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Speaker 1: M hm hm. Welcome back All the Smoke, a t

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Speaker 1: L edition. We're in Jack's backyard this week. H Man,

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Speaker 1: I want to welcome to the show right now, someone

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Speaker 1: who I've looked up to for a long time and

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Speaker 1: it's been very inspirational and I'm glad that he got

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Speaker 1: a chance to finally tell his side of the story.

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Speaker 1: Definitely gonna get into that. Welcome to the show, Mark Mood,

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Speaker 1: I'll do rof Hey, thanks for having thank you, thank

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Speaker 1: you for coming. And one time I was calling him

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Speaker 1: last name because he had the same last name. At

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Speaker 1: one point I used to call him last Jack and

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Speaker 1: I uh obviously a part of the Showtime families. So

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Speaker 1: we were able to watch your documentary called stand Um

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Speaker 1: on Showtime. What do you want the viewers to come

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Speaker 1: away with after they get a chance to hear your

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Speaker 1: story and your words? And as always a tough uh

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Speaker 1: question to answer, but um whatever whatever resonates with him. Man,

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Speaker 1: you know, my my story is everybody has a story.

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Speaker 1: I say that all the time, and everybody's story is

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Speaker 1: impactful in his own way. But uh, you know, coming

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Speaker 1: up from nearly nothing, uh single parent, the struggles that

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Speaker 1: came with that being in many ways miseducated, the struggles

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Speaker 1: that came with that, and how I evolved out of that. Uh,

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Speaker 1: having a neurological disorder. You know that so many people

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Speaker 1: suffering now, you know, so many children could be the

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Speaker 1: suicide with all of these mental challenges and uh, and

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Speaker 1: then just the evolution of my education and positions that

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Speaker 1: I ended up taking that cost me my career, you know,

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Speaker 1: social political. So there's a lot to game from. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you would have one of the most powerful stories. It's

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Speaker 1: obviously a human story, but particularly it pertains to sports. Uh.

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Speaker 1: We briefly just touched on it right before we sat

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Speaker 1: down before we got on air. Mentally, what was it

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Speaker 1: like going back and like you said, you always have

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Speaker 1: those feelings, but they kind of rehashed some of those

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Speaker 1: feelings from from anger to frustration to despair too, you know,

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Speaker 1: the joyful times of playing. But what was it like

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Speaker 1: kind of somewhat purging all that and bringing all that

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Speaker 1: back out for the world to see. It was a challenge, man,

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Speaker 1: it was anytime you're trying to uh tell your story again,

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Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of information that you thought,

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Speaker 1: you know, you forgot about, or that you actually forgot

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Speaker 1: about the re emerging in the storytelling process and it

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Speaker 1: hits you. It's therapeutic. Uh, their moments, Man, when you

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Speaker 1: break down and cry. You know we've seen yeah, yeah

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Speaker 1: and so yeah, and so that's that's basically man. It's

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Speaker 1: it's uh, it was time consuming. Uh, the energy that

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Speaker 1: you have to put in just read. Look, we didn't

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Speaker 1: grow up with the habit of keeping journals. You know,

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Speaker 1: so many things we forget and so that it was

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Speaker 1: definitely time consuming. And I'm just happy that we finally

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Speaker 1: got to this point where we finished it. And it's

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Speaker 1: a great, great director with Joscelyn Rodes doing doing doing

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Speaker 1: the take on it. So I'm excited to see what

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Speaker 1: people think. Gulfport, Mississippi, single mother. Um, I noticed what

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Speaker 1: that feels like. I grew up in that and uh,

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Speaker 1: your siblings literally had to hunt hunt animals and squirrels

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Speaker 1: just to have food. Um, I know what that's like,

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Speaker 1: but I don't know what that's like. Can you kind

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Speaker 1: of like take us into that feeling of growing up

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Speaker 1: in that situation? Man, Look, it's it's tough, and I

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Speaker 1: know that's cliche, man, just not knowing all the times

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Speaker 1: when your meal are gonna come from and also resisting

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Speaker 1: urge day in and day out, having to go steal,

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Speaker 1: you know. And so we were fortunate to be in

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Speaker 1: an environment where we would see some pet trees here

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Speaker 1: and some blackberries on the side of the road that

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Speaker 1: we can get to sustain ourselves. And uh, you know

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Speaker 1: when mom, you know when my mom did finally was

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Speaker 1: able to make groceries here there, or aunt or an

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Speaker 1: uncle that asked something. You know, a lot of African Americans,

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Speaker 1: I think we eat fast because that first, that first place,

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Speaker 1: especially if you have a secon. When you get that

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Speaker 1: first wee faster you can get that second one. So

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Speaker 1: that's the way it was with us. Man. And but

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Speaker 1: I'm grateful. I'm grateful to have come out of that

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Speaker 1: experience and and those experience have a way of humbling

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Speaker 1: you for sure, making you very appreciative and grateful for

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Speaker 1: for everything that you have and also sympathizing with other

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Speaker 1: people don't have, because you know what it feels like, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know what it feels like. You talk about um

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Speaker 1: your younger days, seeing actually seeing members of the KKK marching.

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Speaker 1: What's crazy to me is I played and I played

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Speaker 1: in Indiana in two thousands, five six, and they were

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Speaker 1: still having clan rallies up and down the major streets.

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Speaker 1: Seeing that as a young kid, you know, we hear

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Speaker 1: about racism, but I actually didn't see actual KKK running

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Speaker 1: never in my life. Actually it's up to us has

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Speaker 1: the parade? How damage in it is that to a

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Speaker 1: kid to be able to see that, and what was

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Speaker 1: your mentors being able to go through that as a youngster,

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Speaker 1: you know it was it was hard to see, but

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Speaker 1: it was confusing, you know, because you live in a

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Speaker 1: society where you taught certain values the way things should

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Speaker 1: be right. And at the same time you're like, well,

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Speaker 1: if this organization it's so terroristic the way you say

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Speaker 1: it is so filled with hate, how can you allow

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Speaker 1: them to exist the way they do right and to

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Speaker 1: brand this ship? So as a young boy, it was

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Speaker 1: just it was confusing. You know, it ain't goered at

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Speaker 1: me at the same time, and and then you know

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Speaker 1: the confusing part two was, man, you didn't know who

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Speaker 1: was under those those sheets, right, and so you start

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Speaker 1: looking at people very suspiciously, right because people were smiling

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Speaker 1: in your face, but you know, stab you in your back.

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Speaker 1: And so your whole existence after a while just come in.

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Speaker 1: You just don't know who to trust anymore, and so

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Speaker 1: you smile, you your cordial, but you always keeping your

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Speaker 1: guards up, you know, especially as as as black people,

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Speaker 1: you know, we what we've gone through, it just heightens it.

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Speaker 1: It's like you can never truly drop your guards. It's

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Speaker 1: hard to be a kid like that, almost impossible. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but there's a good side of that too, you know,

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Speaker 1: I think we live in a society where they dumb

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Speaker 1: us down and they extend childhood right to the point

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Speaker 1: where were nineteen twenty and you still this is a child.

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Speaker 1: You know, technically in some countries they're thirteen years old

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Speaker 1: and they have adult responsibility, grow up faster. So in

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Speaker 1: that sense, there's some positives that come out of it too.

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Speaker 1: You learn fast, you know, look at the world a

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Speaker 1: little differently, and it toughens you up. You said, look, man,

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Speaker 1: you know you have to decide. You have to make decisions.

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Speaker 1: Man I gotta And that's a that's a part of

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Speaker 1: it too, in terms of what propelled me, not just

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Speaker 1: cliche of being great, because like, man, I gotta do something.

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Speaker 1: I gotta take care of my family, and you try

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Speaker 1: to figure out what am I good at and then

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Speaker 1: you gotta go for it. You gotta go for broke.

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Speaker 1: And so some good came out of it. But it's

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Speaker 1: it could be traumatic and and not can be. It

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Speaker 1: is traumatic traumatic, you know, we try to, we try

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Speaker 1: to you know has been and the people be tough

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Speaker 1: about it. But now that stuff is traumatic. That stuff

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Speaker 1: stays with you. Like I'm fit to three years old,

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Speaker 1: and as I'm talking about it right now, I still

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Speaker 1: feel the emotions coming from that. Yeah, I mean I

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Speaker 1: had an incident um my senior in high school where

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Speaker 1: white kids and as my sister spent on their car

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Speaker 1: or niggers, I signed it up welping him as a

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Speaker 1: big brother, and I got spending three months away from

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Speaker 1: going to u c l A. Why myself, I was

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Speaker 1: suspending my whole The KKK came in, burned down bathroom,

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Speaker 1: swaster because niggers everywhere hung and mannequin with the news.

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Speaker 1: So my football jersey on and died nigger. And that

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Speaker 1: that was at seventeen years old. I'm forty two today

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Speaker 1: and still feel like it was yesterday. And it was

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Speaker 1: in the same back earl SOO, like you said, you

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Speaker 1: look at people a little different when those things start happening, because,

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Speaker 1: like they said, they could be smiling and shaking your hand,

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Speaker 1: but at the same time could have been behind what

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Speaker 1: was going on because you never know. So, like you said,

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Speaker 1: it's something that obviously you learned from it hardened you,

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Speaker 1: but it it completely gave me a different outlook on life.

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Speaker 1: At that age, I was bi racial, Italian and black,

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Speaker 1: but I looked at myself as a black man from

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Speaker 1: that day fourth because that's how I was treated. And

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Speaker 1: the fact that you just said that, uh, we still

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Speaker 1: feel that, And I think part of the reason we

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Speaker 1: still feel that is because we still see it's still

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Speaker 1: going on. It still goes on, so we can't forget it. Tourette's.

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Speaker 1: You were finally diagnosed at seventeen with it, and you

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Speaker 1: in the documentary you you struggle, You didn't know what

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Speaker 1: it was, what it was called. You know, the doctor

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Speaker 1: gave you a reason of you know, what to say.

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Speaker 1: But was it a relief when you kind of were

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Speaker 1: diagnosed with it and and and and started kind of

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Speaker 1: finding ways to to to to manage it. My goodness, man,

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Speaker 1: When I finally found out again, when he first told me,

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Speaker 1: I was still like I didn't like am I gonna

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Speaker 1: die from this is like cancer or some of of it.

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Speaker 1: But it took a It took an enormous weight off

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Speaker 1: my shoulders. Uh, because all of that time I was

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Speaker 1: just I was never truly comfortable with the explanation. They're

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Speaker 1: just habits. They come in, they go like you know,

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Speaker 1: and uh, and the horse peels that I had to

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Speaker 1: take constantly, man, that huge. I mean they were massive.

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Speaker 1: I can remember they were orange with jelly looking substance

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Speaker 1: ince side of him, and I would gag constantly, man,

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Speaker 1: And so I stopped taking them, just gave them pression.

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Speaker 1: I was taking them. But uh, people looking at you strange,

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Speaker 1: not being able to have a an adequate explanation for it.

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Speaker 1: And then when finally, uh, my high school coaches wife

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Speaker 1: convinced my mother. And prior to that my mother take

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Speaker 1: me to the hospital. He put e kgs in my head,

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Speaker 1: tell him and he need to stay up eight hours,

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Speaker 1: all type of stuff, man, and none of that worked.

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Speaker 1: And uh, but when they finally took me, he he

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Speaker 1: noticed right off the bat and he told me, man,

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Speaker 1: he just literally said it was hereditary. And I said, okay,

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Speaker 1: well it's not just I had somebody that gave me

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Speaker 1: to me. You know, it wasn't just me. So that

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Speaker 1: took a weight off my shoulders, man, and I caused

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Speaker 1: me to move a little differently, be a little bit

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Speaker 1: more comfortable with it because I had an explanation behind it,

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Speaker 1: I mean me personally, not knowing too much about it

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Speaker 1: now to this day, is there ways you know what

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Speaker 1: tools you have to handle it? Or is it the

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Speaker 1: constant medication? How do you handle the threats to this day?

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Speaker 1: Great question? Uh, I don't. I stopped taking medication, man.

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Speaker 1: Uh when I was at l s U. I just

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Speaker 1: it was a personal decision because I was on how

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Speaker 1: doll in high school and I came to find out

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Speaker 1: later that how doll was a uh drug that they

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Speaker 1: give the psychopaths like to just just coming and put

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Speaker 1: them to sleep. I said, wow, I kind of I

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Speaker 1: had to pat myself on the back. I said, damn, man,

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Speaker 1: I because in high school I was one five and

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Speaker 1: uh my senior year, we played like forty one games

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Speaker 1: a year, and so at the end of that year,

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Speaker 1: I was like one set five. There's no way I

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Speaker 1: should have gained that weight, but it had me gaining

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Speaker 1: when I wasn't moving. I would always be sleepy and

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Speaker 1: and eating. Like if I just sat here and didn't

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Speaker 1: say nothing, I just beat those in class. Those a

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Speaker 1: coach started talking a little bit too long, those all

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Speaker 1: and sold it caused me to gain all that way

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Speaker 1: I get to l s U. I'm one because of

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Speaker 1: the how dog. So I'm literally a little big bodyguard.

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Speaker 1: I'm literally twenty something, almost thirty pounds overweight. I said, Man,

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Speaker 1: I I broke a record out of shade. I can

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Speaker 1: only imagine what I could have did if I was

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Speaker 1: in shape. Yeah, so I just decided I don't want

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Speaker 1: They put me on pros acting for lixing. It didn't

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Speaker 1: have the side effects. It caused me to lose. But

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Speaker 1: then I just said, you know what, I'm just gonna pray.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna train, I'm gonna try to eat right, get

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Speaker 1: my rest, and I'm gonna deal with it that way. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: because I started earlier, even before I knew, I started

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Speaker 1: to develop a distrust for the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare industry.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, it's almost everything. Y'all give me the side effects,

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Speaker 1: more side effects and benefits. So I'm gonna try my

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Speaker 1: luck on the natural way. You've always been a laid

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Speaker 1: back type of guy, feeling like that's just since a youngster.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that the way that you had of

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Speaker 1: stuff and always been back help you deal with treats? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm pretty, I'm pretty laid back, but I

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Speaker 1: can get can be animated. You know that too. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think we all have it, and some more than others.

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Speaker 1: But it definitely helps man treat is like, h I

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Speaker 1: don't I'm not a woman, but I've heard women talk

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Speaker 1: about harmone hormonal issues, right, and so if I'm excited,

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Speaker 1: if I'm nervous, if I'm angry, that can exacerbate the ship.

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Speaker 1: And I mean I'm talking about they can be violent, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, and I used to. I mean I used

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Speaker 1: to pop my I don't want to do it not.

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Speaker 1: I used to pop my neck so hard and throw

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Speaker 1: my arms out to where it felt like I was

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Speaker 1: about to dislocate my my elbow. I felt like I

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Speaker 1: was about to like literally pop intoe my neck. I

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Speaker 1: would feel my brain like hit, feeling like it hitting

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Speaker 1: my skull out. I'm I'm tensing up as I'm playing

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Speaker 1: and working out. You know, imagine being on staff massing

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Speaker 1: work and that's taking more out of you. You gotta

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Speaker 1: push harder. And so this is why mostly every day

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Speaker 1: that I trained, like literally, and I'm not exaggerating, I

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Speaker 1: almost died every day because I wanted to quit. Chris

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Speaker 1: Jackson wanted to stop it out of the head to

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Speaker 1: rest syndrome, saying, no, man, you gotta play me now,

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Speaker 1: and it's gotta be just like this, and no matter

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Speaker 1: how tired you are, uh, you gotta fight through it.

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Speaker 1: You can't take no rest. If there's a glitchen to

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Speaker 1: move before you shoot it, it don't count. If all

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Speaker 1: of the shots have to go net. Everything had to

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Speaker 1: feel perfect those last ten shots, so that if I

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Speaker 1: trained an hour and a half, I have ten shots

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Speaker 1: to make out and I gotta get them up. Everything

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Speaker 1: had to feel perfect coming off my hand, to dribble,

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Speaker 1: the planting of my feet, and if one thing was off,

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Speaker 1: even if I made this shot, I couldn't go back

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Speaker 1: and say if I'm at nine in a row and

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Speaker 1: I hit ten and it skims around, I can't retake

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Speaker 1: the shot and say ten. I have to start a

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Speaker 1: zero that may take me another I want hand. Then

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Speaker 1: I'm leaving the court. I'm dribbling as I'm leaving the court.

