WEBVTT - KJ Live – Marc Spears 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.280 This is kJ Live with Chris john Sallie and Critics 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:13.680 is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:20.520 entertainment in this trade. Now Here's Chris Johnson. This is 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.960 kJ Live. Today's guests in the show is the Senior 0:00:24.079 --> 0:00:28.720 India Writer, film producer and Folmic Chair the National Association 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:32.520 with Black Drummers as the NBA Senior India Radical Undefeated, 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:36.680 ESPN's digital platform, the focuses on the intersection with race, 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:41.199 sports and culture. Spears regularly breaks NBA news and publishers 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:43.440 long form content pieces on some of the lead's most 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:47.280 intriguing subject subjects. Our Guests has also covered the NBA 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.479 for more than twenty years, including eighteen NBA Off Our 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:54.560 Games and the two thousand and eight Beijing Olympics. The 0:00:54.760 --> 0:00:57.920 San Jose State and l s U gradually has also 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:01.400 produced Katuna Cop in the Superdome, an award winning documentary 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:05.800 chronically the experiences of New Orleans police officer Reck Charles 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.520 and other city residents during their state in the Louisiana Superdome. 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:15.520 After Patrina. Please welcome to kJ Live. The legend Mark 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:19.240 Jay Spears is in the building. Y'all up, What's up, Bro, 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.480 what's up? Man now? Chilling Man like, yeah, y'all Bruins 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:25.920 hurt my heart the other day. Man, we had to 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:28.520 get you. And you see, I didn't even like I 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:30.720 just said you gottas you know what I mean. I 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:34.000 didn't even like, well, I have to act tough about it. Well, 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:36.119 that was our super Bowl, man. Any time you get 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:37.720 a chance to play like an L s U to 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:40.920 kind of get your season catapulta. Bro, we came, all 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.600 the stars got a line. Man. It was just a 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.120 testament to like us really being up for the game. Bro. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:47.680 But you know your coach was talking stuff too that, 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.720 you know what he Yeah, he did that, but he's 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:52.960 a trojan head. He got some trojan ties, So I 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:56.480 didn't you know he Yeah, he was felling himself a 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:00.160 little bit. I didn't too much like that, but know 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.560 when I got it was interesting that day in l A. 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.000 My two schools sound they stay lost, the USC gave 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.720 it with their coaches last win before he got fired, 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:15.280 and then L s U lost. And I was supposed 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.400 to go down there because you hit me. You're like yo, yeah, 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:21.560 And I like, nah, man, that's too many people to 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:26.360 be around right now. And I blame COVID, But yeah, 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.480 I'm glad I ain't go oh man, No, it was good. 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:32.880 A would have fun seeing y'all, y'all, I would have 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.480 fun with y'all. Man, it was good times. Man. You 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.840 just came back from the Hall of Fame where you 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:41.040 you know, you you kind of hosted the whole situation 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.359 out there. Man. Talk about how special it was. This 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:46.040 is your second time doing it. Talk about how special 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.960 the opportunity was, and how special this Hall of Fame 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:53.240 class that's gonna inducted is well, I mean, you know, 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:57.120 these guys are our eraor right, these are dudes like 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:02.160 we we might have played against, you know, and perhaps 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.240 it's getting to the end of our era. So it's uh, 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:09.720 it's certainly been a special year because you gotta remember 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:13.720 the class of was delayed because of COVID. So I had, 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:18.360 you know, the honor the hosted in the spring. That 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:22.720 was Kobe you know, I just I missed him, man, 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:27.120 I wish he was here, just I could only imagine 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:29.079 what kind of Hall of Fame speech that was. But 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:31.880 to be able to be the host of that conference 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:35.240 press conference in the spring, and I covered Kevin Garnett 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.000 when he played for the Cultic, So KG gave me 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:42.120 this like like like you know what I mean, Like 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:48.360 that was from him. That's a lot of respect, you know, um, 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:52.680 And then you know it was just Tim Duncan was 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:55.480 in that class too, So that was certainly a special class. 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.800 And I think even with this class, these were guys 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.760 that I knew even better. Like I've spent a lot 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.800 of time with Ben Wallace recently doing this piece. Man, 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:06.000 I don't know if you got to see it with 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.440 The Undefeated. Our video team didn't. We went back to 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:14.880 Alabama and went deep with him, and so like Ben 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.880 during the press conference, man, he came up to me 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:20.440 and hugged me before he answered questions and he was 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.599 in tears. He was emotional. Man, he was emotional the 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.240 whole weekend. See Webb came up to me, gave me 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:30.120 some lug, gave me a hug. You know, I remember 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:33.480 being that arco interviewing him with the Kings when he 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.480 was probably at the height of his career. And then 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.920 Pierce I covered him when he won a championship, and 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:42.800 you know, me and him been friends for a while. 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:47.480 And that's that's my dude. Man, He's he's crazy he's 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.839 that crazy dude. Did a good way though, man, Like 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:57.000 you know know how Paul feels asked, you want to 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:01.880 know what's going on? And if you ass people, he 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.880 loved you, man. So that was it was. It was 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:06.839 beautiful to be a part of that class. I think 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:10.840 my only thing that was kind of sad was when 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:14.320 they said that Russell was gonna get um in for 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:17.719 coaches and getting going to Hall of Fame for the 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.919 second time. I was so excited about the opportunity to 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:25.560 interview Russell in the press conference, but because of COVID, 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:28.440 he counseled a couple of things, and he one of 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:30.520 the things he counseled was not doing the press conference, 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:34.680 so that I was like, I missed, obviously missed Kobe 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.560 and I got I didn't get the chance to interview Russell, 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.599 But the rest of the press conference was amazing. The 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:43.240 weekend was amazing. You know. It was good to see 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:45.720 Lebron in the building during the Hall of Fame and 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:48.880 show respected Chris Bosh. It was. It was great to 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:51.880 see Jordan in the building and then also to see 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.679 Russell on stage, Like when how often do you see 0:05:56.240 --> 0:06:00.440 you know, Lebron, Jordan's and Russell all in the same place, 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:03.159 and I don't know what happened behind the scenes. I 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:05.719 would I would assume that as soon as Jordan was 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.120 done sitting next to Tony Kukoach, he was in the 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:15.200 pj or or the springfield right afterwards? What are the two? Yeah? 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:20.000 And and like Lebron, just if I was a betting man, 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.880 the reason why Chris Bosh was last and Paul Pierce 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:28.000 wasn't who's like a Celtics legend. It was because I 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.560 think there were time in Lebron's arrival, because all of 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:33.000 a sudden he just showed up like, oh, Lebron's here 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.599 at the end. I didn't know. I didn't know that, okay, 0:06:36.600 --> 0:06:40.680 so he just like, why was Bosch last? Like Lebron 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:43.719 showed up, Like come on man, like Lebron is pretty powerful. 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:48.560 Uh Brown again, my boy Rob? You know, Robb the 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:53.800 security guru from the Lakers was there. So I was like, yeah, okay, 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:57.400 I know what's happening tonight. But you know, how often 0:06:57.400 --> 0:06:59.400 do you get to see those three guys in the 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:02.400 same room. And that's what I was gonna kind of 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:05.679 touch on, Mark when you when you take us back 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:09.200 man to the origins of everything? When you first wanted 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.480 to be a sportswriter, did you ever think that you 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:14.600 was gonna be in a room with Jordan Russell Brown 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:17.560 on the stage introducing folks at all the things like 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.320 talk about the foundation of it all, how it started 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:23.720 for you? And you know what I'm saying, it's it's 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:27.640 interesting you say that because I knew I wanted to 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:30.080 be a sportswriter since I was in the seventh grade. 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.560 But you gotta remember, like, bro, when we were coming up, 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:38.560 like the internet was wearing diapers, like I remember what 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:40.920 I was that sold. They stay and they're like, yo, 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:43.760 we gotta give you this email. What the hell is 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:47.480 the email? And they're like, so you could send somebody 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:50.680 a message on the computer. I'm like, why not just 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.240 call them? Like I have a cell for that. I 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:58.200 got page them page to me. Baby. My point is, 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:01.600 like I really got into this to be a print reporter. 