WEBVTT - TOM's Talks | Todd MacCulloch 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:08.600 Search seventy Sixers podcast Wherever you get your pots Hi. 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.800 This is Tom McGinnis. Over the course of twenty five 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:15.080 years of calling seventy Sixers games on the radio here 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:18.720 in Philadelphia, I've met hundreds of people. It's one of 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:23.040 my favorite things about the job. From courtside conversations to 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.360 filling time when the visit in a hotel lobby, getting 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.320 to know folks around the game of basketball has always 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:33.000 been a treat. This is Tom's Talks, my new podcast, 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.360 Tipping Things Off. In a first episode, I talked to 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:40.319 a long time friend, former Sixers center Todd McCulloch, a 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.120 fan favorite, the Big Man from Winnipeg, Canada, also at 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:50.120 one point joined me on the radio. Here's our conversation. Well, Todd, 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.159 thank you for joining us. First of all, how are 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:57.560 you doing? What's quarantine looked like outside Seattle and the 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:02.000 McCulloch house. We're getting used to kind of a new 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.560 normal here. So we're learning how to how to home school. 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:06.920 And we've got a got a sixth grader and a 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:08.800 fourth grader, so we're learning how to be sixth grade 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:10.560 and fourth grade teachers. We're doing the best we can 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.000 with that, and we're having lots of lots of family 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:18.240 time together and and everybody gets to Uh, we got 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.600 a lot of movie movie nights together, so they're kind 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:22.800 of learning about my movie taste. And I'm watching a 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:27.039 lot of Pixar Marble movies, and you know, my wife 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:28.800 is getting some of her picks in there as well. 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.720 So we're learning about each other's movie taste and spending 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.800 a lot of time together. But we're we're getting through. 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:39.640 If I remember having visited your house once when Seattle 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:42.919 was still in the NBA, you had a huge movie 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:46.320 room with I mean chairs that I think the Seahawks 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.240 played the front of the Alignment of the Seahawks because 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:50.560 set there is that still where you guys watch your movies. 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:54.120 Uh sometimes, yeah, I was in there last night. It's 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.960 a it's it's a comfortable place to to watch movies. 0:01:57.040 --> 0:02:00.320 But mainly we're just in the family room is kind 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:02.040 of connected to the kitchen, and so that's kind of 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.200 where we where we congregate and that's kind of our 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:06.520 family space. So that the media room sometimes and most 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:08.000 of the time it's just the TV kind of in 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.839 the kitchen family room area. You have a beautiful home. 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:12.920 I remember when we visited. We were with the TV 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:17.720 crew of what is now NBC Sports Philadelphia, and your 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:21.040 garage is a three story garage and that's where you 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:22.760 had a lot of the machines, and we went to 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.640 one level after another, but you were kind enough to 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:28.760 treat us with subway. We had some catered food there. 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:32.480 And Quilla, our good friend, and the great producers such 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:37.280 as Television said, and your house looks like Villanova's gym. 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:39.840 It's got white panel pine. It's gorgeous, as they said, 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:46.119 and Jr. Said, Geez, Codd surprised with how nice your 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:49.440 house is that your neighbors are so close. You let 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:54.920 me go. That's the garage. I remember that. That was 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:57.560 That was a funny moment. So we're fortunate to have 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:01.160 some space here to not be on top of each other. Right. So, 0:03:01.400 --> 0:03:04.160 Washington was one of the first places in the United 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:08.280 States where COVID nineteen, the coronavirus started out there in 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:13.600 Kirkland with that nursing home situation. Was that kind of 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:17.600 wild that it started in your region of the country. Yeah, 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:20.959 it was. That really hit home literally, just to see 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:23.400 what was going on. In China, and then to hear 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:25.560 about some of the European countries, and then to have 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:29.720 some of the first cases here in Seattle was very alarming, 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.520 and just to see what was going on in the 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:38.240 Kirkland area. And fortunately, I think our governor, you know, 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:42.120 took things very seriously right from the beginning and instituted 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.360 some pretty tough, tough manasures and it you know, it's 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.160 been tough economically for a lot of people, but what 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.200 I think it's done is it's curtailed some of that 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.160 exponential growth that other cities are seeing. And so I 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:54.520 think Seattle kind of went down into a lockdown situation 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.680 a little bit earlier than some other people. So while 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.320 we still have increasing numbers, it doesn't seem to be 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:01.560 happening on an exponential level. And I think that's because 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:03.200 of some of the early steps that were taken in 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:08.200 this area. Right. So you went to the University of Washington, 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:12.280 and so did seventy six ers rookie Matisse Bible and 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.360 I know you watched him play at u W and 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:17.559 are a big fan. Tell us a little bit about 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:20.160 your impressions of Matife so far and what it was 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:22.640 like to watch him play as a husky out there 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:27.240 in the Pacific Northwest. No, I haven't met Matize, but 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.599 I already loved the guy. I know. I know people 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.560 that know him, and they spoke extremely highly of him, 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.000 and just watching him, even if you didn't know him 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.560 as a person, just to see that kind of effort 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:41.119 and how hard he plays that I loved watching him play, 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.680 and he just had this quiet intensity to just get it, 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.200 get it done, and he never quit on any play ever. 