Speaker 1: M hm hm. Welcome back all the smoke season four.
Speaker 1: We got a good one today, Jack, one of the
Speaker 1: best shooters ever to do it, but someone who also
Speaker 1: doesn't talk that much. That's why it was important for
Speaker 1: us to grab him. We got a little boat to
Speaker 1: r I'm sure you guys have catched the b roll.
Speaker 1: We got Rock in the building trying to find out
Speaker 1: what's going on over here. But man, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1: Clay Thompson. Clay, we appreciate you. Appreciate you. Man. Hey,
Speaker 1: Clay's got his feet out too, so you know we're
Speaker 1: about to get to the ship. That just means he
Speaker 1: doesn't care like we're here. Beet kicked out, We're ready,
Speaker 1: um Man, four time champ, five time All Star, arguably
Speaker 1: one of the greatest shooters ever. Um. When you think
Speaker 1: about where it all started towards that, now, what comes
Speaker 1: to mind? Uh, the first thing is my brothers, because
Speaker 1: without Mikey and Trace, I was very blessed to grow
Speaker 1: up with two brothers. We're all close in age, within
Speaker 1: two years of each other, and the battles you would
Speaker 1: have playing one on one and anything, whether it's football, baseball, basketball, life,
Speaker 1: first down the stairs, whatever, it was that's what really
Speaker 1: molded me. And uh, you don't want to beat anyone
Speaker 1: more than your brothers and one on one. So all
Speaker 1: those competitive games through high school and then we just
Speaker 1: love watching whoever was the Blazers and Lakers, Tray Steelers,
Speaker 1: Mikey's Vikings, And that's the first thing it really comes
Speaker 1: to mind as my family. I love it. So what
Speaker 1: year is this for you? This is your twelve on
Speaker 1: the books, your twelve? I mean, how I mean, how
Speaker 1: is life? You know, obviously you came back after last season.
Speaker 1: We're gonna get to that. You gotta won a championship.
Speaker 1: Now you're heading to the off season and year a twelve.
Speaker 1: Life couldn't be any better, to be honest. So it's
Speaker 1: like I'm looking through my fireplace at my boat right now.
Speaker 1: It's crazy. God is so good. I'm healthy, I'm going
Speaker 1: in defending a championship like I don't think. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's always goals I have and things that could be better,
Speaker 1: But right now I'm very content and just trying to
Speaker 1: enjoy every day because this is big blessings. I mean,
Speaker 1: the world knows, you know, with it. Two days? How
Speaker 1: many days? One days? You were down. A lot of
Speaker 1: highs are a lot of loads. At that point, coming
Speaker 1: back was obviously a high. What is this past three
Speaker 1: years kind of touch you? Um man, don't take anything
Speaker 1: for granted. Uh, the bad days, the great days, the
Speaker 1: game nights, the pre game naps, the travel days to
Speaker 1: Okay see Indianapolis, especially the dog days, those are better
Speaker 1: than where you were at, where I was at, you know,
Speaker 1: And because watching is there's always it's just so uncomfortable
Speaker 1: having to watch, especially your teammates go through their struggles
Speaker 1: or take els and you are helpless. You're just watching
Speaker 1: and you're just like, man, I swear I can do this,
Speaker 1: this and that, and you know you won't be a
Speaker 1: part of that journey. That season that was that was
Speaker 1: not fun. But it just made me so grateful for
Speaker 1: having just put my phone away in my lock. You're
Speaker 1: not checking it for that four or five hour block
Speaker 1: and just being a basketball player like there's nothing, it's
Speaker 1: a dream. Really is something more I really enjoyed. No
Speaker 1: matter how many how matter how big the boat I
Speaker 1: get or bigger fish I catch. I don't think there
Speaker 1: will be anything in life that can replace me just
Speaker 1: doing what I love, and that's getting buckets getting buckets. Uh.
Speaker 1: We voted this year on ESPN, like what was our
Speaker 1: favorite part of the season, and mine was your comeback
Speaker 1: and no doubt, but your first game, like I think
Speaker 1: you had the world on edge because everyone thinks, you know,
Speaker 1: Clay's the shooter. You were turning the corner and trying
Speaker 1: to dunk it, dunking and getting tough lap. Like what
Speaker 1: was it like that first game back? Man? That game
Speaker 1: was It's it's arguably, I mean, for me, it was
Speaker 1: probably like my favorite game my career really, first one back,
Speaker 1: first one back, because I didn't know what to expect.
Speaker 1: It didn't definitely the thing I was to catch two bodies.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you that. I was in Santa Cruz a
Speaker 1: month earlier and it was tough to get to the cup.
Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, man, I remember being this hard
Speaker 1: like and it was just tough to dunk, you know.
Speaker 1: I was like, get that momentum. But once you get
Speaker 1: in front of the crowd like that and energy energy,
Speaker 1: that was an out of body experience. I couldn't believe
Speaker 1: I did that. I was like, you just feel the crowd,
Speaker 1: you feel it. It It was and every time you touch
Speaker 1: the ball and that was such a like built up day.
Speaker 1: You know, it was two years I had all my
Speaker 1: teammates rocking with the number eleven after me, So I
Speaker 1: was like, I got live up to the hype. I
Speaker 1: definitely shot my way out of it. You know, I
Speaker 1: got up like eighteen shots. You're a high You're a
Speaker 1: hired rifleman's supposed to do. That's what you're supposed to do.
Speaker 1: Thoughts on that that that first dunk? Were you scared
Speaker 1: in the process? Did even not even think about it? Like?
Speaker 1: What was that? I think about it? That was the
Speaker 1: best Honestly the best moment of my That was the
Speaker 1: best moment I had a long time, obviously winning championships, whatever,
Speaker 1: all Star games, but just dunking on two people. I
Speaker 1: don't think there's not a better feeling basketball theyre dunking
Speaker 1: on so like, and to do it first came back.
Speaker 1: I just whenever I happened when I have a bad
Speaker 1: day in the gym, I watched that clip. We're okay, possible,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be. Uh. Your team just got back from Japan.
Speaker 1: How was that trip any any funny memorable stories or
Speaker 1: how was the experience for you guys? It was amazing?
Speaker 1: You know how much they love basketball on Asia. It's crazy.
Speaker 1: It's like the world. It's like their sport over there.
Speaker 1: And I don't get to play, but I got to
Speaker 1: do a three point contest with Steph. And there's a
Speaker 1: lot of pressure when you're shooting out there. You know,
Speaker 1: you're across the world, and the Japanese fans they hear
Speaker 1: about the Splash Brothers. They expect you to shoot a
Speaker 1: certain way. And for us to only missed like five
Speaker 1: shots together hit the four pointers, that was fun. That
Speaker 1: was the het out of my trip because, uh, there's
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure when you're out there on the island,
Speaker 1: and I felt good to do that with Steph. And
Speaker 1: I felt going to show the team, like just the
Speaker 1: Warriors brand man, like being out there and thinking like
Speaker 1: there are so many Warrior unions out here across the world,
Speaker 1: like this is unbelievable, and that puts everything in perspective
Speaker 1: and we're grateful for obviously everything you guys did. That's
Speaker 1: how I could actually really that's how I checked who
Speaker 1: the real Warrior fans are. If you walk into the
Speaker 1: arena with what we believe shirt on, you are a legend,
Speaker 1: Like you got a whole another respect to your finger
Speaker 1: and they're all they're old now too. It's not the
Speaker 1: nice night beat up, beat up and through the washing
Speaker 1: the e on it is crazy. Well I've seen a
Speaker 1: lot of them. They still exist. Head into the new
Speaker 1: season being defended champs. Um, how do you avoid the
Speaker 1: championship hang? You've been in this position? Just shoot, just
Speaker 1: embracing the fact that it's a marathon. Really, like if
Speaker 1: you're already thinking ahead of June, like, oh we can
Speaker 1: win number five, UM, ain't gonna make you. Ain't gonna
Speaker 1: make you, know if that thoughts crossed my mind a
Speaker 1: lot because of but after like the years we had
Speaker 1: and injuries like anything, and that happens every NBA season
Speaker 1: with injuries, it's really a war of attrition. So I'm
Speaker 1: not sure if Sunny three wins into cars, I mean,
Speaker 1: that's all that's great, But we gotta get there and
Speaker 1: be healthy when we do get there, and that's for
Speaker 1: the playoffs. But just enjoy every single game really like
Speaker 1: we're going into we get to hear again it's been
Speaker 1: some years, but when they introduce us, the defending NBA
Speaker 1: Championel State Warriors, to hear that during introductions like, okay
Speaker 1: against the Lakers. My dad, sorry, Dad, you gotta he's
Speaker 1: always torn because he's a right doing his job, but
Speaker 1: he's rooting for his son. So it's a good problem
Speaker 1: to have, right of course, as always the person to
Speaker 1: go to finish this season, to go through the season healthy,
Speaker 1: any other person who goes. I want to be an
Speaker 1: All Star again, you know. I mean I'm used to
Speaker 1: what I know to be able to make those games
Speaker 1: and considered one of the best in the world, Like
Speaker 1: it's a it's the coolest, yeah, no better feeling, and
Speaker 1: I just want to be able to experience that again.
Speaker 1: I want to all NBA is always great, but I
Speaker 1: don't want to put that pressure on myself. So if
Speaker 1: I play like I know I'm capable of, I should
Speaker 1: be an NBA All Star and I and then go
Speaker 1: through what I did and be able to accomplished that,
Speaker 1: you know, you know, tearing a knee, tearing achilles when
Speaker 1: you came back, what do you feel like was the
Speaker 1: last thing to get come back for you? With a lateral?
Speaker 1: It was man Like, anyone who's done it knows that
Speaker 1: you might lose a little power, like taking off, like
Speaker 1: my right foot take off I'm not gonna say it's changed,
Speaker 1: but it's taking a long time since that happened. Like
Speaker 1: or your lateral movement might not my body. My mind
Speaker 1: would go places and my body would it wasn't there yet.
Speaker 1: But when you take two years off, you gotta realize
Speaker 1: you gotta give yourself them to breathe. And I'm so competitive,
Speaker 1: i would be hard on myself, like I used to
Speaker 1: be able to check this dude and get buckets and
Speaker 1: now going one for twelve from three, I'm getting blown
Speaker 1: by everybody. So there are some dog days. But you
Speaker 1: just gotta do all little things too, like I gotta
Speaker 1: eat a crazy diet now you know, no bread, limited cars,
Speaker 1: no red meat, watch what you drink. It is just
Speaker 1: the little things. When you get to your early thirties
Speaker 1: with a decade of experience, that help me get over
Speaker 1: the top. And shout out to our training staff man,
Speaker 1: like we went there to that it was amazing, amazing.
Speaker 1: And what they looking at my playoffs stats right before
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals, like after we clinched it, and I'm
Speaker 1: just like if you just looked on paper, you would
Speaker 1: based off the numbers, you would have never thought I
Speaker 1: was injured and to see that, like, it gave me
Speaker 1: so much motivation to keep going. And I cannot get
Speaker 1: there without Rick and Kyle and Science, Dave and Yoder,
Speaker 1: Danny Carl who was Jerry. We spent so many days
Speaker 1: together and I would, um, you know how we are.
Speaker 1: We want to poop all day and then have to
Speaker 1: pull us back, like you can't do this trust stuff
Speaker 1: Like I feel great, but I can. I just went
Speaker 1: out and made twenty out of shots like, but that
Speaker 1: game speed and there's just things you can't simulate. So
Speaker 1: I really appreciate them forguiding me. Do you feel like yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm a percent. I don't even think
Speaker 1: about anything. And God is so good. You know. There's
Speaker 1: a lot of players though, who defied the odds before me.
Speaker 1: Dominique Wilkins k D. Yeah, man, it was so nice
Speaker 1: having as Dot around. Yeah. Well, as I went through
Speaker 1: to come back and win three chips black he had.
