WEBVTT - KJ Live - Nate Jones 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.479 This Yes, kJ Live with Chris Johnson and Chris is 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:14.480 having conversations with influencers in the sports world and entertainment 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:20.759 in a strain. Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now cond 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.920 in kJ Live. Today's guest on the show is an 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:28.560 NBA agent and marketer for good Ones Sports. He's also 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:30.479 the co founder of Movie in Souls and one of 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:34.960 the most thoughtful and mindful twitters about the NBA that 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.640 you will ever come across. His name as Nate Jones. 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:40.519 Let's welcoming into the show something Nate, what's up? How 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:43.479 are you doing, k J. I'm doing great man, Happy 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:45.440 and honored to have you on the show. Brother. I 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:49.880 followed you on Twitter for thirteen years or something stupid 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:55.480 since since you're you remember the early days and Twitter, 0:00:56.320 --> 0:01:00.720 talk a little bit about how NBA Twitter has sort 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:06.959 of evolved over the years. Dude. First of all, Twitter 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:09.280 is just this whole life, this whole basketball life that 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:13.280 I've lad is surreal. Like people don't know I grew 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.320 I grew up in l A. But people don't know, 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:19.680 Like how big U c l A Basketball, Cringshaw basketball 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:22.399 was in l A coming up in the nineties, and 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:24.880 like this dude is was one of the dudes like 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.640 anyone that was younger was looking up to coming up 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:29.319 because he was in the paper. He was going to 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.080 u c l A. He's taking a shot of the 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.199 city championship. People don't know. They gotta get they gotta 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:36.319 give the O g s the ones that led it, 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:41.440 you know, for us, Um they're flowers, man, coming up. 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:44.160 I grew up in mid City, uh, you know, up 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:48.400 the street from Midtown Shopping Center, rolling Wills right and 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.560 on my on my street, there's a there's a cat 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:54.360 name Marlon Garnett. Come on, come on, all right, and 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.960 that's what got me heavy in the basketball right. So 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:01.280 it's just crazy to see that, Like every everyone that 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:04.880 I either looked up to or you know, younger than 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.360 me or coming up before whatever, it is like they're 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:09.680 all on this Twitter platform and we all kind of 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:11.720 interact with each other, like even like a guy like 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:16.000 Clarence Gains, like people that don't know who he is, 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:22.640 like everyone that is anyone in the basketball world, from 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.080 you know, in the league to marketing to college, high school. 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.120 There's kind of that community there. So I feel real 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.480 at home there. But the ear the early days were 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:37.840 it's interesting. It's just people were just people were just 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:42.600 having fun. Yeah, agenda, no agenda, and that you know, 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:46.280 then it became like, you know, they're obviously there's finances 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.959 attached to Twitter, and it's a platform for getting your 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:53.160 you know, content off and whatever goals you have going there. 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:56.919 And also I think it's just the way social media works. 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.840 We have you know, outrage culture where everybody is like 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.000 everyone's looking for something to be upset about and like 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:07.320 tweet a thread every day versus just like you know, 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:11.079 keeping it light, interacting with people and learning something. We 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:14.840 think people are so outraged today. I mean we you know, 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.040 we grew up in a time where obviously things were 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:19.360 sensitive and things were sensitive nature, but it seems like 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.960 things have increased. Nate, Why do you think that is? 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.120 Is it because we hear about it more? Has it? 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:27.200 Is it happening just as much as in the past 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.440 where we hear any about it more? Now? Well, I 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:32.440 just think it's like it starts with the way the 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:36.160 platforms are designed. You know, the engagement aspect of it. 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.680 You see how much is retweeted, you see the um 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.000 you know, engagement on likes, comments, all that stuff, Like 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:46.080 the big thing on Twitter now is oh, you got ratio, 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:50.240 Like everybody is like why do you like? Why does it? 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:52.560 I just think of the platform was never designed that 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:55.400 way where there were never any like that consumer facing 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.240 stats in terms of like what's happening with your content, 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:01.280 and people are incentive biased to kind of like get 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.960 those numbers up. I think the platform will be a 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:09.200 lot different, a lot different when you look at the 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:11.920 NBA right now and the play in and excitement with 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:14.040 the playoffs. Man, I mean, this is our favorite time 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.719 of the year. What what do you how do you 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:18.880 view the plane or how did you view the plane 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.360 when Silver introduced it last year? I mean last year 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.560 was great. Lebron Stead, you know, we had a hit 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.919 her what were your thoughts on it? Initiative? And I 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.080 loved it because, you know, I think people will always 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:34.120 complain about change, but changes is inevitable. The NBA now 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:37.839 is the NBA. The three point line is a key 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.280 part of basketball now. And you know, it was kind 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.159 of like the gimmick and the A B A and 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:45.240 now it's a key part of basketball. But it took 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:50.320 someone having you know, the forethought to like or and 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:53.240 the guts to to push something forward, you know, and 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:54.920 and do something different. And I think that's what it's 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:56.360 going to take in the NBA. We got to look 0:04:56.360 --> 0:05:00.080 at everything from UM the way fouls are called to 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:04.719 you know, replayed UH time out to UH structure of 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.840 the playoffs. Maybe there's a mid season tournament, maybe there 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:12.640 is uh, you know, all kinds of different things to 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:16.400 go about, to go about um changing the way we 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:18.640 look at the game, even even rules. Maybe we change 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:21.560 the way they the three pointer. Is that everybody now 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:24.360 that the corner three is like a lady, it's so easy. Yeah, 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.280 maybe you take the corner three away like there's you've 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.440 gotta constantly evolve. Otherwise we would still have the same 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:33.599 game we had when Mike and those guys were playing. Yeah. No, 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:37.680 And we don't want to necessarily regress like that. Do 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:42.200 you think the NBA should make sort of a I 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.560 call it drastic, a drastic move, kind of like the 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:47.560 NFL did to protect quarterbacks. Do you remember when the 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.280 NFL kind of had that new rule and just you know, 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:53.200 the one year I was watching the NFL, everything changed. 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:55.000 I was like, they can't hit nobody no more, they 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:59.640 cant do. Do you think the NBA should adopt something similar, 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:01.960 like he's like we saw it with Marcus Smart, Steph Curry, 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:05.119 Mark spart making a clean play or whatever. He's diving 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:07.400 for the ball going out the knees. You think the 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:12.280 NBA should penalize plays that injured players or take that out? 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:15.440 Was that too much of a fine? That's that's tough 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:20.520 because number one, how do you even judge that? Right? Right? 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:23.479 The intent of it onto, the intent of it all. 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.080 And you know, we're taught from the time we first 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:29.400 started playing basketball, if the balls on the floor, balls 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:31.760 on the floor, go dive for everything on the floor. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.080 And if you don't, if you don't, and it's in practice, 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:39.080 you on the line, right like, that's that's that's what 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.839 you're that's a problem, right, Like, so where how do 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.919 you go from that to two, Oh, you can't do that. 