Speaker 1: Mmmm, Welcome back all the smoke International. We're over the
Speaker 1: waters out here in beautiful Croatia. Man, we have a
Speaker 1: really special guest today. And forgive me if I butcher
Speaker 1: your name. I've been practicing for the last thirty minutes.
Speaker 1: But Misko Rasinandovich, that was close one of the most
Speaker 1: respectful and influential agents in the world, coming to you
Speaker 1: obviously from the beautiful Sunset Media Festival out here in Croatia.
Speaker 1: Let's let's let's just jump right into it. You have
Speaker 1: three players in the NBA finals right now.
Speaker 2: One is a two time MVP, Nikola Jokic.
Speaker 1: You were someone who discovered him, So tell us about
Speaker 1: how you just covered him and talk a little bit
Speaker 1: about him as a person. We obviously get to see
Speaker 1: the amazing basketball player, but he's some of that's starting
Speaker 1: to come out of a shell and talk a little
Speaker 1: bit more. But we haven't really heard him talk too much.
Speaker 1: So tell us how you discovered him and who he is.
Speaker 2: He is a person.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, this is pretty unique story because generally
Speaker 3: all the players from NBA or even uro League, you know,
Speaker 3: they're discovered by team of scouts who are going all
Speaker 3: over the countries and see the kids eight years or
Speaker 3: ten years old and start following them. Somehow, nobody really
Speaker 3: paid attention to this guy. What is really funny is
Speaker 3: I have Basket is my company. We have very big
Speaker 3: scouting department and very good especially in territory of Serbia,
Speaker 3: because this territory is not big one. Somehow they also
Speaker 3: didn't find him and they didn't notice him.
Speaker 4: What did really happen?
Speaker 3: Because I'm old fashioned guy, I like to read newspapers,
Speaker 3: not to go to web portals. So every Sunday there
Speaker 3: is Serbian news papers with the results from all over
Speaker 3: the country and all over all leaks. So I was
Speaker 3: reading newspaper and saw that one guy in the in
Speaker 3: the competition Surbian under eighteen what is really low? Had
Speaker 3: twenty nine points and if I'm not wrong, twenty six rebounds?
Speaker 4: Whoa not more than that?
Speaker 3: Next week, next Sunday, I was reading newspaper again and
Speaker 3: he said, hey, let me check another under the guy.
Speaker 3: Then I saw thirty points twenty seven bounds.
Speaker 2: By did you say fifty seven?
Speaker 3: Thirty points twenty seveny bounds? Okay, this is kids basketball,
Speaker 3: but still impresses. So I said, it's not my business
Speaker 3: it's business of my scouting department, but I'm curious.
Speaker 4: Let me check this guy. So I called my.
Speaker 3: Scout and asked him about him, and it's was silence.
Speaker 3: He didn't know him. What for me was surprise of
Speaker 3: the year. Having in mind that he knows all the
Speaker 3: kids ten years old. So I said, like, hey, look,
Speaker 3: it's obvious that his center with twenty six rebounds. Make
Speaker 3: one call and check, is this guy makee grab rebounds
Speaker 3: because he's older, stronger and beat kids or he's versatile.
Speaker 3: He called me back in three minutes said no, no, no,
Speaker 3: he's not strong. He's very versatile, even little overweight, sneaky,
Speaker 3: but it's like talenty.
Speaker 4: I'm the guy.
Speaker 3: Who believe in system, you know, in projections, in analysis.
Speaker 3: And I don't know why I told him I want
Speaker 3: to sign this guy. So go to his place. But
Speaker 3: he's like fifty miles from Belgrade. Find the family and
Speaker 3: talk with them. He went there, you know, and make
Speaker 3: conversations with the family. Family is great, one very stable,
Speaker 3: old fashioned Sian family. They really take care about kid well.
Speaker 3: And they were like a very happy that agency of
Speaker 3: that size was interested in kid, who, by the way,
Speaker 3: never come to the practice of the seniors team. You know,
Speaker 3: they really didn't recognize and they accepted to join the agency,
Speaker 3: but they wanted to see me.
Speaker 4: Two days later they came, We talked.
Speaker 3: It was very good chemistry, especially his older brother Struck.
Speaker 4: And he was there.
Speaker 3: He was really important and that moment for this decision
Speaker 3: and many other decisions in Serbia who really helped him
Speaker 3: to become what he is, especially in the beginning and
Speaker 3: when it was really hard. So Nicola joined the agency.
Speaker 3: What is really funny that way at that time, Okay,
Speaker 3: this is the first and last player in the twenty
Speaker 3: seven years old history of the agency that we signed
Speaker 3: him without anybody seeing him. And now we are talking
Speaker 3: about scouting, about videos, about analysis. You know, this is
Speaker 3: so I can say that somebody told me that it
Speaker 3: worked out. Make this call.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he took a shot in the darkening work.
