WEBVTT - The BroadCast: 10/9/2018 ~ NBA China Games - Trip Reflections 0:00:01.120 --> 0:00:04.520 The NBA China games have come and are just about gone. 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:08.320 Before heading back home one last installment in our NBA 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:11.119 China Game series, we'll talk to some members of the 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:14.200 team about the trip. First, a twenty year old Turk 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:16.919 who's opened eyes this fall in the preseason. It's my 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:21.000 first time in China. Fans out of like you. And 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:23.720 then an assistant coach with the seventy sixers who played 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.200 here for a bit. Wherever basketball takes me, you know, 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:27.840 I think that's Washington Goal. It's time of my life. 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:30.120 Rid literally had two bags packed and just waited from 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:31.480 Agen to just let me know where I was going. 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:35.600 Fir Con Korthms and assistant Dwayne Jones our guests on 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:41.080 this episode of the broadcast and one last time from 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.880 the far East here in China, we say, nieha, I 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.200 bring you into another episode of the broadcast or NBA 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:52.239 China Series. I'm Brian Seltzer, and I am back in 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.600 the hotel. Following the second and final game of this 0:00:56.680 --> 0:01:00.640 year's China series, the Sixers in Dallas played a competitive 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:03.279 game on Monday. The Sixers came up just short, one 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:07.000 fifteen to one twelve. But it's the preseason, so at 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:08.840 the end of the day, would have been nice for 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.200 the Sixers to go unbeaten on their exhibition schedule. Yes, 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:16.000 but all things considered, this was a really strong preseason 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:19.200 performance by the Sixers, and in particular, even though Monday's 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:22.000 game was a loss, I mean, how good was Joel 0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:27.360 embat again? He has just been dominant at stretches. As 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:31.680 Brett Brown talked about throughout the preseason, twenty nine points, 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:34.479 a bunch of vicious dunks. It was a good night 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.759 for the seventy Sixers on several fronts, even though they 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.680 did not come away with the win. So for our 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:43.960 final episode of the NBA China series, we're gonna hear 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:48.200 from furkon Corkmaz and Dwayne Jones Furcon of course, as 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.040 furkon Dwayne. Some of you hardcore Big five Philly hoop 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:54.600 hads might remember Dwayne. He was on the Jamir Nelson 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.760 Saint Joseph's team that went undefeated in two thousand and four, 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.280 and he had a career, played some time in the 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:05.600 NBA and his professional journey took him to China, and 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:08.639 we'll talk to him about that. Both of those conversations 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:10.840 are coming up in just a moment. We would like 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.200 to remind you first that to subscribe to the podcast, 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:17.919 please just go to anyone of your favorite podcasting platforms 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:22.639 that could be Apple Podcasts, Google Plays, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in. 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.480 Just type in Sixers podcast Network and that will take 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:29.000 you to our feed. So in the first installment of 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.080 the NBA China podcast series, here on the broadcast, we 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.120 heard from a guy named Kenneth Law who is steeped 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:39.520 in Chinese basketball history, played here, is a commentator now 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.639 and has just witnessed firsthand the rise and growth of 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:44.480 the NBA in this part of the world, and he 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.800 explained why it's taken on so much interest. Then we 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:52.320 heard from a true all time great anywhere you go, 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:55.119 that is the view of d Keema Mutombo in this 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:57.720 world when it comes to basketball, and he had some 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:00.520 wonderful thoughts about Joel and beat in the seventies Sixers. 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.320 And now we're going to talk to some current members 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:06.200 of the team, both a player and an assistant. We'll 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:10.600 start with Furkan Korkmas, who had a great preseason, really encouraging, 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:13.440 built off a terrific summer run when he was playing 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:19.079 in the FIBA European World qualifiers with Turkey. Corkmas shot efficiently, 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:22.000 showed growth defensively, and seems to be in a good 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:25.519 place heading in two regular season at number two. So 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:29.600 before Monday's game at Shenzen at Universe A Sports Center, 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:33.360 I caught up with Furkhan Furkan. Amazingly, we're at the 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:34.920 end of the trip. What have you made of this 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.000 whole experience? So first of all, I want to say, like, 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:40.680 this is my first time in China. You know, I 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:43.880 was really excited before I came here. But I love Shanghai. 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.760 I love Shenzen. Really good cities, really good people here, 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.040 really good country, good culture. You know, the people's are 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.720 really nice against us, you know, and the fans are 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.720 like crazy and they love you know, before I knew 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:01.280 that because i'd been some of Asia is but now 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:06.040 I can feel more different cities though, right, Shanghai and 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:08.560 shen Zen. What did you notice about how they're different? 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:13.960 I mean, first of all, I saw the population, how 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:17.839 the people lives here, you know, what's data culture. I 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.839 try to learn most of things about them. And then 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:24.360 like the fans, you know, we are here for play 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.320 basketball and then they are here to watch us. They 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:31.279 really like showing good support. You know, here is a 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:35.080 really big Sixers fans, especially in China. I knew that 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:39.120 before I came here. This twos like make me really happy. 