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:05.360 I didn't. I didn't go to school for television. I 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:08.360 didn't go to school for radio. I thought it was 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:12.080 dope to just have my name in the newspaper internet 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:16.080 going around, But you know, I first started dreaming about 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:19.160 being a sportswriter in the seventh grade, we had a 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.440 career day at sylvan Dale Junior High School and Saint 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:26.720 Jose and Bro, I swear the guy one of my 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.240 teachers must have been dating some dude from the Warriors, right, 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:33.360 because San Jose is like a good like forty miles 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.520 from Oakland. Their traffic bad in the morning from the 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:40.679 Warriors came to our Junior high and spoke, and he 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:42.080 was one of the people that spoke. So I went 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:44.480 to listen to him. I'm like, I'm gonna get a 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:49.160 free jersey, free tickets, bumper stick or something. Basketball. Ain't 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.560 that nothing? Right? So when I speak to kids, I 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:53.960 try to give himself down because I remember that. But 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.520 for some reason, he pointed at me and he goes, well, 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:58.880 what do you want to do when you grow up? 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:01.960 And this is bro, this is what I said. I 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:05.760 want to play for y'all. And he said, well, I'm 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.640 not gonna say that you can't, but if you don't 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:10.200 make it to the NBA, what are you gonna do? 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:12.959 And I said, well, I don't know. And I remember 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.679 because I was reading Sports Illustrated in elementary school. My 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.360 dad got me a subscription because how much I love sports, 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:21.840 and I remember seeing this stat that said less than 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.319 two percent of all college basketball players made it to 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:27.319 the NBA. And I was as real as the kid now, 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:31.920 like like, hey, let's a two percent that that ain't 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:36.200 my mind would be playing in college, not playing in 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.960 the NBA. But that's that was in my mind. But 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:41.640 the guy turned to me and said, well, my advice 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:44.160 to you, young man is if you can find a 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:47.840 career where you combine what you love most in life 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:51.199 with what you do best in school, you have a 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:55.160 job that you will be happy to be in every day. 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.120 That was hell of an advice, right, So my teacher, 0:09:58.240 --> 0:09:59.959 Miss Thompson, the next day she said, we had a 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:06.000 write somebody, uh, write a letter. There were no email yet, right, 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.319 we had actually write a letter anybody we're in UM, 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:13.480 interested in UM and the field that we're interested in. 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:15.760 So I wrote a calmness by the name of Mark 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.160 Party from the Sounds and Mercury News and asked them 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:22.959 how can I be a sportswriter? He wrote me back, 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:25.520 sent me a letter and told me how to be 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:30.440 a sportswriter in the seventh grade. He gave me basically 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:34.000 a bible a roadmap from seventh grade through college on 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:36.400 what to do to be a sportswriter. So let me 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:40.439 ask you this smart for people out there aspiring sportswriters 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:42.880 right now, can you share some of the secrets of 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.400 this bible or just the basic foundation of it? Yeah, 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.320 you know he he told me to write. This was 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:53.240 on the letter right on the school paper. Now, so 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:57.160 if you score in the Silverdale Junior High library somewhere. 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:02.440 My first job, I tell people is I covered the 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:07.040 sylvan Dale Junior High Bears eighth grade flag football team. 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.160 I was going to their practice. I was writing stories 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:11.880 for the school paper while I was in the seventh grade. 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.000 He said, when you go to high school, take all 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:17.480 the typing classes you could take, which probably was the 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:19.800 most valuable thing I did in high school was take 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.400 typing classes type took Type of one, two and three. 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:26.319 He said, either joined the school yearbook or the school newspaper. 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.000 I joined the school newspaper. We had a guy from 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.320 the Sounds of Mercury News who ran our school paper, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:33.520 came in once a week. His name was he was 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.319 a writer named McK van Balcomburg. So I got to 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.960 touch an actual writer in the Sounds Mercury News. And 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:41.760 then Mr Purdy said at the end, he said, when 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.880 you go to college, take as many internships as possible, 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:48.600 and also, you know, right on the school paper. So 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.680 I chased the college basketball dream. I went to three 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:55.560 different schools, but you know how crazy art lies are. 0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:59.600 I still wrote on the school paper every single year. 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:03.240 I did internships every single year San Jose Metro for 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:08.120 Free Grand Rapids Press, Dallas Morning News. Was an intern 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:12.080 with the National Association and Black Journalists. So I wasn't 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:15.479 drafted in the NBA, but by the time I graduated 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:17.960 from Santa State, I felt like I was a first 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:21.400 round draft pick and being a sportswriter and a lot 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:23.760 of that. I give credit to Mark Party for writing 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.640 me that letter that you know, basically gave me a 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:32.319 road map and lit a fire. So at what point, 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:35.320 because you hoop in college, at what point did you 0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:38.280 just say, you know what, I'm not tripping on hooping 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:41.080 no more. It's literally I'm literally gonna focus on my 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.240 intention of becoming a sportswriter or what are you doing? 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:48.520 Both from the day I showed up, so you got this? 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:52.000 Did you get a scholarship? Mark? Are you? So this 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.520 is we'll go back. I graduated from Andrew Hill High 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:59.040 School in San Josey. I was, I'll say as I 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:03.400 was pretty damn good school basketball player. Um, I wasn't 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:09.160 kJ you know what I'm saying, But but I did 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:13.720 get the better one of your guys, Chris Demon. Oh yeah, 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:17.679 six six six six posts. He was. He used to 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.960 go to Bellman College prep for the schools in Sunday 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:24.240 called Santa Teresa. I was a senior. He was a junior, 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:26.560 and I heard about this bad white boy with hops. 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:31.160 He was bad. Kevin was bad before he heard his back. Yeah. 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:34.040 So he had like a big top chef down he go. 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.079 Hear the story, he's gonna be mad. But the first 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.800 time we played him, I turned into the post and 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:41.920 I put the ball in the glass and he batted 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:46.040 my my shot off the glass. Bro, And I was like, Okay, 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:50.240 this dude can play these for real, Like yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:53.240 I started body on my body and we beat him. 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:55.880 I think we beat them twice again like the body, yeah, 0:13:55.920 --> 0:14:00.480 you can't hang it. He didn't like too much physical 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.480 and I was that kind of player. I was like, 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:08.760 you were physical boy, Like sixteen and fifteen in high school. 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:13.160 I think my best game I had, Um, Piemont Hills 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:18.719 at thirty two points in two rebounds or something like that. 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:25.920 Oh yeah, yeah game. Um, but my grades were bad. 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:30.240 Um I had I broke my my leg my sophomore 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:32.680 year in high school, so that held me back a lot. 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:37.080 At two great players when they were seniors my junior year, 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.160 so I was like behind them. So it wasn't until 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:44.720 a you, um, before my senior year that people even 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.560 really knew who I was. But the one thing that 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:52.080 really you know, and I was like all leagues, Um, 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:53.880 I was third and them. I remember I was third 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:55.720 in m VP vote and I was really proud of 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:58.240 that because the two guys ahead of me, a guy 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.640 named Terry Martin who played at IONA and a guy 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:05.800 named Brian Bell who played a Chico. They were on 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:07.720 the team that won the league. In our league finished 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:09.640 in fifth. So I was like, if I'm third in 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.320 m v P and our team finished in fifth in 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:16.160 our league, that's that's the compliment from the compliment. Yeah. 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:18.760 And so I played in what it's called the Central 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:23.080 Section Central Coast Section All Star Game and with UH 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:28.040 which basically is from San Francisco through the Peninsula through 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:32.680 San Jose, Automa way to Monterey um and that was 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:34.440 a big honor for me. I played in the Pump 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:41.160 Classic Unsigned Seniors Classic. Um um Brent Berry played in that. 