WEBVTT - Shake Milton on Fish Tanks, Tattoos, and Staying Ready 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:02.240 I just started to play with confidence. Once I knocked 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:04.040 down a couple of you know, I started feeling good, 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:05.840 and my teammates did a good job of finding me 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.960 and encouraging me and keeping me going. Modesty, of course, 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:12.639 is always a nice trait. But to start the seventy 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:15.720 six Ers four game road trip, Shake Milton did more 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.239 than just play with confidence and knocked down a couple 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:21.720 of shots. Sixers Ball Shake does have a season high 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:23.760 in the game, He's got it again. Three ball up 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:26.880 and good back to back threes by Milton. Behind the 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:30.440 best scoring performance of his young career, the twenty eighteen 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:34.040 second round pick continues to provide the shorthanded Sixers a lift. 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:38.519 Shake Milton and I talk hoops, fish, tanks, tattoos, and 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:46.440 more on this episode of the broadcast, What's going on 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.879 out there, seventy six Ers pod people, How are you? 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.720 I know, in terms of results and other things in 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:58.320 the basketball world. It could be better? Certainly, so much 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:01.080 emotion since the last time he had an episode of 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:07.440 the podcast, given the just horrible and totally tragic passing 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:11.440 of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the seven other people 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:14.720 who were on board the helicopter that crashed in southern 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.800 California last Sunday, so that certainly continues to weigh at 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:21.839 the forefront of at least my mind, and I'm sure 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:24.800 a bunch of you out there as well. It was 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:26.759 nice to see the seventy sixers do what they need 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.600 to do on Tuesday to knock off the Golden State 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:34.000 Warriors in their first game since the accident involving Bryants. 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.280 But a tough loss for the Sixers on Thursday night 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.759 at Atlanta against the Hawks to begin a really important 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.920 four game road trip that also features the likes of Boston, Miami, 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:47.760 and Milwaukee. All three of those teams right now currently 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.080 said ahead of the seventy Sixers, not by much, but 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:53.600 still ahead of the seventy sixers in the Eastern Conference standings. 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:58.080 On the bright side, it is excellent, totally excellent that 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:00.880 we can say Ben Simmons is an All Star for 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:03.960 a second straight year. Wished we could have said that 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:08.639 Matisse Steibel was selected for the Rising Stars Challenged, but he, 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.880 along with a couple other first or second year players 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:16.280 in the NBA, robbed of a spot during All Star weekend. 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:20.200 But it is definitely great and promising that there are 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.800 a lot of good things we can say about Shake Milton, 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.280 who went for a career high twenty seven points in 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:29.000 the seventy six ers game against the Hawks on Thursday. 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.400 We're gonna hear from Milton in a moment, but before 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:33.400 he and I get started, of course, I wanted to 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:35.800 remind you that to subscribe to the podcast, you can 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:40.519 go to any of your favorite podcasting platforms, whether that Spotify, 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:46.600 Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in Pandora, wherever you go. 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:50.080 Just type in seventy six Ers Podcast or Sixers Podcast 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:57.640 Network and that will take you to our feed. So 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:01.000 it was Wednesday afternoon, a couple hours before the seventy 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:03.560 six Ers were set to get on board their charter 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.600 plane to head south to Atlanta for a Thursday's game 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:08.600 against the Atlanta Hawks, and I was on a mission 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:12.880 to track down our guy, Shake Milton. Now, Shakers had 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:15.960 to overcome a lot, not just in his young basketball 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:19.320 career in the NBA, but his entire life. A few 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.359 years ago, he lost his father, who was the inspiration 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:25.360 for his nickname Shake because his dad, when he played, 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:28.760 was called the Milkman. Shake also then dealed with injury 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:32.240 in his third and final junior season at SMU before 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:35.640 turning pro. That probably affected where he ultimately went in 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:38.800 the twenty eighteen draft with the fifty fourth overall pick. 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:41.560 You remember he was originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:44.320 in the seventy six ers swung a trade for him. Then. 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:48.280 Milton had a series of injuries in his rookie year, 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.360 and he's had to battle some injuries again this year, 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.720 most specifically the injury he suffered on the heels of 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:57.400 what was a great training camp. But about a week 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:00.080 and a half ago, when Josh Richardson went down in 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.880 the first four minutes of the Sixers road game against 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:07.200 the Toronto Raptors, there was Milton summoned into duty. And 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:11.240 not surprisingly, Milton, when called upon, he was ready to go. