20:33.920 --> 1:20:38.120 no championships to show for any of your efforts. At 1:20:38.160 --> 1:20:40.960 some point in time, somebody got to be willing to 1:20:40.960 --> 1:20:43.240 say to you, yo, can you give me a little 1:20:43.280 --> 1:20:45.799 bit more? Oh? By the way, don't get me started 1:20:45.800 --> 1:20:48.760 with close out games in the playoffs. We just saw 1:20:48.800 --> 1:20:51.000 what you did in the Game seven nine points, three 1:20:51.040 --> 1:20:53.840 and eleven shooting, and a Game seven close out game 1:20:53.840 --> 1:20:56.639 against Boston. You had him for Game six, you were 1:20:56.720 --> 1:20:59.320 up three to two on your home turf in Philadelphia, 1:20:59.560 --> 1:21:02.240 and look what happened. Those are the kind of things 1:21:02.240 --> 1:21:05.519 that I'm talking about. And so when something like that happens, man, 1:21:07.640 --> 1:21:11.120 I can't support that, right can. I can like him 1:21:11.439 --> 1:21:13.720 and be cool with him, but I can't support those 1:21:14.160 --> 1:21:17.080 decisions that he's can't do it. What's Katy's legacy going 1:21:17.120 --> 1:21:19.400 to be? What's Kevin Durant's legacy gonna do? 1:21:20.360 --> 1:21:22.960 I think, Stephen A. He was up three to one 1:21:23.560 --> 1:21:26.160 on the Golden State Warriors. He's up three to one 1:21:26.240 --> 1:21:32.519 on a seventy three win team, lose Game five, lose 1:21:32.560 --> 1:21:35.640 Game six, lose Game seven, and in games five and 1:21:35.720 --> 1:21:37.960 six and seven of games five and six, he shot 1:21:38.000 --> 1:21:38.679 the ball terrible. 1:21:38.800 --> 1:21:41.720 Yeah, I will tell you this. I think that Kevin 1:21:41.800 --> 1:21:44.040 Durant is one of the greatest players that I've ever seen. 1:21:46.560 --> 1:21:54.519 But when I saw how things materialized in Brooklyn and 1:21:54.560 --> 1:21:57.320 then he went to Phoenix and got bounced out in 1:21:57.320 --> 1:22:03.280 the second round of Denver. What I said was, I 1:22:03.320 --> 1:22:06.840 can't put him above Lebron. I used to look at 1:22:06.920 --> 1:22:11.880 him and his offensive arsenal and think that, But what 1:22:11.960 --> 1:22:15.080 I realized is that I'm not showing enough respect and 1:22:15.160 --> 1:22:20.400 appreciation to the leadership that Lebron has exerted and exhibited. 1:22:21.120 --> 1:22:23.680 Lebron has been the face of every franchise he's been on, 1:22:26.080 --> 1:22:30.640 even though d Wade was that leader in Miami. And 1:22:30.680 --> 1:22:33.280 when you look at Lebron, what he had to deal 1:22:33.360 --> 1:22:36.760 with with Kyrie, you know, what he had to deal 1:22:36.800 --> 1:22:38.479 with when he arrived in LA what he had to 1:22:38.520 --> 1:22:41.400 deal with with all the vitriol aimed in his direction 1:22:41.600 --> 1:22:49.160 in Miami and stuff like that. Mental toughness, ultimately leadership accountability. 1:22:49.720 --> 1:22:51.599 You know, of course his he is in Cleveland. Of course, 1:22:51.800 --> 1:22:55.120 when you look at all of these things, he showed 1:22:55.160 --> 1:22:58.360 an ability to deal with things. Kevin Durant did not right. 1:22:58.880 --> 1:23:01.920 Kevin Durant is a phenom. I'm player, a good brother, 1:23:02.520 --> 1:23:04.600 really authentic in a lot of ways. I got a 1:23:04.640 --> 1:23:07.559 lot of love for him. He is a two time champion, 1:23:07.600 --> 1:23:09.560 in two time NBA Finals MVP. We can't tell I 1:23:09.560 --> 1:23:11.160 don't care that he's playing with the Golden State Warriors. 1:23:11.200 --> 1:23:14.639 He averaged thirty five, he was the MVP. He balled out, 1:23:14.800 --> 1:23:18.280 you know, he showed his greatness. But the problem that 1:23:18.360 --> 1:23:21.160 I would tell you that was really put on display 1:23:21.240 --> 1:23:25.320 in Brooklyn. He needed to be a leader. But he 1:23:25.360 --> 1:23:27.439 doesn't want that. He's already told you that, And that's 1:23:27.479 --> 1:23:30.840 the difference. Lebron wants it. Lebron wants to be the leader. 1:23:31.200 --> 1:23:32.080 Lebron accepts it. 1:23:32.439 --> 1:23:32.640 You know. 1:23:33.240 --> 1:23:36.960 You know, Kyrie is Kyrie, and you know I'm not 1:23:37.000 --> 1:23:38.600 here to I'm not gonna throw no shade. Me and 1:23:38.680 --> 1:23:41.600 Kyrie have had our issues. That stuff has been resolved. 1:23:42.000 --> 1:23:43.960 But the point is is that at the end of 1:23:44.000 --> 1:23:50.599 the day, Kyrie, that is somebody that Kevin Durant, if 1:23:50.640 --> 1:23:52.200 he were that leader. 1:23:52.439 --> 1:23:55.599 Had to reel in right by simply saying, man. 1:23:56.360 --> 1:23:59.559 Bump all this. We trying to win the chip. Kyrie 1:23:59.560 --> 1:24:02.080 doesn't hurt his ankle against Milwaukee in the playoffs, Brooklyn 1:24:02.160 --> 1:24:03.519 might have won it all right, because I think they 1:24:03.520 --> 1:24:05.639 win that series against Milwaukee, and I think they could 1:24:05.640 --> 1:24:08.920 have beaten Phoenix. I mean, it's just that simple to me. 1:24:09.160 --> 1:24:11.080 And so when I'm looking at it from that perspective, 1:24:11.520 --> 1:24:15.200 I'm just saying to myself, you, Kevin Durant, it's about 1:24:15.240 --> 1:24:18.400 living and let living, and I'll do my job now. 1:24:19.000 --> 1:24:22.400 It's about making sure that the ultimate job is to 1:24:22.479 --> 1:24:25.600 try to win the chip and letting nothing stand in 1:24:25.640 --> 1:24:28.920 the way of that. If you're on a football field, 1:24:29.200 --> 1:24:30.599 Ray Lewis might have been the leader. 1:24:31.560 --> 1:24:32.719 You ain't gonna be quiet. 1:24:33.160 --> 1:24:35.479 If you see cats blowing your opportunity to win the 1:24:35.520 --> 1:24:37.840 Super Bowl Championship, You're gonna be like yo. And I 1:24:37.880 --> 1:24:41.120 remember when Isaiah Thomas, the Great Isaiah Thomas, two time Champion, 1:24:41.160 --> 1:24:43.960 Hall of Famale Isaiah Thomas was arguing, will be one 1:24:44.040 --> 1:24:47.120 time about Kyrie And I said to him it was 1:24:47.160 --> 1:24:50.000 over the back seat thing, and I said, I'm gonna 1:24:50.080 --> 1:24:53.439 end this conversation right now, Zeke by one simple question. 1:24:55.520 --> 1:24:58.599 If a member of the Detroit Pistons that was such 1:24:58.600 --> 1:25:01.439 an integral part of your champion your ship hopes, took 1:25:01.520 --> 1:25:04.679 that position, what would you have done? Isaiah started laughing. 1:25:05.120 --> 1:25:07.760 He said, as a team, we had have snatched his 1:25:07.840 --> 1:25:10.479 ass up, we had sat him down, tied them up, 1:25:10.920 --> 1:25:13.800 and we had ejected the shitting. To myself, he said, 1:25:13.880 --> 1:25:15.160 now you might have been mad at us. 1:25:15.479 --> 1:25:17.960 You might have been mad at us, right, but we would. 