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:46.520 I remember that. Um. But I Columbia University wanted me. 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:52.720 Ivy League school, best journalism program in the country. Now 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:55.240 your grades, now, could you say you had bad grades? 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.000 But then you had worked on them to get to 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.120 the point where Colombia was rocking? What you no? This 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:09.720 is danc transcribe yet Oh I said they wanted me. Yeah, 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:11.720 I had a coach from sound They state that I 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:17.960 went and become an assistant there. Uh sny um Eric Sawney, 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:20.960 and I got a good a call to He reached 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:23.120 out to be recently and he wanted me to come 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:27.360 at a two point to g p A man at 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:29.000 a two point through g p A and at east 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:35.040 Side and the Ivy Lea School. And that's when I 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:38.640 woke up. That's when I woke up. I'm still crushed 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.640 by that. Yeah, I mean I didn't get a good 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:46.440 I got bad advice going into like I went to 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:49.280 a high school where there were a lot of kids 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:52.440 who were like section their kids to live across the street. 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:57.200 Um My family was I call it lower middle class 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:03.000 like I always had. I didn't have the newest, but 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:09.000 I had clothes, I had food, right, you get it. Um. 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.919 But I didn't realize that I needed a certain g 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.040 p A to go to college. Nobody told me that 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:16.439 in the beginning, and so when I found out it 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.880 was too late. Man, I had all these seeds because 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:20.760 they said you had needed a two point oh to 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:25.600 be eligible, and so Colombia wanted me. I didn't have 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:29.840 the grades. I got recruited by several different schools, sound 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:31.239 they stayed at that time. I was trying to get 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:33.639 me to walk on, but I ended up going to 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:37.239 junior college, and I went to Foothill College and Long 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.600 South those Hills, California, which was called the Harvard on 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:43.639 the Hill because their academics were really good, and a 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.679 lot of the UH students there ended up going to 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.440 Stanford or even Ivy League schools. And I was like, well, 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.440 I was woke up then realized I wasn't going to 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.960 the NBA I needed. I was using college to pay 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:02.040 for school and I love basketball, um, and I just 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.359 I just remember, man, that first day of class they 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:06.239 brought us in. They like to set person to your 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:11.600 right and left, they're not gonna graduate, like I got 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:14.320 scared straight I was. I think I was on the 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:16.480 Dean's list of first semester. I never made the Dean's 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:20.719 list again because I figured out that Yeah yeah, but 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.440 I mean, I was just always that when I played 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:26.440 UM went there for two years, Foothill College, and I 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:29.399 went to a Division two HBCU. I was supposed to 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:33.600 go to Tuskegee, committed there, and then the coach got fired, 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.600 so I ended up going to another HBCU and DC 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.639 called the District of Columbia played their first season. The 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:45.760 academics were horrible. UM. I ended up having a great 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.480 second half of the season, scored thirty two and what 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:52.320 would be my last college basketball game. But the coach there, 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:56.160 I remember him at as got rested. So he told me, man, 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:59.159 if you cared about basketball as you much as you 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:01.600 do that goddamn journalism, you be a hell of a player. 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.399 M And I'm like, coach, if the NBA was interesting me, 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:09.280 I wouldn't be here making up as think about it. 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.520 I was realistic, man, like I wouldn't be playing at 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:17.760 UDC coach, and I ended up leaving there and transferring 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.040 the Salley State and then it got crazy. Then you 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.879 got crazy, and so you graduated from San Jose State. 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:27.720 You what was your first gig as far as being 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:31.520 a sportswriter professional? Very first. My first job, I covered 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:38.199 Arkansas's football and basketball team for the World. Wow. I 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.600 think y'all just beat them? Yo? Yes, they just won 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:46.280 a championship in right, right? No, I think it was 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:49.359 because they beat no. No, yes, they wanted to and 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:54.200 they lost to y'all. Yeah. Yeah, right, So that's the era. Okay. 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:58.359 So when I came in, Corlos was gone. Scottie Thurman 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:01.480 was like all these dudes that left of the NBA 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:04.119 and then and I used to be on campus and 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:07.200 people be like corre less, correlets. I'm like, I'm not corless, Williamson, 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:14.040 you know, you say by you know what I'm saying 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:20.320 it say kind of Bill like, you know, like I'm 0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:28.080 I'm prettier than like stop. But you well, AULSA was 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:32.080 because I basically lived in Tulsa and I just went 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:35.400 up for football games and practices. So I lived in Tulsa. 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:41.800 Actually Tulsa it's closer to Fedville, Arkansas than it is Norman, Oklahoma. 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:46.840 University of Oklahoma is so I would. I would drive up, 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:49.440 I go to all the football games, which was I mean, 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:52.159 like I covered the sec out of college, which is 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:55.160 not normal kids out of college, especially at that time, 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:59.080 especially a black kid for that matter. And um, but 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:01.640 I got no one Richard and man, my first job 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:05.520 I was covering Nolan, which was to this day one 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:08.600 of the the greatest things I've ever done in my 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:12.119 career to spend two years with Nolan Richardson, and he 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:15.200 took me under his wing man and really looked out 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:19.920 for me. And um, it was like after that, why 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:22.400 why do I need to be intimidated covering any coach? 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:27.920 I covered Nolan. He was the strongest personality as anybody 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:32.880 at any coaches that that I've ever been around, Right, Mark, 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:35.080 let me ask let me ask you this, particularly about Nolan. 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:39.360 Do you think that that time covering him, um for Tulsa, 0:21:39.560 --> 0:21:41.640 for the Tulsa world, do you think that that shaped 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:46.000 sort of like the direction you would the direction you 0:21:46.040 --> 0:21:48.080 went with things you were interested in, Like so like 0:21:48.160 --> 0:21:51.159 Prince is the Undefeated. Some of the things that you 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:54.480 cover in the long form content that you present or 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:57.399 I won't say taboo subjects, but they're of the racial, 0:21:57.560 --> 0:21:59.960 racial nature and their stuff. Do you just don't see 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:02.639 know where else really people talking about ever Dirk on 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:05.199 this Dirk and Whiskey's interracial marriage. I mean, you just 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:07.240 touch on things that you know kind of people will 0:22:07.240 --> 0:22:09.919 think about. Do you think the time of Nolan Richardson 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:12.919 kind of helped shape that narrative or where you are 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.679 ready that way? I mean, look, I'll give Nolan as 0:22:16.760 --> 0:22:20.399 my guy, but that started from childhood, man like just 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:27.400 dealing with racist racism. My family dealt with um. Like 0:22:27.480 --> 0:22:31.119 my mom she couldn't go to nursing school in New Orleans, 0:22:31.600 --> 0:22:34.399 uh that she wanted to go to because and this 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:37.760 was a Catholic school because she was black. So she 0:22:37.840 --> 0:22:42.280 ended up having to go to a nursing school in St. Louis, Missouri, 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:45.360 where she met my father, because to go to all 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:48.119 black nursing school so she could follow her dream of 0:22:48.240 --> 0:22:52.080 being a nurse. My dad in the nineties early nineties 0:22:52.119 --> 0:22:56.000 worked for New United Motors Um, which was basically where 0:22:56.040 --> 0:23:01.280 Tesla Dealership, Tesla Manufacturers and and Fremont, California in the 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:05.639 Bay and one of racism lawsuit because him and a 0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:10.000 bunch of other black managers, we're training white people, and 0:23:10.040 --> 0:23:12.320 the white people were getting promoted over him after they 0:23:12.400 --> 0:23:20.560 learned the trade. Um. So you know, as a kid, um, sadly, 0:23:20.640 --> 0:23:25.520 I dealt with a lot of racism um from people 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:28.600 of all races. I grew up around a lot of Mexicans, 0:23:28.600 --> 0:23:30.960 I grew up a lot of around around a lot 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:39.320 of Asians. Um. I had a basketball coach who um 0:23:39.359 --> 0:23:43.359 my freshman sophomore year, who we took me to a 0:23:43.400 --> 0:23:45.560 Mexican restaurant. He goes, you know, they ain't fried chicken 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:49.520 in there, right, you know there, you know, watermelon in there. 0:23:49.520 --> 0:23:51.280 And this is my coach and talking to a kid 0:23:51.440 --> 0:23:54.720 like that. I remember I went into a Vietnamese restaurant 0:23:54.760 --> 0:23:56.480 once it's on a hot day to get a soda 0:23:57.240 --> 0:23:58.760 and the man went in the back and gave me, 0:23:58.840 --> 0:24:02.639 came back and gave me a couple kiss like. So 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:05.560 it was there was stuff I was dealing with like 0:24:05.760 --> 0:24:08.280 my whole life. But you know, my mom used to 0:24:08.359 --> 0:24:13.520 be a part of this Black Nurses Association in San Jose. UM, 0:24:13.840 --> 0:24:15.720 and we used to go to the Afro American Center 0:24:15.720 --> 0:24:18.639 in San Jose, and I had to find time to 0:24:18.680 --> 0:24:20.760 waste time, so I would go into the film room 0:24:21.280 --> 0:24:26.560 I'm like ten and eyes on the Prize Zone that 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:30.160 that amazing award winning documentary where it basically talked about 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:34.200 the civil rights movement, and I learned everything about Martin Luther, King, 0:24:34.320 --> 0:24:39.440 Malcolm X, black folks getting bit by dogs, the white fountains, 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:45.000 the Black fountains, um, the civil rights marches and all 0:24:45.040 --> 0:24:49.160 that stuff and all these you know, horrible deaths and lynchings. 