1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: This is kJ Live with Chris john Sallis and chriss 2 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: entertainment in a strain. Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: tuned in the kJ Live. Today's guest on the show 5 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: is a multitalented multimedia personality, post writer, and producer. Two 6 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: dollar fifteen, he won a Sports Emmy for Rand University. 7 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: ESPN is thirty for thirty on legendary wide receiver Randy Moss. 8 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: Our guest has written on sports, music and culture for 9 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: politics for the past fifteen years and continues to entertain 10 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: sports lovers with exceptional television, podcast and radio programming on 11 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,639 Speaker 1: ESPN and most recently, he was He is joining the 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: cast of Back on the Record with the legendary Bob 13 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: This on HBO. Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome into the show. Bo. 14 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 1: Matti Jones is in the building. Bow. What's good dude, man? 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: I'm good man. How about you, man, I'm wonderful man. 16 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: I'm just out here in l A is a little overcast, 17 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: my man. But we're hoping this burns off and we 18 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: can make a day out of it. They are only 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: gonna lose your minds over seeing plows that don't happen 20 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 1: over there very much. I know you have a little 21 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: history out here too, so we'll get into that a 22 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: little bit. But yeah, man, it's you know, l A. 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: Weather is a trip bro. But speaking on stuff that 24 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:30,479 Speaker 1: I kind of wanted to touch on with you, man, 25 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: a lot of what you do right You're you're the 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 1: kind of the contemporary pop culture commentator, the sports pop 27 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: culture commentators, so we can always get your take on 28 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 1: anything that's happening. You come up these really thoughtful, intelligent 29 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: sort of takes. Man, You're always getting into the thick 30 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: of it. But I don't think a lot of folks 31 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: know your background. So one of the things I kind 32 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: of wanted to do because I've always been fascinated with 33 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: your background ever since I first met you. I just 34 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: kind of wanted to touch on a little bit about 35 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: where you're from, how you grew up, your edguc asial background, man, 36 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: some of your accolades, and then sort of how you 37 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: transitioned into sports media. Yeah. No, Um, I was born 38 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: in Atlanta, UM, and we moved to Houston when I 39 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: was right before I turned seven years old. We stayed 40 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: there until I graduated high schools like right before I 41 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: turned uh seventeen, and I went back to Atlanta with 42 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: college at Clark Atlanta University. My parents were both professors. 43 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: And the thing about Clark that was interesting was at 44 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: the time my father was working there and you know 45 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: people as well. I was going to school and one 46 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: thing I knew I wasn't gon do was to go 47 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: to school where my dad worked. That just didn't seem 48 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: to make any sense whatsoever, right, Like, I know, I 49 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: wasn't going to school anywhere near home, and then like 50 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: everything was moving back towards there for the family. I 51 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: was like, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Um. And 52 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: then my brother, who's thirteen years old than me, explained 53 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: that ain't worried about what you're doing. Okay, cool, right, 54 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: And so I made a trip down there. So he 55 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: got rather Atlanta like I got to college in ninety seven, 56 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: but I took a visit there at ninety six, so 57 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: like this isn't like yeah, like this is Atlanta on 58 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: the come up, right, this is right after the Olympics 59 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: and all of that. And I got there and I 60 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: was like, oh, there's no question where I'm going to school. 61 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: Right here, and that is exactly what I did. And 62 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: so I was there from one and always say that 63 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: like being in Atlanta at that time. Now it's all 64 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: kind of outside and kind of growing itself, and there's 65 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: the Rezilion things going on, but not a lot of 66 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: room for things to breed. This was while all of 67 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: that was building, and it still felt like reasonable in 68 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: a sense. It was like people were coming from everywhere 69 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: to little did they know, contribute to something that was 70 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: then regional and them would like suddenly become kind of 71 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: like the pulse now of Black Coast in America is 72 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: really coming out of Atlanta. Um. And so I started 73 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: writing about music the summer after my junior year of college, 74 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: and so he said, oh no, this is now. It's 75 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: like two thousand, two thousand two kids when I got there, 76 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: and that like, again, this was the best place to 77 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: be because so many people like I went to college. 78 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: We were trying to get this thing going, trying to 79 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: get this website off the ground, trying to get this 80 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: you know, producial company, because Atlanta was the place to be. 81 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: If that's who you were, you know, that's what you 82 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: were about, you were gonna know somebody, right, And so 83 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: it's people like you just you know, you could always 84 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: tell who was front. And like, this is when cell 85 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: phones were not the most common thing in the world. 86 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: You always have somebody walking down to yard act like 87 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: they're being important talking. And then as I started writing 88 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: and getting in it, I started doing things and realizing, 89 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,799 Speaker 1: oh no, this person actually is like making some things happen, 90 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: actually is working on something. And so there was like 91 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: a real spirit of collaboration around a lot of that 92 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: stuff because so many people would just do you know, 93 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: we're trying to play the same game, but not in 94 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: a way that was that necessitated, like competition between people, 95 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: Like they didn't make a whole lot of sense for 96 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: folks at that point. So I did that. I graduated 97 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,279 Speaker 1: from college, and I was like, the one thing I 98 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: know I'm not gonna do is go to grad school, 99 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: which meant, of course, in the fall of Able one, 100 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: I was in grad school. I went to Claremont Graduate 101 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: University in Clarmont, California. What made so you You was 102 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: off of it at first, but then you decided to 103 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 1: come to Calign. Now why did you decide to make 104 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: the move to grad school? Because I wasn't doing anything 105 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: else and these people called me, and I'll never forget 106 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: they called me, like in August, and they were trying 107 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: to talk to me about this fellowship that they had 108 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: and I was like, man, I guess, like, I really 109 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: don't want to do this. I really thought I was 110 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: under a grave misunderstanding of how much money you could 111 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: make by writing. Like I thought that I was going 112 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: to be able to sustain in a livelihood as a 113 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: freelance writer. And that was man, I was dumb, Like 114 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: that was that like like that was just And I 115 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: remember the moment that I realized it was dumb, and 116 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: I realized that it was dumb. I guess it had 117 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: to be around April because it was tax time and 118 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:51,919 Speaker 1: I was talking to a dude that I met, you know, 119 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: internet met, you know, who was a freelance writer. And 120 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: he told me he was so excited because he was 121 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: doing his taxes and he realized that he had made 122 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: ten thousand dollars freelancing that year. And I was like, 123 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: excuse me, what, like the whole year, the whole year. Yeah, 124 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: I had no idea that these people that were right 125 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: at the same site as we had day jobs, Like, 126 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: I didn't realize this. I was like, oh no, this 127 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: is this is definitely a problem. And so I had 128 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: met up with this dude from Baltimore who was trying 129 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: to start a magazine and he had sold me some 130 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: promises about, you know, how much work I could get 131 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: and all that stuff. So one weekend, my buddies were 132 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: going up to d C because one of those from 133 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: a d C and so rolled up there with him. 134 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: I think I brought a hundred dollars from my parents 135 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: because I was gonna meet this dude and hammerad this 136 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: deal and get this figured out. And that dude stood 137 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: me up like I never heard from the while I 138 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: was there, and I was just ghost like. I think 139 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,600 Speaker 1: I talked to him again later, but it was kind 140 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: of a wrap on that. And I remember I was 141 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: at my buddies mom's house and I was just my 142 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: head was back. I was so stressed out. In the 143 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: phone rang and it was the folks that amat and 144 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: they were like, yeah, so about this fellowship. I was like, okay, 145 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: like now I'm listening right, like now I gotta now. 146 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: I got a little more of an into it. And 147 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: then I remember I hit the lady on email. No, 148 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: maybe in that conversation I said, Okay, so this is 149 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: for February. I mean for January, right, She's like, oh no, no, 150 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: that's for this fall. So we're now in the middle 151 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: of August and she's like, it's for this fall, and 152 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: I want to talk to the parents. And you know, 153 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: we made it work. I got out there. I've never 154 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: been to California before. I didn't know anybody in California. 