Speaker 1: Yes, so two times mba MVP, heavy discussion, but he
Speaker 1: possibly one his third MVP this past year. But it
Speaker 1: went to Joel Embiid talked to us about just how
Speaker 1: much obviously that meant to him, but also meant to you.
Speaker 1: I mean, like you said, you discovered this kid when
Speaker 1: no one was really checking for him. He's arguably the
Speaker 1: best player in the world right now. When he accomplished
Speaker 1: a two times NBA MVP, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 3: I mean really, I mean it's for you that you
Speaker 3: are in the United States and you are I mean
Speaker 3: somehow us that players are getting MVP, and I mean
Speaker 3: from Serbia and nobody ever, especially from such a small team.
Speaker 3: He grew up in Mega, and especially with this beginning
Speaker 3: of the career.
Speaker 4: It sounds like science fiction, you know.
Speaker 3: So of course, I mean mixed of the feelings, very proud,
Speaker 3: very happy everything. But generally I'm not kind of the
Speaker 3: person excited one, you know, so whatever comes next day,
Speaker 3: I forget. Nicole is very similar. He really believe that
Speaker 3: when he say I don't care really be the third one.
Speaker 3: They believe that this is theater and when he goes
Speaker 3: home that he's so nervous, but it's not true. Really
Speaker 3: doesn't he really didn't pay attention. Now there is something
Speaker 3: that he really pays attention. And then we're talking in
Speaker 3: the moment when Denver leads one zero one one all
Speaker 3: against Miami. So I mean three more games, three more games,
Speaker 3: three more games only I.
Speaker 2: Mean his talent is so special.
Speaker 1: I mean He's breaking records left and right with these
Speaker 1: triple doubles. Last night another triple double, twenty seven, fourteen
Speaker 1: and ten. The whole first half he got his whole
Speaker 1: entire team involved, and in the second half he stepped
Speaker 1: up and did some scoring.
Speaker 2: How do you like him and Murray's duo?
Speaker 4: Absolutely great.
Speaker 3: But I can tell you for the years I was
Speaker 3: so nervous to him.
Speaker 5: Like, come on, shoot, he doesn't shoot first quodcast, first
Speaker 5: guy at the end of the day, like last night,
Speaker 5: his first shoot, your MVP, first shot after twelve minutes,
Speaker 5: and at the end of the game you're twenty.
Speaker 4: Seven, your top scorer.
Speaker 3: I mean, he's really unique and never see that kind
Speaker 3: of the patience and will to help to others for
Speaker 3: the win, you know. And on the beginning, like three
Speaker 3: or four years, you know, was like so many times
Speaker 3: one rebound to triple double, one assist. You know, I
Speaker 3: got like mad and crazy. I told him he was
Speaker 3: laughing all the time, you know, because I thought him, Okay,
Speaker 3: make one more.
Speaker 4: He really, really, really really didn't care for this.
Speaker 3: And obviously now when Mary's back in the big time,
Speaker 3: they play together, they understand each other, and I believe
Speaker 3: that the reason why they didn't do anything last year
Speaker 3: and a half is his injury. Now, when he's back
Speaker 3: in the full shape, I believe they're really probably the
Speaker 3: best doll. I mean maybe some players are individually better,
Speaker 3: but as a team, as a couple, as the chemistry,
Speaker 3: I believe the absolutely great. You saw some coorganization.
Speaker 4: When they joke, you know, it's really yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean I think it's rare to see players play
Speaker 1: off each other that way. But you know they can
Speaker 1: both be great without stepping on each other's toes. You
Speaker 1: know that they both can handle the ball, they both
Speaker 1: can set the screens, they both run the dha.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's amazing what they do.
Speaker 1: I stayed up last night and watched the game. Do
Speaker 1: you normally I mean, obviously because it's the finals, that
Speaker 1: might be a little difference. How do you normally catch games?
Speaker 1: You normally catch the highlights the next day? Do you
Speaker 1: say up for some games because it's such a crazy time.
Speaker 3: I believe I found perfect way. So really, I mean,
Speaker 3: if I watched three o'clock am and gaming is finished
Speaker 3: at six, I'm not focused. You know, I'm slippy. So
Speaker 3: when I wake up in the morning, I don't touch
Speaker 3: my phone because if I touch my phone and say
Speaker 3: something about game will go out. So I don't touch
Speaker 3: my phone. I take my IPD and B application and
Speaker 3: then that is like high scores. So I don't know
Speaker 3: anything what this happens. So I watched the game. Also,
Speaker 3: it's really good for me because no timeout, no commercials,
Speaker 3: don't half time money, right, I have to I have
Speaker 3: to admit that when Joker goes out, I do fast forward,
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 4: And then you know it take me it take me.