0:24:49.160 --> 0:24:51.320 And I'm like ten years old learning all this stuff, 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:55.280 watching these movies, and it just had an impression on me. 0:24:56.080 --> 0:24:59.879 And I think what was valuable about my college at 0:25:00.080 --> 0:25:04.560 cation is it allowed me to It's one thing to 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:08.879 speak out, but it's nothing to know what you're saying 0:25:09.119 --> 0:25:12.600 and you don't know how to say it eloquently. And 0:25:12.920 --> 0:25:16.359 I think that, you know, college certainly helped prepare me 0:25:16.400 --> 0:25:20.320 and and helped me to think out my thoughts before 0:25:20.359 --> 0:25:23.639 I say them and be more factual and less emotional. 0:25:24.760 --> 0:25:28.879 And so I think all these things when when this 0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:33.320 job opened with The Undefeated, like there were some black 0:25:33.400 --> 0:25:35.840 journalists that were scared to have that job. Like this 0:25:35.880 --> 0:25:39.280 is like several years before George Floyd like, do you 0:25:39.320 --> 0:25:44.159 want to go out there and talk about race? You know, 0:25:44.240 --> 0:25:48.200 this is pre Trump, right, and you still got people 0:25:48.200 --> 0:25:50.280 then like, ain't no racism? What are you talking about? 0:25:50.320 --> 0:25:52.920 Ain't no racism? And there were a lot of people 0:25:52.960 --> 0:25:56.600 that didn't like what I was writing. I'm writing about 0:25:56.600 --> 0:25:59.560 the you know, there's so many stories about the lack 0:25:59.560 --> 0:26:02.720 of black people playing baseball. Okay, I'm gonna write about 0:26:02.760 --> 0:26:05.600 the lack of white players in the NBA, which is factual. 0:26:06.720 --> 0:26:10.920 Like UM talk about racists issues, talk about what it's 0:26:10.920 --> 0:26:13.840 like to be black playing for the Utah Jazz, Um 0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:18.560 talk about the elephant in the room. And I've enjoyed 0:26:18.600 --> 0:26:23.240 that this road. I've enjoyed working there. And obviously when 0:26:24.920 --> 0:26:28.200 the previous president was there, there was probably a lot 0:26:28.240 --> 0:26:32.919 more fire that it showed that the racism issues in 0:26:32.960 --> 0:26:36.200 this country, the pain black people, the pain of people 0:26:36.240 --> 0:26:40.280 of all colors, and people like yo, because they were 0:26:40.320 --> 0:26:43.239 hating on the undefeated at first, but now they're like, 0:26:44.400 --> 0:26:47.800 we should have had this long ago, this is necessary. 0:26:47.920 --> 0:26:50.080 Then you've seen places like the New York Times and 0:26:50.240 --> 0:26:54.560 l A Times, different websites, Uh, New York Times like 0:26:54.640 --> 0:26:57.159 follow up and get some kind of undefeated kind of 0:26:57.200 --> 0:27:02.920 like jobs. And so I'm honored that Kevin Merida UM 0:27:02.960 --> 0:27:05.520 and Rain and Kelly hired me to be a part 0:27:05.520 --> 0:27:08.879 of this because this is like the greatest job that 0:27:08.960 --> 0:27:12.280 I've ever had, because it's it's bigger than basketball and 0:27:13.080 --> 0:27:17.159 writing about who's traded or you know, the next trend 0:27:17.240 --> 0:27:20.840 on your jump shot. No, I'm like telling stories about 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:25.280 real life and pain and racism that these players have 0:27:25.359 --> 0:27:28.600 dealt with and telling their stories, like having just told 0:27:28.600 --> 0:27:31.000 the Ben Wallace story recently and he used to pick 0:27:31.080 --> 0:27:34.200 cotton and go to school with no shoes on, Like 0:27:36.200 --> 0:27:38.840 Ben Wallace been out of the league for over five 0:27:38.920 --> 0:27:41.200 years and Ben Wallace started playing this in the league 0:27:41.200 --> 0:27:44.639 in NINETI but you never heard that story, you know. 0:27:44.760 --> 0:27:47.359 So I'm blessed with the ability to have a job 0:27:47.400 --> 0:27:50.159 and comfort from a lot of NBA players that they 0:27:50.200 --> 0:27:53.440 will open up and release their pain to me. And 0:27:53.800 --> 0:27:58.240 I take a lot of pride and and um, I 0:27:58.400 --> 0:28:04.439 take a lot of care in that. Yeah, as you 0:28:04.480 --> 0:28:08.320 should Mark when you when we talk about the subject 0:28:08.359 --> 0:28:12.840 of black coaches and black executives in the NBA, it starts, 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:14.920 you know, it's kind of one of those topics where 0:28:15.800 --> 0:28:17.919 it's like who do you who would you rather have 0:28:18.000 --> 0:28:20.520 a black executive or a black head coach? Because the 0:28:20.560 --> 0:28:24.000 exect the black executive, you know, may be more likely 0:28:24.040 --> 0:28:26.480 to hire a black head coach, etcetera. When you look 0:28:26.480 --> 0:28:29.520 at that conversation, what are your thoughts on that isn't 0:28:29.920 --> 0:28:33.800 what's the level of importance of hiring a black executive 0:28:33.840 --> 0:28:37.240 in the NBA versus a black head coach. I want 0:28:37.240 --> 0:28:44.840 a black owner. The black olders or the older is 0:28:44.880 --> 0:28:48.520 the one that controls all of that, right, because even 0:28:48.560 --> 0:28:50.920 if you're the general manager or the president or whatever, 0:28:51.720 --> 0:28:55.720 ultimately it's the ownership that decides what you wanna do. 0:28:56.040 --> 0:28:59.360 You can have a bunch of great ideas, but if 0:28:59.400 --> 0:29:02.840 the owner of the company says, nah, hey what about 0:29:02.880 --> 0:29:07.680 this guy James Garfink, I like him, you know what 0:29:07.760 --> 0:29:14.120 I mean? Like, you know, it's important that even if 0:29:14.160 --> 0:29:16.040 you're in a position of power, that you're able to 0:29:16.040 --> 0:29:20.120 implement what you want to do. And so I do 0:29:20.240 --> 0:29:25.320 think though sadly being realistic, you know, Michael George's only owner. 0:29:25.720 --> 0:29:28.000 We're not black folks ain't own them teams. People of 0:29:28.000 --> 0:29:30.480 color aren't really starting to own some teams, you know, 0:29:31.080 --> 0:29:38.880 nets kings Um. I think though that these owners are 0:29:38.920 --> 0:29:42.520 starting to realize that's kind of interesting. You're seeing this 0:29:42.600 --> 0:29:47.920 with like Dion Sanders too, Um, how black athletes are 0:29:48.520 --> 0:29:55.840 responding to black executives and black coaches right now? I 0:29:55.880 --> 0:30:00.000 think there's if I'm not mistake, in fifteen and seven 0:30:00.080 --> 0:30:03.640 team coaches a color in the league, more than half 0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:06.640 the coaches in the league of color now, which is amazing. 0:30:07.680 --> 0:30:10.440 You know, we we have also have a Hispanic coach 0:30:10.520 --> 0:30:14.800 and Latin X coach in Charlotte and and Asian coach 0:30:14.840 --> 0:30:18.920 in Miami. We got to remember that too, like uh, 0:30:19.080 --> 0:30:23.640 and like when you hear Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton 0:30:24.720 --> 0:30:28.400 saying that having a black general manager who used to 0:30:28.440 --> 0:30:32.720 play in the league, having a black coach they used 0:30:32.760 --> 0:30:37.480 to play in the league makeing it helps me out 0:30:37.480 --> 0:30:39.960 because I can feel like I could communicate with them better, 0:30:40.680 --> 0:30:47.440 right Like, Ultimately, I think change happens when I hate 0:30:47.440 --> 0:30:52.560 to say it, like when when the players players got 0:30:52.560 --> 0:30:55.480 to speak out more man like, I think if they 0:30:55.480 --> 0:31:00.520 are impacted by, you know, having more black coaches and 0:31:00.560 --> 0:31:03.480 executives and they got to say it, or like it 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:06.440 won't happen. I remember having a conversation with an All 0:31:06.520 --> 0:31:10.320 Star who I leave nameless about are you involved in 0:31:10.480 --> 0:31:13.600 who your team is hiring for? President. Man, I don't 0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:15.440 want to get involved in that. I'm like, you're the star, 0:31:16.360 --> 0:31:20.760 they'll listen to you. You have power. Two. At least 0:31:20.760 --> 0:31:23.560 get somebody black in the building. I mean doesn't mean 0:31:23.600 --> 0:31:26.840 like the white dude ain't the best person for the job, right, 0:31:27.520 --> 0:31:30.080 but at least get us in the building and let 0:31:30.200 --> 0:31:32.760 us convince them that we are the best person for 0:31:32.800 --> 0:31:37.360 the job. That's that's what I think hopefully happens from 0:31:37.360 --> 0:31:40.680 now on, is a true ability to show that we 0:31:40.760 --> 0:31:43.120 are the most qualified, that we are the best fit. 0:31:43.920 --> 0:31:47.240 That doesn't mean like it cancels white America from coaching 0:31:47.520 --> 0:31:50.520 the black player. If the white coach is the best guy, 0:31:50.640 --> 0:31:53.680 hire him. But if the black woman is the best 0:31:53.680 --> 0:31:56.000 person for the job, hired he. You know what I mean. 0:31:56.120 --> 0:32:02.200 And hopefully you know you got these mostly old school 0:32:03.320 --> 0:32:09.360 conservative owners in this league, but they want success in 0:32:09.400 --> 0:32:12.160 the same way. They don't look at color. The only 0:32:12.160 --> 0:32:15.560 color they see what money is great? Right, If that 0:32:15.680 --> 0:32:17.920 black dude is gonna help them win games and help 0:32:17.960 --> 0:32:21.959 their players respond, yeah, that that you know woman is, 0:32:22.080 --> 0:32:25.640 then I think they're gonna ultimately decide kind of like 0:32:25.800 --> 0:32:29.080 when Alabama started getting black football players, like you want 0:32:29.080 --> 0:32:31.760 to win I want to make money. So if the 0:32:31.840 --> 0:32:35.760 black man or this woman could get us there the best, 0:32:36.600 --> 0:32:38.960 and that's who I want to hire. And if that's 0:32:39.000 --> 0:32:41.040 the case, and hey man, bro, that's what all we 0:32:41.120 --> 0:32:44.240 should ask for, right is a a fair shape. Don't 0:32:44.320 --> 0:32:46.280 hire me just because I'm black. Hired me because I'm 0:32:46.320 --> 0:32:49.920 the best. And oftentimes we don't have an opportunity to 0:32:49.960 --> 0:32:52.560 show that we are the best for the job. But 0:32:52.640 --> 0:32:54.640 it's started to tie, it's starting to change a little bit. 0:32:55.760 --> 0:32:58.440 It is. I think the opportunity to show is the 0:32:58.760 --> 0:33:01.200 most important thing. The foot in the door I guess 0:33:01.200 --> 0:33:04.440 I wanted to get from you was And obviously the 0:33:04.600 --> 0:33:07.120 player that you mentioned remains nameless. But do you feel 0:33:07.160 --> 0:33:09.960 like some of the sentiment that he shared. You think 0:33:10.080 --> 0:33:13.719 most of all the all star caliber players in the NBA, 0:33:14.160 --> 0:33:17.200 outside of you know, obviously the outspoken ones that we 0:33:17.280 --> 0:33:19.680 know about, you think they a lot of them feel 0:33:19.720 --> 0:33:21.680 that way. They don't want to speak up in one 0:33:21.720 --> 0:33:26.280 offul Feathers, I think that a lot of them don't 0:33:26.320 --> 0:33:32.960 realize their power, right or um they're too young to 0:33:33.160 --> 0:33:39.320 really understand what influence that they could have. UM. A 0:33:39.400 --> 0:33:41.360 lot of times you don't realize it to your older 0:33:41.360 --> 0:33:43.440 in your career, and you don't have that power anymore. 0:33:44.280 --> 0:33:46.600 You don't have that kind of influence anymore. I mean 0:33:46.640 --> 0:33:52.040 obviously in Brooklyn, you know, Durant and and Kyrie had 0:33:52.080 --> 0:33:59.080 power to influence the hiring of Nash. Right, Um, I'm sure, 0:34:00.600 --> 0:34:04.120 respectfully I say this little lebron James had had influence 0:34:04.200 --> 0:34:09.320 on who gets on that staff, Like I'm sure he 0:34:09.960 --> 0:34:15.560 Fizdale is there for a reason, right absolutely, or but 0:34:15.800 --> 0:34:17.560 I'm sure he had influence on had who the head 0:34:17.560 --> 0:34:21.080 coach is gonna be like, but he understands his power, 0:34:21.760 --> 0:34:27.319 he understands his strength. Um, Chris Paul is close with 0:34:28.160 --> 0:34:32.600 you know, Monty and with James Jones, so that played 0:34:32.600 --> 0:34:35.400 an influence on him wanting to go to Phoenix and 0:34:35.440 --> 0:34:40.279 wanting to stage in Phoenix. You could have left, he 0:34:40.360 --> 0:34:45.920 could have left. Um, but I do think that oftentimes 0:34:47.040 --> 0:34:52.839 when you're year old dude, you and we're in this 0:34:52.920 --> 0:34:55.719 world where we got more money than we ever thought 0:34:55.760 --> 0:34:58.640 we were gonna make, you're not really thinking about how 0:34:58.719 --> 0:35:02.279 to you know, the bread is a and how you 0:35:02.320 --> 0:35:07.080 can influence that because you can't tell me that, Like 0:35:07.160 --> 0:35:10.640 if Steph Curry goes into a room that he can't 0:35:10.640 --> 0:35:14.399 tell the Warrior's front office. We need more black representation here, 0:35:14.440 --> 0:35:18.920 We need more people color here, you know what I mean? Yeah, 0:35:18.960 --> 0:35:23.680 like every superstar has that ability to make an impact, 0:35:24.840 --> 0:35:28.279 and I do think that. You know, Hey, look, man, 0:35:28.360 --> 0:35:30.680 I could beat the ground all the time about the 0:35:30.719 --> 0:35:34.080 lack of black coaches and executives. You do the same. 0:35:35.120 --> 0:35:40.840 But ultimately we're just we're not making a decision. But 0:35:41.800 --> 0:35:44.440 I know, like when Lebron was in Cleveland, boy, they 0:35:44.440 --> 0:35:46.839 were walking on egg shells both times he was there. 0:35:46.880 --> 0:35:49.320 When it came time for him to make a decision 0:35:49.320 --> 0:35:53.200 about his future, he had power there. All these players 0:35:53.200 --> 0:35:56.920 have power, but will they exercise their ability to use it? 0:35:57.760 --> 0:36:02.759 But when they lose that power, And here's another thing 0:36:02.800 --> 0:36:06.120 that these guys got to think about. They think they're 0:36:06.120 --> 0:36:11.400 gonna play forever and they're not. But then when you 0:36:11.440 --> 0:36:14.640 look at a lot of these coaches, they're not former players. 