WEBVTT - KJ Live - Dr. Courtney Watson 0:00:01.280 --> 0:00:10.479 This is kJ Live with Chris Johnson, and Chris is 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:15.080 having conversations with influencers in the sports world and entertainment industry. 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:22.440 Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now too dead to kJ Live. 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:28.440 Today's guest on the show is a long time sports 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:32.880 medical professional that has worked with the likes of the 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:37.360 w n B A, s l A Sparks, Floyd Mayweather's 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:44.879 t m T organization, and the U s A basketball 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:50.760 national team. Let's welcome in Courtney. Excuse me, Dr Courtney 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:53.239 Watson to the show. What's up, court I'm gonna call 0:00:53.280 --> 0:01:00.600 you court right. What's up? He's do you think about 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:02.680 my l A Sparks. I'm not so sure you did. 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:05.399 I did. Once we play this back, you'll hear me 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:07.440 say in the beginning the w e n B A, 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:10.000 s l A Sparks where you were, where you won 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:15.360 a championship in two thousand and sixteen. Before we start 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.120 talking about that, I just need to know how are 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.200 you're doing. I know you've been on the road. Life 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.520 has been kind of hectic. Catch yourself on what's been 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:23.040 going on. We haven't. You haven't been on the show 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:25.880 in about a year, so you know, get us all 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:27.800 up to speed on what's been happening with Dr Cort. 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:31.520 I'm doing good. I'm happy to be home back in 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.080 l A. I felt like maybe the last time I 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:37.520 was here could have been when I was talking to you. Uh, 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:40.000 come and go out of home. But it's not to 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.680 like l A, especially when you travel and work and 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:46.440 just you know, I'm just blessed, truly and thankful for 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:50.280 all the opportunities. But this year, I'm just like dedicating 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.000 more to myself and just leving myself and being proud 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:57.440 of myself and sharing for myself right now. Not to 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:00.720 be selfish by any matter, but sometimes you have to be, 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:05.760 because I think being living and working and training and 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:08.600 just being so all involved and just beings all passionate 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.120 about what I do, sometimes you can lose sight of 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:15.800 all your accomplishments and the blessings that are put you know, 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:20.440 bestowed on you. So I'm constantly reminded that by a 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.079 lot of mentors and my a lot of family members. 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.160 But I feel it now that I really should just 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.520 be more proud of myself and more you know, just 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:31.480 loving on myself a little bit more this year. So 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.280 that's what since I've seen you last. Yeah, and it's 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.120 the work life balance. I mean it's you can't get 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:43.440 to consume with one or the other, especially in the 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:46.000 field that you were in in being one of the 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.840 very best in the world and what you do. No. Last, 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:52.600 you were at the Olympics with Team Nigeria right during 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:55.480 the pandemic. Talk a little bit about the experience down 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:59.799 in Japan. I believe with Team Nigeria. Yeah, I want 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:05.600 to Tokyo for uh my first Olympics. Um, my parents. 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.239 It was fun, it was exciting, It was like a dream. 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.240 It was all the things I thought of that it 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.960 would be. And you know, yeah, it was during the pandemic. 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:17.600 But I was the head athletics trainer with the Nigerian 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.400 national team and they were a great bunch of girls. 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:24.280 The coaching staff was wonderful and um this was the 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.720 first time really getting out there and showing off and 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.280 doing what they could do. Um. I just did as 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:31.880 much as I could to help them feel good. Uh. 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:33.840 We were just brand new with each other. I did 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:37.200 a training camp with them. UM. Shout out to my players, 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:40.480 Nica gu McKay and Schenea gu McKay and their little sister, 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:44.880 uh Erica. But they were really just wanting to go 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:47.600 and support and and be a part of something that 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.360 was bigger than themselves and bigger than basketball. So I 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:53.480 joined them, and um, you know, they didn't come and 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.240 play Neck and Shane, but their sister did. And it 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:58.280 was just a great opportunity for us to get out 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:00.800 there and just show what we could do from all 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.640 stages of sports and all, you know, every level, the 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:06.160 highest level you can get to, was happening all around me. 