WEBVTT - Nidal "MamaImDatMan" Nasser / Kassem G 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:05.920 Welcome to the Sports Bubble, a production of I Heart 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:14.040 Radio Entree Fork Media. My name is Jensen Carp and 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:16.320 I'm a sports fan. And when there's no athletic competition 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:18.360 on TV, well, you have to look to other outlets 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:20.840 to quench your thirst. And a byproduct of this loss 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.759 is my sudden engagement with the drama of online influencers 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:27.280 and streaming celebrities. I know it's just gross, but somehow 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.240 I've been sucked in. It's probably the boredom, whether it 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:32.840 was following the NBA two K tournament, rooting on CrOx 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:36.280 enthusiast Gavin Lux playing MLB the Show League, or somehow 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:39.640 falling down the mainstream rabbit hole of YouTube drama. I 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:42.840 am hooked. We're all gravitating towards our computers and phones 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:45.400 during the pandemic, and I'm just thankful I have good WiFi. 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.760 But can E sports and streaming actually maintain the attention 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:51.360 it's grabbed during this low and actual sports? Will we 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:53.600 all just live in that one Fred Savage movie The Wizard, 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:55.560 where he competes to win a video game and people 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:58.040 all over the world actually care about it. Or is 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:01.720 this just another fleeting online craze like MySpace or Jeeves 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.280 or Tila Tequila, and what the hell is going on 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:08.840 with these band YouTubers. This episode, we dive in head 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.200 first into a very shallow pool. First, I'll speak with 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:15.480 the incredibly impressive Nadal Mama. I'm that man Nasser, the 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:17.800 reigning m v P of the NBA two K League 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.720 and its first individual player to sign an endorsement deal. 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.080 We talk about why he's better than me at video games, 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:25.520 the community of e sports, and he helps me pick 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:28.120 a unique candle for my future online. Then, in a 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:31.319 new installment of Pandemic, I talked to early YouTube pioneer 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:34.520 Cassim g in hopes he can decipher the current controversies 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:38.000 and questionable content costing creators millions of dollars in revenue. 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:40.680 He also explains how he has a podcast with both 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:43.039 kids from the Sopranos that has nothing to do with 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:46.480 the Sopranos. It's an Internet focused episode discussing one of 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:49.200 the many outlets we've clung to during this very weird time. 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:52.240 It's time to spark up your modem in the sports bubble. 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.040 So I wanted to start off by asking you where 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.560 you've been during this crazy time, especially during quarantine and 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:10.280 with who. Um. So the last three months actually more 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:14.360 like four months, I've been in Portland around February, and um, 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:15.959 this is actually my first time being home. So I 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.120 currently in San Bralo, California for the last couple of days. 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:23.240 I'm going back to Portland tomorrow, quarantining for however long 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:25.160 than even a quarantine for, and then getting back into 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:27.640 finny things. Yeah. I guess that's the crazy part too. 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.280 Like I before I did research on the two K 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.680 League and talking to you, I would have never thought 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:36.000 you'd actually have to move to the city that you're 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:38.919 playing in. It's crazy. It's wild. Like when it all 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.720 came to Fruition and I got drafted to Portland, I 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:43.720 was shocked. I was like, I'm going to Portland. I'm 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:45.840 from California, so it was just like mine. I was like, 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:49.119 I was completely shocked. So um, But as you get 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:51.240 customs to Portland and like the different cities that everyone 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:53.639 goes to, it gets better as the time goes on. Sure, 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.760 and you can technically play your game online anywhere. You 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:58.720 could have stayed in California. But I think it's actually 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:01.720 kind of cool that the NBA two K League has 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:03.799 all the teams meet up in the city for which 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:05.600 they play in, just like they're on an NBA team, 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.160 and you guys all live together, right, Yeah, so we 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.800 live in apartments of two, so will be me and 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.440 my roommate, and there's three apartments. We all live basically 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:15.280 on top of each other, so the fourth floor fifth 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:18.160 forces for um see each other every day, which could 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:21.400 get annoying after a while, but yeah, it's all good. 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:23.600 And then you guys practice like in the morning. It's 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:25.200 the same thing as like an NBA team that was 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:27.400 put in like a hotel for a night. Yeah, I 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:30.639 mean we practice probably from eleven to five almost every day, 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.120 except like Sundays or game days, whatever the case may be. 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.400 So how much of your professional life changes because of quarantine, 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:39.760 Like what what actually differs during the pandemic. I would 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.720 say the biggest thing that differentiates throughout the whole season 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:45.800 is that we can't fly to New York. So flying 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:48.360 New York kind of gives you that two K League feeling, 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.320 where like, I'm in the league and this is my profession. 