0:36:16.080 --> 0:36:19.520 So if you fight for former players to get these jobs, 0:36:19.560 --> 0:36:24.520 now that pipeline, you open up the pipeline and potentially 0:36:25.280 --> 0:36:27.480 open up the ability for you to have that job 0:36:27.520 --> 0:36:29.960 when you're done. And that's what I'm saying. Then they 0:36:30.000 --> 0:36:33.480 don't they're not thinking like that. They're thinking today. The 0:36:33.600 --> 0:36:36.239 one best thing they have done, the players have done, 0:36:36.280 --> 0:36:38.040 I think in the last ten years in terms of 0:36:38.080 --> 0:36:44.080 the future, was getting medical insurance. Your father who played 0:36:44.080 --> 0:36:48.840 in the league over ten years, right, he and his 0:36:49.000 --> 0:36:52.480 wife and his young daughter. I mean, you're good, but 0:36:52.520 --> 0:36:55.600 they got the best of medical insurance, very very good, 0:36:55.840 --> 0:37:01.680 very good. Yes, the best of medical insurance. Right. So 0:37:02.040 --> 0:37:05.879 that's something that Chris Paul did that was amazing, Right, 0:37:06.160 --> 0:37:08.880 it was get that. But they got to remember, like 0:37:09.800 --> 0:37:12.880 the same way you wanna, which is good with the 0:37:12.920 --> 0:37:16.600 minimum contracts in terms of letting veterment veterans stay in 0:37:16.640 --> 0:37:20.320 the league longer by paying half their salary start getting 0:37:20.560 --> 0:37:24.960 we we shouldn't see Jerry Stackhouse at Vanderbilt. He should 0:37:24.960 --> 0:37:29.920 be coaching in the NBA, right, we shouldn't see but 0:37:30.120 --> 0:37:33.840 Jowan should be coaching. He played it, he paid his dues. 0:37:34.800 --> 0:37:37.560 How does Patrick you and not get a chance? Right? 0:37:37.600 --> 0:37:39.800 But you see a lot of coaches, and this is 0:37:39.800 --> 0:37:42.920 all due respect who never played one game in the league, 0:37:43.360 --> 0:37:46.040 who've got an opportunities. And I'm not saying they didn't 0:37:46.080 --> 0:37:48.920 pay their dues and get their opportunities. But the players. 0:37:49.760 --> 0:37:53.240 You gotta protect this league for you in the future too, 0:37:54.360 --> 0:37:57.200 and you I've seen players who have big names that 0:37:57.360 --> 0:38:01.840 can't get in. I'm remember Bro. I remember telling Robert Patt, 0:38:02.400 --> 0:38:06.280 my god, Robert pat we had this big debate about 0:38:06.320 --> 0:38:08.160 whether he should coach in the G League or not 0:38:09.080 --> 0:38:11.880 as an assistant, and I said, Rob, just get in 0:38:11.920 --> 0:38:14.520 the door, man, just get in the door and see 0:38:14.520 --> 0:38:17.440 what happens. And then Rob ended up getting in the door, 0:38:17.960 --> 0:38:19.839 ended up making it to the NBA. We gotta get 0:38:19.920 --> 0:38:21.640 him back in as a coach because he was at 0:38:21.640 --> 0:38:25.480 the Washington staff. But a lot of NBA players don't 0:38:25.520 --> 0:38:27.960 want to do that, don't know, they don't know, they 0:38:27.960 --> 0:38:29.759 didn't want to put their foot in the door. The 0:38:30.200 --> 0:38:33.360 start at the ground floor type of role. But do 0:38:33.560 --> 0:38:36.759 they send the ranks pretty quickly? Mark, I've seen the 0:38:36.760 --> 0:38:40.640 ones that are willing to grind. They raised the rise 0:38:40.719 --> 0:38:43.480 in the ranks pretty quickly. And then they might feel 0:38:43.520 --> 0:38:48.719 like like Kenyan Martin, who I think hasn't tremendous basketball 0:38:48.760 --> 0:38:53.959 mind all, he's too tough, too crazy, you know. God 0:38:53.960 --> 0:38:56.200 bless the Nuggets for giving the opportunity this summer, but 0:38:56.239 --> 0:38:59.839 he needs to be a coach. He's got a well now, 0:39:00.040 --> 0:39:03.720 Rashid Wallace and we'll let him go to Memphis. Bonds, wells, 0:39:03.840 --> 0:39:07.399 he'll go to some any like how did they were 0:39:07.520 --> 0:39:11.920 young guys with a lot of power. Who but you 0:39:12.000 --> 0:39:14.640 can't tell me that those guys can't come into the 0:39:14.719 --> 0:39:18.040 NBA and help somebody. What's interesting is that the guys 0:39:18.120 --> 0:39:23.759 you just named from Shed to bondsi Um to who 0:39:23.800 --> 0:39:27.160 else did you name? You name somebody but Martin kmart 0:39:27.320 --> 0:39:29.480 all three or like we're in the league where like 0:39:29.520 --> 0:39:33.000 fiery tough dudes didn't take no ship. You know, those 0:39:33.040 --> 0:39:35.080 type of cats. So it's like you think cats are 0:39:35.120 --> 0:39:38.279 afraid to bring a dude like that in at the 0:39:38.360 --> 0:39:41.240 helm or or bring you in on the staff because 0:39:41.280 --> 0:39:44.799 like that in any capacity. Like I think one of 0:39:44.800 --> 0:39:49.120 the great under the radar hirings this summer was Nick 0:39:49.200 --> 0:39:52.080 van Exell being hired by Atlanta. You know, I love 0:39:52.080 --> 0:39:57.960 it Quick Now Quick was an asshole when he played 0:39:58.000 --> 0:40:01.000 for the Nuggets, and I love him and he respects us. 0:40:01.000 --> 0:40:03.120 He will tell you that he can I say that 0:40:03.239 --> 0:40:07.680 I'm sorry he was asshole. He was. He was tough 0:40:07.719 --> 0:40:10.160 to deal with. He had a big ego, but he 0:40:10.200 --> 0:40:12.840 was a bad ballplayer. Now you saw it in l 0:40:12.880 --> 0:40:17.520 A he got buckets. And if it wasn't for like 0:40:17.560 --> 0:40:22.479 a guy named maybe John Stockton, uh, perhaps we would 0:40:22.600 --> 0:40:24.719 be and Gary Payton, we would be talking about Nick 0:40:24.800 --> 0:40:31.400 more Um. But Nick was an amazing dynamic score and passer. 0:40:32.000 --> 0:40:34.480 So now, how can we bring Trey Young to the 0:40:34.520 --> 0:40:40.640 next level? They brought Quicken and I think Quick perhaps 0:40:40.719 --> 0:40:42.960 was held back as a coach a little bit because 0:40:43.440 --> 0:40:46.080 of the past. Man, He's a totally different dude. This 0:40:46.160 --> 0:40:50.600 dude is more worried about his coffee, how much sugar 0:40:50.640 --> 0:40:52.720 he got in it, because he liked cold brew coffee. 0:40:52.719 --> 0:41:00.480 Then yeah, he no more. Quicks basketball mind is brilliant, 0:41:01.400 --> 0:41:05.600 and Atlanta was smart enough to realize that maybe Travis 0:41:05.600 --> 0:41:08.719 Slink knows them from quicksdays and Golden State, the quick 0:41:09.200 --> 0:41:11.719 time he had with the Warriors. How could I bring 0:41:12.960 --> 0:41:16.040 Tray up? Let me bring somebody in who was bad 0:41:16.080 --> 0:41:19.080 like Tray that could just work with him and make 0:41:19.160 --> 0:41:22.920 him better, which is under so many former players now 0:41:23.400 --> 0:41:25.680 that even if you use them in an assistant coach 0:41:25.840 --> 0:41:30.480 role like can help teams, could help young stars right now. 0:41:31.080 --> 0:41:34.439 And also you teach them the perils of how your 0:41:34.719 --> 0:41:38.920 your immature young mistakes could be held against you. Young fella. 0:41:39.000 --> 0:41:42.000 Let me. You know how the young fathera back learn 0:41:42.080 --> 0:41:44.719 from me. Young They need more of those guys in 0:41:44.760 --> 0:41:48.200 the locker room, those old heads, no quote, hey, no 0:41:48.360 --> 0:41:50.960 question about it. That's how you learn and figure out 0:41:51.040 --> 0:41:53.480 how to move in these rooms and these circles of 0:41:53.560 --> 0:41:56.319 these pros. You know, it's the young fella. They put 0:41:56.360 --> 0:41:58.719 the arm around you, start talking and stuff, and they 0:41:58.800 --> 0:42:00.560 just try to give you some game. Here's here's the 0:42:00.560 --> 0:42:03.120 thing that I wanted to ask you, and it kind 0:42:03.120 --> 0:42:05.799 of goes along in this same sort of will house. 0:42:05.840 --> 0:42:09.360 It's about mental health, do you think like so, mental 0:42:09.360 --> 0:42:11.160 health can kind of take on a bunch of different 0:42:11.160 --> 0:42:14.040 faces and shapes. It can be an issue that's personal 0:42:14.200 --> 0:42:17.960 or a larger or whatever. But I feel like we 0:42:18.080 --> 0:42:22.440 define it as a negative too much, right as far 0:42:22.440 --> 0:42:26.280 as it in terms of our athletes, where positive mental 0:42:26.280 --> 0:42:29.359 health isn't necessarily focused on. So just like this point 0:42:29.400 --> 0:42:32.439 about having a mentor that will be in your ear, 0:42:32.480 --> 0:42:35.680 an old head that's trying to teach you positive ways 0:42:35.719 --> 0:42:37.880 to deal with stuff, cope. Whatever it is that you 0:42:37.880 --> 0:42:41.640 guys are talking about. How come that's not sort of 0:42:41.719 --> 0:42:44.960 pushed more or talked about more In particular in the 0:42:45.080 --> 0:42:48.400 NBA mentorships that have to do with mental health, you 0:42:48.440 --> 0:42:52.640 know what I mean starting with mentoring. Want one thing 0:42:52.640 --> 0:42:58.400 that Pikey Vandoy actually Acknowledgy made a mistake on was 0:42:58.440 --> 0:43:04.239 Mellows rookie Year. You'll you'll laugh at this story. Mellows 0:43:04.400 --> 0:43:10.239 rookie Year. Canby was on the team. Yeah, but the 0:43:10.360 --> 0:43:12.160 roster was a lot of young dudes and a lot 0:43:12.200 --> 0:43:15.680 of dudes that trying to hang on right, and so 0:43:16.560 --> 0:43:20.640 after one of the practice Canby goes yo, Julie's junior 0:43:20.719 --> 0:43:23.040 hearing goes birthday. I don't know if you remember Junior. 0:43:23.520 --> 0:43:25.440 Bro I was out there, Mark Mark I went to 0:43:25.480 --> 0:43:27.399 a mini camp. So I remember, Junior. This is when 0:43:27.480 --> 0:43:32.239 mc dice raith after this is after them, Okay, okay, no, 0:43:32.360 --> 0:43:35.239 this is this is this is Mellows rookie year. Oh, 0:43:35.280 --> 0:43:38.799 this is oh oh three, this is oh three. So 0:43:39.080 --> 0:43:40.680 when did you go to mini camp with the nugget? 0:43:40.880 --> 0:43:43.440 So I think I think it was so Kiki Clyde, Drexel, 0:43:43.640 --> 0:43:46.399 Louis damp I was an assistant. So I was there too. 0:43:46.480 --> 0:43:54.200 Bro I went for like a little mini camp busted. Yeah. Yeah, 0:43:54.280 --> 0:43:57.200 Croke was around. He was on the bike was on 0:43:57.320 --> 0:44:02.359 the bike. You don't remember me. I know you was there, 0:44:02.560 --> 0:44:07.320 but that's dope, that's dope. I need to see some 0:44:07.320 --> 0:44:11.600 some preseason stats. Yeah we do. We were in the 0:44:11.640 --> 0:44:17.400 Powder Blues. But so Mellow comes in Junior Harrington's birthday 0:44:17.440 --> 0:44:20.040 and after practice can be goes all right, I need 0:44:20.080 --> 0:44:24.360 all the rookies to sing Happy birthday, Okay, Mellows like 0:44:24.440 --> 0:44:26.120 I ain't singing. And this is when they used to 0:44:26.200 --> 0:44:28.560 let us in practice, Like we used to be able 0:44:28.600 --> 0:44:31.239 to go to like practice the whole time and like 0:44:31.920 --> 0:44:33.960 show up when the players were starting. And I loved it. 0:44:34.040 --> 0:44:35.600 I hated it. I loved it because we had to 0:44:35.600 --> 0:44:38.760 be there for three hours. But then I started learning 0:44:38.800 --> 0:44:41.320 so much more and why guys, certain guys who weren't playing, 0:44:41.880 --> 0:44:44.640 who had a great or ethic, who was lazy, right, 0:44:45.600 --> 0:44:49.000 and Mellows like I ain't, I ain't, I ain't singing. 0:44:49.960 --> 0:44:52.400 And I was thinking if Mellow had gotten drafted by Detroit, 0:44:52.480 --> 0:44:53.960 and if you would have said that the bench she 0:44:54.760 --> 0:44:57.879 chaunce ripped, Hey, they would have been on his head. 0:44:58.680 --> 0:45:01.160 Canby was by himself, right, because there was really like 0:45:01.200 --> 0:45:04.160 a lot of veterans of the team, and he's like 0:45:05.440 --> 0:45:08.480 all right, man, And all of a sudden, so the 0:45:08.520 --> 0:45:18.040 other rookies are saying a happy birthday, Mellow was beatboxing. Okay, 0:45:18.239 --> 0:45:23.000 he was beatboxing happy birthday. Right. So the point of 0:45:23.040 --> 0:45:26.960 the story is at that point I was like, oh, 0:45:27.040 --> 0:45:31.239 Mellows running the team. He's running the team. Like if 0:45:32.040 --> 0:45:35.880 he's basically saying I ain't doing this and the Vets 0:45:35.960 --> 0:45:38.600 let it go, then he was running the team. And 0:45:38.640 --> 0:45:41.160 that was like the biggest mistake that Nuggets had Because 0:45:42.000 --> 0:45:44.120 Camby was a starter, he didn't have time to worry 0:45:44.160 --> 0:45:51.400 about Mellow, right, but they they Kiki almost signed Lofonso 0:45:51.560 --> 0:45:54.879 Ellis to basically be in the locker room and keep 0:45:54.920 --> 0:45:58.319 an eye on him on Mellow, and Mellow said he 0:45:58.480 --> 0:46:01.640 wished that he had had some VET that he respected 0:46:02.280 --> 0:46:05.279 that had that time to kind of like be in 0:46:05.320 --> 0:46:08.720 his tail, make sure he got in early left leg work, 0:46:09.840 --> 0:46:11.760 kept an eye on them when they went out because 0:46:12.000 --> 0:46:14.799 you know, the team players typically went out together. He 0:46:14.880 --> 0:46:17.480 didn't have that, and I think that's why I had 0:46:17.480 --> 0:46:20.000 a lot of struggles early in his career. And I 0:46:20.440 --> 0:46:22.680 told him that Lofonso Ella stories like, man, I wish 0:46:22.719 --> 0:46:25.600 they would have did bring somebody like that in. So 0:46:25.640 --> 0:46:30.200 I do think it's important for teams, especially with young stars, 0:46:30.480 --> 0:46:33.960 to have some older player at the end of their 0:46:34.040 --> 0:46:37.279 career that could be in there and help and got 0:46:37.320 --> 0:46:40.080 him and have time. Camby didn't have time. Camby was 0:46:40.080 --> 0:46:42.600 trying to live his life. He was in the peak 0:46:42.600 --> 0:46:44.200 of his career, right. He didn't have time to worry 0:46:44.239 --> 0:46:50.560 about mellow. Same way being Kobe, Like luckily he had 0:46:50.600 --> 0:46:52.680 a Byron Scott. But I was around that team a 0:46:52.680 --> 0:46:54.160 little bit because I was at the l a daily 0:46:54.200 --> 0:46:57.440 news man checking them. Dudes didn't have time for Kobe 0:46:57.680 --> 0:47:00.600 at the practice back then it was in the Century 0:47:00.600 --> 0:47:07.120 Club bro the Gate Guarden. Yeah, like quick, your dad 0:47:07.160 --> 0:47:12.440 time for him. You know what I'm saying. Dudes are 0:47:12.440 --> 0:47:14.799 still there. They was like we had we had these 0:47:14.800 --> 0:47:18.560 streets he was and you know, tally they look at 0:47:18.560 --> 0:47:21.600 your age. Now they ain't sneaking you in there. You 0:47:21.640 --> 0:47:25.359 can't get the licensed. So but think it was good 0:47:25.360 --> 0:47:27.440 for the Lakers that they did have Virus Scott there, 0:47:28.080 --> 0:47:33.480 and so it's important that every NBA team, I think 0:47:34.239 --> 0:47:37.319 which helps a young player stick around has an old head. 0:47:37.880 --> 0:47:40.960 To the other part about mental health, I actually think 0:47:42.360 --> 0:47:46.759 there is better mental health help than there ever has 0:47:46.800 --> 0:47:50.120 been in the NBA when you were coming up, when 0:47:50.120 --> 0:47:53.520 you were trying to make the Nuggets, that didn't exist. Remember, 0:47:53.640 --> 0:47:56.359 like the Nuggets did have this guy who was like 0:47:56.400 --> 0:48:00.279 the brain doctor or something like that. Yeah, l A, 0:48:00.400 --> 0:48:04.560 he could tell your personality. Yeah, but but did he 0:48:04.600 --> 0:48:07.640 really help you? Did he did he understand what a 0:48:07.680 --> 0:48:10.319 black young black man was going through? Right? It was 0:48:10.360 --> 0:48:12.839 just it was it's identification. But it wasn't any type 0:48:12.840 --> 0:48:15.719 of solutions that were offered, you know what I'm saying. 