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Speaker 1: If the ball don't feel right. A few times, I

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Speaker 1: back up, I'm underneath the goal. Again, I shoot it

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Speaker 1: don't feel right. I gotta do that same ten, same

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Speaker 1: way two times. That's when I started. I got to

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Speaker 1: improvise because if I don't, I'm gonna kill myself. I

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Speaker 1: had to take the ball and I had to throw

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Speaker 1: it towards my house after I finished that way. When

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Speaker 1: I finally got the ball and I was driven, I

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Speaker 1: messed up. I back up, I'm not underneath the goal.

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Speaker 1: I can make it home. And I had to come

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Speaker 1: back and do that again before the day was over.

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Speaker 1: So that was I don't know if I would have

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Speaker 1: known that statistically we had a better chance of becoming

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Speaker 1: doctors and lawyers. I don't know if I went through that,

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Speaker 1: because literally I was every day. Then I had to

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Speaker 1: wake up and I was threatening, you know, death, And

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Speaker 1: I'm not exaggerated. You spoke in the doctor how some

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Speaker 1: of those habits actually helped you become a better basketball player,

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Speaker 1: And it was really to what you just spoke with

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Speaker 1: right there, just the constant repetition and and work that

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Speaker 1: you had. It wasn't a choice that you didn't have

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Speaker 1: a choice. You had to do it. It did um

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Speaker 1: the precision, Uh it wasn't enough just to make the

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Speaker 1: shot how you made it, you know. And and get

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Speaker 1: into a spot, you know what envisioning two three invisible

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Speaker 1: people and they're literally physical there this close to the

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Speaker 1: basketball every time you're dribble and shoes. So you're trying

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Speaker 1: to escape m hm. You know, create space with your imagination.

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Speaker 1: And so in your mind you're like, if I could

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Speaker 1: create space with my imagination, a human being don't have

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Speaker 1: a don't got it right? So you this is every

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Speaker 1: day and uh the good thing is that also if

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Speaker 1: you're fortunate, it doesn't always work out this way. Things

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Speaker 1: you're passionate about their carryovers to everything, you know. Bruce

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Speaker 1: Lee has this great story about the protege let's go

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Speaker 1: run three miles. He didn't want to run. As they

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Speaker 1: were running, he finally convinced him to do was huffing

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Speaker 1: and puffing. He said, well, look let's go to He said, man,

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Speaker 1: I'm about to die. He said, we're died in Bruce

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Speaker 1: kept running. Dude was mad, so in his anger he

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Speaker 1: started running more and when he finished, you know, because

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Speaker 1: he was running because he was angry. That, Bruce, they died,

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Speaker 1: He go ahead and die. He said, what were you

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Speaker 1: so hard on him? Bruce? He said, because once you

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Speaker 1: give up on yourself, there's carryovers. You give up on

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Speaker 1: your family, and you give up on your business. So

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Speaker 1: the same with the training, and as I was training

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Speaker 1: and going through that. Man, when there's something you're attached to,

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Speaker 1: like issues, they're carryovers. So when people said, well why

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Speaker 1: did you do what you did and say what you said? Man,

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Speaker 1: if I amost sending myself through this abuse, because it is,

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Speaker 1: and I'm gonna go through all of this, and I

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Speaker 1: gotta do the same thing on other issues as well.

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Speaker 1: So at least to one thing you wanted, at least

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Speaker 1: to another. Basketball is the path you decided to take.

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Speaker 1: Was there anyone you looked up to? Uh? Growing up?

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Speaker 1: What was it? This all about your game? No? I

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Speaker 1: mean I looked up to so many people from my guy. Ironically,

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Speaker 1: my guy was Dr J. He's you know, Dr Jay.

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Speaker 1: You would have thought it would be Isaiah Turmus or

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Speaker 1: something like that, but you were just so exciting. But

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Speaker 1: I'm always attracted to guys too, man. Dr J was

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Speaker 1: so humble the way he carried him. Yeah, and and

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Speaker 1: those type of guys man just along with their ability,

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Speaker 1: just they just drew me in. And so he was

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Speaker 1: the guy that I watched. But we didn't have cable.

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Speaker 1: So I'm in Mississippi, so we catch all the Hawks

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Speaker 1: games they come on, so I would watch and I

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Speaker 1: watched NBA. I didn't really I watched college, but I

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Speaker 1: watched ninety per cent NBA because if this is where

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Speaker 1: I want to be, this is l s U. You

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Speaker 1: decided to go to l s U right out the

347
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Speaker 1: gates dominant. I have a record today that still stands.

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Speaker 1: As a freshman, you average thirty point two points a game.

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Speaker 1: Talk to us about that you touched on at that time.

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Speaker 1: You were on medications, so you were plus twenty five,

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Speaker 1: but you were still out here setting records. Talk to

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Speaker 1: us about your particularly your freshman year at l s U.

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Speaker 1: You know, I came in man. When I first came in,

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Speaker 1: they had a guy named Fest Irving, and I was

355
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Speaker 1: looking to play alongside Fest. Something happened where they said, look,

356
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Speaker 1: his father came in and told Dale that if he's coming,

357
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Speaker 1: if Fest ain't gonna start with leaving, he said, well

358
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Speaker 1: you might as well pack you back and they'll don't

359
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Speaker 1: like to be strong on the right right, and so

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Speaker 1: that left me just kind of like with with no competition.

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Speaker 1: And uh, I still think back, man, I pinched myself.

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Speaker 1: I said, well, because it happened so fast. You know,

363
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Speaker 1: you dream and we all have aspirations teams, but when

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Speaker 1: it starts to like hole, you know, and it's a

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Speaker 1: little scary, Um especially. I'll get to that later. But

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Speaker 1: I ended up man um having my first game was

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Speaker 1: like thirteen. I was just trying to feel things out,

368
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Speaker 1: but I felt I could have did a whole lot more.

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Speaker 1: Second game, I had twenty one. That's when Dale stopped

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Speaker 1: me going into the locker room. He said, look, Chris,

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Speaker 1: he said we need at the time, he said, we

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Speaker 1: need you to score more. I said, coach, I'll try.

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Speaker 1: And that third game I had forty eight. The fourth game,

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Speaker 1: I think thirty whatever. And in the fifth game of Florida,

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Speaker 1: that's when it was you know, nationally televised. They were

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Speaker 1: the number one team in the SEC and I had

377
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Speaker 1: fifty three and uh filed out three of their guards

378
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Speaker 1: and then that's when it just it exploded for me.

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Speaker 1: Um and I still, man, I'm like, wow, I looked back,

380
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Speaker 1: but The reason why it was so hard for me, Brothers,

381
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Speaker 1: is this. I could never embrace success the whole time

382
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Speaker 1: I was there. I could never get comfortable with it

383
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Speaker 1: because I was always thinking that something's gonna happen. This

384
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,600
Speaker 1: is too good to be true. And I started reflecting

385
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Speaker 1: the old I got and I said, this is why.

386
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Speaker 1: And this is where I'm so adamant. We're trying to

387
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Speaker 1: educate myself and just to share as much information as

388
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Speaker 1: possible because sim and I was like, what caused me

389
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Speaker 1: to think this way? You know? They say our society,

390
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,480
Speaker 1: our environment, and and and the people around have a

391
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Speaker 1: way of molting and shaping us. And I said, we

392
00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:33,000
Speaker 1: used to watch Sampon and Son and Good Time on

393
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Speaker 1: a continuous basis, and they were always either in the

394
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Speaker 1: junkyard or the ghetto, and they were always trying to

395
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Speaker 1: get out, and every time something was about to happen

396
00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,160
Speaker 1: that would get them out to ghet On, something would

397
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 1: happen to kick him right back. In every show. I said, man,

398
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Speaker 1: this seems like a social conditioning. And so I started

399
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Speaker 1: to look at all the stuff I was listening to

400
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Speaker 1: and learning and studying. So this is where this came from,

401
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,399
Speaker 1: you know, This is why I could never truly embrace it.

402
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:07,520
Speaker 1: Always felt something's gonna happen to me. Right, this is

403
00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,240
Speaker 1: too good to be true. You know, it should have

404
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,000
Speaker 1: been all that should have been the best time in

405
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Speaker 1: my life. I'm the closest I've ever been to make it,

406
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Speaker 1: you know. And so, yeah, what age not to cut

407
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,120
Speaker 1: you off? At what age did you start reflecting back

408
00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:20,920
Speaker 1: on that? Because it sounds like you never were able

409
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Speaker 1: to really enjoy the success you were having while you

410
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:26,399
Speaker 1: were having it. I started reflecting when I got to

411
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Speaker 1: the league. Yep, I became a must of them. I

412
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,000
Speaker 1: started me brothers. They started giving me books, you know,

413
00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:36,879
Speaker 1: think authors I've never heard of information I've never read before.

414
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,880
Speaker 1: And uh, it started to make me think. Yeah, Shaquille

415
00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,399
Speaker 1: O'Neil comes to l s U, what's your first early

416
00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:52,240
Speaker 1: memories of shot? Gigantic guy like in shape, confident, playful.

417
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:57,640
Speaker 1: Um uh and I remember him saying in the dorm

418
00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,720
Speaker 1: one day. But this is before contracts even exploded the

419
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:02,920
Speaker 1: way they did. He's I'm gonna be the first guy

420
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Speaker 1: to make eighty million. He made way more than but

421
00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,639
Speaker 1: he was man. He was he was he was relentless.

422
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,000
Speaker 1: You could see the passion in his game. Um, he

423
00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:16,000
Speaker 1: was a people's person, you know the way he is

424
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:21,639
Speaker 1: now very playful, um, comical. Um. But I knew that

425
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,080
Speaker 1: we you know, we had something special, but we just

426
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:30,520
Speaker 1: couldn't put it together. Obviously you were highly touted, decorated Shock.

427
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,560
Speaker 1: With Shock, I think Stanley Roberts gets lost in the mix.

428
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,800
Speaker 1: How good with Stanley Roberts? Not for me because I

429
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,520
Speaker 1: grew up a little a couple of miles from there. No,

430
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,000
Speaker 1: they had the original two big fellas in him. Like

431
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,800
Speaker 1: Stanley did not get overshadowed. If you watched L. S

432
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:48,399
Speaker 1: U and if he was from that area, he was

433
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:50,600
Speaker 1: just as big as Shock. Trust me, he was just

434
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:55,280
Speaker 1: as big as Shot from California what I'm saying. But

435
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,240
Speaker 1: in the grand scheme of things, nationwide talked to us

436
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,959
Speaker 1: about Stanley Robert and when his game was like, Uh,

437
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 1: Stanley by far was way more talented and skillful than Shack. Stanley.

438
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,120
Speaker 1: Stanley could shoot it, he could shoot his free throw,

439
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,800
Speaker 1: and he can take you down. And now he didn't

440
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,760
Speaker 1: have the Shock bringing it up whole corner. But outside

441
00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: of that, and even Shock admitted Shack said, look, Stanley

442
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,399
Speaker 1: dominated him. Uh. The only thing with Stanley Man, and

443
00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,400
Speaker 1: he'll tell you to this day. We're at we're at

444
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,240
Speaker 1: a convention that l s U some years ago because

445
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,920
Speaker 1: I hardly ever get back. And Stanley was eating in

446
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:39,840
Speaker 1: the ball. You know, we're basketball players. Use the ball,

447
00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,240
Speaker 1: rolled By, we're gonna grab it and touch it. Sam

448
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:48,240
Speaker 1: was eating talking ball, rolled By looked at it. He

449
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,399
Speaker 1: just kept on that. I mean like, and I looked seriously.

450
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,280
Speaker 1: He don't want nothing to do with the game back.

451
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 1: But that's just him. Even when he was playing, man,

452
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 1: he just I had to and I'm not I could

453
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,880
Speaker 1: beat this dude, but I had to sometimes piss him

454
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,320
Speaker 1: all coach like, man, get him the skins and he

455
00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,439
Speaker 1: ain't number all. You give me the ball, give me

456
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,200
Speaker 1: the ball, but he'll go off, but he'll be missing

457
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: to or three days. He just show you I can

458
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:17,840
Speaker 1: do this, and then he won't. So he didn't have

459
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,919
Speaker 1: that discipline and at work, and I remember telling him

460
00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:22,520
Speaker 1: one timmer Man, I said, stay, I had tears in

461
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:24,520
Speaker 1: my eyes. Man, we'd talked him because I knew him.

462
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,240
Speaker 1: I said, Stanley Man, I said, man, you just work hard,

463
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,840
Speaker 1: be consistent. I said, man, you can write your ticket,

464
00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:35,080
Speaker 1: you can name your Price. He looks at me, he said, Man.

465
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,160
Speaker 1: At the time, my name is Chris Man. I appreciate you. Man,

466
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,840
Speaker 1: he said, Man, but he's ain't Goo listen, He's ain't.

467
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,320
Speaker 1: And I knew he was telling the truth. I seen

468
00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:46,800
Speaker 1: even man make my eyes water when I think about it.

469
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:49,399
Speaker 1: I said, Man, it's dude, that so much Man so

470
00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,920
Speaker 1: uh And the documentary Shock spoke to a particular performance

471
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:59,320
Speaker 1: where you had forty points against Mississippi State on the road,

472
00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,960
Speaker 1: Confederate flags in the stands, yelling, going crazy. He said

473
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,760
Speaker 1: that was the single greatest performance he's ever seen playing

474
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,640
Speaker 1: with Kobe, playing in the league all these years. He said,

475
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,639
Speaker 1: what you did in that game, he'll always remember is

476
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,760
Speaker 1: the greatest single performance. Talked to us about that game

477
00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,080
Speaker 1: and just the environment when you're coming back home and

478
00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,760
Speaker 1: it seems like your home is against you. There ain't

479
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:23,000
Speaker 1: a scene. Yeah, exfinitely they would definitely get As soon

480
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,480
Speaker 1: as I walked out and they saw my feet coming

481
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:30,520
Speaker 1: out of the tunnel, started, um, that was a great game.

482
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,159
Speaker 1: I wouldn't I would have thought that would be the

483
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,520
Speaker 1: game that he say. However, I do remember that game,

484
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: and I remember Dale got extremely upset because he didn't

485
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,560
Speaker 1: like going to Mississippi. He didn't like. If it was

486
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,520
Speaker 1: his preference, he wouldn't have he would have flew in,

487
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,320
Speaker 1: played and left with the boat. Wouldn't have spent money

488
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 1: in the hotel. He spent money in the motael. We

489
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,840
Speaker 1: say the motel. He wanted to spend the least amount.

490
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,119
Speaker 1: But that was a peiod in the game with Dale

491
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:56,320
Speaker 1: was like, you know what, and I felt kind of awkward.

492
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,800
Speaker 1: He's okay, y'all don't want to play. Come down and

493
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:04,200
Speaker 1: you did every time. And I'm like, yeah, I came

494
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:06,040
Speaker 1: down and I was playing. But if somebody's over, I

495
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,639
Speaker 1: gotta give it to him. But I think, uh, I

496
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,400
Speaker 1: don't know if we won that game, that particular game,

497
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:14,280
Speaker 1: but it was a stretch when I just I just

498
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:18,280
Speaker 1: took control and went off. And I'm definitely, uh thinking

499
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,679
Speaker 1: that's what he's referring to. So it's good that he

500
00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,520
Speaker 1: at least remembers it. Yeah, can you speak to the

501
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,800
Speaker 1: importance to Dale Brown, because even in the documentary, he

502
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,639
Speaker 1: was just still so high on you and has so

503
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,320
Speaker 1: much love for who you were the man, not just

504
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:34,040
Speaker 1: a basketball player. But speak to his importance, uh, in

505
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:38,320
Speaker 1: your journey man, Dale they came to recruit me in Mississippi.

506
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,160
Speaker 1: And one of the reasons, the main reasons I went

507
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:46,600
Speaker 1: to actually is because I know better now. You know,

508
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,639
Speaker 1: I do believe that athletes should get paid right, But

509
00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:51,639
Speaker 1: I was a little scary. I didn't want anything to

510
00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,159
Speaker 1: mess up my and they just came off of I

511
00:27:54,200 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 1: take suspension something uh hot Williams out of uh, I

512
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:05,600
Speaker 1: forget his name out of California. But and they never

513
00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,000
Speaker 1: when he came to. Everybody else is offering you stuff

514
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 1: like you're gonna come and you're gonna start right away,

515
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,320
Speaker 1: blah blah blah. And in my young mind, I'm sad

516
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:15,400
Speaker 1: to myself. We don't even know what tomorrow is gonna bring.

517
00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:17,800
Speaker 1: How can you offer me something somebody else may come

518
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:19,880
Speaker 1: in and out play me, and I just always feel

519
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:21,960
Speaker 1: funny about that. But deal came in. He said, listen,

520
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,159
Speaker 1: we got fair serving. You know, we believe that you

521
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,280
Speaker 1: could play pop about believing your talent. If you show

522
00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:31,280
Speaker 1: us that this is who you are, you're gonna play.