155 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: This wasn't the plan. And and and this is a 156 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: very important detail. I had a misunderstanding of the spatial 157 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: geography of southern California. So I thought that I was 158 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: going to l A. I thought I was going to 159 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: people Los Angeles. Clairemont is a little different than that. 160 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: Right now, I caught a flight into Ontario, a very 161 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: convenient and charming airport. Just absolutely but it became very 162 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: clear to me very quickly that it was not Los Angeles, no, sir, 163 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: I mean, was there an adjustment process being from the south, 164 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: or did you just fit in fine because it's the 165 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: college atmosphere. It was an adjustment. It wasn't really so 166 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: much about being from the south. It wasn't that. The 167 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: adjustment for me is that I spent four years in 168 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: Southwest Atlanta, going to a black college, and like, if 169 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: you're from like a place that has black colleges but 170 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,440 Speaker 1: their state schools, you ain't got a whole lot of 171 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: white people there. But you got white people there right, 172 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: Like you got white folks taking classes that night when 173 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: they get off work. You've got people who live around 174 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 1: the area because they can still live with their parents, 175 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: you know, like they're still kind of there. When you 176 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: go to like a private black college, which Clark was, 177 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,079 Speaker 1: white folks ain't going paying no sixteen thousand dollars to 178 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: come hang out with us like that, Like that wasn't 179 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: that that was not the property location. No, And so 180 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: we had the blackest part of town at a school 181 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: as black as you could possibly imagine. And I get 182 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,559 Speaker 1: to Claremont and I remember I got there for orientation 183 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: and there was like one black person there, like there 184 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: was no I was like a black person nowhere to 185 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: be found. And I'm just walking around and I see 186 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: the sign for the Office of Black Student Affairs. Because 187 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: I don't know nothing about how white colleges get down 188 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: and all of them got some office for the black 189 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: people to go hide at. You know, when things get 190 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: a little bit rough to put all programs for you 191 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: and stuff, and I just remember I walked in there 192 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: and they were like, yeah. I was like, I just 193 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,559 Speaker 1: feel like I need to be here right now. I 194 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: did not know what was going at all, and so 195 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: I had to like it wasn't full on adulthood, because 196 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: my parents are still helped me out, you know, a lot, 197 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: but this wasn't like this was a much more growing 198 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: up endeva than anything that I had done before. And 199 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 1: that was I think a big part of it. And 200 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: graduate schools a lot harder than undergrad It's a lot 201 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: more work than undergrad is. And I had been used 202 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:00,439 Speaker 1: to just kind of coasting and I could goes through 203 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: their relatively, but yeah, no, it was it. It It 204 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: was definitely a cultural difference. I wouldn't say shock, but 205 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: it was definitely a difference. A quick thought on HBCUs. 206 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: I have my younger brother, Mariah, graduated from Tuskegee. He 207 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: actually got his masters in like occupational therapy, so he 208 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: does stuff. And when I talked to him about his 209 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: experience there, uh, he said it was the greatest thing 210 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: that's ever happened to him in his life, just because 211 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: of the way he felt and the way you know, 212 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 1: people embraced him, and he felt like everybody cared about 213 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: his personal success. When you see all these different sort 214 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: of now new age kind of campaigns to highlight HBCUs, 215 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: Chris Paul's coming out with a movie, jay Z and 216 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: Beyonce just launched something, um that is you know, I 217 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 1: forgot what it is, but a scholarship or something where 218 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: they're giving directing funds to HBCUs. Do you feel like, um, 219 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: this is something that's a completely genuine act or is 220 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: it something that you feel that I almost say that 221 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,200 Speaker 1: you feel, But for me, it sort of feels like 222 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: this is good timing and so people are jumping on it. 223 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,959 Speaker 1: They weren't really on it before, they're kind of getting 224 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: on it now because of the timing. What's your take 225 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: on that boat? I think it's genuine, and I also 226 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: think it's good timing, right Like, I think that a 227 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:16,959 Speaker 1: lot of things happen in the last twelve to eighteen 228 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,559 Speaker 1: months that, you know, made people aware and think about 229 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 1: things and you know that thing you've been meaning to 230 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: do but you just ain't got around to yet, you know. 231 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: I think that for a lot of these people, it 232 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: is entirely possible that this is what it was, and 233 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: they pushed you to the top of the stack. The 234 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: only thing I questioned about it, and it's not with 235 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: the intentions of the people who are doing it, is 236 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: I don't feel like it's making the right point about HBCUs, 237 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: And I don't know if a lot of these campaigns 238 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:46,839 Speaker 1: can really do it, because I think it's a real 239 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: common sense thing that gets lost in these discussions, because 240 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: like when I turn on TV and I see like 241 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: on First Take, for example, where they'll go to a 242 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: black college and they have somebody doing a step show 243 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,680 Speaker 1: and the band will be out there and they're selling 244 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 1: the idea of the culture. And don't get me wrong, 245 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: that's dope, right, but um, that's not the reason to 246 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: do it. It's not for the aesthetic. The biggest thing 247 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: that I think that I got out of going to 248 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: an HBCU two things. Number One, I make the argument 249 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:21,959 Speaker 1: that HBCUs are actually the most diverse four year college 250 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: environments that you'll find, and it's because there is a 251 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: diversity of class and experience. Because racist fiction, right, like 252 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: race is just something that somebody made up in large park, 253 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: and so the delice like why are all these people here, 254 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: what's the common thing they have between them. They're all black, Okay, 255 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: that doesn't really mean that much in terms of what 256 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: they actually have in common. And so once you go 257 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: down the level below that, that's where you start finding like, 258 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: oh man, so we've got people from this you know, 259 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:56,079 Speaker 1: whose mama does this for a level with mama does 260 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: that for a living um, And all those people are 261 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: interacting with each other on a regular basis because they're like, 262 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: for example, you want to come down and you can 263 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: go to a school that is disproportionately bourgeois. Yes, but 264 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: you go to most HBCU schools and you're a bougie kid. 265 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: Hey man, there ain't enough of y'all to like really 266 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,079 Speaker 1: parse yourselves out from everybody else, Like all five of 267 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: y'all gonna be doing that, you know what I mean. Like, 268 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:21,560 Speaker 1: it's just it's not enough people for you to be 269 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: able to pull that kind of thing off. And so 270 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: I met more kinds of people for more places in college. 271 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: Then I think that most people who go to a 272 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: predominant white school would like, you know, there's the international 273 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: element I think that comes in when you go to 274 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: a predominantly white school. You know, just as people know 275 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: those brands and they go or whatever. But in terms 276 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: of your actual interaction, especially if you are a black person, 277 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: the black poles wind of going to them schools and 278 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: then just still hanging out with a bunch of black people. 279 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: Just like, what's going to going to school with all 280 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 1: these white posts if you ain't gonna kick it with them? 281 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: Right like, like like this is this is what you 282 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: signed up for. But I think that I met a 283 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: broader range of people than most people do in college 284 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: by going to a black school. The other thing is 285 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: like I'm not even talking about microaggressions and all that 286 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: stuff that you know people who go to white school's 287 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: talk about. And I mean I went to you know, 288 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: to very white school, well one very in the Carolina, 289 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: which is an interesting thing in itself, and Claremont's wiggy 290 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,000 Speaker 1: white um, and I never like, maybe I just don't 291 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: notice these things, but you know, the microaggression and everybody 292 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: getting on you and all that stuff. Now, I didn't 293 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: notice that. What I did notice, though, was how surprised 294 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,359 Speaker 1: people would be when they found out I was actually 295 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: kind of smart, right, Like that was the biggest difference there. 