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Speaker 1: Welcome to All the Smoke, a production of The Black

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Speaker 1: Effect and our Heart Radio and partnership with Showtime. Welcome

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Speaker 1: back Man, season two of All the Smoke. We got

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Speaker 1: a real special guest. What's up with your Brodie with

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Speaker 1: the virtual headshake? I'm gonna tell you something that I

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Speaker 1: never told you back. I want to smoke. Welcome back

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Speaker 1: to another edition of All the Smoke. Jack, what's happening

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Speaker 1: out there, my brother? What's up with yah? I can't

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Speaker 1: call it. How's the weather out there is getting any

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Speaker 1: better out that way? And the sunny came out? Baby?

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Speaker 1: It's nice out of here. Absolutely, It's always nice out here. Jack.

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Speaker 1: I wanted to commend you on how you're able to

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Speaker 1: keep your your ensemble together. But still you have nice

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Speaker 1: little fashion fly either the Jay's or the hats of

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Speaker 1: the jewelry you make. You make it look good, bro,

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Speaker 1: you make it look good. Hey man, Hey, one thing

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Speaker 1: about it, matt Uh. Even though I'm a Muslim, that

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Speaker 1: don't mean I can't be flies. I'm gonna be flying.

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Speaker 1: It's always regardless, regardless. Well anyway, man, we got a

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Speaker 1: good a special guest today. Um to me one of

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Speaker 1: the most underrated players in the game. Uh, since he

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Speaker 1: stepped in in the NBA. UM. You know, it's been

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Speaker 1: a pleasure to watch him. Got a chance to play

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Speaker 1: with them against him a little bit at the end

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Speaker 1: of my career. But welcome to the show, c J McCollum,

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Speaker 1: c J, thanks for joining us. Bro. I appreciate you

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Speaker 1: having me on. I've been watching for some years now,

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Speaker 1: so I'm appreciated. Guys. Man, we we all fan we

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Speaker 1: fans on YouTube, bro, so it's only right we get

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Speaker 1: this time. Hell yeah, you're gonna get to it. Um

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Speaker 1: was pretty much a disaster for all of us, starting

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Speaker 1: with you know, obviously Cobe going down at the end

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Speaker 1: of January. What was one thing you took from positive negative?

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Speaker 1: What did you take from I think the importance of

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Speaker 1: enjoying your time with loved ones. I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: COVID wasn't ideal. It hasn't been a great situation for us,

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Speaker 1: but it's taught us the importance of families. It's tall

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Speaker 1: us the importance of connecting with your loved ones because

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Speaker 1: time is short, man, you never know what's going to happen,

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Speaker 1: and I'll try to take advantage of Like I just

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Speaker 1: had to leave it go COVID test in the middle

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Speaker 1: of your show. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's

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Speaker 1: the world we're living in now. But I still can

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Speaker 1: tap in with my grandma. I still can tap in

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Speaker 1: with people to just kind of check on them and

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Speaker 1: see how they're doing, because you never know. So, Uh,

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Speaker 1: you go down with the foot injury the middle of January.

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Speaker 1: What has the recovery been? Like, Um, how are you

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Speaker 1: where you at with the recovery and and do you

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Speaker 1: have a somewhat of a timetable on when you expect

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Speaker 1: to return? Yeah, it's been. It was tough, man. I

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Speaker 1: was playing the best basketball in my career. We were

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Speaker 1: playing well, and I was in position to do some

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Speaker 1: things I probably haven't done yeah in my career. But

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Speaker 1: it's just unfortunate situation that occurred. I've been heard before,

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Speaker 1: so understanding the process of rehappened. It's more so mentally.

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Speaker 1: Physically we're good at everything, like we can overcome most things.

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Speaker 1: It's just about mentally staying engage, taking care of my body,

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Speaker 1: not rushing it with this being my third injury. So

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Speaker 1: it's it's been the first four weeks was rough man

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Speaker 1: in the boot washing and your team play Um, that's

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Speaker 1: it's always hard to to kind of go through that,

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Speaker 1: but once you get that boot off, you kind of

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Speaker 1: hit the ground running and are able to do more stuff.

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Speaker 1: So I'm in the transition phase. In five weeks. In

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Speaker 1: a few days in that it will be six weeks.

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Speaker 1: On Saturday, they basically gave me a reevaluated four weeks,

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Speaker 1: revocuate that six weeks, and then kind of go from there. Um,

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Speaker 1: I feel stronger. I'll probably start doing more on court

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Speaker 1: stuff these next few days in terms of like working

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Speaker 1: out and progressing. But I'm gonna take my time. Man,

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Speaker 1: I don't want to mess with with this with just

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Speaker 1: being my third injury. We're playing well. Young guys are

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Speaker 1: getting a chance to show what they have to offer,

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Speaker 1: which is great, and I've been in their shoes before,

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Speaker 1: so I'm glad they're taking advantage of it. And I'll probably,

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Speaker 1: you know, see how I'll see how I feel at

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Speaker 1: the six week market and take it from there, but

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Speaker 1: it could be a few more weeks. That's impressive that

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Speaker 1: you're being smart like that because us as players, you know,

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Speaker 1: we want to get back to get back on the court,

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Speaker 1: and I know it's real challenging for you to be

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Speaker 1: sitting on the sideline knowing you almost there, seeing your

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Speaker 1: team go to walk, you know, and you've not been

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Speaker 1: able to do that. We've all been through it. But

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Speaker 1: I know it takes a lot to be smart with yourself,

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Speaker 1: you know it saying hold yourself back because I know

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Speaker 1: you want to get out there as soon as you can. Yeah. Man,

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Speaker 1: whenever I started shooting and working down, it's like, all right,

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Speaker 1: I think I'm good, but it's like, no, you gotta

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Speaker 1: follow the protocol all the timeline and understand that you'll

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Speaker 1: be better in the long run once you make sure

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Speaker 1: everything is healed properly. Yeah, And I'm sure it's tough too.

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Speaker 1: Like you said, you're you're on pace for to accomplish

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Speaker 1: things you haven't accomplished yet in your career and you

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Speaker 1: go down. But I think, like like I said, the

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Speaker 1: piggyback off of Jack, what's feet are dangerous? You mean feet?

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Speaker 1: And you know that ankle and below is something dangerous.

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Speaker 1: You know. You see Graham Hill and some guys having

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Speaker 1: the you know, similar injuries that you had that that

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Speaker 1: that rushed back and you know what could possibly in

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Speaker 1: their career. So it's good you take your time, and

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Speaker 1: we are sometimes our own worst enemy from a standpoint

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Speaker 1: that we are. The competitive nature of us want to

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Speaker 1: get back out there and play, but we know for

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Speaker 1: the betterment of our body, it's it's a marathon, not

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Speaker 1: a sprint. So I'm glad you're taking your time with that. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: And I think you learned from trial and error. Man,

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Speaker 1: it's my my third foot fracture, So I didn't. I

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Speaker 1: didn't did everything you can do in terms of the

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Speaker 1: rehab process, in terms of when the transition is coming back. So, uh,

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Speaker 1: there's the only difference now is that I got a

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Speaker 1: lot more money in the bank. What a cushion? What

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Speaker 1: a cushion now with the same same foot, different same

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Speaker 1: same foot. Yeah, so it's correct. Like my my senior

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Speaker 1: year in college, I'll go back to school for my

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Speaker 1: senior year and I end up breaking my fifth metator,

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Speaker 1: so non contact injury, so they think I had a

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Speaker 1: stress structure. They didn't know. I get the surgery season,

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Speaker 1: senior seasons over, I get drafted by the Blazers last

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Speaker 1: day at training camp, right before the inter squad scrimage

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Speaker 1: in front of fans. I meant it were in a

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Speaker 1: non contact practice like doing hedge hedges on ball screens

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Speaker 1: and Buddy hedges out and I step on his foot

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Speaker 1: and I break my foot into non contact practice the

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Speaker 1: same foot. This time, I didn't I didn't have to

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Speaker 1: get surgery. I found a doctor basically said there's another

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Speaker 1: procedure I can do to where it's less it's less invasive.

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Speaker 1: They take some some blood from your hips been around,

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Speaker 1: ejected in your foot, and then I got some shockwave

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Speaker 1: therapy and I was in a boot for two weeks

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Speaker 1: instead of the three months. And then I progressed back

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Speaker 1: in three months. And then this time, same foot, different bone.

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Speaker 1: It's like a more rare fracture middle of the foot

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Speaker 1: because of the trauma of Capella landing on me, like

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Speaker 1: two fifty pounds with it whatever he weighs, he just

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Speaker 1: kind of trapp trap my foot and it just there's

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Speaker 1: a small fracture in the middle. And then I sprang

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Speaker 1: some ligaments. But the bone is actually hell, it's just

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Speaker 1: more so like waiting on the ligaments. I've been there,

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Speaker 1: bro I was. I got drafted, and uh. When I

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Speaker 1: first took my physical they told me I had stretched

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Speaker 1: fractures and both of my feet and in my fifth

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Speaker 1: meta toss and they both was gonna break and they

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Speaker 1: both end up breaking, one doing trials and one planning overseas.

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Speaker 1: But my my feet hell completely. But it just sucks

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Speaker 1: because it seems like you never know when the time

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Speaker 1: it's gonna be when it happened. Man, that's what killed me. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: timing is always the worst. Like you play, you play

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Speaker 1: your best basketball are you're trying to get to the

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Speaker 1: league or you're trying to make the team where you

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Speaker 1: trying to solidify yourself, and then that's when you know

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Speaker 1: you get that best setback. But I think from a

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Speaker 1: character ability standpoint, it helps you appreciate things like I

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Speaker 1: really appreciate the little stuff like walking to the bathroom,

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Speaker 1: standing up in the shower, you know what I'm saying, Like,

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Speaker 1: when that's taking away from you, you really start to

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Speaker 1: stop taking things for granted. Now in in between, because

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Speaker 1: I didn't know that was the third injury to the

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Speaker 1: same foot. Are you in pain with that or you know,

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Speaker 1: once it heals, it's it gets kind of feeling better. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I mean I I wasn't even in pain when I

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Speaker 1: when I broke it unless I walked. So that's why

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Speaker 1: it's crazy because it happened in the in the first quarter,

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Speaker 1: and I end up playing ten more minutes. So like

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Speaker 1: I played eight and ten more minutes, and I was like, Yo,

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Speaker 1: this kind of hurts, you know what I'm saying. At

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Speaker 1: halftime like we'll look at it like that. That's how

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Speaker 1: it cats. Like I have a time, like we'll take

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Speaker 1: a look at it. And then a halftime I told

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Speaker 1: D I said, I was like, bro, this ship hurt.

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Speaker 1: I said, after this game, I might be I might

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Speaker 1: be down for a little bit. But I was just thinking,

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Speaker 1: like two weeks, you know what I'm saying. The week

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Speaker 1: I go through the I go X ray a halftime,

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Speaker 1: X ray comes back, no fracture, and get m R

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Speaker 1: I and Maria comes back. You're good, It's just a spring.

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Speaker 1: So I'm thinking I'm gonna be out for like a

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Speaker 1: spring foot like two weeks, ten days. The next day,

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Speaker 1: doctor calls on the other doctors like, yo, I think

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Speaker 1: I think there's a fracture in his foot. He got

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Speaker 1: to come back and skin again. So that's when I

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Speaker 1: had to go back and skin. After I told my mama,

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Speaker 1: my grandma, my dad, like it's just a sprain. I'm good.

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Speaker 1: I had to go go back to the next day

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Speaker 1: for them to tell me, like you got you gotta

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Speaker 1: fracture in your foot. And I'm like a fracture, like

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Speaker 1: how long? And they like could be four weeks, could

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Speaker 1: be six weeks, could be eight weeks. I'm like, Oh,

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Speaker 1: that's a that's a big that's a big window, bro, Like,

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Speaker 1: can you give me some more like but you know

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Speaker 1: it is what it is? No pain now. Like I've

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Speaker 1: been progressing on the court ball handling, I've been lifting

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Speaker 1: trap our squad line, just loading the foot to try

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Speaker 1: to get it stronger, make sure that the balance and

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Speaker 1: strength is there on both sides, that there's no compensation.

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Speaker 1: So we've just been measuring, um, the force I can

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Speaker 1: I can put out on each foot and how I'm walking,

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Speaker 1: how how m loading it without moving around. It's important man,

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Speaker 1: Damn well, we wish you the best with that. Man,

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Speaker 1: get back healthy and definitely take your time. I kind

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Speaker 1: of feel like you guys have been a team that

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Speaker 1: has always been hit by injury bug and it's always

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Speaker 1: the next man up mentality UM with you and Nert

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Speaker 1: down this year. How important as the contributions of Mellow

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Speaker 1: and Trent and canteror been to your guys team to

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Speaker 1: kind of keep you guys afloat until you know the

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Speaker 1: cavalry comes back. Yeah, that's why we brought melow in

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Speaker 1: Um last season. We know what to expect from him.

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Speaker 1: His greatness speaks for her self. His ability to score.

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Speaker 1: I think his leadership is is under valued aspect of

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Speaker 1: his game. Him having so much experience, having a presence

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Speaker 1: in the locker room, being able to do stuff pre

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Speaker 1: COVID when we could go out, you know, have dinner,

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Speaker 1: have those conversations about how the game has shifted. Those

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Speaker 1: things are extremely important. And this is one of the

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Speaker 1: best big man in the league. And I think he

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Speaker 1: doesn't get enough credit for his consistency. Like you know,

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Speaker 1: if he plays fifteen and twenty minutes, he given you

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Speaker 1: seven to fifths rebounds every night. He doesn't complain. He's

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Speaker 1: got great footwork into policy scores. He's like the ultimate

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Speaker 1: teammate and g trained. I'm really happy for him because

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Speaker 1: of his story. Pops played in the league second round

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Speaker 1: pick comes out of the the duke as the way his

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Speaker 1: turn you know, ensued every day. Even though he's playing

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Speaker 1: well in practice, is not getting the chance to play

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Speaker 1: in games, and then he gets a chance, it takes

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Speaker 1: advantage of a t A t A has a situation

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Speaker 1: where he doesn't make it to the bubble riding hood

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Speaker 1: Terraces Achilles. And he plays well last year, which you know,

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Speaker 1: gives him momentum going into this season. And I go

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Speaker 1: down and he continues to elevate his level of play,

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Speaker 1: which is great timing for him with him being a

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Speaker 1: contract year, and then also great timing for our team.

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Speaker 1: And I always tell him, I was like, look, man,

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Speaker 1: I know what it's like for somebody to play your

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Speaker 1: position and hate on you like I ain't. I ain't one.

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Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. I want you to make

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Speaker 1: as much money as possible. I want you to be

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Speaker 1: as great as possible, because it's gonna reflect on like

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Speaker 1: my like what I did, Like did I hold you

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Speaker 1: back or did I empower you? And I always tell him,

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Speaker 1: it's enough out here for everybody. It's enough for everybody

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Speaker 1: to the pacts. He talked about Mellow and what he

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Speaker 1: brings to the team and how good a teammate is.

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Speaker 1: What kind of give me some advice that he's giving

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Speaker 1: you doing the time, doing your time playing together. Man,

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Speaker 1: I think the basketball stuff is what it is, you

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Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, the work ethic to getting their

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Speaker 1: early standing late importance of taking care of your body.

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Speaker 1: You know, I gotta chef, I gotta do all of

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Speaker 1: that stuff. But it's more so the the time management.

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Speaker 1: He's got a lot of different things that he does

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Speaker 1: in his spare time. He's got the West in your glass,

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Speaker 1: He's on the Social Change Fund, like, he's doing a

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Speaker 1: lot in the community, So just kind of you know,

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Speaker 1: tapping in, Like I'm big on education reform, right, he's

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Speaker 1: big on prison reform. So being able to kind of

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Speaker 1: better understand some of the things he's trying to accomplish

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Speaker 1: in that realm, being able to speak to what he's doing,

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Speaker 1: you know, and be more what it's like they're like,

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Speaker 1: what's going on some of the documentaries that he's doing,

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Speaker 1: Untold stories. I think there's just so many different elements

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Speaker 1: that like I'm trying to like absorb from a storytelling

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Speaker 1: standpoint to it now information standpoint that we just talked

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Speaker 1: about everything man to drinking, drinking wine to chilling. It's

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Speaker 1: just like great conversations on you know, how to become

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Speaker 1: a better version of yourself, which is I think it

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Speaker 1: is It's key. Basketball is what it is, like you

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Speaker 1: can or you can't. You know what to do after

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Speaker 1: you know, five years three three or five years in

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Speaker 1: the league, you kind of figure out how to succeed

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Speaker 1: and like how how to keep how to keep yourself there.

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Speaker 1: But then it's just more so what happens next, Like

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Speaker 1: what do you do when when it's time to transition

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Speaker 1: and mentally are you ready for for life without basketball?

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Speaker 1: It's a whole new world. But we spoke to this

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Speaker 1: on the show in the past, but it's just like

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Speaker 1: what is Mello? Probably Jack, do we know how old

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Speaker 1: us you gotta be? You gotta be thirty six least,

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Speaker 1: but you gotta think like we don't. There's not that

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Speaker 1: many I love to hear just that you know the

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Speaker 1: game you've been able to soak up from because there's

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Speaker 1: not really vets of his age around Hi where there's

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Speaker 1: probably a handful. Like when me and Jack first came

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Speaker 1: in the league, that's what the game was. There were

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Speaker 1: so many bets to kind of soak up game and

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Speaker 1: and do you know, obviously you're in your eighth year,

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Speaker 1: but I said, just experience is the best teacher, you

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Speaker 1: know what I mean? In the league is so young

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Speaker 1: now that it's rare to get those moments with the Vets.