523
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,080
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm kind of like old school, you

524
00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,439
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like okay, And they were just

525
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,160
Speaker 1: straight up with me, and I just shook. I just

526
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,560
Speaker 1: shook that head and I said, listen, I'm coming to

527
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,120
Speaker 1: LS you. But I kept a quiet for a while

528
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:46,680
Speaker 1: because I was told in Mississippi, you want to keep

529
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,800
Speaker 1: Mississippi schools because I was out. I was out of

530
00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,200
Speaker 1: high school. Yet so they say keep one of them.

531
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,520
Speaker 1: Are so on the list because you don't want them

532
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,200
Speaker 1: to start giving you problems, you know. So that's why

533
00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:58,600
Speaker 1: I kept the Mississippi school on the list. But I

534
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,080
Speaker 1: already knew that I wanted to go as you. And

535
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,640
Speaker 1: so the other thing that clinched it was Coach cars

536
00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:06,400
Speaker 1: We talked like thousands of hours. About a thousand hours

537
00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:08,920
Speaker 1: ninety Summer said him had nothing to do with basketball,

538
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:11,800
Speaker 1: and so to me that meant a lot, like these

539
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:15,200
Speaker 1: people you know, potentially are gonna, you know, they're gonna

540
00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,120
Speaker 1: they're gonna care for me more than the game. And

541
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 1: uh he held true to his promise, I mean to

542
00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,200
Speaker 1: to his word. And I got there, he saw it

543
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:29,280
Speaker 1: and he just said, hey, man, I want you to

544
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,720
Speaker 1: go for broke and uh and he trusted me to

545
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:35,160
Speaker 1: He knew that, okay, I wasn't just going to be

546
00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,840
Speaker 1: a relegate with you know, and uh so and he also, man,

547
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,320
Speaker 1: he gave me. He was the one that influenced me,

548
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,120
Speaker 1: that led me to more so to a slam, because

549
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:49,480
Speaker 1: he gave me the autobiography, because he read. He he

550
00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:51,880
Speaker 1: read all the time, and he had so many connections,

551
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,880
Speaker 1: whether you know different people, man, whether it's Dick, Gregory Ferric,

552
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,600
Speaker 1: I mean, you name it. And he would always hand

553
00:29:57,680 --> 00:29:59,520
Speaker 1: us material to read and tell us what we thought.

554
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,320
Speaker 1: You know, because I came out, I almost didn't make it, man,

555
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,880
Speaker 1: I failed the A C T the first time and

556
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,320
Speaker 1: then the second time. And if it wasn't for a

557
00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:15,080
Speaker 1: doctor that instilled into this woman to have the classes privately,

558
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,200
Speaker 1: I probably would have been a prop for the eight

559
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,600
Speaker 1: like Stanley. And but I was able to pass it

560
00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,200
Speaker 1: and I came in. But the whole time at LSU, Man,

561
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,040
Speaker 1: they put me in a remedial reading class. I could read,

562
00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:32,240
Speaker 1: I could spell, you know, but my comprehension skills wasn't great,

563
00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:34,920
Speaker 1: my critical thinking skills. So they would ask me questions

564
00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:38,480
Speaker 1: prior to my being admitted in the classes, like what

565
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:40,200
Speaker 1: this had me to read something and said what does

566
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 1: this mean? Oh no, what does this word mean? I

567
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,200
Speaker 1: don't know. I just spell words. I didin't even know

568
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:48,320
Speaker 1: what they meant, what does this word meaning? I don't

569
00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:51,560
Speaker 1: know what are you getting from the story. I was

570
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,640
Speaker 1: just reading, man, I was sounding good, and I felt

571
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:59,000
Speaker 1: so humiliated though, and so Dale Brown began to give

572
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: me a little material and then I would read it.

573
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,400
Speaker 1: What do you think about this? What do you think

574
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,040
Speaker 1: about that? And even when I would give interviews, there

575
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,240
Speaker 1: were times he would stop, hey, man, tell him what

576
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:13,200
Speaker 1: you think, right, because he saw me pushy fro around

577
00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,080
Speaker 1: with and he would challenge. Right. Then he put me

578
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,840
Speaker 1: in the summer job. My summer job was with this

579
00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,640
Speaker 1: guy named Gus Wiles, who was an author who had

580
00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:25,600
Speaker 1: to play his plays presented. One of his plays presented

581
00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,960
Speaker 1: on Broadway. So Gus would come in and every morning

582
00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,440
Speaker 1: I will sit my whole thing. I would come and

583
00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 1: five to ten minutes every morning, I would sit with

584
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:37,640
Speaker 1: him and we just talked and in our conversations informally,

585
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,480
Speaker 1: he just injects certain ideas in terms of speech and everything.

586
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 1: And then I sit in my office and I'd read

587
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,400
Speaker 1: and they take me to lunch. My whole day was

588
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:51,400
Speaker 1: reading and having conversations. And then the next year when

589
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,400
Speaker 1: I came and it was time to do interviews, I

590
00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,280
Speaker 1: was more way or more season than I was the

591
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,240
Speaker 1: year before. And then that started the process me of

592
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,560
Speaker 1: wanting to know more and read more and to become

593
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,960
Speaker 1: more vocal and confident. So yeah, I'm indebted to him

594
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:22,760
Speaker 1: for that third pick. Derrick Coleman and Gary Payton two legends. Um,

595
00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:27,520
Speaker 1: what's your best memories of that draft? Going third? Going? Third?

596
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,520
Speaker 1: Of course is over, you know in terms of you know,

597
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:37,400
Speaker 1: I'm here now. Um, you know you start thinking about

598
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,080
Speaker 1: man taking care of your mama right right that that look,

599
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,520
Speaker 1: that's that's that's the most important memory. I had, the

600
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:49,959
Speaker 1: most powerful memory. But then immediately it sings in like, man,

601
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:54,640
Speaker 1: this is another level. Uh, there are hundreds of thousands

602
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:57,600
Speaker 1: trying to be on this level, and you gotta be

603
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 1: able to perform and compete and to sustain it, you know,

604
00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:04,440
Speaker 1: because I think at that time it was what three

605
00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:07,600
Speaker 1: years you get your pensions? That was like because not

606
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:12,200
Speaker 1: everybody stayed three years. And until you're go into a

607
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,240
Speaker 1: new city, you're never really paying bills on your own

608
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,480
Speaker 1: and what it what it means to buy a house

609
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,840
Speaker 1: and to get all this stuff together, So that stuff

610
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,880
Speaker 1: is on your mind too. And then I'm going to Denver.

611
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:26,880
Speaker 1: I've never been in snow like that, and then it's gloomy.

612
00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,080
Speaker 1: Then I'm out of shape, you know, And so there's

613
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:34,160
Speaker 1: a lot man, But that's after the fact. But those

614
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:35,760
Speaker 1: are the things before they are the shape that I

615
00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,960
Speaker 1: was thinking about them, like wow, it's it settles in

616
00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:42,800
Speaker 1: you know that this is serious business. And let me

617
00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 1: ask you this question and of mental health. So I

618
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,080
Speaker 1: always tell people this and just I want your opinion

619
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:51,600
Speaker 1: on it. The things that I've seen growing up and

620
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:54,160
Speaker 1: struggling and hard, as hard as it was to make

621
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,800
Speaker 1: it out, that would cause mental health. I can't see

622
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,600
Speaker 1: me having mental health the day with the blessings that

623
00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:03,600
Speaker 1: God has given me to change my life and my

624
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:06,440
Speaker 1: family's life. But we're not going through those same struggles,

625
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,800
Speaker 1: is it. Can you say that someone once they reach

626
00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:14,120
Speaker 1: success and and and millions of dollars, that they can

627
00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 1: still deal with mental health after seeing the things that

628
00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:25,880
Speaker 1: we come from. Yeah, that's that's tough. I think mental

629
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,960
Speaker 1: illness you have you have you have billion naires and

630
00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:33,000
Speaker 1: you have million naires committing suicide, and it's all about

631
00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:34,960
Speaker 1: when it's all said and done, it's all about perception.

632
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:37,719
Speaker 1: You know. You have people that are poor that are

633
00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,680
Speaker 1: more at peace than people are wealthy, and you have

634
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,320
Speaker 1: people that are poor that are not at peace, and

635
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,520
Speaker 1: you have wealthy people that are at peace. So I

636
00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,520
Speaker 1: think it eventually boils down to a state of mind.

637
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:52,080
Speaker 1: You know. Yeah, we we had it tough, but still

638
00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,600
Speaker 1: life is tough, you know what I mean. You look

639
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,960
Speaker 1: at the conditions nowadays. Man, You look over what forty

640
00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,279
Speaker 1: million and more people don't have can afford healthcare, and

641
00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,480
Speaker 1: you gotta make tough choices. Pay for my mortgage or

642
00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,800
Speaker 1: pay for my health. You know, these are choices that

643
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,680
Speaker 1: we shouldn't with the wealth of this nation. And there's

644
00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 1: just so many other things, the misinformation, the miseducation that

645
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,839
Speaker 1: we go through, things that we look. Look, I didn't know, man,

646
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:18,440
Speaker 1: when I was in high school. I said, Man, if

647
00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,560
Speaker 1: I had known this, I could have probably had a

648
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,080
Speaker 1: different view of myself. You know, growing up that about

649
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:26,360
Speaker 1: two and a half hours in Natchez, there was this

650
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:28,839
Speaker 1: There's a book called The Prince of Slaves talking about

651
00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,160
Speaker 1: ab do our mind. His father was the king of

652
00:35:31,239 --> 00:35:35,120
Speaker 1: Timbuck two and in Timbuck to prior to West the

653
00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:39,520
Speaker 1: West and up is having having universities. They had universities,

654
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 1: they had public roles, they had public lights, books was

655
00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:46,040
Speaker 1: the number one commodity. They were entreest in knowledge to

656
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:50,239
Speaker 1: that degree. They were so well advanced. But we look

657
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:55,279
Speaker 1: at images right of Africa being what barbaric and all

658
00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:57,760
Speaker 1: of these things, and all these images we see for ourselves.

659
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,719
Speaker 1: But I'm looking, I'm looking at this said, I'm like, wow,

660
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:03,279
Speaker 1: they and all of that man and this dude was

661
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:07,560
Speaker 1: he was enslave. And this enslaver didn't know his father.

662
00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,200
Speaker 1: I mean, the enslaver knew the key, but didn't know

663
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 1: he had his son enslaved for all those kids. So

664
00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:14,759
Speaker 1: I'm reading this story, I'm like, man, if I had

665
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:18,360
Speaker 1: known that, known that we we had this type of potential,

666
00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:20,760
Speaker 1: who's to say I would have been a basketball player,

667
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,520
Speaker 1: you know? So so to to say that in coming

668
00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:30,239
Speaker 1: we it's about perception, you know, And and we grow up.

669
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,239
Speaker 1: A lot of us we made it, but a lot

670
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,560
Speaker 1: of us we didn't. And like you know, this this

671
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,960
Speaker 1: misnos this this misnomer that you know a lot of

672
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,279
Speaker 1: people they used the ghetto as a as a as

673
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:46,560
Speaker 1: a card for toughness from the kiddle, not everybody from

674
00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,879
Speaker 1: the man you got you got chumps in the ghetto too.

675
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,399
Speaker 1: And cowards in the ghetto, just like not everybody from

676
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:58,359
Speaker 1: the suburbs. It's soft. That ain't true. So to ask

677
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,680
Speaker 1: you a question, it just it deals with perception. And

678
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,800
Speaker 1: I was taught to that God gives everybody a strengthen

679
00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:08,839
Speaker 1: everybody a weakness. It is up to unify a lout

680
00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:11,480
Speaker 1: what that strength is to overcome that weakness. And so

681
00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,160
Speaker 1: we all are experiencing hardships. But when I when I

682
00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:17,800
Speaker 1: talk to children, when I talked to adults. You know,

683
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:19,600
Speaker 1: even though cord I adn't teaches us, whatever a law

684
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,680
Speaker 1: says that he's gonna try you, he always reinforces it

685
00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:25,080
Speaker 1: with something good. When somebody says, somebody pointing the finger

686
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,560
Speaker 1: three point back back at you. So whenever you get

687
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,239
Speaker 1: hit with a hardship, always there's so many things will

688
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:34,680
Speaker 1: be grateful for. But whatever you focus on growths. So

689
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,800
Speaker 1: if you keep focusing on the negative, it's gonna continue

690
00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,160
Speaker 1: to be negative, and it's gonna show. And they say,

691
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:44,360
Speaker 1: you're you're thinking influences your behavior. Your behavior forms your character,

692
00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,720
Speaker 1: and your character determines your faith. So if you constantly

693
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:50,200
Speaker 1: thinking negative, now I can't do this and it well,

694
00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,400
Speaker 1: you're gonna you're gonna end up in a bad position,

695
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:57,640
Speaker 1: So it goes either way. Yeah, you spoke to mental health. Um,

696
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,400
Speaker 1: can you talk to the depression and how that impacted

697
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:04,480
Speaker 1: your first couple of years? Uh in the league and

698
00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:09,239
Speaker 1: differ man. Uh, there was a period and man, I

699
00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,600
Speaker 1: got so depressed. Man I was. I was literally trying

700
00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,600
Speaker 1: to count my coins. Man, can I make this stretch

701
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,719
Speaker 1: and go for it? Because I just didn't want to

702
00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:19,320
Speaker 1: play no more. I was out of shape, you know,

703
00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:24,720
Speaker 1: because I got bad information. I just lived well, scored

704
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,359
Speaker 1: freshman thirty point two points a game. Then I came

705
00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,880
Speaker 1: back the next year sixty nine, s nine. I was

706
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,360
Speaker 1: way better shape. Now I got two big dudes. Some

707
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:36,840
Speaker 1: will argue that averaging twenty eight with a Stanley and

708
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,799
Speaker 1: Shaquille was more impressive than the thirty two without him. Right,

709
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:42,960
Speaker 1: But then I'm listening to people saying when you gotta

710
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,080
Speaker 1: come back, you gotta come and leave. Boy, I never

711
00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:47,840
Speaker 1: had a trainer like you know, like kids do children

712
00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:50,360
Speaker 1: do today, And so I just started eating and training.

713
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:55,239
Speaker 1: But I came back like I eventually end up getting

714
00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:57,400
Speaker 1: the one Nino. Man. I was miserable then with that

715
00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,759
Speaker 1: style that Paul West had had constantly running. Man. I

716
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,600
Speaker 1: was like, man, this is crazy. And then he didn't

717
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 1: want to play me too right, and I don't necessarily

718
00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:11,799
Speaker 1: blame it, and uh so I went through a period, man,

719
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:15,279
Speaker 1: I in the Denver the altitude. Yeah, man, I don't know.

720
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,400
Speaker 1: This ain't what I thought it was gonna be. And

721
00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:22,640
Speaker 1: I was miserable. A lot of people don't know what

722
00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:24,880
Speaker 1: I was miserable. Man. I was trying to find comfort

723
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:28,120
Speaker 1: through food, through relationships, you know, and all of that

724
00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:31,520
Speaker 1: through women, you know, just to justice, you know, satisfy

725
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:34,080
Speaker 1: my conscience. And then it took one day. I was

726
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,040
Speaker 1: walking into the store and I saw a magazine. You

727
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:41,960
Speaker 1: picked it up and he said, he's a bust and

728
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,839
Speaker 1: it just clicked and I said, man, I don't want

729
00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:47,480
Speaker 1: that to be my legacy. And the dude was with

730
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,760
Speaker 1: me at the time. I said, man, it's over. I'm changing.

731
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:52,799
Speaker 1: And that's when I started going to the gym. I'm

732
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,680
Speaker 1: doing staff Master for an hour, you know, I'm calling

733
00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:58,960
Speaker 1: people in, let's go, you know, and we're training. And

734
00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:02,000
Speaker 1: I lost like forty and I came back and then

735
00:40:02,080 --> 00:40:05,879
Speaker 1: that next year I ended up getting most improved. But yeah,

736
00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,520
Speaker 1: depression is real, man, Man, I never got to the

737
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:14,320
Speaker 1: point where I contemplated suicide, but I definitely got to

738
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:15,920
Speaker 1: the point where I said, God, if you take my

739
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:18,960
Speaker 1: life right now, I'm not even mad. You know, I'm

740
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:24,040
Speaker 1: not even mad. Yeah. Into your rookie year, it was

741
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,080
Speaker 1: probably one of the best decisions you never made. I

742
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:29,000
Speaker 1: know for me, when I found Islam was the best

743
00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,880
Speaker 1: decision for me. At the end of your rookie year,

744
00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:36,239
Speaker 1: explained that process and how you immediately benefited from taking

745
00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:40,680
Speaker 1: your shodo. The process, man was simple, Uh, simple and

746
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:43,920
Speaker 1: not um. I met a dude on Cofax in Denver

747
00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:47,719
Speaker 1: bookstore named Selam Bookstore, and I would go in his

748
00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,479
Speaker 1: book every day, like when we didn't have a game,

749
00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:52,360
Speaker 1: I would go sit with him. I would buy his

750
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,080
Speaker 1: books and we would sit drink ti or whatever and

751
00:40:55,120 --> 00:41:01,080
Speaker 1: have conversations and uh and along with reading the autobiographer

752
00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,560
Speaker 1: of Malcolm that that pushed me in that direction. And

753
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,120
Speaker 1: I was in contact with this papist and Catholicism. They

754
00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:11,360
Speaker 1: called it a priest or pastor, I can't remember priest.