296 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: And so at the black school, there's a level of 297 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: skepticism that you don't have to deal with from people. Right, 298 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: there are people who are more likely as a if 299 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: you are a black person, to believe in what you're 300 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: capable of, because white FLEs got so much hair trash 301 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: about black people that they don't even necessarily realize that 302 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: they have even the best intention. Some of the best 303 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: people like, they grew up in this same thing that 304 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: we did, right, Like all this stuff that we complain about, 305 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: they grew up with it and ain't really done a 306 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: whole lot of questioning of it for the most part, 307 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: and so they don't know that they're thinking about that. 308 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: So like with me, the way people who I worked 309 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 1: with in college, you know, professors and the likes, leaned 310 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,200 Speaker 1: in on my capabilities. I didn't find that at most 311 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: of the white educational environments that I was in that 312 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: people did that the same way. And that's what I 313 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: think is the biggest thing that has a black student 314 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: that you are going to get out of the black college. 315 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: If you are a talented person to create a person 316 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: to think or whatever is, those people working with you 317 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: have to jump over far fewer hoops and get a 318 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: lot less stuff out of the way before they can 319 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: see what you're capable of staying on. Uh, that's that's 320 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: that's interesting, And that's the perspective that I really haven't 321 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: heard to explain like that as far as the diversity. 322 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: But you can't get on TV and say that stuff, 323 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, like when they're trying to 324 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: get out here and make the pitch. So what's the issue? 325 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: A man? Wife? Fols don't be thinking we can do stuff, 326 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: you know, like they're not Chris Paul. Can't get on 327 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: TV and be like that. That's not gonna work. That's 328 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: not gonna work. They never gonna give us nobody to 329 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 1: help do this if we start acting like that in 330 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: front of people, come on, man, No exactly, but standing 331 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: college man, the game, the college game has changed a lot. 332 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: Basketball sports game has changed a lot since we were 333 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: in school and since our era. Just what is your 334 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: take on things like conference realignment, the n i L 335 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: and and sort of the what I think is the 336 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: declining popularity of college basketball. I feel like college basketball 337 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: is at one of its lowest points as far as popularity. 338 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: Do you agree with this assessment and what are your thoughts? Yeah? 339 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: Absolutely do. And it's interesting for me because you know, 340 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: when I started doing radio is doing it in North Carolina, 341 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: you know, and living there and being immersed in the 342 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: place where the sports market is college sports, you know, 343 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: but it's also kind of exposed, not really exposed, but 344 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: it just made me kind of think about it in 345 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 1: a way that like, I wasn't making all the money 346 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: in the world, but I was making money to sit 347 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: up on the radio and talk about what college kids 348 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: were doing, right, and I was, and I would and 349 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: I would go through some dilemmas really on like how 350 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 1: exactly to present it, because like you, you know, you 351 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: have to be fair, you have to be honest, you 352 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: have to be somewhat critical. But these are also kids, 353 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,719 Speaker 1: and they're not making no money, you know, Like I 354 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 1: do not want my job to be out here and 355 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: people being like, man, look at listen to the way 356 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: that he picked on this twenty year old, you know, 357 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:28,479 Speaker 1: Like I didn't want that, but it let me know 358 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,680 Speaker 1: these are pro sports, Like we are talking about this 359 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,640 Speaker 1: like it's pro sports, and all of it is professionalized 360 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: and the money has just gotten so big. And I 361 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: don't bring that up, you know, to like speak to 362 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: the horrors or evils to capitalism, but just to talk 363 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: about the incentives for players where the chances of making 364 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: a gazillion dollars are just so much higher than they 365 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,640 Speaker 1: ever were, and so people are going all in on 366 00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:01,120 Speaker 1: all these dreams real early, Like that's the big thing 367 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: about it. Got a home boy. His son was one 368 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: of the top ten nine year olds in the state 369 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: of Georgia at basketball. How was that a list? Right? Yeah, like, 370 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: how is somebody compiling this? But we are identifying athletes 371 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: so young and so I remember somebody told me this, 372 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: and I never really thought about it this way, and 373 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: we were talking about Ty Lawson at the time, and 374 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: I'll never forget. I was there when Lawson declared for 375 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,360 Speaker 1: the draft press conference in Chapel Hill, and somebody asked 376 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 1: the perfunctory question of whether he and Wayne Ellington were 377 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: going to come back and finish their degrees and laws 378 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:44,880 Speaker 1: and laughed like he didn't laugh in the behind his face, 379 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: but his immediate reaction was a laugh because this was 380 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,159 Speaker 1: not what he was here for. And I remember the 381 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: guy was talking to he was pretty good high school 382 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 1: basketball player at the time, and he was like, as 383 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: soon as somebody changes schools for basketball, it's officially a job. 384 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: Like once you once that happens, this becomes a professional endeavor. 385 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: And so people are just looking up. They're not even 386 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: thinking about going to college, like that's just not the ideas. 387 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: And you also have a chance to get an education. 388 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: Now they ain't even talk no more like like somebody 389 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,679 Speaker 1: might convince you of it after you get there. So 390 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: the highest level dudes are just if they're going to college, 391 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: they're getting there, they're immediately playing, they're getting out. They 392 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,439 Speaker 1: ain't really got no investment in what the program is 393 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: or what is going to be except like cal figured 394 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: out a way to build something where guys cared about 395 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 1: where the place was. But they just getting in and 396 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: they're getting out. And so where twenty five years ago, 397 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 1: even though some guys were leaving early, But twenty five 398 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: years ago, those were the best basketball players under twenty 399 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: two in the world. Basically who are playing college basketball now? 400 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: It's like are just a random mix of players and 401 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: it's almost impossible to like not just put together a 402 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: good team, but a team that you kind of grow 403 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: up with and part of the charm of ledge basketball. 404 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: And I think even if you're somebody like me who 405 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: thinks the guy should get paid and understand all that, 406 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: and so forth and so long. There is something to 407 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: be said for watching somebody and meeting them at eighteen 408 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,119 Speaker 1: and then letting them go at twenty two and you know, 409 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: just kind of seeing what the changes are and like 410 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,199 Speaker 1: what it's like when there's a freshman who comes in 411 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: it can really ball. But the twenty two year olds 412 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: is still the ones who are starting, you know, and 413 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,359 Speaker 1: like figuring out how all that gets integrated in and 414 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: all that's gone, Like that's just not what the game 415 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: is anymore. And so if you are a casual fan 416 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 1: or even like a die hard, really what's there for 417 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,719 Speaker 1: you to latch onto? The most talented players of the 418 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: age range are not there. It's hard to get like 419 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: a real ciniment attachment to what's going on with it. 420 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 1: It's I mean, they messed up so long ago, not 421 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: realizing what this money game was, and now I don't 422 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: feel like and you would probably notice better than me. 423 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: I just don't feel like these kids grow up even 424 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,679 Speaker 1: dreaming of playing college basketball, like I can't wait till I, 425 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: you know, get old enough and I'm gonna play at Caroltta. 