Speaker 1: I still tell it's like the greatest mid range game
Speaker 1: is his NBA history co KD Mike and that shot
Speaker 1: was on block right point guard. Yeah, he was amazing.
Speaker 1: What do you think in your opinion, what's the how
Speaker 1: to westle it to you right now, man, I feel
Speaker 1: like the West is stacked again. I don't know, I
Speaker 1: can't catch a break. I mean, Memphis Phoenix Nuggets gonna
Speaker 1: be healthier. Kawai and Paul are back. Yeah, stars on
Speaker 1: every on every team, like multiple too. So it's great. Man.
Speaker 1: The NBA is in a great place. Like there's the
Speaker 1: guys been around forever. Then these young bucks coming up,
Speaker 1: whether it's Edwards, Moran or Booker, but then we still
Speaker 1: got Braun doing his thing and Steph And it's just
Speaker 1: really cool because when I think when I was a
Speaker 1: rookie and I think about who like this was running
Speaker 1: the league, it was like Kobe and Tim Duncan j G.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, bro, I really grew up watching y'all
Speaker 1: my whole life. Now it's just weird when it happens
Speaker 1: to get there. Now these kids on our team are nine. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we was watching y'all. Right, man, it just feels like yesterday.
Speaker 1: It's crazy. It's crazy time times. Which young fellows on
Speaker 1: your team impression? Oh man, I don't know. It's like
Speaker 1: our front office doesn't miss it's crazy, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. Like they all got something special. They all
Speaker 1: do things differently, like like even Jonathan Comingo. I haven't
Speaker 1: seen a twenty year old jump like him in a
Speaker 1: long time. And it's like quick bounce, like off the rim.
Speaker 1: It jumpers nice to Mo Moody gets into as funny
Speaker 1: as you watch Mo and he's like, you know he
Speaker 1: won't like, wow, you going to workout? But then you
Speaker 1: throw him in the game and he was nineteen. He
Speaker 1: was nineteen years old last year getting playoff buckets, huge
Speaker 1: offensive rebound, he just did. You don't expect that from
Speaker 1: a night team. I didn't know that young. Yeah, the
Speaker 1: way he carries yourself much, this is crazy. You look
Speaker 1: like you've been playing this game for ten years and
Speaker 1: you can't, like, how do you scout that? You know?
Speaker 1: And obviously what Jordan Pool has become like who would
Speaker 1: have thought the Splash Brothers without another have a pool party?
Speaker 1: I mean, that's that's gotta be destiny. That was perfect.
Speaker 1: That was the stars aligned for that one, My goodness.
Speaker 1: And he plays like Steph two. It's crazy, but Wi
Speaker 1: is twenty seven now, actually, I think. But I'm like, bro,
Speaker 1: you've been in there. I've been in here for a
Speaker 1: minute now. I remember when you were checking Kobe and
Speaker 1: I'm so grateful for Andrew though, Oh my gosh, she
Speaker 1: makes my job so much easier. I watched him, like, Bro,
Speaker 1: I can't believe you have to chase around dunk kitchen
Speaker 1: Tatum and Mirandol game and then go get us twenty.
Speaker 1: I'm exhausted watching you. But I mean you do that
Speaker 1: ship though too. Yeah, well I was seven, was doing
Speaker 1: the same. Wiseman's back finally now, man James, you guys,
Speaker 1: he's looking like a beast, especially in Japan. You see
Speaker 1: what he did in Japan. But he dunked on Porzingis.
Speaker 1: I'm like, he's not easy to dunk on. He dunked on.
Speaker 1: He was dunking everything. Yeah, we got so many, it's crazy.
Speaker 1: I'm like, how did the Warriors do it? Reloaded they
Speaker 1: got to It's crazy how we did it. But I'm excited.
Speaker 1: Let's go back to your upbringing Portland, Oregon. Dad Michael
Speaker 1: Thompson was an NBA Grade two time champ with the Lakers.
Speaker 1: Mama cottage volleyball player. How was it growing up in Portland?
Speaker 1: Portland was cool, Portland was It's always want a whole
Speaker 1: a special place in my heart. Uh. I had a
Speaker 1: nice life though, Man, my dad was a number one pick,
Speaker 1: he was a Blazer. What was this fool doing rock
Speaker 1: beyond his own time? Sorry, hey Rocker, what's that in
Speaker 1: with your play? All right back to where he was at. Man,
Speaker 1: I grew up loving the Blazers. I grew up playing
Speaker 1: three sports. I was very blessed. My my mom did
Speaker 1: really all the hard work, though she had three boys.
Speaker 1: She would run us around the practice and two tournaments.
Speaker 1: Get our gear right, get our lunch is right. My
Speaker 1: dad didn't do any of the heavy lifting, but he
Speaker 1: did show me the fundamentals of the game. So thanks
Speaker 1: Pops to carry me a long way. But just being
Speaker 1: able to go with him the Blazer games and see
Speaker 1: people how they treated him inspired me because he came
Speaker 1: from his first born number one pick and the Bahamas
Speaker 1: back then with such a foreign land. I'm like, man,
Speaker 1: it's on the other side of the world. My dad
Speaker 1: came all away from there to be here and just
Speaker 1: like a kind of like a I knew even when
Speaker 1: I was younger, I was have to live up to
Speaker 1: his name because like, uh, just being a national hero
Speaker 1: in a sense like from the Islands. Barely even play
Speaker 1: growing up, but was tall and athletic and I went
Speaker 1: to Miami and ended up in Portland. It was crazy,
Speaker 1: but I was just grateful for him. I love the Trailblazers.
Speaker 1: I loved Rashid and Damon um Scottie. I thought, I
Speaker 1: love those teams like they were such a pride and
Speaker 1: joy for the city of Portland, and they really shaped
Speaker 1: my early basketball memories. I'll never forget when we lost
Speaker 1: the Lakers, and I was but I was Loki a
Speaker 1: Laker fan too. But I'll never forget that Game seven,
Speaker 1: that that killed the city. But we were right there
Speaker 1: and that was one of the greatest player teams of
Speaker 1: all time. I said, that was one of the greatest
Speaker 1: teams never to win it right there was. They were good.
Speaker 1: Took him to seven games too, and was that was fun? Though?
Speaker 1: That so so it was them. I refused to be
Speaker 1: a Seattle sports fans. We just didn't like each other,
Speaker 1: you know, Portland Seattle. I was not rocking with the Seahawks.
Speaker 1: Of them hearners, so I would I picked the who
Speaker 1: do I like? I like the Red Sox and the Titans.
Speaker 1: I love Steve McK I played quarterback growing up man,
Speaker 1: so Steve Mcnernettie George my favorite players. Actually, me and
Speaker 1: Kevin Love spent so much time playing basketball growing up.
Speaker 1: But we all knew. Everyone in the city of Portland
Speaker 1: knew Kevin was destined. It was six, seven, eight and
Speaker 1: eighth grade. When did you guys meet? What did you
Speaker 1: guys meet? We played baseball when we were eleving. We
Speaker 1: all knew like Kevin was going. I didn't know that
Speaker 1: about myself yet till I hit my gross first and
Speaker 1: kind of got some confidence. But I remember Kevin getting
Speaker 1: bags and nikes and all these letters. We'd be thirteen.
Speaker 1: I'm like, is this how it really is? But this
Speaker 1: is crazy? And then like, but you were so I
Speaker 1: was so naive back then. I didn't really know how
Speaker 1: the world operated. But I loved my time in Portland
Speaker 1: as a kid. I still have. Every time I go
Speaker 1: to the Rose Garden. It's special for me just because
Speaker 1: of what I got to witness there. Man, it will
Speaker 1: stick with me the rest of my life, and so
Speaker 1: I'm very grateful for my father for giving that to us.
Speaker 1: Three brothers. Older brother played college basketball, younger brothers professional
Speaker 1: baseball player. Was what was it like growing up in
Speaker 1: the household? Very competitive? I'm sorry. Yeah, it was really competitive.
Speaker 1: We just we love sports. We all our favorite athletes.
Speaker 1: We cut out or slam magazines East Bay and we
Speaker 1: would It was great though. Man, we would play from
Speaker 1: yard baseball, football. Games would never end because someone end
Speaker 1: up crying and complaining they got cheated or something. Who
Speaker 1: used to win the most? Though back then, I think
Speaker 1: Mike used to win the most. He said, he's too. Ever,
Speaker 1: you guys are all two years apart. Yeah, Trace was.
Speaker 1: I never would beat Tracing whooketball, but I see why
Speaker 1: now she's now playing the big leagues. I'm like, okay,
Speaker 1: I was never supposed to beat them, but man, I'm
Speaker 1: just so grateful those two we uh we were, but
Speaker 1: had a lot of you not is which with your brothers?
Speaker 1: Like it's growing up, you know what I'm saying. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so we we made each other better. So Mikey's coaching
Speaker 1: with you now over Golden State. Your your youngest brothers
Speaker 1: playing for the Dodgers. Now, how you know, just when
Speaker 1: you when you think sit back in the look at that,
Speaker 1: you know, two brothers at the highest level in two
Speaker 1: different sports. What's that like? It's surreal, man, it's surreal.
Speaker 1: Going to work with Mikey every day. I'm very grateful
Speaker 1: that the Warriors gave us these opportunities. Uh, I love
Speaker 1: it because the guys love being around Mikey. He's a
Speaker 1: great addition. Yeah. I kicked it with Mike more than
Speaker 1: I used to kick when I played here. Mike with
Speaker 1: my guy. Oh yeah, these guys have a great time,
Speaker 1: all up and smoked. Yeah. Man, Mikey is great. He's
Speaker 1: a great addition to staff because he played in the
Speaker 1: NBA for a little bit and he played overseas, so
Speaker 1: I was going against them today, I'm like, I can't
Speaker 1: we going against Mike and Press right now. It's just great.
Speaker 1: And he's a big body, sixes can shoot, So it's
Speaker 1: good having around and to see what Trace went through
Speaker 1: to be back on the in the Dodger Blue killing
Speaker 1: it like he was in the miners, battling back to
Speaker 1: get a look and he got another shot and he
Speaker 1: just ran with it. Like what a career he's had. Man.
Speaker 1: He just he's not even done yet either, Like he's
Speaker 1: thirty one and still going. I'm excited for his future
Speaker 1: because he has really proven this year that like he
Speaker 1: is a five tool players. He's killing out there he's
Speaker 1: like Griffy like obviously not exactly. That was his idol
Speaker 1: growing up. So we could do it on the center field.
Speaker 1: You can do it all. He could do it all, man.
Speaker 1: You could rob home runs, you can go yards six three.
Speaker 1: Could you imagine if the Dodgers win a ring and
Speaker 1: the Warriors win a ring and the Thompsons get too
Speaker 1: would that would be the I'm gonna sell that script.
Speaker 1: One day at fourteen, your dad gets traded to the Lakers.
Speaker 1: So from Portland to Orange County? What was that like?
Speaker 1: He got traded in the broadcast world, like the he
Speaker 1: stopped doing the color commentating for the Blazers and then
Speaker 1: he went down to l A. So we moved. We
Speaker 1: moved like a south hour south of l A to
Speaker 1: in Orange County, And it was a big change at first.
Speaker 1: A lot of things are different, and caliber's Oregon on there,
Speaker 1: forget what you're staying in downtown sharing to in l A.
Speaker 1: And I just walked out on the street and I looked,
Speaker 1: but I've never seen skyscrapers like that before. I was like,
Speaker 1: this is unbelievable. I've only seen this in the movies.
Speaker 1: But going to Staples and with my dad I was.
Speaker 1: It was surreal. Man. I was like, I get to
Speaker 1: watch Shaq and Kobe. This is the best time in
Speaker 1: my life. I went to with him to Detroit. That
Speaker 1: was really my best basketball experience, seeing that, oh four
Speaker 1: Finals live with my brother and this look at him.