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:14.440 He fit in, he was steady, and he did his 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.400 best to help the cause. So even before Milton exploded 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.200 against the Hawks on Thursday, I was on a mission, 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:23.600 as I said, to track him down and talk. But Milton, 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:26.520 as I should have presumed, on a getaway day, had 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:29.359 a very important task to take care of before the 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:33.800 seventy Sixers flew down to Atlanta, and that was the 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.360 guy had to get himself pack for a four game 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:38.960 road trip. So that is where the conversation between myself 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:41.400 and Shake Milton began when I got him by phone. 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:43.800 This is actually before he took the floor against the 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:48.000 Atlanta Hawks for a career performance on Thursday. All right, Chake, Well, 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:50.920 when last we spoke, it was after a practice at 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.560 the seventy sixers training complex the day before you guys 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:56.360 left for Atlanta, and you had some important things to do, 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:58.640 like getting ready for a long road trip going to 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:01.680 a bunch of different climates. How does Shake Milton pack 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:04.160 for a road trip like this when you're in Atlanta 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.800 one day, Boston the next, then back down to Miami, 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:12.120 come home, and then go to Milwaukee. Yeah, I mean, 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:13.760 I guess you just got to try to pack a 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.800 little bit of everything, you know. I try to look 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:17.760 ahead and see what the weather is looking like while 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.920 I'm gonna be in West City. But the most part, 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.320 just get your basic your sweats, maybe a couple pair 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.719 of jeans, and some shorts and T shirts and you'd 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.080 be good to go. So you are the type of 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.880 guy who will tailor his attire that he brings based 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:36.440 upon the city that you're in and the weather conditions potentially. Yeah, 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:37.800 I mean, I'll just I'll just make sure I have 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.600 all bases covered so I'm not out, you know, somewhere 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:43.520 freezing or you know, somewhere over dressed when it's super 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.920 hot out. You know, so just t to make sure 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:50.360 that I got all my bases covered. A why strategy? Well, 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:51.920 if you look back over the last week, you were 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.560 kind of thrown into the fray when the seventy sixers 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:57.240 who were at the Raptors playing Toronto, filling in for 0:05:57.360 --> 0:06:00.480 Josh Richardson who went out about four minutes the game. 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:03.920 You had nine points that night, you had nine rebounds, 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.200 the next game against the Lakers. Last Saturday in South Philadelphia, 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:10.440 eleven points against Golden State. What has the past week 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:14.880 been like for you? I just, you know, I just 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:17.840 try to do my best to stay ready. I wasn't 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.720 expecting nobody was expecting Jays to get hurt or go down. 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.520 But you know, as a team, we always have a 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.400 next man up mentality, and I just tried to step 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:30.280 in and be aggressive. Guys were encouraging me to do so, 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:32.240 and I just tried to go out there and play 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:35.400 with confidence. I was going to ask you about that mindset, 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.280 because at least for me, when I look back over 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:39.560 the last two years that you've been with the seventy 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:43.400 sixers organization, it seems like that whenever an opportunity has 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:46.880 arisen for you at the NBA level, regardless of the circumstances, 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:50.760 you've managed to jump in. Seem like you fit be steady. 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.800 So what goes in for you to staying ready? How 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.880 do you go about preparing that way? Um? I think 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:58.880 it just starts with the work you're putting again every day. 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:01.799 You gotta make sure you know you're going one hundred 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.760 and ten percent and you know, just being consistent with that, 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.480 and then off the court, I mean, and then um, 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:10.600 you know, just following the game plan. You know, you 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:12.960 got to be on top of that as well, because 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.840 you never really know, um what moment, When your moment 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.200 is going to come, you just gotta be ready to 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.280 take it. And um, you gotta make sure that you're 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.640 prepared for whatever is throwing your way. Um. So I 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:24.440 think just staying on top of the work, and then 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:26.200 stay on top of what the team had going on, 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.760 like offensive schemes and defensive schemes, and you know, just 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.320 making sure I'm standing on top of it. What does 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:35.080 the work look like for you? Is it coming in early? 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:37.920 Is it going back to the facility after game to 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:40.600 get up some more shots. Take me inside your regiment 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.880 and what one D ten percent means to you. I mean, 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:49.040 we'll definitely going in going in early, and um, you know, 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.000 you know, going to shoot arounds early before the team 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.800 even gets there, or um, definitely coming in late as 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.120 well if you just feeling you get the itch and 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.440 you just want to get up extra work. But I 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:02.560 think just rep by rep, taking it and making a 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:06.200 game rep game speed, so that when you're thrown into 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:10.640 the game, you know it's you've been practicing it looking 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:13.760 at some of the scenarios surrounding you. At least to me, 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.680 it also is like there's been a persistence about the 0:08:16.720 --> 0:08:19.080 way you've gone about your business. And I don't want 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.240 to dredge up old history that I'm sure you'd like 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:23.800 to put in the past, But your first summer league 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.480 you had a stress fracture in your back. You broke 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:29.360 a finger nearly a year ago, this time right after 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:31.680 you got called up the seventy six ers on a 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.920 West coast trip under two way contract. There's the ankle sprain, 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:36.960 it's summer like this year, and knee injury after a 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.839 great training camp in the fall. What keeps you going? 