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.000 Your career has definitely taking you all over the planet. 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.800 But just the amount of people that are in China, 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.200 it's kind of crazy. It's like Shenzen is, I guess 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.960 considered a small city by comparison to Shanghai, but it's 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.760 still twelve million people, which is just massive. It's like amazing. 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.680 You know. The Shanghai maybe one of the biggest city, 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:03.760 more crowded, you know, but here also Schanzen here is 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:08.080 so crowded. Also, you know, the population is crazy. Doesn't 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:13.000 matter how small or how by your see, just people 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:16.159 love each other. You know. He was like, every better 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:18.839 love each other. And it's amazing to see too, how 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:22.520 a sport brings common interest together for people of all 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.960 different walks of life from anywhere on the globe. Yeah, 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:29.599 he was like like everywhere, you know, here's also different 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:34.200 people from different countries, different cultures, different religions, you know, 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.760 but everybody is together. Everybody love each other, everybody respect 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:40.960 each other. I think for me, that's the key, you know, 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.880 to live together, doesn't matter what culture, what's your what's 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.039 better from you know. That's why I love I love 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:51.920 a cool dynamic the Sixers create is that they give 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:54.080 you the opportunity. You guys as players who bring someone 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:56.279 along on the trip. You brought your dad, Yeah, I 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:59.159 brought my dad also. He was really excited about the strip. 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:03.880 So this is probably like one of the good story 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:06.040 for us, you know, to being in China with my father. 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.039 What are some of the things that you guys have 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.680 done on the trip? Uh? Me, a lot of like foods. 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:15.839 You know, he had more time than me, like to 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.360 go around, you know, to see the culture here because 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.479 we are having to practice you know games, we have 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:25.680 different schedule than my father. But we spent a lot 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:30.359 of time together. You know. He's also really happy to 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.240 be industry. Has he come to see you a lot 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:34.839 of the course of your life? Did he follow you 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.760 whether you were playing in Turkey for fes or band 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:41.280 Witten now in Philadelphia? I mean yeah every time, not 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:44.880 just my father, you know, each each member of my 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.279 family that support me, you know, my mom, my sister. 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.200 You know. Also I have one in the field, you know, 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:52.920 he's in field right now. Many for me to get 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:58.400 back like everyone is supporting me just for the strict 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:01.800 specifically my father game with me, you know, because usually 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:03.800 if we don't have the chance to bring someone to 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:07.320 our chips, you know, on the road games. And that's 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:09.760 why I like you also as the players. Did you 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:12.840 try anything crazy to eat? What was the most bizarre thing, 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:17.280 strange thing that you tried? It's not really because I'm 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.240 not that kind of guy, you know, until they trying 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:22.240 new teams, I usually go with what I know you 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:25.400 know before. But when somebody like, oh, for me, you 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:27.320 should do this, you should do this, I will go 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:29.520 with the Yeah, I will try. I'm with you. I 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:31.240 didn't do anything too much, but I had I had 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:36.240 a duck. Yeah. Now, are you doing any advanced scouting 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.360 of the country of China for the members the Turkish 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.640 national team, because if things continue to go as they've 0:07:41.640 --> 0:07:45.160 gone in FIBA qualifying, you guys presumably will be here 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.840 this time next year. Yeah. I was thinking the same team, 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.600 you know. That's why I wanted to get culture more 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.679 to share with my teammates in Turkey national team, Turks 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:58.400 national team. I hope people make it. You know, we 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:02.880 will be here next summer. Also just like can't wait 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:05.680 to being my teammates here. Give me your thoughts on 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:07.880 the preseason so far. First, how do you think the 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.800 team is done? I think everybody knows what we can 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:12.800 go on the court, you know, I think we have 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.760 positive ways to win the games, you know, to play 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:19.960 good basketball. And then now like the team knows each 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:23.400 other much better. You know, this is like the program 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:27.880 is still continue for me. This is my second year. 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.920 You know, I know everyone here. That's why I feel 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:35.160 really confident. You know, just this is a preseason in prisason. 