Speaker 1: What's up, everybody. Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show.
Speaker 1: This next guest, I'm excited to have its two time
Speaker 1: All Star. But as you all know, we always talk
Speaker 1: about this, you gotta have a resume coming on this show.
Speaker 1: Two time All Star, NBA Champion twenty nineteen most and
Speaker 1: through player. Now, the interesting thing about this guy being
Speaker 1: an NBA champion is, as you all know, there aren't
Speaker 1: many guy highs that can say they beat us, Me
Speaker 1: and an NBA Finals Lebron being one and obviously the
Speaker 1: Raptors being the other one. I'm honored to have this
Speaker 1: next guest, my brother, Pascal Siakam. Thank you for coming
Speaker 1: on the show. Bro, thank you appreciate it, man, appreciate
Speaker 1: it for having me. I don't I'm not a podcast guy.
Speaker 1: But there's a couple of them that, you know, like
Speaker 1: when they tell me, I'm like, I'm I'm in it.
Speaker 1: I'm in it, So let's go. I appreciate that. Man.
Speaker 1: I I can't say that I'm over twenty nineteen yet.
Speaker 1: I know we want a championship last year, but you
Speaker 1: got too many of thoughts to be to do that.
Speaker 1: You got too many of thoughts to say that like
Speaker 1: you got a lot of them. But see, here's what
Speaker 1: you having experience, and it is actually one of the
Speaker 1: worst things in the NBA that can happen to you,
Speaker 1: which is you go to the NBA Finals and you lose,
Speaker 1: right because as you know, celebrating that like it's great,
Speaker 1: like you celebrate all summer, everything's fantastic, right, but I
Speaker 1: had the same short summer you had, yes, and so
Speaker 1: you you you go that far and then you lose,
Speaker 1: and it's like the worst experience of all times, like
Speaker 1: you lose two months of your summer. Right now, I
Speaker 1: definitely agree with that because I remember like when I
Speaker 1: went through we went through that year like the whole something,
Speaker 1: the whole like season, and I saw this season probably
Speaker 1: I was like two forty when I started the season,
Speaker 1: and once we got to the finals, I was probably
Speaker 1: like to eighteen to seventeen, like bro, like I was
Speaker 1: like Skinny, I'm like, yo, like this is crazy. So
Speaker 1: like I can just imagine, especially like you guys like
Speaker 1: Lebron like going through like like going day in the
Speaker 1: row and like just having that type of time, and
Speaker 1: then the summer was like new to me because usually
Speaker 1: I'm like yo, like I'm in the summer, like that's
Speaker 1: my favorite time of the year basically because like I'm
Speaker 1: I'm in the gym every day, I'm working like just routine, routine,
Speaker 1: and you get to that point it's like, man, like
Speaker 1: we don't even have a summer, you know, so like, yeah,
Speaker 1: it was crazy. So I can get that. I can
Speaker 1: definitely respect that for sure, absolutely, But bro, I want
Speaker 1: to I want to start this off about going back
Speaker 1: to the beginning of your journey. Now this You know
Speaker 1: when when I do these podcasts, Um, you like to
Speaker 1: do research, so you know a lot about guys or
Speaker 1: and particularly we had a woman, our first woman last week,
Speaker 1: one of the ghost Candice Parker. UM. But you like
Speaker 1: to have information. I want to be one hundred percent
Speaker 1: honest with you. I have the information that I know
Speaker 1: about you, and I didn't want to do much research
Speaker 1: because I wanted to hear the story from you. I
Speaker 1: wanted to learn more about you from you, and so
Speaker 1: what I know like born in Cameroon, Um, you came
Speaker 1: over played at New Mexico State. You know, you got
Speaker 1: to the NBA, But I don't know all the fillers,
Speaker 1: and I didn't want to because I wanted you to
Speaker 1: fill me in on that. So just start me off,
Speaker 1: like take me back to Cameroon. What what age did
Speaker 1: you start playing basketball? Right? Um? Yeah, started well because
Speaker 1: growing up in Cameroon, if you if you're from Cameroon
Speaker 1: and probably like a lot of countries in Africa, like
Speaker 1: when you grow up, you play you play soccer or
Speaker 1: football like like they called it, and it's like that's
Speaker 1: the first thing you do, like we never like you
Speaker 1: don't know anything else. Um. For me, I was lucky
Speaker 1: because my brothers played basketball, like they started playing soccer,
Speaker 1: but then they started playing basketball. I'm the I'm the youngest,
Speaker 1: you know, off six and I four brothers. Um. I
Speaker 1: have three brothers and it's like yo, like they started
Speaker 1: playing basketball and growing up like I just I just
Speaker 1: you know, watched them and I was like, man, like
Speaker 1: maybe I'll try it. I was probably like first time
Speaker 1: I playing basketball is probably like sixteen seventeen. Yeah, like
Speaker 1: like my first time. And I remember we went from
Speaker 1: my friends, like one of my friends. I came back
Speaker 1: because I was in boarding school. I mean I feel
Speaker 1: like I'm like going everywhere, but I was in boarding school,
Speaker 1: like and I came back. I usually to come back
Speaker 1: for like the break and I come back and some
Speaker 1: of my friends was like, yo, like we're going, We're
Speaker 1: going to this camp and it's is this NBA player
Speaker 1: and stuff. And I'm like, okay, like I have no idea,
Speaker 1: I don't I don't know anything about the NBA really,
Speaker 1: and and it was looking back mute and it was like, oh, okay, man,
Speaker 1: like this is an NBA player. He's doing a camp
Speaker 1: be some Cameroon. And my friends was going, so they
Speaker 1: were like all right, let's go. So I'm like all right, cool,
Speaker 1: I have nothing to do. I'm like I don't mind,
Speaker 1: you know. So um I just went and I was
Speaker 1: one of the best players in the camp. And and
Speaker 1: from that it was like I didn't even know anything
Speaker 1: about basketball, you know. So it was just like super
Speaker 1: crazy that I was selected to that. And then after
Speaker 1: that it was just like I went to basketball with
Speaker 1: our borders the year after um I was started like seventeen,
Speaker 1: almost eighteen, and it was like after that it was
Speaker 1: just like man, I'm I'm I'm going to college in
Speaker 1: the NBA. Oh, I'm going to college. And then the NBA.
Speaker 1: So it was like pretty crazy. It's pretty fast, like
Speaker 1: the way it happened, and so at that point you're
Speaker 1: pretty much just you're just going off all sure athleticism. Yes,
Speaker 1: that's it, like literally, because I mean in school, like
Speaker 1: I was always obviously I was probably I was all,
Speaker 1: you are the best, and like just like running, like
Speaker 1: like high jump, like we did all that stuff in school.
Speaker 1: So I'm like I'm one of the best. But it
Speaker 1: was just like just pure athleticism, like from playing soccer
Speaker 1: and just like my stamina was good so I could
Speaker 1: like run for days, um, and and I could jump.
Speaker 1: So it was just literally just that like literally just
Speaker 1: running and jumping, hustling and and doing that, and and
Speaker 1: that was just the first, probably my first skill in
Speaker 1: basketball for sure. That's crazy. And one thing that I
Speaker 1: did here was that all of your brothers received Division
Speaker 1: one scholarships to play college basketball in America? Yep, yep.
Speaker 1: How How did how did that like that come about?