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Speaker 1: And on top of that, you know, a superstar sooner,

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Speaker 1: you know, first bout Hall of Famer Vets. So I

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Speaker 1: think that that kind of that kind of back and

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Speaker 1: forth is missed in the game now, and you're lucky

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Speaker 1: to be able to get something like that. Yeah, like

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Speaker 1: you said, it's it's priceless. He's got eighteen years of

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Speaker 1: being in the league, hitting shots twenty six, twenty something

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Speaker 1: thousand points. It is ridiculous what he's been able to

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Speaker 1: experience and see and then just to be able to

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Speaker 1: to maintain, you know, self belief. You know, when you

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Speaker 1: go through I say, I said he was banned from

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Speaker 1: the league for a little bit. You go from being vanished,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean, to where you know you

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Speaker 1: belong and people turn it back on you. How to

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Speaker 1: respond to it to being ready when your when your

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Speaker 1: time comes, we pick him up. And I mean first game,

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Speaker 1: I think you had twenty you know what I'm saying,

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Speaker 1: Like to be able to get out over be out

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Speaker 1: for a year, come back like nothing happened. Like you're

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Speaker 1: taking a special type of person to be able to

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Speaker 1: withstand the downs, the ups is whatever, like put them

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Speaker 1: downs are really breaking? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, good call um.

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Speaker 1: Thoughts on him and you mentioned, you know, twenty tho

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Speaker 1: plus points. Thoughts on him passing answer Robinson, you know

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Speaker 1: for twelfth off time and I think I was looking

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Speaker 1: at some numbers. He has a chance before he's done

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Speaker 1: to possibly get to the top ten. It's crazy, like

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Speaker 1: to even be saying this. You know, you grew up

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Speaker 1: watching and you see the triple Devil, Like when you

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Speaker 1: think of triple w you think of Russ and Oscar,

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Speaker 1: but you think of Oscar first because he was the

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Speaker 1: one establishing, you know, how to how to average a

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Speaker 1: triple Devil consistently, you know, just about every night. And

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Speaker 1: then to see some of these legends, Dominique like he

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Speaker 1: passed Dominique, Like that's crazy, Like to beat a teammate

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Speaker 1: with somebody who you watch as a kid kind of

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Speaker 1: growing up, and then you become his teammate and he's

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Speaker 1: still breaking records and still polished and still got the

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Speaker 1: same like same isms, like the moves are all the same.

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Speaker 1: You know, eighteen years later, what is unique about your team?

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Speaker 1: I'm although you've only been on this team since you've

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Speaker 1: been a pro. But your mental toughness, your mentality, your

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Speaker 1: ability to stay together when you lose stars or or

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Speaker 1: key members of this team. Like I said, I I

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Speaker 1: touched on it earlier, But what is that? Is there

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Speaker 1: a person? Is there a model? Is it the organization?

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Speaker 1: What keeps you guys one? Um? When sometimes with the

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Speaker 1: situation you guys have been presented, some teams will go

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Speaker 1: on to islands. I think it's a combination of things.

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Speaker 1: You look at our leadership, um, look at who we

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Speaker 1: have in place. You know, you look at that and

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Speaker 1: he's solid. You know what I'm saying. He's always steady.

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Speaker 1: He's the right type of captain. He's not the type

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Speaker 1: of pilot who's gonna go back there and be like, Yo,

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Speaker 1: the the plane going down. You know what I'm saying,

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Speaker 1: Like the pilot come back there and start panicking, everybody panic.

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Speaker 1: I think that his even killedness and his work at

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Speaker 1: the rubs off on the rest of us. And then

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Speaker 1: you look at the top of the organization, from our gyms,

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Speaker 1: to our presidents, to our owners, to our coaching staff.

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Speaker 1: They believe in empowerment, they believe in our culture, they

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Speaker 1: believe in continue to develop guys, and we go after

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Speaker 1: certain types of players who myself like underdogs, who who

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Speaker 1: got something to prove, who had to work for everything

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Speaker 1: they got in life. I wasn't a five star. I

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00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,360
Speaker 1: didn't go to McDonald's all American nothing, you know what

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Speaker 1: I'm saying. I was taking ice, bass and trash cans.

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Speaker 1: I had, you know, two pairs of shoes that who

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Speaker 1: been for the season, and then they might give you

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Speaker 1: something for the instable a tournament. Like that's how we

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Speaker 1: got to this point. So now when you get all

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Speaker 1: of these resources around you that back you. You got

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Speaker 1: twenty four hour access to a gym where I used

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Speaker 1: to have to sneak in the gym because we used

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Speaker 1: our our oxygen for wrestling, and then we also took

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Speaker 1: exams in it, you know what I'm saying. At my university,

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Speaker 1: so I used to have to move the chairs so

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Speaker 1: I can shoot free throws, I can get to my

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Speaker 1: midi and I can get to like certain spots at

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Speaker 1: the three point line. But now I got a team

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Speaker 1: of suits, Like, how can I fail with all of

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Speaker 1: these resources you know, set up for me to succeed.

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Speaker 1: And I think our appreciation for the game is is

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Speaker 1: different because we we had to to outwork everybody to

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Speaker 1: get to this point, and we still outwork people to

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Speaker 1: this day. I love it you just touched on a

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Speaker 1: little bit but explained, dame. I mean, we know what

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Speaker 1: kind of player he is, but as a leader, you know,

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Speaker 1: you said that the pilot, that that the captain explained him,

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Speaker 1: and and and what you've learned and tried to apply

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Speaker 1: to yourself. I think he's unapologetically himself, which is important. Um,

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Speaker 1: he don't fake the fund. If he don't like you,

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Speaker 1: he don't like you. When you go compete, he go compete.

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Speaker 1: And when he go home, he take care of his

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Speaker 1: family and do what needs to be done. And I

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Speaker 1: think from a work ethics standpoint, it's obvious he works

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Speaker 1: on his his craft because of how consistent he is.

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00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:33,800
Speaker 1: But then because of how he's able to involve from

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Speaker 1: his passing to his court vision, to his understanding of

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Speaker 1: how to manipulate a defense, to his range to his movements,

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Speaker 1: like everything is is precise and it's not like it's random,

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Speaker 1: and it's not like he just does random ship like

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Speaker 1: he works on he works on his dips, he works

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Speaker 1: on his side step threes, he works on his logo threes,

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Speaker 1: he works on his how to draw fouls, he works

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00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,679
Speaker 1: on how to how to uh manipulate a game in

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Speaker 1: the fourth quarter. And then we talk about it like

399
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,040
Speaker 1: all what play is to be? Like down the stretch?

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00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,480
Speaker 1: What are you seeing? And the other important aspect of

401
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:07,000
Speaker 1: being great is allowing people to hold you accountable. If

402
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Speaker 1: he's fucking up, I'm gonna be like, bro, you gotta

403
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,000
Speaker 1: tighten up or come on, turn it up like or

404
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,679
Speaker 1: no excuses. And when we go down, I look at him,

405
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Speaker 1: it's like, little bro, I might be hurt, nor it

406
00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:16,719
Speaker 1: might be hurt, but you know what time it is

407
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,600
Speaker 1: like nobody's gonna look at you and say, oh, your

408
00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,600
Speaker 1: your players are hurt. You know they're gonna look at

409
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,920
Speaker 1: you and say, can he carry a team by himself?

410
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,439
Speaker 1: Whereas for other guys they might make excuses and like

411
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,720
Speaker 1: their rosters this or their rosters that know what makes

412
00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,919
Speaker 1: excuses for him? And and I think that's awesome what

413
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:37,359
Speaker 1: motivates him because he puts up numbers. We win games.

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Speaker 1: Like you said, We've been here eight years, I've never

415
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Speaker 1: not played in the playoffs. But no one really talks

416
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Speaker 1: about that. They just want to compare you say, are

417
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Speaker 1: you winning the championship or are you not? And it's like, no,

418
00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,480
Speaker 1: we're not, but who but who? Who? Who actually is

419
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Speaker 1: when the championships? People are right right, Yeah, that's crazy.

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Speaker 1: We love it though. Like I said, dam Is Damon

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Speaker 1: has been solid from day one, and I'm a big

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Speaker 1: fan of you guys as a as a duel in

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Speaker 1: the back court and looking forward to both y'all getting

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Speaker 1: back out there on the court. Yeah, we we and

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Speaker 1: we love how y'all play off each other. I think

426
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,439
Speaker 1: that's one thing that I like, how y'all play off

427
00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,960
Speaker 1: each other. But take take take me through this scenario

428
00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,120
Speaker 1: right quick, fourth quarter? Both you and him both got

429
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:23,240
Speaker 1: thirty two, it's two seconds left. What's what? What's that?

430
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:25,359
Speaker 1: What's the conversation? Like in the hull of talking to

431
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,320
Speaker 1: me c J. So it depends sometimes, So it just

432
00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,480
Speaker 1: depends on the moment. Like sometimes it's like coach draws

433
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,440
Speaker 1: the play and he's like, Dame or c JO get

434
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:40,120
Speaker 1: the ball. So that's his way saying like y'all gotta

435
00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:45,879
Speaker 1: figure that shot out. Or sometimes he'll sometimes he'll be

436
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,199
Speaker 1: like like if Dame, if Dame is really killing, like

437
00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:49,480
Speaker 1: I'd be like we'll get the ball, but if you

438
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,119
Speaker 1: can't get it, I'm coming for like that, or if

439
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:53,760
Speaker 1: it's just like a free play, like a couple of

440
00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,639
Speaker 1: times you might be down one you need to stop,

441
00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,360
Speaker 1: and then it's a rebound like whoever, whoever did it? Go? Bro?

442
00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,959
Speaker 1: Like I'm comfortable with you taking the game? When are

443
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,080
Speaker 1: you comfortable with me taking it? Mr? I know the work,

444
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,120
Speaker 1: I know the work behind the scenes, so like I ain't,

445
00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,680
Speaker 1: I ain't tripping. So we usually handle it that way,

446
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,520
Speaker 1: like whoever really rolled? Like we both got we both

447
00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:14,600
Speaker 1: averaged then their thirties, so we're both gonna have close

448
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,280
Speaker 1: to thirty. So it's just a matter of match up

449
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,439
Speaker 1: like who's checking you? And then like time and score,

450
00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,520
Speaker 1: like how much time is left? And let's say he

451
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,479
Speaker 1: shoots it and he misses it or or whatever, we're

452
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:27,320
Speaker 1: going to overtime. Then next time he'll be looking at

453
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,080
Speaker 1: me like he wants it again, but I'll be looking

454
00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:34,600
Speaker 1: like it's my turn. That's how we do it. But

455
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:36,840
Speaker 1: he's the type of guy like if I'm hot, he'll

456
00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,240
Speaker 1: be like he'll like, damon, c J. Well got the huddle.

457
00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,320
Speaker 1: He'll be like, go get it, or I'll be like, bro,

458
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,080
Speaker 1: he I've seen the looking buddy's eyes finished finished the game. Yeah,

459
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,040
Speaker 1: it seems like y'all your own biggest you know, supporters

460
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:50,920
Speaker 1: and fans, and that's how it's gotta be. It's gotta

461
00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:52,600
Speaker 1: be a healthy option for a coach to have two

462
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,320
Speaker 1: motherfucker's you know, close games that you really know the

463
00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,320
Speaker 1: close games right, And we didn't run it from it

464
00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:02,240
Speaker 1: like some people from it. It's like I want to

465
00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,119
Speaker 1: miss the shot at the end because I can go

466
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,480
Speaker 1: handle the press conference like I can go handle like

467
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,639
Speaker 1: what comes with that failure. Everybody can't handle that. So

468
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,600
Speaker 1: I think both we're both comfortable with the success and

469
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:15,679
Speaker 1: I can get down with failure too because I know

470
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:17,480
Speaker 1: and that's the part of building, building you up for

471
00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,280
Speaker 1: the next opportunity. There was opportunity for Dave Vanderpool to

472
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,000
Speaker 1: be could possibly become the Minnesota head coach. Last week

473
00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,320
Speaker 1: he was looked over. They hired someone from Toronto. Dame

474
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:30,440
Speaker 1: spoke out. Everyone's kind of speaking out, what are your

475
00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,639
Speaker 1: thoughts on that whole entire process. Obviously I look at

476
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,399
Speaker 1: it two sides. Obviously there's an issue, but then at

477
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,520
Speaker 1: the same time I look at it as how are

478
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,400
Speaker 1: you going to tell a billion dollar owner who they

479
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:44,280
Speaker 1: can and can't hire? Um? But I'll let you explain

480
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,160
Speaker 1: your side and then we'll pick back up after that.

481
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:48,240
Speaker 1: I think it's a double edged sward, because, all right,

482
00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:51,720
Speaker 1: I'm not mad at the decision they made, I'm mad

483
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,480
Speaker 1: at how they made it. Everybody you have it could

484
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:56,560
Speaker 1: have hired a guy who's pink. I don't really care

485
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,560
Speaker 1: about the race in this particular situation. It's about the

486
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,480
Speaker 1: process us that occurred. You have a coach who's who's

487
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,000
Speaker 1: there a young coach, Saunders. He gets fired, he's thirty

488
00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,560
Speaker 1: four years old. You have associate head coach and waiting,

489
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,000
Speaker 1: and typically you know, when you fire someone, the associate

490
00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,520
Speaker 1: head coach assumes the head coaching position and then eventually

491
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,080
Speaker 1: you open up the role, you open up the search. Right,

492
00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,840
Speaker 1: the fact that they fired a guy in mid season,

493
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,080
Speaker 1: ten to fourteen days before All Star break was an

494
00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,960
Speaker 1: interesting decision. But once again, the ownership group, the team,

495
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 1: the organization has a right to do whatever they want.

496
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:33,760
Speaker 1: I have no problem with that. I have a problem

497
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:37,600
Speaker 1: with how they how they disrespected the person in position

498
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,080
Speaker 1: to potentially take over in the interim. You don't have

499
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,480
Speaker 1: to hire him full time, but to not let him

500
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:48,119
Speaker 1: coach one game to fly another coach in. Yeah, if

501
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,199
Speaker 1: this is the finesse, the finesse was was written on

502
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:55,960
Speaker 1: the wall because they played They played in Tampa against

503
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,480
Speaker 1: the Raptors and away home games, so they played away,

504
00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,880
Speaker 1: so they probably interview Buddy behind the scenes there. Then

505
00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,200
Speaker 1: they traveled back to Minnesota and played the Raptors again,

506
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:09,840
Speaker 1: and then the next day they fired a coach and

507
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,000
Speaker 1: hired Buddy from from the Raptors. And I think people

508
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,040
Speaker 1: got confused with our anger. My anger isn't that the

509
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:18,840
Speaker 1: guy that got hired. Congratulations, kudos to you, Like whatever

510
00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,800
Speaker 1: it is, what it is. I just feel like the

511
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:27,680
Speaker 1: disrespect that's that's pointed towards the black specifically is outrageous.

512
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:30,280
Speaker 1: Um would they have done that to a white man

513
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,679
Speaker 1: who knows right, Like, I don't know. Maybe they would have,

514
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,000
Speaker 1: maybe they wouldn't. I haven't seen it. I just have

515
00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,400
Speaker 1: a problem with the process of not allowing the guy

516
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,840
Speaker 1: who's who's been working his tail off, who's shown that

517
00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,120
Speaker 1: he's capable of doing things, not get a chance to coach,

518
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,960
Speaker 1: to coach a couple games, like I'm gonna hire my

519
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,800
Speaker 1: boy too, like I'm gonna keep it a hunter, like

520
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,120
Speaker 1: I'll get in a position to be a gym. I'm

521
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:52,800
Speaker 1: hiring who I want to hire. But if there's a

522
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:54,600
Speaker 1: person in waiting who has a chance to kind of

523
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,159
Speaker 1: show what they have to offer to the rest of

524
00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:58,520
Speaker 1: the world, I'm gonna give him a chance a couple

525
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,879
Speaker 1: of games out of respected inspect maybe maybe you let

526
00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:03,480
Speaker 1: him coach to the all start break and you just

527
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:04,760
Speaker 1: let him know, like, hey, I got a guy in

528
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:06,840
Speaker 1: a position that i'm gonna hire, but out of respect

529
00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:08,320
Speaker 1: to you, I'm gonna let you coach to the break.

530
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,479
Speaker 1: Then this guy's coming in and take over. But they

531
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,719
Speaker 1: didn't do that. They didn't communicate to their franchise. Kar

532
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,440
Speaker 1: Anthony Towns had no idea what was happening. I think

533
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,840
Speaker 1: it's just malpractice. How they handled the situation is disrespectful

534
00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 1: to to the organization. It's disrespectful to the man in

535
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,120
Speaker 1: waiting who's worked his tail off and it is deserving

536
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,119
Speaker 1: of it. And then the manipulation that that probably went

537
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 1: on to where you got a guy who's they're very

538
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:36,960
Speaker 1: good at player development. I've been with him for a

539
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,920
Speaker 1: long time. Things been on for a long time. Those

540
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,120
Speaker 1: is excellent, excellent, os understands how to get the best

541
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,159
Speaker 1: out of players, but probably wasn't trying to step on

542
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:45,960
Speaker 1: the head coach's toes and kind of play the role

543
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:48,439
Speaker 1: thinking that like, all right, I just played my role.