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.080 And so when I heard that Philadelphia drafted Who, I 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:52.200 was thrilled because I knew that you guys would fall 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.520 in love with him. I knew how hard he worked 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:57.600 and how much the fans would appreciate that effort. And 0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:59.640 I also had heard from people what a great guy 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:01.960 he was and how much people would like him personally. 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:04.120 So I thought that was a great fit, and I 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:06.520 was happy that the Sixers got such a such a 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.120 great teammate. And that doesn't surprise me at all that 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.479 he's uh that that people really like the way the 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:14.760 way he plays. So I'm looking forward to meeting him 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:16.800 one of these times when when he comes back to Seattle. 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:21.039 And you know, I'm enjoying watching him play because I 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.839 think he's phenomenal and he just has incredible instincts. And 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:27.360 you combine those instincts and those gifts with effort and 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:29.880 it makes makes for quite a quite a difficult player 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.880 to score on. And Mike Hugh, he's got great, great 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:35.040 character and he's a wonderful person to have a run 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.000 our team and in our organization. What was it like 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:41.120 for you to play at the University of Washington. You 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.920 grew up in Winnipeg, You play at at UW for 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:48.320 Bob Bender, and what was it like at the time, 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.000 I'm assuming it was the Pac ten Pac twelve to 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.719 play in that league, and at what point did you 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:57.000 realize that you might end up being an NBA player. 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.080 Took It took a little while. I loved playing here. 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.240 It was a big adjustment for me coming from Winnipeg, Manitoba. 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.480 I believe I was the first player to go directly 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:12.200 from a Manitoba high school to a D one college, 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.360 and so it's kind of an uncharted path. And I 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:18.880 was not prepared for for the weight room, for the fitness, 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:24.880 for the athleticism, and few adjustments a few seas in 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:26.400 those early days. You wouldn't have thought I would have 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:27.960 been much of a college player at all, but I 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:31.000 but I stuck with it and ended up having a 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.720 very good experience at the University of Washington. I read 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.240 shirted my first year, and that was a challenging year 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.280 for me, but I came a long way. And I 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.200 think it was my freshman year, which would have been 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:44.200 after my red shirt year, we went to Michigan and 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:47.040 at the time they had two players from the Fab 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:51.280 Five left at Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. And we 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:54.520 were coming off a tough season the year before nine eighteen, 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:56.440 trying to get a winning record, trying to get to 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:59.440 some post post season play, and it came right down 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:01.440 to the wire and I think we got a shop 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:04.000 blocked at the buzzer and we lost by one. And 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:06.400 while I was not happy that we lost, I was 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.600 happy that we were competitive against a team that had 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.560 some prestige. And I think I had twelve points and 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:13.720 ten rebounds, and I think at that point I thought, Okay, 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.920 I just had a double double against this Michigan team 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:18.440 that a lot of people still know, So, you know, 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.480 maybe maybe I have a chance to be a decent 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:22.840 college player if I can get a double double against 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:24.760 a high profile team like this, so it gets a 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:27.000 tough opponent. And that's I think when I started, the 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.000 coaches always believed in me. I think they could see 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:31.360 the potential that I had. But for me, I think 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:33.600 that that made me realize that if I keep going, 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:35.720 you know, maybe I can have an impact at the 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:39.080 college level. And when you got drafted to the NBA, 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.680 what did that moment feel like? It was a little 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:45.680 bit bitter sweet. I was just talking to a friend 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:47.600 of mine about that. I mean, I think it's it's 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:51.120 all about your your perspective. And I ended up going 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:52.960 on to a good college career, and I think I 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:55.600 wanted to be a first round pick. I think anyone 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:58.920 that you know, it's it's it's obviously an honor to 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.960 get drafted, and there's only maybe sixty people that are 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:04.240 drafted each year and on this planet, and it's a 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.000 huge honor. But I think my expectations and my hope 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.040 was to be a first round pick, and I thought 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.360 that maybe I'd done enough in my four or five 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:15.280 years at Washington to get one of those top thirty spots. 