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:43.599 What's the persistence and what's the motivation behind the persistence. 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.120 I mean, I think it's just the will to want 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.640 to be great and my love for the game. I think, um, 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:54.120 that keeps me going. That's you know, I want to 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:56.040 I want to be great. So I mean, you just 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.640 gotta you gotta work with it. You gotta, you know, 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.800 take those ls on the and um, find a way 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:03.240 to bounce that because at the end of the day, 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:06.280 that's all you can really do. It's all about making 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:10.480 you stronger and seeing what's what's society. Would you say 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:12.720 that you're a tougher player now than you were before 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:17.600 some of these experiences came up. Uh, definitely. I mean 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:19.600 I've always been tough, but I feel like, you know, 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:24.760 each each situation you're thrown into can only making stronger. 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:27.720 When you look at this year, you've spent the majority 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.520 of your time, aside from a very brief assignment with 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:34.520 the Delaware Bluecoats, with the seventy sixers. What's that been 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.840 like spending the bulk of the year with the Sixers, 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:40.079 even if it's regardless of how much you've been playing 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:42.800 in games, getting to hear your name called in a 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:46.880 practice at the NBA level and working out with NBA peers, 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.360 I mean it's been good. I think it forces you 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:53.360 to get better because every day you're going against the 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:57.160 best competition, guys who who are the best at what 0:09:57.200 --> 0:09:59.800 they do. So it forces your game to raise to 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:02.160 the next level. And I've been just trying to take 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:04.360 it one day at a time. And you know, um, 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:08.000 I always say good days that up. So you know, 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:10.440 every day you're in the gym working working on your 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.199 craft and working on your game, you know you have 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.360 no choice but to climb and to see your game 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.000 and prove bring us inside the gym a little bit. 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:20.600 Who are some of the players that you're learning the 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:26.319 most from and who's pushing you? Um shoot everybody, um 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:31.719 the you know, the bets like Tobias Um I'll um 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.000 you know. And then also like you know, I talked 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:36.520 to Jay Rich a lot just about different things that 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.040 he sees because you know, he's he hasn't been playing, 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.040 so he's been able to have a little bit of 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:45.280 a different perspective. Um. I mean you can learn from everybody, um, 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:49.160 from from you know, Ben and Joel to to Firkin 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.760 and Matisse, um because we're all kind of like in 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.240 the same little position. And James and it's the way 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.880 he offens the rebounds and the way he guards. So 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.520 you know, you just try to take different pieces of 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:05.600 of everybody's game and can learn from it. Good stuff 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:08.480 from shake Milton more with him on the way. But 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:10.480 I want to take this moment to remind you that 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:14.319 if you've not yet marked your calendars for Monday, March 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:17.880 the ninth, twenty twenty, do it. It is the date 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.040 of the fifth Annual Sixers Youth Foundation Evening on the 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:24.560 Court Galla presented by Vip Wireless, and this year it 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:26.640 is going to be held at the twenty three hundred 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.440 Arena in South Philadelphia for an awesome night of fun 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:37.080 as everyone in the seventy Sixers organization, from players to coaches, alumni, fun, 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:41.040 office staff ownership, work together to create a brighter future 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.319 for the leaders of tomorrow. Visit Sixers Youth Foundation dot 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.720 org slash Gala to support today and find out more 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:49.959 about how you can be a part of the fifth 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:53.600 Annual Sixers Youth Foundation Evening on the Court Gala March ninth, 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:57.680 twenty twenty at the twenty three hundred Arena in South Philadelphia. 0:11:57.760 --> 0:11:59.880 And I would totally be remiss if I did not 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:03.280 mentioned that a part of the annual auction in support 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:06.040 of the Sixers Youth Foundation Evening on the Court Gala 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.439 includes a spot to be a guest co host for 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:13.439 an episode here on the broadcast. How could you not 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:17.199 be all about that again? The website Sixers Youth Foundation 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:21.800 dot org slash gala as we now pick it back 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.480 up with shake Milton, you know, shake you to me 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:28.240 seem to have a really mellow, relaxed, easy going vibe 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:32.000 about you off the floor. I've also heard, however, that 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:34.920 you are into the fishes. Do you have a new 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.800 fish tank? Oh yeah, I got. I got my little, 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:43.120 my little saltwater aquarium at the crib. It's it's nice, 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:46.600 it's I mean, it's the sound of it is soothing 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:48.800 at nighttime too. But I mean it's nice to come 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.120 home too. And they get excited to when I'm around 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:53.520 because they know they're about to eat eat so um. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.320 I don't know's it's a fun experience. I got all 0:12:56.400 --> 0:12:59.240 kinds of fishes man, So there's a real relationship there. 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.360 What type of fishes do you have? Um? I got 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:06.560 some yellow tangs, I have uh some of the uh 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:10.559 the fish from finding Nemo. I got the dory fish, 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:14.880 Nemo fish. I got, um some type of little salamander 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:17.160 looking thing. I got some snells. I got a shrimp 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.959 in their coral. It's just a it's a whole, it's 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:24.280 a whole little, uh little ecosystem going down down there. Dude, 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.160 that sounds like a legit set up? How big are 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:29.720 we talking? I think to take is ninety gallons? Oh 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:35.120 that is awesome. The other thing I wanted to uh 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.040 to ask you about is the kiss tattoo on your 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:46.080 inner bicep. What's the significance of that? Um? So well, UM, 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:49.680 my dad, whenever I was younger, he was my coach, 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.640 and UM, we always had a we had a play 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:54.880 called kiss and it always stood for keep it simple, 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:59.240 stupid and um that that um that just left left 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.640 mindset is kind of always just stuck with me and 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.440 kind of applied it to things other than basketball, just 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:09.160 just life, life outside of basketball and just just keeping 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:12.960 things simple and um being being unique to so what 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:15.440 you got going on. You can get caught up folks 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.800 and on everybody else's journey, and um, it can kind 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:20.880 of be discouraging or can it can lead you off 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:22.560 your path. But if you know, you just stick to 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.480 your script, stick to what you got going on your path, 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.120 your journey, then you know it could uh end up 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:30.880 you know, being okay. And it really doesn't have anything 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.440 to do with the band, but shout out the kiss, 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.640 shout out to him. I mean that kind of ties 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:39.240 back into what it sounds like your approach has been 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:41.880 since turning pro with the seventy six ers and some 0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:45.200 of the hurdles that you've had to overcome. Right, Oh yeah, 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.040 most definitely. I mean it definitely is applicable to that, 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:50.360 and I think it's you know, applicable to just my 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.960 life in general, because um, you know, there's always going 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.400 to be adversity or things you go through, but um, 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:57.560 you know, if you're able to just hone in and 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.600 stick to what you know, stick to your journe ernie, UM, 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.360 it's gonna be all right. I gotta think it's nice 0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:06.360 to have dad close by as well with that tattoo, 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:11.400 oh yeah, just having his memory. Um, just you know, 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.200 being able to look down there and and you know 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.040 hear his voice as you know, as you will, Um, 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.000 is a pretty big time for me. You've talked in 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:22.640 the past about how that's where your nickname came from. 0:15:23.080 --> 0:15:25.840 You've got a brother who plays basketball, a sister who 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:29.360 plays basketball as well. Was that mandatory? Did you have 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:33.840 to play basketball in the Milton family? No? No, you 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:36.320 definitely didn't have to. But we were just around the game, 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:37.880 so I must be kind of just fell in love 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.120 with it, um, And you know, I think it just 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:43.560 took off from there. But I mean one thing with 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.040 my dad was you know, you know, you don't have 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.160 to play basketball, but you're gonna do something, and you're 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:50.760 gonna give it your all, um, And I guess we 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:52.880 just kind of fell in love with basketball and and 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.960 took off from there. This is probably gonna sound strange, 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.720 but I tend to do some strange things. If someone 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:00.360 is from a place, or if I heard of a 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.560 place anywhere in the world that I just have no 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:05.840 frame of reference for, I'll go on Google Maps and 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:08.480 search it typing in and then try and drop the 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:10.640 little dude down on Google Maps and see what it's 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:13.720 all about. So I did that for Awasa, Oklahoma, just 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:15.520 to try and get a sense of what the town 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.160 is like. How would you describe Owa? So I know 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.040 it's near Tulsa, but what type of place was it? 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.440 M I think it's a town that's definitely growing, growing 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.840 in size, and they're always adding new stuff every time 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.040 I go home. It's like something else that's popping up. 