Speaker 1: He's no dogs on the couch rock. Yeah, that rule
Speaker 1: don't exist around here. But yeah, I'm thankful for my dad.
Speaker 1: Those are really my best memories just going with him.
Speaker 1: He would get there so early three PM to call game,
Speaker 1: but Kobe would come out in thirty minutes and I
Speaker 1: would just be like locked in, like I can't believe
Speaker 1: I get to see this empty arena. So I'll be
Speaker 1: at the Staples for like seven hours, kicking in the
Speaker 1: family room. Those are really some of the best times
Speaker 1: in my life. I would see like Jack Nicholson or
Speaker 1: Adam Sandler walked by, and I'll tell him my home.
Speaker 1: He's in high school. Like, man, I get to see
Speaker 1: all these famous people. The first famous person I ever
Speaker 1: saw Staples was Sabrina teenage, which I never seen to
Speaker 1: step you before. Yeah, I remember her, so I was juiced.
Speaker 1: I was like thirteen. I was like, I think it
Speaker 1: was at Clippers game too. I was like, no way,
Speaker 1: but it was just growing up. I was just feel
Speaker 1: blessed having that those experiences. Any cool Kobe stories you
Speaker 1: can remember as as a youngster, um Man, I remember
Speaker 1: after those four finals, this this is when I knew
Speaker 1: my dad really had the juice. This is when I
Speaker 1: really knew he played in the league and he did
Speaker 1: his thing because the Lakers just got beaten. Five is
Speaker 1: right at the what's that hotel in burning the Townsend,
Speaker 1: we're still staying, which is crazy. We're in the banquet
Speaker 1: room or whatever, and I'm sitting at my table with
Speaker 1: my uncle John and my dad and it's just us
Speaker 1: three eating eating like souper whatever. And Kobe comes and
Speaker 1: sits right next to my dad, just Kobe by himself,
Speaker 1: nobody else. I'm like, of all people who picked up
Speaker 1: sit with right now, you picked my pops to talk to.
Speaker 1: This is crazy. I didn't say it works. I was
Speaker 1: so starstruck. I just remember sitting there like, I can't
Speaker 1: believe this was Froby At the time too, I was
Speaker 1: like I can't. It's like I can't believe chopping up
Speaker 1: my my dad had hair back then too. I was like,
Speaker 1: I can't believe these two are just chopping it up
Speaker 1: right now. This is crazy. I'll never forget that memory,
Speaker 1: Like just being there. It was one of the best
Speaker 1: moments of my life, to be honest, because I was
Speaker 1: that That's all I needed to do, that like energy,
Speaker 1: being around him is all I needed to like know
Speaker 1: what I wanted to do with my life. It's like, man,
Speaker 1: I'm born to do this and my dad did it,
Speaker 1: and yeah, it's in the cards streaking code. Man, we
Speaker 1: missed him though. Another story I got. We were in
Speaker 1: China together for the Global Games and me and Christin
Speaker 1: Marco couldn't sleep, so we went up to the weight
Speaker 1: room and it was just us too. We were like
Speaker 1: doing dumbbell bench press or whatever, and I just feel
Speaker 1: tapped my shoulder and I looked behind me and I
Speaker 1: was like, oh, what's up. Man? It was cold, and
Speaker 1: he had his black shades on his hoodie and all
Speaker 1: he said to me was what's up? Just tap me
Speaker 1: up and went to this thing. But I heard him
Speaker 1: telling that same story in the press a few years later,
Speaker 1: and like, I'm like, I can't believe this man's memory
Speaker 1: is incredible. I can't even he even remembers that, And
Speaker 1: like just had that moment with them, Like what a
Speaker 1: businessman like all he told me what's up and did
Speaker 1: his thing, and like I didn't really act like he
Speaker 1: wanted to see me, but I felt like he kind
Speaker 1: of kind of liked to say something. But I was like, man,
Speaker 1: I'm doing something right. If I'm in the gym with him,
Speaker 1: it's just us too, Like, Okay, what was it like?
Speaker 1: What was it like to kind of, you know, be
Speaker 1: a fan early on and then actually get a chance,
Speaker 1: you know, to play against him. There's not many in
Speaker 1: the league who you really play against me. You're like, wow,
Speaker 1: I can't That's what I was asking you about Michael
Speaker 1: Jordan earlier. I was like, probably watching your whole life
Speaker 1: and you finally get the step on the court with them,
Speaker 1: You're like, this is crazy, man. You're like a You're
Speaker 1: like a god to all of us. You know. That's
Speaker 1: how I felt every time the cod was like I
Speaker 1: can't believe I'm watching man. I know everything about your career.
Speaker 1: I remember when you won the dunk contest between the legs,
Speaker 1: when you made the first All Star Game in ninety
Speaker 1: with Eddie Jones, and then like everything and then like
Speaker 1: to be there it's like you don't want to be
Speaker 1: a fanboy, but you really are. Deep down. You're just
Speaker 1: like this just because he's trying to kill you. He
Speaker 1: was killing me though he had, especially before it towards
Speaker 1: Achilles Are. He was he was so he was so
Speaker 1: strong and I was young and you were just but
Speaker 1: I never backed down. I always loved because he's like, man,
Speaker 1: you're really my idol. I'm gonna test myself today. There's
Speaker 1: only a few like yeah, he was the only one
Speaker 1: who really brought the album because Draymond told a similar
Speaker 1: story where he's like I stopped shooting pre game because
Speaker 1: I was just I even had Kobe Bryant courtside CC four,
Speaker 1: So it's like all those emotions come back, like this
Speaker 1: is great. He was back home, like man, you got
Speaker 1: he just gave you buck. It sounds amazing to watch, Like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I know how you ended up at Wing State too. Man.
Speaker 1: I wanted to go. Oh man, That's why why I
Speaker 1: love being a Cougar, because being in Soca, I wanted
Speaker 1: to go, you l a. You know they got the banners, kareem.
Speaker 1: You know how it is that baby Blue grew up
Speaker 1: in Cali. There's no It's like that's like a legendary
Speaker 1: place to be. I didn't work out, I want to
Speaker 1: go to USC I said no either, like, nah, you
Speaker 1: know I got a time. And then even Cal I
Speaker 1: didn't have I'm not sure if I didn't have the
Speaker 1: grades for stand from me, like, I don't know if
Speaker 1: I'll well, I'll do there. Even Oregon. I was like, man,
Speaker 1: I go back to Oregon. That's why I grew up.
Speaker 1: They're like, nah, Orgust, now what you dumb? Now? I
Speaker 1: wanted to play the Pac Tense so bad. But then
Speaker 1: Tony Bennett came calling, and Wazoo came off a great year.
Speaker 1: They made the attorney. I went up and visited, and
Speaker 1: to see those players get the love from the city,
Speaker 1: I was like, wow, y'all really celebrities up here. And
Speaker 1: the coach was amazing too. At the time Tony Bennett,
Speaker 1: I would just shoot with him and he played in
Speaker 1: the league. I was like, you really made the league, bro.
Speaker 1: You're a five letting little white guy and you can
Speaker 1: get to the league. You promise I can get there, Like, oh,
Speaker 1: I'm here. I'm starting as a freshman. And Tony had
Speaker 1: an incredible jump shot and I saw him shooting. I
Speaker 1: was like, I can learn from him, Like you know,
Speaker 1: a lot of coaches, especially the collegiate level, you asked
Speaker 1: me go out there and do something like they might
Speaker 1: snaff something. He's fresh out the league like eight years
Speaker 1: ago and he can still shoot. And seeing that at eighteen,
Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, that's what I need to be.
Speaker 1: I just want to play the and I wanted to
Speaker 1: stick it to other schools who didn't recruit me at
Speaker 1: the time. So I was like, I'll go anywhere. I'll
Speaker 1: go to Pullman Like. It was a tough adjustment first
Speaker 1: with the winter times, especially come from SoCal, but I
Speaker 1: was I'm forever a coog and I'm gonna rep that
Speaker 1: to forever, like because it keeps me humble, Like this
Speaker 1: is the one school that wanted me. No U, C
Speaker 1: L a USC CAP, nobody else. So a school it
Speaker 1: is yeah, winner lose, cougs boost. That's the model. Because
Speaker 1: we had a lot of heartbreak, a lot of hard man.
Speaker 1: That's what makes his family. We stick together through it all.
Speaker 1: That's what we do. We have Ryan Leaf right right.
Speaker 1: We had we had a lot of quarterbacks man Jack
Speaker 1: Thompson throwing, Samoan Mark ripping was a Super Bowl MVP
Speaker 1: Drew bledsoe Ryan Leif Gardner misshoes in the league now
Speaker 1: and the kid wear number one. It's real nice. He's
Speaker 1: like our Mike Vick pretty much like he's doing threat
Speaker 1: and he's we're four one right now. So I still
Speaker 1: follow man the football and basketball programs. Give me one
Speaker 1: of the one of your best college memories on off
Speaker 1: the court. Oh man, you want to hear a funny
Speaker 1: one When I got ruled for a dime bag in
Speaker 1: my driveway. Yes, the poll the police were hate. It's
Speaker 1: so ironic because two years after the cannabis was legalized
Speaker 1: instead of Washington and I had to apologize. I got
Speaker 1: I got suspended. Was that right before of the draft? Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's the only time I ever made the national headlines.
Speaker 1: In my driveway broke the tail light. The culture around
Speaker 1: where they find it as where they find my glove compartment.
Speaker 1: I was very sober driving. I'm not an idiot. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be anebriating behind the wheel, like jeopardize
Speaker 1: my future. I come home, you know, I just got
Speaker 1: a nice little sack on me. I'm like, okay, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be a decent now you know, I might play
Speaker 1: rock band and just chill out. Yeah, And I see
Speaker 1: these flashing lights, I'm like, no way, what's going right
Speaker 1: when you're pulling up to your house? Literally right when
Speaker 1: I get my driveway, and I'd be like, some bro,
Speaker 1: it's crazy. And you're like, sir, you have a broken
Speaker 1: tail light and we smell marijuana. Can we get out
Speaker 1: your car? Can you get out your car? I'm like,
Speaker 1: don't you need a warrant for that? And like we
Speaker 1: can get one. I'm like whatever, man, just searched the
Speaker 1: and I was upset. They put me in cuffs like
Speaker 1: I'm like for a bag of weedo and cuffs like
Speaker 1: in the back of the car they take down. They
Speaker 1: shame me. No, they didn't take me downtown. Did they
Speaker 1: know you were? Of course it is a small city,
Speaker 1: was a city of thirty thousand people. They put me
Speaker 1: in the back. I'm just like, nearly it comes to
Speaker 1: my eyes, like God, my parents can be so upset.
Speaker 1: They would be so disappointed. Man. Then uh they let
Speaker 1: me go and I got a citation for it, and
Speaker 1: then uh man it hit the But that was before
Speaker 1: the draft. I remember they made a big deal about that,
Speaker 1: like they die there because the draft was are right on.
Speaker 1: The ed guy didn't hurt me, buddy, I just just
Speaker 1: right right. And what happened after that we my roommate,
Speaker 1: God bless his soul, was like, you're messing up everything
Speaker 1: and you ture. I'm like, okay, then I had to.
Speaker 1: I went out and I apologized to Kugar Nation the
Speaker 1: next night because we played U C l A. This
Speaker 1: is the second biggest regret my basketball career. I kid
Speaker 1: you not. We're nineteen and ten and usually to get
Speaker 1: a at large business C double A tournament you need
Speaker 1: twenty wins, especially from a big conference. We were nineteen
Speaker 1: and ten. I'm playing the school I wanted to go
Speaker 1: to so bad. I gotta just one game suspension for it,
Speaker 1: so I gotta sit and watch. Man, it's the game.