Speaker 1: Where they're receiving Division one scholarships, Like what was the
Speaker 1: path for them to get that exposure? Yeah? No, the
Speaker 1: path for them it's like obviously for me, Um growing
Speaker 1: up in Cameroon, like I was blessed on my dad,
Speaker 1: Like my dad was like you know, like he was okay,
Speaker 1: like financially, like you know, like we yeah, we we
Speaker 1: were in like you know, like we had mostly everything
Speaker 1: that we needed. And he's like he always dreamed about
Speaker 1: basketball and like the NBA like that, like this was
Speaker 1: his thing, Like he he loved that and and so
Speaker 1: he always saw that all I mean, you know, like
Speaker 1: people that go in the NBA to play college and
Speaker 1: then to go to the NBA. So like that was
Speaker 1: like his thing. So he was like, all right, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna do everything that I can to find a scholarship.
Speaker 1: So he he did all the work, like talk to
Speaker 1: the schools, like find schools. He had friends because he
Speaker 1: used to travel go to the US like back and
Speaker 1: forward for like even even the friends and so he
Speaker 1: had a connection. So he would just find he found
Speaker 1: people the big games like oh okay, your your son
Speaker 1: can come here and play high school basketball or something
Speaker 1: like because they left earlier than me. I left when
Speaker 1: I was like eighteen years old, like I graduated high
Speaker 1: school and then I went to the US. My brothers
Speaker 1: they went earlier, like so they started they did probably
Speaker 1: like two years of high school or something like that,
Speaker 1: like probably each of them and then was able to
Speaker 1: play high school basketball, get a scholarship, and then go
Speaker 1: into the to them to college. So how were you
Speaker 1: eventually spotted? You ended up at New Mexico State? How
Speaker 1: were you eventually? Yeah, so I went to basketball with
Speaker 1: our borders. After I went to basketball with our borders,
Speaker 1: it was like, I mean, I got some attention, you
Speaker 1: know from people. Some people talk to my dad and
Speaker 1: it was like, all right, like you can you can go.
Speaker 1: We're gonna find you a scholarship to go to like
Speaker 1: a prep school. I went to a prep school before
Speaker 1: in Texas, UM and I probably did like probably like
Speaker 1: a year there. And then after that, UM the prep school,
Speaker 1: I went to the coach his son went to New
Speaker 1: Mexico State. So so then he so from dad, that's
Speaker 1: when I learned about the coach. I had no offers
Speaker 1: really like I had no offers or anything like that.
Speaker 1: The dad he talked to the coach about me or whatever,
Speaker 1: and then from dad was like, all right, the coach
Speaker 1: likes me. This is my only college offer. I'm like
Speaker 1: all right, cool, like I'm in there. Like so it
Speaker 1: was just like it was just that's just how it
Speaker 1: happened that I don't like, I don't man when you
Speaker 1: came and you eventually go on to be the twenty
Speaker 1: seven pick in the NBA Draft. But again, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: be totally honest with you. My first year playing against
Speaker 1: you when you were with the Toronto Raptors, I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: this like, all right, this guy's athletic, but like I
Speaker 1: can go help, like I can help off, I can
Speaker 1: go plug the gap, Like I don't really have to
Speaker 1: worry about this guy much other than like him slashing, cutting,
Speaker 1: getting to the rim, offensive rebound. And then it's like
Speaker 1: the next year you came back and you're totally different player.
Speaker 1: All of a sudden, Now you got to ball in
Speaker 1: your hands. You you pulling up in the mini, you
Speaker 1: shooting the three. I'm like, yo, like, who is this guy?
Speaker 1: How do you get this good? This fast? Obviously your
Speaker 1: work ethic is tremendous. I've seen your work. We've trained
Speaker 1: in the gym with some of the same people, travel games,
Speaker 1: athletic games with James, and I know how hard you work.
Speaker 1: But if you had to point to one or two
Speaker 1: people to say, without these people, I would not be
Speaker 1: as good as I am. Who would you point to
Speaker 1: outside of just your peer work? Right, UM, yeah, nah,
Speaker 1: for sure, Like I think again, like it takes it.
Speaker 1: It takes a village for sure, Like you know what
Speaker 1: I mean, like to be able to get to this level. Um,
Speaker 1: and I probably had a bunch of people in college
Speaker 1: that Um. One of the coaches in college, it was
Speaker 1: his name was Preston, Like was what was in the
Speaker 1: gym every day? Like literally New Mexico State, I mean
Speaker 1: we lost screw says there's not much to do, like
Speaker 1: we like you're not gonna go out there and find
Speaker 1: like you know, places to go where you got to
Speaker 1: go party and all that, Like you gotta drive like
Speaker 1: forty five minutes to go party somewhere like And that
Speaker 1: was in the Apostle in Texas. Like so I'm like yo,
Speaker 1: like I'm I'm sorry, I'm not doing that just to party,
Speaker 1: Like I can't. So I'm like after parties, I'm in
Speaker 1: a gym every day, like you know, we're working out
Speaker 1: every single day. So that was like college and then
Speaker 1: we get to the NBA. UM. I remember like my
Speaker 1: first time meeting Rico Hins like that was for me.
Speaker 1: That was like the first person like that I got
Speaker 1: to work with, like really, like you know what I
Speaker 1: mean like we sat and just just build a plan together.
Speaker 1: And I remember my first time meeting him. Um, I
Speaker 1: think it was the first year that started doing like
Speaker 1: you can go put your name in the draft and
Speaker 1: then like you see if you want to you want
Speaker 1: to do it or not, Like I think it was
Speaker 1: like I appreciate it did that so, which I think
Speaker 1: was a blessing. So I'm I'm going there and I'm
Speaker 1: I'm I'm and I'm working out with Reco like it
Speaker 1: was like my agent knows Reco. They went to U
Speaker 1: sell it together. Um, so it's like that relationship already.
Speaker 1: And I get there and I'm like all right, like
Speaker 1: I'm trying to test the waters like I want to see,
Speaker 1: like I don't want to see if I can if
Speaker 1: I can make this happen. And my first time working
Speaker 1: out would Recoo and we played a little bit like
Speaker 1: the first time he saw me, like he was like yo,
Speaker 1: like I don't even know what you're thinking about, Like
Speaker 1: stop stop thinking like like I don't. I don't want
Speaker 1: you to think about testing the waters or whatever the
Speaker 1: kids might be like you an NBA player, Like I
Speaker 1: don't want to hear nothing like going back to school
Speaker 1: is going to be a worse of time because I
Speaker 1: remember at that time, like I was really debating because
Speaker 1: like my dad was like he loved basketball, but like
Speaker 1: his thing was like, yo, we got to finish school.
Speaker 1: Like he was so big on that, like we got
Speaker 1: to finish school. Like I don't want nobody just like
Speaker 1: going out there with no education. So like that was
Speaker 1: always playing the back of my mind, like yo, like
Speaker 1: I want to be able to get my degree and
Speaker 1: all that, you know and soul. But then like once,
Speaker 1: once we had that conversation with Rico, man like he
Speaker 1: just puts so much like confidence in me, like so much,
Speaker 1: like you know, like I've never really had like I've
Speaker 1: had that before obviously my family, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: but like people outside of at like um just just
Speaker 1: believing in me. And like from that first day it
Speaker 1: was like yo, like like like let's do this, like
Speaker 1: you you're ready. And after that it was like, man,
Speaker 1: like you go out there every summer, We're in a
Speaker 1: gym every single day, just grinding, like I'm there twenty
Speaker 1: four seven, you know what I mean. Whenever you're looking
Speaker 1: for me in the summer, I'm in the gym, you know.
