1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,319 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome in. This is the All Ball Podcast. I'm 2 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,120 Speaker 1: Doug Gottlie Band. I'm joining you actually from Super Week, 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: and you know, I thought about how to put together 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: a Kobe podcast. Next week we'll have I've reached out 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:23,479 Speaker 1: to a couple of other people, and um, I you know, 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: we have some really good guests lined up to talk 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: some more Kobe. But I want to share with you 8 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 1: guys a couple of things because one, I think it's 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: cathartic too. I kind of got to know him and 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: and and honestly, he was he actually had asked me 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: to come on this podcast. And this is a weird 12 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: thing in our business, you know when you make a friend. 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: And Kobe and I weren't always friendly or friends or whatever. 14 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: Like I didn't really know him. Um it's like we're 15 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: like ships passing the night, like Los Angeles. Orange County 16 00:00:56,520 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: is my hometown. Yet he moved into Newport Beach when 17 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: I was you know, I was away college and then 18 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: playing overseas, and you know, for the first was a 19 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: twelve years out of college. You know, there's two thousand. 20 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: I didn't live in southern California. I barely vacation in 21 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: southern California. Just my in laws are in Oklahoma. We 22 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: were we were east coast or traveling. I would would 23 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: come out maybe once a year. But you know, I 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 1: didn't thim a native Los Angeleo or native of Orange County. 25 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: I didn't, um, you know, he he kind of dug 26 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: roots in Orange County that I had already had and 27 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: maybe it had been uplifted a little bit. So anyway, UM, 28 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: I just here's kind of the my Kobe Bryant story. 29 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: As we all kind of collectively grieve, and I think 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: the grieving is multi layered. You're grieving the loss of 31 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant. You're grieving, you know, for many people a 32 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: basketball hero. What he become as an iconic figure um 33 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: in the American sports lexicon in coming back from personal failures, 34 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: right professional failures, and he was the picture of what 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: what what work ethic is supposed to be. Like, what's 36 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: amazing about Kobe Bryant is he's known for this Mama mentality. 37 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: And this's a bunch of different ways in which people 38 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: look at the MoMA mentality, but he's known for something 39 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: in terms of his work ethic that goes counter to 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: the stereotype of the son of a professional athlete. Right, Normally, 41 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: the son of a professional athlete is supposed to be 42 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: somebody who acts entitled. And there's there was some entitlement there, 43 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: there was some arrogance there. There was a lot of 44 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: confidence there obviously. But I think what's, um, what's what's 45 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: fascinating about it is like, how many sons of NBA 46 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: players don't work that hard because they were born with 47 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: a silver spoon in their math, you know, born at 48 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: their base and thought they hit a triple like that 49 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: wasn't Kobe Bryant. He he didn't just want to make 50 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: the NBA. He wanted to. He wanted to He wanted 51 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: to rip everybody's heart out, that's what he want to do. 52 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: And he wanted to just get better and better and 53 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: better and didn't want to be an NBA player. He 54 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: wanted to be the best NBA player. So here's my 55 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant story. When I was at CBS, UM, I 56 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: was driving home one night when the Eric Garner story 57 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: kind of reached a peak. Right, that was the I 58 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: can't breathe movement, And so a lot of like what 59 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: happens I think with Twitter, with social media is that 60 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: we tweet from like our perspective, our time, our moment, 61 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: thinking everybody else sees it that way because that's our 62 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: egocentric way of using social media to to like display 63 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: our own kind of arrogance ecocentric nature. Right, that makes sense. Like, 64 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: so I'm driving home through Manhattan and I think I 65 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: either had a dinner or I was avoiding traffic. I 66 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: can't remember how I got caught on. Like I'm gonna say, 67 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: eighth Avenue or uh Avenue right, eighth Avenue. Yeah, um, 68 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: but eighth Avenue became shut down because there was a 69 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: march marching across Eighth Avenue with the ie can't breathe, 70 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: you know, I can't breathe movement, and I look, I'm 71 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: no one's probe police brutality that I know. Um, I 72 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: knew a little bit about the story. I knew that 73 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: there was there was a lot to it, right. I 74 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: just remember feeling super unsafe, super unsteady, just because I 75 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: was a white dude in a I think I was 76 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: in a GMC truck at the time, and I'm like, 77 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: there's like people surrounding the car and like banging on 78 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 1: the windows, and I was like, what what, I didn't 79 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: do it. I'm just I'm trying to drive home now, 80 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,119 Speaker 1: i'd also carry then this is like a far avel. 81 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: But like, look my childhood Eli Riots and I remember 82 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: dudes getting hauled out of trucks and the ship kicked 83 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: out of them, right, and I'm like, what what what 84 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:25,119 Speaker 1: happened here? So I mentioned the march and the people 85 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: pounding on my windows in my car and kind of 86 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: feeling super unsafe, and like I remember calling my wife like, 87 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm coming home, but like, I just gotta 88 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: wait till this thing dies down before they opened up 89 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: Eighth Avenue and she's like, what do you mean open 90 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: it up? Like they're having this massive, massive march. She's 91 