1:25:17.840 --> 1:25:20.439 Have done it, I said, I rest my case. All 1:25:20.479 --> 1:25:22.960 I'm saying is that at the end of the day, 1:25:23.000 --> 1:25:25.960 were trying to win and anything that gets in a 1:25:26.000 --> 1:25:30.200 way of that is secondary right to that actually being 1:25:30.240 --> 1:25:32.439 the priority. It's all I'm saying. And I think Kevin 1:25:32.479 --> 1:25:34.680 Durant should have had that attitude, and I don't think 1:25:34.720 --> 1:25:35.200 he didn't. 1:25:35.720 --> 1:25:38.320 You look at the West, the Nuggets won the championships. 1:25:38.360 --> 1:25:40.120 I like Nicola Yokich. I think he's one of the 1:25:40.120 --> 1:25:42.919 two best players in all of basketball. You got Phoenix 1:25:43.040 --> 1:25:48.040 this is a year book and Katie together, Brandley Bill joined. 1:25:48.360 --> 1:25:50.720 You got the Warriors CP three. What's gonna be his 1:25:50.880 --> 1:25:53.960 role in that situation? The Lakers if Anthony Davis is healthy, 1:25:54.000 --> 1:25:57.600 I like that. They they have depth. Austin Reeves I 1:25:57.680 --> 1:25:57.960 like him. 1:25:58.680 --> 1:25:59.720 I like him. 1:26:00.479 --> 1:26:02.559 What's how's the westcot shaking? 1:26:02.640 --> 1:26:05.320 First of all, we always root for the Lakers because 1:26:05.320 --> 1:26:07.960 they're stuff to colorfor. I mean, you know, if you 1:26:08.000 --> 1:26:09.919 ask me, do I want to go to San Francisco 1:26:09.960 --> 1:26:12.439 or La is l a all day every day twice 1:26:12.439 --> 1:26:16.840 for Sundays, so so just for my own personal preferences, 1:26:17.080 --> 1:26:19.680 it's always La La Miami is my dream scenario. That's 1:26:19.720 --> 1:26:21.519 why I was so miserable doing COVID because the one 1:26:21.560 --> 1:26:26.519 time I wanted to get my dreams in the bubble, 1:26:26.560 --> 1:26:28.719 I was so depressed. I was so depressed. But I'll 1:26:28.760 --> 1:26:34.200 tell you this, I don't believe in Anthony Davis in 1:26:34.320 --> 1:26:37.599 terms of his availability. I'm not talking about his skill set. 1:26:37.960 --> 1:26:40.320 I'm not talking about whether he cares or not. I'm 1:26:40.360 --> 1:26:45.960 talking about injury prone, sporadic. There's something going on with 1:26:46.080 --> 1:26:48.960 him where instead of talking about me getting in the gym, 1:26:49.000 --> 1:26:50.439 you need to be jogging in him to get in 1:26:50.439 --> 1:26:53.080 the gym, because it's just up and down. It's like 1:26:53.439 --> 1:26:56.080 it's like it's like this brother sat up there, ate 1:26:56.280 --> 1:26:58.600 healthy meal one day and then ate a bag of 1:26:58.680 --> 1:27:01.080 skittles the next, and it's this plumbing. 1:27:01.160 --> 1:27:01.840 You know what I'm saying. 1:27:01.920 --> 1:27:04.920 I don't understand it, and I can't have faith in that. 1:27:05.040 --> 1:27:07.400 I think they'll make the playoffs. I think they'll be formidable. 1:27:08.200 --> 1:27:10.360 I dismissed the Clippers because I just don't believe that 1:27:10.400 --> 1:27:12.760 Kawhi Lennard will ever be healthy. I just don't believe that. 1:27:12.880 --> 1:27:14.160 Well U Paul George's miss Damn. 1:27:14.200 --> 1:27:17.040 There's much time I agree with you. That's totally totally true, Troy. 1:27:18.479 --> 1:27:20.280 I remember I just saw the numbers recently. I think 1:27:20.479 --> 1:27:22.360 Paul George misses about thirty eight percent of his game 1:27:22.400 --> 1:27:24.200 in Kauhi is at forty eight percent. So I think 1:27:24.200 --> 1:27:27.080 it's around that. Paul George talking about he gonna play 1:27:27.120 --> 1:27:29.240 bully ball and all that. We'll see, you know what 1:27:29.320 --> 1:27:31.400 I'm saying, Especially Hen talking to him and Devin Book 1:27:31.520 --> 1:27:32.960 was going back and forth. I got to see that 1:27:33.040 --> 1:27:35.839 right because I know Devin Book is coming that dude, 1:27:36.200 --> 1:27:38.080 de Book. Devin Book is real and I'm talking about 1:27:38.120 --> 1:27:41.040 his mentality. He ain't scared of nothing. He coming for you. 1:27:41.080 --> 1:27:43.000 So I definitely respect that. And we're gonna see what 1:27:43.040 --> 1:27:45.760 Bill and kd do together as well. Phoenix, to me, 1:27:45.800 --> 1:27:49.080 should be the favorites. You look at Denver, uh, They're 1:27:49.120 --> 1:27:51.920 obviously formidable and you got that cohesive missile. I would 1:27:51.920 --> 1:27:54.320 tell you a rematch between Denver and Phoenix and all 1:27:54.400 --> 1:27:57.559 likelihood the conference finals as opposed to the divisional playoff 1:27:57.600 --> 1:28:01.559 round semifinals. Rather, we'll see that, but that's what comes 1:28:01.600 --> 1:28:03.960 to my mind. I don't expect much from Dallas, even 1:28:04.000 --> 1:28:06.000 though Anthony Edwards is on the rise, I don't expect 1:28:06.040 --> 1:28:08.479 much from Minnesota. I don't expect much from Minnesota. I 1:28:08.520 --> 1:28:10.080 think that was to me they don't have the person out. 1:28:10.160 --> 1:28:12.360 Do you think do you think Minnesota should not run 1:28:12.360 --> 1:28:15.519 the team through Anthony Edwards as opposed to Cat Yes, yeah, 1:28:15.520 --> 1:28:16.200 I agree. 1:28:16.000 --> 1:28:18.200 I agree totally. I think that Anthony Edwards is one 1:28:18.200 --> 1:28:20.800 of those dudes. He's one of those dudes. He's coming 1:28:21.120 --> 1:28:24.360 and I feel that way. But I definitely think that 1:28:24.400 --> 1:28:26.639 when you look at the two teams, I would look 1:28:26.680 --> 1:28:29.880 at Phoenix and Denver, and then I would look at 1:28:29.920 --> 1:28:32.760 the Lakers and Clippers on the outside on the come up, right. 1:28:33.240 --> 1:28:36.960 That's how I view the West. You didn't mention the Grizzlies, 1:28:37.240 --> 1:28:40.840 obviously the Josh situation. Hopefully, I think they're people should 1:28:40.840 --> 1:28:41.559 have mentioned the Grizzlies. 1:28:41.760 --> 1:28:45.599 They're appealing his twenty five game suspension, so I'm under 1:28:45.600 --> 1:28:47.519 the assumption that it's gonna stick. Let's just say, for 1:28:47.600 --> 1:28:49.719 the sake for this argument, it's going to stick. 1:28:49.880 --> 1:28:50.479 It's gonna stick. 1:28:51.200 --> 1:28:54.600 You've been outspoken yet, I've been very outspoken, and I 1:28:54.640 --> 1:28:57.160 don't know jall, but if I could sit down, I 1:28:57.240 --> 1:28:59.400 just think he was I just thought he was moving 1:28:59.400 --> 1:29:03.639 in a direction that wasn't conducing to accomplish what he 1:29:03.720 --> 1:29:06.719 really really wanted to accomplish. That's been an outstanding basketball player, 1:29:07.080 --> 1:29:09.200 be a brand the job, brand being one of the 1:29:09.200 --> 1:29:13.479 faces of the NBA. I agree with you, what if 1:29:13.520 --> 1:29:15.240 there's some advice you could give him. I don't know 1:29:15.280 --> 1:29:15.880 how well you know. 1:29:15.880 --> 1:29:17.040 It's dad, I don't. 1:29:17.080 --> 1:29:17.439 I don't. 1:29:17.479 --> 1:29:18.960 I've met him both at once. 1:29:20.560 --> 1:29:21.559 John's a great player. 1:29:21.800 --> 1:29:22.960 Jo's phenomenal. 1:29:23.120 --> 1:29:26.240 And I think that Jah is gonna come back with 1:29:26.280 --> 1:29:29.240 a vengeance. You know, I really really believe he's gonna 1:29:29.240 --> 1:29:32.080 come back with a vengeance. He's gonna recavoc. And I 1:29:32.120 --> 1:29:34.960 love the acquisition of Marcus Smart I got bossed by 1:29:35.000 --> 1:29:36.400 the way as my favorite overall. 