426 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna play at U c l A. I don't 427 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 1: feel like they do that anymore. No, it's sort of 428 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,919 Speaker 1: for me. It feels like the kids are already fast 429 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 1: forwarding and skipping to you know, dreams of the league, 430 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 1: and so that's their goal from the start, and then 431 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: they don't even really care or care to know about 432 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 1: college basketball in the history. So there's a little bit 433 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:26,800 Speaker 1: of a disconnect. But with all these new leagues now 434 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: over time, elite um, there's been the g League ignite 435 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: um you know there, which gives elite level high school 436 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:37,920 Speaker 1: basketball players an opportunity to earn six figures a year 437 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,880 Speaker 1: playing basketball. I wanted to get your ticket somebody who 438 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,239 Speaker 1: has multiple degrees and been through all every you know, 439 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: part of the college experience possible except I guess you 440 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: almost finished the doctor too, but you're pretty much you've 441 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: been pretty much done at all. BO. Do you think 442 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: it's important for these guys to go to college for 443 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: a year to get that experience of college, to socialize, 444 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 1: you know, that socialization of college or whatever we want 445 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,360 Speaker 1: to call it. You think it's important for these basketball 446 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: players to do that or do they need to go 447 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: short of this tennis and golf individualized sport route where 448 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: we're pros at fifteen and sixteen and that's all we do. 449 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: I think it would be helpful to do that college 450 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: route if they actually like get to be in college, right, 451 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: like it really feels like you're in college, then they should. 452 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: If it's just like just to do it, just to 453 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: say it, I think the real value and that honestly 454 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 1: is an incubation, just the idea that eighteen is wild 455 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,399 Speaker 1: young and the mature, Like it's probably a good idea 456 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: to do just do a little growing up, you know, 457 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:39,680 Speaker 1: like like it's it's it's helpful. Like I look at 458 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: like two examples that jump to mind, and Michael Beasley 459 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: into Marcus Cousins, where they could have just stood to 460 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: do a little growing up before they got out there, 461 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: you know. And Michael Beasley who was begging to stay 462 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: in school. He was doing interviews like why do I 463 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 1: have to go do all this stuff? Like I if 464 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 1: you don't have any money, a hundred thousand dollars, two 465 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 1: h thousand dollars, whatever it is, it's a lot of 466 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: money if you don't have any money. But for a 467 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: lot of these guys that were talking about in the end, 468 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 1: that money ain't gonna behind up being nothing to them, 469 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,640 Speaker 1: And I think that the value of taking a little 470 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 1: time and growing up and not rushing all this stuff, 471 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: in the end, it's probably worth more than a couple 472 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars. However, I recognize it as easy for 473 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: me to say that as a person with a couple 474 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,160 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars, right, Like, I don't want to pretend 475 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 1: as though I don't recognize as a measure of privilege 476 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: in the statement. But I think for like developing and 477 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: becoming a happier person, because in the end, happy is 478 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: we'll be going for right and happy. Happy is a 479 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,199 Speaker 1: hard thing to find. And I don't think being a 480 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: professional basketball player fifteen years old is gonna make you happy. 481 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: I just don't think so. The last thing on on 482 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: on College and these guys skipping, I mean, there was 483 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: you know, Kwamie Brown has been kind of he started 484 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: off hot. It's kind of, you know, got locked into 485 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,440 Speaker 1: something now that he's doing on YouTube, which you know, 486 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: I don't really have an opinion about. What are your 487 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: thoughts when you see this type of situation unfolded in 488 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: front of everybody, and you're we're kind of outsiders watching 489 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: you watch somebody kind of just go on and on 490 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: about being picked on and you know, just I just 491 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: wanted to get your thoughts some media, somebody that's in 492 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: the media on how you view just the whole Kwamie 493 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 1: Brown situation. Well, hey, I'll be careful, man. He finds everything. Uh, 494 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: and that dude is the troll of all trolls. Bro. 495 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: You know, he's crazy that he Yeah, he finds everything. Um. 496 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: You know the thing with him, and I think I 497 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: do think one point that he makes that is important 498 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: is that we don't know him, right, And so I tried. 499 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,679 Speaker 1: I want to be careful as I can a psycho 500 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 1: analysis and somebody like him, because it's fair. I don't 501 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: really know the dude. But what I do know is 502 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 1: we were really hard on him just because he was 503 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: the number one pick in the draft. Like that's honestly 504 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: his sin. If he were the number six pick in 505 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: the draft, we wouldn't have had none of that stuff 506 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,479 Speaker 1: to say. And if you go back and look at 507 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 1: that draft, with the exception being maybe Tyson Chandler, who 508 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: ever went number one in that draft, we were going 509 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: to ridicule forever. It was not a good draft. It did, 510 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: and even Tyson, when you think about it. You know, 511 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: you being in California, you remember what the legend of 512 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: Tyson Chandler was when he was in high school. If 513 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 1: he had been the number one pick and gone and 514 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: played with Mike, we had just spent all our time 515 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,679 Speaker 1: talking about how Tyson Chandler came school, it wouldn't have 516 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,439 Speaker 1: mattered how good. And it took him a while to 517 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,359 Speaker 1: get it together too. We gotta remember that part. Like 518 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: he didn't just walk in and shut down the lane. 519 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: Like even like healthy Greg Oden before he got hurt 520 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 1: as a young player, was more impactful than Tyson Chandler. Right, 521 00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: We would have killed Tyson Chandler if he wound up 522 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: in that same situation. And so then for all these 523 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: years that come after the fact, Kwamie Brown's name is 524 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,880 Speaker 1: listed as all time draft bus data DA and all 525 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 1: of this stuff, I would understand if somebody just got 526 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: tired of that, you know. And I think that's one 527 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:20,160 Speaker 1: thing working in the media that I don't think that 528 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: people we don't give enough credence to about the people 529 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: that we covered, which is we don't have people in 530 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: our faces asking us these questions all the time. We 531 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 1: don't have people like we we are not. Most of 532 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 1: us are not as good at our jobs as the 533 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: people we cover are at their jobs, and nobody ridicules 534 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: us in the ways that these guys deal with it. 535 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: And who knows what else goes on in their lives 536 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: and everything else, you know. So when I see a 537 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: cat like him, I'm like, yeah, I can see how 538 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: this happens, you know. Now he is a fascinating combination 539 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,440 Speaker 1: of a whole bunch of stuff that's going on. Like 540 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: I actually think it's really interested. Um, I haven't gonna 541 00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: checked him out in a while, but it's it's a 542 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: it's a lot going on over there. Yeah, very interesting. 543 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,399 Speaker 1: He's still on the trades and coding for the for 544 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 1: the youth. I mean, that's been kind of his thing, 545 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 1: his theme, you know, regardless of whatever mud he's thrown 546 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:12,439 Speaker 1: or you know, stuff he's talked, he's always trying to, 547 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: you know, stay true to that. I guess we'll see 548 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,360 Speaker 1: kind of, you know, what happens out of that. But 549 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 1: but talking more about like today's athlete, right when you 550 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:24,120 Speaker 1: look at Kevin Love and and and Simone bios and 551 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: and Naomial Sokka, three athletes that have been really outspoken 552 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: and open about mental health challenges. Now. When I was 553 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: coming up, both, you know, you couldn't really be talking 554 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: about that publicly people. You know, that was back in 555 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: the day where you would get ostracized, bagged on, and 556 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: you know people you know, you get a stigma about you. 557 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: But so you would have to suffer and hold things 558 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: in and kind of, you know, just sort of cope 559 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: on your own. With you With more athletes coming out now, 560 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:53,719 Speaker 1: I wanted to get your opinion on how young do 561 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: you think it's important to start providing mental health resources 562 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: to athletes? How young of an age do you think 563 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: we should start addressing situations in athletes. I'll be honest 564 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:12,879 Speaker 1: with you. Um, when I was twelve thirteen, somewhere in there, um, 565 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: my mother suggested that I go see a therapist. And 566 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: it wasn't like I was like in some supremely depressed 567 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,360 Speaker 1: place or anything like that. And I think a lot 568 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: of it was just the function of like being that age. 569 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 1: But I was also like I was in a unique 570 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: sort of circumstance because I had skipped a grade and 571 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: then my birthday is in late August, so like the 572 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: people I like, the people in my grade in some 573 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: cases are literally two years older than me, you know, 574 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 1: and so they growing I'm not you know, all these 575 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: different things that are going on, and it was just 576 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: my I was living a life that was unique relative 577 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: to my peers and not really something where I had 578 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: people I could relate to or even really a circumstance 579 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways that like my parents could 580 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,239 Speaker 1: relate to or anything, you know, um, and so the 581 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: uniqueness of that situation, you know, mom thought was a 582 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:05,600 Speaker 1: good idea and it's one of the best things that 583 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 1: ever happened, right, It's one of the best things for me, 584 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: And like I felt down the line, like left me 585 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,480 Speaker 1: grounded with a certain confidence and the ability to kind 586 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: of be forgiving of myself when I make mistakes and 587 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: the likes and you know, all those kinds of things. 