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.840 Everything can happen, but you can win the game, you 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.240 can lose the game. We are winning all the games 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.240 right now. I just want to say, like we just 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.160 need to keep winning because this is also like should 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:48.520 be out of culture to winning, you know. And you 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.960 said that you're feeling confident. You also feel good about 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:53.320 the way that you've played in the three games so far. Yeah, 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.040 I think I did a great job, you know, after 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.680 some malleg and then after national teams, I know what 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.160 I got in my pockets. So in the training camp 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:04.720 I came, I came into training camp like ready, I 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.839 was ready. You know. I played more ning more games 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:11.120 than all the players during the summer. They so I 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:15.360 was really feeling good about basketball. Physically you feel like 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.800 you're holding up okay, yeah, physically also like I feel okay. 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:22.319 You know last year I work hard. Really, That's what 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.760 I like this year. For me, this year was the goal, 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.400 you know, to play against some minutes, to play the rotation. 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.280 My goal is still the same, you know, just I 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:35.600 need to step up. Lastly, you guys, ridiculously a week 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:37.520 from now, you're going to be in Boston going up 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:41.240 against the Boston Celtics. What's been the mood like inside 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:44.600 the locker room about approaching the regular season, especially starting 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:47.800 off that way against Boston. I think, of course first 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.880 games against Boston. You know from last year we had 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:56.120 one not book against them. You know, now I'm weill 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.559 pay against Boston. You know what they got. We know 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:01.280 also love you got. You know, we just to show 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:05.720 him the courts, yes, you guys, we just need to 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:07.400 tell them and then we just need to be in 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.640 the games because this is the first game. You know, 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:12.520 for us, it's so so so important to get more 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.880 confidence and winning, winning, and especially if there's a busting. 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:19.719 You know. That's why fur Coon sounds I get a 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.120 great trip and a great preseason. Thanks so much. Thank you. 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:26.319 Always good to get a word with two thou sixteen 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:30.800 number twenty six pick furkn quirkbas a guy who did 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.520 not have quite as extensive an opportunity to get in 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.040 the mixed last year due to injury with the Sixers, 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:39.760 but this year has come back, as he said, confident 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.959 and I'd also throw in determined. He said on multiple 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:45.320 occasions he wants to be in the rotation this season, 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.480 and in the preseason he definitely played like it all right. 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:55.280 Now on to Dwayne Jones. Dwayne Jones played at Saint Joseph's, 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.880 went undrafted after he left Hawk Hill in two thousand 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:01.439 and five. For his career, he played in a total 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.640 of eighty two regular season NBA games. There is most 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.280 definitely something to be said for that, and he also 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:12.160 was in the G League and played at various destinations abroad, 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:14.960 one of which was China. So I thought, hey, why 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:18.080 not let's speak with Dwayne Jones not just about his 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:20.960 experience here in China, but also what he thinks about 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.000 his current work with seventy six ers and things are 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.400 looking for two eighteen twenty nineteen Way what if you've 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.760 made it. The trip hasn't been so far, it's been 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:31.720 a great trip. I think our guys were, you know, 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:34.240 kind of a bonding trip. You know, it's kind of 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:35.920 going on the other side of the world and you know, 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:38.120 kind of be together as a group kind of. It 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:40.319 was a good experience. I think the guys getting a 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:43.000 lot out of it. You've been in basketball all your life. 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:45.640 There really is something to that, right when you guys 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.000 as a group, as a team spend a condensed amount 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.840 of time together because really the only people you have 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:53.840 are yourselves, especially I would think in a foreign country 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:56.120 and place like this. Ah. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I 0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:58.800 think I think it kind of builds like the brotherhood, 0:11:58.840 --> 0:12:00.760 and I think it kind of helped with the new 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:03.120 guys we have, and you know, the continuation from last 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:05.360 year kind of everybody getting together and you know, kind 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.439 of kind of having fun. Like you said, everybody, you know, 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.120 we're kind of here together. It was, you know, the 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:11.880 seventy sixers brand and everybody, you know kind of spend 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:14.520 time together and it was cool. Some people might recognize 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.480 your name from your time on Hawkhill. You spent multiple 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.160 seasons in the NBA. Can you give us an introduction 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:21.840 to what you're doing with the Sixers now and as 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.920 a system. Oh yeah, I'm the player development coach this 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.480 year just gona be my first year with this role. Uh, 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:29.760 you know, my main thing will be helping some of 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.120 our younger guys that we have and uh, you know, 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:35.200 along with wasn't Chandler, I'll have Jonah Bolden, so kind of, 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.600 you know, two newer guys, said the Sixers organization and brand, 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.640 and you know, just kind of helping those guys get 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:43.040 acclimated and you know, trying to just you know, fit 