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.480 We fly every week, So we're flying from Portland to 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:54.880 New York every week to play a forty five to 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.040 fifty minute game in front of fans and stuff like that. 0:03:58.080 --> 0:03:59.720 And that's really where we thrive is in part of 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:02.240 people entertaining while playing, and that's kind of where our 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:05.119 market is. So even though the teams are in each 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.280 of the cities for which you guys play with, the 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.600 games take place once a week in New York, once 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.880 a week, well multiple days throughout the week, but in 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:15.640 New York, so Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, but we all 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:17.520 come in at different times to go play that game. 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:19.680 That is pretty intense that they have. You moved to 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:21.640 the same city just to fly to New York, which 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:23.520 is not your hometown, and now you're living not in 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:25.119 your hometown, but if you want to see your family, 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.680 you have to go to your hometown exactly. And then 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.240 also on top of everything, just the flights, like we 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:33.880 we fly six hours, so imagine flying on Monday, we 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:35.599 have a game on Wednesday, we fly on Monday six 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:37.680 hour in New York. We fly back on Thursdays another 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.040 six hours back Portland. So it's kind of head every 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:41.920 single week. But you've got to get used to it. 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:43.719 I would have never thought that it's like you guys 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.760 play online, you would think you'd reap the benefits. Yeah, 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:51.320 not at all. Well, playing in person is more beneficial 0:04:51.360 --> 0:04:53.800 than playing online because it's just like it's that intense 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:56.120 eye to I feeling compared to online where your comb 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.360 in your own house. Well, especially for you, who you 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:00.640 kind of trash talk, you're a little more animated than 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.000 the rest of the league. Let's get into how you 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.760 got into video games. When did it start? Um? It 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:08.800 started when I was probably in third fourth grade. I 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:11.160 asked my dad for PS two and he was all 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.320 about school, school, school, you know, as long as you 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:15.279 have this sort of g p A or whether it'd 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:17.040 be all get it for you. So I'm playing that GP. 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.760 I got to PS two and it was Love of 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.000 First Sight. From then I was playing Call of Duty, Madden, 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.240 all sports games. Um. I didn't get into two K 0:05:24.400 --> 0:05:27.480 until two thousand and eleven. Two thousand and ten, Kobe 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.000 was on the cover. I was around public thirteen fourteen 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.440 and I got that three point five, I got the Xbox, 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.000 I got the game, and from there it was over. 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:38.120 So how did you know you were good? Like? Because 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:39.839 I feel like I was good at a couple of 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:41.760 games back in the NS days, but I didn't know 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:44.120 if I would compete nationally, Like how does it go 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.640 from just being a dude who got into k like 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:50.239 basketball in real life and now you're competitively in the top. 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:53.040 So funny story. I was just it was in high 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.880 school and all my friends would want to play, you know, 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.200 and my close friends knew how much I loved the game, 0:05:58.240 --> 0:05:59.640 and they knew that through my whole life, I've always 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:01.200 played the GA and I was good at it, but 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:03.039 I never really played in front of them. So it 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:04.520 was the first time I played in front of them, 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:08.400 and I was knocking each person down twenty thirty five 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:09.720 and people are like, oh no, now we want to 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:12.200 start gambling because they thought that it was all flutes. 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:15.040 So these people threw about my school my close friends 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.720 just twenty bucks, thirty bucks, and every game wouldn't be close. 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:19.200 And I got to a certain point where I felt 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:21.120 like I'm not gonna play anymore because I know that 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:23.520 you know I'm gonna win. And there was one weekend 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.880 we went to Tahoe and we played for like seven 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.919 hundred dollars and I swept through everybody in Tahoe. It 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.280 was like five six people and they were all like stunned. 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.680 And at that point I was like, Okay, I know 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:36.480 I'm good at this, and I say I started playing 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.200 competitively online, dying and day out, met everybody in the 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:42.960 community and from there on. Yeah, and like your dad, 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:45.520 who had a bit of an issue even buying you 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:47.480 the Xbox, now you have to explain to him it's 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:48.880 what you want to do for a living, because I 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.080 know you went to like San Francisco State or something, right, 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.480 and this was the decision you were going to make. Yeah, 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.200 my dad was never really big on it. You know, 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:57.320 if I got a bad grade in school with the Xbox, 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.120 would be out of my room that night. Yeah, for 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:01.480 good reason, for a good reason. And at the time 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:04.320 I understand it, right. Yeah, So when it all came 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:06.240 together and I got drafted up on and it was 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:07.880 kind of like I told you so, like I knew 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:09.640 this is gonna happen, even though I really didn't. But 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:11.920 it was always kind of like a sixth sense. And 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:14.040 so now he loves that. He supports all time shows, 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.080 all his friends and all that good stuff. So it's awesome. 