755
00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,440
Speaker 1: And he had a protegee named Mark James, and we

756
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,600
Speaker 1: became close. At our table one day we're having a conversation.

757
00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:21,880
Speaker 1: It Slam came up. Yeah, we both recognized we were interested.

758
00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:24,560
Speaker 1: He told me met a brother where we can get

759
00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,080
Speaker 1: the clan. I went and got it. Man rushed back home.

760
00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:28,759
Speaker 1: I was even though I read Malcolm and I was

761
00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,319
Speaker 1: reading other books. I never picked up the Cordage right,

762
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 1: which is crazy. And we came back. Man, I opened

763
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:38,000
Speaker 1: it up. I'm at my table and no more than

764
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,160
Speaker 1: three pages. I can't remember, and I can't remember what

765
00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:42,719
Speaker 1: I read, but I remember to this day. I made

766
00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:45,759
Speaker 1: me feel because I had a lot of questions growing up,

767
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:47,759
Speaker 1: you know, and I would constantly get you just gotta

768
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:51,000
Speaker 1: believe you can't question God, and that was unsatisfactory to me.

769
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:54,960
Speaker 1: And when I read those pages, man, it was just

770
00:41:55,600 --> 00:42:01,040
Speaker 1: something in my soul. It just eight since it's like,

771
00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:03,560
Speaker 1: there's no question that this is it. And I looked

772
00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:05,279
Speaker 1: at him. I said, I don't know about you. My

773
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:07,759
Speaker 1: search is over. I'm gonna be a Muslim. So I

774
00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:09,800
Speaker 1: started going to the master year. I started talking to

775
00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:14,719
Speaker 1: people and uh getting material. And then that summer after

776
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,759
Speaker 1: that year, they had a rookie review and Utah, when

777
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,160
Speaker 1: you NBA players go play. I came back I think

778
00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:25,040
Speaker 1: in August, and I embraced the Slam and people ask me,

779
00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:29,520
Speaker 1: They said, what is it about this Slam that attracts you?

780
00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,439
Speaker 1: I said, from the first day to now, at fifty three,

781
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,680
Speaker 1: every time I opened it up and I engage it

782
00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:37,400
Speaker 1: and I just read it for the sacred reading, I

783
00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:42,560
Speaker 1: engage it. I said, it's never ceased to satisfy my

784
00:42:42,719 --> 00:42:46,480
Speaker 1: curiosity and answer my questions. And so as long as

785
00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:50,360
Speaker 1: it's doing that, why wouldn't I You know, So for me,

786
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,719
Speaker 1: that's that's that's been why, and that's why you know

787
00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:56,840
Speaker 1: I'm I. I'm constantly trying to be better and do

788
00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:01,280
Speaker 1: what I do, whether physically, whether morally, most really social

789
00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:05,919
Speaker 1: and politically. You know, I've understood a long time ago

790
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,239
Speaker 1: you don't have None of us would know everything. If

791
00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:10,520
Speaker 1: we're always waiting to know everything before we move, we'll

792
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:14,040
Speaker 1: do nothing. My thing is whatever you feel, you know,

793
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,120
Speaker 1: you act upon it, and God to show you the rest.

794
00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:19,040
Speaker 1: You know, So that's how I go. I'm not. I

795
00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:21,239
Speaker 1: don't have the pride and arrogance like I'm gonna throw

796
00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:23,600
Speaker 1: it out there. That's when I was young. I didn't

797
00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:25,640
Speaker 1: do that. I didn't raise my hand in class. I

798
00:43:25,719 --> 00:43:27,640
Speaker 1: didn't want you to ask me no questions because I

799
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:31,040
Speaker 1: was always like embarrassed what I may say or not say,

800
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:34,040
Speaker 1: so I just rather sit back because I wasn't great

801
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:37,320
Speaker 1: in school. But I've learned over the years that you know,

802
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:40,520
Speaker 1: if I got something in my head, I'm gonna throw

803
00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,680
Speaker 1: it out to the public. I'm gonna see what's somebody's

804
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,360
Speaker 1: gonna throw something back. If I don't know, you know

805
00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:50,120
Speaker 1: what that sounds. Let me check on that. That sounds logical,

806
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:53,160
Speaker 1: but I don't know if that's how I learned. That's

807
00:43:53,160 --> 00:43:55,600
Speaker 1: why I'm always going to speak in engagements, and I'm

808
00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:58,680
Speaker 1: always telling people what I read and telling me what

809
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:01,680
Speaker 1: they read. I'm gauging people because you never everybody has

810
00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:05,480
Speaker 1: different experiences and different set of knowledge. I've asked you

811
00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:08,800
Speaker 1: questions before and you gave me the answer. He was like,

812
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:11,319
Speaker 1: I can say this, but let me go read up

813
00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:12,560
Speaker 1: on it. Let me let me you know what I'm saying.

814
00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:14,319
Speaker 1: You told me that a couple of times. You want

815
00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:15,719
Speaker 1: to go read up on it before you ask the

816
00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:19,440
Speaker 1: question for me. Yeah, I'll answer based upon my understanding,

817
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:22,480
Speaker 1: but let me look at it further. But that's just

818
00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,799
Speaker 1: been my policy what I do, and I'm gonna throw

819
00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:28,160
Speaker 1: it out. I don't care. I'm gonna through it. Look,

820
00:44:28,239 --> 00:44:30,480
Speaker 1: this is how I feel based upon this, this and this,

821
00:44:31,360 --> 00:44:33,960
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna holding And if you can't satisfy, I

822
00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:36,040
Speaker 1: don't care what you're you're labeled it. I don't care

823
00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:38,520
Speaker 1: if you're a scholar. I don't care if you need man.

824
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:41,480
Speaker 1: When it's all said and done, this ain't about arrogance.

825
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:45,560
Speaker 1: If you can make it make sense to me, I'll surrender.

826
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:49,839
Speaker 1: I'll submit, but just because of your label and you're

827
00:44:49,840 --> 00:44:52,200
Speaker 1: saying but this, but if it don't make sense, it

828
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:54,120
Speaker 1: just don't make I'm not gonna do it just because

829
00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:57,080
Speaker 1: of you. I don't. I don't operate like that when

830
00:44:57,080 --> 00:45:00,200
Speaker 1: I was younger, but now, no, you gotta it can

831
00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:04,439
Speaker 1: make sense. And sometimes people try to intimidate you, call

832
00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:08,880
Speaker 1: you names, Are you you crazy? Well that's okay, I

833
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:11,919
Speaker 1: know my intentions. But if you make it make sense,

834
00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:16,360
Speaker 1: I'll submit. The third season, things start to click. You

835
00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:21,080
Speaker 1: have his nineteen for assist from the free throw line.

836
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,840
Speaker 1: Um speak to kind of things starting to come together

837
00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:29,879
Speaker 1: and then the insults ability to help you break out.

838
00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:33,640
Speaker 1: Dan was good for US Man ex player. He used

839
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:37,719
Speaker 1: to score, so he had a score mentality. Uh he

840
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,640
Speaker 1: brought me into the locker room and he said, look, man,

841
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,440
Speaker 1: the slatest clean did your it's your job to have

842
00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:49,600
Speaker 1: and uh I was. I was still man, hesitant, apprehensive,

843
00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:54,239
Speaker 1: you know, but I wanted to trust. He ended up

844
00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:57,839
Speaker 1: keeping his word. And uh that was a season man,

845
00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:00,960
Speaker 1: that just went extremely well for me, an say extremely well,

846
00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:06,439
Speaker 1: it went well better than than the previous ones. Um. Yeah,

847
00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:09,080
Speaker 1: and that's when I ended up getting the most improved

848
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:13,600
Speaker 1: that year. Um and he he ended up You know,

849
00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:16,000
Speaker 1: I think it's it's it's great when coaches are able

850
00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:19,319
Speaker 1: to define roles, you know, you know, you you got

851
00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:22,680
Speaker 1: people that can score and rebound defined roles. Not everybody's

852
00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:25,560
Speaker 1: gonna be at school, you know. And he was able

853
00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:27,719
Speaker 1: to define those roles like, these are the people we

854
00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:31,040
Speaker 1: want with the ball more so than anybody, right, it

855
00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:33,919
Speaker 1: goes through them. Needs to be established. And that came

856
00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:38,239
Speaker 1: off of me losing that forty at forty pound. And uh,

857
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:41,320
Speaker 1: I was just a normal I was. I was. I

858
00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:44,239
Speaker 1: was my high school weight. I was one five when

859
00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:46,960
Speaker 1: I became my senior year with and they would trying

860
00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:49,520
Speaker 1: to you. I said, I listened to somebody that told

861
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:53,239
Speaker 1: me that I need the game now you. So I'm

862
00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:56,279
Speaker 1: doing me now and that's what happened. Yeah, I mean,

863
00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:58,920
Speaker 1: at this point your name is Mark Mood, I'm doing

864
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:03,160
Speaker 1: role Um. Coincidentally, you know, you're you're you're really starting

865
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:06,040
Speaker 1: to find yourself off the court, playing better on the court.

866
00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:10,880
Speaker 1: But there's pushback from that from fans and and media.

867
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:15,280
Speaker 1: Can you speak to when you've kind of entrenched yourself

868
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,600
Speaker 1: and made the name change and have that crossover, because

869
00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:21,080
Speaker 1: there's been historical athletes who have done the same, Can

870
00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:24,040
Speaker 1: you speak to what that transition was like for you? Yeah,

871
00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:28,040
Speaker 1: you're right, so many athletes before I have done that.

872
00:47:28,719 --> 00:47:34,920
Speaker 1: The most notable, obviously is Muhammad ali Um. People sometimes

873
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:40,399
Speaker 1: are scared of what they don't know, but some people

874
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:43,640
Speaker 1: are very aware of the significance of the name change.

875
00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:48,320
Speaker 1: To some people, they understand it to be a highly

876
00:47:48,920 --> 00:47:53,759
Speaker 1: social and political move that you made, because look, most

877
00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:58,799
Speaker 1: of our names residues of slavery, no matter how how

878
00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:02,879
Speaker 1: how we want to avoid that for sure, for sure.

879
00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:07,480
Speaker 1: And so when you decide to take the initiative to

880
00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:11,480
Speaker 1: choose your own name, and it's not one of those

881
00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:16,640
Speaker 1: names for people that understand history, and they can get

882
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:21,520
Speaker 1: offended by it, like, oh, we lost this m He

883
00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:24,120
Speaker 1: has a mind of his own, He thinks for himself,

884
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:26,719
Speaker 1: you know. So I think some of that came from that,

885
00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:30,080
Speaker 1: I really do, uh, And a lot of it came

886
00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:32,279
Speaker 1: from the fact that, look, we have in every walk

887
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:37,080
Speaker 1: of life, whether Christian, Jewish, Agnostic, atheists, whatever, you have

888
00:48:37,239 --> 00:48:40,320
Speaker 1: people that live a certain way. They claim to be

889
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:43,560
Speaker 1: one thing and they don't totally practice. None of us

890
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:49,759
Speaker 1: are perfect, right and some U can't tell right, uh,

891
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:54,080
Speaker 1: in terms of but when you begin to like a C.

892
00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:57,799
Speaker 1: Green in the n b A. He showed his Christianity,

893
00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:00,880
Speaker 1: but he was also kind of shown he wasn't a

894
00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:03,360
Speaker 1: part of the country club because he was so strict

895
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:06,000
Speaker 1: with his beliefs. So when you begin, when I began,

896
00:49:06,160 --> 00:49:10,000
Speaker 1: when I first accepted, first accept it was oh, hey,

897
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:13,120
Speaker 1: no problem. But when they started to see me engaging

898
00:49:13,160 --> 00:49:17,200
Speaker 1: people in conversation, praying in the locker room, help, I

899
00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:19,640
Speaker 1: gotta pray before the buzz go off, and I'm not

900
00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:22,719
Speaker 1: Now I'm trying to have real conversation now, not just

901
00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:27,680
Speaker 1: about some superficial, superficial stuff. Now it becomes an issue,

902
00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:32,399
Speaker 1: and it's like, there's this since that I don't want

903
00:49:32,480 --> 00:49:37,160
Speaker 1: him to infect other people right, and I really felt that.

904
00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:39,040
Speaker 1: I really felt that from the bottom of my heart,

905
00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:42,319
Speaker 1: and it ended up coming out, uh, what's his name,

906
00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:45,840
Speaker 1: Mike Evans, assistant coach. I went to the point of

907
00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:50,520
Speaker 1: asking someone, uh, behind my back, about this slam stuff

908
00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:53,239
Speaker 1: that he's been saying. And he came to he said, mom, Mood,

909
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:55,560
Speaker 1: I talked to a religious He said, you don't have

910
00:49:55,680 --> 00:49:58,279
Speaker 1: to be praying that nothing. So he figured out, an't know,

911
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:02,040
Speaker 1: I'm just a not most of them. It is not serious.

912
00:50:02,080 --> 00:50:04,600
Speaker 1: But I read and I ended up explaining to him,

913
00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:06,960
Speaker 1: I listen, that's not correct. And I gave him some

914
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:08,719
Speaker 1: verses in the God and I said, Mike, from here

915
00:50:08,719 --> 00:50:11,080
Speaker 1: on out, man, if you got a question, you don't

916
00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:12,920
Speaker 1: have to sneak behind my back to go ask somebody

917
00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:15,640
Speaker 1: and then see if I'm practicing my religion, right, I said,

918
00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:17,080
Speaker 1: come ask me. I said, I don't have no problem

919
00:50:17,160 --> 00:50:18,879
Speaker 1: telling you the truth. And I said, and I'm gonna

920
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:20,440
Speaker 1: tell you. When I tell you something, go look it

921
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:23,480
Speaker 1: up because I want That's how I'm gonna gain a

922
00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:26,279
Speaker 1: person's trust. And where I show you something, you find

923
00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:28,399
Speaker 1: it for yourself and you're listening a little bit more. Yeah,

924
00:50:29,560 --> 00:50:32,920
Speaker 1: So in the dock. Um, he became national attention to

925
00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:36,320
Speaker 1: ninety six when you decided not to stand for the

926
00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:40,359
Speaker 1: national anthem. But you have been doing it but four

927
00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:41,799
Speaker 1: to six months, I think, he said in the dock

928
00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:45,920
Speaker 1: before that, when that kind of hit the national media.

929
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,919
Speaker 1: And we're at a time where obviously today something hits,

930
00:50:49,040 --> 00:50:51,880
Speaker 1: we can instantly give our side the story, defend whatever

931
00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:55,240
Speaker 1: we're not in that time. How did your life change?

932
00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:59,239
Speaker 1: It was? It was pretty immediate. Uh, the fall back.

933
00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:03,920
Speaker 1: I remember after doing that that interview after shoot around,

934
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,560
Speaker 1: I'm going home. We have a game against Shaquille, Little

935
00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:12,319
Speaker 1: Neo land though, And and the reason I said that, man,

936
00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:16,160
Speaker 1: I'm these are conversations we have all the time, right

937
00:51:16,480 --> 00:51:19,600
Speaker 1: on the bus, on the plane, We're having them. And

938
00:51:19,719 --> 00:51:21,480
Speaker 1: so I didn't really think anything of it. I'm just

939
00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:25,239
Speaker 1: speaking what I believe to be true. But I knew

940
00:51:25,280 --> 00:51:28,919
Speaker 1: that it was serious. When even more so I knew

941
00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:31,040
Speaker 1: it was serious at the shoot around, I knew it

942
00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:33,160
Speaker 1: was even extra serious when Bernie called me to his

943
00:51:33,239 --> 00:51:35,960
Speaker 1: office when I got to the Rhino and he said, well,

944
00:51:36,280 --> 00:51:40,319
Speaker 1: he said, the NBA wants to suspend you if if

945
00:51:40,400 --> 00:51:42,719
Speaker 1: you don't stand what do you say? Said Bernie I'm

946
00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:45,120
Speaker 1: not standing. He said, well, some people want to call

947
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:48,080
Speaker 1: you to get him on the phone, and so we're

948
00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:50,399
Speaker 1: now talking. I don't I wish I could remember who

949
00:51:50,440 --> 00:51:52,799
Speaker 1: it was. And as we were talking, they said, uh.