Speaker 1: Person like he's a person that's there with me so
Speaker 1: um like that that's a guy that I can definitely say,
Speaker 1: like you know, like you know, we put the work
Speaker 1: in like and he was always there, committed to the
Speaker 1: work every single day. Man, Rico is incredible. You know
Speaker 1: a lot of us have had the opportunity to be
Speaker 1: touched by Rico obviously not um for a lot for
Speaker 1: most guys, not to the extent that you have. But
Speaker 1: I just want to make sure on this show that
Speaker 1: Rico Hans get the love that he deserves, you know.
Speaker 1: And and and just pointing at you like all NBA Player,
Speaker 1: All Star and like I've watched you guys grind from
Speaker 1: the beginning of your career to all of a sudden,
Speaker 1: the entire Toronto Toronto Raptors team is out in LA
Speaker 1: trying to get better and and I personally, I think
Speaker 1: that all stems from your success and watching you and
Speaker 1: everything that you've done and the growth that you've had. Brother,
Speaker 1: I take my hat off to you, because I mean
Speaker 1: you you literally went from a guy that they were
Speaker 1: spotting up in the corner that was not a corner
Speaker 1: shooter to like, all of a sudden, like you out
Speaker 1: of nowhere becomes the second option and like all right,
Speaker 1: like most guys can't take that next step to become
Speaker 1: the number one option. Bro, It's amazing. And so I
Speaker 1: just want you to know, man, I take my hat
Speaker 1: off to you as as a competitor, as someone who
Speaker 1: got to guard you, like when I guarded you well
Speaker 1: in the finals we won, Clearly I couldn't guard you
Speaker 1: well enough. We are seeing how I'm saying so much
Speaker 1: respect shit it bro now now for sure not and
Speaker 1: and that that means a lot because at the end
Speaker 1: up day, like for me, like I just I just
Speaker 1: feel like, you know, you put the work in and
Speaker 1: you do everything that you're supposed to do. But I think,
Speaker 1: just like getting especially being in Toronto too, like we
Speaker 1: don't like nobody really like like people. There's a joker
Speaker 1: runs like nobody really cares, right Like, so I think
Speaker 1: that jes Se seed, I respect you know from somebody
Speaker 1: that that's done it at the highest level, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean? Like that that means a lot for sure,
Speaker 1: no no doubt I appreciate it. And so y'all want
Speaker 1: y'all win the NBA finals your third year, um the
Speaker 1: two years leading up to that, uh, Kyle and Damar
Speaker 1: leaders of the team, and you guys are having great
Speaker 1: regular seasons, great regular seasons, and eventually you run into
Speaker 1: Lebron in the playoffs and can't quite get over the hump.
Speaker 1: It's like it almost looked like Lebron's just all right,
Speaker 1: I'll get to the Raptors and I'll win the problem,
Speaker 1: right right, right, You guys then go on to trade
Speaker 1: Damaru for Kawhi Leonard. When when you see that trade happen,
Speaker 1: I'm super close to DeMar. I know you have a
Speaker 1: relationship with DeMar as well. So number one, you see
Speaker 1: that trade happens, what are you thinking about the business
Speaker 1: of basketball? Number one? To see your number one player
Speaker 1: get traded and at that early in your career, what
Speaker 1: are you thinking about the business? But then also what
Speaker 1: are you thinking when you see that y'all got Kawhi
Speaker 1: Leonard coming in? Right? Yeah? No, I think that like obviously,
Speaker 1: like instantly, Like the first thing is just the shock
Speaker 1: value of everything, right, because I think for everyone we
Speaker 1: saw DeMar Vegas, like we saw Demaron Vegas before all that,
Speaker 1: So like for us it's like, yo, we saw DeMar.
Speaker 1: We have our meetings that we usually do in Vegas
Speaker 1: in Summer League coming up, like so we're hanging out,
Speaker 1: so like I see DeMar so from that, it was
Speaker 1: just like the shock value of it. It's like, yo,
Speaker 1: like what is happening? Like I'm just I'm confused and
Speaker 1: obviously like for someone that just close to DeMar and
Speaker 1: like just love him as a person, like bro like
Speaker 1: DeMar as a player. He was always one of my
Speaker 1: favorite player. I always used to tell him, like when
Speaker 1: even when he was on our team, I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: like you want my favorites, like like just the mid range,
Speaker 1: like the things that he just looked so easy and
Speaker 1: effortless for him, like the way he was doing it.
Speaker 1: Um So I think just from being a fan and
Speaker 1: also and then also being like his teammate and his brother,
Speaker 1: I'm like I'm hurt right because I'm like, yo, like
Speaker 1: this is this is crazy and and like you said,
Speaker 1: it's earlier on in my career. I'm thinking like like
Speaker 1: this canna like if the having a them all, like
Speaker 1: I don't, I can't even imagine what's gonna happen to me,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So, so that's the way
Speaker 1: I'm thinking about it, Like yo, like this is crazy.
Speaker 1: Um So those are the first things. And then after
Speaker 1: after the shock Voudy, everything calmed down. You're upset, you're mad,
Speaker 1: you know, like you're in your room, you're upset about everything.
Speaker 1: But then after that you think about like the player
Speaker 1: that you're getting and in Kowhitland, or like another person
Speaker 1: that I watched, you know what I mean for me,
Speaker 1: like just someone I want to say, Die was state
Speaker 1: mid major. I was a mid major. Like he came
Speaker 1: into the NBA like he wasn't really like like doing
Speaker 1: all these things, like he was a defender like he
Speaker 1: was it was it was this and that, and then
Speaker 1: he became this huge star. So that's another person that
Speaker 1: I'm like, yo, Like I watched from far and I'm
Speaker 1: like yo, like his game is dope and and and
Speaker 1: so from that, I'm just like yo, I'm excited, like yo,
Speaker 1: like this is crazy, you know, like getting the opportunity
Speaker 1: to play with someone like that, and and and being
Speaker 1: on the same team being able to learn from him.
Speaker 1: Um So, after the shock, it was just like kind
Speaker 1: of like an exignment to say, like, Yo, what can
Speaker 1: we do with this person? Because we've got a player
Speaker 1: that's you know, that's like really really really really good.
Speaker 1: You know. So yeah, and you know you guys, you
Speaker 1: know summer plays, how you guys going to training camp.
Speaker 1: Are you thinking at that time like that, Kawi, it's
Speaker 1: possibly the guy that gets us over the hunt because again,
Speaker 1: what you just mentioned was, Hey, you're in Toronto where
Speaker 1: no one's talking championships like it's Toronto, like basketball isn't
Speaker 1: that And let's like, basketball has grown in Toronto over
Speaker 1: the last fifteen twenty years, but hockeys the biggest thing
Speaker 1: in Toronto hockey and Drake like and no, no, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: that was the case. But now you guys have changed that.
Speaker 1: But that change also comes with winning a championship. Sure,
Speaker 1: when your rookie year, that wasn't the case, like, but
Speaker 1: then you guys win a championship and now a lot
Speaker 1: of people care about the about the Raptors. But are
Speaker 1: you thinking at that point you guys are going in
Speaker 1: the camp, you got Kawhi Leonard like, yo, this team
Speaker 1: can possibly win a championship? Is that the conversation around
Speaker 1: the team going in. I don't think for us like
Speaker 1: for me, I don't think for Kauhi, I think it
Speaker 1: was you know, but for us it's like again, obviously,
Speaker 1: like we've never done it before. So like you know,
Speaker 1: like obviously we want to be we always had great,
Speaker 1: great teams, you know, like we go to playoffs who
Speaker 1: do everything. So we're thinking we're a great team. But
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, you don't really think
Speaker 1: I had of that, Like you don't really think, like
Speaker 1: like it doesn't get in your mind right away, you
Speaker 1: know what I mean, because it's just like something that
Speaker 1: you really haven't done. Um. But but just looking at
Speaker 1: our roster and the players that we have, I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: like we have a we have a damn good team,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like that's why I'm thinking,
Speaker 1: you know, but I don't I don't know to what extent,
Speaker 1: Like I don't know how it's gonna work with Kawuhi.