Speaker 3: Fifty five Last night was fifty seven minutes. So it's great.
Speaker 3: And when I come to real life and take my
Speaker 3: phone did ahole other world, I am like somebody who
Speaker 3: watched the game and all everything. Yeah, So I mean
Speaker 3: I believe that after this, you know a lot of
Speaker 3: people are going to do this.
Speaker 6: Who are you as a player?
Speaker 3: I mean I was really talented, but I didn't make it,
Speaker 3: you know, And to be honest with you, I never
Speaker 3: understood why because I was a guy who was hard
Speaker 3: working and everything somehow didn't work. But as the type,
Speaker 3: I was not a guy who people like to play
Speaker 3: with because I was shooting too much, passing less. So
Speaker 3: I don't know, maybe more offensive and non athletic Mandy,
Speaker 3: Let's say in in few words.
Speaker 6: Did you idolize somebody going up?
Speaker 3: Not really? My idol was Drusian Petric, you know, and
Speaker 3: even I was kid when he when he's just two
Speaker 3: years older than me. But when he was sixteen, he
Speaker 3: was already very important and I really loved the way
Speaker 3: how he played.
Speaker 2: A chance to meet him.
Speaker 3: No, he died, he died. But I play all my
Speaker 3: life in number four, my email address, all the social media,
Speaker 3: I have number four.
Speaker 4: My daughter played the number four.
Speaker 3: We are really I cannot say obsessed, but number four
Speaker 3: is really important in our lives exclusively because because of him.
Speaker 3: And you know, I was like fighting with my friends,
Speaker 3: who is the best European player in the history. You know,
Speaker 3: everybody said jocker, I said Russian, but like maybe maybe
Speaker 3: last year after second MVP, I had to accept.
Speaker 4: I had to accept the heat.
Speaker 7: In towns a way to become one of the best
Speaker 7: basketball at the death store.
Speaker 3: You know, like best stories in the world, without any plan.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 3: I finished law university and very low and started to
Speaker 3: work as attorney at law and was really.
Speaker 4: Good criminal law.
Speaker 3: So I have three or four times in young age
Speaker 3: that I defender murders and everybody really, including me, I
Speaker 3: saw that it's really a good career. And in Serbia,
Speaker 3: you know, at that time, especially ninies, was a lot
Speaker 3: of crimes, you know, and this role, the of the
Speaker 3: attorney was really important. Then all of a sudden, in
Speaker 3: nineteen ninety five, people in Serbia started to get paid
Speaker 3: and players for the first time need legal protection. They
Speaker 3: didn't know where to go, but they knew me because
Speaker 3: even at that time I played some Division four for
Speaker 3: the fun. By the way, all of them believe that
Speaker 3: something is wrong with me, you know, because everybody played basketball,
Speaker 3: run for the girl nightlife school, nobody and I was
Speaker 3: only one who put also a nice career in university,
Speaker 3: you know. So they came to me with it full
Speaker 3: of compidence, and I started to prepare the contracts. And
Speaker 3: let's say, legal protection was really difficult because there was
Speaker 3: no contract. I had to make everything name closes. You know,
Speaker 3: even today they do the copy paste that contract, and
Speaker 3: it was like maybe two years only legal protection. After
Speaker 3: two years, I saw the team signing players do horrible mistakes.
Speaker 3: I said like, okay, let's give them advice. They respect me,
Speaker 3: so I started to be agent two years later, I said, like,
Speaker 3: I should be international, so let's try to sell some
Speaker 3: players international. My range was equal to range of my
Speaker 3: car because there is no mobile at that time. So okay,
Speaker 3: there are closest country where Romania, Hungary, Macedonia, very low
Speaker 3: level of basketball in the car going there, talking with
Speaker 3: the teams and went very easy. So after three four
Speaker 3: years I become small international agents.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: Then one summer Polish team started to pay big money.
Speaker 3: Again my car very far away. I stayed seventeen days.
Speaker 3: I signed trust me seventeen players and after that I said, like,
Speaker 3: you know, I'm going out of the of the criminal law.
Speaker 3: I will be I will be a one hundred percent
Speaker 3: basketball basketball agents. But from the beginning, you know, it
Speaker 3: was really easy. Today, if I want to start that pha,
Speaker 3: it's not possible. Even sixteen years old kid, you know
Speaker 3: they have the agents.
Speaker 4: I hate this.
Speaker 3: But now agents approached fourteen years old kid, you know
Speaker 3: this is ridiculous. At that time, we had no Serbian agents.