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:48.240 We're gonna find you for that. And how rare are 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:50.520 these occurrences of someone getting hurt? Like that was just 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:54.000 like a freak situation, and you know, it's what it 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:58.320 is now that the I think the deals with protecting players, um, 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:01.560 you know, putting their feet under um players when they're 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:03.479 going for jump shots. Now that's something I you know, 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:07.680 completely understand the issue with the issue that you have 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:09.840 when you're getting at this level of basketball, in my 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:15.559 opinion is you have basketball geniuses and they're doing nothing 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:18.400 but focusing on how to manipulate the game constantly, Like 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:22.680 people are on Harden and all hardened. Is like, this 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:25.520 game is hard. I'm trying to figure out the best 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:28.840 way to be my best self. I see the ways 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:31.120 that I see the different ways that I can exploit 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:34.160 the game, and I'm gonna go for it because this 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:36.440 is about this is about winning in any way that 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:37.800 I can win, I'm gonna go for it. And if 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:40.640 people don't adjust, why is it my fault? I heard 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:42.960 Chris Paul explained that the other other day, the same thing. 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.200 The other day. He was talking about the rip through 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:48.080 and he's like, I barely ever get Key goes, I 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.040 barely ever get caught on the rip through foul because 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:51.920 I know it's coming and I know what not to do. 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:54.600 He goes, how come all these other players can't study 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:58.520 you know the setup of what's coming where you know, okay, 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:00.840 don't put your hand here. The us is most likely 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:03.480 it's going to be a ripped through foul. That's what 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.000 you do as a professional, you're just trying to exploit 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.960 those situations. So it's hard for me to to knock 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:11.880 what's going on. You see it in all walks of life. 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.680 Every time something changes, someone figures out a loophole with it. Um. 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:17.880 I mean, you've seen it with agents that have negotiated 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.600 contracts that have blown basically blown up the c b A. 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:24.400 You know, they used to bird's rights used to be 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.560 acquired after one year in basketball, and they got to 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.280 get rid of that because people figured out, okay a lot, 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.200 just tell the loophole. I'll go there and play for 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:35.400 play for the league minimum, and next year they're gonna 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:37.760 be my bag, like I got the birth rights right like. 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:42.040 So that's that's just the way life is generally constantly 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:44.440 that pushing pool in that regard. So I can't really 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:46.679 knock those guys for that. And I can't really not 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:50.720 you know, the direction of Adam Silver and these ideas. 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.120 Like first when I heard it, you know about all 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.800 the in season tournament and and you know, the play, 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:57.719 and I was like totally turned off, dude, I was like, 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:01.320 what is going on? But then after experiencing it last 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:03.959 year now this year, I was I was super excited 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.160 about it. I mean it was like, I don't know, wow, 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.599 I was so excited about it this year. But we 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.560 had some great matchups. Man, I feel like it's great 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:15.559 for the last I mean, I guess what we're used 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:17.880 to saying that last part of the season. NBA kind 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:20.240 of gets a little tricky, you know, you know with 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:23.240 the games scores and things, you know, guys playing and 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:26.880 people sitting and this and that. This now incentivizes guys 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:32.080 and teams organizations to compete to very basically extends the 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:35.480 life of of the season. If you're gonna you know, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:37.439 you can have a debate about if they should continue 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:42.000 a t eighty two games or not. Um, but if 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:43.920 they're going to continue down the a two game route, 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:46.320 you've got to figure out a way to make it. 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:50.320 Some people that some teams and players organizations are are 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:53.640 uh still locked in all the way as many teams 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:55.480 as possible are locked in till the end of the season. 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:57.720 I think it's it's done its job there. You have 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:03.480 teams that were are vine for that that uh uh, 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:06.760 you know, tense spot, whereas before it's like, okay, you know, 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.440 it's eight I don't really have a shot let's pack 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:11.959 it up, let's try to get that lottery pick. And 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.320 and the funny the interesting thing about um, the play 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.239 in two is you can still be a playing team. 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:20.560 And if you don't make the if you don't like 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.760 win the play in and get a playoffs plot, you 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:24.800 still are a lottery team. So you're it's not like 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:26.800 you're it's not like you're losing out, so you might 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:30.520 as well go for it, right, Um, pretty cool, right there? Right? So, 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:34.160 like I think, wait, so if they so, if they 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:37.800 make it, they win to play in, there's still a 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.959 lottery team where they're not they're playing. So it's it's 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:43.559 if you qualify for the playoffs, you're still outside the lottery. 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.360 But if you if but I'm saying, if you're let's 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.960 say yeah, if you're a tense seed, you might as 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:52.800 well make the play in. Get inexperience of a one 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.280 game playoff. And even if the odds are like look 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:57.560 at a look at a team like Charlotte, look at 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:03.560 a team uh like um uh who's playing in the 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:08.000 West Uh San Antonio. Right, those two teams the odds 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.480 of them winning and making make winning two games and 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:13.520 making the playoffs, you know it wasn't. The odds were 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:15.480 pretty low. So at the end of the day, they 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.559 get that experience of playing into playing, get the reality 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:24.640 of you know, I watched Charlotte last night. It's like, okay, major, 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:29.280 major reality check. Like LaMelo is, LaMelo is is as 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:33.080 the goods to be a superstar, but the rest of 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.040 the team, the reality is they might not be as 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:38.360 good as everybody's hyping them up to be. So do 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:41.280 you go down that road you pay the miles bridges 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:43.800 of the world. Do you pay all these guys and 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:46.760 continue down that road, or do you say, all right, 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:50.480 let's have a heart heart reset around LaMelo, Like we 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:52.480 we figured out that this isn't gonna work. We need 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.080 to get a big in there. We need to we 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:57.559 need to we need to be defensive oriented. We're not 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:03.559 that right now. Um, okay, the funds to reality reality reallocate, 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:06.600 the funds, reassess it, and like having that, you know, 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:10.079 to two years of playings has basically told them what 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.880 they showed them what they needed to know. Um and 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:15.200 san Antonio already kind of knew where they were at, 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:17.679 but at least they got the experience of playing in 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:19.679 a high pressure situation in New Orleans, Like, I was 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:21.599 actually impressive. They came back a little bit less. I 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.040 turned the game. I was pretty I said, I'm going 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:27.480 to bed, like CJ is killing these guys are about 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:29.520 to fold whatever, And they didn't. They came back in 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:31.280 the second half. So I was actually impressed with that. 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.920 Hung around so that you know, those experiences you can't, um, 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:37.640 you know, you can't really just like that. You just 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.480 regard those, you know, it's it's a it's a huge experience. 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:44.080 So and I like the one game I mean, you 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.000 you have the experience as the highest level of n 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:49.680 C Double A. With the one game situation, there's a 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:51.400 lot on them. There is a lot on the line. 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.760 There is nothing like that. There's nothing like that experience. 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.560 And if there's a way, you know, over the course, 0:12:57.640 --> 0:12:59.880 I think it's tough because over the course, you know, 0:12:59.880 --> 0:13:02.000 there's nothing like a seven game series. Because over the 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:05.400 course of seven games, unless there's injuries, you know who 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.199 the better team. It's like the better team is gonna 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.840 win out. And there's no debate about that. But the 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:16.120 excitement of that one game situation, um, you know they 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:18.520 can't run. No, it's how its gonna say, it's like 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:20.360 the wild Card. It's like the Baseball wild Card in 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:22.840 a sense, which especially with the Clippers in Minnesota. I 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:26.480 mean the energy U with that game. I felt like 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.480 I was watching like Baseball wild Card in October, you know, 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.600 because when pat Ben went off and he did what 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.800 he did in the moment, you know, part of me 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.599 was like, damn, he really he really turned up and 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:41.400 I started really thinking about it and letting it digest. 