544
00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:50,040
Speaker 1: I don't want to I don't want to get anybody's

545
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,080
Speaker 1: way only to get passed up anyway. It's just a

546
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:57,520
Speaker 1: it's just a disrespectful situation in which it makes me dislike,

547
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,000
Speaker 1: you know, some of the processes that go behind bass

548
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 1: the ball, because when it comes to blacks and African Americans,

549
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 1: we don't get the benefit of the doubt ever in anything.

550
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 1: What's frustrated to is is like with everything that's going on,

551
00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:13,160
Speaker 1: like one thing, you can't never tell the owner who

552
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,000
Speaker 1: to hire. But with everything that's going on, when you

553
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,320
Speaker 1: have so many black players, when you have a chance

554
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 1: to put your fingerprint on equality, why not take that chance?

555
00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,640
Speaker 1: And then then again, we as players, we've seen we've

556
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,280
Speaker 1: seen guys come straight from the film room to head

557
00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,440
Speaker 1: coaching jobs. We've seen this in the NBA many of times,

558
00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,520
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, And and and people want

559
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,760
Speaker 1: to make it about everything. It's not, no, it's about

560
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:39,960
Speaker 1: none of that. But it's it's about what's right, is right?

561
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 1: What's going on the day everybody talking about equality. You've

562
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:46,840
Speaker 1: been an owner of team knowing that you can, you

563
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,119
Speaker 1: can have a footprint in equality, and why not go

564
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:54,320
Speaker 1: that way? And not only that he is qualified, he

565
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,800
Speaker 1: is qualified. Yeah, you're not doing him charity. It's not

566
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,920
Speaker 1: a charity came right, You're not doing them a favor, man.

567
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,680
Speaker 1: And I think that's what frustrates everybody. When you know

568
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,159
Speaker 1: it's the right thing to do, why not do the

569
00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,120
Speaker 1: right thing right? And and I'll say it again, I'm

570
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,879
Speaker 1: not even saying they had to hire DV. I'm saying

571
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,400
Speaker 1: I'm saying that though. I'm saying that though, because nine

572
00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,800
Speaker 1: out of ten times, if it's a white coach sitting

573
00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,359
Speaker 1: there and he is the sistant head coach, he's getting

574
00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:23,520
Speaker 1: the shot to at least coach one game or two.

575
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,120
Speaker 1: And that's just the facts, bro. Like I said, I see,

576
00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 1: I've been on teams. Well, I've seen the guy in

577
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 1: the film room and two days later here on the bench,

578
00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:33,680
Speaker 1: Like I've seen this happen with my own eyes. So

579
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,919
Speaker 1: as you can't tell me that DV does not deserve

580
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,760
Speaker 1: to be in that spot. But it's bullshit, and I

581
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,480
Speaker 1: say it, There's there's no doubt about it. It's bullshit.

582
00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:45,080
Speaker 1: They finessed them, they got over on them, and they've

583
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,760
Speaker 1: been doing this for years. I think that I think

584
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,199
Speaker 1: that how they did this one is what really triggered

585
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:54,000
Speaker 1: a lot of people, because he's beyond qualified to take

586
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,600
Speaker 1: over full time. Three. You renegotiate a deal, but the

587
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,480
Speaker 1: fact that they didn't even open after search, getting open

588
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,560
Speaker 1: it up at all didn't give You didn't give people

589
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,440
Speaker 1: that exist there a chance, people that have put their

590
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,120
Speaker 1: time in a chance. You didn't give other applicants who

591
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,600
Speaker 1: may have qualified for the position chance. You gave nobody

592
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 1: a chance. You already hand picked it. It's just if

593
00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,120
Speaker 1: you didn't even talk to your key players, you didn't

594
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:19,399
Speaker 1: match your key players. It's found cold, gang. But like

595
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:21,919
Speaker 1: you said, this has been happening. It is just the

596
00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,119
Speaker 1: fact that it was it was so foul that it

597
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:28,200
Speaker 1: had to be discussed. Um, take us back to your

598
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,520
Speaker 1: upbringing Canton, Ohio obviously where the Pro Football Hall of

599
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,920
Speaker 1: Fame is. UM, tell me about you, know, your childhood

600
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,439
Speaker 1: and when you first got into sports. Yeah, so I

601
00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,320
Speaker 1: grew up in Canton, Ohio like you said before my

602
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:43,119
Speaker 1: parents were divorced at three years old and living my

603
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:45,919
Speaker 1: mom full time. Dad was down the street. He was

604
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,199
Speaker 1: he was very involved. But I think the the thing

605
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:51,919
Speaker 1: that really helped me is that there's not a lot

606
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,200
Speaker 1: to do. And ken uh, in general, you play football,

607
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 1: you play basketball, if you guys you played baseball, and

608
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: and people in the streets and there's people that play sports,

609
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,000
Speaker 1: and there's the steel mill. You basically pick a career

610
00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 1: field and you can dedicate yourself to it because ain't

611
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 1: nothing else to do. For me, I lived in the

612
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,000
Speaker 1: area that that wasn't the best. I always say I

613
00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:13,800
Speaker 1: grew up down the street from the hood, so like

614
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,400
Speaker 1: I could see what was happening, and if I wanted

615
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:17,359
Speaker 1: to be a part of it, I could be a

616
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,800
Speaker 1: part of it. But I had another space, had enough

617
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:21,560
Speaker 1: space where I was at to kind of like lay

618
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,320
Speaker 1: low and stay out the way. And my brother was

619
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,040
Speaker 1: was huge and influencing me and making sure I was

620
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:28,520
Speaker 1: doing the right thing. So I was the type of

621
00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,680
Speaker 1: kid that could have easily went left. He made sure

622
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 1: I stayed right. In terms of preparation, work ethic help

623
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,399
Speaker 1: me with my homework. My mom preached the importance of grades,

624
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,360
Speaker 1: and at an early age, I heard my dad basically

625
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,680
Speaker 1: told us like, we can't afford to pay for your school,

626
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,960
Speaker 1: so either you get really good grades or you get

627
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,360
Speaker 1: really nice in sports. Those are your two choices. So

628
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,760
Speaker 1: I got decent grades, and then I tried to get

629
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,600
Speaker 1: as nice as possible in basketball, and I started off.

630
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 1: I was very good early, but I was very small,

631
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,520
Speaker 1: and I think my story is pretty well known. My

632
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,080
Speaker 1: freshman year high school, I was five two eight pounds

633
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,120
Speaker 1: and I was still I was nice. I played three

634
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,720
Speaker 1: quarters two quarters varsity and I was like twenty points

635
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,680
Speaker 1: and three quarters. And then I basically backed up my

636
00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:16,440
Speaker 1: brother when he was a senior, so I didn't play much.

637
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,840
Speaker 1: My sophomore year, I was supposed to start, and they

638
00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,040
Speaker 1: ended up starting this this kid whose dad was on

639
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:24,440
Speaker 1: the the Booster club. I went to a school that

640
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,680
Speaker 1: was majority white, and I end up only averaging six

641
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,240
Speaker 1: points a game. And at that moment, I had to

642
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,280
Speaker 1: make a decision. I was about five seven hundred and

643
00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:34,880
Speaker 1: twenty pounds and I had to make a decision. It

644
00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,680
Speaker 1: was like, all right, do you commit yourself to academics

645
00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,400
Speaker 1: or do you commit yourself to who? Because you got

646
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,600
Speaker 1: two years after get a scholarship, Moms already said she

647
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,840
Speaker 1: can't pay for it. And I almost quit because it

648
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,040
Speaker 1: was so frustrating that I had to work. You know,

649
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:50,520
Speaker 1: at the same goes, you had to work twice as

650
00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,000
Speaker 1: hard as the man in front of you because of

651
00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 1: circumstances and situation as to who they were, and and

652
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,080
Speaker 1: you're not getting your fair shape. So I worked hard

653
00:29:58,160 --> 00:29:59,920
Speaker 1: to a decade myself to the game, and I went

654
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,720
Speaker 1: from averaging six points a game but twenty and I

655
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: broke the school record of my first career start. I

656
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,200
Speaker 1: scored fifty four points in eight threes. And my my

657
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,240
Speaker 1: first career started my junior year and Lehi sent me

658
00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,680
Speaker 1: a letter the next day, and I had never heard

659
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,320
Speaker 1: le hired. But I was just happy, like a Division

660
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,320
Speaker 1: one school, like I thought I was nice. So I

661
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,560
Speaker 1: went through the recruiting process end up committing to going

662
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,000
Speaker 1: to le High. But the moral of the story is,

663
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 1: you know, I almost almost gave this game up because

664
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,360
Speaker 1: someone took away my joy. So, like what I tell

665
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:32,040
Speaker 1: kids all the time is, don't let nobody steal your joy.

666
00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 1: People gonna tell you can't do it. They're gonna tell

667
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,000
Speaker 1: you it's impossible. They're gonna give your statistics. As soon

668
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,520
Speaker 1: as I committed to Lee High, everybody talked about how

669
00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,239
Speaker 1: that was the wrong decision. No one's ever gone pro

670
00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:46,000
Speaker 1: from there before. Why is he going there? Why didn't

671
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:47,480
Speaker 1: he stay local? Why did he go to the MAC?

672
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 1: I said, look, it was already written for me to

673
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,800
Speaker 1: do this. Um, I'm going to Bethlehem. I believe in

674
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,600
Speaker 1: my Lord's Savior, Jesus Christ. I work on my game

675
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:58,320
Speaker 1: every day, and I said, somebody got to go pro,

676
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,800
Speaker 1: like somebody gotta go pro from here, So it's gonna

677
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:04,320
Speaker 1: be me. And that was just my approach. And it's

678
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,720
Speaker 1: it's crazy, how like people that you trust, people that

679
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:13,160
Speaker 1: you look up to, teachers, staff, they don't see a dream.

680
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,840
Speaker 1: They don't believe in your dream. You have to, you

681
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,120
Speaker 1: have to really speak it into existence. Then go work

682
00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:21,280
Speaker 1: for unapologetic and unbothered by the crowds. Because if I

683
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 1: would have listened to the feedback I got from my peers,

684
00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,800
Speaker 1: my own AU coach to this day, he said that

685
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,320
Speaker 1: I was a Division two player at best, but he

686
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 1: didn't tell me. He told my mama. My mom didn't

687
00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,120
Speaker 1: tell me till I got my first scholarship offer. She says, like,

688
00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:35,720
Speaker 1: I don't want to. I don't want to discourage you.

689
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:37,440
Speaker 1: I felt like he would destroy you. I said, no,

690
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:39,320
Speaker 1: I would have got a scholarship offer earlier. If I

691
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,520
Speaker 1: don't know what this. No, he was talking about bad

692
00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:46,480
Speaker 1: on me like that. But like that's the kind of

693
00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,320
Speaker 1: like mentality I had forever, Like I always thought I

694
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,200
Speaker 1: was gonna be nice. I always thought I was a

695
00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:54,240
Speaker 1: hundred million dollar player, even before I was like, because

696
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:56,880
Speaker 1: I worked and then I just believed. And I think

697
00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,000
Speaker 1: that's the that's my upbring is the It's the story

698
00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:01,640
Speaker 1: of a kid who who was who was put in

699
00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:05,520
Speaker 1: a position and took advantage of it better than most

700
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:09,360
Speaker 1: would who else was recruiting you. So it's crazy because

701
00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,760
Speaker 1: I wanted to go to Akron University because my cousin

702
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:16,040
Speaker 1: played football there and I took the visit. Shock as

703
00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,320
Speaker 1: Smart who's at Texas now. He trained me when I

704
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:19,720
Speaker 1: was a kid, and he used to be at Akron,

705
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,120
Speaker 1: So they knew, they knew I wanted to go there.

706
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:24,800
Speaker 1: They had no scholarships left. They gave the only scholarship

707
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,280
Speaker 1: they had to Zeke Marshall. He was a seven fourth center.

708
00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,160
Speaker 1: He was top fifty Blue ship and they basically said,

709
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,000
Speaker 1: you have the pro prop forty whatever, you have to

710
00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:33,640
Speaker 1: red shirt of the year, pay your way and then

711
00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,520
Speaker 1: you can you can you can play after that. And

712
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,520
Speaker 1: I said, if I sit out a year, I won't

713
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:40,600
Speaker 1: make it. I said, I don't love school enough to

714
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,920
Speaker 1: be able to go and not who and they didn't

715
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:46,920
Speaker 1: offer me. Ken State ended up offering me Bold and

716
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,640
Speaker 1: Green ended up offering me. Boys the state recruited before

717
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,840
Speaker 1: a while. Michigan or Dame were like my my other

718
00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,400
Speaker 1: schools that I really wanted to go to, and neither

719
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:58,520
Speaker 1: one of those schools offered. Penn State didn't offer, so

720
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,120
Speaker 1: I basically had a bunch of mid majors University of Ferment.

721
00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,040
Speaker 1: But as I waited, the scholarship disappeared. You know what

722
00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,680
Speaker 1: I'm saying, Like, we got a scholarship for you if

723
00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:11,960
Speaker 1: you can commit three days. Three days later, you see

724
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 1: somebody at your position commit and you're like, damn. Like

725
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,720
Speaker 1: I thought I had ten scholarships, Now I got four.

726
00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:21,800
Speaker 1: Like it started dwindling. And I was like, you know what, man,

727
00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:25,520
Speaker 1: I'm chasing something that don't exist. Like you gotta love

728
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,120
Speaker 1: us in front of you. You You gotta love what loves you,

729
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,440
Speaker 1: and I think a lot of times we we think

730
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:31,360
Speaker 1: something else is better than what you have. You think

731
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,360
Speaker 1: something else is like what you need to be fulfilled,

732
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,120
Speaker 1: and it might always it might be right in front

733
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,480
Speaker 1: of you. My mom and dad told me, don't miss

734
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,440
Speaker 1: the boat waiting on another train. You know what I'm saying, Like,

735
00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:42,360
Speaker 1: don't miss, don't miss what's in front of You're trying

736
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,280
Speaker 1: to catch something that don't exist. Be there first option.

737
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,840
Speaker 1: You're there, first option. Don't go be somebody second and third.

738
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,280
Speaker 1: And going to Lehigh is the best decision I've ever

739
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,040
Speaker 1: made in my life. I met my wife, I was

740
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,440
Speaker 1: able to learn, grow and develop as a man, and

741
00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:58,480
Speaker 1: I got a degree. Like I'm a kid that grew

742
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 1: up down the street from the hood. That's knowledge, that

743
00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:03,560
Speaker 1: can speak well, that's still nice and hoop and I

744
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 1: can fight. So it's like perfect the perfect company. What

745
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,480
Speaker 1: was it like, I mean, you touched on it, but

746
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,920
Speaker 1: what was it like? What was your college experience like

747
00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,280
Speaker 1: just as far as you know, being a real student

748
00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,400
Speaker 1: athlete and then being a superstar on a smaller team,

749
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,600
Speaker 1: what was that experience Like it was like a movie man,

750
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,279
Speaker 1: Like it was literally it's literally like a movie like

751
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:32,200
Speaker 1: I would do my whole college career over again. It was.

752
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:34,880
Speaker 1: It was a great time, but it taught me how

753
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:39,240
Speaker 1: to balance life. Like the academic course loan was crazy

754
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,160
Speaker 1: at lehigh, Like the the amount of studying you had

755
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,640
Speaker 1: to do to survive was unbelievable. Like it taught you

756
00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,520
Speaker 1: how to balance your time. It takes you how to

757
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,200
Speaker 1: duty impossible, you know. Right twenty I was a journalist

758
00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,040
Speaker 1: of major thirty page papers. I started off in the

759
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,920
Speaker 1: business school learning about accounting and econ Like. It was crazy,

760
00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,040
Speaker 1: the amount of dedication focus you had to put into it.

761
00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,640
Speaker 1: It was also crazy that I was. I didn't spent

762
00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:05,120
Speaker 1: a lot of time in the librar earlier, ain't gonna lie.

763
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:07,200
Speaker 1: I spent my time in the gym, and I dug

764
00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:08,920
Speaker 1: myself in a hole. And then I had to like

765
00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:11,360
Speaker 1: start going to the library, start trying to catch up,

766
00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,480
Speaker 1: start trying to get ahead and figuring and figuring stuff out.

767
00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:19,600
Speaker 1: But in terms of hooping, I used to I used

768
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,279
Speaker 1: to go out, Like let's say I went out with

769
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,200
Speaker 1: some of my friends or whatever. We go out till

770
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,480
Speaker 1: twelve thirty one. I would come back and I'll go

771
00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:27,440
Speaker 1: to the gym at one AM and I would work out,

772
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,520
Speaker 1: and I feel like I was still able to do

773
00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,000
Speaker 1: the college student life but also working towards becoming a professional.

774
00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:35,400
Speaker 1: I think that's what kind of separated me, because I

775
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:39,120
Speaker 1: could balance the the life that comes with being a

776
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:44,319
Speaker 1: college athlete with basketball, with academics, and then eventually figuring out,

777
00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:48,200
Speaker 1: you know, the social aspect of you know, who's gonna

778
00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:49,719
Speaker 1: like whoo, who are you going to spend the rest

779
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:51,400
Speaker 1: of your life with? But I think it was it

780
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:53,799
Speaker 1: was a perfect combination of things that that kind of

781
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,479
Speaker 1: fell into place for me. And I struggled early, which

782
00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,680
Speaker 1: is why I probably succeeded late because I had always

783
00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:00,600
Speaker 1: struggled in life, and that was just like, all right,

784
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:02,160
Speaker 1: what do I have to do to to kind of

785
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,160
Speaker 1: succeed And I'll do it. So your junior year, Um,

786
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:09,160
Speaker 1: the fifteen seed against the number two Duke seed. Take

787
00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:10,759
Speaker 1: us back to that game and talk to us about it.