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.520 That didn't happen, and so I was sort of devastated 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:22.760 and I was looking looking back, I was very uh, 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:27.000 I was sad, and it just wasn't a celebratory moment 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.440 for me, and that that came later, and I had 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.080 an assistant coach that had some champagne there to celebrate 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.199 and he could sort of see that I wasn't in 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:37.880 a celebratory movement and he said, you know what, we're 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:39.480 going to We're keep this for another time. We're going 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.959 to celebrate later. And that moment did happen later in 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:44.079 my career, and so I think I used that as 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:47.440 a motivation and I ended up playing with Team Canada 0:08:47.480 --> 0:08:49.760 that summer with teammates like Steve Nash, and all of 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.199 a sudden, that confidence that I felt like I had 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:54.520 lost I was reading. I realized, you know what, I 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:56.559 am a good basketball player, and playing with somebody like 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.880 Steve Nass that he makes everybody look good. I started 0:08:59.920 --> 0:09:02.920 to believe in myself again and played well that summer 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:06.800 and ended up ended up with a two year contract 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.600 with the Sixers. And we'll get into that, but you've 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:12.400 shared over the years some of those stories about Nash 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:16.840 after games, like meetings on the beach and the leadership 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:20.800 that he showed and the way he connected everybody. I 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.800 know he's still involved with Team Canada. A little bit 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.240 about Nash and your experience in the international game with him. 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:33.760 The most unbelievable person, teammate, competitor guy. I mean, he's 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:36.120 obviously a great basketball player. He's been a two time 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:40.400 NBA MVP. It doesn't get much, there's no there's not 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.160 a bigger accolade, I think than being named the MVP 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:45.640 of this amazing group of athletes, and he's done that twice. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.480 But that's he's even a better guy than that, which 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:52.880 he's just an amazing leader. And we were so much 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:54.880 better with him, and not only were we better in 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:57.000 the court, but we just had more fun off the court. 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:58.839 I mean, we won a game in Puerto Rico and 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:00.720 at center Circle we would get together as a team 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:03.280 and uh and thank the crowd for their support. And 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:04.760 then Steve said, all right, when we get back to 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:06.480 the hotel in San Juan, I want everyone in the 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:08.760 in the ocean we're playing. We're playing five hundred and 0:10:08.800 --> 0:10:10.920 I'm gonna pitch you know you guys are and be 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:12.600 on the ocean. It was just like, oh, this is great. 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:14.800 We did our work, we won as a country, and 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:17.120 now Steve. Steve's going to be throwing the soccer ball 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:18.839 to us in the in the ocean Puerto Rico, and 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:20.720 then we would be ready to play the next day. 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:23.400 But he really kept it fun. And we'd be riding 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:25.520 on a school bus and he'd be sitting on the 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:28.520 luggage just strumming away in a guitar, just like a 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:31.480 camp fire field. He would give up his first class 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:33.679 seats on the plane to big guys like myself, just 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:37.679 just just you know. He was an unbelievable teammate. What 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:41.760 great memory. So you come to the Sixers and Larry 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:44.880 Brown was the coach, Iverson was on the team. What 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:49.719 was your initial reaction coming to Philadelphia. I don't know 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:52.000 what to think, but I was just excited to be 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:56.680 part of an NBA franchise. And I had met coach 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.079 Brown at the at the press conference, and then he 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.800 was in the Olympic tournament in Puerto Rico as well, 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:03.040 so I'd had a chance to get to a coach 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:06.440 Brown a little bit. And you know, I met Matt 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:08.839 Geiger right away, and I met a bunch of the 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:13.040 other guys, and I Aaron McKee and Iver Soon and 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:17.000 George Lynch and you know Tyrone Hill, if you right, 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:19.679 love just a great group of guys and I really 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.400 liked them right from the start. And people people helped me. 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:26.679 They helped me defensively, They helped me with all the 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:28.280 aspects that I was going to improve on to be 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:31.240 an effective India player. And no more than Coach Brown, 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.360 who loves to coach and he loves to teach. And 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:35.959 so being one of the young guys, you'd come in 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:38.240 early and he would run us in two on two, 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:40.720 three on three, so we would have a little mini 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:44.319 practice before the real practice started. And so he I 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.720 think he really enjoyed teaching and I was ready to learn, 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.520 try and figure out how to adapt to this NBA 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:55.360 style game. They called you dip fondly, what was the 0:11:55.640 --> 0:12:00.640 genesis behind that nickname Dip? So my first NBA game 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:03.120 was against the San Antonio Spurs, and this was right 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:05.920 after they had won the abbreviated fifty game season, and 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:08.200 so we were there in San Antonio for the first 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.160 game of that season and that's when they received their rings. 