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.240 It's like, wait a minute, man, we're kind of being 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:47.000 whacked with this whole thing about coming down on cats only, 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:50.000 like you can only celebrate championships. What are your thoughts 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.559 on just that that aspect of our culture right now? Man? 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:57.160 Context is everything in life, and I think that people 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:01.360 are m We get hyped and we get win a 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:08.160 big winned pickup game, right like like yeah, the environment, 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:12.000 the environment at in Minnesota where they ain't been in 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:14.360 the playoffs and you know, they've only been the playoffs 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.800 once and how many years and now this team is 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:21.360 actually you know, it's a homewor own team. They're winning. 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:25.560 The crowd is on fire, and they came back, they 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:28.200 were they looked like they were out of it out. 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:30.520 That's the whole I think the way that the reason 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:32.800 it was so turned up because Cat fouled out, so 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.800 it's like it's over. It was hopeless. I mean, you're 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:38.600 not thinking that's about to be a w bro. No wait, 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:41.840 PG and them, you know they at there just they 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:47.120 were balling. For me was p PG is is you know, 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:49.800 outstanding when he's when he's got it going. So it 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:52.600 was fun to watch. And and I don't knock those guys. 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:54.800 I get I get why people made fun of it, 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:56.480 because it's just you know, Twitter at the end of 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:58.200 the day, like people like to get their jokes off 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.720 and whatever else. But in terms of like the serious 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:03.800 like if people were being serious about it, that that 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:06.480 is just like come on, man, like let these guys live, 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.520 let them have their let them have their moment, let 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:12.360 them have their you know, excitement. And the fans, the fans, 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:14.600 if the fans, if the fans were just like not 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.120 hyped and those guys are getting that way, I can 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:20.640 see it. But like the fans were going crazy. It 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:23.200 was a big moment for that organization. It's always about, 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.520 like I said, it's about context. The context is it's 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.640 one of the worst organizations performance wise in all of 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.600 the NBA history, right, like for them to have that moment, 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:36.200 give them that, give those fans that it's okay and 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:38.600 it was good TV. It's it wasn't just good it's 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:42.160 great TV. Yeah, great TV, great content, all that stuff. 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:43.840 So I don't get that. I don't get why you 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:46.760 would knock that. You see Pat dev you know, in 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:49.400 the media room after and that was that was you know, 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.600 seeing it within itself. Yeah, I always enjoy it. Kind 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:54.800 of brings me to my next My other question I 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:57.800 wanted to know about from you were on Twitter and 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:00.160 you know you're you're outspoken about you know, how the 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.480 NBA is doing it as far as pushing the media 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:06.800 out the locker room. Why why is it so important 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.440 for the media and players to have like this really 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.680 like close close relationship. I don't know if you can 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.960 describe as that. I would say I'm proof positive of it. 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.600 I was basketball junkie, loved the game, love you know, 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:24.240 I was never good enough to be you know, Division 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:27.640 one player or anything like that, NBA potential pro any 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:29.320 of that stuff. But I played the game in my 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.760 entire life and I consumed every single piece of content. 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.479 And you know, it's before the Internet and The way 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.920 I got to know players was through pieces in s 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:44.920 I and Sporting News on UM Sunday conversation and what 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.600 you know, list goes on, right, Like that stuff came 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:52.920 through Ship Curn's halftime interviews. People don't know, like he 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:59.080 used to interview TV right, right, so he was interviewing 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.280 the players from the other team the road. To imagine 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:07.800 a home announcer interviewing the players from unheard of, but 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:10.200 he was doing. That's how I learned about players. That's 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:12.160 how I learned about the game, Like I was constantly 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:15.879 consuming that and that comes from media people, from reporters. 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:18.600 The truth is, I think social media is awesome. I 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:20.840 think some players do social media well, but for the 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.000 most part, we know what it is. Social is just 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:27.480 like flossing, right, like his players they're gonna they're gonna 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:30.560 post a fit pick and have a you know, you know, 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.920 rapidly caption under it, some bars under it, and that's 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:36.600 social media. Like you're supposed to get to know a 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:38.720 player through that. No, Like you're not gonna you're not 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:42.480 getting to know anything. You need a professional actually questioning 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.080 them and you know, doing pieces on them and um, 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:48.480 you know, even like this year Uh, you know, I've 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.240 been working with Damarta Rosen his entire career. Our firm 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:53.560 has been working with Damarta Rosen his entire career, and 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.280 it's been awesome to see him, you know, get his 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:59.639 flowers because people kind of wrote him off, UM, but 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:03.159 it opened the door for UM. You know, some of 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:05.160 the coverage this year, some pieces that have been done 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:09.320 on him are like unbelievable, and it's it's coming from writers, 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:12.240 writers that that sat down with him, or Taylor Rooks 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.399 interviewing him. You know, Marine Fader did a piece on 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.320 him like list goes on or you have these amazing 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.159 UM storytelling pieces where you're getting know this athlete in 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:25.880 a way that allows fans to connect with them. UM. 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:28.399 And if you take that away, how is that going 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:30.639 to happen? And I think people just get caught up 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:34.359 in the like rumors and the rumors and gossip stuff, 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:38.239 and you know a lot of that stuff is just 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.679 it's it's uh, they just kind of like picking that 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:47.280 out of like larger stories. It's the aggregation machine. It's right, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:53.200 like UM being counters. Yeah. Yeah, you know what's interesting though, 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:55.720 have you have you been UM are you up on 0:18:55.800 --> 0:19:01.560 the ball sack sports deal man. I don't know who 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:04.360 the dude is, but I think it's the dopest thing. 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:08.680 It's it's it's like, it's incredible. It proves a point 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:10.960 about how bad I think a lot of times when 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:13.040 players hate media, they don't hate the media, they hate 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:15.879 the aggregators. They're mad at the aggregators. The aggregators are 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:17.840 the ones that not the people in the locker room. 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:21.600 The aggregators are taking a piece of something, taking a quote, 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:25.720 putting it, you know, stylizing it in um, you know, 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:29.280 whatever the format is for a graphic and putting it 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:32.800 up and making it look official, real whatever else. And 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:35.200 that's what the players getting mad at. You know, the 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:39.680 uh that stuff is what gets retweeted, legion hoops, all 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:44.119 this stuffs and stuff. That's the school trick. But it's 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:46.280 achool Internet Like remember if they used to do that. 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:47.639 What they used to call that back in the day. 