788
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:12,759
Speaker 1: You can. You scored a game high thirty. So when

789
00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,759
Speaker 1: we when we drew Duke in the selection Sunday Show,

790
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,280
Speaker 1: I was geeked. I was I was super high because

791
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:22,000
Speaker 1: for what I hate Duke Um, I hate everything about him.

792
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,600
Speaker 1: Just full disclosure. I always go to North Carolina fan,

793
00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,080
Speaker 1: but I hate everything about it, and I felt like

794
00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,120
Speaker 1: I felt like that was my chance to kind of

795
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,439
Speaker 1: solidify who I thought I was, Like I always thought

796
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:37,239
Speaker 1: I was a man, but the rest of the world

797
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,719
Speaker 1: hadn't seen me. At people that that watched the mid

798
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:42,160
Speaker 1: major basketball teams in mid raging programs, they knew I

799
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,920
Speaker 1: had NBA quality talent, but they weren't sure if it translated,

800
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:47,480
Speaker 1: and they weren't sure if I could sustain a high

801
00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:50,040
Speaker 1: level play against high level athletes. And I was like,

802
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,880
Speaker 1: this is my perfect chance. I'm planned against Duke. They

803
00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:55,879
Speaker 1: got Austin Rivers, they got Mason plum Ly, they got

804
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:59,800
Speaker 1: Miles plum Ly, they got three other NBA they had Quinn,

805
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,239
Speaker 1: They had like six seven NBA players, And I was like,

806
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:05,359
Speaker 1: I was like, this is my chance to show who

807
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:08,000
Speaker 1: I am and the show I can elevate my team,

808
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,719
Speaker 1: like I'm playing with I always joke I said that

809
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,200
Speaker 1: my friends, my friends worked on Wall Street, and I'm

810
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 1: playing with like guys that that worked for Fortune five

811
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,920
Speaker 1: companies and against NBA players, like the guys I played with,

812
00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,840
Speaker 1: the the accountants for the for the Duke players in

813
00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 1: three years from now. So if I can up uplift

814
00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,160
Speaker 1: them and play against them, this will solidified who I am.

815
00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:31,680
Speaker 1: So I actually told my mom that we're gonna beat

816
00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:33,719
Speaker 1: Duke and beat and beat who we're playing in the

817
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,000
Speaker 1: second round. I said, we'll probably lose the Baylor because

818
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,840
Speaker 1: Baylor got Pierre Jack said they had all this Quincy

819
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:42,759
Speaker 1: Quincy mility, had all these like super super athletes, and

820
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:45,160
Speaker 1: I was like, I don't know, like we weren't really

821
00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 1: athletic around here at at a Patriotleague school. So I

822
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,640
Speaker 1: went out there and in warm ups they was talking crazy,

823
00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:53,520
Speaker 1: like you know how you go to half court and

824
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,760
Speaker 1: they just talking out of pocket, like just saying ridiculous

825
00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,919
Speaker 1: rectly stuff, trying to like punk us in warm ups

826
00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:06,719
Speaker 1: and I'm like, man like, like y'all y'ave built like that, Like,

827
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,919
Speaker 1: first of all, dude, players don't even really be nice

828
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:10,400
Speaker 1: like that when they get to the league. You know,

829
00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:14,760
Speaker 1: gangster's going to Duke, right, So they were talking crazy

830
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,080
Speaker 1: and where ups, but then like once the game started,

831
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:18,520
Speaker 1: like I let him know I was here and talking

832
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:20,840
Speaker 1: to the bench. I'm talking to coach k after shots

833
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:22,680
Speaker 1: like I'm let him know I'm here, Like I don't know,

834
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:24,239
Speaker 1: we all which I've been doing in the A, C C,

835
00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 1: but and none of these and none of these like me,

836
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:28,960
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, and we ended up going

837
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,680
Speaker 1: to win. I think that was like the signature game

838
00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:33,120
Speaker 1: for me to kind of solidify that like I can

839
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:34,560
Speaker 1: play in the league and I can hold my own,

840
00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,040
Speaker 1: I can be a league guard, I can play off

841
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,640
Speaker 1: the ball, like I can give you whatever you want.

842
00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:39,879
Speaker 1: So after doing what you did the Duke, how did

843
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:42,520
Speaker 1: that kind of catapult you into the national eye and

844
00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:45,880
Speaker 1: start kind of getting the respect you always felt you deserved.

845
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,600
Speaker 1: I think you put me in that like mid major

846
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,800
Speaker 1: stardom role to where you know, you had the Steph Curry's,

847
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,600
Speaker 1: you had the gymmer for debts Um, you had the

848
00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:59,640
Speaker 1: George Hill situation. You had a lot of Eric Maynor

849
00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:02,400
Speaker 1: a the players who were in similar situations, you know,

850
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,719
Speaker 1: where they are able to beat a a higher ranked team,

851
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:07,320
Speaker 1: a higher seed in the n C Double A tournament.

852
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,040
Speaker 1: You had to Steve nass situation where he was a

853
00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,200
Speaker 1: fifteen to beat the two seeds. Kind of put me

854
00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:13,319
Speaker 1: in that same light to where it was like, you know,

855
00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:16,759
Speaker 1: he has NBA potential X y Z. These types of

856
00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:18,760
Speaker 1: players have done this this. These are what his numbers

857
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,960
Speaker 1: are like compared to them, And then it kind of

858
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,200
Speaker 1: set me up to where I was the next season.

859
00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:26,080
Speaker 1: I'm a preseason All American. I had. I entered the

860
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,160
Speaker 1: draft that that year and had basically heard that I

861
00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:30,880
Speaker 1: would be a late first round pick. And I had

862
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:32,440
Speaker 1: to decide if I wanted to leave or go back

863
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 1: to school. And I was like, I'm going back, Like

864
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,360
Speaker 1: I always wanted to be the man, This is my

865
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,400
Speaker 1: chance to be the man. Go to a small school.

866
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,160
Speaker 1: I wanted to. You know, some people don't want too

867
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:42,400
Speaker 1: much film on him. I was like, they can get

868
00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:44,000
Speaker 1: as much film as they want on me. Like I

869
00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:46,920
Speaker 1: believe in my game. I know that I can get

870
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:48,839
Speaker 1: back to where I was at and take my team

871
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,720
Speaker 1: even further. And I firmly believe if I didn't fracture

872
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:53,480
Speaker 1: my foot, like we was going to like the Lyde eight.

873
00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,239
Speaker 1: Like we had a bunch of seniors. We were a

874
00:39:55,239 --> 00:39:57,760
Speaker 1: good team. We were about to be ranked in the country.

875
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,040
Speaker 1: Um we we had a pretty bou edgel was playing VCU.

876
00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:04,759
Speaker 1: We were playing high major teams, well, the high major

877
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:06,600
Speaker 1: teams that would play us. Most of them was afraid

878
00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:12,359
Speaker 1: Also the backstory funny part is so as I went

879
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,359
Speaker 1: to a you know, a small school like le High,

880
00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:17,960
Speaker 1: and I wanted to play every school that didn't offer me.

881
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,400
Speaker 1: So I wanted to play Pinch State. I want to

882
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:22,200
Speaker 1: play Ohio State. I wanted to play the Dukes in

883
00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:24,960
Speaker 1: North Carolina's but every school in Ohio and I didn't

884
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,759
Speaker 1: recruit me. I really wanted to play him. And then

885
00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,239
Speaker 1: I got cut from the USA team. Matt Painter was

886
00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,480
Speaker 1: the head coach. Who was that was that Purdue uh

887
00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:35,360
Speaker 1: Beheim was on the staff and two other coaches. So

888
00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:38,439
Speaker 1: I went went back home and I told our coaching staff,

889
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,400
Speaker 1: I want to play Perdue, I want to play Syracuse.

890
00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:44,040
Speaker 1: I wanna play all those schools, and they said that

891
00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:52,799
Speaker 1: we'll play you when c J leaves. That was yes things.

892
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:54,960
Speaker 1: So that's that's kind of how it went. After that

893
00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:57,640
Speaker 1: Duke game, I was I was just locked in, like

894
00:40:57,680 --> 00:40:59,319
Speaker 1: determined to get to the next level. And I got

895
00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:01,360
Speaker 1: to go to CP three, I got to go to

896
00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:03,520
Speaker 1: bron Skills Academy. I got to go to all those

897
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:06,279
Speaker 1: things and really expose myself to like what it's like

898
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:10,400
Speaker 1: to play at the next level. The Giant Killer. So

899
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,360
Speaker 1: two thousand and thirteen Draft you pick number ten overall.

900
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:19,000
Speaker 1: Oladipo goes number two, Janis goes fifteen. UM, Anthony Bennett

901
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 1: goes one. What is it like going from your you know,

902
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,680
Speaker 1: small college experience to the bright lights of New York

903
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:30,279
Speaker 1: City Draft night? That was crazy, Like just to be

904
00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,600
Speaker 1: in New York and like to have my family there

905
00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:37,360
Speaker 1: and my friends there, everybody came out and just to

906
00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:40,200
Speaker 1: to be in that situation. Like I never knew that

907
00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:42,040
Speaker 1: you got that much free stuff when you have money,

908
00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:45,040
Speaker 1: Like it's crazy you get more. It's crazy, right, you

909
00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:47,160
Speaker 1: would think you get more free ship when you have

910
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,239
Speaker 1: money to spend on it. They was just giving everything away.

911
00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:52,080
Speaker 1: Now It's like, man, I sure could have used this stuff,

912
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:53,840
Speaker 1: you know growing up and when I was in college,

913
00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:58,400
Speaker 1: but like headphones, they just giving away watches, whatever, suits,

914
00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:00,400
Speaker 1: And it was just like I was thing if I

915
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:02,120
Speaker 1: was able to spend that spend that time with my

916
00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:04,160
Speaker 1: family and being able to experience, you know, sitting in

917
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:08,840
Speaker 1: the green room, um, the behind the scenes stuff, the

918
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:12,440
Speaker 1: the interviews, the storytelling, you know, sitting down with with

919
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:16,160
Speaker 1: Jalen Rose and and uh and some of those guys,

920
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,440
Speaker 1: just getting ready for Bill Simmons getting ready for like

921
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:20,600
Speaker 1: what it's like to plan the NBA. I still remember,

922
00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,000
Speaker 1: like some of the things that I was saying like

923
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,879
Speaker 1: rings true today, Like like i know I'm gonna be ready,

924
00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:26,399
Speaker 1: I know I'm gonna work hard, and I'm not really

925
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:28,759
Speaker 1: worried about, you know, going to a small school. I'm

926
00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:32,200
Speaker 1: not really worried about, you know, the transition from you know,

927
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:35,359
Speaker 1: a school with five thousand people to a big NBA city.

928
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:37,480
Speaker 1: I said, look, man, I'm built for this and I'm

929
00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:40,320
Speaker 1: just looking forward to the opportunity to to compete against

930
00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:42,200
Speaker 1: the best. And I think that's been the most fun

931
00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:44,440
Speaker 1: part is that you get the hoop for a living,

932
00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:46,160
Speaker 1: Like you literally get paid to go hoop and you

933
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,040
Speaker 1: would do it for free and they're gonna pay you

934
00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:50,279
Speaker 1: for it. Did you have any idea where you were going?

935
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:54,080
Speaker 1: Um during your lottery pick, but did you have any

936
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:57,759
Speaker 1: inclinition of where you're going? The Sacramento Kings promised me

937
00:42:57,840 --> 00:42:59,960
Speaker 1: at seven, they said that they're going to draft me

938
00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:02,640
Speaker 1: um if I was available. And then then McLamore fell

939
00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:04,960
Speaker 1: and they ended up drafting him. So I thought I

940
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:08,000
Speaker 1: was going to Sacramento Detroit. I had a good workout

941
00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:10,560
Speaker 1: for Detroit and at the time they had Joe Dumars

942
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:12,680
Speaker 1: who went to a small school, so we had that

943
00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:16,880
Speaker 1: like small school reputation. I thought they was gonna draft me.

944
00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:19,759
Speaker 1: They took a contagious called with Pope. I had a

945
00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:22,759
Speaker 1: good workout for Minnesota and I thought they were going

946
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,440
Speaker 1: to draft me and they didn't. But I when I

947
00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:27,520
Speaker 1: worked out for Portland's I had started talking to Dame.

948
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,120
Speaker 1: We started talking and stuff, and he was like, Yo,

949
00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:31,719
Speaker 1: you're gonna be a lottery pick whatever whatever, and he's

950
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:33,840
Speaker 1: basically if you available, like, I think we're gonna take you.

951
00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,600
Speaker 1: And then Neil are GM. I think, Matt you might

952
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:39,719
Speaker 1: you might know Neil. No, shout out Neil Now. Neil

953
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,480
Speaker 1: used to train me before Neil was was a struggling

954
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:44,240
Speaker 1: actor in l a and he was a dope trainer

955
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:45,960
Speaker 1: and then he he ended up getting a position in

956
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:47,759
Speaker 1: Portland and did what he does. But Nil is my

957
00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:51,759
Speaker 1: god man. Definitely shout out Neil Otle shack yeah man, Neil,

958
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:53,000
Speaker 1: good bye me for the rest of the life. I

959
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,239
Speaker 1: think I've named one of my dogs. And Neil after that, great,

960
00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:58,360
Speaker 1: great dude, great all the bread. He didn't gave me

961
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,839
Speaker 1: up we're gonna we're gonna name the dog. But so

962
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,080
Speaker 1: Neil was basically like, we're going to um draft you

963
00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:06,600
Speaker 1: if you're available. We think that we could pare you

964
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:09,120
Speaker 1: with Dame whatever whatever. So when I didn't go seven

965
00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:11,399
Speaker 1: eight nine, I was like, oh ship, Like I'm about

966
00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,799
Speaker 1: to go to Portland, like I've never been in the

967
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 1: way I come to the East coast like man west kind,

968
00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:18,839
Speaker 1: I had never been to Portland's only Portland I knew

969
00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:21,239
Speaker 1: of really was Portly Maine like growing up, like you

970
00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:25,680
Speaker 1: didn't like until I started watching start watching Stodomyr and stuff,

971
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,400
Speaker 1: and he was like okay, So I'm like, oh Ship,

972
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:31,520
Speaker 1: like Dame text me, oh Ship, and then my phone

973
00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:35,239
Speaker 1: died and then the rested like a hour and a

974
00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:37,480
Speaker 1: half later, You're going through interviews and stuff and then

975
00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:39,640
Speaker 1: it's like me, me and b worked out together. He

976
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:42,279
Speaker 1: was number one pick in Oladipa was my man. So

977
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:44,920
Speaker 1: we end up going and like man, like you know

978
00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,919
Speaker 1: what it is after parties for days. Uh my Carter

979
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:50,200
Speaker 1: Waits is my guy. So we all like out just

980
00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:53,959
Speaker 1: really kicking it. Just I was like, I'm didding this week.

981
00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:56,560
Speaker 1: They set you up. Do you think that forever bottle

982
00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:00,640
Speaker 1: is gonna be free because on drafting, drafting everything you

983
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,800
Speaker 1: don't pay for ship. So we out here drinking and

984
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:05,560
Speaker 1: every one over we're going to every place you can

985
00:45:05,600 --> 00:45:08,600
Speaker 1: think of. Don't get back to the hotel until like

986
00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:10,719
Speaker 1: six and I don't have a press conference, so, like

987
00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:12,440
Speaker 1: most guys have a press conference the next day, so

988
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:15,040
Speaker 1: they gotta fly out. They didn't do my press conference

989
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:18,319
Speaker 1: until like a month later, like summer league. So I

990
00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:20,800
Speaker 1: was cool. I drove home like two days later. I

991
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,440
Speaker 1: stayed in New York and drove home to Ohio. But

992
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:27,440
Speaker 1: it was it was crazy, Like I still remember the party.

993
00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,560
Speaker 1: I still remember where I went, who I seen, like

994
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,360
Speaker 1: something I never forget. So was that your first interaction

995
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,839
Speaker 1: with Was that your first interaction with Dame right there

996
00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:40,759
Speaker 1: when he was discussed they would possibly drafting you. No.

997
00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,960
Speaker 1: When I broke my foot my senior year, a mutual

998
00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:46,640
Speaker 1: friend of ours connected I think with Justine is the

999
00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:51,920
Speaker 1: one that connected us um via via text. And he

1000
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,040
Speaker 1: was basically, you know, a guy who had broke his foot.

1001
00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:55,600
Speaker 1: He was a major player. He was he was a

1002
00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:58,000
Speaker 1: rookie at the time, like playing well, and I just

1003
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:00,399
Speaker 1: wanted to ask him, like, how did you ever from

1004
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:02,200
Speaker 1: this fracture foot you know what I'm saying, What type

1005
00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:04,080
Speaker 1: of drill should I be doing? What's the process like?

1006
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:06,520
Speaker 1: And then just like as a guy who went to

1007
00:46:06,520 --> 00:46:08,560
Speaker 1: a small school and is in the league now, like

1008
00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:10,400
Speaker 1: how do how do I need to train when I returned?