1:29:36.680 --> 1:29:37.760 Really yes, I do. 1:29:38.000 --> 1:29:40.360 Wow. I think porzingis at seven to three with the 1:29:40.400 --> 1:29:43.080 ability to step away from the basket and shoot, combined 1:29:43.120 --> 1:29:47.360 with Tatum and Brown still keeping Al Horford okay and 1:29:47.479 --> 1:29:50.640 Robert Williams in the mix with a Derek with a 1:29:50.720 --> 1:29:53.439 Derek White, with a Malcolm Brogdon the range and sixth 1:29:53.520 --> 1:29:55.680 man of the year. I think when you look at 1:29:55.680 --> 1:29:59.040 their depth, athleticism and perimeter shooting, their ability to defend 1:29:59.320 --> 1:30:01.200 the fact that was Zula has a year under his 1:30:01.240 --> 1:30:03.599 belt coach and the team. I think all of those 1:30:03.640 --> 1:30:05.840 things bowled well for Boston. They been knocking on the 1:30:05.880 --> 1:30:08.680 door long enough. You Jalen Brown, you just signed three 1:30:08.720 --> 1:30:11.120 hundred million dollars, You damn well better show up. And 1:30:11.160 --> 1:30:13.280 if you and if you Jason Tatum, who's in line 1:30:13.320 --> 1:30:15.439 for about three hundred and sixty million, you damn well 1:30:15.439 --> 1:30:18.120 better show up. And so I'm gonna assume that they will. 1:30:18.320 --> 1:30:22.200 But I think Mark is smart. Losing him it'll be 1:30:22.240 --> 1:30:24.880 felt to some degree, but I definitely think it's gonna 1:30:24.880 --> 1:30:27.840 help Memphis immensely, right, And I think that, you know 1:30:27.960 --> 1:30:28.920 a and I think that. 1:30:28.840 --> 1:30:31.160 And you get Steven Adams back Stan Clark. 1:30:30.920 --> 1:30:34.400 And people don't realize Adams and Clark being gone. Lakers 1:30:34.400 --> 1:30:37.120 don't beat them like that. If Adams and Clark are healthy, 1:30:37.439 --> 1:30:39.920 that just doesn't happen, cause Adams and Clark are no joke. 1:30:40.160 --> 1:30:42.360 And so I take that into consideration as well. 1:30:42.800 --> 1:30:46.720 Having said all of that, I'm not sure. And they're 1:30:46.760 --> 1:30:50.720 shooting collectively, right, okay, So that concerns me. I think 1:30:50.760 --> 1:30:54.240 they're sporadic defensively, that concerns me. I think they're coaching 1:30:54.280 --> 1:30:56.880 concerns me to some degree, So I look at Memphis. 1:30:56.920 --> 1:31:00.240 But in terms of my advice to Joe, it's this, man, 1:31:03.040 --> 1:31:06.280 some people you gotta leave behind. And I don't mean 1:31:06.360 --> 1:31:09.920 cut them off like you don't know them. I don't 1:31:09.920 --> 1:31:12.479 mean cut them off like you can't be with them. 1:31:12.920 --> 1:31:16.120 But I'll give you a perfect example. I got brothers 1:31:16.120 --> 1:31:20.160 that I grew up with in Queens, New York. Half 1:31:20.200 --> 1:31:22.479 of them are dead cause you know, the drug game 1:31:22.560 --> 1:31:25.080 was real prevalent then, and I was blessed that I 1:31:25.160 --> 1:31:27.720 was never a part of it, but most of my 1:31:27.760 --> 1:31:31.439 friends were. And you know, I got a couple of 1:31:31.600 --> 1:31:34.880 I got a couple of brothers that you know, did 1:31:34.920 --> 1:31:41.080 some time, and I'll always look out for them. I'll 1:31:41.080 --> 1:31:44.439 always have love for them, Shannon, they can't hang with me. No, 1:31:45.439 --> 1:31:47.519 they can't hang with me. You're not coming to work 1:31:47.560 --> 1:31:49.800 with me. You're not coming to a game with me. 1:31:50.200 --> 1:31:53.280 That's not happening. I see a neighborhood. What's uff? 1:31:53.320 --> 1:31:55.360 How you doing? You need me for anything? 1:31:55.360 --> 1:31:57.240 What's so? What you need? I can help you. I'm 1:31:57.280 --> 1:31:59.880 more happy to do that. So I'm not told about ostracizing. 1:32:01.439 --> 1:32:04.680 But the NBA is your business. What happened with Ja 1:32:04.760 --> 1:32:08.479 Moran cast him about sixty million ounces. Sixty million ounce, 1:32:08.880 --> 1:32:11.240 You ain't getting that back, no matter how much money 1:32:11.240 --> 1:32:14.040 you get, you ain't getting that back. And so for me, 1:32:14.800 --> 1:32:18.760 you know, with his dad, Look, I'm a father, you're 1:32:18.760 --> 1:32:22.720 a father. Here's the deal. I know you can't tell 1:32:22.760 --> 1:32:25.160 your son, literally tell him what to do. He's a 1:32:25.200 --> 1:32:29.439 grown up, right, but certain things he don't need to 1:32:29.479 --> 1:32:32.000 be doing it right in front of you. Correct you 1:32:32.120 --> 1:32:36.599 the grown up, you dad, and you are not supposed 1:32:36.600 --> 1:32:39.439 to be trying to live the life he live in. 1:32:40.400 --> 1:32:41.160 You know what I'm saying. 1:32:41.320 --> 1:32:44.000 Y'all made it and you're gonna make it even more. 1:32:44.600 --> 1:32:46.440 And so it's not to cast. 1:32:46.200 --> 1:32:49.799 Dispersions, assault them, detegrate them in any way. Who wouldn't 1:32:49.880 --> 1:32:52.519 root for Ja Moran? Who ain't rooting for him to succeed. 1:32:53.000 --> 1:32:55.280 I don't know anybody that they I know I'm rooting 1:32:55.280 --> 1:32:58.360 for him. I know you're rooting for them. But how 1:32:58.400 --> 1:33:01.080 are we helping you? If we see you doing stuff 1:33:01.080 --> 1:33:03.920 that we know could potentially lead to your downfall and 1:33:04.000 --> 1:33:06.120 we say nothing, are we really trying to help you? 1:33:06.200 --> 1:33:08.599 If we say nothing, No, we're not trying to help you. 1:33:08.720 --> 1:33:11.040 And that's why we say something, because we want you 1:33:11.200 --> 1:33:14.799 to correct the errors so you could rise and prosper 1:33:14.840 --> 1:33:15.679 and live your life. 1:33:16.080 --> 1:33:17.519 I don't know what you feel about this, but I 1:33:17.560 --> 1:33:20.559 said this at the time the seventy fifth anniversary. I 1:33:20.640 --> 1:33:24.479 said Anthony Davis shouldn't have made it over to White Howard. 1:33:25.200 --> 1:33:28.599 Stan Van Gundy said, you can't make a case to 1:33:28.680 --> 1:33:31.200 say is Anthony Davis's career has been better than the 1:33:31.240 --> 1:33:32.200 White Howard. 1:33:33.000 --> 1:33:33.880 What's your take on that? 1:33:34.240 --> 1:33:36.560 I kind of agree. 1:33:36.720 --> 1:33:40.760 Anthony Davis was a prolific scorer, but at the end 1:33:40.800 --> 1:33:43.400 of the day, he wasn't relevant until he arrived to 1:33:43.400 --> 1:33:47.679 the Lakers with Lebron correct Dwight Howard was a three 1:33:47.720 --> 1:33:51.439 time Defensive Player of the Year, extraordinary shot blocker and eraser. 1:33:52.640 --> 1:33:55.320 Was never the offensive player that Anthony Davis know us, 1:33:55.840 --> 1:34:00.920 but certainly was just as impactful, yes, and morel because 1:34:01.240 --> 1:34:04.080 he was on the squad that Anthony Davis won a 1:34:04.160 --> 1:34:07.200 championship with as a reserve, right, which means he's got 1:34:07.200 --> 1:34:11.120 a ring too, right, And so you offset that and 1:34:11.160 --> 1:34:15.040 now look at their careers. Even though the talent that 1:34:15.280 --> 1:34:18.600 is Anthony Davis I consider to be better than the 1:34:18.600 --> 1:34:23.559 White Howard, right, the impact of your career is not 1:34:23.760 --> 1:34:25.799 greater than that of the right Howard. 