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:49.879 I forgot the term. But it's like the old school 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:51.919 internet trick where you just like on the fake me 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.040 out catfish on the It's like the oldest trick in 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:58.959 the book. It's getting on ESPN, it's getting on major networks, 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:03.240 got major talking it literally spewing out something ball sec 0:20:03.560 --> 0:20:05.560 put out with the fake quote like he did the 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:08.119 one with Dame. He had something at the bottom. I 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:10.280 forgot what he wrote, but it was just like no 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:14.359 one read the box. Yeah, and then he you know 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:16.960 what what I liked was he went back and he said, 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.760 like basically doing this to prove a point and show 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:24.280 that y'all will buy anything. There's no real investigation, Like 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.199 none of this stuff is actual news. It's just you know, 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:31.119 aggregating drama and packaging it in a way that again, 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:33.080 like we talked about before, it's gonna get you. That 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:36.600 gonna get you that engagement. So that's that's that's what's 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:38.600 funny about it. But I think if players had an 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:42.160 understanding that a lot of times they're getting upset at 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.960 the aggregators more than they are the reporters themselves. Which 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:49.600 is also funny because I feel like a lot of 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:52.960 the players follow all the aggregators they do, and they're 0:20:52.960 --> 0:20:58.080 always comment yeah, actually I see. I'm like, yeah, they 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:02.240 don't notice this dude right here because some and the 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:04.520 funny thing about a lot of the acreators is there's 0:21:04.640 --> 0:21:07.520 no one behind there's no face to it, no no 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:09.760 one that has to answer for. It is just someone 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:14.359 at all, right, and they're creating havoc. Okay, they are 0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:18.360 causing issues like it's also um when you see um 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:23.920 on on uh the internet. We were on Twitter, and 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:26.680 not only the fake quotes, but to your point about 0:21:26.840 --> 0:21:28.680 the media, I'm sorry, I was. I lost my thought 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:32.359 that it's the the media guys when they're in the 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:34.720 locker room and some of those quotes and those interactions 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:36.880 and those moments, those are some of the biggest drivers 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:40.760 of content on Twitter, like that part, not just when 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:43.439 I'm just specifically, not even not even the big pieces 0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:46.359 and all that the post game, the quote, just that 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.639 what just posting what someone just said in the in 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:51.919 the press conference. I know, I look for that stuff 0:21:52.160 --> 0:21:54.639 and I gained I gained a lot of that, especially 0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:57.360 when the coaches talk like that's a high level piece 0:21:57.400 --> 0:22:00.359 of information. I think people are taking for granted that 0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:03.639 they could be really you know, gaining knowledge and data 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:06.000 and understanding what really what time it is with that 0:22:06.119 --> 0:22:08.560 particular team and you know, have a real finger on 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:10.600 the postle things, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, most 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:13.680 reporters are Most reporters are pretty good, man. I think 0:22:14.119 --> 0:22:16.040 I think that it's just the idea of what a 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:18.480 reporter is has been. And I'm not talking about just 0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:20.720 in media in general, but I'm talking about within sports 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:22.760 and in the NBA particular. I think most of the 0:22:23.119 --> 0:22:26.119 most of media are pretty good. Um you know, sometimes 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:30.159 there's there's there uh reporters that are out of bounds, 0:22:30.280 --> 0:22:32.840 and we all know who they are, right and players 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:34.639 know who they are and what it is what it is. 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:37.840 But I think throwing everybody under that bust and putting 0:22:37.880 --> 0:22:40.320 everyone in that bucket is not fair. And then I 0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:43.840 also think it's just a part of what I you know, 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:47.440 when I talk about the NBA family, I like, no 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:52.760 matter what role I'm in, I am pro NBA family, right, 0:22:52.880 --> 0:22:56.320 So not just obviously I represent and work with players, 0:22:56.400 --> 0:22:59.600 so I'm gonna be on their side. But if all 0:22:59.680 --> 0:23:01.680 of us are only looking out for our own interests, 0:23:02.560 --> 0:23:06.159 we don't have a league. So if players say all right, 0:23:06.160 --> 0:23:08.679 we're done immedia, we don't want them around. Like whatever, 0:23:09.200 --> 0:23:14.160 there's a negative, there's negative consequences to that. Like, um, 0:23:14.960 --> 0:23:17.600 you know, thinking about those things I think is important 0:23:17.840 --> 0:23:21.080 and having an education of how everyone is important to 0:23:21.160 --> 0:23:24.400 one another is a part of it. Right, like if 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:31.600 there's a mutual mutual respect understanding how everybody like at 0:23:31.600 --> 0:23:33.960 the end, everyone likes to talk about them being partners 0:23:34.080 --> 0:23:36.600 your media partners, the players and partners with owners like 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:38.640 all that stuff, but at the end of the day, 0:23:38.640 --> 0:23:41.840 they're there if you're not treating each other as true 0:23:42.359 --> 0:23:45.199 partners in these in this situation, you just look at 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:52.400 someone like like like like there's some kind of an 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:55.200 and that like why not to deal with this dude, 0:23:55.320 --> 0:24:01.960 like whatever, Like the behavior, the behavior is so unprofessed. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:24:02.080 --> 0:24:04.200 So those those are things that I think that I 0:24:04.280 --> 0:24:07.200 think people just have to consider it. Um yeah. But 0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:11.080 and you know, sometimes it's and I'm not saying that 0:24:11.160 --> 0:24:13.760 everybody has to be Michael Jordan's But what I like 0:24:14.240 --> 0:24:18.440 about MJ is MJ realized what he was and what 0:24:18.600 --> 0:24:21.920 he what his responsibility was when he was playing, and 0:24:22.040 --> 0:24:26.400 then as um as he's retired now he's like, I'm 0:24:26.440 --> 0:24:29.560 showing up, I'm flying in right before whatever I gotta 0:24:29.600 --> 0:24:31.720 be too, I'm doing the minimum and I'm out of 0:24:31.760 --> 0:24:33.639 there and back on the golf course. But while he 0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:36.280 was playing, he's like, I'm in the face of the league, 0:24:37.480 --> 0:24:39.960 and um, I'm gonna make sure that if anyone ever 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:42.960 runs into me, they haven't experienced that is of a 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:45.919 certain level. I'm gonna talk to media and treat them 0:24:46.000 --> 0:24:48.200 with a certain respect, and you know all of that stuff. 0:24:48.840 --> 0:24:52.080 And um, I think if if we started to have 0:24:52.240 --> 0:24:55.520 if more players and teams and everything else had that 0:24:55.600 --> 0:24:58.639 mentality versus just like we don't have to do that, 0:24:58.840 --> 0:25:00.359 or we have the power to get away from this 0:25:00.480 --> 0:25:03.359 or get out of this or whatever else, you know, 0:25:03.600 --> 0:25:05.960 do I think the league would be better off for that. 0:25:06.400 --> 0:25:09.320 Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in 0:25:09.359 --> 0:25:12.320 the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports 0:25:12.440 --> 0:25:15.520 Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app 0:25:15.600 --> 0:25:21.320 search f s R to listen live. In this year's playoffs, though, 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:24.639 do you think of most best equipped to make the finals? 0:25:25.040 --> 0:25:26.840 One team out the West is in one team on 0:25:26.960 --> 0:25:30.520 the East, Um, you know the out the West. I 0:25:30.520 --> 0:25:33.520 would say Phoenix is is to me is a well 0:25:33.600 --> 0:25:38.200 oiled machine. Book is like it's it's so interesting seeing 0:25:38.240 --> 0:25:43.800 Book and Chris Paul together. Um, because it's like Chris 0:25:43.880 --> 0:25:47.480 Paul obviously we if you've been around him or or 0:25:48.080 --> 0:25:50.680 um watched him, even if you're just watching him play, 0:25:50.920 --> 0:25:53.399 you know he wants to win more than anybody. And 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:55.840 Book has that in him too, but people kind of 0:25:55.920 --> 0:25:57.840 doubted it because of the team that he had around 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:00.760 him and and he's kind of been and holding that 0:26:00.920 --> 0:26:05.800 in for years, and like, you know, he has a list. 0:26:05.920 --> 0:26:08.520 He probably has a list, like and even if it's 0:26:08.520 --> 0:26:11.399 not officially written down, like man, this person said this 0:26:11.480 --> 0:26:13.399 about me or whatever else. And now he has a 0:26:13.480 --> 0:26:17.040 squad and he's he's ready, like he's going for blood. 0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:19.600 So um, I love seeing those two to play together. 0:26:19.600 --> 0:26:23.160 And I also think about the Lakers had a trade 0:26:23.200 --> 0:26:24.920 for Chris Paul, so you're gonna get see Kobe and 0:26:25.000 --> 0:26:27.199 Chris Paul play together. And there was kind of some doubts, 0:26:27.520 --> 0:26:29.040 you know, even in my own mind, like can these 0:26:29.080 --> 0:26:31.000 guys can needs to get along? And they figure it out. 0:26:31.040 --> 0:26:34.960 They're both headstrong individuals. But when I see Book and 0:26:35.240 --> 0:26:37.080 not to say Book is on Kobe's level, but when 0:26:37.119 --> 0:26:40.560 I see Booking and CP together, it's almost like we 0:26:40.640 --> 0:26:44.040 got a little taste of that, right, like, uh, you know, 0:26:44.160 --> 0:26:48.000 two dogs, two competitors that you know in the game 0:26:48.160 --> 0:26:50.760 was crunch time. They know how to get it done. 0:26:50.880 --> 0:26:54.080 So it's been fun to watch that. And then out East, Um, 0:26:54.440 --> 0:26:57.719 the East is a little tougher. I think if Robert 0:26:57.800 --> 0:27:00.440 Williams didn't go down, I would have the Celtics coming 0:27:00.480 --> 0:27:03.840 out of the East. Oh man, I mean if you want. 0:27:03.960 --> 0:27:06.520 I think it's hard for people because you know, once 0:27:06.560 --> 0:27:08.240 you get it's just like anything in life, once you 0:27:08.280 --> 0:27:11.800 get branded, that's that's what people are gonna think of you. Right. 0:27:11.880 --> 0:27:14.760 So the Celtics earlier in the year, obviously we're struggling. 0:27:14.800 --> 0:27:17.040 People are saying, oh, he maybe maybe over his head, 0:27:17.119 --> 0:27:20.440 maybe Jayson Tatum and and Jalen can't play together all 0:27:20.520 --> 0:27:23.960 that stuff. They shook up the roster and they locked 0:27:24.040 --> 0:27:27.840 in and defensively they are just based like what you know, 0:27:28.200 --> 0:27:31.760 especially when Rob, when Rob Williams is healthy, they're just 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:35.639 they're switching everything. Nothing throws them off. Um, you know, 0:27:35.840 --> 0:27:39.399 Dallas ended up beating beating, uh, the Celtics and the 0:27:39.640 --> 0:27:43.119 and the game the Celtics and MAVs played like a 0:27:43.200 --> 0:27:47.160 few weeks ago. But Rob Williams was switching out on Luca, 0:27:47.760 --> 0:27:50.320 like Lucas he's gonna still, he's still, he's gonna do 0:27:50.400 --> 0:27:52.600 his thing because he does his thing versus everybody. But 0:27:52.720 --> 0:27:56.320 like usually a center or a power forward coming out 0:27:56.400 --> 0:27:58.959 and switching on Luca is going to be like they 0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.520 have zero shot like that type, that type of versatility. 0:28:02.560 --> 0:28:04.720 And then I think having you know, high octane scores 0:28:04.800 --> 0:28:08.160 and Jason and Jalen. Uh, Marcus Smarts found his home 0:28:08.200 --> 0:28:10.879 as a point guard. I think he's um, you know, 0:28:11.560 --> 0:28:13.919 uh like that's the position he probably should have been 0:28:13.920 --> 0:28:17.400 playing the whole time versus just kind of being either 0:28:17.440 --> 0:28:19.399 a backup point guard or a shooting guard next to 0:28:19.440 --> 0:28:22.600 a point guard. Um, he's doing his thing. And uh, 0:28:22.720 --> 0:28:25.560 I like I like the trade with getting Derek White. Um. 0:28:25.920 --> 0:28:28.200 I like their squad a lot um and I think 0:28:28.400 --> 0:28:31.080 they're you know, having Horford and Williams, that they're healthy 0:28:31.080 --> 0:28:33.879 when they play and home court and when they play Milwaukee. 