Speaker 1: That game. Yeah, I hurt my It still hurts my
Speaker 1: heart to this day. In front of Cougar Nation, I
Speaker 1: teared up. I was like, I'm sorry, I let you
Speaker 1: all down. YadA, YadA, we man, we almost won the game.
Speaker 1: Fasal and Brock, Marcus, reg everybody was on the team
Speaker 1: at that time. You remember, it was like, yeah, all
Speaker 1: these guys are my friends too. Is crazy like Jeremy Anderson,
Speaker 1: uh Reeves Nelson my guy so far now, Malcolm Lee
Speaker 1: rest in peace, Tyler Honeycutt, it's my God, rest his soul.
Speaker 1: Who else was there? Um? Yeah? Those those are their
Speaker 1: best players and we lost the close game. Who was?
Speaker 1: Brock said? Brome was my roommate in college. He he
Speaker 1: plays for the Australian national team. He played, He's played
Speaker 1: overseas for like ten years now. Incredible career. So I
Speaker 1: still keep in touch with all my teammates. Man that
Speaker 1: that really hurt me though, not being able to play
Speaker 1: that game, and I knew I made a mistake. I
Speaker 1: had to own up to it. But I was probably
Speaker 1: myself for apologizing and owning up to it, Like, look,
Speaker 1: I messed up. I'll be better. Let you all down,
Speaker 1: and I still might smoke. I'm just not gonna get caught.
Speaker 1: That's how I got to be a more responsible next
Speaker 1: time and not drive with it and just gets crazy.
Speaker 1: We got asked to deliver right now the middle man,
Speaker 1: what are we doing it? But even well, that's why
Speaker 1: I love the coups because I heard of I remember
Speaker 1: my voice was trembling. I heard of we Love You
Speaker 1: play appreciate that. Three years in Pullman, uh, he decided
Speaker 1: to go to the draft. You could drafted the number eleven.
Speaker 1: We're all to the Warriors, same draft as Kyrie Kawai, Kimba,
Speaker 1: Jimmy Butler. Any good workout stories that summer, tah Man,
Speaker 1: Isaiah Thomas too. That was my big me and I
Speaker 1: too go out of in college, but they I'll always
Speaker 1: work out, Kauai. You went to Cleveland together. I went
Speaker 1: to a lot of places together. I'll never forget Marshawn
Speaker 1: Brooks busting my tail in Indiana. What was Kauai? Because
Speaker 1: I'm sure you were probably a little quiet back then
Speaker 1: to conversation. Yeah, we have each other and know what
Speaker 1: you're talking about pretty much, man, and we're probably I'm
Speaker 1: from County Son III, so we're pretty mellow. We like
Speaker 1: doing the same things. He likes to fish and he
Speaker 1: loved the ocean and we were, Yeah, we were kicking
Speaker 1: the summertime too. I remember when they won the chip
Speaker 1: in ten. We went out San Diego together and this
Speaker 1: man was getting everything free. I was like, well, I
Speaker 1: mean I played the league too. I don't got a
Speaker 1: championship yet, you know, but he was a king down
Speaker 1: there being an Aztec and all that, but quite a
Speaker 1: living man. He's like a Scottie Pippen. He's just he's
Speaker 1: a freak. Man'sticism different the way he dun't say he's crazy.
Speaker 1: So you come into a new team, Mark Jackson's the
Speaker 1: head coach. Steph's second year Monte Ellis was the last
Speaker 1: hangover and b drints from the We Believe teams. That question,
Speaker 1: did you eleven? Because it was drafted eleven? Yeah, and
Speaker 1: the right had number one. It was number one in Pullman.
Speaker 1: But I'm like, Levin is cool. Yeah, I figured that.
Speaker 1: I never knew why, but I did figured that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I figured, yeah, it makes sense. Eleventh kids, eleventh letter
Speaker 1: in the alphabet worked out without you even knowing. Right.
Speaker 1: So new team Mark Jackson's step second year Monte Durrell right,
Speaker 1: be a drinks. David Lee, what was it your first
Speaker 1: taste in the n like just left? Yeah, y'all, just
Speaker 1: that's crazy. I was just before, right before it was.
Speaker 1: I was just so excited to be there. I had
Speaker 1: no ambition to win nothing, you know, all star, but
Speaker 1: every day was like Disneyland. Man. I'm like, I really
Speaker 1: after this my whole life I'm just trying to get
Speaker 1: some run in and it was amazing, man, just watching
Speaker 1: Monte and de Lee out there. I was like, I
Speaker 1: can't believe, like the moment wasn't big from at all
Speaker 1: for me. I'll be so nervous. I'll never forget Christmas
Speaker 1: Day opening night. I got my ball, I got I
Speaker 1: went off for a pansy layup and DeAndre Jordan's slapped
Speaker 1: at the half courts so loud. I was like, Oh,
Speaker 1: I didn't see that in the Pac ten. It was crazy. Then?
Speaker 1: Was that the was that the lockout year was out? Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's right, Yeah, I remember and d Wright, Nate Rob Deeley.
Speaker 1: They got stacks of cash on the table. They're playing
Speaker 1: Boo Ray. I'm like, this is different in the league, man,
Speaker 1: we got this is the most money I've ever seen.
Speaker 1: You know, we got a nice stipend checking at Wazoo,
Speaker 1: but this is crazy stack so big. And then he
Speaker 1: learned because like mante was our little home in mont
Speaker 1: was a nineteen eighteen. Never took a shower, only took bass,
Speaker 1: never tattoos. Yeah, no, no task. So we'll tell you
Speaker 1: the story was so that that was the last game
Speaker 1: of the season. We were up in sack and the
Speaker 1: tattoo artists that did a cross right here on my arm.
Speaker 1: My little homeboy from high school. He came and did
Speaker 1: the same tattoo on Monte this keyma is the last
Speaker 1: game of the season. Remember when you were sweating when
Speaker 1: he got the tattoo. This dude comes back the following
Speaker 1: season when more tattoos. Unbelievable, when all the flood games,
Speaker 1: that's amazing. What was I'm gonna take it forty eight
Speaker 1: against the thunder Now, I was like, I was unbelievable.
Speaker 1: I was on the bench all the time. I was
Speaker 1: like eight and who was went next to me? Earle
Speaker 1: what was his name? Earl Baron? I think the big dude. Yep,
Speaker 1: you just kept saying forty eight peace McNugget. I was like,
Speaker 1: you know, he made it look so effortless, all right,
Speaker 1: get him going right? Yeah? Over quick post all star break,
Speaker 1: you had like you had been there before, seven points
Speaker 1: of game from the behind the three point line. Uh.
Speaker 1: What was your rookie season? Like? Overalls, get the chance
Speaker 1: to just get your feet wet, and then the second
Speaker 1: half of the season really starting to make a name
Speaker 1: for yourself. It was amazing. It was amazing. It was
Speaker 1: one because it was also new, and when I got
Speaker 1: that chance to start, I mean, I was just every
Speaker 1: night was huge for me, just to prove they made
Speaker 1: the right selection. And I remember having a really good
Speaker 1: game against my idol Ray Ray Allen at the time.
Speaker 1: I remember Darren Rman introducing us at the half court
Speaker 1: and just telling like he's like play just watch him
Speaker 1: work out and you can be on a similar path.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, the greatest three point shoot of all time,
Speaker 1: stay less, stay less, Darren. So I very grateful for
Speaker 1: for making that introduction because that was another moment my
Speaker 1: rookie year, like playing against Kobe, Like I'll never forget
Speaker 1: Ray took the time to talk to me at mid
Speaker 1: court right before the game. I just got put in
Speaker 1: the starting lineup, and I really want to have a
Speaker 1: good game that night because this I was just watching
Speaker 1: the Celtics in the championship a year before, two years before,
Speaker 1: so I was like, man, if I have a good
Speaker 1: game against these guys, just like four Hall of famers
Speaker 1: over there, like and I might, I know I have
Speaker 1: a shot. And I had like seven on thirteen shots
Speaker 1: that night, and I think but KG gained us from
Speaker 1: the top of the key. I'm not gonna lie though.
Speaker 1: All back then I wasn't really consuming winning like I
Speaker 1: had twenty seven Right, Yeah, that's what you said against Right.
Speaker 1: I was like, I'm just happy he took the l
Speaker 1: But just how your mindset changes from when you're twenty
Speaker 1: one years old. That was an amazing moment for me
Speaker 1: playing against the Celtics. That's dope. So you're to Draymond
Speaker 1: comes in the picture. You guys win forty seven games.
Speaker 1: It's hilarious. Man, I'll never forget Like Draymond is a
Speaker 1: second round pick. Had you made a lot of money,
Speaker 1: yet he's sitting at the Boo Ray table talking crazy.
Speaker 1: I'm like, who is this? We are nuts, Like I
Speaker 1: don't even know how to play this game. That's how
Speaker 1: I knew. He was like why are different? Leacause I'm like, Wow,
Speaker 1: Drey's out here gambling with the big boys, like he's
Speaker 1: not even phazed. He found like I like him from
Speaker 1: the jump, right from the jump. What was your impression
Speaker 1: to him? Because you guys starting to slowly kind of
Speaker 1: start to transcend basketball. You and Clay are you and
Speaker 1: Steph and them being on the same page Draymond's added
Speaker 1: to the mix. When did you guys feel like that
Speaker 1: chemistry really starting to kick in? Mm hmm, definitely when
Speaker 1: we it was we were talking about this in Tokyo. Actually,
Speaker 1: when we beat the Miami Heat in Miami on like
Speaker 1: a Draymond game, I think I came off uh downpick
Speaker 1: Jared Jack hit Draymond wide open for a layup. There's
Speaker 1: like point three left. We celebrated that night like we
Speaker 1: won the championship, like jumping up and down. We just
Speaker 1: beat the Heatles like we thought we were host up.
Speaker 1: But when we did that, and we're all in early
Speaker 1: twenties and I'm like, man, maybe we could have bill
Speaker 1: something special here. But that was those little victory that
Speaker 1: wasn't a little victory at the time that I was.
Speaker 1: We were so happy. If you go back and watch
Speaker 1: that clip with Drama game winner, everyone's rushing off the
Speaker 1: bench for hugging each other. It was like a Game seven.
Speaker 1: It was crazy. So when we did that and I
Speaker 1: saw how Draymond didn't back down to Lebron that game,
Speaker 1: he was talking mess like this guy was crazy. Man,
Speaker 1: He's out even talking crazy to anybody, and he just
Speaker 1: he's always been he's the same way to this day,
Speaker 1: and that's what makes him go and makes our team go. Um.
Speaker 1: Oracle is a different kind of place whether you're winning
Speaker 1: or losing. But when you're winning, in particular, favorite Oracle
Speaker 1: moment with that crazy crowd out there. Oh man, so many,
Speaker 1: Oh man, there's a lot. Man. Even the first playoff
Speaker 1: series we had, it was so loud in there against
Speaker 1: the Nuggets. Steph went crazy. That's coming out party. So
Speaker 1: it was he got on the cover of Sports Illustraight.
Speaker 1: I was like a little jealous, man, I want to
Speaker 1: be on coach. What's It was great until the first
Speaker 1: the first finals run too, because it's like, man, we
Speaker 1: seeing that banner, I'm thinking about forty years in the
Speaker 1: city of Oakland, Like it's just crazy. That first run
Speaker 1: was special, man, And you could tell the fans not
Speaker 1: just in the arena, but outside of Oracle get crazy
Speaker 1: in the parking lot off on seventy three, all the
Speaker 1: way down to downtown Oakland on Broadway. It would be
Speaker 1: just get that love from the city of Oakland. And
Speaker 1: you could because you know, Oakland's been through a lot.