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.400 right in with our returning guys. You've been around the 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:47.600 team for parts of a couple of seasons, now, did 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:49.920 you always know that coaching was the direction you wanted 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:52.200 to get involved with after you're done playing? It was 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.000 something I kind of thought, so, I think about maybe 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:56.319 six or seven years ago actually, when I was playing 0:12:56.360 --> 0:13:00.000 for the Mavericks G League team at the time, Texas Legend, 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.920 and I was down there and Donnie Nelson we were 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:04.720 at dinner or something one time. He was I think 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:06.160 he would be a good coach, And I never thought 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.440 about it like that, and then kind of got, you know, 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.520 everything kind of rolling in my mind thinking about getting 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:14.199 into it, and you know, being friends with John Bryan 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.040 and kind of seeing his journey me and him growl. 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:18.640 He's kind of talking about, oh maybe when when you 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:20.600 get done playing, like it might be time to you know, 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:22.640 trying to think about getting into coaching. And it's been great. 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.240 I'm sure if Donnie Nelson someone like him says something 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.920 to you, you take stock of that and put some 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:29.720 value into it. But what do you think he saw 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.520 in you? Is having the potential to be a coach? Um? 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.000 I think it was just as a player. I think 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:36.760 I started to learn as I got a little older 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.320 in my career. It's just being just being a vocal leader, 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:41.880 you know, whether it's calling out you know on defense, 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.360 you know, calling out the opposition plays and just things 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:46.360 like that and just kind of having, you know, growing 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:48.120 my mind for the game and just being able to 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:50.640 kind of rebalize it to the teammates. Just being a 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.920 leader as a player. And then the way that you 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:55.720 deal with players as a coach is their their differences. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.800 There is at a different style, different approach. Uh yeah, 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:00.559 because I think you know, as team make sure your 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:03.280 peers and here it is kind of a different situation. 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.320 You know, you were in their shoes, but you're not 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:07.000 in their shoes anymore. So you got to be able 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:09.640 to have, you know, a good balance of you know, 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.520 you know, talking to them and talking with them. So 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.720 you left Saint Joseph's after two thousand and five, spent 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.720 a total of eighty two games over multiple seasons in 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:22.160 the NBA. But I really wanted to talk to you 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:24.680 about the experience you had in China in two thousand 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:26.760 and eleven two thousand and twelve. Walk us through that 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:28.960 how you ended up here and then what it was 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:32.240 like playing here. China was a great experience that it 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:34.600 was actually my second year playing here. I actually got 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.600 a chance to play with the current sixer in Wilson Chandler. 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:39.720 We were teammates for a month. You know, it was 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.400 a cool experience. We were in a city called Hanjos, 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.280 about two hours south of Shanghai, and it was a 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.360 cool experience. How would you describe that city versus Shanghai, 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.080 which is where the Sixers were earlier in the trip, 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:54.720 and even here in shenzen Uh it's a little, i guess, 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:57.040 a little smaller of a city. And that's in you know, 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.600 in China. Smaller means you know, you go from twenty 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:01.840 millions ten, but you know, for them, that's a that's 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.200 a smaller city. So it was a little smaller city. 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:06.800 But other than that, it was you know, it wasn't 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:08.280 like being in a villa train anything like that. I 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:10.280 think everybody was it was. It was a cool place 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:13.280 to be when you're going through a career and you're 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.840 trying to carve out steady opportunities as a pro. Is 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:18.160 it one of those situations where when you get the 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:22.640 call wherever it is to play, that's where you're going. Uh? Yeah. 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:24.440 I think it got to the point in my career, 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:26.920 like after you know, my Clive years in NBA and 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.320 you know, multiple time spending the G League where it 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:30.720 was just like, you know what, I think it's time 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:33.160 to you know, wherever basketball takes me. You know, I 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:34.920 think that's why I should go. And it was it 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:36.200 was a time. It was time in my life where 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:38.280 I literally had two bags packed and just waited from 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:40.560 age Diches let me know where I was going in 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.320 What ways did you have to adapt when you were here? 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:47.560 Um definitely had to, you know, with the language barrier 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:49.400 and just you know, what I could eat and couldn't 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:50.960 need it. It took me a couple of weeks to 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:53.240 just kind of feel my way around here, and then 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:54.960 once that happened, I was I was good to go. 