950
00:51:52,960 --> 00:51:55,359
Speaker 1: They started talking to me, trying to convince me. I said, listen, man,

951
00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:58,440
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna stand. I said, so you do what

952
00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:00,279
Speaker 1: you gotta do, and I'll do it I have to do.

953
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:03,760
Speaker 1: And I'm so green man, literally, I've never been suspended

954
00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:07,080
Speaker 1: in my life. I'm thinking it's gonna take an active legislation.

955
00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:09,160
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be able to go play for a few weeks.

956
00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:10,960
Speaker 1: And then they got to go through a board in

957
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,600
Speaker 1: the process and boom, and I'm like, can I go

958
00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:15,800
Speaker 1: put my stuff on, man and go play? He said no.

959
00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,239
Speaker 1: I said, I'm suspended now. He said yeah. I said,

960
00:52:20,239 --> 00:52:22,280
Speaker 1: what Can I get dressed and go into the arena

961
00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:25,799
Speaker 1: and support the team? He says no. I said, huh.

962
00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:27,480
Speaker 1: He said no, they don't want you on the premises.

963
00:52:28,400 --> 00:52:30,560
Speaker 1: Have a go. So I walked out and went down,

964
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:33,920
Speaker 1: said what I had to say to the teammates and

965
00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:37,120
Speaker 1: they looked and I drove home. Before I knew it, Man,

966
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:39,680
Speaker 1: it was global. It was all over the news. Then

967
00:52:39,719 --> 00:52:41,399
Speaker 1: I got on the phone with some people that I knew,

968
00:52:42,840 --> 00:52:45,800
Speaker 1: a mentor of mine, and we talked. And that's the

969
00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:49,719
Speaker 1: only reason, the only reason I came back the next

970
00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:52,440
Speaker 1: day or whenever it was the next game, is because

971
00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:54,520
Speaker 1: the example that he gave me about something that the

972
00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:58,239
Speaker 1: Prophet did in light of a situation when there's a

973
00:52:58,320 --> 00:53:00,560
Speaker 1: Jewish funeral possession passing back and they were a war

974
00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:03,560
Speaker 1: at the time, and the Prophet stood up and his

975
00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:06,120
Speaker 1: companions like, hey, we're fighting them, and they're fighting us.

976
00:53:06,160 --> 00:53:08,600
Speaker 1: We're killing each other. He said, what are you standing?

977
00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:10,840
Speaker 1: He said, I'm not standing because they gave I'm not

978
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:13,719
Speaker 1: standing for their calls. I'm standing because God gave a

979
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:16,920
Speaker 1: life and he took her life. He said, So you

980
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:21,000
Speaker 1: can stand and not be for what America and its

981
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:25,120
Speaker 1: brutality and it's in its imperialistic ways and represent you

982
00:53:25,239 --> 00:53:27,080
Speaker 1: could be standing for those who are pressed, who are

983
00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:30,600
Speaker 1: the victims, and you'd be making prayer. And I was

984
00:53:30,680 --> 00:53:33,719
Speaker 1: mad at him when he told me that in a

985
00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:39,479
Speaker 1: way because the pride in me didn't. But he made

986
00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:41,800
Speaker 1: so much sense, and I like the problem, if you

987
00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:48,840
Speaker 1: make sense, expect it. Yeah, I mean, I was furious

988
00:53:49,480 --> 00:53:51,200
Speaker 1: you know what I said, because I knew what the

989
00:53:51,280 --> 00:53:55,319
Speaker 1: media would say, You're gonna And so when I came

990
00:53:55,360 --> 00:53:57,600
Speaker 1: back to this very old so you made a compromisy. Listen, man,

991
00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:01,120
Speaker 1: as a Muslim, as a human being, we make a decision.

992
00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:03,759
Speaker 1: But if we see something better, we do that. I said.

993
00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:06,040
Speaker 1: But don't make no mistakes. I said, I still feel

994
00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:09,480
Speaker 1: the same way that that my position hasn't changed. And

995
00:54:09,560 --> 00:54:11,200
Speaker 1: I had to keep beating that to him and let

996
00:54:11,280 --> 00:54:15,160
Speaker 1: them know I'm not gonna backpedal. I'm not gonna become

997
00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:18,960
Speaker 1: less outspoken as a result of this. We can go

998
00:54:19,040 --> 00:54:20,520
Speaker 1: back to the same process if you want to and

999
00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:23,080
Speaker 1: kick me kick me out again, no problem, you know.

1000
00:54:23,280 --> 00:54:26,680
Speaker 1: And and so that's just been my position, and and

1001
00:54:26,719 --> 00:54:29,760
Speaker 1: it's it's my position, brother, because I said to myself

1002
00:54:29,920 --> 00:54:33,080
Speaker 1: years ago, and I keep repeating this, and we all

1003
00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:35,000
Speaker 1: have to as athletes. How many times you wake up?

1004
00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:38,879
Speaker 1: You got to motivate your remind yourself taught, And I said,

1005
00:54:38,920 --> 00:54:41,680
Speaker 1: you know what my mission is to live and die

1006
00:54:42,040 --> 00:54:44,200
Speaker 1: with a free conscience and a free soul, whether people

1007
00:54:44,239 --> 00:54:49,680
Speaker 1: like it or not. That real quick. A month before

1008
00:54:49,719 --> 00:54:54,120
Speaker 1: you suspended ninety six Bulls Historic team, you dropped thirty

1009
00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:56,880
Speaker 1: two on that team touched us about that game. In

1010
00:54:56,960 --> 00:54:59,920
Speaker 1: your mindset that game, Jordan's. They put you in the

1011
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,799
Speaker 1: the point guard. They were trying to run him at

1012
00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:05,839
Speaker 1: the point and he had just got back from getting

1013
00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:09,520
Speaker 1: lit up by Damon Starterman, and there was another guard

1014
00:55:09,560 --> 00:55:11,440
Speaker 1: that lit him up. And I think I was the

1015
00:55:11,520 --> 00:55:15,399
Speaker 1: third visit, and I'm saying to myself, I don't want

1016
00:55:15,400 --> 00:55:18,240
Speaker 1: to be the odd ball, you know, because we get offended.

1017
00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:25,080
Speaker 1: That's like, m hm, he's six, what eight? And my mood,

1018
00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:34,760
Speaker 1: you guarden route tonight on the post, give me the ball.

1019
00:55:35,239 --> 00:55:37,920
Speaker 1: You're gonna get offended. This is my position. This is

1020
00:55:37,920 --> 00:55:41,719
Speaker 1: what I played. So I know you Jordan's, but I

1021
00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:43,400
Speaker 1: ain't saying this. I ain't looking like this. But in

1022
00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:46,920
Speaker 1: your mind you're like, are you serious? Oh no, I

1023
00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:49,480
Speaker 1: can't be the odd ball, So you go struck me.

1024
00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:52,640
Speaker 1: Even you already want to kill it, come out with

1025
00:55:52,680 --> 00:55:54,840
Speaker 1: a kill him. But even then it's like, no, you

1026
00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:58,640
Speaker 1: gotta even have more now, you know. And so that

1027
00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:03,319
Speaker 1: was my mindset. I'm trying to kill him to get

1028
00:56:03,400 --> 00:56:07,400
Speaker 1: an off of me immediately, which ended up working, and

1029
00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,640
Speaker 1: they started changing up guys, and but I tell guys

1030
00:56:10,640 --> 00:56:12,960
Speaker 1: all the time, say, look, man, y'all know I said, look,

1031
00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:14,799
Speaker 1: it was nice to score those thirty two and beat him,

1032
00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:18,520
Speaker 1: but I would rather flip it around and have the championship,

1033
00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:27,400
Speaker 1: obviously battling against him, and then you know, hearing him speak, uh,

1034
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:31,080
Speaker 1: how he spoke about you in your defense? How did

1035
00:56:31,120 --> 00:56:34,759
Speaker 1: that make you feel? Oh? You mean during the the

1036
00:56:35,080 --> 00:56:38,080
Speaker 1: anthem No, the anthem part, yeah, right, No, I was

1037
00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:43,840
Speaker 1: with all the things that are circling Michael Jordan. To

1038
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:48,160
Speaker 1: hear him say something positive about that, it was surprising.

1039
00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:53,120
Speaker 1: And again, I'm very appreciative anytime, man, irrespective if I

1040
00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:56,280
Speaker 1: care about the person or not, I'm quick to acknowledge

1041
00:56:56,320 --> 00:57:00,520
Speaker 1: I'm not the what's the word I'm looking for. I

1042
00:57:00,560 --> 00:57:02,719
Speaker 1: don't want to say naive, but I can't think of

1043
00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:05,680
Speaker 1: the world right now. But I may not like Trump,

1044
00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:08,879
Speaker 1: I might not care for Trump, but if Trump says

1045
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:11,080
Speaker 1: something that makes sense, it's it's the truth that I'm

1046
00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:14,040
Speaker 1: connected sense. But I don't mean I care for you

1047
00:57:14,080 --> 00:57:17,560
Speaker 1: too much. With Kanye and a lot of people, so

1048
00:57:17,800 --> 00:57:20,280
Speaker 1: I listened to the information and if it makes sense,

1049
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:22,800
Speaker 1: I go with. If it don't, some people though, it's like, well,

1050
00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:24,960
Speaker 1: you can't ever tell I said so you're telling me

1051
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:27,520
Speaker 1: this man can't tell you anything about business. He can't

1052
00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:32,200
Speaker 1: tell you now you emotional. So even with Jordan's I'm like, man,

1053
00:57:34,000 --> 00:57:36,880
Speaker 1: I appreciate that that you said that. I mean, it

1054
00:57:36,960 --> 00:57:40,120
Speaker 1: means a lot to me. Yeah. So that's where in

1055
00:57:40,160 --> 00:57:43,000
Speaker 1: the aftermafter the national anthem, you were black ball from

1056
00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:46,520
Speaker 1: the league. Twenty years later, Colin Kaepernick is involved in

1057
00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:50,200
Speaker 1: the same situation. Well, can you tell me some similarities

1058
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:51,840
Speaker 1: and the same things that he were going through that

1059
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:56,480
Speaker 1: you were going through. Well, he was publicly condemned for

1060
00:57:56,600 --> 00:58:03,919
Speaker 1: his statements. Um, you know, because of our labels, people

1061
00:58:03,960 --> 00:58:07,280
Speaker 1: don't necessarily when we label ourselves and we allow society

1062
00:58:07,280 --> 00:58:10,560
Speaker 1: and label us, they don't see the rest of us. Right,

1063
00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:14,720
Speaker 1: So when you're an actress and actor and athlete, anytime

1064
00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:19,680
Speaker 1: you say something outside of that framework, it's sacrilegious. It's

1065
00:58:19,840 --> 00:58:22,760
Speaker 1: it's viewed as you know, ridiculous, shut up and dribble.

1066
00:58:23,440 --> 00:58:25,959
Speaker 1: You don't have the capacity to speak in this lane.

1067
00:58:26,520 --> 00:58:28,280
Speaker 1: So this is the same thing that happened to him.

1068
00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:34,200
Speaker 1: And also, you know the I don't know what his

1069
00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:37,680
Speaker 1: career was like before, but diminishing minutes that he began

1070
00:58:37,760 --> 00:58:40,480
Speaker 1: to receive as a result, because as soon as that's

1071
00:58:40,480 --> 00:58:43,600
Speaker 1: something like wow, this is similar because one thing that's

1072
00:58:43,640 --> 00:58:47,760
Speaker 1: thought playing you less, and then they have a media

1073
00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:50,720
Speaker 1: that's backing on. So we're not just that, but the

1074
00:58:50,840 --> 00:58:54,240
Speaker 1: media media that says, oh, he's lost it, he's lost,

1075
00:58:54,880 --> 00:59:00,720
Speaker 1: he can't play anymore to justify. So yeah, I'm looking

1076
00:59:00,760 --> 00:59:02,440
Speaker 1: at all, I'm like, wow, this is so similar to

1077
00:59:02,560 --> 00:59:05,680
Speaker 1: death threats, right, all of that, and these are every

1078
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:09,800
Speaker 1: every This is like the playbook, right, it's everything that

1079
00:59:09,880 --> 00:59:12,400
Speaker 1: I went through. I'm like, you know, so that's why

1080
00:59:12,440 --> 00:59:15,080
Speaker 1: I sent him immediately. I think I was new on

1081
00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:16,720
Speaker 1: social media at the time. I said, look, I'm four

1082
00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:19,640
Speaker 1: year thousand present and just wanted to send my my

1083
00:59:19,840 --> 00:59:24,400
Speaker 1: voice out. Um. But it wasn't surprising. I mean history

1084
00:59:25,200 --> 00:59:27,880
Speaker 1: is replete with these examples of every time a person,

1085
00:59:27,960 --> 00:59:32,680
Speaker 1: in particular a black athletes about something, he's automatically uh,

1086
00:59:33,240 --> 00:59:37,960
Speaker 1: condemned and and the humanized. Yeah, because you want to

1087
00:59:38,040 --> 00:59:42,840
Speaker 1: you wanna you don't want other people to be attracted

1088
00:59:42,880 --> 00:59:45,520
Speaker 1: to that, right, It's like he might influence kind of

1089
00:59:45,520 --> 00:59:48,720
Speaker 1: like with norm Chomsky said, the threat of a good example, right,

1090
00:59:48,840 --> 00:59:51,480
Speaker 1: so you know he might infect the rest of them.

1091
00:59:51,520 --> 00:59:54,240
Speaker 1: They might start thinking in terms of trying to make

1092
00:59:54,280 --> 00:59:58,160
Speaker 1: a difference social change, and it's you mentioned social media

1093
00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:01,680
Speaker 1: and that was the biggest difference from our time to

1094
01:00:01,840 --> 01:00:04,240
Speaker 1: his time. And I didn't it didn't. I knew it

1095
01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:06,840
Speaker 1: was different, but it didn't resonate to me until Dr

1096
01:00:06,880 --> 01:00:11,000
Speaker 1: Harry Edwards ones that influenced Don Carlos and Cream do

1097
01:00:11,080 --> 01:00:13,360
Speaker 1: what your bough to take those positions. He said to me,

1098
01:00:14,240 --> 01:00:17,360
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna say this because I think anytime anyone

1099
01:00:17,560 --> 01:00:20,560
Speaker 1: takes a position, no matter how big or great, you

1100
01:00:20,680 --> 01:00:23,400
Speaker 1: applaud it. You try to support it as much as

1101
01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:27,000
Speaker 1: humanly possible. But people are gonna compare. And he was,

1102
01:00:27,040 --> 01:00:30,520
Speaker 1: like my mood, he said. When Muhammad Ali took his position,

1103
01:00:31,320 --> 01:00:33,520
Speaker 1: he said, they had a movement backing it, the black

1104
01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,280
Speaker 1: the Black Power movement that they can frame it under.

1105
01:00:36,960 --> 01:00:39,400
Speaker 1: When Kaepernick did what he did, they had the Black

1106
01:00:39,440 --> 01:00:42,840
Speaker 1: Lives Matter movement that they can frame it under. He said.

1107
01:00:42,880 --> 01:00:45,880
Speaker 1: We made it easier because you can attach it to something.

1108
01:00:46,520 --> 01:00:48,240
Speaker 1: He said, when you and Craig did what you did,

1109
01:00:48,320 --> 01:00:50,320
Speaker 1: they didn't have no moods like you're in the ocean

1110
01:00:50,960 --> 01:00:53,959
Speaker 1: all along, he said, which made that tough. I said, wow,

1111
01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:56,720
Speaker 1: I didn't think about that like that is it as deep?