Speaker 1: It's gotta like we all know, it's not a like
Speaker 1: it takes a lot to make it out of Oakland,
Speaker 1: and like people are so prideful there. It's a and
Speaker 1: the fuel to be a source of pride for it.
Speaker 1: Oakland people's was we didn't take that likely, man, We
Speaker 1: bore that with great pride and they that's why they
Speaker 1: loved y'all so much. And we believe left such a
Speaker 1: legacy because they really saw themselves and you guys, and
Speaker 1: we didn't take that lightly. For real, we were like,
Speaker 1: it's for Oakland. This is for the people who might
Speaker 1: not be able to go to game and just to
Speaker 1: see how much love will you get from everybody? Man?
Speaker 1: It was special. It still brings chills to me. A
Speaker 1: lot of people don't know the history in the Oakland,
Speaker 1: not only just diverse history, but the black history. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: it's a rich history as the migration now from the
Speaker 1: South and just being a haven for black culture. Man,
Speaker 1: all the town that comes out of that city. It's
Speaker 1: not that big a city. It's like five thousand people.
Speaker 1: I just thinking the musicians, athletes, It is incredible, well
Speaker 1: wide trend Sttors really talked to him, Uh, Mark Jackson,
Speaker 1: how instrumental was he kind of laying the foundation? He
Speaker 1: gave you and Stephie early on when people thought he
Speaker 1: was crazy talking about, you guys are the greatest shooting
Speaker 1: backcourt in the history, like made you guys believe it,
Speaker 1: you guys turned into it. But how instrumental was he
Speaker 1: uh in kind of setting that your young NBA foundation? Man,
Speaker 1: Mark's amazing and he told him to call his bluff too,
Speaker 1: and they were trying to dog him for it, but
Speaker 1: he was just always so of himself and the confidence
Speaker 1: he had with playing that era of Michael and Magic
Speaker 1: and against Larry and talking about about playing against those
Speaker 1: teams and like the swaggy he had just being out
Speaker 1: of New York. I didn't know a lot of New
Speaker 1: Yorkers back then, and Mark was like he would make
Speaker 1: fun of me for being from the Birds and saying
Speaker 1: with Steph and he was just like a he was
Speaker 1: like another player to be around. And I just love
Speaker 1: talking about him, like talking to him about like where
Speaker 1: Reggie would want it, or like how you guys would
Speaker 1: guard Mike or anything. And it was he really made
Speaker 1: our identity defense to start, and he was just I'm
Speaker 1: not afraid to call us out. And I appreciated playing
Speaker 1: from Mark Man. He gave us so much comments we
Speaker 1: needed and we were young. We needed that. We needed
Speaker 1: coach to you know, bring that fire out of us.
Speaker 1: M hm. When did you know Steph could be one
Speaker 1: of the greatest man? Probably? Uh, shoot, I mean when
Speaker 1: I saw him Davidson, like like no one was doing that,
Speaker 1: Like he was shooting from thirty thirty to fort with
Speaker 1: ease and his dribble blues were crazy. But when I
Speaker 1: got on the floor with them, probably shoot, Probably that's
Speaker 1: nugget series. When I saw him just taking transition pull
Speaker 1: up threes like it was a elbow jumper, like it was.
Speaker 1: It's crazy. He really just he made it look so
Speaker 1: effortless to even watching to day, I'm like, Yo, this
Speaker 1: man is ball Hanley is crazy. Just those between his legs,
Speaker 1: he sets up his shot like it's nothing. I'm like,
Speaker 1: it's really He's so unique in his style of play man.
Speaker 1: He's been like that since day one. He's just gotten
Speaker 1: stronger and better. Steve Kirk come not only the experience
Speaker 1: of being a multi NBA champion one the time INBA champion,
Speaker 1: but yeah, I win sixty seven that year. What did
Speaker 1: he unlock for y'all? Steve helped my game out so much,
Speaker 1: especially allow Draymond to be our point forward, like Draymond
Speaker 1: is really the quarterback and for me and stepped to
Speaker 1: play off the ball and fully utilized or catching shoot
Speaker 1: arsenal Man. It made it so much easier, not only
Speaker 1: for us, but for like Harrison and Bogs and now
Speaker 1: Andre is getting wide open ux h b is. I'm
Speaker 1: getting the swing. Swing Like we went from lasting league
Speaker 1: to passes made per game to first in one season,
Speaker 1: and I think that just unlocked everything. And when he
Speaker 1: sixties seven games the first year, so it's crazy, like
Speaker 1: he really, uh just there's a visionary with when it
Speaker 1: comes to the offensive playbook, man he took and but
Speaker 1: then you see who he played for, it's like, oh,
Speaker 1: he took something from every year. I was just about
Speaker 1: to say that because a lot of people don't know,
Speaker 1: but san Antonio played a lot through the fore man,
Speaker 1: a lot of the offense, a lot of the sets
Speaker 1: are ran through the fore man, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: So that's just that's he learned. The lock from Pop
Speaker 1: two was the first of five consecutive All Star selections.
Speaker 1: How was it being named to the All Star Game
Speaker 1: for the first time and what was one of your
Speaker 1: favorite members from being All Star. My first year of
Speaker 1: being there was my favorite memory, just because I was
Speaker 1: there with all of everybody I grew up watching, and
Speaker 1: it was in MSG moment was way too big for
Speaker 1: me by the back side of the bar, and my
Speaker 1: mom told me a funny story. She's like, man, I'm
Speaker 1: sitting next to this little New York kids. He kept saying.
Speaker 1: It was that like dad Clay can't make a shot,
Speaker 1: Dad Clay's broke, That Clay sucks, just like we're in
Speaker 1: the garden and I got to go against staff with
Speaker 1: three point contest. But that this whole weekend, like being
Speaker 1: the first backcourt to start All Star games, to think
Speaker 1: like seventy nine, it was. It was surreal, man. And
Speaker 1: being there with you know, the Dirks, Tim duncan even
Speaker 1: k d These guys seems so old to me. It's like, man,
Speaker 1: I feel like I've been watching all for twenty years.
Speaker 1: It's crazy to be without like, uh yeah, all that
Speaker 1: elite time on Carmelo. It was special. Man, it was special.
Speaker 1: I'll never forget that. The first one is always the best.
Speaker 1: You play Lebron without Kyrie and Kevin Love, big difference
Speaker 1: ain't it. Yeah, oh my gosh, chasing no offense. But
Speaker 1: Chason Dell doll around compared to Kyrie Irving, my goodness,
Speaker 1: my goodness, and even kay Love though he's he was
Speaker 1: like that was. That was a nasty big three. Man,
Speaker 1: That was a nasty big three. They all brought the
Speaker 1: best tell of each other and still beat him in six. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but the fact that they got even two wins is
Speaker 1: a testament to like Braun and they had great I
Speaker 1: mean the role. Guys did their job. Schump was a
Speaker 1: tough to like, they had toughness on that team, that's why.
Speaker 1: And they had shooting around Lebraun. That's why. It's like
Speaker 1: if you don't put shooting around them, you're not gonna
Speaker 1: get the most out of it. So they were still
Speaker 1: really good. Obviously not twenty six team, but they didn't
Speaker 1: shot away from the moment and like they had us
Speaker 1: on the ropes down to one, we had to question ourselves, like, man,
Speaker 1: we really want this, but it was it was awesome, man,
Speaker 1: Like that was that was surreal. We got the job done.
Speaker 1: But yeah, but brought as a beast, My goodness, he
Speaker 1: was like a triple double that series. I don't care
Speaker 1: what the shooting splits were he had to shoot all
Speaker 1: the shots and it's incredible. Then I give the other
Speaker 1: guys credit too, because just they didn't deflate when Kyrie
Speaker 1: and Kayleb went out. They almost got better and saw
Speaker 1: an opportunity. So it was a it was a fun series, Man, Man,
Speaker 1: Man Man. Both know what they feel like to be
Speaker 1: NBA champions. But winning that first championship for you, that
Speaker 1: x he of I'm not gonna finish my career without
Speaker 1: being the champions, Like what was that feeling? It was
Speaker 1: the best, especially in my fourth year, like I couldn't.
Speaker 1: I just in the forty years seventy five, last time
Speaker 1: the Warriors raised a banner, like you said, get that
Speaker 1: monkey off our back. We knew we would be remember forever,
Speaker 1: but no, no way we thought we would build a
Speaker 1: dynasty like prior toeen. But the fact that we I
Speaker 1: was so happy, Man, I'm at a party a little
Speaker 1: too much a month after. But I ain't no such thing.
Speaker 1: You know what if you would have told me in Pullman,
Speaker 1: I was in Pullman three years before life. I just
Speaker 1: hope I get there and then four years a m
Speaker 1: NBA champion, like I couldn't believe that All Star, All
Speaker 1: NBA and a champ in the same season. Yeah, that
Speaker 1: was the best basketball year in my life. And want
Speaker 1: to gold medal with the t m USA, Like you
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. So like, I did have a
Speaker 1: lot of fun that summer. I know how to have
Speaker 1: more fun these days and not be so like. That's
Speaker 1: why I really learned. Like, dang, he's fools on the
Speaker 1: internet are trying to kill us out here. Man, I'm
Speaker 1: just year olds. What do you what do you expect
Speaker 1: Clay Thompson out there in Vegas getting worked on all this?
Speaker 1: I'm like, who has to write this for a living man?
Speaker 1: This is pathetic? Liketh want to be there. It took
Speaker 1: me a while to accept that and just be myself like, look,
Speaker 1: I'm probably not the first one to have two good
Speaker 1: a time at the Lost AGAs pool party, but suddenly
Speaker 1: won't be the last. All right, how was that worked? Though?
Speaker 1: It was not worth it? Man, it was not worth it.
Speaker 1: My family saw that. All they did do is smh,
Speaker 1: just like this taking guy, It's not worth it. But
Speaker 1: at the time, in the present moment, I was so happy.
Speaker 1: I wasn so I can tell me his son is
Speaker 1: coming down. Championship signs are coming out. Yeah, I was
Speaker 1: partying in pullman, guy, like come on in Vegas with
Speaker 1: the way, you know, like life comes fast sixteen. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it comes at you too fast? Right here? We come
Speaker 1: ready or not? Two thousand sixteen? Uh, you guys eclips
Speaker 1: the Chicago Bulls. Man, seventy three and nine? What was
Speaker 1: leading up? What talks about the finals? Like? What was it?
Speaker 1: I mean, you guys were on the pace early on.
Speaker 1: What was every what was the energy like around every
Speaker 1: single game? Oh? Man, it was special. That was a
Speaker 1: special season. We didn't finished the job, but that's a
Speaker 1: sea and I'll never forget. Man. Remember one point we
Speaker 1: were fifty and five. At one point, I'm like crazy
Speaker 1: and there and Rick Carl said it was like when
Speaker 1: the Rolling Stones come to town. You know. I was like,
Speaker 1: that's hilarious, more like bone Thugs and harmony because you know, yeah, Rick,
Speaker 1: we know you all. I'm just playing. That was the best.
Speaker 1: That was a special year. Man. Every game was just
Speaker 1: like the team wanted to beat us so bad. We're
Speaker 1: getting hate from the old heads like oh this team
Speaker 1: will get smacked by the Bulls and like we know,
Speaker 1: all right, we just want to. We're just doing our job.
Speaker 1: What I mean, I've come to also realize like it
Speaker 1: comes from a good place. They're just we're all just competitive.
Speaker 1: And I'm not gonna I'm definitely in twenty years not
Speaker 1: gonna be like these guys are the best. Now, I'll
Speaker 1: be like, no, were the best? Uh? Game six in
Speaker 1: the Western Conference Finals that year against the thunder Down
Speaker 1: three to the road, forty one and eleven excuse me,
Speaker 1: forty one point eleven for eighteen from the three point line.