0:28:34.520 --> 0:28:37.840 That's a good um. You know, that's a good package 0:28:37.880 --> 0:28:41.680 to be able to try to go at you honest with. UM. Now, 0:28:41.800 --> 0:28:44.680 if Williams isn't available, I don't know if they're stopping 0:28:45.480 --> 0:28:47.680 like that's well, I don't know if anybody can stop, 0:28:47.720 --> 0:28:50.800 be honest. But because you know brook back, you know, 0:28:50.920 --> 0:28:55.880 that's that always changes the dynamic for the Bucks. Yeah, 0:28:56.800 --> 0:28:58.480 I just don't know how healthy Brooke is. That's what 0:28:58.560 --> 0:29:00.560 I'm on. That's what I'm wondering about like coming back 0:29:00.560 --> 0:29:03.400 from we saw it with surgery BAKA last year, Like yeah, 0:29:03.680 --> 0:29:07.040 he like he wasn't. He wasn't the same after that 0:29:07.080 --> 0:29:10.520 back surgery. So wondering how much book Brooke could could 0:29:10.720 --> 0:29:14.280 provide because Brooke is people don't realize, like I think 0:29:14.320 --> 0:29:16.960 they again, brand stick with you, Right, So when Brooke 0:29:17.040 --> 0:29:18.640 first came to the league, you weren't thinking of him 0:29:18.640 --> 0:29:21.560 as a defensive like player at all, not at all. 0:29:21.760 --> 0:29:24.400 But you weren't and you weren't thinking of him as 0:29:24.400 --> 0:29:27.760 a three point shooter not at all. Completely revamped his game. 0:29:27.920 --> 0:29:31.960 That's what do you do. That's what he defended. Guy, 0:29:32.000 --> 0:29:35.520 I can't believe it. Look Brooke when he was at Stanford, 0:29:35.640 --> 0:29:37.360 I think they played at Stanford. Dude, I would have 0:29:37.440 --> 0:29:39.960 never thought in a million years that Brooke. I think 0:29:39.960 --> 0:29:43.280 he had a hundred threes last year some something insane 0:29:43.480 --> 0:29:45.240 for something footer, but I would have never thought. But 0:29:45.280 --> 0:29:47.920 that's just a testament to him figuring it out, figuring 0:29:47.920 --> 0:29:49.640 out what was gonna make him stick and working on 0:29:49.760 --> 0:29:52.120 that stuff. Man, breaking you know, breaking that foot a 0:29:52.160 --> 0:29:54.360 few times that like I think that woke him up, 0:29:54.440 --> 0:29:57.120 Like all right, I probably got to figure this out. 0:29:57.360 --> 0:29:58.720 You know, if I'm stick in the league, I gotta 0:29:58.720 --> 0:30:01.920 revamp my game. The the game is changing. This is 0:30:01.920 --> 0:30:03.280 the probably a way to do it. And he's he's 0:30:03.280 --> 0:30:05.320 skilled enough to pull it off. And then defensively, him 0:30:05.360 --> 0:30:09.440 and Yannice together, Brooke is such a good uh anchor 0:30:10.080 --> 0:30:13.840 that allows Joannice to be this ultimate romer where Yeah, 0:30:14.040 --> 0:30:16.240 so see what we saw last year, especially in the finals, 0:30:16.240 --> 0:30:18.360 when Yannest was able to do when he's a roamer. 0:30:18.800 --> 0:30:20.320 You see it on the biggest stage. He's up there 0:30:20.400 --> 0:30:22.640 and square on folks on that week side. You know 0:30:22.680 --> 0:30:26.880 what I mean that exactly. So if you know, if 0:30:26.960 --> 0:30:29.800 Robert Williams doesn't come back, I think I have. I 0:30:29.960 --> 0:30:32.400 think I got Milwaukee coming out of the East. So 0:30:32.400 --> 0:30:34.120 it really is going to depend on if Robert can 0:30:34.160 --> 0:30:37.360 come back and and and really impact the game like 0:30:37.440 --> 0:30:39.600 he was before he got hurt. Because that Celtics. I 0:30:39.600 --> 0:30:42.320 dont think people realize how good the Celtics. I forget 0:30:42.400 --> 0:30:44.680 where they were ranked like for the first half of 0:30:44.720 --> 0:30:47.200 the year, but they weren't close to first, and they 0:30:47.280 --> 0:30:51.640 finished first, like way above everybody else in defense, Like 0:30:51.720 --> 0:30:55.360 that's how good their defense got. You think Philly hasn't 0:30:55.640 --> 0:30:57.520 you don't think Philly has a chance at all? Or 0:30:57.600 --> 0:30:59.320 what do you think going on out there? Man? Because 0:30:59.480 --> 0:31:02.520 no one is really picking Philly at this point. Well, 0:31:02.640 --> 0:31:05.200 you know, I think it's very hard to put it 0:31:05.240 --> 0:31:07.920 all together after a mid season trade to begin with 0:31:08.440 --> 0:31:11.680 um and and also you know, wonder I don't think 0:31:12.000 --> 0:31:14.360 James Harden has watched up like some people have been saying. 0:31:14.760 --> 0:31:16.600 I think, if anything, I think he might be still 0:31:16.680 --> 0:31:19.920 struggling with his hamstring injury. We kind of saw the 0:31:20.000 --> 0:31:22.600 same thing happened with Chris Paul a few years back, 0:31:22.880 --> 0:31:25.120 where people, you know, his last year in Houston, people 0:31:25.160 --> 0:31:28.080 were like, I don't know, man, he might have he 0:31:28.280 --> 0:31:30.760 lost the step, you don't have it anymore. And really, 0:31:31.600 --> 0:31:34.280 you know, he disclosed it like he just was dealing 0:31:34.320 --> 0:31:38.080 with that hamstring injury that he first injured out in uh, 0:31:38.840 --> 0:31:41.680 that he injured in Houston during the Western Commerce Finals 0:31:41.720 --> 0:31:44.320 the year before. So like he comes back from that, 0:31:44.440 --> 0:31:46.600 but he's not. You know, he hasn't changed. He hasn't 0:31:46.600 --> 0:31:49.160 fully changed his diet, his workout routine, all that stuff. 0:31:49.160 --> 0:31:51.720 So he had to reset everything, and you kind of 0:31:51.800 --> 0:31:56.160 saw that new, new and improved Chris Paul for Oklahoma 0:31:56.200 --> 0:31:59.600 City in the first two years in in UM in Phoenix, 0:31:59.680 --> 0:32:02.360 and he's been like m DP level type player over 0:32:02.440 --> 0:32:03.880 that time, like one of the best point guards in 0:32:03.920 --> 0:32:06.160 the league over the last three years. And four years 0:32:06.200 --> 0:32:08.440 ago people were saying he was washed. So I think 0:32:08.480 --> 0:32:11.760 he might be. Hamstring is no jokes. I think I 0:32:11.920 --> 0:32:15.840 think I think that, um, you might be seeing that, 0:32:16.000 --> 0:32:19.480 which because you don't go from we saw James last 0:32:19.520 --> 0:32:21.800 year when he first got to Brooklyn before the hamstring injury, 0:32:21.840 --> 0:32:24.560 and he was explosive as hell, like he's still still 0:32:24.640 --> 0:32:28.320 getting moving, get into the basket, doing his thing. He 0:32:28.400 --> 0:32:31.560 had not you don't just go from that to struggling 0:32:31.840 --> 0:32:33.840 with and we know he has a hamstring injury. So 0:32:33.840 --> 0:32:36.760 I think that's a part of it. So I'm wondering 0:32:36.920 --> 0:32:40.360 if you know, a summer where they're able to figure 0:32:40.360 --> 0:32:44.000 out their whole roster around them UM and and give 0:32:44.120 --> 0:32:47.480 James time to really put himself together, because it's hard 0:32:47.560 --> 0:32:49.880 to like it's hard to re engage your body like 0:32:50.000 --> 0:32:52.120 that mid season, you know, or in the middle of 0:32:52.120 --> 0:32:54.480 the season, the playoffs all that stuff. So that's my 0:32:54.680 --> 0:32:57.520 main concern with them is just you know, if if 0:32:57.600 --> 0:32:59.680 James is able to and maybe he's just maybe he 0:32:59.840 --> 0:33:01.600 was is coast and he's about to turn on the 0:33:01.640 --> 0:33:03.400 switches about to turn on and we don't. It's not 0:33:03.520 --> 0:33:06.360 a hamstring thing, and we'll we'll see it. But you know, 0:33:06.480 --> 0:33:09.000 I don't think a player of his caliber just loses 0:33:09.040 --> 0:33:11.560 a step like that or slows down like that within 0:33:11.640 --> 0:33:13.960 a year just doesn't happen. There's something else going on. 0:33:14.160 --> 0:33:17.320 So UM be interesting to see. But yeah, I think 0:33:18.400 --> 0:33:20.680 I still have UM. I think they have, like the 0:33:20.800 --> 0:33:23.400 tow two of the best players in the East. UM, 0:33:23.560 --> 0:33:26.000 just like Brooklyn has two of the best players in 0:33:26.000 --> 0:33:27.360 the East. But you gotta have a full team. I 0:33:27.360 --> 0:33:30.200 don't know if they have the depth and the versatility 0:33:30.840 --> 0:33:36.280 that UM both Milwaukee and and uh Boston have when 0:33:36.320 --> 0:33:39.560 they're fully healthy. Yeah, the depth, the depth really stands up. 0:33:39.640 --> 0:33:41.960 And then it's just that they don't. They just get 0:33:42.080 --> 0:33:45.720 thin and and not a lot of contributions. But would 0:33:45.800 --> 0:33:51.200 Joel and be playing probably gonna well, everybody's saying Yoki, 0:33:51.400 --> 0:33:52.680 but he you know, he should have got some Maybe 0:33:52.760 --> 0:33:55.600 people for sure you got yo Ki, you got dunk Chick. 0:33:55.840 --> 0:34:00.720 Don't look at duncan not just name how far is 0:34:00.800 --> 0:34:05.120 the gap widening between like the top players in the 0:34:05.240 --> 0:34:10.560 league being international and like the next star that's born 0:34:10.600 --> 0:34:13.280 in American soil, Like who is the next American player 0:34:13.640 --> 0:34:16.719 that can unseen one of these three guys in your 0:34:16.760 --> 0:34:19.759 opinion the book, I mean, who was like next coming 0:34:19.800 --> 0:34:22.200 down the line that could be potentially in conversation for 0:34:22.239 --> 0:34:27.239 the n B A man you us wise, like you 0:34:27.280 --> 0:34:30.160 know you got you still look if step didn't if 0:34:30.280 --> 0:34:32.640 step didn't go down, you still were gonna have like 0:34:32.760 --> 0:34:34.480 Steph was gonna be in the mix. You know, I 0:34:34.520 --> 0:34:37.080 always think like I always think by guy Dame's gonna 0:34:37.080 --> 0:34:40.879 have a chance. Kauai is Kauai. If he's healthy, he's 0:34:40.920 --> 0:34:44.200 gonna have a chance. Lebron the team situation is was 0:34:44.280 --> 0:34:46.439 jacked up. But if he's help. But if the team 0:34:46.560 --> 0:34:48.960 is healthy and Lebron has the year he has, he's 0:34:48.960 --> 0:34:52.879 in the conversation. Um, I think, you know, Chris Paul 0:34:52.960 --> 0:34:56.640 could should be getting m VP consideration tomorrow. The year 0:34:56.680 --> 0:34:59.320 he had in Chicago before all the injuries went. You know, 0:34:59.440 --> 0:35:01.920 he's he still consistently played the same way. But the 0:35:01.960 --> 0:35:04.640 team starting to fall off because you know, their defensive 0:35:04.680 --> 0:35:08.240 backbone fell apart right, Um, due to all those injuries happening, 0:35:08.320 --> 0:35:11.439 but you know, he had a unbelievable year. Like there's 0:35:11.480 --> 0:35:13.920 so there's a ton of US based players, but I 0:35:14.000 --> 0:35:18.520 just think situationally, um and and also like the time 0:35:18.600 --> 0:35:22.760 and time and uh years into their career, like Yokich 0:35:22.840 --> 0:35:26.160 is a young player. Donchers is a young player too, 0:35:26.280 --> 0:35:30.160 But I mean correlatively speaking, right, yea, Janice is Janice 0:35:30.239 --> 0:35:33.040 is a young player to me, is the best player 0:35:33.040 --> 0:35:35.560 in the league right now to me, if if people, 0:35:36.600 --> 0:35:39.840 oh and obviously Kevin obviously Kevin durant Is is is 0:35:40.080 --> 0:35:42.279 m VB candidate every year. But again, these guys have 0:35:42.400 --> 0:35:44.680 to stay on the biggest issue, especially when you have 0:35:44.760 --> 0:35:47.560 the miles on you, is staying on the floor and 0:35:47.719 --> 0:35:51.240 your team being one of the you know, better teams 0:35:51.239 --> 0:35:54.640 in the league. So I guess my point is kind 0:35:54.680 --> 0:35:56.479 of on the lines of your point about these guys 0:35:56.520 --> 0:35:59.680 being so young they're VP level. They got like basically 0:36:00.360 --> 0:36:03.160 the top three spots right there in the argument for 0:36:03.280 --> 0:36:06.000 the top three spots year for the next ten, twelve, 0:36:06.160 --> 0:36:09.279 fift He's like, who do who? Who do? Who's going 0:36:09.320 --> 0:36:13.399 to see these dudes? Man Zion, Like what superstar I'm 0:36:13.440 --> 0:36:15.640 trying to think of manage there another and I'm not 0:36:15.760 --> 0:36:20.000 saying damn, but like a young younger girl young, well, 0:36:20.640 --> 0:36:23.239 I think this. I think this crop that just came 0:36:23.320 --> 0:36:26.239 in for the two thousand twenty one draft class of 0:36:26.320 --> 0:36:31.160 special I think talent wise, Jalen Green is out of 0:36:31.200 --> 0:36:33.239 this world. He just has he just has to figure 0:36:33.239 --> 0:36:35.279 out how to play at the NBA level. But like, 0:36:35.440 --> 0:36:40.040 talent wise, that is crazy. Um, Kate Cunningham is like 0:36:40.440 --> 0:36:42.759 he's like a mini Dunchet in a lot of ways, right, so, 0:36:43.040 --> 0:36:45.279 like he's gonna be He's gonna be good. It's and 0:36:45.320 --> 0:36:47.799 it's kind of ironic that he's out in Detroit as 0:36:47.920 --> 0:36:50.560 like that was like Grant Hill stopping grounds another like 0:36:50.680 --> 0:36:54.120 point forward type. Um, so they're getting a new, smooth, 0:36:54.200 --> 0:36:57.400 new version, you know, not nothing to like flashy or 0:36:57.480 --> 0:36:59.839 whatever else. He just nice, just nice and knows how 0:36:59.880 --> 0:37:01.920 to play the game. And he's he's he's obviously not 0:37:02.120 --> 0:37:06.200 as big as Dontres dontress is. I saw do move 0:37:06.320 --> 0:37:08.239 Drew how I don't think people realize how much of 0:37:08.280 --> 0:37:12.480 a rock Drew Holiday is and he he just moved 0:37:12.640 --> 0:37:16.320 through Holiday like it was nothing. I've always been amazed 0:37:16.360 --> 0:37:19.360 that Donte's strength and size bro, Like how he just 0:37:19.480 --> 0:37:21.600 able just he'll get when he was getting your shoulder, 0:37:21.640 --> 0:37:23.200 Like the first couple of years he was doing this move, 0:37:23.360 --> 0:37:25.279 he was just hitting dudes with the shoulder. But dudes 0:37:25.400 --> 0:37:27.120 like whoa, you know what I'm saying and hitting you 0:37:27.160 --> 0:37:30.200 with the step back. But that part of it is crazy. Man. 0:37:30.239 --> 0:37:33.879 These guys don't real understand how strong NBA players are. Man. Yeah, man, 0:37:34.320 --> 0:37:36.799 so you know Dontress is a big dude. But but um, 0:37:36.840 --> 0:37:39.520 I think Kate has a lot of his game to him. 0:37:39.760 --> 0:37:43.200 Evan Mobley, he hasn't even figured out offense yet. Like 0:37:43.360 --> 0:37:46.719 he's just he's he's like that help defender type that 0:37:46.840 --> 0:37:49.759 and you know to be a to be uh first 0:37:49.840 --> 0:37:52.320 year player and have defense kind of figured out on 0:37:52.360 --> 0:37:56.520 that help side and he's gonna be He's gonna be phenomenal. Um. 0:37:57.239 --> 0:38:01.440 Scotty Barnes, Scott Barr, Scottie Barnes. You know what's interesting 0:38:01.440 --> 0:38:03.640 about Scottie Barnes, He's got a lot of Scottie Pipp 0:38:03.680 --> 0:38:06.560 into his He's got a lot of Scottie Pipp into him, 0:38:06.600 --> 0:38:09.120 Like he could be that type of that type of 0:38:09.200 --> 0:38:12.359 guy like a bit like so I love watching him 0:38:12.360 --> 0:38:14.760 play basketball. That Toronto is actually pretty good. It's Philly. 