588 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: And so if I think it was a good idea 589 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: for me at that age because my situation was particularly unique, 590 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:27,960 Speaker 1: we talked about people whose situations are probably more unique 591 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,520 Speaker 1: than mine where and mind didn't come with any pressures 592 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: you know that would coming with this, you know, because 593 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: the big level of this also what a lot of 594 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: these kids, you know and these athletics, is they know 595 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 1: it man, their parents trying to get this money too, 596 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: you know, like this could like I don't obviously. For example, 597 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: I think I was in this book only the Strong 598 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 1: survived of bio of iruson and made the point that 599 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: his mama thought the guy said out and orison into 600 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: her life to save her from poverty. Can you imagine 601 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: the pressure that comes from somebody you know, thinking that 602 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: and the other people like that? Yeah, like people people 603 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: that probably folks probably go like see their cars and 604 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: look at their parents cars, look at their parents houses 605 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: and think, oh, y'all living good, and their parents still 606 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: looking at you like okay, but we could be living great, 607 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:07,719 Speaker 1: you know, like imagine like you know, so imagine all 608 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: that stuff. And so I really think, honestly, for just 609 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: about anybody, but especially for them, this is something you 610 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,480 Speaker 1: need to start learning how to deal with early as 611 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,719 Speaker 1: you're doing it, as opposed to like somebody like Osaka 612 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: who suddenly got a lot more famous than I think 613 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: she ever thought was going to be possible, and fame, 614 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:28,480 Speaker 1: by the way, the most overrated thing in the world. 615 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: And now you're in it, and now so many people 616 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: to tie to you and everything else, and you're trying 617 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: to figure out how to deal with it like all 618 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: at the same time with folks. No, you should probably 619 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: get started on this like most people should as soon 620 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: as possible. Yeah, and don't wait until there's you know, 621 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: an inciting incident or something like that. Kind of be 622 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: proactive much like you bo. I started seeing the therapist 623 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:52,959 Speaker 1: when I was twelve and thirteen years old. I had 624 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: a younger brother that drowned in the pool accident. Man. 625 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: I needed I needed some coping mechanisms. I was in 626 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: a bad place, depressed, I was low, and I do 627 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,719 Speaker 1: think it was life changing. The ability to talk to 628 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: somebody about what you're going through that doesn't judge you. 629 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: I think it's one of the most important things that 630 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: we have today because a lot of times, as people 631 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: man anybody right, we don't want to communicate, we don't 632 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: want to talk about stuff, get stuff off our chest. 633 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: So that's what it served for me. And and even 634 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 1: in college both um, you know, I had situation where 635 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 1: I got suspended for you know, undisclosed reasons, but you know, 636 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 1: everybody kind of knew what it was. I had to 637 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: go through, you know, uh, alcoholics anonymous. I had to 638 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:32,080 Speaker 1: do see a counselor three times a week. A guy 639 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: by the name of Dr William Parrhand, who, by the way, 640 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 1: is the head of the NBA Players Association Sports Psychiatric 641 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: part right now. But so I had to do that, man, 642 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: I tell you what. That it changed my life. It 643 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 1: changed the trajectory of my basketball career and my life. Man. 644 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: When you when you get equipped with you know, some 645 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: ways to cope. Brother, that stuff is you know, that 646 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: stuff is lifelong and it's lasting, you know what I'm saying. 647 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: And you were Marcus Johnson's son, like you know, and 648 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 1: like that's the thing. And I think that's something I 649 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: imagine like some of these athletes, they like, I'm somebody's son. 650 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 1: It wouldn't mean nothing to most of the people who 651 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: would listen them in the world that I trafficked in. 652 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 1: I was somebody's son. That's a pressure that a lot 653 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: of people have in their lives. By the way, sometimes 654 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 1: that's a good thing. Sometimes that's a bad thing. But 655 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: you know, right, but like you know, but like, but 656 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 1: these are just the pressures of being a regular person. Right. 657 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: We go get our bodies checked out like once a year. 658 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,960 Speaker 1: You know, we all can stand a little maintenance. I 659 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 1: think the problem the stigma, which I think is largely 660 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 1: gone at this point. But I think that the idea 661 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: of the stigma comes from the error that people make, 662 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: which is you need to go look into those things 663 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: because you've got something wrong. Na, na, no, no, no, 664 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: These are little things, right, These are tune up. This 665 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 1: is tune up type stuff. Right. We're not talking about 666 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: getting you a kid, right, We're not talking about rebuilding 667 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: the engine block buying large for most people. We're just 668 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: talking about some little tweaks. Because those little tweaks they 669 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: get out of control, they get out of and now 670 00:32:54,920 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: you can ye now, yeah, exactly both. Do you ever 671 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: think that cannabis in the NBA or in professional sports 672 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,959 Speaker 1: will be an accepted way to address like just a 673 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: widely universally accepted way to address different elements mental anxiety 674 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: or whatever or whatever. Do you think it will ever 675 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 1: be that way or there always be sort of that 676 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: cheachen chung stigma associated with athletes and cannada smoking cannabis. Now, 677 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 1: I think it's widely accepted now, they just don't want 678 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,720 Speaker 1: to talk about it. Like. The thing that people always 679 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 1: have to remember with weed in the NBA is that 680 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 1: they did not prohibit it until nineteen nine, Right, like 681 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,640 Speaker 1: this was during that lockout, the ultimate culture lockout. Right, 682 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: we got we gotta shut down this buddy, We gotta 683 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: get these dudes in a lot. They are out here 684 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:54,000 Speaker 1: wildly right, So just to get a little bit of 685 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: that control back, they put in the Marriwater prohibition. But 686 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: again nineteen nobody really cared about this before that happened. 687 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: And so what I think happened with legalization. I remember 688 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:10,120 Speaker 1: when they legalized in Colorado. UM I used to read 689 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 1: a section of the paper up there. They had a 690 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: section called the Cannabis where they were just talking about 691 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: all the things that he changed. It was really interesting 692 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: stuff like just you know, like like of course they 693 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 1: had like reviews of food type stuff, reviews of strains 694 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: and everything, but it was also just a lot of 695 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 1: like business type stuff. And so the local symphony was 696 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:32,359 Speaker 1: having Cannabis Night. But it makes sense. You're gonna get 697 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,919 Speaker 1: really high and then you go to a concerts good time. 698 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,520 Speaker 1: But those are the people who were going there. And 699 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: so what I think happened is as these more for 700 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: lack of a better term, like sophisticated types started engaging 701 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: these things and presented these sorts of activities and started 702 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: using words like cannabis and everything to kind of move 703 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,719 Speaker 1: away from, you know, the previous connotations of the way 704 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 1: that people talked about this stuff. I just don't think 705 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 1: that's something that anybody really cares about anymore. Like if 706 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 1: you get caught, like some got caught on a possession charge, 707 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: I don't think like the way we still have people 708 