0:48:15.960 --> 0:48:20.600 But but but no. But my point is every team 0:48:20.680 --> 0:48:23.920 now they don't publicize it, but pretty much every team 0:48:23.960 --> 0:48:30.480 now has their own on call or full time UH psychologists. 0:48:31.920 --> 0:48:35.480 Several of them are black, UM, which I think is important. 0:48:35.560 --> 0:48:39.440 So like several more black females, which I think the 0:48:39.480 --> 0:48:42.160 players open up to more. It's like they're talking to 0:48:42.200 --> 0:48:45.640 their mom, their sister. There aren't. Yeah, And so I 0:48:45.719 --> 0:48:50.640 think they have resources now that when you were, you know, 0:48:51.760 --> 0:48:54.040 getting in the NBA working on getting an NBA did 0:48:54.080 --> 0:48:57.000 not exist. I don't think they really existed ten years ago, 0:48:57.560 --> 0:49:00.120 but they do exist now. There is help now if 0:49:00.160 --> 0:49:04.120 they wanted, UM, and that some teams do a much 0:49:04.160 --> 0:49:07.359 better job than others. But there. I do think that 0:49:07.400 --> 0:49:12.040 there is an ability to get help quietly that uh, 0:49:12.080 --> 0:49:15.040 we probably don't see. I've been wanting to write a 0:49:15.080 --> 0:49:16.839 story about it, but a lot of these teams don't 0:49:16.840 --> 0:49:19.719 want their people to talk. M Well, it's it's a 0:49:20.000 --> 0:49:23.160 delicate subject probably, you know, as far as that type 0:49:23.160 --> 0:49:24.920 of thing. But I do. I do like the fact 0:49:24.920 --> 0:49:27.640 that they are making steps to address and at least 0:49:27.640 --> 0:49:29.719 there's resources because if you remember back in our day 0:49:29.719 --> 0:49:32.640 when we hooped, it was a major stigma associated with 0:49:32.680 --> 0:49:34.439 mental health and it was something that you know, you 0:49:34.440 --> 0:49:36.720 guys wouldn't want to talk about, especially going through stuff 0:49:36.719 --> 0:49:39.560 like black black men in particular, like we you know, 0:49:39.560 --> 0:49:42.439 because we already yeah, you already, don't you know how 0:49:42.480 --> 0:49:48.359 many of us have PTSD from just like they saw 0:49:48.520 --> 0:49:52.520 growing up. Yes, man in the streets. It's a real thing, man, 0:49:54.800 --> 0:49:57.000 And and to cope on our own, to be able 0:49:57.000 --> 0:49:59.960 to cope without this stuff. It speaks to the characteris 0:50:00.000 --> 0:50:01.560 I can see it, like, you know, we still be 0:50:01.600 --> 0:50:03.919 trying to do the right thing. That's the craziest part 0:50:03.960 --> 0:50:06.000 of it. And laugh and tell these stories now, but 0:50:06.080 --> 0:50:08.000 oh man, they had this drive by or I was 0:50:08.040 --> 0:50:12.360 in this club and he's dudes fighting. Man, it sounds 0:50:12.400 --> 0:50:14.880 funny to talk about it down or some of the 0:50:14.960 --> 0:50:17.680 gang stuff you saw growing up in l A. Yeah, 0:50:17.680 --> 0:50:20.680 it was wild, Like shoot, man, I remember being in 0:50:20.760 --> 0:50:24.040 high school and getting chased five five dudes from East 0:50:24.080 --> 0:50:27.600 Palalto and had that like hide in the gas station 0:50:27.640 --> 0:50:30.759 to keep from getting beat up, like the funny the 0:50:30.800 --> 0:50:34.160 funny story Bob Myers always talks about. Tells us back 0:50:34.160 --> 0:50:35.920 at u C. L A. Was like, yeah, man, my 0:50:36.000 --> 0:50:38.000 dad dropped me off at this court in East Palo 0:50:38.040 --> 0:50:39.680 Alto and I had to go hoop and it was 0:50:39.760 --> 0:50:42.520 like one of the craziest experience he had. He gave 0:50:42.600 --> 0:50:45.200 some he gave some respects, So I understand what East 0:50:45.200 --> 0:50:47.520 Palo Alto is all about. Bro. There was one time 0:50:47.560 --> 0:50:50.000 we got you know, because we used to drive around 0:50:50.000 --> 0:50:52.719 the different parks, you know, five us at a time, 0:50:52.800 --> 0:50:56.080 two cars. You know what I'm saying, Get yo. You 0:50:56.120 --> 0:50:57.480 had to be deep. You had to have a lot 0:50:57.480 --> 0:50:59.200 of people with you, and you had to be you know, 0:50:59.200 --> 0:51:01.360 you couldn't really run your mouth like that because you 0:51:01.400 --> 0:51:04.520 never knew who has some moan what you know she was? 0:51:04.560 --> 0:51:07.640 Your dad taught us in the movie Man Catch Up 0:51:07.680 --> 0:51:11.040 about about even go get another gun and that was 0:51:11.120 --> 0:51:14.680 that was hilarious. But man, um, staying on that sort 0:51:14.719 --> 0:51:17.520 of mental health, I wanted to get your take. This 0:51:17.600 --> 0:51:19.839 is somebody that works in the league, public league for 0:51:19.880 --> 0:51:22.400 so long, so you've watched short of the evolution of 0:51:22.440 --> 0:51:26.680 this cannabis use amongst NBA players as a way to 0:51:26.880 --> 0:51:30.160 cope with different aches and pains when they're not comfortable 0:51:30.160 --> 0:51:32.640 to deal with traditional medicines, et cetera. I know the 0:51:32.719 --> 0:51:38.280 league they banded it in what nine and then along 0:51:38.280 --> 0:51:41.279 with the dress code to sort of re shift the 0:51:41.320 --> 0:51:44.720 image of the NBA, But now it's at a different place. 0:51:44.840 --> 0:51:49.160 What are your thoughts on the cannabis in the bubble? Oh? 0:51:49.239 --> 0:51:55.239 I heard, I heard. I think I went into the 0:51:55.680 --> 0:51:58.919 and uh towards the final days of the bubble when 0:51:58.920 --> 0:52:01.600 a lot of the team most teams were liminated. I 0:52:01.680 --> 0:52:04.040 swear it was a big old package of weed that 0:52:04.160 --> 0:52:06.239 was like a box full of weed that somebody just 0:52:06.239 --> 0:52:09.080 didn't pick up. Oh my good, it was just stinking 0:52:09.200 --> 0:52:11.800 up the whole that was just it was well packaged. 0:52:12.440 --> 0:52:14.560 You I mean, like you could have spell anything, but 0:52:14.640 --> 0:52:18.080 you do what it was. It's like, man, look, man, 0:52:18.520 --> 0:52:22.120 I'm I'm not a h somebody that smokes weeds and 0:52:22.160 --> 0:52:27.320 I never have, uh, but I live in Cali and 0:52:27.960 --> 0:52:30.799 anybody that. But I love a glass of wine. I 0:52:30.840 --> 0:52:33.640 think you know that. Who am I to tell somebody 0:52:33.680 --> 0:52:37.759 not to smoke weed? Right? Like my weed friends, Wine 0:52:37.880 --> 0:52:40.799 is more dangerous. And I'm like, brothers smoking weed, I 0:52:40.800 --> 0:52:45.600 don't that makes you do it? Man like? And I 0:52:45.640 --> 0:52:50.080 think those we're in a progressive state, like we we've 0:52:50.120 --> 0:52:52.479 always liked so in the rest of the world, we 0:52:52.480 --> 0:52:56.480 we we We hadn't thought twice about weeds since in 0:52:56.520 --> 0:53:01.239 the nineties, bro, since Dr Dre came out, Like we 0:53:01.280 --> 0:53:05.319 don't care. So it's kind of like funny, like it's 0:53:05.360 --> 0:53:10.040 still a big deal now, Like it's funny because now 0:53:10.040 --> 0:53:13.920 it's called cannabis. You call it cannabis. They had to 0:53:14.000 --> 0:53:15.680 change the name, you know, they had to change it. 0:53:17.760 --> 0:53:21.400 Do you remember cannabis? Cannabis is cannabis. We we have 0:53:21.480 --> 0:53:24.879 cannabis delivery. I see these billboards. I'm like, no, y'all 0:53:25.000 --> 0:53:28.640 got some people. Y'all y'all to arrested all these brothers 0:53:28.640 --> 0:53:33.080 for selling weed on the quarter. We like Stephen A. 0:53:33.200 --> 0:53:39.000 Smith say, we all these brothers went to jail for 0:53:39.080 --> 0:53:42.040 selling weed. But now you legally can deliver cannabis to 0:53:42.120 --> 0:53:45.239 somebody house. Come on, man, come on and let them 0:53:45.239 --> 0:53:50.680 brothers out of jail. Right. But it's uh, yeah, I 0:53:50.719 --> 0:53:54.480 think it's uh it's funny because I actually you see, 0:53:54.520 --> 0:53:58.760 if you remember this, remember when Mellow got in trouble 0:53:58.800 --> 0:54:01.359 for bringing got usaid for bringing weeat on a plane 0:54:01.400 --> 0:54:05.600 when he was with Denver oh Man. Yeah, and he 0:54:05.640 --> 0:54:09.080 had a backpack that has some weed in it, and 0:54:10.280 --> 0:54:13.879 he had this dude name Slim that took the rap 0:54:13.960 --> 0:54:17.040 for him because it was he said it was Slim's backpack. 0:54:17.239 --> 0:54:19.080 I've been wanting to talk about about this because this 0:54:19.120 --> 0:54:21.480 is like funny to be it's funny now, well it 0:54:21.600 --> 0:54:24.040 was like this big deal, but Melo had weed in 0:54:24.080 --> 0:54:28.000 his bag and some dude named Slim. I think Slim 0:54:28.040 --> 0:54:30.600 got a nice check. You know, it took the wrap, 0:54:31.480 --> 0:54:33.760 which is like now you think about it was just silly. 0:54:33.760 --> 0:54:35.960 It was stupid, like he had to weed in his bag. 0:54:36.680 --> 0:54:42.640 And then now he has a weed company, like like 0:54:42.800 --> 0:54:47.560 it's so but it was funny, Like fifty years ago, 0:54:48.160 --> 0:54:52.239 Mellow basically almost went to dang jail for having weed 0:54:52.280 --> 0:54:54.759 in this bag, and now he's haking money off. And 0:54:54.800 --> 0:54:57.600 it's amazing to see all the athletes that are involved 0:54:57.600 --> 0:54:59.880 on the Canada side, on the professional level that a 0:55:00.000 --> 0:55:06.000 making money off of it. Of a Harrington's Matt, you know, 0:55:06.040 --> 0:55:09.040 these guys advocates, their advocating for the right reason that 0:55:09.200 --> 0:55:11.080 when you hear him talk about it, man, you you 0:55:11.120 --> 0:55:13.160 really get an understanding that they really took take it 0:55:13.200 --> 0:55:16.360 serious and they're really concerned about, you know, the health benefits. 0:55:16.440 --> 0:55:18.439 And I'm glad they're making money off of it, man. 0:55:20.400 --> 0:55:27.120 And there they're experts, try it and test it. Okay, 0:55:27.160 --> 0:55:29.400 you had to go like learn about They don't need 0:55:29.440 --> 0:55:33.520 to get to those class they don't. They can tell 0:55:33.520 --> 0:55:36.200 you anything you want to know about Eddie ka. Oh 0:55:36.800 --> 0:55:38.719 that's so they know more about we did they do? 0:55:38.800 --> 0:55:42.279 Who just say a lot? That'd be the crazy part. 0:55:42.320 --> 0:55:46.200 But yeah, Harrington, who was way ahead of the game. 0:55:46.600 --> 0:55:49.560 He's been ahead of it. He's killing it. And I 0:55:49.640 --> 0:55:55.920 hope that any NBA player who decides to invest in 0:55:56.120 --> 0:56:00.040 something and invest in now, yeah, invest in one of 0:56:00.080 --> 0:56:04.000 your guys man, like absolutely, Like, hey I did, I'm 0:56:04.000 --> 0:56:09.400 glad AI teamed up with him. Yeah, yeah, Mark, I 0:56:09.440 --> 0:56:13.759 wanted to get an understanding of why you went back 0:56:13.800 --> 0:56:17.239 to school and decided to get your master's degree in 0:56:17.280 --> 0:56:19.600 sports management. I know you, you you graduate from LGU in 0:56:19.640 --> 0:56:21.600 two thousand and eighteen. Why did you do that? As 0:56:21.800 --> 0:56:24.560 you're already established, you know, so why would you add 0:56:24.600 --> 0:56:28.160 that to your repertoire um? You know. One of my 0:56:28.239 --> 0:56:31.680 favorite things I got from former Nuggets head coach Jeffers 0:56:31.719 --> 0:56:35.000 Delic is always stayed two steps ahead of the posse hmm. 0:56:35.880 --> 0:56:40.120 And I kind of felt like, I don't like just 0:56:40.239 --> 0:56:44.279 standing still. I always want to better myself. My mom 0:56:44.360 --> 0:56:47.800 has a master's degree, my sisters has a master's degree. 0:56:48.640 --> 0:56:51.920 I don't like them being ahead of me either. I 0:56:51.960 --> 0:56:55.080 got an a a degree from Foothill College. I got 0:56:55.080 --> 0:56:57.560 a bachelors from Sante State, and I've always wanted to 0:56:57.560 --> 0:57:00.680 have one. But I wanted to better of myself. So 0:57:00.880 --> 0:57:03.479 how could I not only get my masters but better 0:57:03.560 --> 0:57:07.520 myself in the process. And I thought that in my 0:57:07.680 --> 0:57:11.320 line of work, learning more about the business and sports 0:57:11.360 --> 0:57:16.360 and I already did know certainly could benefit me. Um. 0:57:16.360 --> 0:57:19.200 So that's why I decided to go into sports business management. 0:57:19.520 --> 0:57:21.240 Believe it or not, I actually tried to go to 0:57:21.400 --> 0:57:25.480 Columbia for a second, and uh, just the right a 0:57:25.600 --> 0:57:30.800 rug from high school and they got me in or 0:57:31.120 --> 0:57:32.480 but it was like I had to take the g 0:57:32.720 --> 0:57:36.320 R and it was expensive. And you know, my families 0:57:36.360 --> 0:57:38.880 from Louisiana. My parents live in New Orleans. I always 0:57:38.920 --> 0:57:41.680 had New Orleans ties and loved L s U and 0:57:41.720 --> 0:57:46.040 the Tigers spent summers and Bunny fram Park in New Orleans, 0:57:46.120 --> 0:57:49.320 and you know the Seventh Ward in the Night War. 0:57:50.320 --> 0:57:55.400 You know the gumbo and you know eating you onion, 0:57:55.680 --> 0:57:58.160 hucka puck is you know hucka puck is? No, I 0:57:58.160 --> 0:58:00.400 don't know what it's like the Dixie ups and they 0:58:00.480 --> 0:58:02.320 used to put kool Aid in them and freeze them, 0:58:02.320 --> 0:58:04.480 and the White Lady used to something tense cent. We 0:58:04.520 --> 0:58:06.920 used to go get the hunder parks. So like I 0:58:06.960 --> 0:58:08.560 have a lot of like a lot of people think 0:58:08.560 --> 0:58:11.600 I'm from New Orleans. I'm from the Bay. I can 0:58:11.640 --> 0:58:14.240 tell you how to get the Chopoltoola Street, like news 0:58:14.280 --> 0:58:17.400 is my second home, right, And so I just started 0:58:17.680 --> 0:58:20.640 talking to the L. S U people, and they had 0:58:20.680 --> 0:58:24.240 this great sports business program and they're like, yo, what's 0:58:24.240 --> 0:58:27.080 your experience. They waved to g R E for me, 0:58:27.160 --> 0:58:31.040 which was like cool, I love that's like that they 0:58:31.160 --> 0:58:34.160 wanted me to be up like they recruited me tell 0:58:34.280 --> 0:58:36.640 shoe like recruited me to be a part of it, 0:58:36.680 --> 0:58:40.120 to be a part of that program. And man, it 0:58:40.240 --> 0:58:43.920 was a great two years. Shout out to Professor Martinez. 