0:38:14.800 --> 0:38:19.239 Better not sleep on Toronto. They beat him. Hey, I 0:38:19.440 --> 0:38:22.800 like to if any team's gonna upset anybody, I know, 0:38:23.080 --> 0:38:25.919 I know the Nets. Everyone is expecting Nets ups maybe 0:38:26.080 --> 0:38:30.279 you know, possibly uh beating this. Yeah, because they have 0:38:30.400 --> 0:38:32.279 because they got kept. I mean I'm talking about like 0:38:32.440 --> 0:38:37.280 the general audience, not like the real audience, because because 0:38:37.400 --> 0:38:40.120 they have Kyrie, you can't ever doubt Kyrie and Katie 0:38:40.160 --> 0:38:42.480 and those those guys are you know they can they 0:38:42.600 --> 0:38:45.279 each can put up fifty anytime they want, right, Um, 0:38:45.360 --> 0:38:49.080 But Toronto real deal. They just play modern basketball at 0:38:49.080 --> 0:38:51.799 a high level. You know, tons of tons of length, 0:38:52.080 --> 0:38:56.400 ability to switch has been Yako has been killing our 0:38:56.440 --> 0:39:00.200 guy to Todd rappers are every time I shouted you 0:39:00.360 --> 0:39:04.319 let him know. Right. But yeah, but but they kind 0:39:04.360 --> 0:39:06.680 of doubted Sam coming into the year and he's he's 0:39:06.719 --> 0:39:09.440 completely showed everybody that he's still a real deal. Scottie 0:39:09.480 --> 0:39:12.960 Barnes doing his thing. It's crazy that they have. You know, 0:39:13.160 --> 0:39:15.879 usually teams just want one player like that, that, that long, 0:39:16.040 --> 0:39:20.480 versatile guy they could do multiple things, and they think 0:39:20.920 --> 0:39:24.320 they got two of them, you know, like just very unique. 0:39:24.360 --> 0:39:26.880 So they're they're fun to watch. Um, you know, Jalen 0:39:26.880 --> 0:39:28.759 Sugs we didn't even get to really see, like he's 0:39:28.760 --> 0:39:31.080 in Orlando, so he's kind of under the radar. I still, 0:39:31.160 --> 0:39:32.880 you know, I liked him coming in, so I'm interested 0:39:32.920 --> 0:39:34.719 to see what he's going to be able to do. 0:39:35.280 --> 0:39:38.359 What about trade? What about tred Oh you're talking about 0:39:38.800 --> 0:39:41.160 ye trade? Yeah, I was just talking about this year's class. 0:39:41.200 --> 0:39:44.160 But Trey Young is is fantastic. Um. You know, I'm 0:39:45.040 --> 0:39:47.799 it's sometimes super tough with with guards that are as 0:39:47.800 --> 0:39:51.040 small as him to like figure it out. But I 0:39:51.160 --> 0:39:53.560 wonder how he does it. Like I'm always one of 0:39:53.600 --> 0:39:56.400 those dudes that amazes me. Every game I've seen him, 0:39:56.440 --> 0:39:59.279 he'll do something like damn, you really hit that? Like 0:39:59.480 --> 0:40:03.600 every time. It's in him. You know, he's is his 0:40:03.840 --> 0:40:07.440 dad you know, played Division one and worked with him 0:40:07.480 --> 0:40:09.800 and you can tell he loves the game and he 0:40:10.000 --> 0:40:14.520 just has a natural feel for it and it's in it. Man, 0:40:14.600 --> 0:40:18.319 It's just like, what can you do? That's a high, high, 0:40:18.440 --> 0:40:22.320 high skill level. He's he's taking advantage of mistakes and 0:40:22.400 --> 0:40:24.480 he's been he's built for it. You've been preparing for 0:40:24.560 --> 0:40:26.520 it his entire life, and that's that's what you're seeing. 0:40:26.680 --> 0:40:28.800 But yeah, there's a there's a lot of you know, 0:40:29.560 --> 0:40:32.000 Trey Young. The other thing about the m v P 0:40:32.160 --> 0:40:34.080 two is, you know, guy like Trey Young, you think 0:40:34.080 --> 0:40:36.520 about it. A lot of it has to do with 0:40:36.760 --> 0:40:39.680 the situation that they're in though, right Like if Trey, 0:40:39.760 --> 0:40:43.439 if Atlanta doesn't ever pick up or get a chance 0:40:43.520 --> 0:40:46.840 to be a real championship competitor, competitor, it's gonna be 0:40:46.920 --> 0:40:49.640 hard for Trey Young to win an m v P. Like, 0:40:49.760 --> 0:40:51.320 you gotta be for the most part, you gotta be 0:40:51.360 --> 0:40:54.440 in the mix unless you have like you know, you 0:40:54.480 --> 0:40:57.160 have a season like yokich where like they don't have 0:40:57.520 --> 0:41:00.439 any of their other like complimentary players star as whatever, 0:41:00.560 --> 0:41:03.040 and he's just going crazy still and he's the main 0:41:03.120 --> 0:41:08.240 reason they're winning. Um, it's gonna be hard for media, fans, etcetera. 0:41:08.320 --> 0:41:10.120 To recognize you in that way. So I think that 0:41:10.440 --> 0:41:13.200 that as much as the talent of the player, has 0:41:13.239 --> 0:41:18.440 a lot to do with it. Um, how well you 0:41:18.520 --> 0:41:22.600 agree with your kiss MVPN this year? Um, you know, 0:41:22.680 --> 0:41:28.120 I I think that there are I think that there 0:41:28.320 --> 0:41:32.080 are so many different avenues to go down, Like I 0:41:32.160 --> 0:41:34.719 think if Yo kich One, I don't know how you 0:41:34.760 --> 0:41:38.359 can argue against it. I don't um if inbid one, 0:41:38.520 --> 0:41:40.759 I don't know how you could be like, well he 0:41:41.040 --> 0:41:43.040 shouldn't be m v P. Well yeah, he's put up 0:41:43.080 --> 0:41:47.000 MVP numbers. Be honest, the team fined, they're in the 0:41:47.160 --> 0:41:50.520 there in the third seed, and they had injuries the 0:41:50.600 --> 0:41:53.759 key players throughout the year, and he still did his 0:41:53.880 --> 0:41:56.080 thing like he to me, he's like modern day shack 0:41:56.719 --> 0:42:00.400 um don Ch. Obviously, like they had a slow start 0:42:00.520 --> 0:42:03.799 and we're figuring it out, but you know that pours 0:42:03.800 --> 0:42:04.960 the end of the year, they had a chance that 0:42:05.440 --> 0:42:09.360 they had a chance to get potentially get the third seed. Um. So, 0:42:09.520 --> 0:42:11.239 I think you can go about in a variety of 0:42:11.239 --> 0:42:13.520 different ways. But I think people because Yokich is not, 0:42:13.719 --> 0:42:16.240 like he's not interested in any of the media, marketing, 0:42:16.360 --> 0:42:20.000 any of that stuff. Like he's just low key a 0:42:20.080 --> 0:42:22.239 hooper and trying to get and trying to get to 0:42:22.360 --> 0:42:24.239 his horses in Serbia in the summer. You don't care 0:42:24.239 --> 0:42:30.320 about none of this, um dog. So that's that's what 0:42:30.400 --> 0:42:32.680 I call him. I call him Larry Joe Yoki because 0:42:32.719 --> 0:42:36.080 to me, he plays like he People say that Don 0:42:36.200 --> 0:42:38.560 Chech plays like bird and I'm like, that's lazy man. 0:42:38.640 --> 0:42:40.920 He don't. To me, he doesn't. He doesn't play like 0:42:41.000 --> 0:42:45.040 Bird like they have way more stuff than Bird. To me, yeah, 0:42:45.440 --> 0:42:48.320 Donke is just off the bound though, like Bird. You 0:42:48.400 --> 0:42:50.719 know Bird, I mean Bird had a little handle. But 0:42:51.320 --> 0:42:53.480 when I see what I know of Lucan, when I 0:42:53.560 --> 0:42:56.320 see Luca, I'm always seeing him on the pill bringing 0:42:56.360 --> 0:42:58.200 it up and get some dudes, you know, having to 0:42:58.280 --> 0:43:00.520 shake off the fenders. So that that's for Rakes, that 0:43:00.680 --> 0:43:03.200 comparison to me, what are your thought though? Yeah, he 0:43:03.960 --> 0:43:07.040 Luca plays like Luca plays like James Harden with the 0:43:07.120 --> 0:43:11.480 up and under like you know what I'm saying, Like 0:43:11.840 --> 0:43:16.680 they play the exact same way, except Luca. You look 0:43:16.680 --> 0:43:18.480 what goes in the lane and it has the up 0:43:18.520 --> 0:43:20.640 and under moves and all that, like he gives. He's 0:43:20.680 --> 0:43:22.680 giving you that. James ain't doing that. James is like 0:43:23.160 --> 0:43:25.920 I'm euro step in or I'm I'm your euro stepping 0:43:25.960 --> 0:43:27.840 going to the cup, or I'm doing a floater in 0:43:27.880 --> 0:43:30.120 the lane. But that or throwing a lob like that's 0:43:30.480 --> 0:43:33.960 that's his game. So um. But but lucas a lot 0:43:34.040 --> 0:43:36.640 of the same stuff, except he's he's you know, he 0:43:36.680 --> 0:43:38.359 gets in the lane, he's gonna give you a little 0:43:38.600 --> 0:43:40.239 he's giving you the post move, he's giving the up 0:43:40.280 --> 0:43:43.439 and under all that stuff. Um and then Yo kich 0:43:43.520 --> 0:43:48.000 Yo kich is just like man, he's he's like playing 0:43:48.080 --> 0:43:51.680 chess out there, man, And it's just he's a definitely 0:43:51.680 --> 0:43:55.319 savant man. And and he has this move he does 0:43:55.440 --> 0:44:00.080 where he's so interesting because um, Magic used to have 0:44:01.040 --> 0:44:03.000 a go to pass that I would be like, damn, 0:44:03.040 --> 0:44:05.759 how the hell does he do this? And and and 0:44:06.280 --> 0:44:10.000 so Magic would come down like he like he was 0:44:10.280 --> 0:44:13.120 he was going like free throw line extended, come down slow, 0:44:13.360 --> 0:44:15.120 and then all of a sudden he would throw like 0:44:15.239 --> 0:44:17.520 two men are coming and throw the pass through two 0:44:17.600 --> 0:44:22.240 people into the post perfectly. The worthier to to kareem 0:44:22.480 --> 0:44:26.000 like lay up everything. Like I think people just look 0:44:26.040 --> 0:44:28.040 at it like, oh, it's not that difficult. It's almost 0:44:28.040 --> 0:44:31.040 like Lebron finding the corner, like turning the corner. He's 0:44:31.080 --> 0:44:33.440 turning in the corner and he's finding a corner. Three 0:44:33.480 --> 0:44:35.680 shooter open and your life. And I think the average 0:44:35.719 --> 0:44:37.200 person is looking at that, Oh that he just made 0:44:37.239 --> 0:44:40.799 like a simple pass and that's like unbelievable off off hand, 0:44:40.920 --> 0:44:44.720 left handed pass, like there's nothing He's fighting the corner boom, 0:44:45.360 --> 0:44:47.839 no problem. And then Yokich has this thing where he's 0:44:47.920 --> 0:44:50.840 in the post and as soon as he sees the 0:44:50.960 --> 0:44:54.160 double coming from the from the corner three, he's throwing 0:44:54.239 --> 0:44:58.640 this unbelievable like the past, that only baseline, that only he, 0:44:59.320 --> 0:45:02.440 that only he, that only he can make, the only 0:45:02.560 --> 0:45:06.480 he can make, Like he's so fun to watch. Like honestly, 0:45:07.080 --> 0:45:09.680 I wish I had a chance to market Ki because 0:45:09.719 --> 0:45:11.799 I think I could do things that are figure out 0:45:11.840 --> 0:45:14.080 ways to like tell his story and do funny stuff 0:45:14.640 --> 0:45:16.880 um to get people interested in him. But like if 0:45:16.920 --> 0:45:19.160 he like, let's put it this way, if he played 0:45:19.200 --> 0:45:23.759 for the Lakers, people would be hyping the hell out 0:45:23.840 --> 0:45:26.520 of him. If you play for the Lakers and Knicks, Celtics, 0:45:26.560 --> 0:45:28.640 any of those teams, he would be getting hyped like 0:45:29.040 --> 0:45:31.839 crazy beyond Like right now, I think people just think 0:45:31.880 --> 0:45:34.719 he's like a hipster MVP vote or media m v 0:45:34.840 --> 0:45:37.040 P vote and they don't realize how good he is, 0:45:37.200 --> 0:45:40.279 like Brod's next level. I don't know if I've ever 0:45:40.400 --> 0:45:46.160 seen like somebody like with his limited physical ability that 0:45:46.400 --> 0:45:49.960 is so dang on effective, Like I just have not 0:45:50.200 --> 0:45:52.040 seen that, like the way because you remember like I 0:45:52.080 --> 0:45:54.080 think it's probably first or second year. I mean I 0:45:54.160 --> 0:45:56.560 was looking at him like, dang, like he's a project. 0:45:56.640 --> 0:45:59.080 I thought I thought it was a project, bro. But 0:45:59.239 --> 0:46:00.640 but then all of a sudden, he hit an he 0:46:00.719 --> 0:46:03.120 turned the corner, and he start getting more Burton. Then 0:46:03.160 --> 0:46:06.480 he just start turning stuff out. He's a natural. Fox 0:46:06.560 --> 0:46:09.600 Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. 0:46:10.000 --> 0:46:12.839 Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot 0:46:12.920 --> 0:46:15.920 com and within the I Heart Radio app search f 0:46:16.280 --> 0:46:18.960 s R to listen live. It's it's you know, how 0:46:19.040 --> 0:46:21.839 we how we think about you know, how we think 0:46:21.840 --> 0:46:26.480 about Lebron in terms of like I think people are like, man, Lebron, Like, 0:46:26.600 --> 0:46:28.960 Lebron is not one of those drills guys where you're like, 0:46:29.080 --> 0:46:32.239 oh yeah, he's like like Kobe, Like Kobe was very 0:46:32.360 --> 0:46:34.960 much uh like I'm in the gym and I'm working 0:46:35.120 --> 0:46:39.080 on these moves and He's got every every move, every counter, 0:46:39.200 --> 0:46:41.960 every like whatever. And Lebron is like, obviously he works 0:46:42.000 --> 0:46:45.279 on his game and continue to improve over his you 0:46:45.320 --> 0:46:48.600 know now going into his twentieth year, but he's more 0:46:48.640 --> 0:46:50.960 of a natural player. And Yokich is one of those 0:46:51.000 --> 0:46:54.799 guys like he's like a great comparison. That's a great comparison. 