Speaker 1: We never played together, like like so at that point,
Speaker 1: I'm like, I don't I don't know what's happening, you know,
Speaker 1: Like I had no idea. Obviously it was Nick was
Speaker 1: the coach, like all these different things, like it's just
Speaker 1: a little different and and I had I had literally
Speaker 1: no idea what was going to happen at that point,
Speaker 1: you know, Like so I couldn't. I couldn't really pinpoint
Speaker 1: like from the beginning of the season, I couldn't see that.
Speaker 1: I couldn't see it right away. Sure, watch the season
Speaker 1: was going. Then you kind of like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: like this is it's getting interesting, you know, Like I
Speaker 1: think that's what I would say. Yeah, you guys end
Speaker 1: up matching up with with with the Philadelphia seventy six
Speaker 1: ers in the second round of the playoffs. Man Um,
Speaker 1: Obviously we all know Kauhi hit the hit the big
Speaker 1: shot in the corner, bounce, bounce to drop, saying, but
Speaker 1: I thought there was something interesting that that took place
Speaker 1: in that series, uh with a with a fellow Cameroonian
Speaker 1: for yourself and Joel and b and you came out
Speaker 1: then and you said he's a fake tough guy. And
Speaker 1: I would like to know, hey, number one, what made
Speaker 1: you say that then? And where do your relationships stand
Speaker 1: now being you know, two guys from the same country, right, No,
Speaker 1: I think it's just it's all up because I think
Speaker 1: he's well, I'm from you know, I'm from Duala, he's
Speaker 1: from your own day, right like we if you if
Speaker 1: you're from Cameroon or you know anything about Cameroon, Like
Speaker 1: those are the two cities, right, it's like duala your
Speaker 1: own day. And it's always back and forth, like just
Speaker 1: like always talking trash, be like whatever you want to
Speaker 1: call it. We have the best city, we have the
Speaker 1: best girls, we have the best parties, like we always
Speaker 1: you know, So it's always like like that, that little
Speaker 1: back and forth. So I think for for us just
Speaker 1: going back and playing against each other, like every time
Speaker 1: we do, it's like it's always that like that little
Speaker 1: like I just want to do better for my city
Speaker 1: because I know that better than y'all, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. Like, so that's always that. So and you know, Joel,
Speaker 1: like he's not gonna hold his tongue, he's not gonna
Speaker 1: hold his punches like he's gonna he's gonna talk, he's
Speaker 1: gonna do all that. And when we play against each other,
Speaker 1: he's gonna make sure that I don't score, like he's
Speaker 1: gonna like be there helping do whatever he gotta do,
Speaker 1: like you know what I mean, Like just because of that,
Speaker 1: But but in terms of our relationship, like actually like
Speaker 1: it's like no, like we're cool, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: Like we talk all the time and it's like it's
Speaker 1: always love. Like at the end of the day, like
Speaker 1: two kids from where we're from, Like being at this
Speaker 1: level like it's it's on herd of you know what
Speaker 1: I mean. Like obviously we had our big brothers that
Speaker 1: was there before. It's like like the looka mute, like
Speaker 1: like the boom boom, like all those people. But to
Speaker 1: be at this level like and play where we at,
Speaker 1: like it's crazy, you know. So um so definitely we
Speaker 1: feel blasting stuff. But at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: once we go on the court, like it's beef, like
Speaker 1: we had it. No friends, ain't no friends on this score.
Speaker 1: I'm at your neck. Um. Obviously that plays out. We
Speaker 1: end up, you know, go through the conference finals. Then
Speaker 1: we end up playing against each other in the NBA Finals,
Speaker 1: and we come into that series. Kevin Durant's out, you
Speaker 1: guys immediately take control of the series. Kevin Durant comes
Speaker 1: back in game four. Yeah three, game four given before,
Speaker 1: I might have been getting four year before. And when
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant comes back, I look up six minutes to
Speaker 1: go on the clock and we got thirty six points
Speaker 1: and I'm like, yo, it's six minutes to go. In
Speaker 1: the first quarter, we got thirty six points. When you
Speaker 1: see Kevin Durant come back, he's clicking like that, we're clicking.
Speaker 1: What's the thought in your mind at that point, bro,
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie to you. So before it again,
Speaker 1: like so you guys are working out and stuff like,
Speaker 1: and our first it was like it was always like
Speaker 1: a debate. I always Katie gonna play whatever whatever. So
Speaker 1: we get there and it's like, yo, like he's wimming
Speaker 1: up and I was like, oh, I bet like Katie's here,
Speaker 1: he's playing. Like it's a little like all right, all right, man,
Speaker 1: like we're not we're not expecting this, but whatever. Like
Speaker 1: we're like, okay, we're kind of like thinking still in
Speaker 1: our heads because you know, like you said, we took
Speaker 1: control control of the series, so in our heads were thinking,
Speaker 1: like the momentum is on us, Like we have the momentum,
Speaker 1: like we're still good, you know, but we're get in
Speaker 1: that game, bro, like oh my god, Like I don't
Speaker 1: think Katie, like I don't think he touched like the
Speaker 1: rim like one time, Like I don't I don't even
Speaker 1: think you touched the net like he shot the ball
Speaker 1: and I don't think that like I don't think it
Speaker 1: touched the net, bro Like it was just like straight
Speaker 1: like he was pulling from like whatever was like like
Speaker 1: water like nothing like. So I'm like, I'm just like, Yo,
Speaker 1: this is gonna be a lone night like at that point,
Speaker 1: like literally like if there was like any panic, like
Speaker 1: at any time, I think it would have been like
Speaker 1: that point, like when Katie like came back, because it
Speaker 1: was just like for us, like we felt like we
Speaker 1: matched up word with you guys, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: like and and obviously like it's tough to guard like
Speaker 1: playing Steph like obviously with you like all the things
Speaker 1: like the movement, like all your offense and everything that
Speaker 1: you guys do, and it's like, Yo, it's crazy. But
Speaker 1: then you add Katie that we would feel like yo,
Speaker 1: like he's really like unguardable. It feels like because like
Speaker 1: some of the times, hope that he missed right, Like
Speaker 1: you gotta do your best and like challenge to the
Speaker 1: best that you can and just hope that it missed.
Speaker 1: So absolutely, it was just like yo, like adding Katie
Speaker 1: and the way he was playing like he started that game,
Speaker 1: it was like, yeah, like it was a little the
Speaker 1: little panic right there, No for sure, and then obviously
Speaker 1: Kevin gets hurt. Actually this game, that's game five, Kevin
Speaker 1: came back. Because Kevin gets hurt in game five, we
Speaker 1: go back to go to state. Game six. Clay gets
Speaker 1: hurt in game six, and so that was definitely Game five.