1009
00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:12,920
Speaker 1: Like how do I have success? Like early? So that's

1010
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:15,120
Speaker 1: like those are questions I'm asking. I'm like, I want

1011
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:17,400
Speaker 1: to emulate like people that are successful, Like what do

1012
00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:19,879
Speaker 1: you do? And then I'm gonna go do the same

1013
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:23,320
Speaker 1: ship because that's what that's what works. So we started

1014
00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:26,560
Speaker 1: talking like that, just on some developmental stuff like mentally,

1015
00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:29,200
Speaker 1: like how should I be thinking? And then we just

1016
00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,080
Speaker 1: naturally just became friends all like just through texts. And

1017
00:46:33,080 --> 00:46:35,120
Speaker 1: then the first time I met him in person was

1018
00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,160
Speaker 1: the draft lottery, So he represented the Portland Trail Blazers

1019
00:46:38,160 --> 00:46:41,600
Speaker 1: with a lottery. Me, Michael Carter, Williams a B and

1020
00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:43,680
Speaker 1: like two other players just went to the draft lottery

1021
00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:45,600
Speaker 1: to watch to see like what what team's gonna have

1022
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:47,840
Speaker 1: what picks? And that's when we met and I was

1023
00:46:47,880 --> 00:46:51,480
Speaker 1: just asking him questions about his mentality. How does he

1024
00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,799
Speaker 1: how does he treat the treat his workouts when he

1025
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:56,400
Speaker 1: goes five for twenty, and how does he treat his

1026
00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:59,759
Speaker 1: workouts when he goes fifteen twenty and stuff like that.

1027
00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:02,600
Speaker 1: So it was organic, and I think that's why we're

1028
00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:04,840
Speaker 1: still friends to this day. There's no fallouts because we

1029
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:07,239
Speaker 1: weren't forced to be friends. We was friends before we

1030
00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:09,799
Speaker 1: became teammates. And we built and we built from like

1031
00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:12,799
Speaker 1: similar backgrounds where you gotta work for what you what

1032
00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:15,800
Speaker 1: you want in this life. You take care of your family. Um,

1033
00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:18,840
Speaker 1: you sharp, you solid, but you also blunt and direct.

1034
00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:21,680
Speaker 1: And I think we got that that perfect combination. What

1035
00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:24,480
Speaker 1: was your welcome to the NBA moment? I had a

1036
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:32,480
Speaker 1: couple man Um Small, Crawford, lou Williams, Monelge Nobly those is,

1037
00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:36,759
Speaker 1: the Tony Parker too. This is like getting the lane

1038
00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:40,000
Speaker 1: every play t P. He caught three fists wedge. They'rerunning

1039
00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:43,279
Speaker 1: wedge over and over again. But those is, I'll give

1040
00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,040
Speaker 1: you all three of them. The first time I guarded

1041
00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:47,640
Speaker 1: Jamal Crawford, he had three threes in a row. It

1042
00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:49,759
Speaker 1: was like bang, bang bang. I think I found him

1043
00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:52,920
Speaker 1: on one of them and get out. That was that

1044
00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:57,120
Speaker 1: was it. First time, Louis, I know you couldn't I

1045
00:47:57,160 --> 00:47:59,640
Speaker 1: ain't know, like you watch Lou and you think like

1046
00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:01,960
Speaker 1: lout nice whatever whatever, But like I'm just gonna guard

1047
00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:04,960
Speaker 1: him and you can't touch Loo. And he got to

1048
00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:07,160
Speaker 1: right the left crossover. Pump fake. He gotta right to

1049
00:48:07,239 --> 00:48:09,879
Speaker 1: left crossover like lean and jumper hit me with both

1050
00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:15,160
Speaker 1: first time right to lefty bang, second time pump fake.

1051
00:48:15,239 --> 00:48:18,879
Speaker 1: I jumped. Yeah. I was like, oh man, so get

1052
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:23,879
Speaker 1: him out. Next West Coast road Trip. I gotta play

1053
00:48:23,920 --> 00:48:28,799
Speaker 1: the Spurs. Next Welcome to the Landing Model Genoboli Manu.

1054
00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:31,759
Speaker 1: He starts talking in this language, looks at pop. He

1055
00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:34,520
Speaker 1: holds up like uh, in my mind, he called me

1056
00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:37,480
Speaker 1: a loser. He holds this up and I guess it.

1057
00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 1: It's like angle, like he wanted to screen, like a

1058
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,960
Speaker 1: high angle screen. He backs up the half court, he

1059
00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:45,520
Speaker 1: throws the ball, runs at me, year old. They run

1060
00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:49,520
Speaker 1: the same place seven times in a row. He scored

1061
00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:51,200
Speaker 1: on five or six, and I think on the sixth

1062
00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:58,880
Speaker 1: one pass damn. I's like, you're this is this is different.

1063
00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:03,240
Speaker 1: I was like, dude, this is different. Like I'm thinking,

1064
00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:05,520
Speaker 1: like how am I going to survive in this league?

1065
00:49:05,640 --> 00:49:08,799
Speaker 1: Like I'm on a team where I can't show like

1066
00:49:08,840 --> 00:49:11,040
Speaker 1: I can't show I'm nice of offense because I'm standing

1067
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:12,880
Speaker 1: in the corner because we got some real dogs. We

1068
00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:15,279
Speaker 1: got l A, we got Nico, we got West, we

1069
00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:17,640
Speaker 1: got a Dame. And I said, and I can't guard

1070
00:49:17,719 --> 00:49:24,960
Speaker 1: nobody on the other team. How am I play? Yeah?

1071
00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:27,600
Speaker 1: What did you learn about yourself through that experience? Though?

1072
00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:29,280
Speaker 1: Like I said that, you were throwing in the fire

1073
00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:31,520
Speaker 1: and then, like you said, the worst part is not

1074
00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:34,080
Speaker 1: to get no get back? So what what? What did

1075
00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:37,319
Speaker 1: you kind of learn about yourself in those moments? I

1076
00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:39,680
Speaker 1: was frustrated, man. I used to go home angry. I

1077
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,440
Speaker 1: go home angry man, and I used to be like, man,

1078
00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,799
Speaker 1: I gotta figure it out because I'm a lottery pit.

1079
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:48,319
Speaker 1: I went to a small school. I got hurt right away,

1080
00:49:48,320 --> 00:49:50,840
Speaker 1: so I didn't get to play. And now I'm watching

1081
00:49:50,840 --> 00:49:53,360
Speaker 1: my peers succeed, and that's what hurts. And then it

1082
00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:55,400
Speaker 1: didn't hurt because they were succeeded to hurt because I

1083
00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:57,680
Speaker 1: knew I was capable of doing a lot of similar things.

1084
00:49:57,680 --> 00:50:00,279
Speaker 1: And I was happy for Mike Carter Waiting, I was

1085
00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,640
Speaker 1: happy for Odipo, the guys that got to start right away.

1086
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:05,520
Speaker 1: I was happy for them because I know I know

1087
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:08,560
Speaker 1: how hard they worked, but I was just thinking, like, man, like,

1088
00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:11,239
Speaker 1: I wonder what my situation would be like if X,

1089
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:12,879
Speaker 1: y Z, you know what I mean. And that's when

1090
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:14,400
Speaker 1: I was like, you know, I just make the best

1091
00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:18,320
Speaker 1: of your situation and stop being stop comparing yourself to others.

1092
00:50:18,400 --> 00:50:21,280
Speaker 1: And I think that's when I really realized I always

1093
00:50:21,320 --> 00:50:23,680
Speaker 1: say a comparisons to thief, thief of joy, just enjoy

1094
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:26,279
Speaker 1: your life, enjoy what you have, and make the best

1095
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:28,120
Speaker 1: of it. And I think that's when I transition to

1096
00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:31,279
Speaker 1: all right, how do I guard better? How do I

1097
00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:33,240
Speaker 1: still impact the game if I'm not gonna get touches?

1098
00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:35,480
Speaker 1: How do I get extra repts in practice? But I

1099
00:50:35,520 --> 00:50:37,480
Speaker 1: know I'm not playing, And I think that was my

1100
00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:40,319
Speaker 1: mentality of all right, you just gotta figure out how

1101
00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:43,360
Speaker 1: to stick around the league. And it's a long season.

1102
00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:45,319
Speaker 1: They got to give you a chance at some point,

1103
00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:47,600
Speaker 1: so just be ready when it comes again. And I

1104
00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:52,320
Speaker 1: think I was ready at the right times. Wesley Matthews

1105
00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:56,680
Speaker 1: terraces Achilles Aaron and follow hurts his shoulder. I'm third

1106
00:50:56,719 --> 00:51:01,240
Speaker 1: string shooting guard, third string point guard. The starting shooting

1107
00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:03,319
Speaker 1: guard gets hurt and the backup gets hurt. They had

1108
00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:05,920
Speaker 1: to play me, had to and that's when I started

1109
00:51:05,920 --> 00:51:07,800
Speaker 1: like killing. We go to the playoffs and play against

1110
00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:11,759
Speaker 1: Tony Yallen the Memphis Grizzlies, and that's when they're like okay,

1111
00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:14,600
Speaker 1: like he's well, he's he's who we thought he was.

1112
00:51:15,160 --> 00:51:17,600
Speaker 1: And then they let West walk. He signed with Dallas

1113
00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:20,840
Speaker 1: and they say, you're gonna go from playing fifteen minutes

1114
00:51:20,880 --> 00:51:24,279
Speaker 1: a game to thirty three and you're gonna play. You're

1115
00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:27,040
Speaker 1: gonna play twenty of them at at the two in

1116
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:29,600
Speaker 1: twelve or fifteen at the one, I said, damn, what

1117
00:51:29,600 --> 00:51:31,759
Speaker 1: about the I'm about the backup the one too, I'm

1118
00:51:31,800 --> 00:51:34,400
Speaker 1: gonna have a ball. It was like, yeah, I said

1119
00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:37,560
Speaker 1: about to kill. I'm about to kill. Who gives you

1120
00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:40,280
Speaker 1: that kind of talk? Though? That management? The coach, Who's

1121
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,160
Speaker 1: who gives you that talk? Yeah? So Neil sat me

1122
00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:46,920
Speaker 1: down and with Terry and they were like we're gonna

1123
00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 1: let We're gonna basically like we can't afford West West

1124
00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:52,560
Speaker 1: West end up signing for seventy four million. It was

1125
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:55,239
Speaker 1: like the Marcus is leaving, so we're gonna start the

1126
00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:57,720
Speaker 1: rebuild basically like it was supposed to be a rebuild.

1127
00:51:57,760 --> 00:51:59,880
Speaker 1: They end up, we signed like Afrew Comino and we

1128
00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:03,760
Speaker 1: signed Mo Harcless. We signed some players Nick Mason, Blason Plumbly,

1129
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:10,640
Speaker 1: and we lost Robin Lopez, Nick Betune, Wesley Matthews, LaMarcus

1130
00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:17,080
Speaker 1: all Dress, Moe Williams, basically Steve Bla. Everybody that played

1131
00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:20,200
Speaker 1: my position was gone. And I was just looking at

1132
00:52:20,239 --> 00:52:21,800
Speaker 1: It's like, this is like a dream come this is

1133
00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:23,680
Speaker 1: what I asked for. It's like a dream come true.

1134
00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:26,719
Speaker 1: And I remember at draft night, I was sitting with

1135
00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:28,680
Speaker 1: my financial adviser, I'll never forget it, shout out to

1136
00:52:28,719 --> 00:52:33,600
Speaker 1: my guy, Joe Godwin, and we're sitting there in Wesley

1137
00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:36,080
Speaker 1: signs with Dallas like draft DA, LaMarcus leaves, like all

1138
00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:39,279
Speaker 1: this stuff is happening. Nick latun Um league, he gets

1139
00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 1: released or traded and we're going over like my finances

1140
00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:44,480
Speaker 1: and I was like, I want to buy a new car,

1141
00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:46,440
Speaker 1: like I've been in the league two years, Like I

1142
00:52:46,520 --> 00:52:49,640
Speaker 1: need a car whatever whatever. And he was like, well,

1143
00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:51,720
Speaker 1: based on like where we're at right now, you average

1144
00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:54,719
Speaker 1: x amount of points per game, like blah blah blah

1145
00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:57,000
Speaker 1: blah blah, like how much you think you should spend

1146
00:52:57,000 --> 00:52:59,760
Speaker 1: on the car. And I'm like I was like, honestly,

1147
00:53:00,520 --> 00:53:03,440
Speaker 1: I always wanted to ask that, Martin. So I want

1148
00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:05,759
Speaker 1: to buy Ason Martin, but I didn't want to buy

1149
00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:07,759
Speaker 1: it until like I locked it like a long term deal,

1150
00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:10,520
Speaker 1: and he was like, what do you think your market is?

1151
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:13,200
Speaker 1: And I was like, he was like, Jeff Tique had

1152
00:53:13,280 --> 00:53:15,120
Speaker 1: just got like thirty two million or something like that.

1153
00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:17,040
Speaker 1: He was like, Jeff Tie got this. We're looking at

1154
00:53:17,040 --> 00:53:20,640
Speaker 1: like player of comparisons. And I was like, I was like,

1155
00:53:20,760 --> 00:53:22,880
Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna get like eighty two a hundred million.

1156
00:53:23,080 --> 00:53:25,960
Speaker 1: He like, he looking at me like you just just

1157
00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:27,880
Speaker 1: average six points a game last like you know, like

1158
00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:29,640
Speaker 1: he like keeping them keeping in the buckle me like

1159
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,320
Speaker 1: every six points a game last year. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

1160
00:53:32,440 --> 00:53:34,279
Speaker 1: I said, yeah. But they're getting rid of the whole team,

1161
00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:36,319
Speaker 1: which means they're gonna have to play me. And if

1162
00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:38,919
Speaker 1: they play me, I'm not looking back, like I'm gonna

1163
00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:41,480
Speaker 1: really i gonna really go to work and I'll never

1164
00:53:41,520 --> 00:53:43,200
Speaker 1: forget it. When I signed for I signed for like

1165
00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:46,560
Speaker 1: a hundred four years, a hundred and six million, and

1166
00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:48,839
Speaker 1: I called him. I said, when I'm buying this, I'm

1167
00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:51,680
Speaker 1: buying this, asked Martin my twenty fifth birthday. I told

1168
00:53:51,719 --> 00:53:54,799
Speaker 1: you that's dope. I love that story. That's what's up.

1169
00:53:55,239 --> 00:53:58,200
Speaker 1: So once you're in in a position to get consistent minutes,

1170
00:53:58,239 --> 00:54:00,680
Speaker 1: how long did it take for you and Dame to jail?

1171
00:54:01,080 --> 00:54:03,239
Speaker 1: But it's crazy because Dame always used to tell me

1172
00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:06,000
Speaker 1: like I used to be like, bro, like damn, they

1173
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:08,040
Speaker 1: don't like me, Like they're not playing me, they ain't

1174
00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:11,920
Speaker 1: messing with me. Um, I'm forgetting plays like so like

1175
00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:14,520
Speaker 1: sometimes coach throw me in and I'm forgetting plays. I'm

1176
00:54:14,560 --> 00:54:16,560
Speaker 1: not locked in, I'm not engaged. I was just doing

1177
00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:19,680
Speaker 1: like young NBA players ship like I wasn't. I wasn't

1178
00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:22,400
Speaker 1: acting the way I was supposed to act because I

1179
00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:24,839
Speaker 1: was disappointed in my role. I was disappointed in how

1180
00:54:24,840 --> 00:54:27,000
Speaker 1: I was being used, and I didn't approach you the

1181
00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:29,319
Speaker 1: right way. But as I kind of grew, immatured. It

1182
00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:30,880
Speaker 1: only took me one time for a coach to be

1183
00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:33,400
Speaker 1: like what the name of the referees and me did

1184
00:54:33,480 --> 00:54:36,040
Speaker 1: not know. Then I was like, damn, he trying to

1185
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:37,880
Speaker 1: He trying to give you a chance to either succeed

1186
00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:39,480
Speaker 1: or fail, and you're failing, Like figure it out. And

1187
00:54:39,520 --> 00:54:41,920
Speaker 1: then I started to figure it out and Dame used

1188
00:54:41,960 --> 00:54:43,879
Speaker 1: to always be like, they drafted you for a reason. Bro,

1189
00:54:44,120 --> 00:54:45,440
Speaker 1: it's gonna be and you in the back cord. We're

1190
00:54:45,440 --> 00:54:47,160
Speaker 1: gonna be one of the best duos to ever play. Like.

1191
00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:49,000
Speaker 1: He used to say this stuff when I wasn't playing

1192
00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:51,520
Speaker 1: at all, because they've seen how I worked and how

1193
00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:53,400
Speaker 1: I wasn't practiced. He was like, we're gonna be cold, bro,

1194
00:54:53,480 --> 00:54:55,719
Speaker 1: watch just watch. And so as soon as they gave

1195
00:54:55,719 --> 00:54:58,560
Speaker 1: me a chance to start my first my first start

1196
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:00,640
Speaker 1: as like a like a lad the guy in my

1197
00:55:00,719 --> 00:55:04,560
Speaker 1: third year, I scored like in the first six in

1198
00:55:04,640 --> 00:55:08,120
Speaker 1: the first quarter the first quarter of my first start

1199
00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:11,000
Speaker 1: my third year, and that's when he was like, oh,

1200
00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:15,000
Speaker 1: he's for real, Like like we started empowering each other.

1201
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:16,799
Speaker 1: I passed ahead, he passed ahead. I get on the ball,

1202
00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:19,759
Speaker 1: I play, I'll play off. I'll initiate the offense. I'm like,

1203
00:55:19,800 --> 00:55:21,520
Speaker 1: you go over here, you go over there, whatever, whatever.