0:46:54.920 --> 0:46:58.520 Like he's he's a he is a natural like this, 0:46:59.040 --> 0:47:01.800 It's just comes to him. He sees things when he 0:47:01.920 --> 0:47:05.680 reads everything so freaking quick. That's what I noticed about him. 0:47:05.840 --> 0:47:07.879 It's like before like the ball of being the air 0:47:08.080 --> 0:47:11.239 on the post, He's already saw out the periphery. Dude 0:47:11.360 --> 0:47:13.960 is coming. So when he touches his hand, he's like 0:47:14.160 --> 0:47:18.440 already flipping it. I'm like, dag, yeah, it's it's it's 0:47:18.480 --> 0:47:21.440 in that like I said that Larry Bird, that Larry 0:47:21.520 --> 0:47:27.080 Bird magic h Lebron like natural feel for the game ability, 0:47:27.320 --> 0:47:29.680 Like you see a guy like Yannice, like Janice worked 0:47:29.719 --> 0:47:32.040 his way into being this, Like like obviously he's a 0:47:32.080 --> 0:47:34.360 freaking nature athletically, but he had to he had to 0:47:34.480 --> 0:47:38.320 develop his game like this dude, yo kitchen is like 0:47:39.520 --> 0:47:43.400 he's had big, big soft hands and touch and and 0:47:43.840 --> 0:47:45.719 peripheral vision and feel for the game. Like as soon 0:47:45.760 --> 0:47:47.439 as he got on a basketball court, I think people 0:47:47.480 --> 0:47:54.080 don't coming down just you just you just some people 0:47:54.200 --> 0:47:56.839 just have it. Lebron was diving people up, like even 0:47:56.880 --> 0:47:58.799 though he was a freaking nature in high school, people 0:47:58.800 --> 0:48:00.439 are like, damn, how did he learn in the past 0:48:00.520 --> 0:48:03.799 like that he didn't learn he's that's a natural. That's 0:48:03.840 --> 0:48:06.239 a gift, that's a God given gift, is what it is, right, 0:48:06.320 --> 0:48:08.560 So that's that's kind of that's kind of the way 0:48:08.560 --> 0:48:10.400 I look at Yo. But I can't really take his 0:48:10.520 --> 0:48:13.960 m vps away from him at all that because dude, 0:48:13.960 --> 0:48:17.160 I watched I watched this. I watched the Blazers and 0:48:17.440 --> 0:48:20.480 Nuggets like every single game during the playoffs last year, 0:48:21.160 --> 0:48:24.440 And you know, I know Dame's mentality, you know, pretty 0:48:24.480 --> 0:48:26.400 closely working with him and get you know, getting a 0:48:26.560 --> 0:48:29.200 very good understanding. I already knew what he was coming 0:48:29.239 --> 0:48:32.279 within that that pivotal Game five of that series, and 0:48:33.400 --> 0:48:38.440 you know, he dropped fifty like making crazy three is 0:48:38.480 --> 0:48:40.560 doing Like he was like, this is this this game 0:48:40.680 --> 0:48:42.400 is the series. So I'm putting it all on the 0:48:42.480 --> 0:48:44.719 floor right now, Like if we lose this game, it's 0:48:44.719 --> 0:48:46.640 gonna be very hard for us to win this series. 0:48:46.719 --> 0:48:49.279 So I'm I'm going for the kill. And that's what 0:48:49.400 --> 0:48:51.840 he left out there. But what people people see Dame's 0:48:51.920 --> 0:48:55.160 performance was unbelievable. But the reason they didn't win that 0:48:55.239 --> 0:48:59.320 game is because they had zero answer for Yoki Zero, 0:48:59.800 --> 0:49:04.520 like and I'm not just scoring, diving. He's doing everything 0:49:04.840 --> 0:49:09.439 crazy threes, He's hitting, He's hitting threes. And the past 0:49:09.520 --> 0:49:11.879 that I told you about the dagger for the game 0:49:12.480 --> 0:49:16.880 was that past he hit somebody in the corner and 0:49:17.040 --> 0:49:21.080 it was like like Covington was coming down for the 0:49:21.160 --> 0:49:23.160 help and as soon as he saw coming to move 0:49:23.239 --> 0:49:25.239 for a second he hit, he hit the corner and 0:49:25.280 --> 0:49:29.360 it was that was it. Like, yeah, man, these playoffs 0:49:29.360 --> 0:49:32.759 are gonna be live as heck man, all these matchups, dude, 0:49:32.920 --> 0:49:35.879 I'm totally looking forward to it. Man. Yeah, I don't 0:49:35.880 --> 0:49:38.600 really have a team either way. I want the Bucks 0:49:38.640 --> 0:49:41.480 to win. I like the Bucks. I mean, yeah, I'm 0:49:41.880 --> 0:49:44.279 forbish reasons you know, of course, Bro, I ain't rolling 0:49:44.320 --> 0:49:46.600 with the Bucks. Okay, they were retiring my dad Jersey. 0:49:46.800 --> 0:49:49.680 They flying this out there, rolling with the Bucks, Bro, Man, 0:49:49.760 --> 0:49:56.359 I respected the last three family looked out. Huh yeah, man, 0:49:56.680 --> 0:49:58.600 the whole crew over there. So it's like I'm rolling 0:49:58.680 --> 0:50:01.040 with the Bucks. So that's kind of where I'm going. 0:50:01.239 --> 0:50:04.640 But my man, Nate, I love chopping up the game 0:50:04.719 --> 0:50:06.799 with your brother. But yeah, man, I want to talk 0:50:06.840 --> 0:50:11.839 about you're the company you co founded, Movement Souls. Yes, sir, 0:50:12.239 --> 0:50:15.080 the inspiration behind it. Talk about the copy. I want 0:50:15.080 --> 0:50:17.879 to chop it up about that. It's crazy everything that's 0:50:18.120 --> 0:50:21.640 everything that's good that's happened to me. Um, you know 0:50:22.800 --> 0:50:25.200 that's good in my professional life has come from a 0:50:25.320 --> 0:50:29.719 love of the game. I love basketball, and um you 0:50:29.800 --> 0:50:34.239 know that interest, that intrigue, all of that has kind 0:50:34.280 --> 0:50:36.000 of built my career. And a lot of my best 0:50:36.080 --> 0:50:38.560 friendships and things like that have come from playing basketball 0:50:38.719 --> 0:50:42.120 teammates all that stuff, camaraderie in in that space. And 0:50:42.400 --> 0:50:45.000 this was born of the same thing I was I 0:50:45.120 --> 0:50:47.360 was hoping. I had like I was dealing with like 0:50:47.480 --> 0:50:50.160 a what do you call it, like a hip flex 0:50:50.239 --> 0:50:51.920 or injury. So I didn't hoop for a while, and 0:50:52.000 --> 0:50:53.920 then I got back to it, like, man, I'm about 0:50:53.960 --> 0:50:59.040 to I'm about to be going hard, got new gym membership, everything, 0:50:59.360 --> 0:51:01.960 and I would starting and play crazy. And then I 0:51:02.080 --> 0:51:04.520 had like my like my feet were killing me, like 0:51:04.640 --> 0:51:08.400 planet fasciitists, and it just kind of it kind of 0:51:09.000 --> 0:51:10.839 how to you know, make a light bulb go off 0:51:10.880 --> 0:51:15.279 in my head? And I started thinking about, wait a minute, Um, 0:51:15.680 --> 0:51:17.560 you know, how do I remember when you know this 0:51:17.680 --> 0:51:19.799 player had this issue and they you know, they were 0:51:19.840 --> 0:51:22.359 fitted for like customer orthotics, so they found an over 0:51:22.400 --> 0:51:24.879 the counter orthotic for them or in soul for them. 0:51:25.560 --> 0:51:28.279 And you know, this is like generally, when I think 0:51:28.280 --> 0:51:30.239 about it, most of the players in the league, we 0:51:30.480 --> 0:51:33.239 don't wear their shoes out the box. They wear UM. 0:51:34.080 --> 0:51:36.719 They have either customer slotics or like you know, some 0:51:36.920 --> 0:51:39.320 kind of like premium in soul. And then when you 0:51:39.400 --> 0:51:42.279 go down the line, um, you know, I would. I 0:51:43.160 --> 0:51:45.680 never really was looking for it before, and I never 0:51:45.760 --> 0:51:47.640 really thought about it for myself. But I'm like, man, 0:51:47.680 --> 0:51:49.399 I've been playing ball in my whole life. No one's 0:51:49.440 --> 0:51:53.759 really marketed like this type of product to me. Um. 0:51:54.040 --> 0:51:56.320 And then I've been marketing to you know, the crowd 0:51:56.440 --> 0:51:59.839 that's you know, influenced by these players for fourteen years now, 0:52:00.000 --> 0:52:02.200 and I don't I've been in all kinds of footwear 0:52:02.280 --> 0:52:04.440 meetings with brands and things of the nature, and the 0:52:04.560 --> 0:52:08.759 INSOL has not been on the on the the agenda 0:52:08.960 --> 0:52:12.120 for or the even the product roadmap for the consumer 0:52:12.200 --> 0:52:15.920 roadmap for how they interact a retail. So I was like, damn, man, 0:52:16.080 --> 0:52:19.920 like untapped, my unchartered. And then you know what's happening 0:52:19.920 --> 0:52:22.400 in business A lot is you know, do you have 0:52:22.480 --> 0:52:25.880 these boomer brands been around forever and they kind of 0:52:25.960 --> 0:52:29.719 have aged out with that boomer generation. Um. You know, 0:52:29.840 --> 0:52:31.880 you look at like in the market that I'm man. 0:52:31.960 --> 0:52:34.200 I don't consider them a competitor because they market the 0:52:34.280 --> 0:52:38.000 different people. But like Dr Schulz brand, it's the brand 0:52:38.080 --> 0:52:42.200 of record, uh, you know for my grandmother, my grandmother's generation, 0:52:42.840 --> 0:52:46.000 you know, everybody, it's like and when you think when 0:52:46.040 --> 0:52:47.880 you think of Dr Schulz though, you know, obviously it's 0:52:47.880 --> 0:52:51.239 a hundred year old brand. It's old, sleepy distributed through 0:52:51.280 --> 0:52:54.480 CVS all that stuff. But UM Trim to Fit looks 0:52:54.520 --> 0:52:57.319 like a medical product. There's nothing aspirational about it at all, 0:52:58.200 --> 0:53:02.440 you know, studying the whole global marketplace and understanding how 0:53:02.520 --> 0:53:05.120 professional athletes work. You know, some of my investors have 0:53:05.239 --> 0:53:08.120 worked with UM. You know, one of my investors used 0:53:08.160 --> 0:53:10.960 to do the Run the Mountain de Tour and he 0:53:11.080 --> 0:53:14.560 was telling me every single skateboarder, pro skateboarder has insuls 0:53:14.560 --> 0:53:17.480 and orthotics. Just the kids that that aspire to be 0:53:17.600 --> 0:53:19.839 like them have no idea. And then the same thing, 0:53:20.000 --> 0:53:23.239 you know, basketball, same thing, football, same thing, so like 0:53:23.360 --> 0:53:27.640 go across the go across the board, Tennis, same thing. 0:53:27.880 --> 0:53:30.840 So I see an opportunity to kind of come in 0:53:31.239 --> 0:53:34.440 as a new age brand that understands that consumer. UM 0:53:34.840 --> 0:53:37.200 bring a you know, great product to the market, not 0:53:37.320 --> 0:53:40.080 a superficial product. The products we've developed have been done 0:53:40.120 --> 0:53:44.759 in conjunction with the top UH pro Sports UH poietry 0:53:44.800 --> 0:53:47.920 firm out there, firm called Footcare Express out in Florida. 0:53:47.960 --> 0:53:51.400 Almost all the fellas that have customer orthotics, but they 0:53:51.480 --> 0:53:54.000 go exactly the teams. The team. They might not know 0:53:54.120 --> 0:53:56.000 they have them from there, but that's that's who's doing 0:53:56.040 --> 0:53:58.320 them for them. UM. So we built an over the 0:53:58.400 --> 0:54:00.520 counter product that you know, for the I would say 0:54:00.560 --> 0:54:04.640 for about eight of the population of athletes is gonna 0:54:04.719 --> 0:54:07.520 work UM for them. The sock liners that they put 0:54:07.560 --> 0:54:09.919 in shoes are completely inadequate. And when you think about 0:54:09.960 --> 0:54:12.439 athletes and the journeys that they're on now, even guys 0:54:12.480 --> 0:54:14.759 that don't really have a chance, you know, guys and 0:54:14.800 --> 0:54:17.160 girls that don't have a chance to make the pros 0:54:17.280 --> 0:54:19.440 or even Division one, they're still on these journeys where 0:54:19.480 --> 0:54:21.840 they're paying, they're playing all these hours starting at an 0:54:21.920 --> 0:54:26.319 earlier age. You know, you're playing more basketball than ever. Um. 0:54:26.560 --> 0:54:28.120 You know, even though they're indoors now and a lot 0:54:28.160 --> 0:54:32.160 of us were outdoors playing. They're playing way more. They're 0:54:32.160 --> 0:54:35.560 playing way more hours, way more games. They got trainers, 0:54:35.600 --> 0:54:38.000 they're doing all kinds of stuff, and you're seeing uh 0:54:38.280 --> 0:54:42.720 this preponderance of overuse injuries. Right, So, UM, the amount 0:54:42.760 --> 0:54:44.840 of time that they're playing is not going to change, 0:54:44.880 --> 0:54:47.920 but what could change is UH knowledge on how they 0:54:48.000 --> 0:54:50.160 prepare their body and how they protect their bodies. So 0:54:50.280 --> 0:54:53.160 our brand is all about that, and eventually we want 0:54:53.200 --> 0:54:56.400 to become Dr Schulz the generation Y and z UM 0:54:56.600 --> 0:54:59.200 so that includes like casual, We have a casual product 0:54:59.239 --> 0:55:02.759 eventually coming out. There's a whole deal. UM honestly have been. 0:55:02.880 --> 0:55:05.640 We we launched December one, UM, you know with with 0:55:05.960 --> 0:55:10.560 product and UM opened up our website. Director, I've totally 0:55:10.719 --> 0:55:13.480 been blown away by the response so far. I knew 0:55:13.520 --> 0:55:15.279 it was gonna be I knew we had you know, 0:55:15.360 --> 0:55:16.640 we have a long road ahead of us, but I 0:55:16.680 --> 0:55:20.800 did not expect us to have um the reaction that 0:55:21.080 --> 0:55:23.640 we've had to date. So it's been fun. I mean 0:55:23.960 --> 0:55:27.719 to the reaction I think has a lot to do 0:55:27.880 --> 0:55:33.040 with you know, it's it's a useful product that hasn't 0:55:33.280 --> 0:55:35.120 like we you have to go through a process to 0:55:35.200 --> 0:55:37.799 get authotics. I know you used to have to get 0:55:37.840 --> 0:55:40.800 the mold and it cost a ton of money. So 0:55:41.080 --> 0:55:44.239 for you guys to create this situation where you can 0:55:44.360 --> 0:55:47.200 like walk in and you get them quick and that 0:55:47.239 --> 0:55:50.080 whole situation, that that is just beautiful, That it is magnificent. 0:55:50.400 --> 0:55:52.839 And then something I don't know, I know you guys 0:55:52.840 --> 0:55:54.480 have thought about it, but something that I took from 0:55:54.560 --> 0:55:58.320 this as a former athlete is that the earlier you 0:55:58.400 --> 0:56:01.600 start wearing authotics and balance yourself out, all that you 0:56:01.640 --> 0:56:04.800 don't have to worry about later down the line having 0:56:05.280 --> 0:56:07.719 that funny walk. I got the funny walking, now the 0:56:08.040 --> 0:56:10.920 funny hit walk with all the game. You don't have 0:56:10.960 --> 0:56:12.759 to worry about different issues with your back or you 0:56:12.960 --> 0:56:15.960 you won't have uh, those issues as much if you 0:56:16.120 --> 0:56:18.719 if you're balanced out these are athotics or in your 0:56:18.760 --> 0:56:21.239 life at an early age. Yeah, So that's that's what's 0:56:21.280 --> 0:56:23.879 so interesting. When you talked to the players and talked 0:56:23.920 --> 0:56:26.080 to most of the guys, they go, I didn't know 0:56:26.200 --> 0:56:29.279 anything about this. UM like we just did. Dame was 0:56:29.360 --> 0:56:31.840 just doing media from move like earlier this week with 0:56:32.200 --> 0:56:35.000 three different outlets. UM. Hopefully that stuff is gonna gonna 0:56:35.080 --> 0:56:37.480 drop soon. But he was. He was talking about like 0:56:37.960 --> 0:56:39.640 I didn't really think about this or no any of 0:56:39.680 --> 0:56:41.839 this stuff until like I got to a certain level 0:56:41.880 --> 0:56:44.239 and then I started to deal with particular injuries and 0:56:44.280 --> 0:56:46.040 then I had to start thinking about it. But because 0:56:46.080 --> 0:56:48.279 like I wish I would have known any of the guys, 0:56:48.320 --> 0:56:50.759 they all say the same thing. Chris Paul swears by 0:56:51.800 --> 0:56:56.160 swears by orthotics, right, and you know he's he's like, 0:56:56.239 --> 0:56:58.359 I wish I would have known this at an earlier age. 0:56:58.360 --> 0:57:01.040 And and someone like him who's probably more invested in 0:57:01.120 --> 0:57:05.200 the grassroots basketball than any like active player right now, Um, 0:57:05.680 --> 