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:14.360 And so Coach Brown and Coach Popovich were good friends, 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:16.840 and so Coach Brown said, hey, let's let's pay our 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:19.160 respects and let's let's you know, this is where we 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:21.559 want to be. So let's let's honor these guys for 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:23.079 the season they had last year, and let's try and 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.719 be that team this year. And so this is this 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:29.480 is my first NBA game, and here we are, you know, 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:33.200 watching San Antonio Spurs get their rings. And David Robinson 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:35.120 is somebody that I looked up to as a youngster, 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:38.400 someone with a lot of I see number fifty there 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:40.880 and in behind you, and he wore number fifty. I 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.319 ended up wearing number fifty. Just thought he was a 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.760 class act and had incredible skills and was a very 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:49.560 well rounded person as well as being a great basketball player. 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.800 So here I am now trying to guard him. And 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.280 this was the old NBA rules where the defensive principles 0:12:56.320 --> 0:12:58.199 were a little bit different and somebody legal defense was 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.920 different and you could really at the floor. So David Robinson, 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:03.559 you know, I think he was looking as chops when 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:05.320 I get into the game and he said, like ISO, 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.520 So everybody just the red Sea parted and everybody went 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:10.280 in the four corners the baseline and it was just 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.360 me trying to trying to stay in front of David Robinson. 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.080 It didn't go well for me, and they ended up 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:19.679 having a pretty good game. But I did go up strong, 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.000 which for me wasn't necessarily dunk in the basketball. But 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:24.199 I went for a power two hand layup and I 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.520 went up and I saw David Robinson's hands and then 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.000 I saw Tim Duncan's hands, and there's these four massive 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:31.440 hands that were going to block me, and I thought 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:33.920 I got to do something. This power layup isn't gonna work. 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.199 So I just brought it down, did a little dip dip, 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.199 and then threw it up and somehow, you know, I 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.320 was trying to look like Jordan in the playoffs against 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.520 I think Portland or he had that incredible play. It 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.640 didn't look like that, but somehow it avoided all four 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.959 of those huge hands went off the backward and went in. 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:51.000 And I was as shocked as anybody. And I looked 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:52.320 at the bench and I thought they would have been 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.040 like yeah, but they were all laughing and they could 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.760 look you gave him the dip. What is this? You're 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:58.800 the dip down, So that Aaron McKee was like, what 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:01.760 is this? That's how I got the nickname. I didn't 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:04.439 realize it, but that's probably when are you kidding me? Started? 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:09.520 And probably that would that would make sense. Yeah, that 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:10.800 I couldn't do that I want to gain in a 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:12.800 million years. But I knew I had to try something 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.720 because going up not getting it done on those guys. 0:14:16.120 --> 0:14:17.920 And just to be clear, they gave me that when 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:20.680 I was fifty some years ago, so I didn't steal 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.360 your number. It just it was a birthday gift from 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.040 the seventy sixties. So look, what was it like playing 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:28.880 with Iverson and traveling with Iverson? Because I remember those 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.840 years too, and you know how the fans, the autograph 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:35.640 seekers were at the hotel, I mean obviously with Lebron 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.120 and Michael and like that, and on some level it 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:41.320 was the same thing. So what was it like from 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:44.720 your perspective to travel with Alan Iverson? Oh? It was 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.120 he was a He was a riot and so I 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:50.880 always had, you know, a disc man with you know, 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:53.680 back back in the day, pre pre iPod, and I 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:55.200 you know, I was at music listen to you. But 0:14:55.200 --> 0:14:56.760 I never wanted to do it because I didn't want 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:58.680 to miss the Iverson show and I didn't want to 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:00.960 miss the jokes. He was cra and just how entertaining 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:02.200 it was, so I didn't want to missing me, so 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:04.800 I didn't use my music player very much at all. 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.240 And I remember, you know, people would talk about him 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:09.560 hanging out at Friday's when I first got to fill 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:11.840 it Fridays, and I thought Fridays must be something happening 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.640 club and I found out that it's TGI Fridays and 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:16.360 it was near the practice facility. So I went there 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:18.240 with my Winnipeg friends and where maybe a month or 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:20.680 two into the season and I'm with my Winnipeg friends. 