Speaker 3: Couple of guys work for big American agency like s
Speaker 3: A Fixed Fame, that kind of stuff, but they were
Speaker 3: interested only in cream cream de la Cream. Eighty percent
Speaker 3: of the players have no agent. They don't know what
Speaker 3: is agent. So I came with the tie lawyer design,
Speaker 3: and all of a sudden, in two years, I had
Speaker 3: one hundred players, of course low level, but getting low
Speaker 3: level players you got experience, you got practice, and you
Speaker 3: get the chance to show to the people that you're capable.
Speaker 3: And then I was practically waiting seven years for big
Speaker 3: time transfer. In two thousand and two, I did it.
Speaker 3: After that everything changed. And after that, you know, big players,
Speaker 3: big coaches, everybody started to i mean joined the agency.
Speaker 3: And you know, after that was easy. Rest is history.
Speaker 3: We put into work. How they bail basketball come together
Speaker 3: the basket. Yeah, the it's me. I mean, like you know,
Speaker 3: we just have to give the name, some name to
Speaker 3: the to the company. But Bell is the first part
Speaker 3: of Belgrade, my city basket.
Speaker 6: Of course I.
Speaker 3: Gave that kind of the name. And our structure is
Speaker 3: completely different than a structure of American agency because you know,
Speaker 3: all those agencies my partner Excel leading one and others,
Speaker 3: plenty of the people working, you know, marketing department, legal department,
Speaker 3: you know, and here we did difference. It's me and
Speaker 3: people who helped me, you know, and we really don't
Speaker 3: touch marketing. Don't touch other stuff. You know, let's do
Speaker 3: other people who are specialists for this. So I believe
Speaker 3: I'm a specialists in basketball. I love basketball. I can't
Speaker 3: watch I don't know ten games per day, and we
Speaker 3: have focused, We have focused on it, and generally players
Speaker 3: more and more they like this approach, so you know
Speaker 3: they want to have person in front of them instead
Speaker 3: of company, because you know it happened to some American players.
Speaker 3: Let's say you are the agent, we've worked two three,
Speaker 3: then you move and you become a a general manager.
Speaker 4: Of NBA team.
Speaker 3: But it's very common now and you stay with this agency,
Speaker 3: you don't know anybody, and for agents you have to
Speaker 3: have personal touch.
Speaker 4: Here is different.
Speaker 3: They have this personal touch with me, and I believe
Speaker 3: that was one of the key of the success on
Speaker 3: European ground for our agency, because I don't know, do
Speaker 3: you follow in EuroLeague? What is like the biggest level.
Speaker 3: I have more players than second and third together.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you're number one sixty plus.
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, that's the reason because that kind of the structure.
Speaker 3: Also for social media, you know, I have more than
Speaker 3: anybody in the world.
Speaker 4: Of course, I'm not.
Speaker 3: As strong as American agency. But American agency, you know,
Speaker 3: they put on social media, nice visual, they put something
Speaker 3: that is like one department here, No, it's me, you know,
Speaker 3: so they can't feel my personal stories about the players.
Speaker 3: Sometimes they can feel excitement sometimes the time said, and
Speaker 3: people really prefer this, I said in Europe.
Speaker 4: I don't know how it works in the United States.
Speaker 1: It was definitely working for you to be number one
Speaker 1: the past six years. And like you said, you have
Speaker 1: more than the two and three combined, which is insane.
Speaker 2: So that's great work.
Speaker 3: Especially the two and three a European part of big
Speaker 3: time American agencies.
Speaker 4: That's tough.
Speaker 2: I'm going to name a few guys here.
Speaker 1: You've crossed past with current players and retired players. Darren Williams,
Speaker 1: you helped him transfer internationally during the lockout in twenty eleven.
Speaker 2: Can you speak to that?
Speaker 4: But this is very crazy story.
Speaker 3: At that time, I didn't follow basketball NBA basketball really not.
Speaker 3: I have no players games at three o'clock in the morning,
Speaker 3: I cannot. So look out Bespector's coach Jack in Atham
Speaker 3: and who in meantime one a couple of times Sure
Speaker 3: League and become a coach of the of the Year
Speaker 3: and Neally He called me and said, hey, we have
Speaker 3: big budget. We want to use this opportunity to sign
Speaker 3: two months somebody, a really big time from NBA said okay, positions,
Speaker 3: he said one. I know that my partner, Jeff sports,
Speaker 3: they have Jason Kidd, so he said Jason Kitt.
Speaker 4: Coach was excited.
Speaker 3: Great. I called Jeff, okay, give him. He said no,
Speaker 3: he's not interested. He's alder interested. But take their own Williams.