Speaker 1: You guys come back and win that series? Game six,
Speaker 1: Clay about who he is? The beginning of the game,
Speaker 1: The beginning, man, that was. I just, you know, we
Speaker 1: had obviously everything working against us, like, oh, look at
Speaker 1: these failures. They're about to blow the best season of
Speaker 1: all time. So I just thought in my mind, like, man,
Speaker 1: you gotta empty the clip, like we can't go back
Speaker 1: to the Bay with yeah, you have a few more tis.
Speaker 1: What are we doing here? So I just remember coming
Speaker 1: out the gate early that game and it felt good.
Speaker 1: Everything was in rhythm and just have to be one
Speaker 1: of those nice man. It's just I barely remember the moments, honestly,
Speaker 1: but I watched the all you watched the footage, you'd
Speaker 1: be like, I can't believe got shot that shot and
Speaker 1: went in like a lot of them, Like dang, a
Speaker 1: lot of them here. They had some nice rams out there.
Speaker 1: But I was secial. Man's still a special team. We
Speaker 1: didn't finish the job, but that was such a special season. Hope,
Speaker 1: I hope that record is still dear in my heart. Man,
Speaker 1: you should So you get to the finals against braun
Speaker 1: Um again again round two? Uh, what's the game plan?
Speaker 1: Obviously you knowing what he did kind of single handedly
Speaker 1: with all the respect the first time. Second time around,
Speaker 1: what's your guys game planning approaching them in the finals?
Speaker 1: This start? Man, you say like I'll make the others
Speaker 1: beat us. But then like braun and Kyrie get going
Speaker 1: and then you overhelp and j R. Smith can shoot,
Speaker 1: Kevin Love can shoot, James Dones, all of them, all
Speaker 1: their role players could really shoot. So it was actually
Speaker 1: a great matchup. Like personnel watch both teams was you
Speaker 1: can see there's a new era of who's being played
Speaker 1: Like no traditional center and we're not. It's all very
Speaker 1: guard heavy. Lebron is really a guard and having gosh,
Speaker 1: so exhausting. I'm so grateful for Andrew just thinking like
Speaker 1: having to chase Kyrie around those seven games was exhausting. Man.
Speaker 1: Why I bet some people don't realize that you were
Speaker 1: the one that always took the best player on the
Speaker 1: other team, whether it be Dame Kyrie. But we're still
Speaker 1: able to do it on the other end too. Yeah,
Speaker 1: what would mean who played two guarden do the same thing,
Speaker 1: whether it's Mike, Kobe d Wade, the greatest to ever
Speaker 1: do it, even Ai left the league in steals, like
Speaker 1: the best players to play shooting guard played both sides
Speaker 1: of the ball. I mean, go way back to out
Speaker 1: who's Albert Robinson won dpo y like doing that? That's
Speaker 1: a beast mode. But uh yeah, man, that was a
Speaker 1: tough series. But it's the other biggest regret I have
Speaker 1: in my basketball career, besides getting busted for the weed,
Speaker 1: was switching that pick and roll with Steph with Jr.
Speaker 1: And Kyrie. I still can't, like, I can't bring myself
Speaker 1: to watch that footage. It's it's too uncomfortable. You know,
Speaker 1: if you watch yourself, you know I can't. We just
Speaker 1: gave it that. Now, Kyrie got one of the greatest
Speaker 1: shots in NBA history, and I like, that's a great
Speaker 1: defender too. But I'm just like, man, I can't believe
Speaker 1: I concede that switch. It still burns. You never get
Speaker 1: over things like that was the game plan at the time, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: But I'm like, when I look at the footage, I'm like,
Speaker 1: that was a pretty I could have got. But just
Speaker 1: but just saying, you don't. Yeah, both of y'all go
Speaker 1: when you get you know, but like you gotta go
Speaker 1: one over picking Pop and jail Kyrie with his tough
Speaker 1: contested three. You gotta take that, Yeah, you gotta take it.
Speaker 1: That was a that was a dagger thoughts. When Draymond
Speaker 1: gets suspended, I knew we still a chance, Like it
Speaker 1: would be so much harder, you know it is. Draymond's
Speaker 1: are hard and soul. Did you think he deserved to
Speaker 1: get kicked up? Honestly I didn't at the time. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I thought he got stepped over. And I was like, man,
Speaker 1: he's defending him. So what happened to someone you're supposed
Speaker 1: to just steps over? Everybody? Ain't t lou here you go.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying to you it took Tie out of it. Hey,
Speaker 1: I stayed with them after wet thrown down him to
Speaker 1: the face and he just he just took for a time,
Speaker 1: but he was there checking him. Man to check him
Speaker 1: like that. But man, yeah, that we can still do
Speaker 1: it with Dre but it would just be so incredibly difficult. Ironically,
Speaker 1: the game Draymond's out, both Braun and Kyrie go for
Speaker 1: forty first time there and finally go for forty apiece,
Speaker 1: I'm like, could you use so you guys end up
Speaker 1: losing that. Um the following season gold falls into your hand.
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant comes and joins you, guys, what's your initial thought? Oh,
Speaker 1: it's over, It's over. Here was over. I knew what
Speaker 1: everybody would be so mad and we went from my
Speaker 1: little darlings like somewhat hating but pure hate. Yeah, talk
Speaker 1: to us about that Hampton. Uh, sit down you, Katie,
Speaker 1: Steph dre Iggy Rich, my guy Rich Clemens, shout out Rich.
Speaker 1: It's the first time to happen, one of the happens
Speaker 1: and the film I've been on the same, bridging the
Speaker 1: cultures together. Well that was special, man. The first time
Speaker 1: I ever been in the Hamptons, Like, this is beautiful,
Speaker 1: It's where you summer, Katie, This is this is where
Speaker 1: you just sounds like sounds like j C. Were actually
Speaker 1: in New York for like five days prior to that
Speaker 1: New York's crazy. Man. We were Our days were like
Speaker 1: we were like vampires. Bro. We were starting days at
Speaker 1: six pm and go to sleep at six am. Four straight. Nice,
Speaker 1: get us out there, get us to the Hampton's Sustainable, Sustainable.
Speaker 1: Why are we doing this to each other? But that
Speaker 1: was fun. Man, that was such a good time. And
Speaker 1: I just when I would think about bringing Katie on board,
Speaker 1: I would think about the stories my dad would always
Speaker 1: tell me about playing with Magic and Kareem and James Worthy.
Speaker 1: He's like, yeah, I'll get to I thought, I'll get
Speaker 1: to practice earlier every day. And I would see Kareem
Speaker 1: practicing sky hook thirty minutes before practice every day, and
Speaker 1: I saw the same parallel with Katie and stuff. I
Speaker 1: was like, man, I thought, I'm not really early. But
Speaker 1: I would get there and Katie's out there in full
Speaker 1: sweat doing his mid range pull ups, his spends his
Speaker 1: every one of his moves. I'm like, dang, man, this
Speaker 1: guy really wants this is I'm gonna tell my kids
Speaker 1: about this one day in here and see Steffan Kadi
Speaker 1: working out basket is crazy. I just remember my dad
Speaker 1: telling me those stories about cream magic. I'm like, that's
Speaker 1: so cool. Man. History really repeats itself. And it wasn't
Speaker 1: anything like, oh I gotta get less touches or I
Speaker 1: just knew like we could really do something special and
Speaker 1: having Man, we were two games away from three peting
Speaker 1: and that has been done since Shock and Kobe. So
Speaker 1: that's what our goal wasn't one championship, two championships. I
Speaker 1: remember Bob Myers like Clay should come to New York.
Speaker 1: You guys can realistically win five six chips together. And
Speaker 1: I was like, Bob, you're talking a while, but I'm
Speaker 1: with it. Let's go. So you pick up k d uh,
Speaker 1: you guys win back to back championship ups. Um. I
Speaker 1: get a chance to join that seventeen team, I've never
Speaker 1: seen nothing like it. From a standpoint of I think
Speaker 1: the Clipper team I played on was probably one of
Speaker 1: the most talented teams I played on, but it seems
Speaker 1: like we just continue to get in each other's way.
Speaker 1: When I came to that team, Like you said, the
Speaker 1: thing the ship that blew me away was Steph and
Speaker 1: Katie now were on the same court doing their workout.
Speaker 1: You were on the other side of the court doing
Speaker 1: your workout. Iggy had his court, Dre had his court,
Speaker 1: and sitting like, guys, where I'm gonna shoot this? I
Speaker 1: would just wait, but I would sit down and watch
Speaker 1: because you see Clay on one side, and Clay would
Speaker 1: missed two or three shots his whole workout. Then you
Speaker 1: see Steph and Katie doing this weird one banip with
Speaker 1: Steve Nash, and I'm like, these motherfucker's are missing. So
Speaker 1: I wouldn't mind waiting thirty or forty five minutes because
Speaker 1: I got to see, you know, three of the greatest
Speaker 1: shooters ever to do it, just every single single day
Speaker 1: doing it like every day. But what was that? What
Speaker 1: was that run? Like? I mean, Katie's presence in the finals,
Speaker 1: the finals, MVP, it was it just seems so effortless,
Speaker 1: But what was the what was that run? Like? For you?
Speaker 1: It was special? Man. That's why I bothers me people
Speaker 1: on talk about Kevin's greatness. This man average thirty five
Speaker 1: and fifteen the finals, don't even looking playing hard. I'm like, effortless.
Speaker 1: That's like shock numbers, Like, what are we doing here,
Speaker 1: Like it's like he's a bus rider all this time.
Speaker 1: Like you can't argue with the numbers. If that's what
Speaker 1: I'm over here. If you need me on play some defense,
Speaker 1: like I got you. I was special, Bro, He's just
Speaker 1: winning the game, knowing he was gonna win if you
Speaker 1: just handle your business. It was like there's almost nothing
Speaker 1: they can they can do too. It's just, man, that's
Speaker 1: why injuries sucked, man, because Kauai really scared us that
Speaker 1: first game. I was like, man, this dude's a beast.
Speaker 1: He's come down the lane. I'm so happy to see
Speaker 1: him back out here because he's really one of the
Speaker 1: kind as well. But to go sixteen and one, like
Speaker 1: only us and the oh one Lakers did that, Bro,
Speaker 1: That's that's incredible, man. I don't we don't take that
Speaker 1: for granted. Man, that was a Worrior fans, you've been
Speaker 1: blessed with some incredible seasons. But it's all honor like,
Speaker 1: but man, sixteen and one of the playoffs. But it
Speaker 1: says a lot about y'all to play because to to
Speaker 1: have four Hall of Famers and bringing Katie and all
Speaker 1: y'all be on the same team, to put egos and
Speaker 1: everything aside for that long to be that great. That
Speaker 1: says a lot about y'all um all buying into one
Speaker 1: goal and it's about winning, you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: you know, And it's hard to see that when you
Speaker 1: have four players with y'all countible on the same team.
Speaker 1: But guys put all the egos aside and put that
Speaker 1: ship to work like that factual. Yeah, but it was. Yeah,
Speaker 1: when you know you can win banners though, it made
Speaker 1: a little easier. Yeah, yeah, it's great. Yeah, it was
Speaker 1: some the best times in my life. A great run.
Speaker 1: Did you see the time with him coming to an
Speaker 1: ends or anything that kind of jumped out at you
Speaker 1: or it was just time he felt like it was
Speaker 1: time from he felt like it was time to go.
Speaker 1: I don't blame we don't blame Kevin for leaving it all.
Speaker 1: He was from the East Coast, and if I was
Speaker 1: on the East Coast and I had a great almost
Speaker 1: two games away from three pieces, like what more all
Speaker 1: want for me? Man? You want six? You know? Like
Speaker 1: it wasn't for catastrophic things like we probably would have
Speaker 1: had three championships in that time. But uh man, we
Speaker 1: don't we don't blame it at all. We know we
Speaker 1: kind of wanted to bounce a little bit. I mean,
Speaker 1: go back home and we'll still forever have those two
Speaker 1: going back to back and gosh so close. Remember his
Speaker 1: boy Randy, I saw him in the gym. That's something
Speaker 1: He's like, Man, I wanted that this first thing he said.