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.640 So it was an enjoyable moment for sure. Would you 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:15.040 describe Tokyo during the pandemic. I know, Japan and a 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.640 lot of the countries on the Asian continent had been 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:21.279 wearing masks and had adopted already kind of had a 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:25.560 structure built in that sort of curb, you know, the 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:29.560 transmission of germs and things like that. Did you experience 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:32.080 that in Tokyo when you were there? It wasn't worse 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:34.600 than not worse, But was it more of a heightened 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:38.800 sense of care at the time you were there, Yes, 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:41.480 it was. It was very Uh, it was. You know, 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:45.279 they're very disciplined in Tokyo. I think Japan as a country, 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:48.640 they're very much all discipline and very clean it might 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:50.440 have been one of the cleanest places I've been to 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:55.920 in the world, so thinking about it now. Clean. They're 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:59.640 very organized, they're very strict, and because of the pandemic 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.080 and what we were facing at that time, you know, 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.839 you were very you had to be very accountable for 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:08.200 every space you're coming in and out of. UM. We 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:11.159 weren't allowed to see other events, which was kind of 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:14.280 for me. You know, I was looking forward to watching sports. Um. 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:16.520 You can only go to games that we're playing within 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.720 your sport. UM. So that was something that because of 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.640 the pandemic, they weren't allowing teams to have fans, and 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.520 they weren't allowing us to go to the other other events. UM. 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:29.320 But you know, the experience within itself was still amazing. 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:33.240 We lived inside of the village and UM, you know 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:35.320 there was some things going around about, you know, our 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:38.480 living headquarters because we did have to sleep on these 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:43.160 cardboard beds, which I couldn't appliese until I saw it. UM, 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:45.360 But you know we made it with it. That bad 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.400 court with it, what is it? With it? As bad 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:53.840 as it was being described in the media reports. UM, 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:57.240 Japan is very uh you know, they to me, they 0:05:57.320 --> 0:05:59.800 really think outside the box when it comes to trying 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:01.960 to be able to preserve and be a little bit 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.560 more eco friendly, And I think that's what their focus was. 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:07.719 So once you got there, you can respect that, you know, 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:09.680 that's what That's what I was able to do. But 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:13.440 I was more concerned about the comfortableness of my athletes. 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:16.640 The comfort you know, I'm wondering, I know, I'm not 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:18.480 that tall of a player, but I'm looking at some 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:22.240 of my taller players, you know, not sure if they 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:24.440 were able to really feel as comfortable as they could 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.880 and wake up and feel good enough to compete in 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.160 the game as such. So that was a little bit 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.960 of my concern. Not all the teams had to stay 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.120 in the in the bubble because it was still a 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.840 bubble considered a bubble, but um, not all of them 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.320 stayed in the village. But I mean the experience alone 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.279 was wonderful, you know, and it was something that we 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:44.640 all had to just take on and know that this 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.120 is where we're at and what we're doing, and just 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:49.840 be really proud of the moment. So little things like that, 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:52.400 you know, you just kind of feel it out, just 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.320 it to it, um and and we made it through. 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.760 So I wasn't that bad, now, did you? That was 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:04.440 your first experience internationally at an Olympics. Correct, Yes, that 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:09.600 was my first experience internationally for the Olympics. Yes, and 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:13.120 then worked different capacities, but that one was the first time. 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:18.280 Did that experience under the sort of the you know, 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:23.800 with the cloud of the pandemic? Did that experience teach 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:29.720 you anything about yourself that you didn't know before? You 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:35.400 know what? That moment being there helped me realize what 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:40.720 hard work really is. Mhm. I knew, or I say 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:45.440 it in different capacities, but you know, um, I really 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:47.840 like strive to be the best in my profession and 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.600 the best person being that I could be. And I 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.960 felt like I was living it during that moment. So 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:57.320 I felt like, you can't take yourself regranted and you 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:00.240 always have to believe in yourself, you know what I mean. 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:04.040 And so for me, um, it did teach me a lot. 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:07.000 You know, the pandemic was a very tough time for 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:10.680 us all, so coming out of that and understanding you know, 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:13.160 all that we had worked hard to be able to 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.720 take care of ourselves to put inside you know, I 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:18.760 always is preaching how to make sure you're drinking and 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.600 eating the right thing and get enough rest and really 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:23.960 kind of focusing on what you put in your body. 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:26.120 So I wanted to make sure that all the things 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.760 that I was preaching, I was also practicing myself. Yeah. Yeah, 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.280 you did a good job of that of always uh 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:36.840 just educating us on Instagram, your your Instagram, your story. 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.240 Uh sometimes you have you know, things on that thing. 