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:05,719 Speaker 1: telling jokes about James Winston and the crab legs, that's 709 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:07,279 Speaker 1: any really gonna happened with you if you get cast 710 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 1: smoking weed At this point, you know what I think 711 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,600 Speaker 1: about the New York City has said it's the wildest 712 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: thing now walking through New York. You can smoke weed 713 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 1: in New York Now any place you can smoke a 714 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: cigarette word any place. Nobody's like trip nothing the wall, 715 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:28,800 Speaker 1: that's the wall. That's what I'm saying. Like the days 716 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: of ducking off in the alley has passed. I was 717 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,280 Speaker 1: walking down the street on Sunday. I saw four girls 718 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: in the brunch clothes just standing on the corner placing 719 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:40,440 Speaker 1: a blunt, and I'm like, I know what that used 720 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:42,120 Speaker 1: to look like. It used to look like, let's go 721 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 1: take a walk. And then they're over there in the 722 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:48,880 Speaker 1: circle and somebody like heck, keep popping up like that. 723 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,640 Speaker 1: Ain't was going on anymore, you know, And so once 724 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: once in the bubble, I thought it was a very 725 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: self aware thing of Adam Silver to look at the 726 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 1: bubble and be like all right, yeah, like right, like 727 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: like y'all because because I feel very confident to that 728 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:11,319 Speaker 1: somebody in the process was like so uh me and 729 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: the fellas was talking, and uh I just think that, 730 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,360 Speaker 1: you know, given the circumstances in the situations, and you know, 731 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:22,879 Speaker 1: you say you care about how we feel, it would 732 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,720 Speaker 1: be really helpful for us, you know what I'm saying 733 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 1: if we could just you know, you know, you know, 734 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: like like come allay, they'll do it like that, you 735 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 1: know for sure? What do you what do you think 736 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,279 Speaker 1: about the job though that Adam Silver has done Since 737 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:41,160 Speaker 1: taking over as Commissioner of the NBA, He's had you know, 738 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,400 Speaker 1: a little tumultuous kind of uh well issues to deal with. 739 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,239 Speaker 1: So what do you think? I think that overall he 740 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:50,200 Speaker 1: has done a good job. I think that being the 741 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:53,319 Speaker 1: Commissioner of the NBA is a difficult job, and I 742 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: think succeeding David Stern is a lot to ask um 743 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:02,840 Speaker 1: out of any um. I think that he's got a 744 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 1: league that is probably about maxed out on how much 745 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:08,200 Speaker 1: money it can make domestically, which means that it is 746 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:10,600 Speaker 1: look to make this money in other countries that have 747 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,359 Speaker 1: lots of people, and that then also means that they 748 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: also have some questionable governments. One could say, as you 749 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 1: try to figure and balance, you know, those sorts of 750 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 1: things out. But one thing I do think about the 751 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,439 Speaker 1: NBA at this point, even with the Black Lives Matter 752 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 1: stuff and how it win the bubble and everything else, 753 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:32,760 Speaker 1: I feel like when discussing the n B a race 754 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 1: is less at the forefront then it has ever been 755 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,239 Speaker 1: in the times that we talked about it. Like we 756 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 1: don't have discussions now about how the league is too black, 757 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,920 Speaker 1: which discussions all the way through the twentieth century, right 758 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 1: like they have kind of gotten the league past that point. 759 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,960 Speaker 1: I was opposed to the dress code and everything else 760 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 1: when they did that stuff, but I do have to 761 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:54,800 Speaker 1: say it's kind of effective, Like we had reached a 762 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:58,799 Speaker 1: point with the public really disliked NBA players. Now they 763 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: don't write like, do I think it's silly that something 764 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,960 Speaker 1: like that would help bring about that change? Yes? Can 765 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 1: I deny that it happened. No, I can't like, you 766 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,359 Speaker 1: know these things, you know, these things have gone down, 767 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,760 Speaker 1: and so they got a league where I think people 768 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:15,480 Speaker 1: generally like the players. And I think, though, what he's 769 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:17,360 Speaker 1: going to have to do is figure out how to 770 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:21,960 Speaker 1: get people back to caring about the basketball. And I 771 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,919 Speaker 1: think that people care less about the actual basketball than 772 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 1: they have before. And so the social media arguments people 773 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: enjoy having and they're kind of cool to do. But 774 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 1: the basketball, and I think they probably do for some 775 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:36,319 Speaker 1: rules changes to encourage attacking the basket more and get 776 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:38,960 Speaker 1: away from all these three point shooting and everything. But 777 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,759 Speaker 1: I still love the NBA, and I think someone is 778 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: a good dude has done a good job. I agree. 779 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,600 Speaker 1: I love where the NBA is. I'm not one of 780 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:49,879 Speaker 1: these dudes that salty about you know, the rules and 781 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 1: how these guys have it easier. I do acknowledge that 782 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:56,680 Speaker 1: they definitely have some advantages and they have love in 783 00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:58,200 Speaker 1: this league that I would have never thought i'd seen 784 00:38:58,200 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 1: in the NBA. I never thought i'd seen somebody making 785 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 1: fifty million, you know for the contract, you know these deals. 786 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 1: He's forty eight. I've seen the forty eight, and I'm 787 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:08,280 Speaker 1: like godly. But but all that to be said, Um, 788 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 1: obviously on the highest levels the NBA is is we focus. 789 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,359 Speaker 1: It seems like we focus, Like you just said, it's 790 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: not about the basketball, it's about sort of the soap opera, 791 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 1: sort of the drama. Which kind of brings me to 792 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:23,719 Speaker 1: this point about Rich Paul. Do you do you feel 793 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,160 Speaker 1: like like this Lebron Rich Paul situation, you feel like 794 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: that's too much power for Lebron to have because he's 795 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,719 Speaker 1: able to kind of influence a lot due to his 796 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:39,000 Speaker 1: relationship with Rich, right, yeah, I mean or not really. Yeah, 797 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:41,840 Speaker 1: but the discussions of them are so tricky, just because 798 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:45,200 Speaker 1: it was all the whispers that always exist about how 799 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:48,839 Speaker 1: exactly this came to be. Okay, this is my thing 800 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: about Rich as it relates to Lebron. If David Falk 801 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 1: represented Lebron and David Falk had a bunch of David 802 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,319 Speaker 1: Falk clients on the Lakers, we would just be like, 803 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,000 Speaker 1: you do what you want when your popp it. That's 804 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,040 Speaker 1: what that that that that would be the way we 805 00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:09,360 Speaker 1: talked about it. Now. I also get to feel like, 806 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 1: and I don't know this completely, but I get the 807 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,520 Speaker 1: feeling that Rich Paul is willing to represents the dudes 808 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,600 Speaker 1: that David falk would even give his phone number two, 809 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: right like like like Mark Keith Morris, David Fonk has 810 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: no time from Mark Keith Morris's phone calls, right Like, 811 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:26,960 Speaker 1: that's I think one of the most interesting things there. 812 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 1: Rich Paul has a client base that allows him to 813 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:33,640 Speaker 1: bring role players onto the Lakers, Right, he still got 814 00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:37,399 Speaker 1: those guys. Um, But yeah, if somebody else, nobody would 815 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:40,200 Speaker 1: really have like a giant issue with what it is. 816 00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:42,040 Speaker 1: They're just a lot of people that feel like Rich 817 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: Paul is not supposed to be in the position there. 818 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:48,040 Speaker 1: Rich Paul is it hard? Stop? That's what it is. 819 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:50,600 Speaker 1: And what it comes down to to me with agency 820 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 1: is that ain't a job you learn how to do 821 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,759 Speaker 1: in school. You got game or you don't, right, like 822 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,440 Speaker 1: people who understand leverage. That's a real innate sort of thing. 