Speaker 3: I have to say, I have never heard for their
Speaker 3: own Williams. So I picked the phone. You closed the
Speaker 3: phone and said like, hey, I'm asking him for Lamborghini.
Speaker 2: He's offering me.
Speaker 3: I don't know formed, but okay, let's check this guy.
Speaker 3: Then I take a look on his profile. Wow points
Speaker 3: per game, All Star, All Star, Allstar.
Speaker 4: I called coach.
Speaker 3: He said, hey, Jason Kid, no, but I have another one.
Speaker 3: Reaction was not so good, but three minutes later his
Speaker 3: reaction was copy paste of my reactions. So I was like,
Speaker 3: let's bring him. So we brought the guy. We signed
Speaker 3: and it was like two months for big money, right, yes,
Speaker 3: and you know I met him in Istanbul. Great guy
Speaker 3: and he you know, even he stayed only two months.
Speaker 3: He leaves this team too too much and grow up
Speaker 3: everything that at the end of the day, they won
Speaker 3: Turkish Championship. But nobody ever expected expected before the before
Speaker 3: the season, and then this story has continuation work really
Speaker 3: well for one month and a half. Then coach told me, hey,
Speaker 3: we have again money, you bring me a big guy.
Speaker 4: I said immediately Lamar Rodom.
Speaker 3: He said done, so I called them everything fine, we
Speaker 3: will preparing the contract. Lamar signed the contract and supposed
Speaker 3: to fly in Todays and then they finished Lookout, so
Speaker 3: this deal never happened. I was the most ubsept in
Speaker 3: the world because when we're doing this, they were already
Speaker 3: preparing this show with the Kim Kardashian in Istanbula. I said, okay,
Speaker 3: if you want this transfer, I was joking, I have
Speaker 3: to be part of it. They said, no problem, you
Speaker 3: would be special guests, and I was like, wow. You
Speaker 3: know after that when they come back and Serbia, you know,
Speaker 3: I'm big time everybody, so you know I was. I
Speaker 3: was very very unhappy because it miss only three four days.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm glad you didn't get in because I was
Speaker 1: on the team with them on the Lakers, and we
Speaker 1: definitely needed a last season.
Speaker 2: Boban.
Speaker 1: Boban is an international star from all kinds of commercials.
Speaker 1: Obviously not the most talented of the bunch, but someone
Speaker 1: I heard you're very proud of.
Speaker 3: Yes, I mean, Nikola is best player in the world.
Speaker 3: I'm very proud. For many others, I'm very proud. But
Speaker 3: for nobody I'm proud is much. I'm proud for Bobben
Speaker 3: because it's so difficult to explain what he was in seventeen,
Speaker 3: born in very small city in eastern Serbia. He was
Speaker 3: too tall, you know, people joking with him, he's so
Speaker 3: bad knees, and he managed to beat everything and to
Speaker 3: become NBA player. This is good, but this is not
Speaker 3: the great greatest. The greatest is that he ended up
Speaker 3: fighting with Keanu Riffs in john Vic three you know so,
Speaker 3: I mean, playing basketball in his small team in Serbia
Speaker 3: and become MVP is very long again, but being there
Speaker 3: and fighting with Keanu Rieves, it's three times bigger.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 3: So, Bobby Maranovitch, who has bright future in Hollywood, absolutely,
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, and especially he's such a good guy.
Speaker 3: He has such a good soul, you know. I mean,
Speaker 3: I will give you just one example.
Speaker 4: He was already star but had no minutes.
Speaker 3: And he came to Mega, what is like a very
Speaker 3: low level at that time, and it was twelve players
Speaker 3: eighteen years old and him like his three levels up before.
Speaker 3: The first game was scrimmage game. It was thirteen players,
Speaker 3: so Mega played the thirteen players, but he had twelve jersey.
Speaker 4: You know you have.
Speaker 3: Right only one time to guess who come to the
Speaker 3: court without jersey. It was Bob and who is like
Speaker 3: father to all twelve. He was so polite, he let them,
Speaker 3: let them, let them take the jerseys. And there are stories.
Speaker 3: There is also you know, I'm very funny. He came
Speaker 3: to this low level and second game we play against
Speaker 3: guy who is sixty six position five.
Speaker 4: He's so Bobby.
Speaker 3: But Bobby all night long is shooting fade away. You know,
Speaker 3: we lost the game. Bobby was horrible after the game.
Speaker 3: He told him, look, this is the distance and difference
Speaker 3: is twenty million.
Speaker 4: He said, what do you say?
Speaker 3: He said, when you get the ball, if you go
Speaker 3: to the guy he hit you, it's small pain. But
Speaker 3: you say it's fine, it's fine, and you go to
Speaker 3: the rim and you should fade away the difference. At
Speaker 3: the end of career will be twenty million, and I
Speaker 3: was wrong, would be more and more, Yeah, it would
Speaker 3: be more.