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: just going on, you know, three or four or five 92 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: thousand people walking across Eighth Avenue. I don't know they're 93 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: walking to Times Square or where they were walking to anyway. Um, 94 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: So I got home. I think it was that night 95 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: or maybe the next night. And if you remember, the 96 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: Lakers were playing, I'm gonna say I don't rememb where 97 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: they're playing. Were they playing the heat? And Lebron was 98 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: still on the heat I think, and they all had 99 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: I can't breathe shirts on I remember I distinct remember 100 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: Kobe and lebron with I can't breathe shirts and I 101 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: can't breathe, while the idea behind it is to end 102 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: police brutality. Right, the guy was selling cigarettes outside a 103 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: liquor store for Christ's sake and he lost his life, 104 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: Like it's crazy. So anyone who's reasonable is like, you know, 105 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: I don't know what the punishment should have been for 106 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,359 Speaker 1: a guy who's repeatedly selling bootlegs cigarettes, but dying is 107 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: not even on the list of things. Right. On the 108 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: other hand, like when you hear more about the story 109 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: was it was the liquor store owner who's you know, 110 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: doing trying to do things the right way and sell 111 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: his own cigarettes and er gardener out front had been 112 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: told to move. Who knows how many times he had moved? 113 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: Like what do you do if you're a top right, 114 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: you're much smaller than a guy he doesn't want to move. 115 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: He's a gigantic man. He's like a known person personality, 116 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: and he's not obeying your orders, Like what do you do? 117 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: And I guess you probably just could have pepper sprayed 118 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: him and moved him, right, Is that right? That's a 119 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: non violent way. I don't believe anybody's ever died from 120 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: pepper spray a little, you know, so you know, it 121 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: looked like a chokehold to me. And then you know, 122 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: the reports are that he and he had obviously had 123 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: a weight problems, he had a heart attack, and then 124 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: I mean the bigger thing was if you again, my 125 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: memory of this is pretty uh, pretty thorough. I believe 126 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: the bigger thing was that when the paramedics came, like, 127 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: he's just laying there. Nobody performs CPR for however long. Right, 128 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: there's a there's a layers. There's a layers to any story. 129 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: But I do think that there was a good portion 130 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: of people that put on the I Can Breathe shirt 131 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: and the message was fucked the police. It just us. Look, 132 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: I grew up listening to n w A. I've had 133 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 1: anybody who's had a run in with a with a 134 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: cop who's just a jerk, who's you know, who's feeling 135 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: himself a little bit. He's got the badge, he's got 136 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: the gun, he's the tough guy. On the other hand, 137 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: I'd like to believe we live in a country where 138 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: the greatest highest percentage of police officers are really just 139 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: there you know, to keep the peace, to do their job, 140 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: to go home safely and collect good benefits, right, like, 141 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: let's be reasonable. So I was. I just I felt like, 142 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: especially the class of NBA players, not they're not all 143 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,679 Speaker 1: this way, but look, NBA players, many of them are 144 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: in fact protected by police, and Kobe was the perfect example. 145 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: I had lived when I first moved to California, and 146 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: I believe that was during the UH before the I 147 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: Can Breathe movement. Right two thousand, two thou fourteen, I 148 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: was living in in Orange County, and two thousand twelve 149 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: and two thou thirty, I was living in Irvine, right 150 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: on the border of Newport Coast, which is where Kobe lived. 151 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: I would go to the same Starbucks and Code would 152 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: just pull up and not even park, like you know, 153 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: right out in front, tinted front window. Like in California. 154 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: I I rolled up in my car, I tinted side 155 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,199 Speaker 1: windows like passenger side, driver's side. I got pulled over 156 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 1: like three or four times. Finally I had to get 157 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: the tent peeled off, tack me off like he had 158 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: like Limo tinted front. Now, I'm not disputing that Kobe 159 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: Bryant is a completely different realm of anybody else in 160 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: the world in terms of Superstar. But like, look, dude, 161 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: you're kind of part of the protected class. You live 162 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: behind the gate. Nobody would ever mess with Kobe Bryant, especially, 163 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: and that's why he lived in Newport, Newport Coast at 164 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: the time. Was my belief was because he was part 165 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: of protected class. So like a protected glass of people 166 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: wearing a the police shirt, I felt like was a contradiction. 167 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: And so I had some tweet I don't really remember 168 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: what is. I'm sure I could Twitter search. You probably 169 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: get Twitter search you want. And it was like, hey, 170 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: how ironic. Kobe Bryant, who lives you know, you know 171 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: it does what he wants, lives behind the gate. He's 172 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: the one criticizing the police who protect him every day. 173 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: So that nothing ever happens to Kobe. I tweet it. 174 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: It doesn't go over well, you know, Twitter already fucking 175 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: hates me. Um. And so now I become like a racist, 176 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: which I'm not, and I'm a racist. I'm this, I'm that, 177 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 1: I'm a right winger, I'm pro cop, I'm anti black people. 178 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: Black lives matters, all that matters. I became blue lives matter. 