1:34:25.880 --> 1:34:27.680 D White Howard took the team to the NBA finals. Yes, 1:34:27.760 --> 1:34:29.360 he did in his prime. He's one of the five 1:34:29.400 --> 1:34:30.080 best players. 1:34:29.880 --> 1:34:30.280 In the NBA. 1:34:30.320 --> 1:34:33.800 Absolutely, absolutely, So I can't disagree with that. I can't. 1:34:34.280 --> 1:34:36.479 I can say Anthony Davis is a better talent, yes, 1:34:36.720 --> 1:34:40.160 but it also highlights what you must not be doing 1:34:40.479 --> 1:34:43.479 because a lesser talent, that is Dwhite Howard was more 1:34:43.520 --> 1:34:45.040 impactful than you were. Right. 1:34:45.800 --> 1:34:50.679 Players under twenty five, you got Luca JT, Trey Young, Zion, 1:34:50.800 --> 1:34:54.639 Anthony Edwards. You know what, Zion, because you've been very 1:34:54.680 --> 1:34:57.560 I've been very outspoken, Steven that you know, I'm a 1:34:57.640 --> 1:35:00.599 nutritional guy. Guy, I'm in the b and I said 1:35:00.600 --> 1:35:02.679 that he just do me. I said, y'all a chief, 1:35:02.720 --> 1:35:05.000 Oh Shaddy, you don't know what's going on. I say, bro, 1:35:05.800 --> 1:35:08.160 the man is three hundred plus. I can tell he's 1:35:08.240 --> 1:35:12.479 not eating the way he should in order to maximize burgers. 1:35:13.600 --> 1:35:15.960 But you know, you you know in New Orleans eating 1:35:16.000 --> 1:35:19.639 gumbo and you say and Jumbaliah everything. 1:35:19.960 --> 1:35:23.280 Yeah, So what Joa? 1:35:23.640 --> 1:35:26.400 How do we how do we get Zion to understand 1:35:26.439 --> 1:35:28.240 because I think the greatest person that he needs to 1:35:28.240 --> 1:35:30.360 sit down and have an hour long conversation with is 1:35:30.439 --> 1:35:35.600 Charles Barkley. He's a more athletic Charles Barkley. 1:35:37.560 --> 1:35:43.040 I just gotta be honest. I don't think he cares enough. Wow, 1:35:43.160 --> 1:35:45.400 I don't think he cares enough. I'm not saying he 1:35:45.400 --> 1:35:49.519 doesn't care. I'm not talking about caring. I'm talking about 1:35:49.520 --> 1:35:54.360 that fire passion that it's the end all beyond, because 1:35:54.479 --> 1:35:56.360 I believe he's in a market he don't want to 1:35:56.360 --> 1:35:58.920 be in. That said, I believe if he was in 1:35:59.000 --> 1:36:02.240 New York or someplace where he really really wanted to be, 1:36:03.360 --> 1:36:08.200 we see a more dedicated zion to his physicality. And 1:36:08.240 --> 1:36:11.240 the point is is that I don't know that to 1:36:11.280 --> 1:36:15.320 be sure. But you can't walk around as big as 1:36:15.320 --> 1:36:18.920 he is. No, and tell me you dedicated, right, You can't. 1:36:19.320 --> 1:36:22.640 You can't because even when you're when you're restricted in 1:36:22.720 --> 1:36:24.760 terms of your mobility, you know what you'll do. You'll 1:36:24.800 --> 1:36:28.639 eat less and you'll eat better because you'll fear bloating, 1:36:29.080 --> 1:36:32.200 you'll fear blowing up and not being ready when called upon. 1:36:32.320 --> 1:36:34.839 Once you here, that hasn't been the case. 1:36:34.720 --> 1:36:38.840 Because if you eating bad while you're active in running 1:36:38.920 --> 1:36:41.479 up and down the court. What the hell you think 1:36:41.520 --> 1:36:43.720 you're gonna eat when you can't run up and down 1:36:43.760 --> 1:36:46.080 the court, that's right. So now the thirty pound that 1:36:46.120 --> 1:36:48.400 you took off because you was healthy and athletic and 1:36:48.439 --> 1:36:51.280 running up and down the court, you better put fifty back. 1:36:51.160 --> 1:36:54.280 Home, exactly. And that's exactly how I feel. And because 1:36:54.280 --> 1:36:58.680 of that, again, I love Zion's game. I believe he's 1:36:58.720 --> 1:37:00.719 a potential superstar in this league. 1:37:01.000 --> 1:37:02.120 He's something to behold. 1:37:02.720 --> 1:37:06.720 But I think it's fair to question his commitment to 1:37:06.800 --> 1:37:10.479 his conditioning, right. And if you're questioning somebody's commissions, you know, 1:37:10.560 --> 1:37:13.599 commitment to conditioning, you're questioning whether or not they care. 1:37:14.360 --> 1:37:15.880 And that's really what it comes down to. 1:37:15.840 --> 1:37:16.280 The right. 1:37:16.640 --> 1:37:19.639 We've talked about players under twenty five, Luca, Jason Tatum, 1:37:19.680 --> 1:37:23.519 Trey Young, Zion, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Chake, Gil just D Fox, 1:37:23.840 --> 1:37:26.960 or Jordan Poole. I'm gonna give you one guy of 1:37:27.479 --> 1:37:29.160 those guys I mentioned, who you taking. 1:37:30.680 --> 1:37:33.880 A lot of people would say Luca, I'm gonna say 1:37:33.960 --> 1:37:39.479 Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum sixty nine, jaseon to shoot the three. 1:37:40.080 --> 1:37:42.719 I saw Jason Tatum drop forty six in a close 1:37:42.760 --> 1:37:46.280 out playoff Game six in Milwaukee's I saw Jason Tatum 1:37:46.320 --> 1:37:49.519 handle his business in the game seven. I've seen a 1:37:49.560 --> 1:37:52.720 young Jason Tatum, who ain't even twenty seven years of 1:37:52.800 --> 1:37:57.760 age yet be a primary option on a team that's 1:37:57.800 --> 1:38:02.840 going to five conference championship game, a championship series, in 1:38:02.840 --> 1:38:06.840 an NBA Finals. I just look at him and I say, 1:38:06.880 --> 1:38:09.840 and not only that, we just talked about conditioning. There 1:38:09.880 --> 1:38:12.120 have been times when we looked at Luker and we've 1:38:12.200 --> 1:38:16.200 said he ain't in shape. He's getting in shape right 1:38:16.280 --> 1:38:18.160 the season progresses, correct, we. 1:38:18.040 --> 1:38:20.439 Look at Jason Tatum from day one and say. 1:38:20.280 --> 1:38:22.400 He's in shape right. 1:38:22.520 --> 1:38:23.280 That matters to me. 1:38:23.920 --> 1:38:25.880 I would go with Jason Tatum. 1:38:26.120 --> 1:38:30.479 Andre Agodalad says, the player with the mentality is closest 1:38:30.479 --> 1:38:32.240 to Kobe Bryant is Jimmy Butler. 1:38:33.160 --> 1:38:33.840 You agree with that. 1:38:35.600 --> 1:38:41.640 Closest to Kobe Bryant is Jimmy Butler. As far as mentality, 1:38:42.600 --> 1:38:45.519 you could say that I would beg to differ who 1:38:45.560 --> 1:38:45.880 you like. 1:38:46.280 --> 1:38:50.040 Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler works. 1:38:51.240 --> 1:38:55.120 But the difference between Jimmy Butler and Devin Booker is 1:38:55.240 --> 1:38:58.680 Jimmy Butler doesn't care that much about offense until the 1:38:58.720 --> 1:39:02.599 postseason arrived. Right, Kobe cared about it all the time. Yeah, 1:39:03.160 --> 1:39:04.760 And Devin Booker cares about it. 1:39:04.960 --> 1:39:05.400 All the time. 1:39:05.640 --> 1:39:10.519 Right. They coming out looking for their shot from opening 1:39:10.600 --> 1:39:15.519 to off. Jimmy Butler sometimes you literally feel like you 1:39:15.560 --> 1:39:17.439 gotta throw something at him just to make him shoot 1:39:17.439 --> 1:39:20.240 the basketball he does. It's not a priority for him. 1:39:20.560 --> 1:39:22.519 And that is why I would say no on that 1:39:22.600 --> 1:39:23.400 Kobe comparison. 