Speaker 1: But um, walk me through the feeling. H you know,
Speaker 1: you guys eventually close the series in game six, going
Speaker 1: in the first championship for the Toronto Raptors. But your first,
Speaker 1: your first championship, Walk me through that feeling of getting
Speaker 1: over that hunt and then you're like wow, like wait,
Speaker 1: we're NBA champions. Walk me through that initial field because
Speaker 1: I'll tell you something for me personally. Obviously I've been
Speaker 1: fortunate enough to win four. And I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1: You win that first one, and it's the most amazing
Speaker 1: thing in your life. You win the second one, third one,
Speaker 1: fourth one, and the most amazing thing to me after
Speaker 1: that is seeing the guys who win it for the
Speaker 1: first time. So you got guys now on the team
Speaker 1: who hasn't won one, and like you celebrate with those
Speaker 1: guys and seeing the guys who won it the first time,
Speaker 1: it is the most amazing thing. Talk to me walk
Speaker 1: me through that feeling of winning that first championship. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: like it was. It's crazy because I just think that
Speaker 1: for us, like like you said, like we've I had
Speaker 1: that talk of like, oh yeah, the Raptors gonna go,
Speaker 1: They're gonna have a great regular season, They're not gonna
Speaker 1: do anything to the playoffs. So like we hear that
Speaker 1: all the time. And I heard it when I was
Speaker 1: with Kyle Damar and all those guys, And obviously I
Speaker 1: was I was younger coming up, um, but but that's
Speaker 1: all we heard. So I think you already have that
Speaker 1: down in your mind. And and I think for us,
Speaker 1: like just winning was like yo, like this is like
Speaker 1: we actually did it, you know what I mean, Like
Speaker 1: and it wasn't just like it was like a team
Speaker 1: where like everyone like kind of like played a part
Speaker 1: and like winning a championship. Like obviously you remember the
Speaker 1: Kauhi shot and all these different things, but like you know,
Speaker 1: Milwaukee series Fred coming back and hit it all those threes,
Speaker 1: you know, even even in the finals against you guys
Speaker 1: like those three, like me making a shot like you
Speaker 1: know Mark, like Kyle that first that game six coming
Speaker 1: up like going crazy, you know, like the first quarter. Um,
Speaker 1: you just think about all those moments, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean, Like, and it was just like amazing, bro,
Speaker 1: Like just like the hard work that you put in
Speaker 1: and and just like that that joy that you get
Speaker 1: from like knowing that you are the best team in
Speaker 1: the NBA. Like it's just it's just incredible, um and
Speaker 1: and and the other part of that is the city,
Speaker 1: like the country, Like you know what I mean, it
Speaker 1: wasn't It was just it's like, okay, obviously, like you win,
Speaker 1: as do the Warriors, right like San Francisco, everyone is
Speaker 1: hyppy and stuff. But imagine you won that, and the
Speaker 1: whole US is like excited, you know, Like so that's
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like a whole country is
Speaker 1: excited about it, Like God, people are going crazy, like
Speaker 1: you hear story till today, Like I'm I still hear
Speaker 1: stories of people being like, man, like that championship. I
Speaker 1: remember what I was like, I remember, like you you
Speaker 1: can't even you don't even know what that brought to
Speaker 1: me my family like things like that. So I think
Speaker 1: that's just what makes it like so much sweeter. I
Speaker 1: think that's amazing, man. And I always wonder about that feeling,
Speaker 1: which actually brings me to my next question, because when
Speaker 1: it happened, I looked and I'm like, how can you
Speaker 1: walk away from that? Shortly after that, two weeks not
Speaker 1: even you get the news that Kawhi Leonard is leaving
Speaker 1: and going to the LA Clippers. Quite frankly, I'm not
Speaker 1: sure how you can walk away from having an entire
Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like Kawhi would own Canada he
Speaker 1: stayed like and you know, he walked away. What's the
Speaker 1: mindset then? Once once you realize like, yo, we're losing Kawhi,
Speaker 1: and not only are we losing Kawhi because you know,
Speaker 1: when you look back at it, not often do you
Speaker 1: lose stars or people like that for nothing. And when
Speaker 1: you look back at it, like that was the deal,
Speaker 1: Like that was the risk, Like MASSI makes the trade
Speaker 1: for Kawhi. He got one year left on his contract
Speaker 1: and you you're risking him walking off. But ultimately in
Speaker 1: hopes that you get a championship, so you accomplished the goal.
Speaker 1: But on the flip side, you'd hope that the goal
Speaker 1: that you accomplished allows you to run it up a
Speaker 1: little longer and then Kawhi leeds. What what's the mindset?
Speaker 1: Once you once you'all find out that Kauhi is leaving
Speaker 1: ahead of to the LA Clippers two weeks later. Um,
Speaker 1: I think, well, it's like mixed right, Like I think
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, Like for me, it
Speaker 1: was just like, man like, if there's one person that
Speaker 1: I will see do that, it would be Kauhi, like
Speaker 1: what I'm saying, like like in my head, like that
Speaker 1: would be the only like the one person that I'd
Speaker 1: be like, yo, like I can see him like doing
Speaker 1: that because you know the way he conducts his business,
Speaker 1: the way he is, like all the things that he does,
Speaker 1: like it's always in like just like a particular way,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like, so I think for me,
Speaker 1: like I'm thinking like man like and like I don't
Speaker 1: think he can leave. But at the same time, I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: like it's Kawhi, right, Like Kawhi, He's gonna do what
Speaker 1: you want, like and and much power to him, because
Speaker 1: I like that's who he is as a person, you
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like that's how he's always been
Speaker 1: conducting anything. So Um, obviously like you hurt because it's
Speaker 1: like yo, like what can we like we look at
Speaker 1: our team it's like yo, like we can really do this,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, I'm involving spread is if
Speaker 1: everyone is getting like you know what I mean, like
Speaker 1: it's growing to their own and we're thinking like, yo,
Speaker 1: we can really build something special. Um and and Kawhi leave.
Speaker 1: So it was just like, man, like this is this
Speaker 1: is it was. It was sad, like it hurt, but
Speaker 1: at the same time, like I can't like, like I said,
Speaker 1: like I can only see Kahi do that, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean, like and and and it didn't really
Speaker 1: feel like oh, you know, like because because I can
Speaker 1: see that happening, like I'm not totally like surprised by it,
Speaker 1: you know, at the same time, So, yeah, did Kauai
Speaker 1: make a mistake? Did Kawai make a mistake? I mean,
Speaker 1: I don't want to say he made a mistake, like
Speaker 1: that's that's crazy to say it because you know, like
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, man, like I think,
Speaker 1: as we all know, it's like the man happiness and
Speaker 1: like and like being you know, doing what you want
Speaker 1: to do and being in a place that I was
Speaker 1: going to make you the most happy, Like that's the
Speaker 1: most important thing above all, you know, Like I love
Speaker 1: kawhis as a brother or someone that that we want
Speaker 1: a championship together. But like I would never like be like, oh,
Speaker 1: you made wrong the wrong choice, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: just because he made a choice that was good like
Speaker 1: for him, you know, like and I respect it, um,
Speaker 1: but do I wish that? And I look at it
Speaker 1: and heights are like yo, like if it was on
Speaker 1: our team, Like why how he would look? You know,
Speaker 1: like yeah, maybe it would look a little different. But
Speaker 1: I can't. I can't blame the man for making a
Speaker 1: decision for himself and his family. No, I can appreciate that. Man.
Speaker 1: You watch, you watch people in this league. They think
Speaker 1: like our lives belonged to them or or or our
Speaker 1: decision making belongs to to everyone else. And so I
Speaker 1: can appreciate your stands on that because I watched like
Speaker 1: when Kevin Durant first came to us, and like people
Speaker 1: were mad at him, Like how can you be mad
Speaker 1: at someone for deciding what they want to do with
Speaker 1: their life, Like you don't just wake up and go
Speaker 1: to the gym, Like you wake up, you live in
Speaker 1: that city, you wake up like everything that you do,
Speaker 1: Like that's a huge part of it. So I can
Speaker 1: appreciate your stands on that. Yeah. No, it's a lot
Speaker 1: that comes with that, Like it's it's so much more
Speaker 1: like and you understand it, like you know, like thing
Speaker 1: for us so well understand it. And and I want
Speaker 1: to say one thing about like because it's one thing
Speaker 1: that I really hate. It's like this whole thing now
Speaker 1: like people are betting and stuff like it's probably like
Speaker 1: our culture. It is like the craziest thing to me
Speaker 1: because like people would literally like like I really wish
Speaker 1: you like death because they missed whatever it was betting on.