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.160 But I'll go through everyone because because no, because you 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.360 you're dropping knowledge and you're showing us how to do 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:48.400 certain things, and you know you you're you're you know, 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:50.840 you got you're just doing a lot like I see, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.840 just everyone go, what's your what's your igh? Why are 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:57.000 we thinking about it? I'm sorry. Courts Corner l A. 0:08:57.360 --> 0:08:59.959 Go to courts Corner l A, give her a follow 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.479 and getting ready for some for some goodness that's gonna 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:05.760 help you in your life. Let me ask you this 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:09.120 court before the Olympics. You're in the bubble with the 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.360 w n B A right, right, yes, man, So you're 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.240 with the Sparks. So you went to through two different 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:20.360 bubbles and basketball settings on two different continents and and 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:26.520 literally three or six months. Yeah, that's pretty amazing. I 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:30.720 guess the main thing I wanted to always kind of 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:34.720 wonder and just maybe you can get into it, maybe can't. 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:38.080 But how is the dynamics of with everyone being in 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:41.440 such close proximity and you have to compete against each other, 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:45.079 and how is how were the dynamics between the players now? 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.160 Back in my era, I won't say our era, I'll 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.439 say my era, that type of situation would have been 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.280 a little weird because we took the game kind of, 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:55.880 you know, a little differently back then, so probably have 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:59.400 been some some issues going on. But I feel like 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:02.040 we we're in a different time. Describe it for me. 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:05.240 The w n B a bubble off the floor. Well, 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:10.040 right now on ESPN there is the uh this series 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:14.360 one forty four and one of my players, Chineague McKay, 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:17.920 she's the executive producer of that. So these last couple 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.040 of days, I've been hearing that. I guess it is 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:23.040 showing a lot more and um, I know the season 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:26.680 is getting ready to kick off. But the bubble wasn't experience. 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:29.720 You know, that was at a very tough time and 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.480 everyone's life, you know, to really be able to go 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.400 through a normal day what you're used to and having 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:38.240 to kind of rearrange some things, and you know, we 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:42.360 were affected by a lot so much. UM I was 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:44.240 a part of that group who had been with the 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:46.800 athletic training system in the w n b A for 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:55.280 over Yes, sorry, okay, you said you're you're a part 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:57.160 of that group since since when It since to be 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.080 not the beginning, but close to it. Yeah, well, this 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:02.240 is my fifteen season right now in the league, so 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.480 at that time, but thirteen seasons and the w n 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.400 b A at the time, there was three other athletic 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.320 trainers shout out to them who had put in just 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.600 amount of years. So we're part of the executive team 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.680 UM at the trainers, so we really kind of shape 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:20.640 and organize, um the sports medicine aspect of it all. 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.400 And you know, it was it was a challenge because 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:27.600 Florida was on fire at the time, UM with the 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:31.640 cases of COVID and so you know, there was anyone traveling. 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:35.359 There was so many different you know, rules and protocols 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:37.280 that were being put into play, and so we had 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:41.520 to really be the first professional league that started having 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:44.800 the league to be reinstated in the games showing up. 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.600 So you know, we took our we we worked on 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:50.320 it we prepared for it, um, but it's not a 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.160 lot of preparation that you can do once you get 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.439 in there, because it's just within itself. You know, you 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:59.840 gotta be you gotta be ready for adversity and again 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:03.560 sure that you know your team is. I called myself 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:06.840 the COVID police, you know everything. I have pictures of 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:09.440 myself from the bubble. I think I showed one a 0:12:09.440 --> 0:12:12.720 few days ago, and I just had such a serious look, 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.120 you know, on my face because I wanted and none 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:18.680 of my players ended up. You know, the league really 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:21.800 didn't have any positive cases throughout that time during the bubble, 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:24.960 and that was a really, you know, great thing for 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.480 us to really focus in on, to make sure that 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:30.720 we were all really taking account that our health mattered 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.320 and that we needed to protect ourselves and each other. 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:37.200 So I was constantly making sure that my players were 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.559 doing what they're supposed to do, being where they're supposed to. 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:42.360 We had to take COVID tests every single day, you know. 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:46.760 Yeah that's not today. To this day, I think I've 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:50.560 taken about five hundred you know test or But it's 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.880 a credit to you guys, you ladies uh in your 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:58.679 league for taking it so serious and and really just 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:03.600 being vigilant about preventing it. And you know, sho shout 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:05.800 out to w n b A. It's funny because I 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:11.880 would Here's the question I have, so Kyrie Irvin, he 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:15.360 didn't get the vaccination, but he's a guy that you 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:19.240 know does amazing things off the floor. Do you feel 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:23.800 like he was doing a disservice to people around him 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.199 when he didn't take that vaccination? Is or is it 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:30.800 a personal choice? Is there not enough information known about 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.760 it just to say, okay, give me the jab because 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.160 you know, everyone says you need to be doing this, 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.320 and the the year of information and research we have 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:43.280 on this thing, this this is the best option. What 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:47.480 do you think? That's a great question. I feel like 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.720 Kyrie Irving did the right thing because you ultimately have 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.040 to do what's best for you, and yeah, you want 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:57.000 to protect others, But there were so many people who 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:01.840 did not understand it enough leaving it or who were 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.720 you know who really had to experience something in their 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:08.600 lives during this pandemic that guided them one way or another. 