1204
00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:23,759
Speaker 1: I run into the second unit and he comes back in.

1205
00:55:23,920 --> 00:55:27,160
Speaker 1: We put two him sometimes like I stopped in for him.

1206
00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:28,840
Speaker 1: He's supping for me. And we played together and we

1207
00:55:28,920 --> 00:55:31,640
Speaker 1: just kind of figured it out. And now eight years later,

1208
00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:34,520
Speaker 1: we still like besides Stephan Clay, like how many guys

1209
00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:38,080
Speaker 1: are still together, like right, So once you're in there

1210
00:55:38,120 --> 00:55:41,399
Speaker 1: getting consistent burn, what was it night and night out

1211
00:55:41,440 --> 00:55:43,640
Speaker 1: with with with with your menu? I mean, you're gonna

1212
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:47,680
Speaker 1: give CP, You're gonna come against James Russ, Steph Clay, Kyrie,

1213
00:55:48,280 --> 00:55:51,640
Speaker 1: John Wall, Bill Connley like you name it, like every

1214
00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:54,000
Speaker 1: night it was work. But what was it like being

1215
00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:56,160
Speaker 1: know that finally be in that position you knew you

1216
00:55:56,160 --> 00:55:59,120
Speaker 1: were capable of being and it was fun, man, But

1217
00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:01,440
Speaker 1: you just you learn the importance of taking care of

1218
00:56:01,440 --> 00:56:04,480
Speaker 1: your body, especially when you're younger. So back to backs.

1219
00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:08,360
Speaker 1: I used to be mad because you know, you playing

1220
00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:11,520
Speaker 1: against the elite player in general, right, everybody nice, And

1221
00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:12,839
Speaker 1: then you look at the schedule and they had two

1222
00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:14,239
Speaker 1: days off and you're coming in on the back to

1223
00:56:14,239 --> 00:56:15,600
Speaker 1: back where you later the two or three A and

1224
00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:17,879
Speaker 1: I'm like, dang, this is I wish I was fresh

1225
00:56:17,880 --> 00:56:19,120
Speaker 1: for this one, you know what I mean? And you

1226
00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:21,680
Speaker 1: just kind of psych yourself out and go who but

1227
00:56:21,800 --> 00:56:25,120
Speaker 1: to compete against those guys, I mean even y'all, Like

1228
00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:27,920
Speaker 1: I used to have to chase JJ's ass around and

1229
00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:30,640
Speaker 1: get hit by them illegal screens, DeAndre be Setting and

1230
00:56:30,760 --> 00:56:34,040
Speaker 1: Blake screens and then you go to another night and

1231
00:56:34,080 --> 00:56:37,400
Speaker 1: you gotta guard. You gotta guard Clay and Staff, and

1232
00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:39,800
Speaker 1: it's two different animals. So you gotta catch and shoot

1233
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:42,560
Speaker 1: Monster who just runs around. He's six seven, he can

1234
00:56:42,600 --> 00:56:45,480
Speaker 1: also post up. You played great defense, doesn't matter. And

1235
00:56:45,480 --> 00:56:48,280
Speaker 1: then you got Staff, who bo bo bo bop bop shooting,

1236
00:56:50,120 --> 00:56:52,960
Speaker 1: keep doing all of this stuff and kissing you all

1237
00:56:53,640 --> 00:56:55,680
Speaker 1: and and then and then the next night you gotta

1238
00:56:55,680 --> 00:56:58,400
Speaker 1: go guard James on the island. It's just it was

1239
00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:00,239
Speaker 1: just a lot, but it was It was fun for

1240
00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:02,080
Speaker 1: me because it was the challenge. It was like, all right,

1241
00:57:02,360 --> 00:57:04,399
Speaker 1: now you get to really see where you're at, and

1242
00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:06,680
Speaker 1: you get to try to guard some of these best

1243
00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:08,920
Speaker 1: players and still try to produce some offense, which is

1244
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:11,880
Speaker 1: really hard to do. And I just enjoyed the challenge.

1245
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:15,040
Speaker 1: And then you go guard Brad, and Brad got everything

1246
00:57:15,120 --> 00:57:17,120
Speaker 1: he got. The minute he got the paint finishing, he

1247
00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:21,440
Speaker 1: can shoot threes. It's just like exactly what you envisioned.

1248
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:23,320
Speaker 1: It's like, this is this is what I always wanted,

1249
00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:25,640
Speaker 1: and now I'm out here living in and then having fun.

1250
00:57:26,520 --> 00:57:28,440
Speaker 1: But then you also get some payback. You get some

1251
00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:33,560
Speaker 1: get back now though exactly exactly and the hunger is

1252
00:57:33,720 --> 00:57:35,760
Speaker 1: is crazy because you used to show up to the

1253
00:57:35,760 --> 00:57:37,200
Speaker 1: arena and know and you're not gonna play Like you

1254
00:57:37,280 --> 00:57:39,640
Speaker 1: used to take the taxi this before uber. You take

1255
00:57:39,680 --> 00:57:42,440
Speaker 1: the taxi or the or the hotel town car to

1256
00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:44,600
Speaker 1: get to the arena at three fifteen because that's your

1257
00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:46,480
Speaker 1: workout for the day. You know what I'm saying. Like

1258
00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:48,760
Speaker 1: I had o g Earl Watson and we used to

1259
00:57:48,760 --> 00:57:50,520
Speaker 1: play ones twos, and he used to be like, this

1260
00:57:50,520 --> 00:57:52,960
Speaker 1: has gotta be your game. So I'm running the stairs

1261
00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:56,040
Speaker 1: before the game thinking that, like if another team is watching,

1262
00:57:56,080 --> 00:57:58,480
Speaker 1: they don't see, like this kid really works, this kid,

1263
00:57:58,600 --> 00:58:01,640
Speaker 1: this kid comes in by four thirty. I didn't got it.

1264
00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:03,680
Speaker 1: I didn't got a good two hours in. I'd have lifted.

1265
00:58:03,680 --> 00:58:06,520
Speaker 1: I've shot out and played once. I'm out there with

1266
00:58:06,520 --> 00:58:08,880
Speaker 1: the cheerleaders, the cheerleaders dancing, anymore of me nothing. I'm

1267
00:58:08,880 --> 00:58:11,000
Speaker 1: out there early trying to get it in. Shout out

1268
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:13,040
Speaker 1: Earl Watson. That was my college point. That's my god.

1269
00:58:13,080 --> 00:58:14,880
Speaker 1: We're actually working on the show together right now. But

1270
00:58:14,920 --> 00:58:18,000
Speaker 1: Earl was a Earl was a real vet. Yeah, girl,

1271
00:58:18,120 --> 00:58:21,480
Speaker 1: I played with Earl. Chris came in and d right

1272
00:58:21,480 --> 00:58:23,920
Speaker 1: shout to my guy, d right, shout out d right,

1273
00:58:24,120 --> 00:58:25,880
Speaker 1: that Chris came in like taking showers by the time

1274
00:58:25,920 --> 00:58:27,560
Speaker 1: you I'll played together because that mother don't want to

1275
00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:34,400
Speaker 1: take no showers early on. One of the most Chris

1276
00:58:34,440 --> 00:58:37,960
Speaker 1: is one of the most interesting funny heater blood Why

1277
00:58:38,040 --> 00:58:41,400
Speaker 1: who last dude? Too cool? D is a fan? Cool

1278
00:58:41,520 --> 00:58:43,760
Speaker 1: is a fan. Yeah, we have to we have to

1279
00:58:43,760 --> 00:58:45,800
Speaker 1: had good team mote wait ands used to make me

1280
00:58:45,840 --> 00:58:48,760
Speaker 1: sit in this room. It's impossible to be cool with

1281
00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:53,040
Speaker 1: your hygene is bad. It come get me, no way

1282
00:58:53,080 --> 00:58:55,000
Speaker 1: you can be cool in your high Jens bad. I'm sorry.

1283
00:58:55,360 --> 00:58:57,760
Speaker 1: It's nothing. It's nothing cool about you. It's nothing. I

1284
00:58:58,160 --> 00:59:01,600
Speaker 1: can't be cool with you. Nothing coolbout like no, I

1285
00:59:01,600 --> 00:59:06,640
Speaker 1: don't see that. I can't speak to the showers. I

1286
00:59:06,640 --> 00:59:08,960
Speaker 1: don't remember the shower part, like I just need no.

1287
00:59:09,080 --> 00:59:10,840
Speaker 1: I played no, I played with him, So I played

1288
00:59:10,840 --> 00:59:13,840
Speaker 1: with him and oh three his rookie year and he

1289
00:59:13,920 --> 00:59:16,200
Speaker 1: had game. But that motherfucker used to be the motherfucker

1290
00:59:16,280 --> 00:59:19,080
Speaker 1: that would play and then put his jeans on and teacher,

1291
00:59:19,120 --> 00:59:21,280
Speaker 1: I gotta shower at my house. Well I'm a shower here,

1292
00:59:21,560 --> 00:59:23,760
Speaker 1: Like mom, you just played twenty five minutes. What the

1293
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:25,800
Speaker 1: fucking me, why are you gonna shower here? Because there's

1294
00:59:25,920 --> 00:59:28,200
Speaker 1: eight hot ass showers and they get asking one of them.

1295
00:59:28,480 --> 00:59:32,000
Speaker 1: And that motherfucker used to stay just putting his motherfucking

1296
00:59:32,040 --> 00:59:35,320
Speaker 1: clothes on after a game and go home and shower

1297
00:59:36,120 --> 00:59:43,920
Speaker 1: anyway in shout out, shout out, Chris Caman man like

1298
00:59:43,960 --> 00:59:48,720
Speaker 1: I said that, cool dude. I came in. So you

1299
00:59:48,800 --> 00:59:51,400
Speaker 1: mentioned early on c J. You guys have been in

1300
00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:53,840
Speaker 1: the playoffs every year, and I think I wanted to

1301
00:59:53,880 --> 00:59:56,880
Speaker 1: talk to you about the Warrior dynasty that you guys

1302
00:59:56,880 --> 01:00:00,080
Speaker 1: went up against, because you guys had some chances and

1303
01:00:00,560 --> 01:00:03,560
Speaker 1: the Warriors were kind of big brothers almost quote unquote

1304
01:00:03,560 --> 01:00:06,200
Speaker 1: to you guys in the playoffs. Talk to us about

1305
01:00:06,240 --> 01:00:09,000
Speaker 1: what you learned and how good those Dynasty teams were.

1306
01:00:09,560 --> 01:00:13,760
Speaker 1: I learned a lot, man, just from from interacting, uh

1307
01:00:13,760 --> 01:00:18,000
Speaker 1: with some of those players, competing against them, um losing

1308
01:00:18,240 --> 01:00:22,320
Speaker 1: playing the playoffs, being up twenty against the Warriors and

1309
01:00:22,920 --> 01:00:25,160
Speaker 1: watching the lead disappear. I think it just seems like

1310
01:00:25,200 --> 01:00:30,000
Speaker 1: being up five. Yeah, it teaches it teaches you how

1311
01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:31,960
Speaker 1: to play lead basketball, like when you go up against

1312
01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:35,720
Speaker 1: the elite ones, like especially that's seven, that's seventy whatever,

1313
01:00:35,760 --> 01:00:38,080
Speaker 1: and whatever season, they were playing some of the best

1314
01:00:38,080 --> 01:00:40,280
Speaker 1: basketball I've ever seen, Like the way they moved the

1315
01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:43,000
Speaker 1: ball to pace. Obviously staff, they had a lot of

1316
01:00:43,000 --> 01:00:46,240
Speaker 1: different pieces. Iggy was playing at that time. They had

1317
01:00:46,440 --> 01:00:49,360
Speaker 1: hb they had Boget. Like the way they played was

1318
01:00:49,440 --> 01:00:51,800
Speaker 1: just like a fun brand of basketball to watch. And

1319
01:00:51,840 --> 01:00:53,520
Speaker 1: then you get out there with him and you compete,

1320
01:00:54,280 --> 01:00:57,600
Speaker 1: and that's when the roar, like the Oracle roar was different.

1321
01:00:57,680 --> 01:01:01,040
Speaker 1: So like you know that, like the run is coming

1322
01:01:01,080 --> 01:01:02,880
Speaker 1: at some point, you just trying to withstand it. He's like, yeo,

1323
01:01:02,920 --> 01:01:05,160
Speaker 1: we just gotta withstand this run. It's coming at some point.

1324
01:01:05,240 --> 01:01:09,160
Speaker 1: And then bang bang bang bang for a threeas in

1325
01:01:09,160 --> 01:01:14,880
Speaker 1: a row. WHOA like fun. He didn't go so like

1326
01:01:14,960 --> 01:01:17,200
Speaker 1: it was. It was a great experience. And I'll say

1327
01:01:17,240 --> 01:01:19,200
Speaker 1: all the time it wasn't for them. We probably get

1328
01:01:19,240 --> 01:01:21,720
Speaker 1: to the probably get to the finals one of these years. Bullshit.

1329
01:01:21,800 --> 01:01:24,640
Speaker 1: I definitely. I said, you guys had a solid, solid team,

1330
01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:27,520
Speaker 1: but you would run into the Warriors. Yeah, And that

1331
01:01:27,960 --> 01:01:29,479
Speaker 1: was the buzz all that like a lot of people

1332
01:01:29,520 --> 01:01:32,480
Speaker 1: couldn't get over to hunt brun bless his heart, and

1333
01:01:32,640 --> 01:01:36,000
Speaker 1: being able to come back from from three one that

1334
01:01:36,000 --> 01:01:38,680
Speaker 1: that man especial, but it was. It was a great

1335
01:01:38,760 --> 01:01:40,880
Speaker 1: learning experience, and I think because of that we're better

1336
01:01:40,960 --> 01:01:45,160
Speaker 1: the character understanding, the appreciation of the game, Like we

1337
01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:50,560
Speaker 1: we better because of that. Absolutely. I'm sorry. Nah ship

1338
01:01:50,680 --> 01:01:55,000
Speaker 1: he came with his funny. I can't stop laughing that

1339
01:01:55,040 --> 01:02:01,680
Speaker 1: ship it came. But oh god, that is funny. That

1340
01:02:01,760 --> 01:02:04,720
Speaker 1: is funny. All right, here we go. That ship was.

1341
01:02:05,560 --> 01:02:09,000
Speaker 1: The ship was classic, bro. So what was the matchup

1342
01:02:09,440 --> 01:02:13,200
Speaker 1: between backcourts? Because you guys are arguably at the time,

1343
01:02:14,040 --> 01:02:16,680
Speaker 1: you know one A, one B. You know, you could

1344
01:02:16,680 --> 01:02:18,440
Speaker 1: throw Wall and Bill in there, but I thought you

1345
01:02:18,480 --> 01:02:20,920
Speaker 1: and Dame were right behind those two. What were those matchups? Like?

1346
01:02:21,520 --> 01:02:23,400
Speaker 1: They were fun? Man, there was. It was a lot

1347
01:02:23,440 --> 01:02:26,640
Speaker 1: of fun because we're all like competitors and it's it's

1348
01:02:26,640 --> 01:02:29,480
Speaker 1: funny because they always say light skinned guys and killers,

1349
01:02:29,520 --> 01:02:32,520
Speaker 1: but them light skin brothers killers, you know, they really

1350
01:02:32,720 --> 01:02:35,920
Speaker 1: really want to win. The way they play is crazy,

1351
01:02:35,920 --> 01:02:38,400
Speaker 1: like they play off of each other, the movement, the screening,

1352
01:02:38,880 --> 01:02:41,720
Speaker 1: one person gets hot, like the whole team feeds them.

1353
01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:44,640
Speaker 1: Draymond always talking crazy. But I like, like, I'm built

1354
01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:46,880
Speaker 1: for that life, So I enjoyed that. That's fun for

1355
01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:49,480
Speaker 1: me and just the the amount of trash that we talked,

1356
01:02:49,520 --> 01:02:51,560
Speaker 1: like to Draymond and to the rest of the staff,

1357
01:02:51,640 --> 01:02:55,080
Speaker 1: and the challenge of having to guard Clay, having to

1358
01:02:55,160 --> 01:02:57,760
Speaker 1: guard staff and then wanting them to guard you on

1359
01:02:57,800 --> 01:03:01,160
Speaker 1: the other and chasing stuff like tell dep go at him.

1360
01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:04,640
Speaker 1: You can't like there's no possessions off to where you

1361
01:03:04,720 --> 01:03:06,520
Speaker 1: might score on me. But I'm kind of right back,

1362
01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:09,040
Speaker 1: like I'm not I'm not running from it. And and

1363
01:03:09,080 --> 01:03:12,560
Speaker 1: if if I feel like you're running, bring him up

1364
01:03:12,560 --> 01:03:13,920
Speaker 1: here in the pick and roll, go fight. I think

1365
01:03:13,960 --> 01:03:16,080
Speaker 1: Luca does it, James does it, like you go find

1366
01:03:16,120 --> 01:03:18,880
Speaker 1: somebody like I want him, bring him up here. And

1367
01:03:18,880 --> 01:03:20,760
Speaker 1: that's how we talk to each other, like go get him,

1368
01:03:20,760 --> 01:03:22,439
Speaker 1: Go get your turn and go to work like that.