Speaker 1: Like it's the craziest thing to me. I just want
Speaker 1: to say, like I don't like it. And it's you
Speaker 1: mean about you lost your Polly. I don't care. I
Speaker 1: don't really meet your Polly today the mall Like whatever
Speaker 1: you did, whatever you bet, I really could care less, bro,
Speaker 1: Like I don't care, does not matter. It doesn't matter. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and the people that I love, like I don't care
Speaker 1: about nothing else. Absolutely, Man, a few more questions, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna get you out of here. I know you and
Speaker 1: Philly want to get on with your evening. I appreciate
Speaker 1: you taking the time, all right. In twenty twenty two,
Speaker 1: you were not named an All Star, but you made
Speaker 1: all NBA team, right, which to me is like kind
Speaker 1: of crazy because it's actually harder to make our NBA
Speaker 1: yeah than it is to be an All Star. Right,
Speaker 1: What did you make of that? When you see your
Speaker 1: name come out in the our NBA team and you're like,
Speaker 1: I didn't even make All Star, You're like, what did
Speaker 1: you make of that? It was just I was confused
Speaker 1: because again, like it just for me, I don't I
Speaker 1: don't understand like the criter Like I don't understay anything.
Speaker 1: I don't want to say the criterias of like what
Speaker 1: it is to be an All Star or all the
Speaker 1: NBA MVP, like all these different things. Like I'm just
Speaker 1: literally like lost in all of that. So, like I
Speaker 1: was confused. Obviously I felt like I was an All Star,
Speaker 1: but then it didn't. It didn't happen. Then in my hat,
Speaker 1: I'm like, all right, whatever, I'm just been cheating my season.
Speaker 1: I'm you know, I'm bawling, I'm doing whatever. And then
Speaker 1: I get All the NBA. It was just like I
Speaker 1: was just confused, Like to be honest with you, like
Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't know how it works, you know,
Speaker 1: what I mean, like and and I just learned from me,
Speaker 1: like with everything that happened in my life, like I
Speaker 1: control the things that I can control and then the
Speaker 1: rest of it, Like, man, I could really care less,
Speaker 1: Like all I care about is just doing doing what
Speaker 1: I love, going out there and playing. Control what I
Speaker 1: can control, and I'm not going to stress over things
Speaker 1: that I can't really control. So people pick who's on
Speaker 1: NBA and All Star and all that, and that happens,
Speaker 1: and I just go with it. And speaking of that,
Speaker 1: there's been a lot of news lately, and I'm sure
Speaker 1: we'll probably see its soon with the new CBA coming up,
Speaker 1: but there's been a a lot of news about criterias
Speaker 1: as you just spoke on for all NBA, for All Star,
Speaker 1: but in particular for these major awards MVP, Defensive Player
Speaker 1: of the Year, most Improved Player in which you want,
Speaker 1: um and should there be a game limit and all
Speaker 1: of these things. Where do you stand on that? Should
Speaker 1: there be a certain amount of games that you have
Speaker 1: to play in order to in order to be rewarded
Speaker 1: with one of those major awards? Yeah? No, I mean
Speaker 1: I do think so, because because I think that, like um,
Speaker 1: it takes it takes a lot and and and most
Speaker 1: of the time, like obviously, like when I was coming up,
Speaker 1: and I think for me being just like one of
Speaker 1: the one of the players, you know, spicking up in
Speaker 1: the corner and just you know, and just and just
Speaker 1: playing defense and running and doing all that, Like it's
Speaker 1: like it takes a lot. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: it's like, man, like you play twenty minutes a night
Speaker 1: or whatever, like you cool, you know, like, and I
Speaker 1: think that it's on people that like out there playing
Speaker 1: thirty plus every single night, like like people like you
Speaker 1: guys I go to the playoffs, go to the finals
Speaker 1: and do it like consistently. I think that that just
Speaker 1: makes it like so much harder, like being out there
Speaker 1: doing it every day on a consistent basic like like
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like it just I think
Speaker 1: it just makes it like so much harder, and it
Speaker 1: takes like so much like like that's why I admire
Speaker 1: people like, you know, the Lebrons and those people that like, man,
Speaker 1: like it's it's crazy to do it consistently in that
Speaker 1: amount of time, you know what I mean, Like and
Speaker 1: every day putting the work and not seen really games,
Speaker 1: I mean unless you're really really injured, um and and
Speaker 1: just doing it every single day. I think that's what
Speaker 1: makes it hard because I think there's a lot of
Speaker 1: people that can do it, you know, like you can
Speaker 1: do it one year, or you can do it, you know,
Speaker 1: for thirty games, forty games, you know, but can you
Speaker 1: do it for eighty two games for five, six, seven,
Speaker 1: eight seasons? You know? Like I think that's what makes
Speaker 1: the greats who they are. And that's what you know,
Speaker 1: for me, a player like you strive for that, you know,
Speaker 1: like I want to play as many as game as
Speaker 1: I can put the world in to be the best,
Speaker 1: like for the longest that I can, and and and
Speaker 1: I feel like that's what makes it like like really special.
Speaker 1: So yeah, if you ask me, I would say I
Speaker 1: would say, yeah, it should it should matter like how
Speaker 1: many games you played, you know, to be able to
Speaker 1: win the worst no doubt a foreign player yourself. This
Speaker 1: league has grown in tremendous ways. It's a very global game,
Speaker 1: a global league, and top three this year for the
Speaker 1: MVP racist international players. I think that says a lot
Speaker 1: about the game. I think that says a lot about
Speaker 1: the growth of you know, basketball and other countries is
Speaker 1: huge but if you had to vote, who are you
Speaker 1: voting for MVP this year? Oh yeah, if I had
Speaker 1: a voted for MVP, I mean, like, um, obviously it's
Speaker 1: got to be. It's gotta be like you know, my
Speaker 1: cameriean brother, Like it's gotta be like you know, it's
Speaker 1: got to be and be like, um, I think that, um,
Speaker 1: you know, he's doing it, you know all like he's
Speaker 1: been doing it for years, but like just you know,
Speaker 1: this year doing it at an incredible level. Um. And
Speaker 1: and he's just he's just playing unbelievable basketball, like the
Speaker 1: team is winning. Um, he's doing on both hands of
Speaker 1: the floor. Um. And and and I'm sure there's like
Speaker 1: a lot of all the people out there that deserve it,
Speaker 1: like you know, like the Tatums and and the your
Speaker 1: Kish and like all these people. But I think for me,
Speaker 1: like you know, I obviously I might be biased, but
Speaker 1: I say, like, it would be awesome to see someone
Speaker 1: from where I'm from like winning MVP, Like that would
Speaker 1: be crazy. It's crazy inspiration, like just to know that, like, man,
Speaker 1: like this is really possible, like um. And not only that,
Speaker 1: not only that I'm biased, I think he also deserves
Speaker 1: it now for sure. I think I think he's deserving
Speaker 1: as well, I must say, and I know Joel listens
Speaker 1: to this stuff because he busts my ass last week
Speaker 1: because of something I said on her. So I'm gonna
Speaker 1: throw that out there. But I must say, after he
Speaker 1: had that conversation with me at half court about why
Speaker 1: he just played the way he played, for him to
Speaker 1: not play versus Denver, especially especially the way he dropped
Speaker 1: Joker off in Philly, like he really went that Joker
Speaker 1: in Philly. He got the best of that matchup that night.