Speaker 1: Yeah, You've been such a huge part of European league growth.
Speaker 1: There's around or sixty players current European players in the
Speaker 1: NBA today. Where do you see this going in the
Speaker 1: next five to ten years.
Speaker 3: I mean it's very difficult to say European basketball is
Speaker 3: not going in a good direction. I mean, young players
Speaker 3: don't get a chance to play and all, so that
Speaker 3: going the moving girly to NBA then be distribed two way.
Speaker 3: Contract less and less players are coming to Europe and
Speaker 3: euro League becomes really league without the stars, and it's
Speaker 3: not good for my main business because my business is
Speaker 3: euro League. Euro League was the most exciting ever this year,
Speaker 3: but not because people were great, just great teams going
Speaker 3: down middle teams to stay and then it's like like
Speaker 3: big competition. So I really worry for for European basketball.
Speaker 3: For NBA, don't worry it. All everything goes right direction.
Speaker 1: We grew up playing I played football, baseball, basketball growing
Speaker 1: up and played fourteen years in the NBA. What is
Speaker 1: your thought on younger players being so groomed for just
Speaker 1: one sport? You with that do you think they should
Speaker 1: play multiple sports that help them with the collective of
Speaker 1: being a basketball player.
Speaker 3: I am really against with this situation what we have now.
Speaker 3: The parents really push kids from eight years to go
Speaker 3: in the middle in the morning, just a little bit
Speaker 3: stretching in the evening practice. You know. The guys get
Speaker 3: physically and mentally bored before they started to play. So
Speaker 3: I'm really against it, and I would like to let
Speaker 3: them enjoy childhood will play basketball. Personally, I believe that
Speaker 3: in the early age the best would be some judo
Speaker 3: or something like this, so you get stability, you put
Speaker 3: some muscles.
Speaker 4: Soccer is also very good, and.
Speaker 3: Then later eleven twelve you start slowly with Basketballkay Nikola
Speaker 3: Yokich is maybe one of great examples, but not only him,
Speaker 3: Nikola Jovich, you know, in fourteen or fifteen he played
Speaker 3: water polo, never played basketball, you know, and Nikola didn't
Speaker 3: play serious until eighteen, and many and many others.
Speaker 4: And I saw so many huge talents in let's say.
Speaker 3: Twelve thirteen, where everybody will be news in your kids
Speaker 3: and then in a absolutely burn yes, yes, so unfortunately,
Speaker 3: I mean I believe the agents we have part in it,
Speaker 3: you know, but also parents you know, who are in
Speaker 3: basketball really more and more remind me for the Latin
Speaker 3: American parents who see the kids seven years old soccer
Speaker 3: player and that's that's the only way for them to
Speaker 3: live good. And then it's such a big pressure in basketball.
Speaker 3: Started to go this way. I'm really really against you.
Speaker 1: I feel like making it a job too early, you know,
Speaker 1: Like you said, I think the main thing is to
Speaker 1: like coach my kids. They're fourteen, but mine never pushed
Speaker 1: them to do anything. We wanted them to play everything
Speaker 1: and find your passion. Now they're fourteen and they love
Speaker 1: it and they work out, but they played.
Speaker 2: All kinds of different sports growing up. To kind of.
Speaker 3: Fine, that's the best best way. If I have sons
Speaker 3: that they age, I will go this way, you know,
Speaker 3: to put pressure, you know, far away as long as possible,
Speaker 3: because if they are professional athletes, they will have enough
Speaker 3: pressure in their life.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 7: We recently had Isaiah Thomas on our show and he
Speaker 7: said that the next five years the top players will
Speaker 7: be on the national players like Luke and Jannis. What
Speaker 7: is your take on the national players compared to NBA
Speaker 7: players today.
Speaker 3: You know, honestly, you know, I'm a big fan of
Speaker 3: European basketball, and I really enjoy this moment.
Speaker 4: You know, I enjoyed the moment that.
Speaker 3: Nicola your kitchen, Luka Doncica probably in best five players
Speaker 3: in the United States. First, they're coming from this region.
Speaker 3: That's very important for me. But second, what is maybe
Speaker 3: the most important for European basketball. They show to everybody
Speaker 3: here that is possible to become NBA MVP, an NBA
Speaker 3: All Star player without great physical abilities. Because when you
Speaker 3: had ten years old kid and you watch Lebron James
Speaker 3: or Janni's A the Kutumbo, you cannot identify yourself because
Speaker 3: you said, like, oh, this guy jumped three meters running
Speaker 3: hundred meters seven. I cannot do this because this is
Speaker 3: not my nature. Then you watch Nikolajokich or Don't Chich
Speaker 3: or if you're lucky to see Nikola Jokichs photos when
Speaker 3: he was fourteen fifteen, sixteen, and you say, why not?