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:22.440 They can't believe him in the NBA. I can't believe 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.160 him in the NBA. And Iverson is with his friends 0:15:25.240 --> 0:15:27.240 in the in the corner, and I think he went 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:29.800 past my table to maybe use the restroom or something. 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:31.720 And I'm still a little nervous and start start. Even 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:33.440 though we're teammates. I mean, he's just the larger than 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:35.840 life personality and just people want to be around him. 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:38.480 And I was no different. And I said, Helen, I 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:40.360 don't mean to bother you, but will you take a 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.080 second here and maybe sign an autograph for my friends, 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.720 maybe take a picture. And he was like, yeah, sure, 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:47.360 I'll take a picture of your friends. All the sign 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:49.960 but who were you When I go what And he's like, 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.320 I got you, man, They'll be so gable. And he's 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:54.080 making fun of me in front of my friends, and 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:58.760 I'm like, that's not funny out So he was. He 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:02.760 was cool. Great, And then that team, of course made 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.400 it to the NBA Finals eventually in two thousand and 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.720 two thousand and one season, and you know, you didn't 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:11.120 play that much, but there were injuries and you backed 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:13.400 up to Ken Bay a little bit. What was your 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:16.480 experience like, uh, playing in the NBA Finals and put 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:21.600 that whole playoff run. Yeah, that was. That was, you know, 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:23.600 kind of a dream come true to make it to 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.840 the NBA Finals. And I hadn't played much leading up 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:31.200 to that final series. I think I had gotten in 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:33.560 once in the Milwaukee series, and I hadn't gotten in 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.840 in the Indiana series, and I don't think I've gotten 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:38.080 in the Toronto series. So I kind of just assumed 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.920 that I wouldn't get in in the UH in the 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.720 series against Milwaukee, and I think there was a time 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:46.320 out where coach Brown drew up the play and I 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:48.800 wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been, 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:51.360 And it's just kind of a reminder for young guys 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.840 to always be ready and be prepared. And I wasn't 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.440 really listening as well as I should have been. And 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.240 sometimes a coach at the beginning of the time I 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:00.520 will say, you know, Tad get Geiger a tug tyrone, 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:01.800 and then you're like, oh, I'm in the game. I 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.959 better pay extra attention. But in this case, the substitution 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:06.760 happened after the time out, and I didn't think I 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:08.880 could go up to coach and say, hey, coach, yeah, 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:11.040 can you run through that again? Yeah, I wasn't listening. 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:13.320 I'm gonna need you to drive up that play. So 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:14.720 then I thought, you know, I should have gone to 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:17.120 Eric Snow or somebody, and they said, what are we doing? 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:18.840 But I just, you know, I thought most of my 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:20.680 plays start with me on the right hand side of 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:22.200 the court behind the three point line, so I'm just 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:24.879 gonna go there. And I can hear a coach saying, no, Todd, 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.560 not there, and so I'm like, well, maybe I'm supposed 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:28.760 to be on the left side of the court. So 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:30.080 I go to the left side of the court and 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.080 he says, no, Todd there. I'm like, I don't know 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.439 where I'm supposed to be I have to get this rebound. 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.120 I don't care, so I for some reason, I knew 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.080 the shot would be missed from whoever took it, and 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.000 I crashed the boards and I pushed everybody out of 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:43.320 the way and I got the rebound because I had 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:45.600 to make something positive happen. And then I laid it 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:47.760 in and I got fouled, and I was like, Okay, 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:49.800 I had to make something positive where I was getting 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:51.680 yanked out of this game. So then I was a 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:54.200 little more prepared for every time out and now we 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:57.000 make it to the NBA Finals, and I just wanted 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:59.280 to do the best I could, and I thought check 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:01.720 is better than me in every way. But I'm gonna 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:03.359 try and run hard. I'm gonna try and beat them 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:05.879 down the floor. I'm gonna try and give that extra effort, 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:07.439 and if and when he blocks me, I'm gonna try 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:08.679 and get it and I'm gonna try and go right 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.000 back up with it. So I just had an attitude 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:13.720 of just trying to do just try and play within 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:15.640 myself and do the things that I do and try 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:18.160 and do them as best I could. And winning Game 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:20.320 one was a huge thrill, and I think surprised a 0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:23.440 lot of people, and unfortunately we just couldn't couldn't keep 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:25.920 that momentum going. And the Lakers had a lot of 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:27.680 a lot of clutch players, and so I think we 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:29.200 were in a lot of those games and it came 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.160 down to some key situations and whether it was Derek 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:34.359