Speaker 1: I was a little disappointed that he didn't play in
Speaker 1: Denver that night. I must say that. But you just
Speaker 1: said something very interesting, and it's a real thing. What
Speaker 1: you said, I may be biased, And what I want
Speaker 1: to say to that is you probably are biased, and
Speaker 1: you are. There's no probably you are biased. Now it's
Speaker 1: a good bias because Joel is right there. It's not
Speaker 1: like you're saying some random like Joel should be m VP.
Speaker 1: But my point with that is the people who are
Speaker 1: making these decisions are also biased. And that's one of
Speaker 1: the issues that I have with these awards, because you
Speaker 1: think about these awards. These awards decide if you're going
Speaker 1: to be in the Hall of Fame. These wars decide
Speaker 1: how you're going to be viewed and what you put
Speaker 1: fifteen twenty years of your life into ultimately in the
Speaker 1: long run, And like you have these people voting, and
Speaker 1: I just disagree with the voting criteria, Like I mean,
Speaker 1: like who's voting, Like, like I don't quite understand that
Speaker 1: because there are biases. Just like you just said, I'm
Speaker 1: a little biased. You can't tell me, like if I'm
Speaker 1: up for Defensive Player of the Year and it's me
Speaker 1: versus someone, do you think Kendrick Perkins wouldn't be biased
Speaker 1: towards me as defense player, like voting for me defense
Speaker 1: player even if I'm deserving, Like I one hundred percent
Speaker 1: think he'd be biased. And so like what do you
Speaker 1: make of like who's voting for these awards? And like
Speaker 1: the like the way it's determined, because another thing it
Speaker 1: does is it determines how much money you make. And
Speaker 1: that's crazy to me. Sure, yeah, it's it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1: And and and I think for me, that's why I like,
Speaker 1: like I said, like I've I've just disconnected myself totally
Speaker 1: from that just because I'm like, yo, like I really
Speaker 1: don't understand it, Like I don't get it, you know,
Speaker 1: and and like you said, it's like just just people
Speaker 1: voting for that and then somebody have biases, you know,
Speaker 1: Like so it's like like what do you what do
Speaker 1: you do? Like I'm saying, who do we make to
Speaker 1: have these votes? Like I don't know, like who do
Speaker 1: we choose instead of those people to vote? Like do
Speaker 1: we have computers voting? Like what do we do? You
Speaker 1: know what I mean? Like I don't. I don't know,
Speaker 1: Like I feel like it's it's just so hard and
Speaker 1: and and I feel like, yeah, it's gonna be biased,
Speaker 1: like and and it's hard, Like it's like what do
Speaker 1: you I just don't know how to respond to it,
Speaker 1: because I'm like, who do you put in that position
Speaker 1: to make those votes? Like like who do would you
Speaker 1: suggest like to to be to be voting for all
Speaker 1: NBA and like all this stuff, like who do you think?
Speaker 1: I think? I think I think just like other things
Speaker 1: coaches um, because like there's a way of doing that
Speaker 1: that you can't vote for your player, right like you
Speaker 1: can you can't vote for your guy. I think they
Speaker 1: have a better sense. They watch the most film, like
Speaker 1: they like, I just think it has to be a
Speaker 1: better way in deciding these things. Now what you I
Speaker 1: know the argument that they would make as coach, well,
Speaker 1: some coaches would do this, so you don't make as
Speaker 1: much Like I don't think there's a perfect answer, yeah,
Speaker 1: but I do think at some point it has to
Speaker 1: be addressed, like like for instance, All Star Starter, maybe
Speaker 1: there's a situation of media carries this much weight, coaches
Speaker 1: carry this much weight, and then we like you know,
Speaker 1: we equal out the two in some way. But I
Speaker 1: just think the way that it's done right now, I'm
Speaker 1: just not totally short. Man, It's hard. That's why, like
Speaker 1: I told you, bro, like I try to. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: try to, just like man, like I can't control it.
Speaker 1: Whatever happens happened, you know, no doubt, no doubt, And
Speaker 1: it's something. Two more questions. Number one, your name came
Speaker 1: up in a ton of trade rumors, and you know,
Speaker 1: I kept watching y'all games and watching yours and checking
Speaker 1: the box scores when I didn't get a chance to
Speaker 1: watch play steady, same thing doing what you do, not
Speaker 1: being bothered by that. How do you handle all of
Speaker 1: the trade rumors because your name come up every year?
Speaker 1: Just I mean, and quite frankly, it's just because of
Speaker 1: how good you are, these are your name is gonna
Speaker 1: keep coming up. How do you handle that, you know,
Speaker 1: when those all those trade roomors are coming up. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: it's tough. It was. It was tough early on, Like
Speaker 1: I think that, you know, like early on, like for me,
Speaker 1: like just seeing that and and and I think that
Speaker 1: I was I mean, I'm not a huge social media person,
Speaker 1: but by the same time, like early on, like I
Speaker 1: was video on social media all I'll go on Twitter,
Speaker 1: like I'll check what's going on, like like I'll be
Speaker 1: on Instagram, you know, I'll see the comments and and
Speaker 1: you know, like and even the worst thing you can
Speaker 1: like possibly do, like if you're a young player coming up,
Speaker 1: like don't never like go on Twitter and put your
Speaker 1: name it like it's probably the worst thing you have
Speaker 1: your name of the search bars, Like it's horrible, Like,
Speaker 1: don't do it, you know, like and and I would
Speaker 1: do I would do that, like as a young player.
Speaker 1: And I think for me, like just what I own
Speaker 1: this stood from like just going through it, like the trades,
Speaker 1: like you know, with them, and like all the stuff
Speaker 1: that I saw, um, all these things happening, like seeing
Speaker 1: like how someone can be loved and then the next minute,
Speaker 1: you know you're you're the worst person in the world,
Speaker 1: like um going through the pandemic, like like all these
Speaker 1: different things. Like I just like learn like from me
Speaker 1: as a person, like to to disconnect myself with like
Speaker 1: with that, you know, Like I try to, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm not on Instagram all the time, Like I just
Speaker 1: I just make sure that I have control over like
Speaker 1: what I do, Like what do I follow? Like who
Speaker 1: do I Who do I? You know, like you know
Speaker 1: what pages where you follow? Like what do you see
Speaker 1: every day when you wake up? Like and all those
Speaker 1: different things. And I try to just like have my
Speaker 1: mental right in a space where like I'm focusing on
Speaker 1: what matters, you know, I'm focusing on my family. I'm
Speaker 1: focusing on my team and playing basketball, the game that
Speaker 1: I love and and try my best. It's hard, obviously,
Speaker 1: Like it's hard, Like you want to be on Instagram
Speaker 1: all the time, you want to be on Twitter, you
Speaker 1: want to check these things. But I just think that
Speaker 1: what changed for me was just being able to have
Speaker 1: that balance and knowing like what really matters and and
Speaker 1: and trying to just like disconnect, you know, whenever I
Speaker 1: need it, And it's been it's been the best thing
Speaker 1: for me because because it's helped me to just be
Speaker 1: kind of like level headed, headed and just like knowing
Speaker 1: that the ideal, Like I got to come in and
Speaker 1: do my job every single day, no matter ups and downs,
Speaker 1: bad game, good game, I still got to show up
Speaker 1: at nine o'clock, eight o'clock in the German workout. I
Speaker 1: still got to I still have a game the next day,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like I still have these things.