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.920 And so who are we to tell this is a 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:16.800 medical a pandemic? Is a is a medical global situation? Right, 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:20.720 and um. Medical professionals were always used to being able 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:25.320 to fix everything, give you the best diagnosis, magnosis, everything 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.520 that kind of manages you to get through an illness 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:31.560 or an injury. And at some point, this particular virus 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:35.080 was something that we started lost control of as far 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:37.880 as being able to manage it at certain times because 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.600 there was so much new information, so many different political 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.000 things that we were hearing, um so many aspects of 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:48.680 it that created like an uneasiness feeling of you really 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:53.040 have to be certain about how you feel about putting 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.440 this vaccine into your system, you know, And so I 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:59.440 commend Hyree honestly, And I know there's others who may 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:01.960 feel different, and it's still each his own. But I 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:06.400 never wanted to persuade or convince any of my family members, 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:10.400 any of my athletes to to get the vaccine, because 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.920 you have to understand what you're doing. I just tried 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:17.320 to educate everyone, and through that education, I was able 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:19.720 to learn a lot from my own self and then 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:21.640 just pass it on to others and from there you 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.320 make your decisions. So I feel like Kyrie listened to 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:28.040 himself and he didn't have enough information that wanted him 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:30.480 to feel like he could, you know, and so he's 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:32.760 stuck with that. And I feel like there was a 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.160 percentage of people who had to represent, you know, and 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:38.720 I feel like he represented us well in that way 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:42.680 for those who chose to be anti the vaccine. Yeah, 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.480 my thing with it, the parts of it that I 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:50.360 didn't really care for, were just this you know, idea 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:56.720 that he somehow wasn't intelligent, or it's like he's selfish, 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.800 or you know, it's sort of turned into a lot 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:02.160 of morphed into a bunch of different stuff. When you 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:04.760 don't go along with the status quo, when you go 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:08.800 against the grain and anything you do, pretty much, you're 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:10.640 gonna get some pushback. People are gonna look at you 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:13.000 like you're crazy. Like you know, you walk around. Remember 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.040 those people that used to talk about UFOs back in 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:16.640 the day. We used to think them people were crazy, 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:17.920 And then all of a sudden, the government came out, 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:20.000 Oh UFO was a real dog, And now it's like, 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:22.480 wait a minute, I thought that was crazy. But I 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:24.880 thought I thought, you know that we used to write 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.400 those people off, like, oh man, you complete man, he 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:31.760 was talking about some UFOs. Man. I mean, now it's like, oh, facts. 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:33.600 It's facts though, but it's not so now what. So 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:35.960 it's like I really can't and I'm not gonna sit 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.080 here and saying I believe all conspiracy theories. But I'm 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:41.680 just not gonna put you know, my all my belief 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.120 system and is something that somebody's telling me after about 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:46.480 it less than a year of research. I'm sorry, that's 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:48.720 just basic. That's just kind of for me, that was 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.320 common sense. But I don't really want to get too 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:55.360 deep into this political part of the conversation. Um. But 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:59.040 courts flipping over into another position that you had in 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:02.200 the basketball split space, pretty impressive. You were the medical 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:06.919 director at Donda Academy. Now, for those that don't know, 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:13.760 Donda Academy is uh Kanye West prep school that brings 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.120 in some of the top high school basketball talent from 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:20.639 around the nation. They you know, get their education, but 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.080 they compete on a very high level and they spend 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:26.960 a lot of time playing ball. UM. I interviewed Durrell Wright, 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.960 who was involved in the program, so he kind of 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:34.160 put me on game and you know, all the behind 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.200 the scenes stuff. How was your experience working at Donna 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:41.600 Academy this year? I enjoyed it. I feel I was 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:46.119 really proud of Kanye and what he you know, attempted 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:49.240 to do. I feel like