1112
01:00:57,240 --> 01:01:01,919
Speaker 1: That's why he is we is right. But I could

1113
01:01:01,960 --> 01:01:06,760
Speaker 1: only imagine because a lot of the letters man when

1114
01:01:06,840 --> 01:01:09,200
Speaker 1: we were moving, I had a trash bag, and the

1115
01:01:09,320 --> 01:01:14,200
Speaker 1: dude confused the trash bag from the trash and I

1116
01:01:14,320 --> 01:01:19,560
Speaker 1: had so so many letters of people hate mail. But

1117
01:01:19,680 --> 01:01:24,919
Speaker 1: I had just as many, if not more, support from Jews, Christians, atheists,

1118
01:01:25,400 --> 01:01:29,560
Speaker 1: and they were dropping down. They were breaking down history right,

1119
01:01:29,680 --> 01:01:32,880
Speaker 1: and I understood that. You know, as a system always right,

1120
01:01:33,040 --> 01:01:37,280
Speaker 1: there's an agenda, and more people, I think than not

1121
01:01:37,560 --> 01:01:40,560
Speaker 1: on the street, because the post is on the street.

1122
01:01:40,680 --> 01:01:43,000
Speaker 1: When you go to barbershops and when you go mostly anywhere,

1123
01:01:43,320 --> 01:01:47,040
Speaker 1: the private conversations people are having. Many people know what's happening.

1124
01:01:47,120 --> 01:01:51,400
Speaker 1: They know, they're disgusted, they're upset. You know, they're struggling,

1125
01:01:51,480 --> 01:01:57,520
Speaker 1: white and black, they're struggling, and but there's this cognitive dissidence.

1126
01:01:57,680 --> 01:02:02,200
Speaker 1: You know, America's great, but it's terrible. But now you

1127
01:02:02,320 --> 01:02:05,720
Speaker 1: gotta deal with the terrible. It's so bad that you know,

1128
01:02:05,800 --> 01:02:09,560
Speaker 1: they say, look, by two thousand fifty blacks, generational income

1129
01:02:09,600 --> 01:02:12,920
Speaker 1: will be z ro. It takes two hundred eight years

1130
01:02:13,760 --> 01:02:18,840
Speaker 1: just to reach economic parody with Europeans, generational wealth for

1131
01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:21,600
Speaker 1: mostly every medium income family. If you were to reduce

1132
01:02:21,680 --> 01:02:25,680
Speaker 1: their income and tell everything and come back with liquid,

1133
01:02:25,720 --> 01:02:27,520
Speaker 1: they will have a thousand and some dollars to their name.

1134
01:02:28,600 --> 01:02:31,520
Speaker 1: But but white Europeans will have a hundred and some thousands.

1135
01:02:32,040 --> 01:02:36,080
Speaker 1: This is this is unjust. So there's so many things

1136
01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:40,720
Speaker 1: people you know, aware of and uh yeah, so when

1137
01:02:40,760 --> 01:02:44,280
Speaker 1: that was happening, all of these thoughts, you know, like wow,

1138
01:02:44,360 --> 01:02:46,240
Speaker 1: this is a part of it. As a blueprint, this

1139
01:02:46,360 --> 01:02:48,360
Speaker 1: is what they do because they don't want people to know.

1140
01:02:48,640 --> 01:02:52,320
Speaker 1: They don't want people to find out. And I'm just determined, man,

1141
01:02:52,560 --> 01:02:54,360
Speaker 1: as long as I lived to the day I die,

1142
01:02:54,520 --> 01:02:57,920
Speaker 1: as much information as I can't whoever would listen, I'm

1143
01:02:57,960 --> 01:03:01,160
Speaker 1: gonna I'm gonna say something. But I also love to listen,

1144
01:03:02,240 --> 01:03:04,640
Speaker 1: you know, and all of those two things how you learn.

1145
01:03:05,040 --> 01:03:08,920
Speaker 1: We have so many people that are silent when the truth,

1146
01:03:09,920 --> 01:03:13,840
Speaker 1: you know, begs for advocacy, begs for supporters, you know,

1147
01:03:14,000 --> 01:03:16,680
Speaker 1: to just you know, speak to their conscious man. And

1148
01:03:17,800 --> 01:03:19,720
Speaker 1: I think this is one of the biggest challenges that

1149
01:03:19,840 --> 01:03:21,920
Speaker 1: we but I understand where it's coming from. There's a

1150
01:03:21,960 --> 01:03:24,680
Speaker 1: lot of people that are fearful because time and again

1151
01:03:24,800 --> 01:03:27,680
Speaker 1: history have shown that you gotta play the game because

1152
01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:30,400
Speaker 1: if you don't, you know, you might lose your job,

1153
01:03:30,840 --> 01:03:34,320
Speaker 1: you might lose your life. Right, But we're gonna die anyway,

1154
01:03:35,520 --> 01:03:37,280
Speaker 1: you know, brother told me, said, man, none of us

1155
01:03:37,360 --> 01:03:40,040
Speaker 1: gonna make it out here live. So you got a choice.

1156
01:03:40,880 --> 01:03:42,720
Speaker 1: You know, do you want to leave on the better truth?

1157
01:03:43,320 --> 01:03:46,520
Speaker 1: A better falsehood? And I know it's easier said than done,

1158
01:03:47,280 --> 01:03:49,560
Speaker 1: because we're so caught up in this materialism, Like, well,

1159
01:03:49,720 --> 01:03:53,680
Speaker 1: y'all don't want to leave. And no, man, look, George

1160
01:03:53,720 --> 01:03:55,800
Speaker 1: Washington Carver said, no one has the right to come

1161
01:03:55,840 --> 01:03:58,720
Speaker 1: into this world and go out of it without leaving

1162
01:03:58,760 --> 01:04:01,320
Speaker 1: behind distinct and legit them in reasons for having passed

1163
01:04:01,360 --> 01:04:04,240
Speaker 1: through it. So as all said and done, it's about

1164
01:04:04,320 --> 01:04:07,320
Speaker 1: leaving a legacy worth leaving. We all got a choice.

1165
01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:10,920
Speaker 1: And and for me, look, I'm not perfect, none of

1166
01:04:11,000 --> 01:04:13,080
Speaker 1: us are. I have my flaws. I'm not the most

1167
01:04:13,640 --> 01:04:16,720
Speaker 1: eloquent and articulate and smartest guy in the world. But

1168
01:04:16,880 --> 01:04:20,600
Speaker 1: I know where my heart lies and and I know

1169
01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:23,480
Speaker 1: what my intentions are, and forever I'm gonna strive to

1170
01:04:23,560 --> 01:04:27,080
Speaker 1: be better and to benefit people as much as I can,

1171
01:04:27,640 --> 01:04:39,080
Speaker 1: you know, as much as I can. Another question how

1172
01:04:39,080 --> 01:04:41,320
Speaker 1: important it is it is today for us to control

1173
01:04:41,360 --> 01:04:44,280
Speaker 1: our own narratives. Super important to control our own narrative

1174
01:04:44,480 --> 01:04:47,800
Speaker 1: because most of our existence are narrative has been controlled.

1175
01:04:48,800 --> 01:04:53,320
Speaker 1: What was that? What was that African proverb? Until lions big,

1176
01:04:54,160 --> 01:04:58,720
Speaker 1: until lions become this. I hate when I can't do this,

1177
01:04:59,280 --> 01:05:07,240
Speaker 1: but it's um um growing up when you hear stories

1178
01:05:07,280 --> 01:05:11,160
Speaker 1: about Africa, when you hear stories about even if it's

1179
01:05:11,320 --> 01:05:16,360
Speaker 1: listening to the commentary on Kyrie right. Uh, it's important

1180
01:05:16,400 --> 01:05:19,080
Speaker 1: to do the research, to add to to be analytical,

1181
01:05:19,160 --> 01:05:24,000
Speaker 1: to investigate for yourself, and also to own your own

1182
01:05:24,120 --> 01:05:29,760
Speaker 1: story because like even even with documentaries, there are people

1183
01:05:29,840 --> 01:05:33,160
Speaker 1: if you don't own certain things, they can demand that, look,

1184
01:05:33,240 --> 01:05:36,680
Speaker 1: we don't want that show. You want this out and

1185
01:05:37,120 --> 01:05:41,640
Speaker 1: it could change the breath of the conversation tremendously, you know.

1186
01:05:41,840 --> 01:05:46,120
Speaker 1: So Uh that should be That's a part of having power,

1187
01:05:46,880 --> 01:05:48,960
Speaker 1: being able to tell our stories. You know, you can

1188
01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:52,160
Speaker 1: talk about economic power, you can talk that that's important too,

1189
01:05:52,600 --> 01:05:54,080
Speaker 1: but that's a part of it. You got to own

1190
01:05:54,120 --> 01:05:57,800
Speaker 1: your story and and and and tell it the right way. Yeah.

1191
01:05:58,400 --> 01:06:01,680
Speaker 1: And the documentary you find out who your father is. Uh,

1192
01:06:01,800 --> 01:06:03,440
Speaker 1: you find out when the where you found out that

1193
01:06:03,480 --> 01:06:07,160
Speaker 1: your father's family excuse me, and uh you you meet,

1194
01:06:07,600 --> 01:06:10,360
Speaker 1: you find out that Window Lattner was a two time

1195
01:06:10,400 --> 01:06:13,520
Speaker 1: All star in your family and the A B A.

1196
01:06:14,600 --> 01:06:16,560
Speaker 1: What was your my frame when you found out somebody

1197
01:06:16,560 --> 01:06:19,080
Speaker 1: and your family was in the league you come from whop?

1198
01:06:19,480 --> 01:06:25,800
Speaker 1: That was funny? Man? But but but I also had

1199
01:06:25,880 --> 01:06:28,520
Speaker 1: I thought that when I bought my mother her home

1200
01:06:28,640 --> 01:06:31,840
Speaker 1: that day, you know, and just flying cost always thinking

1201
01:06:31,920 --> 01:06:34,800
Speaker 1: something bad's gonna happen. I was one of the things

1202
01:06:34,840 --> 01:06:37,120
Speaker 1: I would think would happen. And because I was constantly

1203
01:06:37,160 --> 01:06:41,400
Speaker 1: doing was man, uh, this is too good to be true.

1204
01:06:41,440 --> 01:06:45,160
Speaker 1: I might getting the plane crash and come to find

1205
01:06:45,200 --> 01:06:48,560
Speaker 1: out he died in the plane crash. I think he

1206
01:06:48,640 --> 01:06:50,920
Speaker 1: also played with Dr J and Dr J came to

1207
01:06:51,840 --> 01:06:56,840
Speaker 1: a gulfport, which is yeah, yeah, funeral. I said, wow,

1208
01:06:57,040 --> 01:07:01,160
Speaker 1: what I don't want to say coincidence, circle, full circle,

1209
01:07:01,640 --> 01:07:04,800
Speaker 1: and the whole family, large portion of the family has

1210
01:07:04,840 --> 01:07:08,680
Speaker 1: connected to basketball. So it made sense, you know that

1211
01:07:09,360 --> 01:07:11,320
Speaker 1: this is what I gravitated to. I can see no

1212
01:07:11,400 --> 01:07:14,240
Speaker 1: hoops at the table now. And when we met the Landers,

1213
01:07:14,520 --> 01:07:16,600
Speaker 1: I looked at the table. I didn't see no just

1214
01:07:16,720 --> 01:07:20,920
Speaker 1: no third and ten. I didn't look, I didn't see him, man,

1215
01:07:22,160 --> 01:07:24,040
Speaker 1: but I adn't gonna lie to you man without history.

1216
01:07:24,080 --> 01:07:25,880
Speaker 1: And I told him this at the table, I said, listen,

1217
01:07:26,320 --> 01:07:28,640
Speaker 1: they said, how do you feel? And I can't remember

1218
01:07:28,640 --> 01:07:30,160
Speaker 1: the exact words. I said, Look, I have to be

1219
01:07:30,280 --> 01:07:33,400
Speaker 1: I'm gonna give it to you straight, with no chaser.

1220
01:07:33,680 --> 01:07:37,160
Speaker 1: I said, you know, a part of me I'm excited,

1221
01:07:38,360 --> 01:07:39,640
Speaker 1: you know. And I said, but a part of me

1222
01:07:39,760 --> 01:07:43,560
Speaker 1: also with the history of this nation, relationship with blacks

1223
01:07:43,600 --> 01:07:46,680
Speaker 1: and whites. I said, Still there's unanswered questions, I said,

1224
01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:50,600
Speaker 1: I think about you know, this person that has sex

1225
01:07:50,640 --> 01:07:55,040
Speaker 1: with my mother, wasn't just for reputation? Did he molester

1226
01:07:55,440 --> 01:07:58,160
Speaker 1: the raper? You know? Why am I the only child

1227
01:07:58,400 --> 01:08:01,360
Speaker 1: in my family that don't know? Brother's father was white.

1228
01:08:01,400 --> 01:08:04,280
Speaker 1: He knows it. My younger brother of African American, But

1229
01:08:04,400 --> 01:08:06,200
Speaker 1: for all of my life I don't know mine. And

1230
01:08:06,280 --> 01:08:09,840
Speaker 1: she's always been quiet. This is why some for some reason,

1231
01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:15,320
Speaker 1: I don't think. I think it's somebody with some importance

1232
01:08:16,280 --> 01:08:18,360
Speaker 1: because she never told me, but the other ones knew,

1233
01:08:18,760 --> 01:08:22,320
Speaker 1: So why don't I know? And so I'm thinking maybe

1234
01:08:22,400 --> 01:08:26,120
Speaker 1: this is a person, maybe he was a politician, maybe

1235
01:08:26,120 --> 01:08:30,280
Speaker 1: he had money. Keep your mouth shut? Never. But even

1236
01:08:30,320 --> 01:08:33,280
Speaker 1: if that was the case, it never benefited us. We

1237
01:08:33,520 --> 01:08:36,479
Speaker 1: we missed meals, we didn't have certain clothes, you know,

1238
01:08:36,960 --> 01:08:39,720
Speaker 1: freezing in the window, you know. So I can't help

1239
01:08:39,760 --> 01:08:43,160
Speaker 1: but think. And I told him that, you know. And

1240
01:08:43,200 --> 01:08:45,000
Speaker 1: then they were trying to say who they thought it was,

1241
01:08:45,280 --> 01:08:47,439
Speaker 1: and this guy was this, and this and this. I

1242
01:08:47,600 --> 01:08:52,000
Speaker 1: hear you, maybe so, but still I don't know. And

1243
01:08:52,080 --> 01:08:54,360
Speaker 1: it still that doesn't make sense. If he's that such

1244
01:08:54,400 --> 01:08:57,200
Speaker 1: a guy, if he they knew he was, he loved

1245
01:08:57,240 --> 01:08:59,639
Speaker 1: women and he dated black women and it was public,

1246
01:09:00,040 --> 01:09:04,720
Speaker 1: then why would I know? That doesn't make sense you

1247
01:09:04,840 --> 01:09:08,680
Speaker 1: talk about Uh, Well, on on that note, it's good,

1248
01:09:08,760 --> 01:09:11,400
Speaker 1: just just certain because I found that I was related

1249
01:09:11,479 --> 01:09:14,800
Speaker 1: to Bumby the Rapper, and we found out that we

1250
01:09:14,880 --> 01:09:17,400
Speaker 1: can go get this property that's in my family's name

1251
01:09:17,439 --> 01:09:19,680
Speaker 1: in Louisiana. They just made a rule in Louisiana that

1252
01:09:20,200 --> 01:09:22,120
Speaker 1: if you can come up with the with the paperwork

1253
01:09:22,200 --> 01:09:24,439
Speaker 1: and prove that your family owned this land and they

1254
01:09:24,520 --> 01:09:25,840
Speaker 1: got to give it back to you, ain't got to

1255
01:09:25,880 --> 01:09:28,840
Speaker 1: buy it. So that's what I just found out from Bumby.

1256
01:09:28,960 --> 01:09:30,320
Speaker 1: So it's good that you're trying to find it out

1257
01:09:30,320 --> 01:09:33,920
Speaker 1: because you might have some land somewhere um your love

1258
01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:38,240
Speaker 1: for the game. Obviously, things ended the way you didn't

1259
01:09:38,240 --> 01:09:40,040
Speaker 1: want it to end with the NBA. But the Big

1260
01:09:40,080 --> 01:09:43,960
Speaker 1: Three came about when you first knew heard that you

1261
01:09:44,040 --> 01:09:47,719
Speaker 1: had an opportunity to play again professionally against other pros.

1262
01:09:48,920 --> 01:09:50,880
Speaker 1: The game that's been taken away from you, the platform

1263
01:09:50,920 --> 01:09:52,320
Speaker 1: has been taken away from you, had a chance to

1264
01:09:52,400 --> 01:09:55,320
Speaker 1: do that again almost at fifty. How you felt? How

1265
01:09:55,400 --> 01:09:58,120
Speaker 1: did you feel? There was a combination of excitement and nervous.