1369
01:03:22,720 --> 01:03:25,800
Speaker 1: And I think that's the fun part of playing in

1370
01:03:25,880 --> 01:03:27,640
Speaker 1: the NBA with people that you get along with and

1371
01:03:27,640 --> 01:03:29,880
Speaker 1: then compete against the best, because Steph wants to go

1372
01:03:29,960 --> 01:03:31,720
Speaker 1: guard you, Clay wants to go guard you for the

1373
01:03:31,760 --> 01:03:34,120
Speaker 1: most part, like they look forward to that challenge. But

1374
01:03:34,600 --> 01:03:37,160
Speaker 1: let's say Clay's on Dame and steps on me. I'm

1375
01:03:37,160 --> 01:03:38,960
Speaker 1: trying to go at step and then I'm like, all right,

1376
01:03:38,960 --> 01:03:41,880
Speaker 1: your turn, you go at him. Because Clays six seven.

1377
01:03:42,120 --> 01:03:43,720
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, two hundred pounds. He can

1378
01:03:43,800 --> 01:03:46,560
Speaker 1: move his feet. He's a big guard, and you want

1379
01:03:46,560 --> 01:03:48,800
Speaker 1: to make step as tired as possible in offense because

1380
01:03:48,800 --> 01:03:51,000
Speaker 1: that's like it was one of your only hopes is

1381
01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:52,520
Speaker 1: to try to wear him out so that he's tired

1382
01:03:52,560 --> 01:03:54,720
Speaker 1: and shots coming up short. So what did you guys

1383
01:03:54,920 --> 01:03:59,160
Speaker 1: learn from those experiences that bettered you guys, um as

1384
01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:05,080
Speaker 1: a team, as individuals moving forward in your careers. I

1385
01:04:05,080 --> 01:04:09,240
Speaker 1: think the importance of camaraderie. I think that's huge, being

1386
01:04:09,240 --> 01:04:10,920
Speaker 1: able to go out to dinners, being able to kick

1387
01:04:10,960 --> 01:04:13,280
Speaker 1: you with your teammates, being able to fail. I think

1388
01:04:13,320 --> 01:04:16,360
Speaker 1: losing to the Warriors, getting swept by the Pelicans, I

1389
01:04:16,360 --> 01:04:18,880
Speaker 1: think we responded really well to those types of situations.

1390
01:04:18,880 --> 01:04:20,160
Speaker 1: We get swapping and then we end up going to

1391
01:04:20,160 --> 01:04:23,160
Speaker 1: the Western Conference Finals the next season. It teaches you

1392
01:04:23,800 --> 01:04:25,760
Speaker 1: how to get through a long, gass season, man, Like

1393
01:04:25,800 --> 01:04:27,400
Speaker 1: there's gonna be great wins and there's gonna be some

1394
01:04:27,440 --> 01:04:30,880
Speaker 1: shitty losses to where you're looking around and you're like, damn,

1395
01:04:30,960 --> 01:04:33,040
Speaker 1: Like we just lost by one year, we lost by

1396
01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:35,720
Speaker 1: forty five, you know what I mean? Like that's crazy,

1397
01:04:35,720 --> 01:04:37,720
Speaker 1: that's almost fifty points you're losing by in the game,

1398
01:04:37,760 --> 01:04:39,160
Speaker 1: but then you gotta go play the next night or

1399
01:04:39,160 --> 01:04:41,840
Speaker 1: two nights later, and you gotta forget all about that.

1400
01:04:42,120 --> 01:04:44,960
Speaker 1: And your team has to be able to compartmentalize, like

1401
01:04:45,120 --> 01:04:47,800
Speaker 1: what we're trying to accomplish leading up to the playoffs.

1402
01:04:47,840 --> 01:04:49,920
Speaker 1: But I haven't talked to some of the O g s.

1403
01:04:49,960 --> 01:04:51,760
Speaker 1: It's just like the role players are huge. Like the

1404
01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:53,400
Speaker 1: role players need to be able to play well, be

1405
01:04:53,480 --> 01:04:55,760
Speaker 1: stars in their roles. You've gotta empower them, and you

1406
01:04:55,840 --> 01:04:58,120
Speaker 1: gotta appreciate the little stuff like the big fellow that's

1407
01:04:58,120 --> 01:05:00,000
Speaker 1: set in screens and getting you open. You gotta appreciate

1408
01:05:00,120 --> 01:05:03,520
Speaker 1: that because they're sacrificing for you to eat. Feed them

1409
01:05:03,520 --> 01:05:05,600
Speaker 1: a little bit. Yeah, you couple dump OFSS here and there?

1410
01:05:05,800 --> 01:05:08,880
Speaker 1: What you mean? Right? So that that's what's been been

1411
01:05:08,880 --> 01:05:10,880
Speaker 1: helpful for us. It's thinking about that balance. How do

1412
01:05:10,920 --> 01:05:12,560
Speaker 1: we get the best out of everybody and then how

1413
01:05:12,560 --> 01:05:16,560
Speaker 1: do we steal survive Like it's it's illegal about surviving.

1414
01:05:16,600 --> 01:05:19,600
Speaker 1: Like when when stuff don't go well, they're looking to

1415
01:05:19,800 --> 01:05:22,200
Speaker 1: the change things. So you gotta make sure stuff is

1416
01:05:22,240 --> 01:05:26,200
Speaker 1: going well, you guys. Two thousand, two thousand, nineteen Western conference.

1417
01:05:26,440 --> 01:05:29,880
Speaker 1: Uh final run started off with you guys in the

1418
01:05:29,960 --> 01:05:34,520
Speaker 1: Thunder and the Westbrook and PG and and you and

1419
01:05:34,520 --> 01:05:37,360
Speaker 1: and Dame. How what was the energy like obviously there's

1420
01:05:37,360 --> 01:05:40,400
Speaker 1: some animosity between that situation, but what was just the

1421
01:05:40,520 --> 01:05:42,360
Speaker 1: energy like and then Dame is able to close it

1422
01:05:42,400 --> 01:05:45,680
Speaker 1: out and fucking way goodbye to them? What was the

1423
01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:50,080
Speaker 1: energy around that series? Like it was it was a

1424
01:05:50,080 --> 01:05:54,240
Speaker 1: lot of anger. I think there's a lot of remember

1425
01:05:54,320 --> 01:05:57,920
Speaker 1: texting before the game. I remember texting and like it's

1426
01:05:58,000 --> 01:06:01,240
Speaker 1: just like you don't take things personal, but you look

1427
01:06:01,240 --> 01:06:03,840
Speaker 1: forward to the challenge of solidified like who you are

1428
01:06:03,880 --> 01:06:06,440
Speaker 1: and what you are. And I think the fact that

1429
01:06:06,480 --> 01:06:08,200
Speaker 1: like we had that regular season and I think they

1430
01:06:08,200 --> 01:06:10,840
Speaker 1: caught Russ saying that I've been busting your ask for years,

1431
01:06:10,840 --> 01:06:12,439
Speaker 1: Like I'm busting your ask for years, Like they cut

1432
01:06:12,440 --> 01:06:16,080
Speaker 1: that on video, and that was like a trigger, Like

1433
01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:19,200
Speaker 1: that trigger that was a trigger. The fact that it's Russ,

1434
01:06:19,320 --> 01:06:22,200
Speaker 1: Like Russ is an elite player, average a triple double,

1435
01:06:22,280 --> 01:06:24,520
Speaker 1: he's aggressive, he's gonna rock the baby on you, he

1436
01:06:24,600 --> 01:06:26,760
Speaker 1: gonna too small, like he's gonna do all of that,

1437
01:06:27,560 --> 01:06:29,800
Speaker 1: and you, like I enjoy it, Like that's fun for me,

1438
01:06:29,840 --> 01:06:32,200
Speaker 1: Like I want to go compete, and then you got

1439
01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:35,200
Speaker 1: pg who uh and one of the games they beat us,

1440
01:06:35,240 --> 01:06:37,800
Speaker 1: he win me at the buzzer and that like in

1441
01:06:37,840 --> 01:06:40,000
Speaker 1: my mind that wasn't fuck you, Like that's like in

1442
01:06:40,040 --> 01:06:42,640
Speaker 1: my head he was saying fuck you. So like we're

1443
01:06:42,680 --> 01:06:45,000
Speaker 1: all thinking about that as we're playing in the series

1444
01:06:45,280 --> 01:06:48,840
Speaker 1: and all the reporters picked us to lose, you know

1445
01:06:48,840 --> 01:06:50,920
Speaker 1: what I'm saying, Like you watch ESPN every day, You're

1446
01:06:50,920 --> 01:06:52,919
Speaker 1: watching this stuff, and they're like, yeah, the Blazers don't

1447
01:06:52,920 --> 01:06:56,280
Speaker 1: stand a chance, like they're talking about PGS an All star,

1448
01:06:56,920 --> 01:06:59,919
Speaker 1: RUSS is an All star m VP, like we can't

1449
01:07:00,040 --> 01:07:03,080
Speaker 1: in ten the players have one all star like and

1450
01:07:03,120 --> 01:07:06,480
Speaker 1: I'm watching it and I'm like, these niggers must not

1451
01:07:06,520 --> 01:07:07,720
Speaker 1: know who I am, you know what I'm saying, Like

1452
01:07:07,760 --> 01:07:10,840
Speaker 1: that's what I'm thinking, Like like that's what I'm thinking,

1453
01:07:10,840 --> 01:07:12,560
Speaker 1: Like they must not know like I really do this,

1454
01:07:12,680 --> 01:07:14,960
Speaker 1: especially in the playoffs, like I really I show up

1455
01:07:15,320 --> 01:07:17,600
Speaker 1: like and I pride myself on showing up in big games.

1456
01:07:17,600 --> 01:07:20,520
Speaker 1: So I'm looking and we text each other. I said,

1457
01:07:20,560 --> 01:07:22,240
Speaker 1: if we out played him, if we all played it,

1458
01:07:22,320 --> 01:07:25,439
Speaker 1: we went this series, That's all I said. Like when

1459
01:07:25,520 --> 01:07:29,760
Speaker 1: your matchup and he started the game with a thirty

1460
01:07:29,800 --> 01:07:32,600
Speaker 1: six footer like that's that's my that was that was

1461
01:07:32,640 --> 01:07:35,320
Speaker 1: his you know, it was on I'm here, I'm here,

1462
01:07:35,600 --> 01:07:37,800
Speaker 1: straight face. I pull up off the tip, the tip,

1463
01:07:37,840 --> 01:07:41,360
Speaker 1: ball came, two dribbles, bang. Looked at him like, I'm here,

1464
01:07:41,520 --> 01:07:45,080
Speaker 1: and that's what I knew. I said, so I'm clapping.

1465
01:07:45,080 --> 01:07:49,920
Speaker 1: I'm like, we got action action and we we just

1466
01:07:50,080 --> 01:07:52,760
Speaker 1: we really wanted it and we went after them. They

1467
01:07:52,760 --> 01:07:56,920
Speaker 1: went after us. It was competitive, it was fun. Um.

1468
01:07:57,080 --> 01:07:59,280
Speaker 1: We knew we had them on the ropes. And I

1469
01:07:59,320 --> 01:08:02,360
Speaker 1: remember talking of my brother. That was the year before

1470
01:08:02,440 --> 01:08:04,000
Speaker 1: I was able to go out and see him in

1471
01:08:04,040 --> 01:08:06,320
Speaker 1: Turkey because he plays in Europe. And I was like,

1472
01:08:06,360 --> 01:08:07,880
Speaker 1: I ain't gonna be able to make it next year,

1473
01:08:07,880 --> 01:08:08,920
Speaker 1: and he was like, what you mean. I said, We're

1474
01:08:08,960 --> 01:08:10,360
Speaker 1: gonna go far in the playoffs next year, so I

1475
01:08:10,360 --> 01:08:11,560
Speaker 1: ain't gonna be able to make it out here to

1476
01:08:11,600 --> 01:08:13,880
Speaker 1: see you. And right after we beat him at their

1477
01:08:13,960 --> 01:08:16,439
Speaker 1: crib and went up three one, I said it in

1478
01:08:16,680 --> 01:08:18,160
Speaker 1: the press conference. I said, yeah, I ain't gonna be

1479
01:08:18,160 --> 01:08:20,639
Speaker 1: able to see my brother this season because we're gonna

1480
01:08:20,640 --> 01:08:23,040
Speaker 1: be here for a while like that, and then we

1481
01:08:23,080 --> 01:08:26,280
Speaker 1: get to the game game five and Dame hits him

1482
01:08:26,280 --> 01:08:28,439
Speaker 1: with a fifty piece McNugget and then walk off three

1483
01:08:28,520 --> 01:08:30,439
Speaker 1: and then he waved that was so killer how he

1484
01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:34,280
Speaker 1: just like I was like, I was like, I'll never

1485
01:08:34,320 --> 01:08:37,880
Speaker 1: forget that. I'll never forget it. That was tough. That

1486
01:08:37,880 --> 01:08:41,200
Speaker 1: that way was cuss cuss wards were flying out that way. Boy,

1487
01:08:41,640 --> 01:08:45,000
Speaker 1: that ship was cold blooded. So you guys take Denver

1488
01:08:45,120 --> 01:08:49,120
Speaker 1: and seven, Um, you're playing great. At about twenty six

1489
01:08:49,160 --> 01:08:53,920
Speaker 1: a game, six rebounds, three assists, you get to Golden State,

1490
01:08:55,479 --> 01:08:59,880
Speaker 1: done dune Dune, So what what? Like I said, you

1491
01:09:00,000 --> 01:09:02,040
Speaker 1: have to face them. You guys have faced them before,

1492
01:09:02,160 --> 01:09:04,679
Speaker 1: you've seen them. But you guys, like I said, you guys,

1493
01:09:04,880 --> 01:09:07,479
Speaker 1: you guys were learning from each experience building up to this.

1494
01:09:07,960 --> 01:09:11,960
Speaker 1: You step into Golden State, talk to us. Yeah, that

1495
01:09:12,080 --> 01:09:16,400
Speaker 1: was tough, man. And I think the Denver series was

1496
01:09:16,439 --> 01:09:21,200
Speaker 1: a lot like seven games have to win on the road,

1497
01:09:21,320 --> 01:09:23,360
Speaker 1: a three or four overtime gag like it was. It

1498
01:09:23,439 --> 01:09:25,439
Speaker 1: was just a It took a lot of energy, It

1499
01:09:25,520 --> 01:09:27,000
Speaker 1: took a lot of emotion to get through it, and

1500
01:09:27,000 --> 01:09:29,000
Speaker 1: I think we grew up from it. But when we

1501
01:09:29,000 --> 01:09:31,000
Speaker 1: got into that that Warrior series, it was a different

1502
01:09:31,000 --> 01:09:34,040
Speaker 1: animal like the way they played the pace, how quick

1503
01:09:34,080 --> 01:09:36,599
Speaker 1: the turnaround was. We go from a game seven off

1504
01:09:36,680 --> 01:09:39,600
Speaker 1: day game the next day like we traveled and we

1505
01:09:39,760 --> 01:09:41,600
Speaker 1: got up. We would get leads and then we just

1506
01:09:41,600 --> 01:09:44,960
Speaker 1: blow them. And I think it was because of their athleticism,

1507
01:09:44,960 --> 01:09:47,960
Speaker 1: their game planning, their ability to shoot, and our lack

1508
01:09:48,000 --> 01:09:50,600
Speaker 1: of execution down and stretch of games and some some

1509
01:09:50,720 --> 01:09:52,719
Speaker 1: good moments to where we could have could have closed

1510
01:09:52,760 --> 01:09:54,439
Speaker 1: the door, and we did it, and I end up

1511
01:09:54,479 --> 01:09:56,000
Speaker 1: calling us to series and that's why we end up

1512
01:09:56,000 --> 01:09:57,600
Speaker 1: getting I think we got swept at that season and

1513
01:09:57,720 --> 01:10:00,240
Speaker 1: we were we led for more minutes than we old

1514
01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:01,920
Speaker 1: and we didn't win a game in this series, which

1515
01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:05,360
Speaker 1: is crazy. That shows you the last the last two minutes,

1516
01:10:05,400 --> 01:10:07,040
Speaker 1: the switch would come on and they would get just

1517
01:10:07,160 --> 01:10:10,840
Speaker 1: enough stops to run away. Yeah. Crazy, crazy. So the

1518
01:10:10,880 --> 01:10:14,360
Speaker 1: following season, last season is the bubble. You guys get

1519
01:10:14,400 --> 01:10:17,559
Speaker 1: hot at the right time, capture the A seed. You

1520
01:10:17,640 --> 01:10:21,080
Speaker 1: have a fucking legendary interview where you imitate Mike Tyson.

1521
01:10:21,720 --> 01:10:24,160
Speaker 1: Where did where did where did that idea come from?

1522
01:10:24,240 --> 01:10:27,080
Speaker 1: And then we'll get back to the basketball park. That

1523
01:10:27,160 --> 01:10:29,559
Speaker 1: was funny it You know when I when I first

1524
01:10:30,120 --> 01:10:37,000
Speaker 1: when I first salut my wife, the the YouTube interview

1525
01:10:37,000 --> 01:10:39,840
Speaker 1: and Mike where he's like, I broke my back spine

1526
01:10:41,080 --> 01:10:45,559
Speaker 1: after the game, we're talking in Dame, like he goes

1527
01:10:45,760 --> 01:10:47,960
Speaker 1: spinal and so then I was like, I broke my back,

1528
01:10:48,040 --> 01:10:50,200
Speaker 1: but I just did it because he triggered me. He

1529
01:10:50,240 --> 01:10:52,920
Speaker 1: said it it was like a trigger, and it was.