he accomplished something that a 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.960 lot of others can't say they done. He's not an athlete, 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:57.040 and uh, I wanted to I was Durrell, right, was 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.400 actually who came to me with the project, and thank 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.399 you to him, because he realized that they needed a 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:06.040 little bit more sports medicine care than what they had, 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:07.600 and so he's like, hey, wait a minute, where's your 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:11.440 trainer and he said, no, no, no, Cock Coort Cock 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.560 Court And so I came and I brought Courts Corner, 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.960 my sports medicine program and my whole services in and 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.840 UM shout out to Angelica. She was the athletic trainer 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:26.080 that was on staff there and through Courts Corner, and 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:28.919 so I just helped them manage. Yeah. They were from 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:34.000 all over the country, excellent athletes, UM, scholar athletes. A 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.760 lot of them had excellent grades and really just you know, 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.159 was really about It was a prep school, so of 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:41.399 course it's not high school, but it's not college, and 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:44.200 they're really trying to get that look. Um. And they 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:47.320 traveled all over the country and play games, and so 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:49.679 I just did my best to help manage all the 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:52.760 injuries and illnesses that were happening while they were traveling, 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.480 and then come back here and play. Um. I got 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:58.399 to talk to Kanye and tell him how thankful and 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.000 privilege I was to be at work with him and 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.560 his team, and how proud I was, and the way 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:05.720 he represented for us. How do he you know, really 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:08.880 help those young men, uh see different avenues and give 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:12.000 them more of a career path, um with basketball that 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:14.919 you know what he was doing from the entertainment side. 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:17.520 So it was a little bit of both sports and entertainment, 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:20.840 you know, being covered with Donte sports. But the academy 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:23.040 is still growing. You know, this is only that was 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:25.919 the first year. We just finished the season. Um, but 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.879 the opportunity was huge because we played and the girls 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:32.280 worked all over the country. Um, you know, providing the 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:35.600 care and the sports medicine health for the for the kids. 0:19:36.359 --> 0:19:40.080 When you that's a that's an awesome, um description of 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.919 that that situation. I was curious what it looked like 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.560 over there from and you as you know, the medical 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:52.679 person you have probably in any organization, the athletic trainer 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:56.399 is typically the most knowledgeable person in the organization just 0:19:56.480 --> 0:19:58.720 everything that's going on. Just for some reason, I don't 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:05.200 know why, the rader always is the one, but court. Um, 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.960 when you when you work with you know, high level 0:20:09.200 --> 0:20:14.200 elite level athletes like at don DA, Nigeria national team, 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:17.720 the w n b A obviously different levels of elite athletes, 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:22.840 but all elite. You know, how do you design a 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:26.199 plan a program or a preventative program or what do 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:31.000 you emphasize your medical expertise, like what do you what 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:34.760 what is most important for athletes to keep in mind 0:20:34.840 --> 0:20:37.119 or to stay true to a certain type of you 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:39.800 know program, What is Talk to me for a second. 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:44.879 You have such good questions, Um, well it's for me 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:53.040 that was it's really about building the best team right forwards, basketball, 0:20:53.480 --> 0:20:57.119 every sport, It's really about team, you know, to me, 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:01.639 and so even the sports medicine team is a big 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:05.640 part of the success of any level. You know, so 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:09.440 on the professional level or on an elite level, everyone 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:14.040 around that athlete is what makes them be successful. It 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:16.560 was what makes them be able to perform at that 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:20.760 level that we're expected to perform at, you know. So 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:23.440 for me, I just kind of started working to find 0:21:23.440 --> 0:21:27.400 the best of every type of therapist that I could 0:21:27.440 --> 0:21:31.480 around me, every doctor you know around me, um that 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:34.800 I had met and had great resources and had great 0:21:34.840 --> 0:21:39.199 relationships and tried to network and build. That's how I 0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:42.719 determine like how I'm going to face each year or 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:45.440 each sport or each season that I'm involved in, as 0:21:45.440 --> 0:21:47.400 far as just making sure that we provide the best 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:51.560 services in the care so that matters for the athlete. 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:53.679 And I think sometimes a lot of athletes until they 0:21:53.720 --> 0:21:57.120 have an injury or until they've experienced something, do they 0:21:57.119 --> 0:22:02.400 really recognize the value of an athlete trainer, the physical therapists. 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:08.920 The difference between those the massage therapists and the chiropractors 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:13.240 and acupunctures. Now even the extra level of like wellness care, 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:16.399 it's so important because it could just take one or 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.439 two of them to figure out how to put this 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:24.000 machine oil dwell together to create that. You know. So 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:26.320 it's a lot of athletics, I mean, what goes into it, 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:29.600 but on the outside it really does matter, like who 0:22:29.640 --> 0:22:31.840 and what you're listening to and working to get that 0:22:31.920 --> 0:22:35.159 proper training. So I love That's one of my favorite 0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:37.720