823 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:01,120 Speaker 1: Like I could eat up on all that stuff. I 824 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 1: got degrees in economics, I know all the game theory, 825 00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:05,279 Speaker 1: I know all of that. But when it comes to 826 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:08,600 Speaker 1: the stomach the gun, you know, because Rich Paul will 827 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,680 Speaker 1: stare you down. We've seen that happen with a lot 828 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:13,399 Speaker 1: of contracts, right, Like, it's not like people just bow 829 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:16,279 Speaker 1: and capitulate to whatever Rich Paul wants. Remember how Lord 830 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:18,120 Speaker 1: Tristan Thompson had to wait on that money. How long 831 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:19,960 Speaker 1: are you lets so had to wait on that money, 832 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 1: all of that stuff. The dude's actually just good at 833 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,480 Speaker 1: his job. And so again I don't think he has 834 00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:29,759 Speaker 1: any more power. David Falk had more power to Rich Paul. 835 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,480 Speaker 1: When David falks out here representing Michael Jordan and Patrick 836 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,399 Speaker 1: Ewing and we can go, you know, up and down 837 00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:36,320 Speaker 1: the list of all the guys that he had, plus 838 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:39,239 Speaker 1: all the college coaches who are walking their guys up. 839 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:41,839 Speaker 1: That was a dude that had some real power, right 840 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 1: Rich Paul is I think just really just a really 841 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:48,560 Speaker 1: interesting story. Yeah, fascinating story. Who who do you think 842 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:50,279 Speaker 1: it's gonna be the face of the NBA when the 843 00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:56,799 Speaker 1: Lebron retires if he can get his team anywhere in 844 00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: the playoffs, My guests is a Luca people want it man. 845 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:05,560 Speaker 1: And he is a fascinating case to me in terms 846 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 1: of the way that like he is received, because you 847 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,839 Speaker 1: correct me if I'm wrong here, but I can't think 848 00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:16,279 Speaker 1: of a white dude who immediately shook off skepticism from 849 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,200 Speaker 1: the African American voting block as quickly as Luca Dodgad 850 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: you think Larry Bird could we say Bird was so 851 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:27,200 Speaker 1: positioned against magic that you have some haters, right, they 852 00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:29,600 Speaker 1: just that just they like like they don't they don't 853 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:32,799 Speaker 1: want to admit it now, like they stopped right Like 854 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,319 Speaker 1: it's like how suddenly every white person you do love 855 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:41,319 Speaker 1: Bahammad Ali. You're like, yeah, that's not possible too. Then 856 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:42,920 Speaker 1: they just had to come back around to be like, 857 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,000 Speaker 1: nah man, Larry Bird was. I think what happened was 858 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: you got more access to black players of the day 859 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:51,920 Speaker 1: being like no man, he was in and then it 860 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,719 Speaker 1: was just like right now, we gotta come around. And 861 00:42:54,760 --> 00:43:01,680 Speaker 1: so with Luca, he's fun um for NBA purposes. He's 862 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: white and you know that matters, man, Whether people want 863 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 1: to acknowledge it or not, that matters um. And he's 864 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:12,440 Speaker 1: really really really good, Like if they can take it anywhere, 865 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:15,160 Speaker 1: he'll be that guy because he's so much fun to 866 00:43:15,239 --> 00:43:17,560 Speaker 1: watch when he's rolling, Like you're not gonna like Tim 867 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:19,160 Speaker 1: Duncan was never gonna be the face of the NBA 868 00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:21,880 Speaker 1: because that this wasn't no fun to watch. Luca is 869 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:27,000 Speaker 1: a party when it comes down to play his game, man, 870 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: his game. But you know what, you know what I 871 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 1: want to ask you about this as somebody who again 872 00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:33,919 Speaker 1: played in a different time than now, what Luca kind 873 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: of has that I think has been lost a little 874 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,280 Speaker 1: bit over time in terms of like now the game 875 00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:40,799 Speaker 1: is more spaced, it's more open, you know, it's more 876 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,600 Speaker 1: up and down. It's more about those shots. But a 877 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:46,600 Speaker 1: big part of the charm of basketball. It's like a 878 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: dude like, mellow, m you are trying to guard me. 879 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm right here, I got the ball in triple threat. 880 00:43:54,719 --> 00:43:56,840 Speaker 1: Nobody never been better that I've ever seen that, Like 881 00:43:57,040 --> 00:43:59,400 Speaker 1: waiting to decide when to dribble the mellow, you know 882 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,080 Speaker 1: what I mean. But just that he a game, you 883 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,319 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, Like like it's a it's a 884 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,239 Speaker 1: it's I can't explain it any other way, Like when 885 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,799 Speaker 1: you watch like Kevin mchhale, will never be able to 886 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:13,640 Speaker 1: explain to these young dudes how cold Kevin McHale was. 887 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,200 Speaker 1: But Kevin maal right, but the game that he had, 888 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:21,279 Speaker 1: this game, the current NBA that that that style, there's 889 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:23,360 Speaker 1: no room for it, but there's an artistry to it 890 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,359 Speaker 1: right up and under this stuff like that like there's 891 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:28,160 Speaker 1: a charm to that kind of stuff, and you don't 892 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:29,680 Speaker 1: see a lot of guys that have that kind of 893 00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:33,279 Speaker 1: game and Luca kind of does, right, Like obviously I 894 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:34,759 Speaker 1: mentioned a lot of post players, but I think you 895 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:37,120 Speaker 1: understand what I mean, Like just kind of going on 896 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:41,120 Speaker 1: one little stuff right, Well, he hasn't impeccable footwork, He 897 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 1: has impeccable footwork, and then the handle and just he's 898 00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:49,520 Speaker 1: got big shot making, just huge canes. Man, he will 899 00:44:49,560 --> 00:44:51,839 Speaker 1: take the big shot, he don't care, and he will 900 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,759 Speaker 1: also knock down that shot off a crazy ass move. 901 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:57,480 Speaker 1: That's one of my favorite things to watch is daunch 902 00:44:57,560 --> 00:45:01,000 Speaker 1: it when he's in his freaking bag. Man. One more 903 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:04,480 Speaker 1: thing on the NBA, as I do with everybody that 904 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:08,160 Speaker 1: we interview, Man, I just wanted to get maybe you know, 905 00:45:08,239 --> 00:45:14,480 Speaker 1: your most just memorable story about Kobe Bryant, my Kobe story, 906 00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:17,200 Speaker 1: and see it was it was an interesting thing for 907 00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:21,799 Speaker 1: me when Kobe died because I was not a fan, right, 908 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:25,680 Speaker 1: and so you know, you're in this thing and you 909 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,600 Speaker 1: don't never want to seem like the fake dude out here, right, 910 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:30,560 Speaker 1: So it's like, you know, how do you do this? 911 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:34,239 Speaker 1: And I realized about Kobe, that I grew up with 912 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant in a way I hadn't thought about, like 913 00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:39,919 Speaker 1: Kobe graduating from high school the year before I did. 914 00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:42,480 Speaker 1: So I have been aware of Kobe Bryant at some 915 00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:44,839 Speaker 1: form of fashion my whole life. And I always said 916 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:48,960 Speaker 1: that I realized, like after this went that I was 917 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:53,640 Speaker 1: eighteen years old looking at twenty year old Kobe Bryant 918 00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:57,160 Speaker 1: and evaluating him like he should have been so fully 919 00:45:57,160 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: for himed adult, because my stupid eighteen year old ass 920 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:02,160 Speaker 1: thought that I was some kind of fully formed adult, 921 00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:05,319 Speaker 1: right like you know. And so then it's time went on, 922 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:06,759 Speaker 1: Like I looked back at some of it and it 923 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:08,279 Speaker 1: was just like, oh ya, I was hating right right, 924 00:46:08,280 --> 00:46:09,720 Speaker 1: Like I just that that was I was. I was, 925 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,520 Speaker 1: I was, I was hating. It was a thing. But 926 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,560 Speaker 1: what I'll always remember is in two thousand five, that's 927 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:17,360 Speaker 1: when I really kind of started getting into the sports 928 00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:21,879 Speaker 1: writing thing. And one thing about ESPN is it ain't 929 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:23,839 Speaker 1: a place to learn how to do the job. That's 930 00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:25,320 Speaker 1: just not what the place is built for. It's already 931 00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:27,439 Speaker 1: at the top. You're running, you know what I mean. 932 00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:30,000 Speaker 1: And they wanted me to go cover It was a 933 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:35,360 Speaker 1: charity game in Houston after Hurricane Katrium. I had never 934 00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:43,520 Speaker 1: covered anything before in my life. I had no idea 935 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:47,040 Speaker 1: what I was supposed to do. And now I'm dropped 936 00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:53,160 Speaker 1: off in a locker room at a charity game. And 937 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,720 Speaker 1: you have to understand, it's one thing to get dropped 938 00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 1: off in a locker room. And it's like a star 939 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: player and then just the dudes that are on the team, 940 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:05,439 Speaker 1: not for the charity game after Katrina that's being broadcast 941 00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:07,959 Speaker 1: on T and T. It's like being at the whole 942 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 1: star game, right, and it's not just the all star players, 943 00:47:13,120 --> 00:47:17,719 Speaker 1: it's like the all star media guys. Dude, I'm terrified. 944 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:20,920 Speaker 1: I'm legitimately terrified. I have no idea what I'm supposed 945 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:23,359 Speaker 1: to do. I'm obviously shook. I'm standing in the corner room. 946 00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm not a type of person who's inclined to go 947 00:47:25,480 --> 00:47:28,160 Speaker 1: make conversations with strangers, not understanding that's the whole job. 948 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:29,799 Speaker 1: And these guys expect you to come up here and 949 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,759 Speaker 1: do it because I've never been in that space, and 950 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:36,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure and I look over and I see Kobe 951 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:40,520 Speaker 1: sitting there, and I don't think he asked me to 952 00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:44,319 Speaker 1: come over there. But I walked over to go talk 953 00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:48,920 Speaker 1: to Kobe Bryant, and he obviously saw I shook. I 954 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:52,560 Speaker 1: was right, like, you clearly understood how scared I was, 955 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,240 Speaker 1: and I'm like the youngest dude in the room buying large. 