1:39:23.800 --> 1:39:26.760 Not much as known about Steven H's private life. Yep, 1:39:27.320 --> 1:39:29.479 You like myself, are very very private. 1:39:29.560 --> 1:39:33.559 Yep. How have you been able to maintain that level 1:39:33.560 --> 1:39:37.920 of privacy? Number one, I'm quick to sell somebody to 1:39:37.920 --> 1:39:41.679 mind that damn business, you know. And that's a kind 1:39:41.720 --> 1:39:45.639 way of putting it. And I will cancel a woman 1:39:45.680 --> 1:39:48.759 in a heartbeat that talks about my business. She utters 1:39:48.800 --> 1:39:55.400 my name, what publicly about us? She gone, I wouldn't 1:39:55.400 --> 1:39:57.200 have happy for us better? 1:39:57.280 --> 1:39:59.320 I don't care. I don't care, you. 1:39:59.280 --> 1:40:03.600 Know why, because I want you to know who my 1:40:03.680 --> 1:40:07.839 woman is when she's missus Smith. I'm talking about publicly. 1:40:08.280 --> 1:40:11.080 I'm not talking about you know, shann ain't gonna Shannon 1:40:11.080 --> 1:40:11.840 go beat my girl. 1:40:12.040 --> 1:40:14.640 You know, Jamie's Matt. I'm not talking about that. 1:40:14.960 --> 1:40:18.559 I'm talking about announcing that you see us and people talk. 1:40:18.960 --> 1:40:23.040 Oh no, let them talk. You better not talk. 1:40:23.840 --> 1:40:25.360 I will cancel you quick. 1:40:25.120 --> 1:40:27.600 And can't so she can't post none on I G 1:40:28.080 --> 1:40:29.400 Never I would. 1:40:29.400 --> 1:40:32.120 She wouldn't. She wouldn't make it to my crib. I'm 1:40:32.160 --> 1:40:34.160 telling you, I'm not joking. She wouldn't make it to 1:40:34.240 --> 1:40:36.720 my crib. She can live five minutes away, she'd be 1:40:36.760 --> 1:40:39.280 going by five five minutes. I don't play that because 1:40:39.320 --> 1:40:42.519 here's the thing. I'm in the public eye. Let me 1:40:42.520 --> 1:40:45.000 tell you what to test what I detest. And I've 1:40:45.080 --> 1:40:47.559 never done this to another man. It makes me cringe 1:40:47.600 --> 1:40:50.320 when this happens to a man. I can't get over 1:40:50.400 --> 1:40:54.000 how these stars be messing with somebody and then you 1:40:54.160 --> 1:40:58.880 with somebody else. But that's who he used to mess with. Nah, yeah, 1:40:58.960 --> 1:41:01.320 no nothing, I mean you talking about it could be 1:41:01.400 --> 1:41:03.360 an ex. I'd be like, what are you talking about? 1:41:03.800 --> 1:41:05.240 That's a friend. I don't know what you're talking about. 1:41:05.280 --> 1:41:06.280 Step you messed with her? 1:41:06.280 --> 1:41:08.240 Who ain't you mess with? 1:41:08.280 --> 1:41:08.960 I don't know what you're talking. 1:41:09.240 --> 1:41:11.720 Ain't none of your business. I'm not doing that. 1:41:12.240 --> 1:41:14.600 You know when she missus Smith, you'll know who she 1:41:14.760 --> 1:41:17.800 is until that time, I might have messed with her. 1:41:17.960 --> 1:41:20.240 I might not have messed with her. You'll never know. 1:41:20.880 --> 1:41:23.720 I don't do that. And I can't stand when we 1:41:23.760 --> 1:41:27.559 see people out here like sharing their information and you 1:41:27.600 --> 1:41:31.000 know it's on Instagram and Twitter. We've grown ass men 1:41:31.120 --> 1:41:34.840 and women. When did everybody? When did your business become 1:41:34.920 --> 1:41:38.519 everybody else's business? Don't I don't vibe with that. I 1:41:38.560 --> 1:41:42.840 have no patience with that. And anybody who knows it, 1:41:42.960 --> 1:41:46.120 and I mean anybody who knows me, they'll tell you 1:41:46.240 --> 1:41:50.240 right now. I live in La five minutes from where 1:41:50.280 --> 1:41:53.439 we are. They wouldn't make it to my crib being 1:41:53.479 --> 1:41:56.280 my woman. If I saw something on social media that 1:41:56.439 --> 1:41:59.519 was initiated by them about me, they out. 1:42:00.120 --> 1:42:01.000 I wouldn't hesitate. 1:42:01.120 --> 1:42:04.479 I have been that way my entire adult life and 1:42:04.520 --> 1:42:06.720 I will never change When in that regard, I could 1:42:06.720 --> 1:42:09.360 be getting ready to getting married, wedding called off. So 1:42:09.479 --> 1:42:11.040 it was all the way game with me. So it 1:42:11.080 --> 1:42:11.960 was all the way game with me. 1:42:12.080 --> 1:42:14.320 It was always your It was always says once you 1:42:14.400 --> 1:42:16.759 got into the public eye, was to be private. 1:42:17.360 --> 1:42:21.000 Absolutely, it's not everybody's business. It's not everybody's business. Look, 1:42:21.120 --> 1:42:24.679 I know people business. You see me I'm on TV. 1:42:24.800 --> 1:42:29.880 I'm a professional journalist. I challenge anybody to talk about 1:42:29.960 --> 1:42:34.080 stephen A talking about their personal private business. Now, if 1:42:34.120 --> 1:42:36.800 you're walking on public and putting everything on display and 1:42:36.840 --> 1:42:38.439 all of that, all right, that's fine, you know what 1:42:38.439 --> 1:42:40.360 I'm saying. I just talked about Megan good to find 1:42:40.400 --> 1:42:42.519 that stuff the other day. Okay, I get it, you 1:42:42.600 --> 1:42:44.960 understand me, says an late that I mentioned you. She's 1:42:45.000 --> 1:42:45.960 been fine for you. 1:42:45.960 --> 1:42:46.519 You know what I mean. 1:42:46.560 --> 1:42:49.120 I got it your stuff like that. But you don't 1:42:49.160 --> 1:42:52.439 hear me talking about people's private business. I don't do it. 1:42:52.800 --> 1:42:55.080 I don't and I never ever will. 1:42:55.840 --> 1:42:58.080 I read where your daughters don't like when people come 1:42:58.160 --> 1:43:01.000 up to you and ask for autograph when they're in 1:43:01.000 --> 1:43:01.519 your presence. 1:43:01.560 --> 1:43:05.320 Oh oh my lord, listen man. 1:43:06.000 --> 1:43:09.519 Do they have a social media presence a little bit? 1:43:09.640 --> 1:43:12.160 But I try to monitor it, and you know, I 1:43:12.280 --> 1:43:14.160 lead that to their mom. But I will tell you 1:43:14.240 --> 1:43:20.879 this for me, Oh my god, being a dad for daughters, 1:43:22.920 --> 1:43:30.000 it's the greatest blessing and the worst curse. Because the 1:43:30.040 --> 1:43:33.960 blessing is you didn't know what love is until they 1:43:34.000 --> 1:43:36.160 You thought you knew what love was then. 1:43:36.000 --> 1:43:36.719 They came along. 1:43:36.960 --> 1:43:42.559 The curse is you didn't know what love is until 1:43:42.560 --> 1:43:44.920 they came along. So you're never at piece. You're always worried, 1:43:45.320 --> 1:43:49.520 worried about everything, worry about everything. And they did Daddy's 1:43:49.640 --> 1:43:52.200 you know, daughters. So they like me from the standpoint like, 1:43:52.960 --> 1:43:54.960 first of all, I'm not that special, I'm just dad. 1:43:55.000 --> 1:43:57.800 What is so big about you? I mean, please, why 1:43:58.280 --> 1:44:01.000 all you do is talk on television? I mean you cares? 