1530
01:10:53,000 --> 01:10:55,760
Speaker 1: It was hilarious. So what were your thoughts on I

1531
01:10:55,800 --> 01:10:57,800
Speaker 1: love it personally, but what were your thoughts on the

1532
01:10:57,920 --> 01:11:00,680
Speaker 1: play in format and how they use it in the

1533
01:11:00,680 --> 01:11:02,599
Speaker 1: bubble and then brought it back this year as well.

1534
01:11:02,680 --> 01:11:04,960
Speaker 1: I enjoyed it. I enjoyed playing it. I thought it

1535
01:11:05,040 --> 01:11:07,920
Speaker 1: was fun, it was competitive, it gave the fans something

1536
01:11:07,960 --> 01:11:10,599
Speaker 1: to watch, and although I would like to not playing

1537
01:11:10,640 --> 01:11:14,120
Speaker 1: it again right, I'd like to have a better seed.

1538
01:11:14,160 --> 01:11:16,160
Speaker 1: I think it's great. It's great for the game. I

1539
01:11:16,160 --> 01:11:18,439
Speaker 1: think it's great for the sport, and people really are

1540
01:11:18,520 --> 01:11:21,679
Speaker 1: enjoying it. What was your playoff experience like without fans?

1541
01:11:21,880 --> 01:11:24,080
Speaker 1: It was different. Man. It's like it's like playing in

1542
01:11:24,120 --> 01:11:28,920
Speaker 1: a competitive practice, like a like an intense inter squad

1543
01:11:28,960 --> 01:11:32,200
Speaker 1: scrimmage or like against another team. But once you once

1544
01:11:32,320 --> 01:11:34,600
Speaker 1: the ball gest rolling, like you just go whoop. But

1545
01:11:34,760 --> 01:11:38,160
Speaker 1: just like the intensity with the with the actual fans,

1546
01:11:38,160 --> 01:11:40,000
Speaker 1: like the energy that you get from their fans. Like

1547
01:11:40,200 --> 01:11:43,360
Speaker 1: imagine if we're playing again the Lakers and we beat

1548
01:11:43,400 --> 01:11:46,920
Speaker 1: them in Staple Center game one, Yeah, saying like that,

1549
01:11:47,400 --> 01:11:50,360
Speaker 1: they probably getting boomed like that, the shift is crazy,

1550
01:11:51,160 --> 01:11:52,920
Speaker 1: and then you lose game two. But when you go

1551
01:11:53,040 --> 01:11:56,320
Speaker 1: home to Portland for Game three, and then that's like

1552
01:11:56,600 --> 01:11:58,639
Speaker 1: you already you split and now you have the crib,

1553
01:11:58,880 --> 01:12:00,840
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, Like just like miss like

1554
01:12:01,000 --> 01:12:04,200
Speaker 1: missing that would have been would have been ideal, like

1555
01:12:04,280 --> 01:12:06,880
Speaker 1: having that and I would have liked to play in

1556
01:12:07,000 --> 01:12:08,800
Speaker 1: cities with fans like I would have liked to play

1557
01:12:08,880 --> 01:12:12,040
Speaker 1: like that game in Memphis. Yeah, you know what I'm

1558
01:12:12,040 --> 01:12:13,800
Speaker 1: saying that that would have been cold to beat them

1559
01:12:13,800 --> 01:12:15,600
Speaker 1: on their home create like to get to the playoffs,

1560
01:12:15,640 --> 01:12:18,400
Speaker 1: Like it's like going to somebody frigerator and drinking their juice.

1561
01:12:18,800 --> 01:12:21,360
Speaker 1: So real quick. I like the way you broke that down,

1562
01:12:21,360 --> 01:12:24,200
Speaker 1: because I don't think that people don't really understand is

1563
01:12:24,240 --> 01:12:26,240
Speaker 1: that fans so you go into Staples Center high, but

1564
01:12:26,240 --> 01:12:28,559
Speaker 1: then in the first round you take the wind out

1565
01:12:28,560 --> 01:12:30,320
Speaker 1: of their sales. So like you said, game two is

1566
01:12:30,360 --> 01:12:33,160
Speaker 1: a battle. But once you get to the parking lot

1567
01:12:33,280 --> 01:12:36,680
Speaker 1: in Portlands, Like, your fans are gonna be going insane

1568
01:12:36,720 --> 01:12:38,439
Speaker 1: as soon as you get out. The gym is gonna

1569
01:12:38,439 --> 01:12:39,640
Speaker 1: go crazy. And you guys have a hell of a

1570
01:12:39,720 --> 01:12:41,960
Speaker 1: quot home court advantage, so to not have any of

1571
01:12:41,960 --> 01:12:45,080
Speaker 1: that type of energy, that ship is big. It's bigger

1572
01:12:45,120 --> 01:12:48,880
Speaker 1: than people realize. Yeah. Absolutely, And I think that's what

1573
01:12:48,880 --> 01:12:51,559
Speaker 1: we miss about the sport, Like it's hard to play

1574
01:12:51,600 --> 01:12:53,439
Speaker 1: im portlandly I was in the league, Like, our fans

1575
01:12:53,520 --> 01:12:59,360
Speaker 1: is crazy. It's loud, they show up early and I

1576
01:12:59,479 --> 01:13:10,840
Speaker 1: still be beat by game time, so I don't even know.

1577
01:13:10,920 --> 01:13:16,840
Speaker 1: That's yeah, that's what they say. Look, that's what they say.

1578
01:13:17,520 --> 01:13:25,360
Speaker 1: The smoke CJ. Welcome to the smoke Baby Mades said no,

1579
01:13:25,560 --> 01:13:29,760
Speaker 1: but Sai though, But yeah, our fans is crazy, man,

1580
01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:32,120
Speaker 1: they come out. We love them, They support us. They

1581
01:13:32,120 --> 01:13:33,639
Speaker 1: wear the T shirt, always say they're not too cool

1582
01:13:33,680 --> 01:13:36,000
Speaker 1: to wear the T shirts, and they empower us. And

1583
01:13:36,080 --> 01:13:37,840
Speaker 1: I think our record is a lot better at the career.

1584
01:13:38,000 --> 01:13:39,800
Speaker 1: We win a lot more games at the house, and

1585
01:13:40,400 --> 01:13:42,120
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to the playing in front of them,

1586
01:13:42,120 --> 01:13:43,880
Speaker 1: But I'm also I'm looking forward to playing on the road,

1587
01:13:43,920 --> 01:13:46,320
Speaker 1: Like I like playing on the road and having road fans,

1588
01:13:46,400 --> 01:13:49,280
Speaker 1: like seeing it look on their faces, like when we

1589
01:13:49,320 --> 01:13:51,720
Speaker 1: get them bur in game seven, and like seeing the

1590
01:13:51,800 --> 01:13:54,599
Speaker 1: look on their faces. Man, it's just so. It's one

1591
01:13:54,640 --> 01:13:58,600
Speaker 1: of the biggest joys is to just see the disbelief

1592
01:13:58,680 --> 01:14:01,960
Speaker 1: and the anger and the confusion of like a road

1593
01:14:02,000 --> 01:14:04,639
Speaker 1: fan after you deflating the building. It is the best feeling. Bro.

1594
01:14:04,880 --> 01:14:07,360
Speaker 1: Tell us a little about your podcast, The Pull Up

1595
01:14:07,640 --> 01:14:10,760
Speaker 1: and did your journalism Blackground have a role in that

1596
01:14:11,000 --> 01:14:13,840
Speaker 1: or what was your h want behind getting into the

1597
01:14:13,880 --> 01:14:18,560
Speaker 1: podcast space. Yeah, my my journalism degree definitely played a

1598
01:14:18,680 --> 01:14:21,400
Speaker 1: role in my decision to have a podcast. I always

1599
01:14:21,560 --> 01:14:24,040
Speaker 1: been big on wanting to keep my degree alive and

1600
01:14:24,080 --> 01:14:27,320
Speaker 1: being able to share stories, tell stories, being able to

1601
01:14:27,360 --> 01:14:29,519
Speaker 1: get players to share certain things and just kind of

1602
01:14:29,520 --> 01:14:31,680
Speaker 1: connect with the fans at a different level was was

1603
01:14:31,720 --> 01:14:34,479
Speaker 1: the main goal. But yeah, Pull Up Hoods will be

1604
01:14:34,760 --> 01:14:38,080
Speaker 1: relaunching at some point in your future. Just storytelling and

1605
01:14:38,120 --> 01:14:39,760
Speaker 1: keeping people up to date with what's going on around

1606
01:14:39,800 --> 01:14:42,360
Speaker 1: the league and people up to date with with some

1607
01:14:42,400 --> 01:14:45,439
Speaker 1: of my opinions and thoughts on what's happening in the world.

1608
01:14:45,520 --> 01:14:48,160
Speaker 1: I think all those things are important and it's fun.

1609
01:14:48,680 --> 01:14:54,200
Speaker 1: Like I enjoyed hosting a podcast. Yeah, look at hey, Rachel,

1610
01:14:54,200 --> 01:14:56,679
Speaker 1: face time me back CJ. She said, we're sharing custody

1611
01:14:56,680 --> 01:14:58,240
Speaker 1: of you real quick. Yeah, we're gonna finish up with

1612
01:14:58,280 --> 01:15:00,320
Speaker 1: I'm real quick. And then he's right onto you. We're

1613
01:15:00,360 --> 01:15:04,960
Speaker 1: on the last question. Thank you, Rachel, appreciate it. Thank you.

1614
01:15:05,240 --> 01:15:10,960
Speaker 1: She said, you're all good. I completely forgot because my

1615
01:15:10,960 --> 01:15:16,400
Speaker 1: phone did not the stair. So nah, we got connections

1616
01:15:16,439 --> 01:15:18,360
Speaker 1: over here. We got you, bro, all right, So here

1617
01:15:18,400 --> 01:15:22,720
Speaker 1: we go, quick hitters, Um, toughest matchup for you. I

1618
01:15:22,720 --> 01:15:24,320
Speaker 1: don't think we have to played against each other, so

1619
01:15:24,360 --> 01:15:25,800
Speaker 1: you ain't. You ain't gonna say me, I don't think

1620
01:15:25,800 --> 01:15:30,519
Speaker 1: we ever played against each other. I would say, I

1621
01:15:30,520 --> 01:15:33,759
Speaker 1: would say Brad and Brad and Steff, Brad and Steff,

1622
01:15:34,120 --> 01:15:39,200
Speaker 1: two different games, two different games, catch and shoots, all

1623
01:15:39,200 --> 01:15:43,000
Speaker 1: of that. Yeah, you you plus four going to the

1624
01:15:43,080 --> 01:15:45,519
Speaker 1: park to on the court. You plus four? Who are

1625
01:15:45,520 --> 01:15:51,400
Speaker 1: you taking with you? Yeah? Outside where you might have

1626
01:15:51,439 --> 01:15:59,400
Speaker 1: to fight. That's a great point. Um, you might have

1627
01:15:59,439 --> 01:16:01,400
Speaker 1: to fight. You gotta bring James Johnson and don't fight

1628
01:16:02,479 --> 01:16:06,799
Speaker 1: one of them, one of them. I gotta bring James.

1629
01:16:08,040 --> 01:16:16,799
Speaker 1: I'd probably take I take dang um Dane, Katie Bron

1630
01:16:19,720 --> 01:16:27,479
Speaker 1: and James Johnson, James Johnson good, Hey you're good, y'all straight,

1631
01:16:28,360 --> 01:16:32,080
Speaker 1: Dame can box still straight? Yeah, you can fight too,

1632
01:16:32,160 --> 01:16:35,160
Speaker 1: y'all gonna be good. Uh, your top five artists, I'm

1633
01:16:35,200 --> 01:16:38,760
Speaker 1: gonna go Hove, don't forget you from the Midwest. Bro.

1634
01:16:39,200 --> 01:16:40,880
Speaker 1: What you want to throw Nelly in there or something?

1635
01:16:44,960 --> 01:16:48,640
Speaker 1: Tupacket Biggie obviously legendary, but they passed early, you know

1636
01:16:48,640 --> 01:16:51,680
Speaker 1: what I'm saying, Like they didn't even get a chance

1637
01:16:51,720 --> 01:16:54,080
Speaker 1: to hit their prime. If you're going body of work

1638
01:16:54,320 --> 01:16:57,559
Speaker 1: and you gotta include them, that's three Andre, Andre, three

1639
01:16:57,560 --> 01:16:59,640
Speaker 1: Stacks and Drake. I like that, and I like that

1640
01:17:00,360 --> 01:17:02,519
Speaker 1: little mind. But then like I like Jake Cole, Like

1641
01:17:02,640 --> 01:17:04,559
Speaker 1: these are all these people that I really love. So

1642
01:17:05,080 --> 01:17:06,559
Speaker 1: it puss me, It pushed me in, It puss me

1643
01:17:06,560 --> 01:17:09,519
Speaker 1: in a tough spot. But I say, Jake hole six,

1644
01:17:09,600 --> 01:17:14,160
Speaker 1: many can't go wrong. N You're all time starting five,

1645
01:17:14,600 --> 01:17:25,120
Speaker 1: Mike Yep, Brian m hmm, Kobe mm hmm, shock m M.

1646
01:17:27,040 --> 01:17:29,840
Speaker 1: That's my identical. We've identical so far. What I would

1647
01:17:29,880 --> 01:17:36,160
Speaker 1: say the four is tough, Like you could go Bill Russell,

1648
01:17:36,240 --> 01:17:42,320
Speaker 1: you could go KG, you can go KD, you go

1649
01:17:42,439 --> 01:17:48,599
Speaker 1: Tim Duncan that's my pig. Yeah. Mm hmm. You can slip.

1650
01:17:48,760 --> 01:17:50,719
Speaker 1: You can slide brown to the four. I mean ship,

1651
01:17:50,760 --> 01:17:54,680
Speaker 1: you got options, I go, I go Tim Duncan, and

1652
01:17:54,720 --> 01:17:58,439
Speaker 1: then I got I would have kg KG six man,

1653
01:17:58,920 --> 01:18:04,720
Speaker 1: Katie Katie h first card off the bench? Okay, nice? Nice? Uh?

1654
01:18:04,800 --> 01:18:07,639
Speaker 1: Five dinner guests, dead or alive, drinking your drinking your

1655
01:18:07,640 --> 01:18:14,240
Speaker 1: wine Obama? Alright, jay Z, I'm on a billionaires So

1656
01:18:14,479 --> 01:18:20,280
Speaker 1: we either go Elon Musk or Bill Gates. I wanna

1657
01:18:20,439 --> 01:18:22,360
Speaker 1: you know, I need to tap into that financial knowledge.

1658
01:18:22,439 --> 01:18:26,200
Speaker 1: I would go Mark Martin, Luther King Jr. Probably Michael X.

1659
01:18:26,240 --> 01:18:29,280
Speaker 1: Would be an interesting conversation. Man, that'll be nice. That'll

1660
01:18:29,320 --> 01:18:31,160
Speaker 1: be nice right there? Who do you want to see

1661
01:18:31,200 --> 01:18:34,040
Speaker 1: on All the Smoke? But before you answer this question

1662
01:18:34,600 --> 01:18:36,439
Speaker 1: your answer, you have to help us with the answer.

1663
01:18:36,520 --> 01:18:38,080
Speaker 1: So who do you think should be on All the Smoke?

1664
01:18:38,200 --> 01:18:46,120
Speaker 1: I gotta help with the answer. Um, come on, bro,

1665
01:18:46,320 --> 01:18:48,720
Speaker 1: it's this should be real easy. He ain't been on

1666
01:18:48,760 --> 01:18:50,960
Speaker 1: the Dead Yeah, God, damn, he ain't been on the

1667
01:18:51,040 --> 01:18:53,840
Speaker 1: damn show. We didn't make videos about this, nigga. I

1668
01:18:53,880 --> 01:18:56,360
Speaker 1: didn't d m him. I didn't talk to him a meniantime.

1669
01:18:56,400 --> 01:19:01,360
Speaker 1: We're waiting no, Dame du Yeah for you. Hey, crazy enough.

1670
01:19:01,360 --> 01:19:02,960
Speaker 1: He was supposed to be our very first guest and

1671
01:19:02,960 --> 01:19:05,040
Speaker 1: it just didn't work out. But anyway, Man, we know

1672
01:19:05,120 --> 01:19:07,320
Speaker 1: you in a hurry. Ce J, thank you for your time,

1673
01:19:07,439 --> 01:19:10,479
Speaker 1: man Jack, great show. I appreciate you having me on.

1674
01:19:10,720 --> 01:19:13,559
Speaker 1: And I meant to tell you my movement specialist. He's

1675
01:19:13,600 --> 01:19:15,760
Speaker 1: a big, big fan of y'all. Devin, So my god, Deva,

1676
01:19:15,760 --> 01:19:18,439
Speaker 1: He's gonna be happy. I'm on here. Shout out, bro, Damn,

1677
01:19:18,479 --> 01:19:22,000
Speaker 1: shout out man, Shout out to the home. Appreciate you're

1678
01:19:22,000 --> 01:19:26,720
Speaker 1: broken healthy. You can catch all the smoke on Showtime

1679
01:19:26,800 --> 01:19:30,960
Speaker 1: Basketball in I Heart Platform Black Effects. We'll see you

1680
01:19:31,040 --> 01:19:33,679
Speaker 1: all next week. This is all a Smoke, a production

1681
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Speaker 1: of The Black Effect and Our Heart Radio in partnership

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Speaker 1: with Showtime