956 00:47:56,120 --> 00:47:59,880 Speaker 1: He was really really nice and like delicate and courty 957 00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:04,960 Speaker 1: is towards me in that circumstance. Yeah, I really really was. 958 00:48:05,239 --> 00:48:07,719 Speaker 1: And again this is two thousand five, so nobody knows 959 00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:10,359 Speaker 1: any like I'm know who am I? You know what 960 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:13,000 Speaker 1: I'm saying? Like, and I remember answered my questions he 961 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:14,799 Speaker 1: says the things I didn't know. I don't know how 962 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:17,799 Speaker 1: to ask questions. I know how to do anything. And 963 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:20,960 Speaker 1: he really kind of like walked me through it that 964 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:22,759 Speaker 1: he didn't tell me how to do it, but it 965 00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:24,920 Speaker 1: was just real cool about it, you know, Like I 966 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:28,640 Speaker 1: was like, I always remember that in that way because 967 00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,520 Speaker 1: it was completely counter to anything I would have thought 968 00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:36,880 Speaker 1: about him before I got in there, and honestly, maybe 969 00:48:36,920 --> 00:48:38,640 Speaker 1: even counter to a lot of things I might have 970 00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:42,080 Speaker 1: thought about him after I got out. But I will 971 00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:46,080 Speaker 1: never forget that in that moment because I think I 972 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,840 Speaker 1: realized better now how young I was then I understood 973 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:52,560 Speaker 1: at the time, and like that was a real cool 974 00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:55,239 Speaker 1: thing for you to do. Man. Man, No, man, I 975 00:48:55,239 --> 00:48:58,080 Speaker 1: had That's that's a great story. I had a couple 976 00:48:58,080 --> 00:49:00,759 Speaker 1: of interactions with Kobe, might kind of lationship with him 977 00:49:00,960 --> 00:49:03,120 Speaker 1: was kind of up and down. Uh, And I like 978 00:49:03,239 --> 00:49:05,040 Speaker 1: to tell the story just to give people an idea. 979 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:07,280 Speaker 1: I wasn't just a hater, but you have to understand 980 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:11,480 Speaker 1: how we felt. Uh. I had just wanted We had 981 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:13,440 Speaker 1: just won a national championship. And you see it, like, man, 982 00:49:13,560 --> 00:49:16,600 Speaker 1: I think it's like summer or nineties or the next 983 00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:19,040 Speaker 1: summer or something. But Kobe shows up as a seven 984 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:21,640 Speaker 1: two year old rookie to the gym. So he comes in. Man, 985 00:49:21,719 --> 00:49:23,800 Speaker 1: everybody kind of looks. We see the you know, tall 986 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:27,000 Speaker 1: six six, you know, just good looking young man, just 987 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:30,600 Speaker 1: young youth. He gets on the court, starts turning it out. Man. 988 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:34,560 Speaker 1: He's dunking on folks, pinning people, goldending everything, just doing 989 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,160 Speaker 1: crazy stuff. And so we're just like, dude, what's up 990 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:40,120 Speaker 1: with this dude? So ultimately eventually we get into like, 991 00:49:40,160 --> 00:49:42,279 Speaker 1: you know, a little thing, a little fight. He's you know, 992 00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:44,440 Speaker 1: he I think he tipped jammed on me and they 993 00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:46,120 Speaker 1: kind of looked back at me, and I was kind 994 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:47,560 Speaker 1: of like, hey man, you know after you man, don't 995 00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:49,560 Speaker 1: be looking at me like that. And as I'm going 996 00:49:49,680 --> 00:49:51,839 Speaker 1: to to to go get him, you know, because I'm 997 00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:54,000 Speaker 1: running at I'm piste off this young man. This young 998 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:55,520 Speaker 1: But that's back in the day. When a young fellow 999 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:57,160 Speaker 1: show you up, you know you gotta get it go. 1000 00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:00,279 Speaker 1: That's back in those days. As I run into ad Kobe, 1001 00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:02,920 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I see Magic Johnson enters my 1002 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:05,480 Speaker 1: vision and he's like, Chris, come out, Chris, No, that's 1003 00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:08,640 Speaker 1: my chill out. So I like running the Magic kind 1004 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:12,239 Speaker 1: of like Kobe. Kobe is like behind Magic under scared 1005 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:16,520 Speaker 1: of you, Chris, like it was a crazy seed. So 1006 00:50:16,600 --> 00:50:18,479 Speaker 1: let's fast. So that happened, and you know, I didn't 1007 00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,560 Speaker 1: see Kobe for like another two years. That's fast. I 1008 00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:22,560 Speaker 1: think I was a sophomore at the time. Fast forward 1009 00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:26,160 Speaker 1: to my senior year. I'm playing in Magic Johnson's Midsummer 1010 00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:28,920 Speaker 1: Night's Classic, which is this big celebrity game that he 1011 00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:31,000 Speaker 1: invites a bunch of pro so he invited us U 1012 00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:33,680 Speaker 1: c l A seniors to play in the game. I 1013 00:50:33,719 --> 00:50:36,200 Speaker 1: get to the arena, find out, man, Kobe's my dog 1014 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,120 Speaker 1: on Coach Bro, He's my coach of the celebrity Game. 1015 00:50:39,160 --> 00:50:41,080 Speaker 1: So I'm already kind of feeling like and this is 1016 00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:45,560 Speaker 1: like Froby and he already busted Sacramento. I mean he's been, 1017 00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:47,239 Speaker 1: you know, winning the dunk contest. You know, he turned 1018 00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:49,279 Speaker 1: it off. So he's like, I had to sort of 1019 00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:52,239 Speaker 1: bow down and kind of have you know, fall in 1020 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:55,279 Speaker 1: line both but check this out. So, you know, I 1021 00:50:55,320 --> 00:50:57,120 Speaker 1: get on the court, he puts me in the game. 1022 00:50:57,440 --> 00:50:59,359 Speaker 1: You know, I scored like six or eight in a row. 1023 00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:01,480 Speaker 1: Then all of a sudden, we had we had sort 1024 00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:03,080 Speaker 1: of a free throw situation. I'm kind of on the 1025 00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:05,279 Speaker 1: other end. I hear like a whistle, he whistles. He 1026 00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:07,120 Speaker 1: looks at me, He looks at me on the bench. 1027 00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:09,360 Speaker 1: I looked look at him. He's like, we keep shooting, 1028 00:51:09,640 --> 00:51:13,839 Speaker 1: keep shooting. He gave me that like keep shooting encouragement. Confidence. 1029 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:15,919 Speaker 1: Moving from that moment, man, I was just like, man, 1030 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:18,960 Speaker 1: I felt like a jerk and an asshole, because, like 1031 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:22,360 Speaker 1: you said, when you have that sort of intimate moment 1032 00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:24,359 Speaker 1: with the guy, he shows you a part of him 1033 00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:26,799 Speaker 1: that you just didn't expect. Man, I didn't expect him 1034 00:51:26,840 --> 00:51:28,280 Speaker 1: to do that. I thought it was gonna be surly 1035 00:51:28,360 --> 00:51:31,719 Speaker 1: about everything showed me love man, dap me up eventually 1036 00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:34,000 Speaker 1: down the line. You know, I had my feelings about 1037 00:51:34,080 --> 00:51:35,799 Speaker 1: him with Shaq left and all that, but when he 1038 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:37,840 Speaker 1: when he passed, Bro, it was it was, you know, 1039 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,480 Speaker 1: it was one of the toughest days I had as 1040 00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:42,440 Speaker 1: just an adult. I hate to say that because I 1041 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:45,280 Speaker 1: have had family and all types of people that have passed, 1042 00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:47,719 Speaker 1: but it was a different sort of tough. It was, 1043 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:49,600 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, both the same thing for me. 1044 00:51:49,640 --> 00:51:51,319 Speaker 1: It was like, yo, like I say, I'm not a 1045 00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:55,120 Speaker 1: Kobe guy, right, And it was still a thing, right, 1046 00:51:55,160 --> 00:51:56,839 Speaker 1: you know, because look, there were Kobe guys, like they're 1047 00:51:56,880 --> 00:51:59,000 Speaker 1: calling them my podcast, and I was listening to them, right, 1048 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:00,400 Speaker 1: I Like, I'm not saying that to be like, Yo, 1049 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:02,040 Speaker 1: I ain't even like that dude. That's the other point 1050 00:52:02,080 --> 00:52:04,560 Speaker 1: I'm making. I'm trying to make sure I understand what 1051 00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:08,360 Speaker 1: he means to some people. I'm not in that space 1052 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:11,520 Speaker 1: that those people are in. And even still when that happened, 1053 00:52:11,760 --> 00:52:13,560 Speaker 1: and it really was, it was just like, nah, we 1054 00:52:13,640 --> 00:52:15,080 Speaker 1: kind of grew up with this dude because what I 1055 00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:17,360 Speaker 1: feel like happened to him in the last couple of years, 1056 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:20,719 Speaker 1: and like the story you described points out he had 1057 00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:24,080 Speaker 1: to learn this people thing right and see, and I 1058 00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:26,799 Speaker 1: could really I could personally relate to that because like 1059 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:30,680 Speaker 1: I have older parents and I went to school twenty 1060 00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:33,480 Speaker 1: some miles away from where I lived. I spent most 1061 00:52:33,480 --> 00:52:36,880 Speaker 1: of my childhood interacting with adults, and like on college 1062 00:52:36,880 --> 00:52:39,680 Speaker 1: campuses with my parents. I did not know much about 1063 00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:42,759 Speaker 1: interacting with people who were my own age. Like when 1064 00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:46,520 Speaker 1: I got to college, Oh boy, I was I just 1065 00:52:46,520 --> 00:52:48,239 Speaker 1: didn't know how to do it, right. I'm trying to 1066 00:52:48,280 --> 00:52:50,080 Speaker 1: figure it out, and I really just simply didn't know 1067 00:52:50,120 --> 00:52:51,600 Speaker 1: how to do it. And when you think about Kobe's 1068 00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:53,960 Speaker 1: upbringing and you know where he'd wind up in the 1069 00:52:53,960 --> 00:52:56,600 Speaker 1: places he's in or whatever. And I was a dude 1070 00:52:56,680 --> 00:52:58,880 Speaker 1: that had to learn how to hang out with his peers. 1071 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:02,080 Speaker 1: Except he didn't he have any peers. He's Kobe Bryant, 1072 00:53:02,239 --> 00:53:05,200 Speaker 1: and so he just here, I have come to destroy, right, 1073 00:53:06,600 --> 00:53:10,680 Speaker 1: like I have come to destroy, And now he destroyed everybody. 1074 00:53:10,760 --> 00:53:12,600 Speaker 1: And he's probably like, yo, what's the big deal? Why 1075 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:15,640 Speaker 1: these guys bad? And like bad bad, you know, and 1076 00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:17,200 Speaker 1: I could have badge you Kobe sitting there with him, 1077 00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:18,880 Speaker 1: but like like like with a five year old hit 1078 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:21,480 Speaker 1: you back with the simplest questions because like you know, 1079 00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:22,920 Speaker 1: you try to hit him with something that don't really 1080 00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:25,480 Speaker 1: make no sense, and they just can't. They can't grasp 1081 00:53:25,520 --> 00:53:28,239 Speaker 1: the nuance of what you're talking about. Like that's what 1082 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:30,239 Speaker 1: I could imagine. And so that's what I really thought. 1083 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:32,960 Speaker 1: As he got farther along with him. It's just it 1084 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:35,879 Speaker 1: sounds like he just got a bit better at interacting 1085 00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:38,839 Speaker 1: with people. Yeah, he did. And then you know how 1086 00:53:38,840 --> 00:53:40,719 Speaker 1: he ended everything. You know, it's kind of being a 1087 00:53:42,120 --> 00:53:44,759 Speaker 1: sort of the role model or stepping up for the 1088 00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:46,919 Speaker 1: women's game. I think that part of it, and then 1089 00:53:46,960 --> 00:53:49,560 Speaker 1: the girl dad aspect. Man, So you know it was 1090 00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:52,160 Speaker 1: it's been tough, but I thank you for sharing, uh 1091 00:53:52,239 --> 00:53:54,719 Speaker 1: that story, man, because I try to get everybody's take 1092 00:53:54,800 --> 00:53:57,400 Speaker 1: on somebody that meant a lot to a lot of people. Brother, 1093 00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:01,719 Speaker 1: um Bo, Man, it's been a real one. It's it's 1094 00:54:01,760 --> 00:54:04,359 Speaker 1: about an hour in man, I think, uh, we can 1095 00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:07,719 Speaker 1: shut it down here. Man. I appreciate you're giving us 1096 00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:10,279 Speaker 1: your time, brother, being open with us talking about what 1097 00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:12,239 Speaker 1: we did. My man, and uh, and I hope we 1098 00:54:12,239 --> 00:54:14,440 Speaker 1: can do this again. Sometimes all good. We gotta catch up. 1099 00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:16,440 Speaker 1: You realized it's been ten years since we was hanging 1100 00:54:16,440 --> 00:54:20,600 Speaker 1: in New York that time. How did ten years like 1101 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:23,759 Speaker 1: run away that fast? I'll talk about fast too, but 1102 00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:26,040 Speaker 1: I look up. Man, it's like what No, Man, that 1103 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:27,719 Speaker 1: was a memorable night, man, But we got to do 1104 00:54:27,719 --> 00:54:29,800 Speaker 1: it again at some point both. Yeah. Man, let me 1105 00:54:29,840 --> 00:54:31,200 Speaker 1: know how I let you next time. I make it 1106 00:54:31,200 --> 00:54:32,680 Speaker 1: out to l A. If the world's don't catch on 1107 00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:35,400 Speaker 1: fire man, please do I got you. I gott to 1108 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:38,520 Speaker 1: appreciate it, alright. But Monty Jones on kJ Live