Speaker 4: You know, there is a way.
Speaker 3: Probably I am not going to make that, but I
Speaker 3: have at least hope and reason to practice every day
Speaker 3: to try.
Speaker 4: And so that's that.
Speaker 3: Many times in interviews I underline that your kis is
Speaker 3: very important in general for European basketball for the kids,
Speaker 3: because believe me, five years ago also coaches you come
Speaker 3: fourteen years old, I feel a little bit fatter this
Speaker 3: they put you on the side, practice on another basket. Now, no,
Speaker 3: everybody's more careful because he said, who knows, maybe this
Speaker 3: one has that kind of the talent passes and then see,
Speaker 3: so it changed a lot, and I'm very happy that
Speaker 3: in some let's say second way, I I was, I
Speaker 3: was part of this, this this change because you know,
Speaker 3: I mean, people more and more enjoy in this way.
Speaker 3: How Nicola your kitchen also don't play the play the game?
Speaker 7: Do you have any up and coming players coming from
Speaker 7: out this way?
Speaker 6: Now?
Speaker 3: I mean there is there is one guy for these draft.
Speaker 4: He is very special.
Speaker 3: He's two metter eighteen to metron eighteen Croatian guy who
Speaker 3: played Montenegro, who is really very mobile, shooting three points,
Speaker 3: blacks everything. But they still didn't realize, you know, because
Speaker 3: didn't have a lot of minutes, you know when you
Speaker 3: are young and two twenty some injuries. But now everything
Speaker 3: came together and for instance, they play playoff game against
Speaker 3: partisan what is very strong Eurolygue team. The guy for
Speaker 3: twenty minutes had like I don't know. Twenty three twelve,
Speaker 3: this guy is going to be a great size and
Speaker 3: style of the game. Remainds on the pick number one
Speaker 3: from France. Wemb but okay, not that good, but for
Speaker 3: sure is going to make a very good career. And
Speaker 3: also there are really plenty of kids, especially in Mega
Speaker 3: that I believe are going to make nb A drafting
Speaker 3: to have NBA career, but general in the past, whomever
Speaker 3: I mentioned in the interviews, he didn't make it, so
Speaker 3: I decided I don't.
Speaker 4: I don't put the names, you know.
Speaker 3: For the for the for the for the bad luck.
Speaker 6: Yeah, what do you think about Wemby?
Speaker 4: I mean, it's like really amazing.
Speaker 3: What to say, you know, I mean I cannot say
Speaker 3: that I watched him many times, but this is what
Speaker 3: I watched, This mobility with his size, shooting and everything,
Speaker 3: you know, looks like that he's going to be something
Speaker 3: something special. Okay, they put two days ago some that
Speaker 3: he in defense he was horrible against one undrafted loten.
Speaker 3: I believe game, but I'm still still is some really
Speaker 3: special talent.
Speaker 7: Do you see the NBA expanding to Europe any times?
Speaker 3: So no, no, I mean, like honestly, this is a
Speaker 3: big time European wish. But this is not realistic because
Speaker 3: you know, NBA is really different level and there is
Speaker 3: not any reason for them to come. They were talking
Speaker 3: like we will be one conference or something. You know,
Speaker 3: it's far away. It's really it's far away.
Speaker 6: Who are you outside of work?
Speaker 3: I mean, first, I really spent a lot of free
Speaker 3: time watching basketball, not because they have to, you know,
Speaker 3: I love it. For instance, last weekend was Serbian under
Speaker 3: for you said one hundred and fourteen championship. You know,
Speaker 3: I watched in two days, five games. When he entered
Speaker 3: the gym, everybody's like, what's going on? How is it
Speaker 3: possible that, okay, agent of big time NBA players is
Speaker 3: coming to watch the kids, you know, And I'm trying
Speaker 3: to be highened because when the kids see me, trust me,
Speaker 3: they they got like to over react. But I didn't
Speaker 3: come to watch because okay, now I will go to
Speaker 3: a particular kid. You know, I came to watch because
Speaker 3: we have this team mega, but his support and I
Speaker 3: like to see, you know how the kids on fourteen
Speaker 3: maybe to give some remarks to the coaches. I really
Speaker 3: enjoy watching watching basketball. Besides this, you know, traveling a
Speaker 3: lot restaurants, you know. I mean, I'm now fifty seven,
Speaker 3: so maybe two years ago I officially retired from nightclubs.
Speaker 3: So don't go to cinema door read books, you know,
Speaker 3: you know, but I like to see city the friendsic
Speaker 3: cav and chat mainly again about basketball.