1:44:01.080 --> 1:44:04.280 Oh lord o, can we hurry up? Please? What do 1:44:04.360 --> 1:44:06.960 they want your or to grab four? I mean, but 1:44:07.120 --> 1:44:10.840 then they get attitude, cause it's like they're taking our time, 1:44:11.360 --> 1:44:15.320 hurry upright, like literally, and it's like and I knew. 1:44:16.040 --> 1:44:17.960 I knew from the time my. 1:44:18.040 --> 1:44:21.840 Daughters was like seven, eight years old. I came home 1:44:21.880 --> 1:44:25.280 and I had to do I had to get to Dallas. 1:44:25.880 --> 1:44:28.200 I was supposed to go from La straight to Dallas. 1:44:28.920 --> 1:44:33.880 I literally flew home on the Red Eye just to 1:44:33.920 --> 1:44:36.479 take them to school and to give them a hug 1:44:36.520 --> 1:44:37.080 and a kiss. 1:44:37.120 --> 1:44:39.240 And I took them to school. 1:44:39.280 --> 1:44:41.479 They were all happy and bouncing around and all that stuff. 1:44:41.479 --> 1:44:44.600 And the children school and I said, Okay, Daddy gotta go. 1:44:44.680 --> 1:44:48.960 They're like what And I was like this, I probably 1:44:51.400 --> 1:44:58.800 they gotta go to work. Right in Dallas, and the 1:44:58.840 --> 1:45:02.519 teachers like just go just go right, and I get 1:45:02.560 --> 1:45:04.439 on get on the road. I'm going to the airport 1:45:04.439 --> 1:45:07.240 and I call the schools speak to and they like, 1:45:07.320 --> 1:45:08.760 could you call back later? 1:45:09.240 --> 1:45:10.360 They don't want to talk to you. 1:45:10.920 --> 1:45:13.640 And I'm like, this is seventy eight years old, right, 1:45:13.760 --> 1:45:17.240 It's like and I knew then my life's over. It 1:45:17.280 --> 1:45:18.400 belongs to them. 1:45:18.600 --> 1:45:21.439 They run my life. So I squeeze in things for. 1:45:21.520 --> 1:45:25.719 Me, right, But they're the generals. That's how it goes. 1:45:25.840 --> 1:45:27.599 Do your kids watch your kids? 1:45:27.600 --> 1:45:27.720 Are? 1:45:27.800 --> 1:45:30.639 They are at the age now they understand what you're fourteen? 1:45:30.760 --> 1:45:33.519 Yeah, so they understand what you do. Yes, they know 1:45:33.560 --> 1:45:35.080 who they know who Diad is. 1:45:35.080 --> 1:45:38.040 That's right, that's right. And they see me lied on 1:45:38.080 --> 1:45:39.960 a lot because a lot of times I've been accused 1:45:39.960 --> 1:45:42.120 of saying something or doing something that they didn't know better, 1:45:42.400 --> 1:45:44.280 or I was accused of being someplace like that and 1:45:44.360 --> 1:45:46.439 you was with us, you know. But but it's like 1:45:46.520 --> 1:45:48.439 it is what it is. They understand it. And I 1:45:48.479 --> 1:45:52.759 tell them it's about tough skin. You can't overreact to everything. 1:45:52.760 --> 1:45:54.519 You out to understand when you and the public eye, 1:45:54.520 --> 1:45:57.080 people gonna lie you all the time. They're gonna invade 1:45:57.080 --> 1:46:00.519 your privacy, they're gonna instigate stuff, they're willing to looking 1:46:00.560 --> 1:46:03.479 to provoke a reaction. And I can't give it to 1:46:03.520 --> 1:46:05.519 them because if I do, then I take debate and 1:46:05.560 --> 1:46:07.840 it can jeopardize what I'm trying to build. And so 1:46:07.920 --> 1:46:10.040 you explain those things to them and you hope that 1:46:10.080 --> 1:46:10.759 they understand. 1:46:11.680 --> 1:46:14.320 What advice would you give a young journalist, because you know, 1:46:14.400 --> 1:46:17.280 the newspaper business is not what it was when you 1:46:17.400 --> 1:46:21.439 got into it. Everybody gets there, you know, because it's 1:46:21.439 --> 1:46:24.800 so instantaneous, not stephen A. You got social media. So 1:46:24.920 --> 1:46:28.160 now ain't nobody just sitting there watching the six o'clock news, 1:46:28.240 --> 1:46:30.240 and ain't nobody just just reading the newspaper? 1:46:30.720 --> 1:46:32.639 So what advice would you give young journalists? 1:46:32.680 --> 1:46:38.120 First of all, understand that everything feeds off of information. 1:46:38.520 --> 1:46:41.240 You've got to be about the business of acquiring intel 1:46:41.320 --> 1:46:43.960 and information because that means you have something to talk about, 1:46:44.400 --> 1:46:46.960 you have something to write about, you have something express 1:46:47.000 --> 1:46:53.640 opinions about, whether it be via radio, television, podcast, newspaper, magazines, 1:46:53.720 --> 1:46:58.200 dot com, whatever, whatever content is. King content will never 1:46:58.240 --> 1:47:01.800 go anywhere. How people are receiving that content is what 1:47:01.880 --> 1:47:06.240 has changed linear television was once here. Now it's dissipating 1:47:06.280 --> 1:47:08.439 before our very eyes. There's some people that are projecting 1:47:08.479 --> 1:47:11.479 within the next decade, YouTube will be more popular than 1:47:11.520 --> 1:47:14.040 some of the networks, if not already, and so you 1:47:14.120 --> 1:47:16.360 have to take that into consideration. That's point number one. 1:47:16.400 --> 1:47:19.320 Point number two is that you're trying to build something, 1:47:19.720 --> 1:47:22.559 build a brand. Know who you are, know what you 1:47:22.640 --> 1:47:27.680 stand for, Recognize what gravitates folks towards you and what doesn't. 1:47:27.720 --> 1:47:30.559 And that's how you go about the business of building something. 1:47:30.680 --> 1:47:33.920 Number three, Master your business. You gotta know what you're 1:47:33.960 --> 1:47:35.960 talking about. You gotta know what you want to do. 1:47:36.120 --> 1:47:37.800 A lot of people want to podcast, Well, do you 1:47:37.840 --> 1:47:39.800 know what comes with the podcast? It ain't just a 1:47:39.840 --> 1:47:42.679 microphone and a camera. There's a production team that gets 1:47:42.680 --> 1:47:45.599 that's behind the scenes. There's a sales and marketing angle. 1:47:46.320 --> 1:47:48.320 There's a sales angle that comes with it, a marketing 1:47:48.400 --> 1:47:51.479 angle that comes with it, a technological angle that comes 1:47:51.479 --> 1:47:54.320 with it. These people operating these cameras, you know, you know, 1:47:54.400 --> 1:47:57.280 these microphones, making sure the audio is right. Except so, 1:47:57.560 --> 1:48:00.120 how much is that gonna cost? Okay? What level of 1:48:00.120 --> 1:48:02.280 course comes with it? Okay? One of the things that 1:48:02.320 --> 1:48:04.240 I would give advice to a lot of students want 1:48:04.240 --> 1:48:07.719 to come up no matter what major you take, minor 1:48:07.760 --> 1:48:11.479 in business, because everything comes down to business. Now you've 1:48:11.520 --> 1:48:13.680 got to be about the business of knowing what your 1:48:13.760 --> 1:48:16.759 business entails. That way, you know how to do business. 