0:58:43.920 --> 0:58:47.240 Man I learned a lot. And man, the football program 0:58:47.400 --> 0:58:50.880 is like embraced me. The basketball programs embrace me, they 0:58:50.920 --> 0:58:55.880 said me swag like the best. They stayed. Football has 0:58:55.880 --> 0:58:58.000 embraced me too, and they like they still love me, 0:58:58.040 --> 0:59:01.040 and they stayed. But I got in footy of college, 0:59:01.040 --> 0:59:02.920 they got some like all of them take care of you. 0:59:03.320 --> 0:59:07.000 But l s U like embraced me as a family um. 0:59:07.040 --> 0:59:10.320 And I learned a lot. So I thought that there's 0:59:10.360 --> 0:59:12.640 gonna be a day when perhaps I don't do this anymore. 0:59:14.080 --> 0:59:16.240 Maybe a team might want me to work for him, 0:59:16.360 --> 0:59:18.080 or a league might want me to work for him 0:59:18.080 --> 0:59:20.960 in a senior role, or I could be a professor. 0:59:21.840 --> 0:59:24.320 So as you know, like I can't teach it U 0:59:24.320 --> 0:59:28.000 c l A without a master's, right, I can't teach 0:59:28.040 --> 0:59:32.000 it Sundse State without a master. So it's me trying 0:59:32.080 --> 0:59:36.360 to stay two steps ahead of the posse. And that's 0:59:36.360 --> 0:59:38.200 why I wanted to get my master's degree and It 0:59:38.320 --> 0:59:41.600 wasn't easy. It was hard, but I was so proud 0:59:41.640 --> 0:59:44.320 when I got it, and you know, I ended up. 0:59:44.560 --> 0:59:47.360 I went to the ceremony even though I did it online. 0:59:47.440 --> 0:59:50.680 I went to Baton Rouge with my mom and she 0:59:50.800 --> 0:59:54.440 was really proud. And my now wife we went and 0:59:55.360 --> 0:59:58.400 you know it's funny, Like we get there, I'll tell 0:59:58.440 --> 1:00:01.320 you the story real quick, and I'm driving up in 1:00:01.360 --> 1:00:05.080 this brother comes up to the window and he goes, 1:00:05.800 --> 1:00:08.600 what's uping, man, how are you doing? Man? I'm like, 1:00:08.640 --> 1:00:11.320 hey man. He goes, Mark, you don't remember me. I 1:00:11.360 --> 1:00:13.680 met you at the All Star Game in New Orleans 1:00:13.720 --> 1:00:16.120 and you were really really nice to me. I was like, okay, good, 1:00:16.160 --> 1:00:19.200 good to see you. He's like, yo, I'm working the 1:00:19.680 --> 1:00:23.160 l s U Football um department. You want to come 1:00:23.160 --> 1:00:25.600 in and take pictures in your cap and gown in 1:00:25.640 --> 1:00:29.200 a in a in a locker room. Oh in the 1:00:29.200 --> 1:00:33.080 football He said, we got recruits and you know the recruits. 1:00:33.080 --> 1:00:35.640 You're taking all those pictures and stuff. He's like, you 1:00:35.640 --> 1:00:38.840 could take them with you're camping down, Like yeah, I 1:00:38.880 --> 1:00:40.640 was supposed to be standing in the line getting ready 1:00:40.680 --> 1:00:44.959 for graduation. Bro. I go on the Tiger Stadium, going 1:00:45.000 --> 1:00:47.440 the locker room. You know how like all the players 1:00:47.520 --> 1:00:50.080 take the recruiting like, I'm in the I'm in the lockers. 1:00:50.400 --> 1:00:53.240 I'm a body's footballs. It's like all the purple and yellow, 1:00:53.840 --> 1:00:57.440 you know. And then I'm taking all these pictures like 1:00:57.720 --> 1:00:59.480 I gotta go get ready for the graduation to go. 1:01:00.320 --> 1:01:03.120 You don't want to going to feel I'm like, what 1:01:03.160 --> 1:01:06.880 do you mean? He's like, you can take some pictures 1:01:06.880 --> 1:01:11.680 on the field, Dan so man, I came out this 1:01:11.920 --> 1:01:13.760 video of it. I hit the wind bar, I'm in 1:01:13.800 --> 1:01:16.000 my cap and gown. Yeah, I go on the field, 1:01:16.000 --> 1:01:19.880 that Tiger Stadium by myself. They take pictures on me. 1:01:20.320 --> 1:01:23.720 We walked back in. Guess who's standing there that that 1:01:23.880 --> 1:01:27.280 was wrong? Jeez. So, I mean, he had no idea 1:01:27.320 --> 1:01:30.320 of who I am. Probably it was just fine. You 1:01:30.360 --> 1:01:32.840 don't need to know who I am. He meets my 1:01:32.880 --> 1:01:39.360 mom and they start talking about um my mom. My 1:01:39.480 --> 1:01:42.320 mom is a saint. But I think she lied. She 1:01:42.440 --> 1:01:45.360 told that old drink I prayed for you before every game. 1:01:50.480 --> 1:01:54.240 Look at her like you do for L. S U 1:01:54.320 --> 1:02:00.040 Football before every game. That's funny. I would go with it, 1:02:00.120 --> 1:02:02.240 and she said, yeah, you dude. She's like, you're Christian. 1:02:02.480 --> 1:02:06.560 But he's like, yeah, they started talking religion at Odron 1:02:06.680 --> 1:02:09.760 and my mom walked onto the football field start having 1:02:09.760 --> 1:02:18.120 this long conversation about religion. I gotta graduate. Mom, come back. No, 1:02:18.400 --> 1:02:21.959 I left her at on the football field and took 1:02:21.960 --> 1:02:26.400 off and we and they ended up watching it everything. 1:02:26.440 --> 1:02:28.240 I don't know. I must love that she talked to him. 1:02:30.320 --> 1:02:32.680 Don't say nothing about it, old, no, No, that's a 1:02:32.680 --> 1:02:35.400 great story. That's a great sty But l you showed 1:02:35.400 --> 1:02:37.760 me a lot of love. But they showed me love 1:02:37.800 --> 1:02:40.960 with that the education, and I feel like I know 1:02:41.120 --> 1:02:43.760 a lot more about the business of basketball, about the 1:02:43.800 --> 1:02:47.520 business sports, and like it's funny when we talk about 1:02:47.560 --> 1:02:49.520 we wanted to get in the teams moving and stuff 1:02:49.560 --> 1:02:52.480 like that. But I started breaking down to my friends, 1:02:52.520 --> 1:02:55.640 like why this makes sense, Why this doesn't make sense? 1:02:56.040 --> 1:03:00.160 TV markets and revenue sharing and all, like damn you 1:03:00.240 --> 1:03:05.200 on it, hey, come on, bro love it. I love 1:03:05.240 --> 1:03:07.080 to hear it. Mark Man. That was that's that was 1:03:07.120 --> 1:03:10.960 a great story. Um so, man, we're about an hour in. Man, 1:03:11.240 --> 1:03:13.640 I just got really one more one more comment from me, 1:03:13.720 --> 1:03:16.480 broh that that I wanted to grab and I and 1:03:16.480 --> 1:03:19.160 I and I asked everybody that I've interviewed over the 1:03:19.240 --> 1:03:21.880 last six months, the same question has been about seventy 1:03:21.880 --> 1:03:25.440 five different interviews. Um, if you could just share with 1:03:25.520 --> 1:03:32.440 us your most memorable story about Kobe Bryant. Huhm wow, 1:03:34.840 --> 1:03:38.280 Well that's something I can't put on the ones we 1:03:38.360 --> 1:03:44.840 can't share the ones we can can. I tell to yes, please, UM, 1:03:44.840 --> 1:03:51.800 please do One time I went to interview and he 1:03:51.880 --> 1:03:54.480 took care to take care of me. Chirst man like 1:03:55.320 --> 1:03:59.160 I would meet him talk via email, and I'm big 1:03:59.200 --> 1:04:02.840 on email because players change their phone numbers all the time, 1:04:02.880 --> 1:04:05.520 but they don't change their emails. That's that's a little 1:04:05.560 --> 1:04:09.120 gift for the journalism people listening. They don't change their email. 1:04:09.440 --> 1:04:11.400 So an email, Hey I'm coming to town, him coming 1:04:11.440 --> 1:04:13.880 to practice. I would go to media day and he 1:04:13.880 --> 1:04:16.520 would always he talked to everybody, but then he would 1:04:16.560 --> 1:04:18.720 put me on the side for ten minutes and I 1:04:18.720 --> 1:04:20.800 remember all the media people be looking at me, pissed 1:04:20.800 --> 1:04:23.160 and everything. I don't hate to player hate the game. 1:04:24.360 --> 1:04:27.320 Then used to take care of me. Man to break 1:04:27.360 --> 1:04:30.920 one on one interviews, and so one time he was 1:04:30.960 --> 1:04:33.480 with my man Nico Harrison. Shout out to Niko, congrats 1:04:33.560 --> 1:04:36.640 on the Dallas job him and Nico's Niko was always 1:04:36.640 --> 1:04:39.240 by his side. They're leven practice amount of practice that 1:04:39.280 --> 1:04:41.720 I go to interview being I said, cold, you got 1:04:41.760 --> 1:04:45.880 a couple of minutes before you leave, and um, he said, 1:04:46.480 --> 1:04:49.120 you know, not not for you today. I'm like, what 1:04:49.160 --> 1:04:51.760 are you talking about? Bro? I had this beautiful Adida 1:04:51.800 --> 1:04:58.240 sweats and though, yeah, you know, we like big dude, 1:04:58.320 --> 1:05:02.640 so it's all just um that fit right, you know. 1:05:02.880 --> 1:05:05.720 But it was this school. It was this black Adidas 1:05:05.760 --> 1:05:09.040 sweat suit with the black shoes a match. I was 1:05:09.080 --> 1:05:12.040 looking good at that day and it fits right. It 1:05:12.080 --> 1:05:14.360 was almost like it was Taylor made it fit that good. 1:05:14.920 --> 1:05:17.120 He's like, I ain't interview. I ain't doing an interview 1:05:17.120 --> 1:05:20.680 what you're wearing. And I'm like why He's like really 1:05:20.720 --> 1:05:23.920 dog and he and he's Nike dripped. He had the 1:05:24.000 --> 1:05:27.560 toe and it hit me like damn. He did have 1:05:27.640 --> 1:05:32.600 a bad break up with Adidas. Like he's like, I'm 1:05:32.640 --> 1:05:34.880 just not doing that in and I needed to be bad. 1:05:35.280 --> 1:05:36.880 Like come on, man, He's like, look, this is what 1:05:36.880 --> 1:05:41.400 you're gonna do. I said, what's that you're gonna go? 1:05:41.920 --> 1:05:44.160 I'm gonna give you the interview, but when you go home, 1:05:45.240 --> 1:05:47.200 you're gonna throw all that away and you're gonna take 1:05:47.200 --> 1:05:50.560 a video of you throwing it away, and you know 1:05:53.120 --> 1:05:56.240 I wouldn't see it in the trash, that sweatsuit in 1:05:56.360 --> 1:06:01.240 the trash, and I need proof to you threw it away. 1:06:02.720 --> 1:06:07.520 Do you want the interview or not? I was like, yeah, bro, 1:06:07.840 --> 1:06:10.200 I want the interview. So I did the interview and 1:06:10.240 --> 1:06:13.440 literally when I went home, I had somebody videotaped me 1:06:13.560 --> 1:06:16.280 throwing it down. The trash shoot wasn't even had the 1:06:16.360 --> 1:06:19.680 trash can. It was a trash shoot because I lived 1:06:19.680 --> 1:06:23.040 in an apartment in jack London. That was it for 1:06:23.960 --> 1:06:26.040 It wasn't coming back, It wasn't coming back. It was 1:06:26.080 --> 1:06:28.080 in a trasho. You didn't want going in that trash. 1:06:28.080 --> 1:06:32.000 It was the apartment complex trash. How did that make Mark? 1:06:32.080 --> 1:06:35.960 How did but how did that make you feel? Was 1:06:35.960 --> 1:06:38.760 it worth it? Mark? Yes, at the end of the day, yes, 1:06:39.800 --> 1:06:44.320 any being interviewed at that time, yes. And what I 1:06:44.400 --> 1:06:48.560 learned from that is there's another little journalism tip. Anytime 1:06:48.600 --> 1:06:52.760 I interview a player, I either put my cold hands 1:06:52.760 --> 1:06:56.760 on because the co hands is like remember in South 1:06:56.800 --> 1:07:00.000 ceter of the hood, like East Side Saddle say he's 1:07:00.080 --> 1:07:02.520 pa you better know what colors are a different neighborhood. 1:07:03.480 --> 1:07:06.800 But if you wore a white, if some like blue jeans, 1:07:06.800 --> 1:07:10.400 you can probably get away anyway, right, blue jeans and 1:07:10.440 --> 1:07:16.040 blue jeans. Right. So my point is I would wear 1:07:16.240 --> 1:07:20.080 shoes or clothing that if I talked to Curry, I'm 1:07:20.080 --> 1:07:23.600 wearing under armor, like if I'm talking to Dame or 1:07:23.600 --> 1:07:28.080 where Adidas, And if I talk to Draymond Durant and 1:07:28.160 --> 1:07:30.440 wear a Nike, like, I wear it based on who 1:07:30.440 --> 1:07:33.600 I'm talking to because I learned about what lesson. And 1:07:33.680 --> 1:07:36.080 you if you think these dudes is not following that, 1:07:37.680 --> 1:07:40.000 you got another thing coming. You got another thing coming. 1:07:41.320 --> 1:07:43.640 So now that's that's the lesson I learned from that. 1:07:43.680 --> 1:07:47.720 Like I'm very like I interviewed CP yesterday, but I 1:07:47.720 --> 1:07:51.880 had Cohens, So that was I was neutral, right, stressed 1:07:51.960 --> 1:07:58.160 up them dudes, pay attention to that. Um. The only 1:07:58.240 --> 1:08:01.000 other story, I we got time when you gotta ruin. Yeah, 1:08:01.040 --> 1:08:04.960 we got plenty of time. Bro. So when he played 1:08:05.680 --> 1:08:09.440 his last game at Golden State, I was at the 1:08:09.520 --> 1:08:12.160 game and he saw me waiting for him in the 1:08:12.200 --> 1:08:14.360 locker room. And you know that Golden State locker room. 1:08:14.400 --> 1:08:16.840 You visiting locker room at that time was like the 1:08:16.880 --> 1:08:20.760 biggest in the league is huge, visiting team is huge, 1:08:20.880 --> 1:08:25.479 and he goes. Somebody came up to me said, Kobe 1:08:25.520 --> 1:08:28.160 said to come in the training room. I ain't never 1:08:28.200 --> 1:08:31.160 been a no chan like a media person, but if 1:08:31.240 --> 1:08:34.599 Kobe said to come in the training room, take your 1:08:34.640 --> 1:08:37.719 butt to the training room. So we be going there 1:08:38.320 --> 1:08:41.680 and we have like this long conversation. And the one 1:08:41.760 --> 1:08:43.759 thing about him, if you was one of his people, 1:08:44.640 --> 1:08:48.479 that I loved about him, is he he really cared 1:08:48.479 --> 1:08:51.920 about you as a person and care and and and 1:08:52.920 --> 1:08:55.200 cared how you're doing and how your family was doing. 