Speaker 1: He's like, man, I wanted that three pet bad. I
Speaker 1: was like me too, But what can you do? Man?
Speaker 1: That's when I learned about injuries, and that's part of
Speaker 1: the game person major person major injury happens game six
Speaker 1: of the finals. Talking about that. What was going on
Speaker 1: through the head? Oh man, I was about to punch
Speaker 1: that until no, no ill ill feelings towards Danny though,
Speaker 1: because we've met each other at the rim many times before,
Speaker 1: that just landed awkwardly. I was playing with the uh
Speaker 1: strained hammy, so it might have been a little more
Speaker 1: at risk, but like you're not gonna sit out at
Speaker 1: NBA Championship with a strain hammy. Like yeah, I'm talking
Speaker 1: about like, no, no, when this wolver come back. So
Speaker 1: I was having the best kid, my best Finals game ever.
Speaker 1: Two I was on. I felt like I couldn't be
Speaker 1: stopped that night and you know. It was eight thirty
Speaker 1: on twelve shots. I was like, I'm show getting forty,
Speaker 1: don't win playing with house money like at that point.
Speaker 1: But I remember when I did it, I never felt
Speaker 1: anything like that. Was like I felt my knee shift
Speaker 1: like that was weird. But you're drawing so high you
Speaker 1: don't really got up. Yeah, I got up and I
Speaker 1: felt good. I was running around and they when did
Speaker 1: you know, uh, probably when I took the m R.
Speaker 1: When Rick came over and gave me like a not
Speaker 1: just a hug, but like a really emotional hug and
Speaker 1: like paddling back. But I didn't think it was that.
Speaker 1: The first one didn't affect me that much because I
Speaker 1: was out there in front of the world. I put
Speaker 1: it all out on the line, so I was like
Speaker 1: I can accept this, like I gave it everything I
Speaker 1: had in this season. The second one, when I got hurt,
Speaker 1: That one hurt my heart because I was just playing
Speaker 1: pick up. I was so ready to get back after
Speaker 1: watching the season, and then I did. I did the
Speaker 1: same move I've done a thousand times, just a rip
Speaker 1: right to driple pull up and I came down and
Speaker 1: it felt like someone kicking in the back of the heel.
Speaker 1: I look behind me and immediately knew, like, this is
Speaker 1: some bowl. This is crazy. I knew I did it immediately,
Speaker 1: and that was hard for to me accept because it
Speaker 1: was like, man, I was working so freaking hard up
Speaker 1: to that point. All that, like no one sees at
Speaker 1: that time when you're in the gym doing the leg press,
Speaker 1: doing the peloton, and I know it's our job, but man,
Speaker 1: it's exhausting when you can't just play basketball and you
Speaker 1: just have to. And it was that that one hurt.
Speaker 1: But man, it was It's in the past. Now you
Speaker 1: think compensating so much, Yeah, I think I was tooer
Speaker 1: on that one. I think I was a little above
Speaker 1: my playing weight, and I think I was too eager
Speaker 1: to get back and play my way into shape and
Speaker 1: proved everyone I'm still who I am instead of like
Speaker 1: taking time, Yeah I don't really take my time. It
Speaker 1: was I was jumping way too fast into it. And
Speaker 1: I learned the hard lesson like, look, man, you and
Speaker 1: your thirties now, like you can't just hoop like you're
Speaker 1: twenty three anymore. So that's life and now just way
Speaker 1: way more methodical with things. It's the saying you never
Speaker 1: know how strong you are. Too strong is your only option?
Speaker 1: Did you find that in you when you went those
Speaker 1: two years? Because I know that had to because when
Speaker 1: basketball taking from us, I went through it with the brawl,
Speaker 1: when they suspended me thirty games, I didn't know, you know,
Speaker 1: I didn't know what I was gonna do mentally, but
Speaker 1: the game, when the game is taken away from us,
Speaker 1: you can't explain that feeling to nobody, and it's taken
Speaker 1: away from you too crazy inries. Yeah, I know, it's
Speaker 1: funny too because people are like, well, you know, they're
Speaker 1: away talking about how much you get paid and all
Speaker 1: this was like, yeah, well I never got into business.
Speaker 1: That's a by product of what we do. But I
Speaker 1: just really love everything. I love to play basketball, you know,
Speaker 1: my favorite movies or basketball films, my pastes on the walls,
Speaker 1: or my favorite players. Like so it was I did
Speaker 1: some soul searching and I had time to reflect. But man,
Speaker 1: I still had some moments of weakness, like I would
Speaker 1: cry like a baby on the bench, like yeah, you know,
Speaker 1: like that was hard for me when I had to
Speaker 1: walk when you know, we're our guys going through the season.
Speaker 1: That's why I'm so grateful for Andre, Steph and Draymond
Speaker 1: because I'm sitting there watching like and I'm hearing the
Speaker 1: crowd and just like I can't believe this happening again.
Speaker 1: And I couldn't shake that from my head. And Steph
Speaker 1: came over. I was like, no, it was just this
Speaker 1: was in this was in the spring of I forget
Speaker 1: who you're playing and I was just on the behind
Speaker 1: the bench. I couldn't move. I was just like felt
Speaker 1: frozen almost like I remember saying that. I was so angry,
Speaker 1: and Steph told me, he is, like, You're gonna play
Speaker 1: so much basketball after this, don't. I couldn't see that
Speaker 1: at the time. I was like, I just kept saying,
Speaker 1: like my career was supposed to be like this, this
Speaker 1: is bullshit, isn't fair. I was feeling sorry for myself.
Speaker 1: But to see it through, like yeah, I knew. I
Speaker 1: I'm grateful for those guys. They didn't have to do
Speaker 1: that name. They showed me a lot of love that day.
Speaker 1: The season, it's a roller coaster. You come back, you guys,
Speaker 1: make a run, You face Boston in the finals, walk
Speaker 1: us through that finals. O, man, that was a good man.
Speaker 1: I give the Celtics a lot of crap. That's a
Speaker 1: good young team over there. Man. They reminded me because
Speaker 1: I was having a great playoff. I was like looking
Speaker 1: at and I was like, man, I'm shooting the crap
Speaker 1: out the ball defending. But then when I play against
Speaker 1: those young bucks there, I'm like, man, these guys are good.
Speaker 1: I can't get away from Jamsen Brown. Man, it's got
Speaker 1: to bring down my net. The same as smart you
Speaker 1: got the rim. Robert Williams there, he's blocking everything. So
Speaker 1: that was a that was a hard fought finals. Man,
Speaker 1: that's a two way team out there, and we went
Speaker 1: I told everyone, I was like, this is so similar
Speaker 1: to we're down to one. We haven't really figured these
Speaker 1: guys out yet, but we're right there. Of course, some
Speaker 1: media members try to ridicule me, but we got the
Speaker 1: last laugh again and again. But uh no, I just
Speaker 1: got a lot of respect for that team over there. Man.
Speaker 1: They made us work. That wasn't easy like we had
Speaker 1: might have been in six games, but we had to
Speaker 1: scratching claw to win that series. And shout out to staff.
Speaker 1: Obviously greatest shooting series in the history of the Finals,
Speaker 1: potentially in same with Join the Pool that that half
Speaker 1: course shot he hit that pretty much wants the game
Speaker 1: in Game five like that was a momentum killer for
Speaker 1: the Celtics. Andrew Wiggins getting doubled up after eighteen and
Speaker 1: nine in the finals. Some power forward right there, who
Speaker 1: can guard the best player? Draymond doing this thing defensively,
Speaker 1: loon on the boards, auto hit big shots. Gary. We
Speaker 1: had contributions from everybody, and you know, it gets a
Speaker 1: little tighter that part of the year. What I love
Speaker 1: about Draymond that series. He knew he wasn't gonna be
Speaker 1: effective on offense. He wasn't being that effective on defense.
Speaker 1: So you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make
Speaker 1: this ship a prison ball. Y'all want to fight or
Speaker 1: whatever I gotta do to win this game, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: make sure my tea is on the winning side. If
Speaker 1: I got get kicked out this motherfucker, whatever I got
Speaker 1: to do, I'm gonna do something to make us win.
Speaker 1: And and and that was his attitu, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. And I love I love that about him
Speaker 1: because you gotta contribute some type of way. He realized
Speaker 1: he was hurting y'all for a minute more than he
Speaker 1: was helping y'all for a couple of games, and he
Speaker 1: realized that, but he sat down right. You know what
Speaker 1: what I do best. I go out there and play
Speaker 1: harder than anybody out there. And that's what he did.
Speaker 1: And you've seen it. You've seen the series shift. Game five,
Speaker 1: I'm telling you when Drey got that steel at half
Speaker 1: court and got the you gotta dunk early and then
Speaker 1: you got the steal half court too, I knew it
Speaker 1: was hard to win. And even game six, he I
Speaker 1: knew we'd figured it out. It was like, y'all can't
Speaker 1: keep up Draymond, make him when they count. I've seen
Speaker 1: it too many times and he was cash. So Dre's
Speaker 1: just a gamer man that's game like. He's skill level.
Speaker 1: Not might not be Kevin Durant or Steph Curry, but man,
Speaker 1: he's like you said, he's gonna make it so hard
Speaker 1: on you. Yeah, wer paray looked amazing. Uh you accidentally
Speaker 1: truck stick someone part of the parade. I'm sorry. Uh
Speaker 1: talk to us about that parade and heard the locker room.
Speaker 1: You ended up in the locker room. Uh laid out
Speaker 1: in the hot time with the bottle. How to use
Speaker 1: all the resources? Uh? That was but for you. I mean,
Speaker 1: like I said, it had been a fucked up a
Speaker 1: couple of years, you know what I mean, And when
Speaker 1: you were out it hurt, and you came back that
Speaker 1: year and you're able to win. Like, how did that
Speaker 1: emotion hit you? Man? I was that all came out
Speaker 1: that day. I knew I was doing something right when
Speaker 1: Snoop Dogg re posted on his Instagram like I really
Speaker 1: made it. Snow gave me the repost this is great,
Speaker 1: and then, um god, I felt so good man, just
Speaker 1: to see the all the Warrior fans and a whole
Speaker 1: new city, I'm like, this is crazy. Were really the
Speaker 1: base team? Now we brought one of this to the
Speaker 1: city San Francisco and go down and brought the street.
Speaker 1: I forget what street it was, but it was special, man.
Speaker 1: It was just a and the and then the experienced
Speaker 1: everybody else's first championship, like the guy who's been doing
Speaker 1: it for a long time, and even the youngsters. I'm like,
Speaker 1: this is so special. That's a ball will have forever,
Speaker 1: like we'll forever have the reunions and checking in on
Speaker 1: each other. So it all came out that day. It
Speaker 1: felt like thirty six months of just in motion in
Speaker 1: one day. Backtrack a little bit. We're almost finished sixty
Speaker 1: points on eleven dribbles in less than thirty minutes. How
Speaker 1: then does that happen? Flame Thrower. Yeah, it helps having
Speaker 1: Katie and step out there too, and Draymond. I mean
Speaker 1: that makes it more impressive though, too, because you've got
Speaker 1: some other go get hers that they didn't care about that. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean the ball just I don't know how I
Speaker 1: kept finding me it is, I don't know how I
Speaker 1: did that. Felt. Sometimes I do things, I'm like, I
Speaker 1: don't know. I just go out there and do it,
Speaker 1: like I don't know. I just got lucky. But man,
Speaker 1: I'm trying to tell Steve next time, Like Steve, it
Speaker 1: took me out with fourteen threes and twenty eight minutes.