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:33.640 But it's definitely a close knit community. Um. I feel 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:38.920 like everybody kind of has an like kind of knows everybody. So, um, 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.920 I think it was good for me because I was 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.600 able to build a lot of relationships and a lot 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.320 of close friendships, friendships that I'll have the rest of 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:49.720 my life. But it was you know, it's a great 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:52.360 place to grow up. Man. It was a lot of fun, 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:56.120 and you know, the community was was really strong, so 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:58.720 that was always good. It's crazy because I see the 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.560 population is somewhere just under forty thousand people, and it's like, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.240 if you fill up Lincoln Financial Field, which is across 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.080 from the Center, you've got about seventy thousand people in that. 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.080 So that's twice the size of the hometown that you 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:14.000 grew up in. And here you are an NBA player Now, 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.960 what's it like going back. I mean, it's it's it's 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.280 love because it's not too often I really get to 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:23.119 go back home, so whenever I do, you know, I 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.800 just try to go eat it all my favorite favorite 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.639 little spots and hang out with friends, see people I 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:31.600 haven't seen in a while, and you know, just spend 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.280 time with family. That's the main thing. So it's always 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.960 fun to go back. I miss it already. I know. 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.000 One time you went back was this past summer when 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.720 you held your first camp in the area. How cool 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.240 was that for you? Did you enjoy it? Oh? Yeah, 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:47.320 that was That was a great experience. That's something that 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:49.440 I want to continue to do in the future as well, 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:52.919 just because it just felt good to give back. It 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:56.200 felt good to see kids out there having fun, kind 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:57.919 of doing the same things that I was doing when 0:17:57.960 --> 0:17:59.840 I was at that age. So I'm going to camps 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.920 like that. So it was really good to see and 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.320 it was I wanted to. I wanted I wanted those 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:08.080 kids to see me, just to be like, just so 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.480 I could let them know that, um, it's possible. Um 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:13.600 if you just if you want to do it and 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:14.960 you fall in love with it and you want to 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:18.479 put the work in then, um, it's definitely possible. Just 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:20.200 looking at some of the stuff that you posted on 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:22.920 social it really seemed like you were truly hands on 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:25.000 and engaged in the camp. I mean, I know some 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.959 players aren't always as active in doing some of the drills, 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.680 but it seemed like this was very much the Shake 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:33.359 Milton camp and that you were kind of front and 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:37.080 center and orchestrating and running the whole thing. Yeah. I 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:39.080 mean I had a lot of help. My older sister 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.760 helped me out tremendously with that. Uh. I had a 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:43.720 lot of family come down and then they gave a 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.840 helping hand as well. But um, yeah, it was important 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:50.679 for me to be active, active with it because, like 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:53.800 you said, you know, some guys aren't very active with it, 0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:55.119 and they kind of just show up if they had 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:57.280 to take pictures and everything like that. But I figured 0:18:57.320 --> 0:18:59.640 if the kids just saw me, like, they just wanted 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:01.200 to see me and they just wanted to have fun. 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.600 So I figured if in order for me to make 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:06.679 sure everybody had a good time, it was important for 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:08.920 me to be active in it and you know kind 0:19:08.960 --> 0:19:11.000 of you know, run it. So it was it was 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:13.439 a lot of fun though. All right, well, you've had 0:19:13.440 --> 0:19:16.120 a nice stretch over the last week for the seventy sixers. 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.360 You're continuing to fill in as Josh Richardson is on 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:22.399 the end. What's your outlook for yourself is we approach 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:24.760 the All Star Game break and look down the stretch 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:28.439 of the rest of the regular season. For me, it's 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:30.960 definitely just about stay and locked in. I want to 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.080 finish this little stretch that we have. I was strong 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:37.720 and stay locked into whatever the team needs. M continue 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.679 to grow on the things that I've been doing and 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:44.479 continuing to improve, and you know, putting together wins um. 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:47.040 You know, this is a nice little stretch for us. 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:49.520 We need to we need to finish strong and put 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.000 together some one. So that's that's where my focus is. 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:54.800 The great news is that for Shake Milton this year, 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:57.879 giving your contract, you'll be available for as long as 0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:00.679 the seventy sixers need you. Once the under flips and 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:04.439 we hit the playoffs. Oh yeah, for sure. I'm excited 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:08.240 about that too as well, So I'm ready. Great stuff, 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:10.720 Shake Milton, thanks so much. Enjoy the rest of the 0:20:10.800 --> 0:20:13.560 road trip. Appreciate it. Oh yeah, thank you, man, I have 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:18.920 have a go. Great stories shared by Shake Milton. Really 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:21.440 happy for him. As we discussed, there are plenty of 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:24.679 hurdles that Shaike has had to overcome, both on the 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:26.920 court and off it, and it's really nice to see 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:28.920