1266
01:09:59,120 --> 01:10:01,800
Speaker 1: It's been so long you've been out the game, and

1267
01:10:01,920 --> 01:10:05,840
Speaker 1: then you know coming in you're gonna probably be one of,

1268
01:10:06,000 --> 01:10:08,720
Speaker 1: if not the oldest, you know out there because a

1269
01:10:08,720 --> 01:10:11,880
Speaker 1: lot of people don't take care of themselves and uh,

1270
01:10:12,280 --> 01:10:15,600
Speaker 1: and you know there's politics and everything too right and

1271
01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:19,600
Speaker 1: so if it wasn't for c J, uh, because that

1272
01:10:19,680 --> 01:10:21,280
Speaker 1: was the guy that brought it to me initially, but

1273
01:10:21,840 --> 01:10:24,360
Speaker 1: I wasn't interested because a lot of leads pop up

1274
01:10:24,720 --> 01:10:27,040
Speaker 1: and then they failed. And then when c J came,

1275
01:10:27,080 --> 01:10:30,200
Speaker 1: I was at that time in my life. You know what, man,

1276
01:10:30,920 --> 01:10:37,479
Speaker 1: I want to go do it and it just so happens. Yeah,

1277
01:10:38,040 --> 01:10:40,720
Speaker 1: because Gary didn't really want to play me. I'm just

1278
01:10:40,880 --> 01:10:43,840
Speaker 1: be straight up because but but what's his name ended

1279
01:10:43,880 --> 01:10:46,640
Speaker 1: up going down White Chocolate, so he was forced to

1280
01:10:46,680 --> 01:10:49,240
Speaker 1: play me. Then when you get you end up getting

1281
01:10:49,320 --> 01:10:52,559
Speaker 1: drafted in the Big three by somebody was drafted within

1282
01:10:52,640 --> 01:10:55,960
Speaker 1: the NBA draft Garrett page. And that's a story behind that. Now,

1283
01:10:55,960 --> 01:10:58,400
Speaker 1: if you want me to Jake, it's all the smoke now,

1284
01:10:58,880 --> 01:11:02,600
Speaker 1: because still even though I didn't miss a shot in

1285
01:11:02,680 --> 01:11:04,600
Speaker 1: the in the in they didn't miss a shot in

1286
01:11:04,640 --> 01:11:07,639
Speaker 1: the whole combine combine, it was in the best Jake,

1287
01:11:09,120 --> 01:11:14,560
Speaker 1: I saw guys going before friends friend. I already know

1288
01:11:14,640 --> 01:11:18,880
Speaker 1: it's politics. So I'm sitting there and c J told

1289
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:21,080
Speaker 1: me they would get ready to pick somebody that's the

1290
01:11:21,120 --> 01:11:23,800
Speaker 1: equivalent of Richard. He said, man, you already got this

1291
01:11:23,920 --> 01:11:26,040
Speaker 1: and this and this. He said, man, you need another guard.

1292
01:11:26,160 --> 01:11:28,679
Speaker 1: What happens if what's his name? Go down? He said,

1293
01:11:28,680 --> 01:11:35,960
Speaker 1: who I'm mood? He saw you right right, But I'm

1294
01:11:36,040 --> 01:11:39,000
Speaker 1: just look, Garrett didn't want He didn't want me, even

1295
01:11:39,040 --> 01:11:43,920
Speaker 1: though public perception because I started playing well, so as

1296
01:11:43,960 --> 01:11:48,200
Speaker 1: I'm playing as when White Chocolate went down, he was

1297
01:11:48,240 --> 01:11:50,479
Speaker 1: forced to play me. So now I'm getting into a

1298
01:11:50,560 --> 01:11:52,920
Speaker 1: rhythm I'm playing. This was game one of the season.

1299
01:11:53,000 --> 01:11:56,720
Speaker 1: This is Brooklyn. Yeah, yeah, so he started playing, but

1300
01:11:56,760 --> 01:11:59,800
Speaker 1: he was still trying to play. Uh, I forget that

1301
01:11:59,920 --> 01:12:03,720
Speaker 1: the guys on the team, because one guy good dude,

1302
01:12:03,800 --> 01:12:06,599
Speaker 1: but just he wasn't he wasn't able to hand. Yeah,

1303
01:12:07,439 --> 01:12:10,320
Speaker 1: and so things started shifting from me, I'm i'm I'm

1304
01:12:10,360 --> 01:12:12,880
Speaker 1: getting my rhythm AND's going now you can't see me.

1305
01:12:14,000 --> 01:12:17,479
Speaker 1: But there were moments he was still try. But but anyway,

1306
01:12:17,600 --> 01:12:22,120
Speaker 1: making long story, no, no, it's it's real because we

1307
01:12:22,280 --> 01:12:25,599
Speaker 1: we deal with that though even sometimes I love him,

1308
01:12:26,120 --> 01:12:30,160
Speaker 1: but even so times sometimes among our own like man,

1309
01:12:30,360 --> 01:12:33,320
Speaker 1: oh man, don't have to be this way, right, we

1310
01:12:33,479 --> 01:12:35,720
Speaker 1: make it harder than what it is, you know. But

1311
01:12:36,120 --> 01:12:40,000
Speaker 1: I ended up I think, going on a two two years,

1312
01:12:43,280 --> 01:12:47,280
Speaker 1: uh two year run and then slowly you know how

1313
01:12:47,320 --> 01:12:51,400
Speaker 1: it is, you know, Making long it was beautiful. I

1314
01:12:51,600 --> 01:12:54,760
Speaker 1: enjoyed it the competitors, but for me even more so, man,

1315
01:12:54,880 --> 01:12:59,519
Speaker 1: it was the It was the being able to play

1316
01:12:59,600 --> 01:13:04,880
Speaker 1: at this age and still be functional with guys that

1317
01:13:04,960 --> 01:13:08,040
Speaker 1: are much younger, you know. And I would joke with guys.

1318
01:13:08,120 --> 01:13:10,960
Speaker 1: I say, hey, man, you know I don't like I

1319
01:13:11,200 --> 01:13:14,240
Speaker 1: ain't no trash sugger, but I'll play around. I said,

1320
01:13:14,280 --> 01:13:18,200
Speaker 1: if you scored twenty and I score, I score, uh

1321
01:13:18,640 --> 01:13:23,639
Speaker 1: fifteen or sixteen? You look bad if I score, I said,

1322
01:13:23,720 --> 01:13:28,439
Speaker 1: if our school. So either way, you got more if

1323
01:13:28,439 --> 01:13:30,040
Speaker 1: I scored more than you. If I scored the same,

1324
01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:32,360
Speaker 1: I scored a little less. So I'm trying to put

1325
01:13:32,400 --> 01:13:35,200
Speaker 1: in their mind because they come out trying harder. Now

1326
01:13:35,800 --> 01:13:38,400
Speaker 1: you know, I ain't gonna let this old dude, you know.

1327
01:13:38,479 --> 01:13:40,240
Speaker 1: But that was the It was fun for me, man,

1328
01:13:40,320 --> 01:13:42,479
Speaker 1: And just to meet people you don't like yourself, and

1329
01:13:42,600 --> 01:13:45,400
Speaker 1: we didn't know each other coming up, and just to

1330
01:13:45,439 --> 01:13:47,640
Speaker 1: see people that I was watching on TV after all

1331
01:13:47,680 --> 01:13:51,519
Speaker 1: of the younger generation and just their personalities and most

1332
01:13:51,560 --> 01:13:55,040
Speaker 1: everybody I meet man on level, whether the actors or athletes.

1333
01:13:55,080 --> 01:13:57,439
Speaker 1: And I tell people because sometimes you get around man.

1334
01:13:57,479 --> 01:13:59,840
Speaker 1: These athletes said no, no, no, no, no, said you're

1335
01:13:59,840 --> 01:14:02,519
Speaker 1: going everybody. We're human, everybody cann have that. Then you

1336
01:14:02,600 --> 01:14:05,280
Speaker 1: got some bad ones, you got some arigans. I said,

1337
01:14:05,320 --> 01:14:08,280
Speaker 1: But for the most part, man, my experience, most of

1338
01:14:08,360 --> 01:14:12,040
Speaker 1: the people that I've met, they're really good people, now humble.

1339
01:14:12,840 --> 01:14:15,519
Speaker 1: A lot of them had to be to get there,

1340
01:14:16,040 --> 01:14:19,880
Speaker 1: I said, So don't don't label all because of that

1341
01:14:20,000 --> 01:14:23,040
Speaker 1: one or two experiences. Most people they'll speak to you

1342
01:14:23,120 --> 01:14:25,080
Speaker 1: and they'll be kind to you, you know, because they

1343
01:14:25,160 --> 01:14:27,560
Speaker 1: come out of some of the same social you know,

1344
01:14:27,640 --> 01:14:32,040
Speaker 1: I'm a consion they've gotten. Yeah, so it was it

1345
01:14:32,120 --> 01:14:34,200
Speaker 1: was great, man. It was great for me, and I

1346
01:14:34,560 --> 01:14:36,120
Speaker 1: know for me in a lot of players in the

1347
01:14:36,200 --> 01:14:38,560
Speaker 1: Big Three, it was it's an honor to have you

1348
01:14:38,680 --> 01:14:41,800
Speaker 1: in the league. Not only because we can say we're

1349
01:14:41,880 --> 01:14:44,560
Speaker 1: part of the league that's giving you an opportunity to

1350
01:14:44,640 --> 01:14:46,720
Speaker 1: play the game again, but what you mean to us.

1351
01:14:47,280 --> 01:14:48,840
Speaker 1: You know, it's a lot of guys like me, Like

1352
01:14:49,040 --> 01:14:51,000
Speaker 1: even when I met you, I just became Muslim, but

1353
01:14:51,120 --> 01:14:52,840
Speaker 1: I looked up to you for so many reasons, and

1354
01:14:52,920 --> 01:14:54,719
Speaker 1: one thing is for being your own person and speaking

1355
01:14:54,760 --> 01:14:59,040
Speaker 1: your mind. But I was told when I was going

1356
01:14:59,080 --> 01:15:00,800
Speaker 1: through the George for I think that you've got something

1357
01:15:01,800 --> 01:15:04,800
Speaker 1: similar to you. Everything that you've been through as a

1358
01:15:04,880 --> 01:15:07,920
Speaker 1: kid and you're upbringing built you for that moment when

1359
01:15:07,960 --> 01:15:10,000
Speaker 1: you had to take that stand. And I was told

1360
01:15:10,040 --> 01:15:11,840
Speaker 1: the same thing. Everything that I was I learned that

1361
01:15:11,880 --> 01:15:13,479
Speaker 1: I've been through with the NBA and growing up to

1362
01:15:13,560 --> 01:15:16,360
Speaker 1: get here, it built me to go through the things

1363
01:15:16,439 --> 01:15:18,920
Speaker 1: with George Floyd and I just I just want to

1364
01:15:18,960 --> 01:15:20,560
Speaker 1: give your flowers into and tell you how much we

1365
01:15:20,640 --> 01:15:23,240
Speaker 1: appreciate you because a lot of us wouldn't even think

1366
01:15:23,240 --> 01:15:25,479
Speaker 1: about being in that space. I have the confidence to

1367
01:15:25,680 --> 01:15:27,479
Speaker 1: stand up. You know, a lot of people are not

1368
01:15:27,600 --> 01:15:30,680
Speaker 1: risking anything, but you was risking everything and stood up

1369
01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:34,280
Speaker 1: to do something that didn't benefit you. And that's one

1370
01:15:34,320 --> 01:15:36,599
Speaker 1: thing I learned about being a Muslim. Try to wake

1371
01:15:36,680 --> 01:15:38,760
Speaker 1: up every day to show allow you deserve everything he's

1372
01:15:38,760 --> 01:15:41,479
Speaker 1: blessing with, blessing you with, but also making a point

1373
01:15:41,520 --> 01:15:44,320
Speaker 1: to do something that don't benefit you, right and and

1374
01:15:44,439 --> 01:15:47,360
Speaker 1: for you. You don't know how you benefit so many

1375
01:15:47,400 --> 01:15:49,160
Speaker 1: people and how you and what you mean to so

1376
01:15:49,280 --> 01:15:51,439
Speaker 1: many of us. Man. So I just I've told you

1377
01:15:51,479 --> 01:15:53,439
Speaker 1: this a couple of times, but publicly I want to

1378
01:15:53,479 --> 01:15:55,840
Speaker 1: tell y'all love you. Man. I appreciate everything you stand for,

1379
01:15:56,479 --> 01:15:58,920
Speaker 1: what you mean, and what you do and and and

1380
01:15:59,080 --> 01:16:01,000
Speaker 1: and and the person you are because you gave a

1381
01:16:01,040 --> 01:16:03,800
Speaker 1: lot of us confidence to to be ourselves and to

1382
01:16:03,960 --> 01:16:06,000
Speaker 1: understand to have our own mind and think for ourselfs.

1383
01:16:06,040 --> 01:16:07,560
Speaker 1: So I love you, Burn, I appreciate you, and I

1384
01:16:07,600 --> 01:16:10,040
Speaker 1: appreciate that. I'm always humble when I hear that. And

1385
01:16:10,120 --> 01:16:13,599
Speaker 1: you've always been uh, that guy in the Big Three. Man,

1386
01:16:13,680 --> 01:16:17,040
Speaker 1: every time I see you smile, you're positive, encouraging, So

1387
01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:19,799
Speaker 1: that goes a long way. You know, there's a saying

1388
01:16:20,560 --> 01:16:22,560
Speaker 1: I think Ironerstein may have said it. I don't know.

1389
01:16:23,160 --> 01:16:25,479
Speaker 1: I said, if you want to find yourself, lose yourself

1390
01:16:25,520 --> 01:16:28,000
Speaker 1: in the service of others, you're not really believing that

1391
01:16:30,120 --> 01:16:32,720
Speaker 1: yourself in the service of others, because you know, when

1392
01:16:32,760 --> 01:16:35,680
Speaker 1: you begin to to share, whether it's information, whether it's

1393
01:16:35,680 --> 01:16:38,599
Speaker 1: your wealth, whether it's your time, you really it does

1394
01:16:38,680 --> 01:16:42,040
Speaker 1: benefit you. It benefits you in enormous ways, your peace,

1395
01:16:42,120 --> 01:16:45,559
Speaker 1: your health, and it all comes back, It all comes back.

1396
01:16:46,200 --> 01:16:47,920
Speaker 1: But you do it just you want to do it

1397
01:16:47,960 --> 01:16:50,839
Speaker 1: out of just genuineness, just for your love of humanity,

1398
01:16:51,200 --> 01:16:53,760
Speaker 1: even though people may not really understand it. You know

1399
01:16:53,760 --> 01:16:55,840
Speaker 1: what I mean, Because as a saying that in a

1400
01:16:55,920 --> 01:16:58,640
Speaker 1: slam that if you take one life unjustly, it just

1401
01:16:58,720 --> 01:17:02,120
Speaker 1: thought you've killed all of humanity. That's how valuable life is.

1402
01:17:02,760 --> 01:17:06,920
Speaker 1: And so you flip that if you benefit one life, yeah,

1403
01:17:07,280 --> 01:17:10,439
Speaker 1: you know. So we're constantly trying to increase our blessings

1404
01:17:10,760 --> 01:17:13,439
Speaker 1: in every in every single way. Man, So I appreciate that.