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.480 I would think that having some American teammates though Rodney 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:00.600 and White was also on your team one year, right, 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:04.040 did that help? Uh? Yeah? Well, actually I didn't play 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:05.960 with Rodney the first year I was here. I played 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:10.080 with Um, played with Patrick O'Briant. We played in Fuji 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:14.080 and together, and then uh, Andre Emmett came. We played together, 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:16.320 and it definitely helped because it was it was two 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:18.640 of us and a translator, so they were only people 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:21.440 speaking Neglish. So we definitely bond it. And it's always 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.400 good to have when you're overseas, having somebody who have 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:26.320 shared experience and then you kind of know where you're 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.720 coming from. Did you internalize any of the language while 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:31.960 you were here? Uh? Not really. I learned being quiet, 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:33.920 which was ice because that's what I was always asking 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:36.080 for with the trainers, But other than that, that was 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:39.440 about it. In the standard and knee how and she 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.120 she that was all I kind of picked up for me. 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.200 I mean, it was really clear, right, off the bat, 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:48.440 just how not only passionate but knowledgeable and educated the 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:50.840 fans are here. Do you remember what impression the fans 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.000 left upon you your first time here and what you 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.760 made of that. Oh? Yeah, they love basketball. They're they're 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:58.240 basketball crazy, is it? So it was interesting being here 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:00.760 because here, with the time difference, you can wake up 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:02.760 at seven in the morning and there's NBA game plan, 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:04.800 So a lot of people here wake up before they 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:07.280 go to work watching an NBA game. And I think 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:09.800 that that just kind of you know, obviously, with Yaoming 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:11.800 and guys like that, I just think they really became 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:16.040 passionate with basketball and they love it. Has anyone recognized 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:17.920 you or stopped you or remembered you while the team 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.000 has been here, No, not yet, I think, you know, 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.840 besides being an American, I think I've got recognized by that. 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.760 And they just like to take pictures of just about everybody. So, 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:29.080 but nobody has been like, oh, Dwayne Joan and you 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.760 you led the league and rebounding and seven years ago. 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:34.160 One of the guys, as you said, that you get 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:36.080 to work with this year is Jonah Bolden. Tell me 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.000 what you're seeing, Jonah, and what have you observed from 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:42.720 him so far. His thirst for knowledge is just incredible. 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.640 He's a very smart player. He's always asking questions. He's 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.439 always in a good way, Like we go through drills 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:51.320 and he wants to know why we're doing what is 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.359 how's this going to translate from being on the floor? 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.119 And I think, you know, I think he has a 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:57.560 very bright future. You know, his ability to shoot or 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.280 stretch the floor and defend, I think is is going 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:01.879 to be valuable for us. And I think, you know, 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.600 I'm excited to see his growth with us. Anyone who 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:07.359 plays basketball, I gotta believe the end goal is they'd 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:09.640 love to get to the NBA. But Jonah, he's gone 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:11.760 through so much to get here, and that seems like 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:14.840 it's been such a motivational factor for him, for all 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.200 the different places he's been to finally be so close 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:20.159 to this opportunity where he is now. Definitely, he does 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:22.480 not take this opportunity for granted. He's he's a very 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:25.080 serious guy on and off the floor, and it's kind 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:26.719 of funny. Sometimes you gotta tell him like it it's 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:28.760 okay to smile every now and then. I know, you know, 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:30.159 you want to be seriously want to go to go 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:31.960 through the workout and appreciate it, but it's okay to 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:34.400 you know, kind of sit back and enjoy the moment. 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:36.800 But I think, you know, for a young guy to 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:40.000 come in hungry and realize what this opportunity is and 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:41.840 like you said, you know, being able to you know 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:43.919 the journey he went through just to get here, and 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.280 I think he values every minute of being an NBA player. 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:49.159 All Right, as we look back on me preseason for 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:50.800 the seventy sixers, we are gonna be some of the 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:52.880 takeaways that you come away with us. You guys now 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.200 are amazingly within striking distance of your first game of 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:59.879 the season. Uh. Yeah, it's gonna be interesting just to 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:02.760 see how you know, everything kids together with the new guys. 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:05.040 That was interesting our first training camp. You know, we 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:06.440 were in practice and I think at one point we 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:08.160 all kind of looked around. It was like, this feels 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:10.480 like a continuation from last year. Like guys were hi, 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:12.920 guys were happy, guys were smiling, like guys were excites 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:14.879 of being a jim together. And I think, you know, 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.400 guys are ready to kind of seize the opportunity from 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:20.240 last year and continue with it. Good stuff. Dwayne, thanks 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:22.159 so much for a few minutes, No problem, Thank you. 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:25.879