1:48:16.920 --> 1:48:19.120 You know what you're negotiating, you have an idea what 1:48:19.200 --> 1:48:21.840 it entails. You know when you've made mistakes and how 1:48:21.840 --> 1:48:24.280 to pick up on it. I started my own podcast 1:48:24.400 --> 1:48:26.679 months ago. I've made a lot of mistakes. Why because 1:48:26.680 --> 1:48:27.960 I never had a podcast before. 1:48:28.160 --> 1:48:29.600 I had to learn through osmosis. 1:48:29.600 --> 1:48:33.679 But I put myself through that fire initially on purpose, 1:48:34.000 --> 1:48:37.240 so when it grew as it's been growing that I'm 1:48:37.280 --> 1:48:40.639 in a position to now make the proper decisions because 1:48:40.680 --> 1:48:45.040 I use, you know, that infancy period to really learn 1:48:45.120 --> 1:48:47.080 and gain knowledge about the industry. 1:48:47.280 --> 1:48:48.400 How much is going. 1:48:48.200 --> 1:48:51.000 To cost, what my losses and my profits look like, 1:48:51.080 --> 1:48:53.360 et cetera, et cetera. All of those things the things 1:48:53.360 --> 1:48:56.000 that you have to know because the business itself that 1:48:56.200 --> 1:48:59.280 used to exist is no longer. Now they're looking for 1:48:59.360 --> 1:49:00.559 you to bring your. 1:49:00.439 --> 1:49:01.599 Business to them. 1:49:02.040 --> 1:49:05.400 Shannon Sharp, you own your own podcast club Shayshay over 1:49:05.439 --> 1:49:08.080 a million followers doing your thing. Proud of you, my brother, 1:49:08.320 --> 1:49:10.800 keep doing your thing, no doubt. You got to keep 1:49:10.840 --> 1:49:13.719 doing that. You own and operate your business, and there's 1:49:13.720 --> 1:49:16.640 people around you that's working for you. So you're going 1:49:16.720 --> 1:49:19.400 to be attractive because you're bringing a business to a 1:49:19.400 --> 1:49:24.040 potential network to buy to least two et cetera, et cetera. 1:49:24.320 --> 1:49:25.080 They don't want to. 1:49:25.040 --> 1:49:27.280 Just employ people anymore. They don't want to deal with 1:49:27.320 --> 1:49:29.800 that overhead. They don't want to deal with the expenses 1:49:29.840 --> 1:49:31.280 that come with the overhead. 1:49:31.520 --> 1:49:32.800 They want you to deal with that. 1:49:32.920 --> 1:49:36.920 Now, got McAfee the deal he just signed with me. 1:49:37.120 --> 1:49:39.120 You got so many people hating on him. Shut up, 1:49:39.400 --> 1:49:39.920 all of y'all. 1:49:39.920 --> 1:49:40.360 Shut up. 1:49:40.600 --> 1:49:44.200 The man had his own business. He spent years developing 1:49:44.200 --> 1:49:46.639 his own business, betting on himself, just like you bet 1:49:46.680 --> 1:49:49.599 on yourself, Just like I'm betting on myself. I just 1:49:49.640 --> 1:49:53.000 started betting on myself because I was hindered contractually and 1:49:53.040 --> 1:49:55.160 I had a lot of obstacles to overcome in my 1:49:55.280 --> 1:49:57.840 career before I could get to this point. Although this 1:49:57.920 --> 1:50:00.240 was always the vision, I had to start late. This 1:50:00.320 --> 1:50:02.759 is what comes with it. When you know those things, 1:50:02.960 --> 1:50:05.240 you become a business. And as jay Z would say, 1:50:05.240 --> 1:50:08.439 I'm not a business man. I'm a business man and 1:50:08.520 --> 1:50:09.760 that's what people want to see. 1:50:09.800 --> 1:50:11.320 I'm gonna get you out of here on this one. 1:50:11.400 --> 1:50:13.320 Yet we both work with Skip. 1:50:14.280 --> 1:50:16.000 You work with him, I think a little longer than 1:50:16.000 --> 1:50:18.640 I have, and we both have given him credit for 1:50:18.840 --> 1:50:23.240 opening up his platform and allowing us to be who 1:50:23.240 --> 1:50:26.120 we are, and we could grow our own platforms, become 1:50:26.200 --> 1:50:28.959 as you mentioned earlier, businesses of myself. 1:50:29.479 --> 1:50:31.240 What's for the people? 1:50:31.280 --> 1:50:33.200 I don't know how many people have heard, And I'm 1:50:33.200 --> 1:50:36.280 gonna follow up after you, Skip, what's. 1:50:36.479 --> 1:50:37.120 He really like? 1:50:37.160 --> 1:50:39.000 Because I think the thing is, if you've never met him, 1:50:39.040 --> 1:50:41.200 you just see him on television, you say, Okay, that's 1:50:41.280 --> 1:50:42.040 himming who he is. 1:50:42.520 --> 1:50:44.120 Skip's a different beast. I don't. 1:50:44.240 --> 1:50:44.800 I don't know. 1:50:44.800 --> 1:50:47.200 If you can just describe him in one simple way 1:50:47.320 --> 1:50:50.840 you can you can't. This dude's definition of advice is 1:50:50.920 --> 1:50:54.880 dieing mountain dude. This dude was in the sixties and 1:50:54.920 --> 1:50:57.439 in the seventies, running anywhere for five to eight miles 1:50:57.439 --> 1:51:01.679 a day, eating the same meals for breakfast, lunch, at dinner, 1:51:03.560 --> 1:51:08.080 introducing himself to his now wife and their first date. 1:51:08.640 --> 1:51:11.960 You will never be more important than my job. Get 1:51:12.000 --> 1:51:15.240 over that from now or don't bother. I mean, that's 1:51:15.280 --> 1:51:19.040 his definition of turning her on. I guess. So I'm 1:51:19.840 --> 1:51:23.679 just like that's he's a different animal, you know, And 1:51:23.800 --> 1:51:26.559 there are highs and lows that come with him. Correct. 1:51:26.960 --> 1:51:29.439 He knows that there's highs and lows that come with me. 1:51:29.520 --> 1:51:31.519 There's highs and lows that come with you and everybody, 1:51:32.320 --> 1:51:35.479 and that's the way it goes. But you know, I'm 1:51:35.520 --> 1:51:40.440 a man first, and it's about a core decency of appreciation. 1:51:41.120 --> 1:51:46.280 The reality is is that no matter how problematic, and 1:51:46.320 --> 1:51:49.960 he can be problematic at times, no matter how problematic 1:51:50.040 --> 1:51:53.200 he can be, the reality is is that I wouldn't 1:51:53.200 --> 1:51:55.080 be where I am today if he didn't give me 1:51:55.120 --> 1:51:58.840 that opportunity on first take. And so for me to 1:51:58.960 --> 1:52:02.200 be where I am and to know that it's spring 1:52:02.600 --> 1:52:07.000 its springboards off of something that he was directly involved 1:52:07.040 --> 1:52:12.360 in making happen. For me to insult him in any 1:52:12.400 --> 1:52:16.920 ways just disrespectful. It's wrong and it's something that I 1:52:16.960 --> 1:52:18.839 would never do. Now. That don't mean I can't disagree 1:52:18.840 --> 1:52:21.280 with him absolutely. That doesn't mean that I can't feel 1:52:21.360 --> 1:52:24.400 that he's wrong. And anybody like a Jamie hard with 1:52:24.560 --> 1:52:26.880 yourself and others who know me have gotten to know me. 1:52:26.960 --> 1:52:29.639 In your case, you know, I would tell him he's 1:52:29.680 --> 1:52:32.639 wrong to his face. Right, he knows where I stand, 1:52:33.920 --> 1:52:36.720 But it doesn't take away my love and appreciation for 1:52:36.880 --> 1:52:40.320 him and the fact that he will always be a 1:52:40.400 --> 1:52:43.320 brother from another mother to me. Yes, So I've always 1:52:43.360 --> 1:52:44.799 made that clear with everybody. 1:52:44.880 --> 1:52:47.560 Yeah, it's not often that someone can give you that opportunity. 1:52:47.680 --> 1:52:50.240 And I I I and I've said this several times. 