1405
01:17:13,920 --> 01:17:17,000
Speaker 1: It means a lot to hear to hear you and

1406
01:17:17,720 --> 01:17:19,760
Speaker 1: to you here, to hear you and Craig Herds like

1407
01:17:19,800 --> 01:17:21,600
Speaker 1: I had to speak in engagement and he kind of

1408
01:17:21,640 --> 01:17:24,920
Speaker 1: said the same thing. I think that means more to

1409
01:17:25,040 --> 01:17:27,320
Speaker 1: me what I did for George, for to have people

1410
01:17:27,360 --> 01:17:29,400
Speaker 1: like you and George and you and Craig Heards comes

1411
01:17:29,400 --> 01:17:30,920
Speaker 1: to me and tell me, man, I'm proud of you

1412
01:17:31,240 --> 01:17:32,720
Speaker 1: for what you've done. You know what I'm saying, because

1413
01:17:32,720 --> 01:17:34,599
Speaker 1: I didn't know I'll be in that position, but I've

1414
01:17:34,640 --> 01:17:36,720
Speaker 1: seen what you guys. You know we've been through. So

1415
01:17:36,880 --> 01:17:38,439
Speaker 1: to hear that from you and him, it mean a

1416
01:17:38,520 --> 01:17:39,880
Speaker 1: lot to me, and it wants it wants me to

1417
01:17:39,960 --> 01:17:41,880
Speaker 1: continue to do the right thing and do something for

1418
01:17:41,920 --> 01:17:43,920
Speaker 1: other people. Yeah. When you know, when you put yourself

1419
01:17:44,400 --> 01:17:48,880
Speaker 1: in a line of fire, as a whole different different

1420
01:17:49,000 --> 01:17:51,679
Speaker 1: ball games, you know, and so there's a whole different

1421
01:17:51,760 --> 01:17:54,720
Speaker 1: level of respect for whoever because not everybody does it,

1422
01:17:55,479 --> 01:17:57,519
Speaker 1: and we do it in different you know, do it

1423
01:17:57,600 --> 01:17:59,240
Speaker 1: in different ways. There are different ways to help, but

1424
01:17:59,320 --> 01:18:01,680
Speaker 1: that one right there us so overt and in your

1425
01:18:01,760 --> 01:18:05,840
Speaker 1: face and there's a lot of risk involved. So yeah,

1426
01:18:06,320 --> 01:18:09,600
Speaker 1: we do more of it. Yeah, everybody voice matter consistently

1427
01:18:10,720 --> 01:18:12,960
Speaker 1: before we get out of here. Uh you spoke to

1428
01:18:13,040 --> 01:18:15,559
Speaker 1: Dr Edwards saying that there was nothing really to attach

1429
01:18:16,040 --> 01:18:18,400
Speaker 1: what you were standing for at your time too, there

1430
01:18:18,479 --> 01:18:20,840
Speaker 1: wasn't too much support. You were really like almost on

1431
01:18:20,960 --> 01:18:25,040
Speaker 1: an island. Um looking back on that now and seeing

1432
01:18:25,600 --> 01:18:28,920
Speaker 1: you said you had a bag of people who appreciate

1433
01:18:29,000 --> 01:18:30,559
Speaker 1: and we're riding with you. But then when you see

1434
01:18:30,600 --> 01:18:33,240
Speaker 1: guys like all the guys have spoken your documentary, Steph

1435
01:18:33,360 --> 01:18:36,560
Speaker 1: and Shack and everyone kind of Jaden Rose, thank you

1436
01:18:36,720 --> 01:18:40,080
Speaker 1: and praise you and show you love you sacrifice what

1437
01:18:40,240 --> 01:18:42,200
Speaker 1: we all dream of doing. We all dreamed of being

1438
01:18:42,240 --> 01:18:44,080
Speaker 1: a hooper, and you were at the most elite level

1439
01:18:44,120 --> 01:18:48,479
Speaker 1: and you sacrificed your career for that. Now looking back,

1440
01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:51,200
Speaker 1: when you're getting and not that you're even looking for,

1441
01:18:51,360 --> 01:18:55,320
Speaker 1: but you're actually getting the praise and respect and and love. Now,

1442
01:18:55,920 --> 01:18:57,880
Speaker 1: is it better late than never? Is it bitter sweet?

1443
01:18:57,960 --> 01:19:00,559
Speaker 1: How does that make you feel now of looking back

1444
01:19:00,600 --> 01:19:02,880
Speaker 1: on the situation when you're kind of standing on your

1445
01:19:02,880 --> 01:19:07,639
Speaker 1: own but now there's so much support. Um, Times change,

1446
01:19:08,280 --> 01:19:11,559
Speaker 1: you know, people's people's thoughts about things change. The ones

1447
01:19:11,640 --> 01:19:15,200
Speaker 1: that were in the video were the ones that, uh,

1448
01:19:15,880 --> 01:19:18,120
Speaker 1: it's I've been reserved me correctly when I was going

1449
01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:21,479
Speaker 1: through that process. Were also the ones who said some

1450
01:19:21,600 --> 01:19:28,680
Speaker 1: positive things, chat said some jayleen um um. But you know,

1451
01:19:28,800 --> 01:19:33,559
Speaker 1: you're always grateful. You know, we look, we all reach

1452
01:19:33,720 --> 01:19:37,560
Speaker 1: points in our life at different times, and so you know,

1453
01:19:37,600 --> 01:19:39,639
Speaker 1: I hear a lot with man, you were before your time,

1454
01:19:39,720 --> 01:19:43,599
Speaker 1: you're before your time, and I appreciate that. But I'm

1455
01:19:43,840 --> 01:19:46,800
Speaker 1: at the same time, I'm always rooting for people like

1456
01:19:46,880 --> 01:19:49,080
Speaker 1: I'm rooting for myself because there's so much I can

1457
01:19:49,200 --> 01:19:51,479
Speaker 1: learn and so much more I can do. I'm never

1458
01:19:51,600 --> 01:19:55,200
Speaker 1: comfortable with I reached the top of the mountain. No,

1459
01:19:55,760 --> 01:19:58,320
Speaker 1: that's when you start, That's when things start going wrong.

1460
01:19:58,560 --> 01:20:01,600
Speaker 1: I'm always feeling that desk. I could do more, I

1461
01:20:01,640 --> 01:20:04,160
Speaker 1: can learn more, you know, I can benefit more people.

1462
01:20:04,920 --> 01:20:07,960
Speaker 1: And and so even in that case, you know, some

1463
01:20:08,080 --> 01:20:10,200
Speaker 1: people be like, oh, man, it's too late now you

1464
01:20:10,280 --> 01:20:13,439
Speaker 1: should have been No. I'm like, look, it's better late

1465
01:20:13,520 --> 01:20:17,040
Speaker 1: than never. You know, you're you're here because you know

1466
01:20:17,200 --> 01:20:19,479
Speaker 1: this is the time for you. And so now that

1467
01:20:19,560 --> 01:20:22,320
Speaker 1: you're here, it's up to you to do something. And

1468
01:20:22,479 --> 01:20:25,800
Speaker 1: I'm always rooting for people. I look at people, I'm like, man,

1469
01:20:27,479 --> 01:20:29,320
Speaker 1: when you know something, you feel you know something, and

1470
01:20:29,360 --> 01:20:34,000
Speaker 1: you're talking to somebody and they disagree. You understand, but

1471
01:20:34,200 --> 01:20:35,960
Speaker 1: you I wish you could see the way I see it.

1472
01:20:36,880 --> 01:20:39,400
Speaker 1: But I'm not gonna condemn you for now. I'll say

1473
01:20:39,560 --> 01:20:42,560
Speaker 1: I just agree or disagree, but I'm gonna always be

1474
01:20:42,680 --> 01:20:46,599
Speaker 1: rooting for you. You can always be rooting for you. So, uh,

1475
01:20:47,200 --> 01:20:50,880
Speaker 1: it's I don't know the word to use yet. Uh

1476
01:20:51,040 --> 01:20:53,880
Speaker 1: it's not coming to me. But um, there's a timing

1477
01:20:53,960 --> 01:20:56,240
Speaker 1: and a place for everything. And I'm very grateful for

1478
01:20:56,280 --> 01:20:59,280
Speaker 1: those voices and those people. And my only, my only

1479
01:20:59,360 --> 01:21:04,160
Speaker 1: thing would just be man too. Uh to continue. I

1480
01:21:04,240 --> 01:21:07,559
Speaker 1: know it's cliche, and it's so hard to continue when

1481
01:21:07,640 --> 01:21:11,680
Speaker 1: things are constantly coming your way. But like anything, if

1482
01:21:11,680 --> 01:21:14,240
Speaker 1: you want to be great at something, I tell everybody

1483
01:21:14,320 --> 01:21:17,720
Speaker 1: this myself, you gotta practice. If you want to be

1484
01:21:17,840 --> 01:21:20,800
Speaker 1: great in basketball, you gotta practice. If you want to

1485
01:21:20,800 --> 01:21:23,439
Speaker 1: be great in patience, you gotta practice. If you want

1486
01:21:23,439 --> 01:21:26,200
Speaker 1: to be great and being a social activist, you gotta practice.

1487
01:21:26,240 --> 01:21:29,280
Speaker 1: But you also in practice it. You gotta surround yourself.

1488
01:21:29,320 --> 01:21:32,080
Speaker 1: They do studies all the time, and it's a that

1489
01:21:32,320 --> 01:21:34,960
Speaker 1: if if you out of shape, hang with somebody in shape.

1490
01:21:35,040 --> 01:21:37,519
Speaker 1: If you're not smart, hang with a smart person. Why

1491
01:21:37,560 --> 01:21:40,439
Speaker 1: because there's a there's a language, there's a lifestyle, there's

1492
01:21:40,479 --> 01:21:42,400
Speaker 1: a pattern, and the more you're around them, the stuff

1493
01:21:42,400 --> 01:21:46,080
Speaker 1: is going to eventually rub all. You're getting your flowers.

1494
01:21:46,160 --> 01:21:48,280
Speaker 1: But I wish they could throw max contract act that

1495
01:21:48,400 --> 01:21:53,000
Speaker 1: you missed. Oh no, but but you know what I'm

1496
01:21:53,120 --> 01:21:55,760
Speaker 1: also it's funny you say that. You know I'm not

1497
01:21:55,960 --> 01:21:58,960
Speaker 1: dude though, like you hear a lot of people going

1498
01:21:59,040 --> 01:22:02,760
Speaker 1: to they win settlements and someone's asking this man, if

1499
01:22:02,800 --> 01:22:05,240
Speaker 1: you want a settlement, like would you? I said, you

1500
01:22:05,320 --> 01:22:08,439
Speaker 1: know what, that'll be very enticing and do they all

1501
01:22:08,760 --> 01:22:10,960
Speaker 1: know a lot of players though I'm saying I'm not

1502
01:22:11,000 --> 01:22:14,240
Speaker 1: the only one that they did this, And I said

1503
01:22:14,640 --> 01:22:17,880
Speaker 1: for me, I wouldn't allow you to pay me if

1504
01:22:17,920 --> 01:22:21,160
Speaker 1: you're not willing to go back and pay before because

1505
01:22:21,240 --> 01:22:23,439
Speaker 1: I can't. I can't. I can't operate like that. I

1506
01:22:23,560 --> 01:22:26,960
Speaker 1: got paid. But no, because it almost sounds like hush money,

1507
01:22:28,120 --> 01:22:29,720
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. No, I'm not going out

1508
01:22:29,800 --> 01:22:32,479
Speaker 1: like I'd rather be broke and we all be on

1509
01:22:32,560 --> 01:22:36,600
Speaker 1: the same level. Then you pay me, and I know

1510
01:22:36,800 --> 01:22:39,600
Speaker 1: that Craig and so many other people ain't benefited. No,

1511
01:22:39,880 --> 01:22:42,240
Speaker 1: you gotta you gotta take care of about all right,

1512
01:22:42,320 --> 01:22:44,840
Speaker 1: quick hitters. First thing to come to mind. Let us know,

1513
01:22:45,200 --> 01:22:46,840
Speaker 1: first thing you do in the morning, last thing you

1514
01:22:46,880 --> 01:22:49,920
Speaker 1: do before you go to sleep. I know that. Oh uh.

1515
01:22:50,640 --> 01:22:57,439
Speaker 1: I pray and I read and didn't pray. Yeah, five

1516
01:22:57,520 --> 01:23:01,120
Speaker 1: dinner guests there are alive. I want to hear these

1517
01:23:01,240 --> 01:23:04,160
Speaker 1: great conversation. I hate those questions though. I'm not gonna

1518
01:23:04,160 --> 01:23:07,200
Speaker 1: be real with y'all because there's so many, so many. Yeah,

1519
01:23:07,280 --> 01:23:11,760
Speaker 1: just give us five. Prophet Muhammed of course, Adam first

1520
01:23:11,840 --> 01:23:17,240
Speaker 1: man and how Eve yeah, both of them, both of them. Yeah. Um,

1521
01:23:17,600 --> 01:23:28,519
Speaker 1: that's three. Um Malcolm, mm hmmm um. Last spot, Um,

1522
01:23:29,680 --> 01:23:35,640
Speaker 1: Jesus Saw Saw Yeah, I gotta know you gotta read you.

1523
01:23:36,040 --> 01:23:39,120
Speaker 1: Uh you plus four on the black top? You and

1524
01:23:39,240 --> 01:23:42,479
Speaker 1: four other people not in the league, but outside pickup game,

1525
01:23:43,080 --> 01:23:44,960
Speaker 1: not in the league, the league. They could be in

1526
01:23:44,960 --> 01:23:47,160
Speaker 1: the league. I'm saying you're not. You're playing outside outdoors

1527
01:23:48,880 --> 01:23:57,719
Speaker 1: on a black top. Jordan's he's tough man. I'm gonna

1528
01:23:57,720 --> 01:24:00,240
Speaker 1: go with him because my boy, h king Yeah, wors

1529
01:24:01,000 --> 01:24:15,400
Speaker 1: that's three. Uh huh, come on, man, yeah, it's tough man. Jordan.

1530
01:24:15,640 --> 01:24:17,400
Speaker 1: Hold on, Jordan, I think you're on the black top,

1531
01:24:17,479 --> 01:24:22,320
Speaker 1: so I ain't no foul calling, Oh, ain't no foul

1532
01:24:22,400 --> 01:24:29,759
Speaker 1: call you on the black top. Jordan said, oh, Dennis

1533
01:24:29,960 --> 01:24:43,120
Speaker 1: Den and uh, I'm gonna go with somebody I ain't

1534
01:24:43,160 --> 01:24:45,479
Speaker 1: here in a long time. I'm gonna just pick him

1535
01:24:45,520 --> 01:24:46,800
Speaker 1: because I want to pick him. And he was like

1536
01:24:46,880 --> 01:24:52,960
Speaker 1: a small shock, but played the two guard the microwave. Yes,

1537
01:24:55,920 --> 01:24:58,000
Speaker 1: we're on the black top. It's o man. You put

1538
01:24:58,040 --> 01:25:02,120
Speaker 1: him in the game. That's twin points points. Yeah, yeah,

1539
01:25:03,720 --> 01:25:07,040
Speaker 1: some sides, all right, last but not least. If you

1540
01:25:07,120 --> 01:25:09,680
Speaker 1: could see anyone on our show, who would it be?

1541
01:25:11,320 --> 01:25:14,240
Speaker 1: But before you answer that question, you have to help

1542
01:25:14,400 --> 01:25:19,160
Speaker 1: us get your answer on our show. Oh that's a

1543
01:25:19,280 --> 01:25:21,559
Speaker 1: tough one. I don't know all the people y'all. Head.

1544
01:25:25,680 --> 01:25:31,880
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, nice, we overdo the day I took

1545
01:25:31,920 --> 01:25:34,599
Speaker 1: my shot that he called me as well, great guy man.

1546
01:25:34,640 --> 01:25:35,880
Speaker 1: He gave me a lot of good guys. We need.

1547
01:25:36,040 --> 01:25:41,320
Speaker 1: We need to Hall of Fame, really do so. He's

1548
01:25:41,360 --> 01:25:45,120
Speaker 1: so philanthropic, man, he gives so much. Man. We used

1549
01:25:45,120 --> 01:25:47,439
Speaker 1: to pray before games in Houston. We pray before games

1550
01:25:47,479 --> 01:25:50,559
Speaker 1: and then yeah, so come give us some of your

1551
01:25:50,920 --> 01:25:53,240
Speaker 1: He gave me some keys. He gave me some good keys.

1552
01:25:53,720 --> 01:25:57,960
Speaker 1: YEA fairy soul spoken brother and I'll fight in a heartbeat.

1553
01:26:01,760 --> 01:26:04,600
Speaker 1: I love it my mood. We appreciate your time. We

1554
01:26:04,680 --> 01:26:07,160
Speaker 1: got some merch for you right here. Trust me, he

1555
01:26:07,280 --> 01:26:10,439
Speaker 1: liked merch. Now do you work out merch like I'm

1556
01:26:11,920 --> 01:26:14,360
Speaker 1: where can you get at all the smoke bat Store?

1557
01:26:14,640 --> 01:26:16,559
Speaker 1: You can have it as well. Make sure you guys

1558
01:26:16,680 --> 01:26:21,040
Speaker 1: check out stand the mock mood ab duro story only

1559
01:26:21,160 --> 01:26:23,599
Speaker 1: on Showtime. We got a chance to watch it last night. Man.

1560
01:26:23,760 --> 01:26:27,320
Speaker 1: Very insightful, very emotion emotional roller coaster. Make sure you

1561
01:26:27,400 --> 01:26:31,200
Speaker 1: guys check that out Man beautifully done. Um hopefully win awards.

1562
01:26:32,120 --> 01:26:35,400
Speaker 1: Well that's a wrap, man mood, I'd rove all the smoke.

1563
01:26:35,800 --> 01:26:37,840
Speaker 1: You can catch us on Showtime, Basketball, YouTube and the

1564
01:26:38,040 --> 01:26:40,559
Speaker 1: Heart platform Black Effects. We'll see you all next time.