Speaker 1: It took me out with sixty and twenty nine time
Speaker 1: this happens. Let me, let me, let me just just
Speaker 1: one time, just let me get let me try and
Speaker 1: go for it. Yeah you know that game to fourteen threes? Yeah, Greig,
Speaker 1: that night I was scuffling, man. I couldn't hit the
Speaker 1: backside of the barn again. As from NBA J and
Speaker 1: that was my game. I was scuffling. Man, I couldn't.
Speaker 1: I was like five for thirty seven all in my
Speaker 1: own head like contract, You're like, oh, man, did I
Speaker 1: lose it? Did the Moss Stars stealing my talent? And
Speaker 1: then I just man, I got twenty four threes that game.
Speaker 1: That don't tell you where the game's at. Now. I
Speaker 1: don't know what else does like four threes they wanted
Speaker 1: the showtime Lakers want to shoot them those in the calendar,
Speaker 1: and that only eight minutes playing forty minutes and see
Speaker 1: how many guys I could have got up thirty three
Speaker 1: made like sixteen seventeen. Who knows if I'll do it
Speaker 1: again one day. That's it. I know that all this
Speaker 1: sportsmanship stuff. Hey, sports is entertainment, you know. I'm trying
Speaker 1: to show, don't hate on my don't hate on my shot. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I want to run that reck. That's why, Like when
Speaker 1: you set a wreck, you want to run that thing
Speaker 1: broken because they're coming for what they're coming for, exactly
Speaker 1: outside of your team and teammates. Who's someone you love
Speaker 1: to watch, Uh, that's a great question. I love watching
Speaker 1: play um. I like watching Paul Kawai because me and
Speaker 1: Paul were on the same Mayu team, so see him
Speaker 1: doing his thing. We're on the second team to double
Speaker 1: pump both of you guys, second team. We both lay boomers.
Speaker 1: You know, it's all good. Who else do I like
Speaker 1: to watch in today's league? I love watching Luca. I
Speaker 1: mean just because you look at his numbers and you think, like, oh,
Speaker 1: he must be dunking on everybody, just blown by people.
Speaker 1: But you just hit like thirty ft step backs and floaters.
Speaker 1: I'm like, man, he really shows that if you just
Speaker 1: know the fundamentals that have the skill level, you can
Speaker 1: do anything. Not st Luke's not a He's a great appy,
Speaker 1: but he's not He's definitely not playing a room a
Speaker 1: long time, like watching you, honest, because I'm like, I've
Speaker 1: never seen a seven footer just gallop the way he does.
Speaker 1: Like that's crazy, Like he's nuts, Like it's crazy what
Speaker 1: he can do, no open floor. Have you ever met
Speaker 1: fake Clay? No man, laugh though he's stuck in the five,
Speaker 1: didn't get in trouble though, he got like I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna say free fake Clay, but I mean that was
Speaker 1: a mission impossible, ask like operation right through. Man. He
Speaker 1: got buckets on the court saying they got buckets on
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals. Believable. Just Man was in character shape.
Speaker 1: I'm looking at him like, dude, you can't way out
Speaker 1: of your playing days. What you need real play to
Speaker 1: meet fake Clay one day? Get some love. When you
Speaker 1: have an impersonator, that's when you know you made it, Jackson, impersonators, impersonator,
Speaker 1: this is crazy. Um, off the court, what kind of
Speaker 1: stuff are you into? Business? Relax? What kind of stuff
Speaker 1: are you into? CBD? Yeah, I'm into like I got
Speaker 1: some business ventures. Um. I mean I learned this from Kobe,
Speaker 1: like investing what you know, and he always said if
Speaker 1: it didn't have sports to the limb, it was hard
Speaker 1: for him to get him behind me because it's kind
Speaker 1: of the program the way we just how we are,
Speaker 1: with the amount of time we spent honing our craft
Speaker 1: and with my CBD line, I think of, you know,
Speaker 1: the pharmaceutical business and opiate addition is no joke, Man,
Speaker 1: kill your liver and your inside. So I was more
Speaker 1: attractive to organic and homeopathic way of just a sleep gummy,
Speaker 1: some roll freeze cream. It helps me so much, man,
Speaker 1: and I do that doses through out the season because
Speaker 1: you know how he is playing all these games you
Speaker 1: adrenaline and from the ale you need something to wind down.
Speaker 1: And I've been through it. My body has been through
Speaker 1: a lot. And I invested in a electric boat company
Speaker 1: to which I'm proud of. Uh it's called Arc Boats,
Speaker 1: and they're like you see what how electric vehicles are
Speaker 1: coming around, Like there's gonna be a day there's electric
Speaker 1: boats zipping around here and I don't want to go
Speaker 1: to the fuel dock anymore. So and then I got
Speaker 1: um my family Foundation, which I'm gonna get I'm involved,
Speaker 1: but it's so it's been hard these last few years
Speaker 1: and the ten months candor year we have. But one day,
Speaker 1: I really plan on doing an incredible amount of work
Speaker 1: in the Bahamas, especially with the Basketball Federation because my
Speaker 1: dad came up there wasn't really a national team around then.
Speaker 1: It was Rick Fox and now seeing Buddy Hell, DeAndre
Speaker 1: Aden and Kai Jones. We got three dudes in the
Speaker 1: league from this little tiny island. Like imagine what I
Speaker 1: think about all the time, Like we can Yeah, the
Speaker 1: Thomas family can prove if we just go down there
Speaker 1: and we get our hands to work. And do you
Speaker 1: guys play a golf tournament to raise money? Uh? Was
Speaker 1: that from something else. Yeah, we did inteen but I'm
Speaker 1: gonna start doing other things and um. But it's just
Speaker 1: a huge passion of mind because I love the Caribbean.
Speaker 1: It's where my roots are and I know we can
Speaker 1: we have a big reach, so I'm gonna maximize that.
Speaker 1: Quick hitters. First thing to come to mind, if you
Speaker 1: could eat one meal for the rest of your life,
Speaker 1: it would it be not healthy clay though, Just you
Speaker 1: need any meal, man, I'm seafoods like surf and turf.
Speaker 1: I need a I need like a delicious filet and
Speaker 1: lobster tail or. Yeah, maybe some that s t K
Speaker 1: here we come. You know what I'm saying. What artists
Speaker 1: are are on your pregame list? Oh man, I'm man.
Speaker 1: When I was hurt, no, it really helped me. It
Speaker 1: sounds so simple. The power of music and just dancing
Speaker 1: and in your body is incredible. Learn dance now the
Speaker 1: park height struck. I'm gonna be doing it soon. Yeah,
Speaker 1: shout out to Who's Who's tea some kids that came
Speaker 1: up with his dance. It's amazing that creativities kids have
Speaker 1: these days, and it's it's unbelievable. So I put on
Speaker 1: when I was in high school still this day have
Speaker 1: a bump bone Dougs. Yeah. Love Michael Jackson's music. It
Speaker 1: always makes me want to dance. Um nowadays are like
Speaker 1: little Oozy verd. I love his music and just he
Speaker 1: sent me a goat d M. It was great. Is
Speaker 1: made shout out? Who else? Man? I gotta yeah, that
Speaker 1: was probably my top like this in the heaviest in
Speaker 1: my rotation. But I have a ton of a ton
Speaker 1: of music, man, I love I mean my boy commedia
Speaker 1: has been putting me on the afro B listen to
Speaker 1: a lot of it's vibe to get music from around
Speaker 1: the world. So here like whiz Kid or burn a
Speaker 1: Boy or Coffee. It's just it's cool. It's a different frequency.
Speaker 1: Top five Shooters of all time, tah Man, it's five
Speaker 1: shooters of all time, Steph Reggie ray Man so hard.
Speaker 1: If you don't put yourself, I'm not even gonna swimwhere.
Speaker 1: Who else is fifth? Man? That fifth slot is so hard.
Speaker 1: I gotta choose between Kevin Durant, Larry Bird, just pure shooters.
Speaker 1: It's hard to not put Larry in there. Man. You
Speaker 1: want three three point contests like shot and it was water,
Speaker 1: But it's like, it's right there. It's like Larry, you
Speaker 1: could throw one of them in there. It's tough, though. Man,
Speaker 1: what's something that Rocko does that makes you laugh the hardest?
Speaker 1: Barker Shadow. Every time there's a dog on the television,
Speaker 1: he's going crazy protecting the house. I like, you've been
Speaker 1: doing this for a decade now, Rocko, it's not real.
Speaker 1: That's just his bulldog nature. Uh, He's just Rocko is
Speaker 1: pretty snobby, man. It's I mean, I just raised. He's
Speaker 1: the first born. He's tending though. He's earned this, so
Speaker 1: he's he's lived the life, he's earn this living. Who
Speaker 1: would play Clay Thompson in a biopic? No way is
Speaker 1: not right. He's gotta be light skinned it. He's gotta
Speaker 1: have great man, that's a great question. I don't know.
Speaker 1: It would probably be who's a good athlete and actor
Speaker 1: in one? It's harder, oh man, Off the top of
Speaker 1: my head, I don't know. I like a lot of
Speaker 1: Terence Howard films. Hustling flow for Brothers. He's a great
Speaker 1: chore man. He's like cry on the scene. Who else
Speaker 1: can I think of who's kind of like my shade told?
Speaker 1: Maybe Michael Eally I was just about to say that
Speaker 1: Michael elysiered him as a splash bro. Yeah. Yeah, he's
Speaker 1: in a lot of great films. Think about they got
Speaker 1: still some stuff like playing Magic was like he was, Yeah,
Speaker 1: he's tiny in the Showtime Ship. Yeah did you like that?
Speaker 1: How do you like that? I mean I enjoyed it.
Speaker 1: I love John c Riley, Like we were talking about it.
Speaker 1: And if you can see one guest on all the smoke,
Speaker 1: who would it be? Man? If I can see one guest,
Speaker 1: you have crazy bone on yet? No, if you could
Speaker 1: get a Bone Thug on that crazy lazy bish wish flash,
Speaker 1: I don't think y'all. That was the first. That's why
Speaker 1: I shout out to my mom in we had no
Speaker 1: business being there. Eight years old, Mike, he's ten years old.
Speaker 1: Friend Jacki's ten. She took us to the Rose Garden
Speaker 1: to see Bone Thugs live. It was changed my life.
Speaker 1: I want to leave earlier, like wow, I was in
Speaker 1: the middle of Yeah, it was in the mix and
Speaker 1: we it was great. She even got a picture of
Speaker 1: us in front of the bone thought it was amazing.
Speaker 1: And then yeah, bro, well ball watch it. I'm pretty
Speaker 1: sure one of y'all watching wish crazy lazy one of y'all.
Speaker 1: We need to get you on the show. And Steph
Speaker 1: wants to be in Clay wants to be initiated as
Speaker 1: one of the bones as well. Yeah, and they're both
Speaker 1: completing from Cleveland. It's like, all right, yeah, be all right.
Speaker 1: You know the time ago, thank you for your time.
Speaker 1: We want to also give you your flowers. Man. Like
Speaker 1: I said when we were talking earlier this year on
Speaker 1: the ESPN last year, you know, my favorite part of
Speaker 1: the season just to see you back. And I just
Speaker 1: think your energy and your enthusiasm, the way you carry yourself.
Speaker 1: The game missed you. We're happy to see you back
Speaker 1: and back to yourself and being happy again. Man. So
Speaker 1: I appreciate you, appreciate your greatness and come on, without yall,
Speaker 1: we would not be the one of the reason I
Speaker 1: ride on the boat again. And so we appreciate you again.
Speaker 1: Clay Thompson all the smoke. You can catch us on
Speaker 1: Showtime Basketball, YouTube and the I Heart platform Black Effects.
Speaker 1: We'll see you all next week. A key