1:52:50.479 --> 1:52:53.600 For me, I cannot let six months ruin six and 1:52:53.640 --> 1:52:57.800 a half good years, because sometimes people are willing to 1:52:57.840 --> 1:53:01.599 throw everything away for one mistake, a one bad comment, 1:53:01.760 --> 1:53:04.800 or one something like this. And even though that was 1:53:04.840 --> 1:53:06.519 all we were supposed to get. My sister tells me 1:53:06.560 --> 1:53:08.639 this all the time, says Shannon, this was all we're 1:53:08.640 --> 1:53:12.839 supposed to get. About four months ago, I had Tabitha 1:53:12.840 --> 1:53:14.639 Brown sitting great. 1:53:14.640 --> 1:53:16.600 I've interviewed her before. She's fantastic. Stephen A. 1:53:17.520 --> 1:53:19.200 She had no idea this was going on. 1:53:19.280 --> 1:53:21.439 So we wrapped the interview and I'm gonna end it 1:53:21.520 --> 1:53:24.160 on this one and I'm taking off my microphone. 1:53:24.280 --> 1:53:25.920 She says, is a mix off. 1:53:26.040 --> 1:53:27.720 I said, well, I'm taking my mic off, you can 1:53:27.720 --> 1:53:30.280 take yours off. We took our mics off and she 1:53:30.400 --> 1:53:34.240 leans in close to me. She said, I had a 1:53:34.320 --> 1:53:37.439 dream last night. God told me it's gonna be okay, 1:53:37.680 --> 1:53:38.920 and for you to go ahead and do what you 1:53:38.960 --> 1:53:42.800 need to do, she says, it's gonna be different, but 1:53:42.840 --> 1:53:45.360 you need to go on your own now. God told 1:53:45.439 --> 1:53:48.000 me that, she said. Now you do what you want 1:53:48.040 --> 1:53:50.880 to do with it. But God just she says, And 1:53:50.920 --> 1:53:53.040 when I get dreams like this, and I'm ever in 1:53:53.120 --> 1:53:56.000 the person's presence, it's my duty to tell. 1:53:55.840 --> 1:53:59.200 Them a month later. 1:54:01.200 --> 1:54:04.040 Yeah, And I'm like, and when she's telling me to 1:54:04.080 --> 1:54:05.680 Steven day, you see how you looking at me. 1:54:05.720 --> 1:54:07.760 I'm looking at her. Now you know what's going on. 1:54:09.120 --> 1:54:11.479 She said, God told me this last night. And it's 1:54:11.520 --> 1:54:13.640 funny that I'm sitting here doing this interview. Did this 1:54:13.720 --> 1:54:15.880 interview with you? And I needed to tell you this 1:54:17.000 --> 1:54:20.719 once she told me that I was at peace because 1:54:20.720 --> 1:54:22.519 I'm racking my brain. I'm like, what did I do? 1:54:22.600 --> 1:54:25.120 Did I say something that I fend somebody? I mean, 1:54:25.240 --> 1:54:27.080 I just I think I'm doing a great job. 1:54:27.600 --> 1:54:30.400 She said, be at peace with it. Yeah, and that's 1:54:30.400 --> 1:54:32.440 what I told you. You did, That's what I told 1:54:32.440 --> 1:54:35.040 you because the reality of the situation is is that 1:54:35.320 --> 1:54:37.160 you know, I'm not going to apologize. Listen, I got 1:54:37.160 --> 1:54:39.400 a lot of friends over there, all right, We all 1:54:39.440 --> 1:54:41.640 know that I know a lot of people. But that 1:54:41.680 --> 1:54:44.800 don't mean that what happened to you is fair play 1:54:44.840 --> 1:54:47.400 and simple. Okay, that ain't the end of the world, Nope, 1:54:47.560 --> 1:54:48.520 but it is what it is. 1:54:48.600 --> 1:54:48.840 Yeah. 1:54:48.880 --> 1:54:52.960 So you know, to me, it was just important for 1:54:53.240 --> 1:54:57.120 us in this industry to stand up and say, yo, 1:54:58.080 --> 1:55:01.040 he's one of us. You can't get them go out 1:55:01.120 --> 1:55:03.520 like this, And that was it for me. It was 1:55:03.560 --> 1:55:05.680 like it was just that simple. You go wherever you want. 1:55:05.680 --> 1:55:07.000 You want to come first take, fine, you want to 1:55:07.040 --> 1:55:08.920 go somewhere else, fine, because I got my crew here, 1:55:09.000 --> 1:55:10.360 first take. And I'm not trying to get rid of 1:55:10.400 --> 1:55:13.600 anybody saying because I'm not gonna do this forever. And 1:55:13.040 --> 1:55:15.440 when it's my time to cost, my time to go right, 1:55:15.560 --> 1:55:17.560 and it's time for somebody else to step up. But 1:55:17.840 --> 1:55:21.000 as long as I'm here, my attitude was gonna be. Listen, 1:55:21.400 --> 1:55:23.760 the people that have been a treasure and attribute to 1:55:23.800 --> 1:55:27.400 this industry are the people that I'm going to do 1:55:27.440 --> 1:55:30.200 all that I can to remind folks this is what 1:55:30.240 --> 1:55:31.800 they do. I don't want to be one of those 1:55:31.880 --> 1:55:34.880 dudes that I got these platforms first take, and I 1:55:34.920 --> 1:55:37.800 got my podcast, and I'm doing the NBA Countdown and 1:55:37.880 --> 1:55:40.360 I got more stuff coming down the line and everything 1:55:40.440 --> 1:55:43.840 like that, And all I'm talking about is what I'm doing. 1:55:44.760 --> 1:55:48.280 That's my job to highlight where everybody else is doing. 1:55:48.520 --> 1:55:51.120 You you wanted to few stephen A because I know 1:55:51.200 --> 1:55:53.800 a lot of people that have could have opportunities to 1:55:53.840 --> 1:55:56.600 help somebody, but they want to be the only ninja 1:55:56.640 --> 1:55:57.000 with money. 1:55:57.240 --> 1:55:58.720 No, I don't want that. 1:55:59.040 --> 1:56:00.920 And I told you this, and I tell the audience 1:56:00.920 --> 1:56:02.600 that I told you this. I said you might be 1:56:02.680 --> 1:56:04.040 a first take for one year, you might be a 1:56:04.040 --> 1:56:08.000 first take for years to come. It's my responsibility, and 1:56:08.120 --> 1:56:12.240 I'm dead serious, it's a heart attack. It's my responsibility 1:56:12.320 --> 1:56:15.680 to make sure that you are more successful with me 1:56:16.440 --> 1:56:19.200 than you were before you arrived. That's what you told me. 1:56:19.280 --> 1:56:23.040 That's my responsibility, and I'm gonna make sure it happens. 1:56:23.040 --> 1:56:25.760 Come Hell of higher water. We ain't going down, brother, 1:56:25.840 --> 1:56:27.040 we only don't. 1:56:27.280 --> 1:56:29.400 You know that. 1:56:29.400 --> 1:56:30.120 That's just the way. 1:56:30.000 --> 1:56:36.800 It's gonna go. Man, coming HBCU is the takeover. 1:56:37.400 --> 1:56:40.960 I ain't trying to lose I'm never about that. Anybody 1:56:41.000 --> 1:56:42.960 that knows me an't about that. I don't mean no 1:56:43.000 --> 1:56:44.120 disrespect to nobody. 1:56:44.920 --> 1:56:48.680 Y'all heard it. But I got here. M as good 1:56:48.680 --> 1:56:52.880 as it gets right here. Steven A. Smell, Monday, September four, 1:56:54.040 --> 1:57:01.280 No death, Grinding. 1:57:01.000 --> 1:57:05.600 All my life, sacrifice, hustle, pay the price. Wanta slice? 1:57:05.880 --> 1:57:08.160 Got to brow the dice, the squad all my life. 1:57:08.280 --> 1:57:10.840 I've been grinding all my life. Look all my life 1:57:11.040 --> 1:57:14.920 and grinning all my life. Sacrifice, hustle, pay the price, 1:57:15.600 --> 1:57:16.280 Want a slice? 1:57:16.600 --> 1:57:18.880 Got to brow the dice, the squad all my life. 1:57:18.920 --> 1:57:22.640 I've been grinding all my life. 1:57:22.560 --> 1:57:22.800 Yeah,