1:08:55.240 --> 1:08:58.040 And I think the first time we really we're able 1:08:58.080 --> 1:09:02.639 to connect well was after Hurricane Katrina and he he 1:09:02.680 --> 1:09:05.519 played there's this if somebody wants to look it up, 1:09:06.200 --> 1:09:09.639 there's this great game on YouTube that you could probably 1:09:09.680 --> 1:09:12.439 find now. But it was a charity game for Hurricane 1:09:12.520 --> 1:09:16.560 Katrina that took place in Houston. All these NBA superstars 1:09:16.560 --> 1:09:24.280 played in it. Kobe Shock, Yeah, Yer played it like 1:09:24.400 --> 1:09:27.680 I was all almost in it. And that's when me 1:09:27.720 --> 1:09:30.240 and Kobe connected because he was. He actually pulled me 1:09:30.280 --> 1:09:32.800 to the side and was asked me about my family 1:09:32.880 --> 1:09:37.400 and my parents who had evacuated. Um, so we had 1:09:37.400 --> 1:09:41.439 this long conversation and he actually he actually asked you 1:09:41.479 --> 1:09:45.040 about that. He actually told and he heard my families 1:09:45.080 --> 1:09:48.640 in New Orleans and like literally asked me about and 1:09:48.640 --> 1:09:53.400 stuff like that. So anyways, um, fast forward. At that time, 1:09:53.800 --> 1:09:56.000 kind of felt like something was changing with my career 1:09:56.800 --> 1:09:59.080 and the undefeated stuff was slowly starting to come up 1:09:59.600 --> 1:10:01.280 and I kind in the game of heads up on it, 1:10:02.240 --> 1:10:08.320 and um, after I got the job, he was one 1:10:08.320 --> 1:10:10.600 of the first people I emailed because we had a 1:10:10.640 --> 1:10:13.960 real I was actually worried about our conversation getting on 1:10:14.080 --> 1:10:18.400 air because that's when um, um, Spike Lee was filming 1:10:18.439 --> 1:10:22.759 all that stuff for his documentary and they were camera 1:10:22.760 --> 1:10:24.720 crew was in the room with me and him spoke. Now, 1:10:24.720 --> 1:10:28.519 I would love to have that video personally now if 1:10:28.560 --> 1:10:31.479 I could about that conversation. I which, if you ever 1:10:31.560 --> 1:10:33.519 run across somebody who worked on that doc I bet 1:10:33.560 --> 1:10:36.200 you they could probably find it deep deep in the archives. 1:10:36.240 --> 1:10:40.040 But we talked about the teen minutes and but I 1:10:40.080 --> 1:10:43.519 sent him an email basically told him I got the job, 1:10:43.600 --> 1:10:46.439 and he sent me email back saying, a man, I'm 1:10:46.479 --> 1:10:49.680 proud of you. Continue to use your voice and if 1:10:49.720 --> 1:10:52.400 you need anything for me, man, don't hesitate. And I've 1:10:52.400 --> 1:10:56.400 been meaning to print out that email and like put 1:10:56.439 --> 1:10:59.640 it on this wall somewhere. You know, I need to 1:10:59.640 --> 1:11:03.000 do that at um. But the last time I saw 1:11:03.120 --> 1:11:06.960 him was about a year after I was in the Undefeated. 1:11:07.120 --> 1:11:09.400 He when he got his jersey retired. That was not 1:11:09.479 --> 1:11:11.000 the last time I saw him, but the last time 1:11:11.040 --> 1:11:14.800 we got to speak. I think you got the video 1:11:14.920 --> 1:11:18.000 there he came up to me. Is that big spirit? 1:11:18.040 --> 1:11:23.040 Is that big spirit? And he actually was congratulating me 1:11:23.120 --> 1:11:25.400 from my career and what I was doing with Undefeated. 1:11:25.960 --> 1:11:27.920 And I'm like, bro, you did you see me? I'm like, 1:11:27.960 --> 1:11:31.080 you just retired, like your jersey. This is about the 1:11:31.120 --> 1:11:33.120 saying about me. But that showed you what kind of 1:11:33.160 --> 1:11:38.120 man he was. That he hadn't seen me. We had 1:11:38.160 --> 1:11:41.320 the email or talk whatever, but and done in interviews 1:11:41.320 --> 1:11:46.000 and everything on, but we hadn't seen each other. And 1:11:46.000 --> 1:11:50.479 he was like, Amen, congratulations, and I was like, and 1:11:50.680 --> 1:11:54.280 even in this time of getting his jersey retired, he 1:11:54.320 --> 1:11:57.920 thought it was important to tell me congratulations. Man. So 1:11:58.200 --> 1:12:02.280 I'm still not there with it yet, you know what 1:12:02.360 --> 1:12:05.360 I mean, I still haven't figured it out yet in 1:12:05.439 --> 1:12:10.400 my mind um, but no, I I was. I was 1:12:10.439 --> 1:12:12.160 sad when he retired. I think that was the only 1:12:12.200 --> 1:12:14.160 time when the player retired and I was like, damn, 1:12:15.560 --> 1:12:17.120 he was great, he was great to me, and and 1:12:17.600 --> 1:12:22.080 him being gone. I still haven't come to like a 1:12:22.080 --> 1:12:25.479 complete realization about that. No, that's one of the toughest 1:12:25.520 --> 1:12:27.639 things that we've had to do with. Man, Like, it's 1:12:27.640 --> 1:12:32.080 a basketball community, bro, that ain't going away. Oh no, man, 1:12:32.120 --> 1:12:34.439 it's deep. It's too deep. You go to l A 1:12:35.240 --> 1:12:37.920 and y'all got a reminder on every corner. Yeah, I 1:12:37.960 --> 1:12:40.760 can't even Yeah, you can't walk anywhere without thinking about 1:12:40.840 --> 1:12:44.519 any neighborhood in l A. That's love too, love any 1:12:44.920 --> 1:12:47.840 neighborhood in l A. You're gonna see a mural. Some 1:12:47.960 --> 1:12:53.080 are better than others. Some resembled to me a little 1:12:53.080 --> 1:12:57.439 more than others. Year. But man, it's funny though, when 1:12:57.560 --> 1:13:00.000 when you talk to people and how all these stories 1:13:00.160 --> 1:13:03.760 about Kobe's character, the unbelievable nature of his character and 1:13:03.880 --> 1:13:07.040 now starting to come out, it makes you realize that 1:13:07.120 --> 1:13:11.160 the Black Mamba, his own court persona, that whole thing 1:13:11.240 --> 1:13:13.439 that was that was just really what it was. But no, 1:13:13.560 --> 1:13:16.760 if that was work ethic, Yeah, actually that that was 1:13:16.800 --> 1:13:21.960 like work ethic um. But when you know when you 1:13:22.000 --> 1:13:26.840 saw Jordan the last dance like go to come to tears, 1:13:26.880 --> 1:13:28.760 like that was like the moment of the last dance 1:13:28.800 --> 1:13:33.360 I always remember because he wanted greatness so much that 1:13:34.040 --> 1:13:36.160 in order to get it out of the people, he 1:13:36.240 --> 1:13:38.000 felt like he had to be a jerk to get 1:13:38.080 --> 1:13:42.320 down to respond. And then a lot of that was 1:13:42.360 --> 1:13:45.880 in Kobe too, Like I could imagine the conversations that 1:13:46.000 --> 1:13:49.320 Jordan and Kobe had late at night because I don't 1:13:49.320 --> 1:13:52.400 know that anybody really had anybody else to relate to 1:13:52.439 --> 1:13:57.240 that mentality, that Mamba mentality, that jordan Esque mentality, like 1:13:58.080 --> 1:14:01.000 that I want greatness at all costs. I know you're 1:14:01.040 --> 1:14:03.760 not as great as me, but I'm a push and 1:14:03.840 --> 1:14:07.320 prode you to bring you to a place that you 1:14:07.360 --> 1:14:12.280 didn't think you could get to. And uh So it 1:14:12.360 --> 1:14:15.320 was funny because so many people thought that Being was 1:14:15.360 --> 1:14:18.800 a jerk and that, oh my goodness, he was one 1:14:18.840 --> 1:14:21.559 of the greatest people in the world, like smartest people 1:14:21.560 --> 1:14:25.439 in the world. Another thing he did behind the scenes 1:14:25.479 --> 1:14:30.080 that was brilliant, and I implore any NBA player, especially 1:14:30.080 --> 1:14:33.439 the stars, to do this. One of the reasons I mean, 1:14:33.479 --> 1:14:36.000 being in l a afford you treasures. Right, You're gonna 1:14:36.040 --> 1:14:39.000 meet people wearing that laking for your uniform afford you treasures. 1:14:39.560 --> 1:14:42.040 But when he would go meet with people after games, 1:14:42.040 --> 1:14:45.960 it was always these influential people. He would scout them 1:14:45.960 --> 1:14:49.120 in the same way he scouted their opponents. So if 1:14:49.160 --> 1:14:51.640 you were sowing so from Microsoft and you got to 1:14:51.680 --> 1:14:55.000 meet Kobe after the game, because the only people he 1:14:55.080 --> 1:14:57.680 was meeting after game were either people that you know, 1:14:57.880 --> 1:15:02.559 kid too, something to was happening with them, right, or 1:15:02.600 --> 1:15:07.280 somebody of ILK somebody of note like got to meet him. 1:15:08.360 --> 1:15:11.280 And you would see these people several times after Lakers game. 1:15:11.360 --> 1:15:14.600 You see these like very important people like nervous. He 1:15:14.640 --> 1:15:17.599 would come in and be like, oh, hey, so and so, 1:15:18.240 --> 1:15:20.160 pleasure to meet you. Meant, oh man, what you're doing 1:15:20.320 --> 1:15:23.519 Microsoft is amazing. Yeah, you guys did this this and 1:15:23.560 --> 1:15:26.559 this and this and that's like so he was like 1:15:27.600 --> 1:15:32.040 calming them down, taking away the nervousness because they would 1:15:32.040 --> 1:15:34.639 be shocked, like, damn, you know as much about me 1:15:35.120 --> 1:15:38.720 as as I do about you. And I'm sure that 1:15:38.840 --> 1:15:42.200 opened all kind of business stories for him because once 1:15:42.240 --> 1:15:46.000 he was meeting all these powerful people and showing them 1:15:46.040 --> 1:15:50.519 respect and knowing who they were. Hey, man, Kobe, whatever 1:15:50.560 --> 1:15:53.240 you want, you call me, have your people call me 1:15:53.280 --> 1:15:56.920 in that door open. There was so much great that 1:15:57.000 --> 1:16:01.040 he was going to do that I think us surpassed 1:16:01.640 --> 1:16:07.519 everything he did legendary already, like the book that these 1:16:07.560 --> 1:16:11.600 books that he had written he wrote about superheroes, like 1:16:11.720 --> 1:16:16.559 who writes about superheroes are different races? Because his kids 1:16:16.560 --> 1:16:18.800 were mixed, he wanted them to be able to read 1:16:18.880 --> 1:16:25.520 books about, you know, superheroes or or um mythical characters 1:16:25.560 --> 1:16:29.040 that were of different colors so they could relate to him. 1:16:29.320 --> 1:16:32.240 I wish we could have heard him talk about race today. 1:16:32.520 --> 1:16:34.240 I wish we could have heard them during all this 1:16:34.400 --> 1:16:37.360 hate and you'd have all these like the people that 1:16:37.439 --> 1:16:40.600 were are racist, but don't listen to Kobe Bryant, Like 1:16:40.960 --> 1:16:46.840 I think his best work would have been done now. Yeah, 1:16:46.920 --> 1:16:52.559 and unfortunately he didn't get a chance to do that. No, 1:16:52.760 --> 1:16:55.479 but yeah he didn't. But it's up to the next 1:16:55.520 --> 1:16:59.519 generation of men to kind of keep that up. I 1:16:59.600 --> 1:17:03.439 know for me personally, just being a dad and having 1:17:03.520 --> 1:17:07.120 daughters and just watching him with his little girls and 1:17:07.240 --> 1:17:09.320 just that whole side of him. I mean, it really 1:17:09.360 --> 1:17:12.920 just it's sort of just disarms you and assens because 1:17:13.040 --> 1:17:15.280 you know you're used to him as this certain dude, 1:17:15.320 --> 1:17:17.639 but you see him with you know, Natalia and Gianna 1:17:17.680 --> 1:17:19.920 and how he talks about him, and so it just 1:17:20.000 --> 1:17:22.080 makes you be like, man, I gotta be a better dude. 1:17:22.080 --> 1:17:24.840 And it's not a lot of people that inspire you, 1:17:25.240 --> 1:17:27.439 especially when you get to my age anymore. Like I 1:17:27.479 --> 1:17:30.040 don't have as many inspirations, but I will say that 1:17:30.120 --> 1:17:33.920 Kobe Bryant is a man, not basketball player. He definitely 1:17:33.960 --> 1:17:36.240 was one of the most inspirational dudes that I had, 1:17:36.320 --> 1:17:38.120 you know, because I was awful them for a little bit, 1:17:38.160 --> 1:17:41.080 but then I just had no choice but to be like, man, 1:17:41.120 --> 1:17:44.160 this dude is just you know, sharp as attack always. 1:17:44.200 --> 1:17:46.439 He took a lot of things from Michael suiting and 1:17:46.520 --> 1:17:49.120 booted after the game. And you saw the love for 1:17:49.200 --> 1:17:50.880 his family because he was like one of the few 1:17:50.920 --> 1:17:53.639 players and perhaps it was because of his star too 1:17:53.760 --> 1:17:56.839 that he could do it. Like you would see often 1:17:56.920 --> 1:17:59.080 when he's leaving the game, his wife and kids would 1:17:59.080 --> 1:18:02.920 be sitting outside a lot we wait always and you 1:18:02.960 --> 1:18:05.120 know that the love for him because they were patient 1:18:05.120 --> 1:18:07.040 about it. It wasn't like they were waiting in the 1:18:07.120 --> 1:18:09.080 family room for him. They were waiting outside the locker 1:18:09.160 --> 1:18:12.519 room for him. Wow, that's dope, man. So I saw 1:18:12.520 --> 1:18:16.599 them little girls all the time because they were waiting there. 1:18:16.720 --> 1:18:18.240 They would sit there and wait for him for a 1:18:18.240 --> 1:18:20.360 half hour or whatever. You know, he was one of 1:18:20.360 --> 1:18:22.960 the last people to walk out. Oh the things you 1:18:23.040 --> 1:18:27.240 had to do. But yeah, man, that's uh yeah, there 1:18:27.240 --> 1:18:30.040 were so many beautiful chapters to be written that way. 1:18:30.120 --> 1:18:34.760 That was stolen from the world. Absolutely well, Mark, Man, 1:18:34.880 --> 1:18:38.519 I appreciate you your time today. We wait hold On'm 1:18:38.520 --> 1:18:41.200 gonna leave with this because we gotta leave on a 1:18:41.240 --> 1:18:45.720 good note. Let's good. Yeah. He used to always tell 1:18:45.760 --> 1:18:48.000 me I asked a lot of Doctor Seuss asked questions. 1:18:49.479 --> 1:18:52.560 What do you mean with the riddles? You come in 1:18:53.080 --> 1:18:56.240 as a compliment, man, because because you know, like I 1:18:56.280 --> 1:19:00.120 also like bighted in psychology, so by by question to 1:19:00.120 --> 1:19:06.120 have depth tool. A lot of times you always ask 1:19:06.200 --> 1:19:10.640 me all this, damn Dr Seuss asked questions, man. So 1:19:10.720 --> 1:19:13.120 I refused to think of it as a put down. 1:19:13.360 --> 1:19:18.280 I do think it was a complement, man. But that's hilarious. 1:19:19.120 --> 1:19:23.240 You always ask some goddamn Dr Seuss asked questions. One 1:19:23.240 --> 1:19:28.800 of the kind being man. Yeah, rest in peace, fars me. Brother. 1:19:29.520 --> 1:19:32.719 I appreciate you, my man. Um, thank you for coming 1:19:32.720 --> 1:19:35.640 on kJ Live today and thanks for bringing on some 1:19:35.800 --> 1:19:37.800 you know, just journalists man. Like you know, I don't 1:19:37.800 --> 1:19:40.040 know if anybody cares what I have to say. Yeah, 1:19:40.080 --> 1:19:41.840 they do, they do. You got a voice, You got 1:19:41.880 --> 1:19:44.000 a voice. Man. You're one of the most interesting dudes man, 1:19:44.320 --> 1:19:46.840 and I love your work. Keep up the great work, bro. 1:19:47.160 --> 1:19:49.280 I'm a big, big fan man, and it's been an 1:19:49.280 --> 1:19:52.720 honor to have you on the show. Love you, love 1:19:52.760 --> 1:19:57.400 your family, y'all, Basketball royalty. Keep doing everything you guys 1:19:57.439 --> 1:20:03.240 are doing on all platforms. Apreciate you, your brother, y'all. Y'all, 1:20:03.320 --> 1:20:07.360 y'all define what basketball means. Man. So I love you all. 1:20:07.479 --> 1:20:10.760 Love you can continue success, Bro, Thank you Mark. I 1:20:10.760 --> 1:20:12.200 appreciate you man, all right,