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:17.840 Well do you want to talk about that drafting? So 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:20.600 you are the reigning m v P of the NBA 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.200 two K League. We'll get into the history you've made 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:26.440 during this pandemic as well. But first, you were drafted 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.040 in the second round. What am I missing? Did you 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.120 get better? Did people underestimate you? I think it was 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:34.200 more underestimated me. So I came into the community and 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.560 I used to play a different mode than proem. So 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:38.480 the poem is the mode that we play in the 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.000 league build. That's what the mode is called retail version. 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:42.520 So I would play team up, which is a whole 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:45.120 different side of the game, and so many people knew me, 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:47.200 but people didn't really know me like this when I 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:49.640 came into community. Of course, you're gonna have dollters and 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:51.760 people that say, oh, he's not good enough, he's just 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:53.679 doing this, he's just doing that. And I wasn't playing 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.400 my original position, point guard when I came into that 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.320 mode where everyone had their eyes on and so I 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.720 was playing power forward small forward, just jumping around, just 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:03.600 trying to fit in BUI. The goal was to get 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.120 in and so it was crazy that when the combine 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:08.000 came around, I had to make a decision. It was 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.640 either I stuck with what got me here, which was 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:12.960 power forward small forward, or I went with my gut, 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.000 which was point guard, and I took that risk, and 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:17.520 I told myself, if I'm gonna gets the big stage, 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:19.320 if I'm gonna be who I am and have my 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.400 game attacking all that good stuff, I want to play 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.040 point guard. And that's that's who I've always been. I've 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:25.880 always liked to be a leader on and off the floor, 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:28.080 and so this is what I was destined to do. 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.200 And so I showed up in the combine dominated throughout. 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:33.840 And so since I played point guard instead of my 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:35.760 other positions, I felt like I kind of slipped about 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:38.080 the draft, and so I ended up on Portland's. And 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:40.199 what is explained to me the difference between retail and 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:42.000 what you play in the league. So if I buy 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:44.200 the game, which I did, and I played at home, 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.680 what is the difference is I'm looking at that the 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:49.160 one you do professionally, the one professionally. So on retail 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:53.440 you can get you my player to nine. It doesn't matter. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.959 What is overall is you can go ahead and play um. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.400 So the mechanics on retail, or the sliders are on 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:01.920 All Star, or I believe on retail, so it's easier 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:03.920 to make shots. It's easier to make passes, it's easier 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.920 to make retos. Everything is easier on the retailer version. 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:08.880 When you get into the league, the league build is 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.360 much harder to score, much harder to defend, much harder 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:13.640 to move, much harder to shoot. And all our players 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:16.720 are captured at ninety two overall. So instead of you 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:18.880 having all these moves that you would have in retailer, 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:20.480 you wouldn't. You'd have a set of moves because you're 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:23.520 ninety two and you have to differentiate yourself throughout the pack. Wow, 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:26.400 that's crazy. Where did you get this online handle? Mama, 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:30.040 I'm that man. So, you know, watching the Warriors and 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.800 all that good stuff. Living in Sancisco. Mark Jackson came 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:34.520 to our team. He was our head coach for a 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.880 year or two, whatever the case may be. And I 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:39.679 love Mark Jackson just the way he commentates and all 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:41.600 that good stuff. And he has so many cash phrases, 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:43.520 and one of them was, Mama, there goes then man 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:45.400 when it's a big time fourth quarter shot or big 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:47.719 time shots in general. And so I would always look 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:49.679 at that and just kind of click like, Mama, I'm 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:51.800 that man. And I've always loved like fourth quarter moments 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:53.280 like give me the ball, move on my way, and 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:55.199 let me do my thing. And so that's where I 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:59.000 kind of came into where that's what happened. Listen, that's 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:01.520 that's a big country usion by Mark Jackson and Golden State, 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:06.520 considering wasn't there long, okay quarantine During it, approximately one 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:09.400 point seven million new players flocked to NBA two K, 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:12.000 bringing the total players up to ten point three million. 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:16.360 Without sports in our lives. Clearly people got into PlayStation 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:18.760 and NBA two K in general. Did you expect so 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.360 many people to pick up a controller because sports was missing? 