0:57:07.640 he's the perfect platform for him to like, you know, 0:57:07.920 --> 0:57:09.759 use the knowledge he has and bring it down to 0:57:10.600 --> 0:57:13.560 those kids that he influences. So yeah, that's that's that's 0:57:13.680 --> 0:57:16.160 really what we're trying to do is provide that that 0:57:16.320 --> 0:57:20.040 pro level knowledge and access and products that um, you know, 0:57:20.760 --> 0:57:23.400 uh could really help these younger athletes. But you know 0:57:23.480 --> 0:57:25.520 that's gonna be the hard that's I think we're I 0:57:25.600 --> 0:57:27.840 think a lot of our business so far has been 0:57:28.480 --> 0:57:31.680 We've got a lot of kids and younger athletes purchasing it, 0:57:31.840 --> 0:57:34.080 but the easier cell has been to people that are 0:57:34.120 --> 0:57:37.520 familiar with UM in Souls and orthotics, like they like 0:57:37.640 --> 0:57:40.120 our product because they think it's the best. They've try 0:57:40.120 --> 0:57:41.720 it and they love it and they rave about the 0:57:41.800 --> 0:57:43.840 reviews on our side are amazing. But the hard part 0:57:44.000 --> 0:57:47.440 is going to be getting those younger a younger generation 0:57:47.920 --> 0:57:50.560 to where like, we know you're familiar with made Hoops, 0:57:50.920 --> 0:57:57.000 which is really really interesting because chat chat is chat. 0:57:57.120 --> 0:58:00.520 That's my dude. It's so awesome to see because you 0:58:02.000 --> 0:58:05.400 you see all the former pros out there with their 0:58:05.480 --> 0:58:08.840 kids now, so like your guy Matt Barnes is out 0:58:08.880 --> 0:58:12.760 there with this Twins coaching up. So so like the 0:58:12.840 --> 0:58:16.200 Twins have move In Souls now because we we we 0:58:16.800 --> 0:58:21.400 did UM we did a partnership with Made Hoops where 0:58:21.480 --> 0:58:25.240 for their West Coast and East Coast championships may all 0:58:25.280 --> 0:58:28.800 the champs from each division pairs of insuls. So it 0:58:28.920 --> 0:58:30.960 was just awesome to see the kids interacting with them 0:58:31.000 --> 0:58:33.280 get the positive response. A lot of the kids ended 0:58:33.320 --> 0:58:36.120 up following us after like just all that. So that's 0:58:36.160 --> 0:58:38.120 the hard The hard work is going to be educating 0:58:38.680 --> 0:58:41.080 the parents and the kids around why they need the 0:58:41.120 --> 0:58:44.640 product and UM going forward that way, Well, I think 0:58:44.720 --> 0:58:46.720 you guys are doing doing it the right way. I 0:58:46.800 --> 0:58:49.280 mean you signed Jaded Williams, who's one of the top 0:58:49.720 --> 0:58:51.720 high school talents going to u C l A to 0:58:51.920 --> 0:58:54.720 n I L partnership. I believe she's she's endorsing it. Uh. 0:58:54.880 --> 0:58:57.760 You guys were at the Classic and Damien also, which 0:58:57.840 --> 0:58:59.560 is something that I noticed and this is just me 0:58:59.720 --> 0:59:02.840 seeing and it and I'm like, yeah, okay, Nick, Yeah, 0:59:03.120 --> 0:59:06.000 and then just all just all the dog on Hi selfish. 0:59:06.000 --> 0:59:09.320 You've got dudes taken and posted man testimonials real not 0:59:09.880 --> 0:59:13.520 like paid anything, real life. Yo. Man, my feet feel great. 0:59:14.160 --> 0:59:17.080 I'm posting this tell by the way they're posting bro 0:59:17.400 --> 0:59:20.480 that people really love. Yeah. You know, it was so 0:59:20.600 --> 0:59:22.960 crazy so that I had somebody accused me of like 0:59:23.120 --> 0:59:26.280 not disclosing that was somewhere and I was like, bro, 0:59:26.400 --> 0:59:28.320 I didn't, I am not. I don't operate that way. 0:59:28.400 --> 0:59:30.160 So we had So there's a there's a cat named 0:59:30.440 --> 0:59:34.800 Dwayne Washington that went to Yeah, he went to Sierra 0:59:34.880 --> 0:59:37.960 Canyon in Ohio state and he's actually he just signed 0:59:38.080 --> 0:59:41.320 a full deal with He was on a two way 0:59:41.400 --> 0:59:43.560 but now he's got his full contract. He got the 0:59:43.600 --> 0:59:46.000 full Yeah. Yeah, this country signed right at the end 0:59:46.000 --> 0:59:48.560 of the athlete. Yeah, that's that's a real dope. But 0:59:48.600 --> 0:59:51.200 the interesting thing is Um during one of the guys 0:59:51.280 --> 0:59:54.640 that I um, you know, it's just it's just years 0:59:54.800 --> 0:59:58.240 and working. It's I'm kind of cashing in on um, 0:59:58.520 --> 1:00:01.440 my name, my reputation, my contacts, all of that within 1:00:01.520 --> 1:00:04.920 the basketball space. A trainer friend of mine that trains 1:00:05.520 --> 1:00:11.040 uh uh Dwayne named von Compton. Out in Phoenix, I 1:00:11.240 --> 1:00:15.280 was out shooting Chris paul Um for our brand shoot 1:00:15.320 --> 1:00:18.560 for for a Move, and Vaughan kind of helped us 1:00:18.560 --> 1:00:20.520 set up the gym that we use for for Chris 1:00:21.000 --> 1:00:25.240 um amazing home gym out in Scottsdale. The gentleman owns. Uh. 1:00:26.080 --> 1:00:31.640 Guy's name is Brett Hart, a big, big time huh. No, No, 1:00:31.920 --> 1:00:33.640 we were. We were making jokes about us, like the 1:00:33.840 --> 1:00:36.360 best best was, but yeah, no, it's it's it's he 1:00:36.880 --> 1:00:40.240 he's a uh he's made I don't want to say 1:00:40.240 --> 1:00:42.440 how much money he's made because I would be guessing, 1:00:42.480 --> 1:00:44.840 but I'm sure it's pretty substantially based on his house 1:00:44.840 --> 1:00:49.040 and stuff like that. He uh made his fortune in 1:00:49.200 --> 1:00:52.080 staffing like staffing for State Farm, like State Farm and 1:00:52.160 --> 1:00:55.040 stuff like that. But he's a big basketball fan and 1:00:55.120 --> 1:00:57.560 had this has this gym that Vaughan often uses the 1:00:57.640 --> 1:00:59.960 train players. So we shot Chris Paul there. I gave 1:01:00.040 --> 1:01:04.200 him all the all the uh uh crew, production crew, 1:01:04.440 --> 1:01:06.480 everybody there. I was giving them insuls to try out. 1:01:06.600 --> 1:01:08.800 I gave Von insuls for him to try out. He 1:01:08.880 --> 1:01:12.240 wears the same size as Dwayne. Dwayne comes to train 1:01:12.320 --> 1:01:14.360 with him during All Star break and goes, man, my 1:01:14.440 --> 1:01:17.080 feet are killing me. He's ad. Vaughan's like, oh man, 1:01:17.120 --> 1:01:18.440 I got something for you. I think you wear the 1:01:18.440 --> 1:01:21.120 same size, and he gives them to him and he 1:01:21.480 --> 1:01:25.280 Dwayne hits Vaughan like, yo, I'm like loving these whatever. 1:01:26.160 --> 1:01:30.480 I see a picture, h I'll I'll send it to you. 1:01:30.600 --> 1:01:32.960 But it's the picture of him walking to the bus 1:01:33.680 --> 1:01:36.040 and he's got a package our insults in his hands. 1:01:36.320 --> 1:01:38.360 So I posted that on Twitter and someone was like, man, 1:01:38.360 --> 1:01:40.360 why don't you disclose when you paying these dudes to 1:01:40.400 --> 1:01:42.680 do whatever? And I'm like, I did not pay this dude. 1:01:43.120 --> 1:01:46.240 He this was a completely organic thing. He's walking in 1:01:46.360 --> 1:01:48.800 with it because so what it is. You know, after 1:01:48.880 --> 1:01:50.920 the fact, I reached out to him, I sending more product, 1:01:51.040 --> 1:01:53.840 but I've never paid him. He's not one of my guys. 1:01:53.920 --> 1:01:59.080 It's just organic, you know, organic things. So just just 1:01:59.120 --> 1:02:00.360 trying to figure it out, man, And I think we 1:02:00.440 --> 1:02:03.440 have a real potential to build something special. And it's 1:02:03.480 --> 1:02:06.200 been fun. Man. Yeah, I think the testimonials will go 1:02:06.200 --> 1:02:08.200 a long way for you guys. I mean, I think, 1:02:08.320 --> 1:02:11.919 you know, really getting to like the grassroots, the high 1:02:11.960 --> 1:02:15.680 school kids. On the educational tip, Like, dude, I went 1:02:15.840 --> 1:02:18.120 like when I and I'm just gonna tell you, when 1:02:18.120 --> 1:02:21.480 I finally got some insuls in college, Bro, I started dunking, 1:02:21.680 --> 1:02:24.320 Like I went dunking before you know what I'm saying it, 1:02:24.440 --> 1:02:26.880 Like I went from not doune to being able to 1:02:26.960 --> 1:02:30.320 like two foot jump stock really but just doing stuff fast, 1:02:30.440 --> 1:02:33.240 getting back quicker, moving quick. I'm like, what the hell 1:02:33.320 --> 1:02:36.040 is going on? You have this revelation and you've been 1:02:36.120 --> 1:02:38.720 your body, You've been playing kind of off ballance your 1:02:38.760 --> 1:02:43.080 whole life. Yeah, you get these dog so yeah, but man, 1:02:43.120 --> 1:02:45.800 I'm I'm excited about that, man, And uh, I wish 1:02:45.840 --> 1:02:48.320 you the best with that, brother than you that's your 1:02:48.680 --> 1:02:51.480 You're one of the good guys in the industry. My man. 1:02:51.560 --> 1:02:54.800 You hear yourself at a very high level. Bro, You 1:02:54.920 --> 1:02:57.720 somebody respect and somebody that you know is gonna just 1:02:57.960 --> 1:03:02.000 be very, very successful whatever you do, man. And likewise, 1:03:02.080 --> 1:03:05.040 it's it's just it's just so interesting how like I said, man, 1:03:05.120 --> 1:03:07.880 stuff comes full circle. I used to watch obviously I 1:03:07.920 --> 1:03:11.640 watch you that uh the watch Crunshaw games. But I 1:03:11.640 --> 1:03:14.000 would read about in the paper and then I would 1:03:14.040 --> 1:03:16.360 see you at u c l A, watch you at 1:03:16.440 --> 1:03:18.840 u c l A watch games. Then people don't know 1:03:18.840 --> 1:03:20.440 about the men's gym. You didn't grow up in LA 1:03:20.520 --> 1:03:23.360 in the nineties, you don't know about the men's gym. Um. 1:03:24.440 --> 1:03:28.560 Obviously there's still NBA workouts and things like Rico Hynes hosts, right, 1:03:28.600 --> 1:03:30.560 but it's not the same as when it was open 1:03:30.600 --> 1:03:34.400 to everybody, and you know, you would come there on 1:03:34.440 --> 1:03:38.439 a Saturday or or during the summertime, during the week, 1:03:39.280 --> 1:03:42.440 and on the court on the left side, it's just 1:03:42.800 --> 1:03:44.840 you know, random high school players or whoever was trying 1:03:44.840 --> 1:03:46.880 to get a run. The same thing on the court 1:03:47.000 --> 1:03:49.439 far court, on the right side, the middle, middle court 1:03:50.440 --> 1:03:54.320 was we were all watching y'all with probably funny that 1:03:54.400 --> 1:03:56.360 was everybody that was on the U c l A team. 1:03:56.440 --> 1:03:59.520 And then you know former current pro so you you 1:03:59.560 --> 1:04:05.000 would get everybody from Reggie Theist to to Magic to uh, 1:04:05.280 --> 1:04:07.800 you know guys, and then Kobe and Kobe would be 1:04:07.840 --> 1:04:10.320 there with his two sisters. Hey with came through though. 1:04:10.360 --> 1:04:13.400 That's when it got it got ugly. Kobe came through 1:04:13.480 --> 1:04:15.520 use because he started off. He came first. He came 1:04:15.520 --> 1:04:17.760 to the Wooden Center. Yeah, and it kind of did 1:04:17.880 --> 1:04:20.880 work over there, you know, just just monstering us. And 1:04:20.960 --> 1:04:23.080 then he's like, moved it over to the Med's gym. 1:04:23.600 --> 1:04:25.440 They're like Christian because I didn't come the day he 1:04:25.520 --> 1:04:26.920 came the first day, like, man, you need to come 1:04:26.960 --> 1:04:29.160 play against Cobe. Man, this dude. So I finally get 1:04:29.240 --> 1:04:31.479 down there, man, and so we're in the middle court. 1:04:31.840 --> 1:04:35.960 It's magic Kobe. I think it's like, uh, who else 1:04:36.480 --> 1:04:39.600 Don McClain, you know, you know, but I'm matched up 1:04:39.600 --> 1:04:42.360 against Kobe, so you know, play happens. Kobe tips dunks 1:04:42.400 --> 1:04:45.280 on me. My dad is actually in the gym, he said. 1:04:45.360 --> 1:04:47.760 Dad used to always be in the gym. Your dad 1:04:47.840 --> 1:04:50.400 used to be working out Josiah and then working out 1:04:50.560 --> 1:04:53.760 the time. Yeah, so my dad, my dad sees it. 1:04:53.840 --> 1:04:55.520 I look at my dad. I'm all embarrassed. He's like 1:04:55.600 --> 1:04:58.800 he looks at me like like you know, you're like, 1:04:58.880 --> 1:05:02.120 get into it with Kobe a man, du the next thing, 1:05:02.160 --> 1:05:04.680 I know, Magic gotta break it up. But it's just 1:05:05.240 --> 1:05:07.640 that just growing up in that man, being around that 1:05:07.840 --> 1:05:11.400 Nate and understanding you're watching you been just in that atmosphere, bro, 1:05:11.600 --> 1:05:14.160 because it's like it was like it was just it 1:05:14.280 --> 1:05:17.200 was surreal. Yeah, man, it's so so you know, the 1:05:17.240 --> 1:05:20.920 point I was trying to make is just like everybody had, 1:05:21.000 --> 1:05:23.640 Like you're a part of the influence on me as 1:05:23.720 --> 1:05:29.160 a as a you know, basketball fan, basketball consumer, uh, 1:05:29.480 --> 1:05:32.000 you know, businessman in the basketball space. So you know, 1:05:32.040 --> 1:05:34.720 I appreciate your contribution to the game. I think not 1:05:34.960 --> 1:05:37.680 enough people give all the people that have influenced them, 1:05:37.920 --> 1:05:40.240 you know, credit. So it's great to see. It's great 1:05:40.280 --> 1:05:42.440 to see your Daggett and his flowers. It's great to 1:05:42.480 --> 1:05:44.760 see you getting your flowers. It's great to see Joe 1:05:44.880 --> 1:05:48.240 popping off. Like everybody that I know in the basketball space, 1:05:48.320 --> 1:05:51.720 I love seeing everybody win. So um yeah, man, it's 1:05:51.840 --> 1:05:55.720 it's it's cool. But the Kobe thing, people don't realize 1:05:55.720 --> 1:05:57.920 that Kobe used to roll in with his sisters. Man, 1:05:58.600 --> 1:06:04.320 he's his sister seems to go everywhere with him, yeah, man, 1:06:04.560 --> 1:06:07.880 rolling in with his sisters. Man. So yeah, it's it's 1:06:08.000 --> 1:06:10.440 uh because you forget he was really like he's literally 1:06:10.520 --> 1:06:15.960 a kid old yeah man, so um but yeah man, 1:06:16.000 --> 1:06:17.840 it's it's it's been good knowing you over the years 1:06:17.920 --> 1:06:20.480 and and wish you much success. And I appreciate the 1:06:20.520 --> 1:06:22.320 platform to talk about all this stuff. And I'll call 1:06:22.360 --> 1:06:24.440 on anytime you want. Oh man, I'm definitely gonna have 1:06:24.520 --> 1:06:26.920 you back, my brother, you know, man, Ladies and gentlemen. 1:06:27.160 --> 1:06:27.840 Nate Jones