Speaker 1: And once I just like understood that, like I was
Speaker 1: able to just be like, man, whatever happens, happens. And yeah,
Speaker 1: like you also fortunate that being at the center level,
Speaker 1: Like I feel like my value is the same everywhere,
Speaker 1: Like you know what I mean, at the end of the
Speaker 1: the day, I wasn't going to work in like wherever
Speaker 1: I'm at, like I'll be I'll have the same value
Speaker 1: just because of the work that I put in, And
Speaker 1: so I just try not to focus on what I
Speaker 1: can control, no doubt. And before we get out of here, um,
Speaker 1: there's a rule in the NBA that if if if
Speaker 1: an owner of an NBA team is the lead investor
Speaker 1: on the deal we can invest, which I think is
Speaker 1: like some old rule that needs to be changed because
Speaker 1: quite frankly, like you look at the owners of NBA
Speaker 1: teams today, they are some of the most powerful people
Speaker 1: in business. Like you look at a Michael Rubin, who
Speaker 1: research your soul, but like Michael Rubin is one of
Speaker 1: the most powerful businessmen soon to be of our generation.
Speaker 1: You know, um Joe Lacob Who's who's you know, one
Speaker 1: of the majority owners of the Warriors. He's huge in
Speaker 1: the tech space. Peter Goober is huge in the film
Speaker 1: and producing space. Who's another majority Yet if they're in
Speaker 1: the deal, I can't quite participate in it. And it's
Speaker 1: the same for you obviously as an NBA player. But
Speaker 1: the question I wanted to ask you was this, and
Speaker 1: it's a two part question. Obviously the Ball Basketball African League,
Speaker 1: which I'm sure you're I know you're super familiar with,
Speaker 1: would you want to own a team in that league?
Speaker 1: And say, at some point in your career, maybe later
Speaker 1: in your career, because you will probably make another few
Speaker 1: hundred million dollars here in the NBA, but at some
Speaker 1: point in your career, if they said, Pascal, we want
Speaker 1: you to go play in the bal we'll give your
Speaker 1: ownership of a team, or we'll allow you access to
Speaker 1: ownership of the team that you're going to play for,
Speaker 1: but you'd have to go play in that league. Would
Speaker 1: that be something that you would entertain if if if
Speaker 1: you were given the opportunity at ownership in the ball league,
Speaker 1: because I think that league is going to grow crazy
Speaker 1: over yeah, I think for sure, Like I think for
Speaker 1: for me obviously, I want to be involved in that,
Speaker 1: you know, Like I think that as as an African player, um,
Speaker 1: someone that came up and and and for us to
Speaker 1: be able to just kind of like you know, be
Speaker 1: the voice and and and the you know, like the
Speaker 1: younger generation see us and see Joel, to see me,
Speaker 1: to see all the African players, and like they want
Speaker 1: to be like Earth. And I think that we're just
Speaker 1: part of like that that that machine that's growing the
Speaker 1: game in Africa, you know what I mean. Like as
Speaker 1: obviously with the NBA and and and all those those
Speaker 1: all the other entities and and and I would I
Speaker 1: would definitely love to be an honor an owner of
Speaker 1: a team in all the bal Like that would be
Speaker 1: crazy to me, Like being from Africa and be able
Speaker 1: to do that. And and you know, I don't know,
Speaker 1: maybe in my career if I'm like, oh maybe yeah,
Speaker 1: like you'd be like, yo, let's let's go and play
Speaker 1: over there. And then and if the game is growing
Speaker 1: the way it is over there and like which the
Speaker 1: growth that you talked about, like if it's going that way, um,
Speaker 1: like yeah, like why not. But owning a team for sure,
Speaker 1: like and you like, that's something that I would love
Speaker 1: to do and being a part of it, you know,
Speaker 1: so hopefully I think, yeah, I hope it can't happen
Speaker 1: for you. Because what what what brought me to the
Speaker 1: idea was like a couple of years ago Andrew Bogan,
Speaker 1: who's a former teammate of mine who taught me a
Speaker 1: ton um he went back. He's part owner of the
Speaker 1: Sydney Kings in Australia. Um, and he went back and
Speaker 1: he played for the team they want a championship and
Speaker 1: like to go to like to think this man just
Speaker 1: went and played for his own team, helped him win
Speaker 1: a championship. How great that is for for their brand
Speaker 1: as a team and continue to grow. But also he
Speaker 1: gets to participate in the upside. You know, It's like
Speaker 1: for us, like you want to you want a championship
Speaker 1: for the Toronto Raptors, you don't get to participate in
Speaker 1: the upside of that. Like I want four championships here
Speaker 1: to go to State Warriors, I don't get to participate
Speaker 1: in the upside of that. And I just think, like again,
Speaker 1: it's one of those old tired rules where it's like, no,
Speaker 1: we understand ownership at this point as players, you know,
Speaker 1: like we're more privy to information now. Yes, maybe that
Speaker 1: was a rule in the sixty seven and eighties when
Speaker 1: we weren't privy to the information that we're we're that
Speaker 1: we're privy to now, but we understand ownership now and
Speaker 1: to be able to participate in the upside of the
Speaker 1: asset that you're driving, I think it's long overdue. And
Speaker 1: when I was looking at the ball League because it's
Speaker 1: something that I've actually researched and been watching because at
Speaker 1: some point I would love to be involved, and I
Speaker 1: just wanted to know your take, um, you know, as
Speaker 1: an African born player. Yeah, no, I appreciate that. And
Speaker 1: I think that like again, like I think, just how've
Speaker 1: you knowing that you know, like even for you to
Speaker 1: be be go out there due to research and and
Speaker 1: and you know, like you're not just gonna research anything,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I think that just shows
Speaker 1: that for us, like how the game is growing. You know,
Speaker 1: obviously the NBA is involved, so it makes it you know,
Speaker 1: like already like a big thing. Um And just to
Speaker 1: know that, like, man like this going to be young
Speaker 1: young kids out there in Africa that could go to
Speaker 1: that league one day and then be able to find
Speaker 1: themselves in the NBA or maybe it grows to the
Speaker 1: level where it's big enough where some people would just
Speaker 1: go out there and they play, they live a good
Speaker 1: life and and and you know, like and they play
Speaker 1: the game that they play basketball, and the stay in
Speaker 1: Africa and and do great things. You know. So I
Speaker 1: just I hope that like yeah, like it keeps growing
Speaker 1: and and and yeah, I just I hope that we
Speaker 1: can get an opportunity to be involved in that. My
Speaker 1: brother Pascal Siam NBA Champion. Although it burns me to
Speaker 1: say that, I appreciate you coming on the show man,
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Welcome back anytime, and I appreciate
Speaker 1: it for sure now and again I want to give
Speaker 1: your flowers. Appreciate you everything. That you do, and and
Speaker 1: obviously that being being able to do what you did,
Speaker 1: you know, and winning those championships and being a part
Speaker 1: of the organization like and another person that for me.
Speaker 1: You know, you watch and he's like man like, he's
Speaker 1: doing all these things on the floor. I want to
Speaker 1: be able to do all those things on the floor,
Speaker 1: you know, a soul um nah. That's it's great And
Speaker 1: I appreciate it for having me. Thank you, brother, you
Speaker 1: much better than me. I appreciate you though, chat. I
Speaker 1: appreciate it, brother, Thank you, Thank you.