Speaker 7: So is there anything you're working on now outside of basketball?
Speaker 6: No, just basketball, just basket.
Speaker 3: You know, in Europe is much more popular to be
Speaker 3: agent in soccer, and there are a hundred times people
Speaker 3: come to me like, Okay, you know you are so good,
Speaker 3: you really much bigger money. But you know, if I'm
Speaker 3: soccer agent, I have to go towards soccer games. So
Speaker 3: better know.
Speaker 1: All right, we appreciate it. We're coming to the end
Speaker 1: of the interview right now. So right now we're gonna
Speaker 1: do quick hitters. Just the first thing to come to mind.
Speaker 1: Let us know, in your opinion the top five most
Speaker 1: impactful European players of all time.
Speaker 3: Novitzki, your teach, Drazan.
Speaker 2: Stockwitch one more, one more, Luca, recall.
Speaker 7: First thing you do in the morning and the last
Speaker 7: thing you do at night.
Speaker 4: The same checking the phone phone.
Speaker 1: If you can rewatch any game in NBA history, and
Speaker 1: say courtside at it. Which one would it be?
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, it's not easy to answer because
Speaker 3: until two thousand and ten, I didn't watch even one.
Speaker 4: You know, I'm almost but.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, I know this is the game I
Speaker 3: didn't watch.
Speaker 4: I just heard for this one.
Speaker 3: So it was the game New Jersey Nets against Houston
Speaker 3: Rockets when it was career high for Russian Petro which
Speaker 3: it's forty three points or something ladies. And you know
Speaker 3: her mother gave me the shoes from that game.
Speaker 2: Oh really, yeah, interesting.
Speaker 6: Tempers. Negotiator and the NBA.
Speaker 4: You know, I don't negotiate NBA.
Speaker 3: You know, I mean, like different rule, different time zone.
Speaker 3: You need, really if you want to be successful, you
Speaker 3: really need to do this through American agents. So my
Speaker 3: partner is Schworts Excel And you know, he's the only
Speaker 3: one agent in the world that I say this one
Speaker 3: is maybe better than me for others, not for sure.
Speaker 4: And he's doing this, he's doing.
Speaker 3: This really really well. And you know, before he talks
Speaker 3: for my client, we talk, but I practically I never
Speaker 3: enter into the negotiation about numbers and entering. By the way,
Speaker 3: if you have a time in NBA, it is so
Speaker 3: easy you know, everything is according to the books super
Speaker 3: Max two hundred and sixty seven. That's it. You have space,
Speaker 3: A little bit here, a little bit here. I would
Speaker 3: like American agents to come here to negotiate six o'clock
Speaker 3: in the rafnoon with owner from Ukraine. In seven o'clock
Speaker 3: with a owner from Spain, nine from Turkey. Completely different story,
Speaker 3: different rule. It's like really jungle, real work.
Speaker 1: Five dinner guests that are alive that you would like
Speaker 1: to have one last dinner with for basketball.
Speaker 2: Anybody, anybody you.
Speaker 3: Know, Drusian petrich Us will be people only for basketball,
Speaker 3: be on basketball. So there you go, Vasilispanulis, that's for sure.
Speaker 3: Nicola Pekovich and the fifth one probably I will give
Speaker 3: the favor. I will give the favorite to Jeff Schwartz
Speaker 3: to be in the nice com By the way, I
Speaker 3: don't know do you know this details I mentioned Nicola Pekovich. Okay,
Speaker 3: he had very good NBA career, not great one. But
Speaker 3: the funny fact is that when he was eighteen, he
Speaker 3: was centered.
Speaker 4: I was point guard. Oh really, he played the same.
Speaker 3: He was really good in making screens and office rebounds strong.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 3: That's that's that's the year when he learned to play
Speaker 3: without the ball because both was with me because you're
Speaker 3: showing them up.
Speaker 7: If you could see one person on our show, who
Speaker 7: would it be? But you have to help us get.
Speaker 3: Him on the show, Bobby, Okay, that would be a
Speaker 3: good one because you know, I mean for the reputation
Speaker 3: of the show. Okay, Nicola Jokis will be a big
Speaker 3: time But for the h.
Speaker 4: For attraction, for this.
Speaker 3: Pot you are going to get from the answer to
Speaker 3: be fun. But everybody here will be on the floor laughing,
Speaker 3: Bobby for sure.
Speaker 2: Well, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much for
Speaker 2: coming on.
Speaker 6: Thank thank you very much.
Speaker 2: That's a wrap all the smoke Croatia.
Speaker 1: You can catch us on Showtime Basketball, YouTube and the
Speaker 1: iHeart platform Black Effects.
Speaker 2: See you guys next week.