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:24.839 I did, but I didn't. I feel like there's always 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:27.000 been a stigma where video games just kind of just 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.880 pushed the side, and the sports in general, especially at sports, 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:31.280 kind of pushed this side. So I never thought it 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.360 would give us a real chance. But I feel like 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.440 once we got on ESPN two, we're going on YouTube, Twitch, 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:40.839 all those platforms, and this was happening. Unfortunately, everyone had 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.600 nothing to do but watch us, and so when they 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:45.200 started to watch us, I feel like we've gained more 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:47.040 fans than we've gained the last two years. Um. I 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.040 feel like the league is growing and it's only out 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.120 from here. Yeah. And and during it, NBA stars competed 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.080 against each other. Did you get to watch the Players 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:56.160 League at all? I get to Well, I watched a 0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:58.120 little bit of it, not too much because I was 0:10:58.160 --> 0:10:59.840 focused on my season, But I did watch a little 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:01.959 bit of it. Could Devin Booker hang? He won the 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:03.839 whole tournament? Could he be an e sports bro? We 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:05.880 talked to Ronnie Took about it. He wasn't sure. What 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:09.240 do you think, man, To be honest, I think there's 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.680 no chance. I think just think he's too busy. Well, no, 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.079 I mean skills wise. Let's say let's say he let's 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.600 say the league doesn't come together. Everyone's nervous about what's 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:19.520 going on right now. Let's say he's not busy, he's 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:22.080 just sitting at home. Could he join the sports League? 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:24.199 He would have to show me before I give him 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:25.720 that pass. I can't just give him the past because 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:27.320 I've worked too hard to get that pass. I can't 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:29.440 call back. Yeah, you'd make it so as of right now, 0:11:29.440 --> 0:11:31.400 in no way, no chance. But you were surprised. You 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:33.360 were surprised by how good he was. I was definitely surprised. 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.040 He played really well. Yeah, all right, you scored. I 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:38.240 have to get this straight because I tried to figure 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:41.040 it out by research. You scored seventies seven points against 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:44.120 the Bucks team in NBA two K in a league play. 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.400 I read that there's a controversy about this game because 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:48.839 they played kind of cheap. Back in my day, if 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.280 you played Street Fighter two and someone was Blanca and 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.760 just repeatedly kept doing the electricity move, that was like 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:55.920 cheap play. That's what I'm getting out of what the 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:58.719 Bucks did you in the fourth quarter. Yeah, So what 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.280 happened was the first quarter I scored thirty one, and 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:03.000 it was just and I'm Blinka and I I didn't 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.280 realize it, and by half my had like fifty and 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.120 I was like sixteen for seventeen and I was only 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:09.800 the only reason I even slowed down my pace in 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:11.720 the second quarter was just because I wanted to shoot 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:13.640 a perfect percentage of the whole game. And so my 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:15.280 teammates were like, no, no no, go for the record, go 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:16.920 for the record and the records. But like it's like 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:21.080 early eighties, right, the records eight four, the records eighty four, 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:23.880 and it was the first season and it was in 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.160 double overtime, so you know, he had much more time 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.240 in me, and so when that third quarter came, I 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:29.720 was like, Okay, I'm going for the record. And at 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.200 the end of the third I had like seventy points, 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.560 and going into the fourth the Bucks didn't break the record. 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:38.000 For whatever reason, I felt like it would have benefited 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.199 both of us. Not only do I get the record, 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:42.880 but the league grows because everyone's gonna get eyes that 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:45.560 I broke the record. But that's near here or there. 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:47.520 And we get into the full quarter and they hold 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:49.840 the ball for the whole four seconds when you get 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:51.840 the ball, and then when I get on offense, they 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.160 were putting all five guys on me not alignment to score. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.840 So I tried. And I could have prolonged the game 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.280 and gave myself every opportunity, but I didn't want to 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.320 drain my teammate. Looking back on it, I kind of 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:04.199 wish I did pull along the game, but it was 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:06.160 the best three and it was the first game, so 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:07.640 I didn't want to lose the series. The win was 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:10.000 more important to me. Um, but yeah it was. It 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.000 was cheap played for sure. So explain to me why 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.560 you're better than me. Okay, so you you clearly know 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:16.960 when to shoot the ball in the game, you your 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:19.440 your release of the button. All of those things play 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.760 into it, right, Like what else can I chalk up 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:24.120 to you being this much better than me. My biggest 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:25.800 advice to people just trying to get into it and 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.560 get better at the game is mindset going into each 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:30.839 game out smarting your opponent. A lot of two K 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:33.559 is easy to master. And I say easy as in 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:35.160 the controls are right in front of you. I mean, 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:37.040 it's not rocket science. They're gonna give you exactly what 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:38.880 you can do. But the point is just to put 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:41.880 it together and outplay your opponent. So if he goes left, 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.280 I'm going right. If he's shading me right, I'm going left. 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:46.320 You know. If I'm going to paint, I'm pump taking 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:48.080 the first time, but the second time coming down, I'm 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:50.320 going straight up. Kind of playing my games throughout the 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.400 whole game. And that way people can't read what you're 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:54.560 gonna do. You're not predictable and you can go from there. 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.640 Do you ever jump on the retail just to screw 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:59.080 people over? Sometimes I get in the plug just to 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:00.960 play with people or just to dominate them, and they 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:02.720 send a message like you're not even that good? Or 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:05.480 who are you all that? Even though I'll be I'll 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:07.480 be front and center on the park like they have 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:09.920 like an advertisement right now. I'll be front and center 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:11.760 and they'll be like, oh, who are you not that? Yeah? 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:14.440 That's I love that all right. So you became the 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:16.439 first NBA two K player in the league to get 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:20.200 an endorsement, signing with Point three. Did you ever imagine 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.880 this could happen in college convincing your father this is 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:26.240 a job, and now you have an endorsement? No chance, 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:28.920 no chance? What is it? So tell people what point 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.280 three is? So point three is a sports clothing brand. 0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.840 It's more for basketball, and so we have this technology 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:38.440 dry technology, and so it's on our shorts mainly. And 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:40.920 so what happens there is that if your hands get sweaty, 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.400 or your garden somebody that's sweaty, you don't wanna you 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:44.800 don't want to mess up with the ball in your hand. 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:46.800 For the most point, where does this real life basketball here? 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:50.720 Its not video games? And so the patent and technology 0:14:50.840 --> 0:14:53.520 on the hip of the shorts allows you to swipe down. 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:55.440 It's kind of like some sort of a towel in 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.040 a sense. You can swipe down and release all that 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.120 swept in hand and get right back into game. So 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.520 for me, it's after those long competitive hours, you know, 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:05.440 sometimes my hands get a little bit moist or just 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.840 people's hands get moist throughout the day. And so they're 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.880 my new shorts. I wear them everywhere and anywhere. Um 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.480 And so that technology is awesome and as time goes on, 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:17.440 they're gonna be rolling out more and more and it's 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.520 only up. It's great man, all right. Question and this 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.320 is a new be kind of question. Can you sell 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.920 an endorsement for your player in the game, Like can 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:28.760 your player have a certain shirt on? Can they have 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.120 a certain shoe? Could you sign with Nike? But you 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:32.600 know what I mean, like are they ever thinking about 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:34.760 that stuff about your kind of like your avatar per 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:37.480 se within the two K league or on the version 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:39.920 I mean either one really, So right now we have 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.560 endorsement with Champion as a whole the whole league has 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.840 endorsement champions. The Champion has all their clothing when it 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.320 comes to the two K League. But outside of the 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.920 two K League, like my personal um endorsement, I wear 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.600 a point three almost everywhere I go, But in two 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.600 K weeks itself as champion got it very cool. So 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:01.720 obviously things have been easy, uh in this world, whether 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:04.840 it's the pandemic or the racial injustices that we're seeing. 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:07.320 I wanted to talk to you about how NBA two 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.400 K for some reason, NBA in general, but NBA two 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:14.560 K has a very strange pulse on society right like 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:18.080 even within kind of like the hype beast world. Whenever 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.360 something happens in NBA two K, it's front page. Maybe 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:23.800 Madden gets front cover, you know, oh who's on the 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:26.600 front cover whatever, But NBA two K had I remember 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:28.680 they had signs that said, you know, wash your hands 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:30.640 things during the pandemic that they added in the game. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.920 On top of that, players recently were given the chance 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:37.000 to wear Black Lives Matter shirts and there was a 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:41.240 protest set up in the playground. Why does it seem 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.320 that this game has their ear to the street or 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:45.120 finger on the pulse or whatever it is more than 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.560 other video games. I think it's because it's global. I 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:52.160 think that our audience ranges from the United States, China, 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.640 everywhere in between. Um and also our community is really different. 0:16:57.120 --> 0:16:59.280 You know, sometimes you'll get the part of the community 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:00.880 that's toxic and you don't want to be a part 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:02.160 of it, and you kind of want to stay away 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:03.720