179 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,439 Speaker 1: I don't even know. I I just kind of figured 180 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: it was just a I'm a sports guy who was 181 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: a sarcastic, kind of caustic sports tweet. It's when I 182 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: specialized in. So Jason Whitlock at the time actually text 183 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: me like, what what are you doing? This is not 184 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: a place to joke. And I was like, oh, I 185 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: take it down. So I just took it down, and 186 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: you know, things go viral and they get crazy, and 187 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: my bosses at CBS at the time like what are 188 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: you doing? And I was like, it's just a tweet. 189 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: Doesn't nobody got hurt by it. I didn't choke anybody out. 190 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: So I called my friend Rick Buker, because Buke, going 191 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: back to our days at ESPN, he had a he 192 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: had a line to Kobe. When Kobe was first wanted 193 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: to be traded, he talked to Buke. Um Buker had 194 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: done a great job of establishing a relationship. I used 195 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: to mess with him that you could barely see Kobe's 196 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: lips moving when Rick Buker talked, but he thought it 197 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: was funny, and I knew that was my best way 198 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: into Kobe. So I called him and I was like, hey, man, 199 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: can you give me Kobe's number? He's like why. I 200 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 1: was like, I put on a tweet and he's like, oh, 201 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: I saw it was funny. I go, yeah, I'm not 202 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: sure Kobe thinks it's funny. So I'm gonna I'm gonna 203 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: apologize in a text. Yeah. He's like, just text him. 204 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: He's a text guy. So I texted him. We text 205 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: back and I was like, hey, man, I just want 206 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,959 Speaker 1: to tell you I have put out a tweet. Um, 207 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 1: I wouldn't. I didn't. There was a little bit of 208 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: truth to it because our kids had gone Our kids 209 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: had gone to school together for a year at a 210 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 1: school called Harbor Day and Giohn was very little at 211 00:11:56,679 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: the time, like in um, say, second grade, and our 212 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: girls were all together in second grade. I have I 213 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: have twin daughters exact same age, and so when we 214 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: knew each other a little bit. Um anyway, I was like, hey, sorry. 215 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:13,839 Speaker 1: He was like no, he text me back, no problem 216 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: at all, don't worry about it. So fast forward two 217 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: years later from that point and I actually moved back 218 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: to Orange County, and the reason we moved back to 219 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: honestly renting the same house we had rented the time before. 220 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: Was we wanted because we're moving so much with our kids, 221 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: we wanted them to be in the same school. So 222 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: my daughters got back into Harbor Day. My son did not, 223 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 1: and just because I didn't have space, and all was 224 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: good and I kind of reconnected with They have a 225 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: big opening kick pick Dick or whatever. And Kobe was 226 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: there and he had a The year that we were 227 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: there before was the eory towards Kill, his tenant, and 228 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: he was always at the school, always, always, always, and 229 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 1: so um it was interesting that like my daughters who 230 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: didn't know anything about Kobe Bryant, just knew Kobe because 231 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: he was always around, like serving lunches at their school, 232 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,359 Speaker 1: like one day a week, and like field trips occasionally 233 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,119 Speaker 1: go on, and you know, he started running Mamba volleyball 234 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: back then for his older daughter. Anyway, Um, so I 235 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: said hi to him, and you know, we explained, exchanged 236 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: pleasant trees. And Rob Polinka's kids also go to that 237 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: exact go to that school as well, and this is 238 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: this is going back, this is uh, I don't know, 239 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: was it three years ago, yeah, almost two and a 240 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: half years ago. So we started kind of a text 241 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: relationship and Gianna asked my daughter Harper to play on 242 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: Mama's basketball team, and I think they played a pe 243 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: and Harper was super intimidated by Gianna in basketball. She's like, 244 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: Gianna is the nicest kid ever. And just for the record, 245 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: so people understand, there are kids that are sons and 246 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 1: daughters of a rich important people that are jerks, are 247 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,079 Speaker 1: little assholes, right, Gianna Brian is not among those people. 248 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: She was a sweetheart. Like I had two daughters there, 249 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: uh both one was definitely getting a little bullied. Um, 250 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: one was kind of getting bullied, and Gianna was the 251 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: one who She's the kid who, like you see in 252 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: an after school special, like she would step in like 253 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: this is again part of my girls. She would step 254 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: in and say like no, this is You're not gonna 255 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: treat anybody poorly like she's she's a she was a 256 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: great kid, great um and apple trees make apples, right, 257 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: So it speaks to Vanessa, it speaks to Kobe and 258 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: how they raised her. Of course she's my daughter. Harper 259 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: would say, like, I'm not playing basketball Gianna because when 260 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: you play with her, I drink pa. She's like a 261 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: different person, Like she flips the switch kind of like remember, um, 262 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: over the top, remember Sylvester Stallone's character, and over the top, 263 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: like when he turned his hat to the back, he'd 264 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: become a different guy. That's how Gianna Bryant was when 265 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: she played bass play basketball, So she didn't play the 266 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: basketball team. She kind of kicked herself for it. And then, 267 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: you know, if you know anything about Mamba early on 268 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: when it started, you know, it's just a bunch of 269 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: girls from Harbor Day and Newport Beach and it was 270 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: just a little club team and they got smashed by 271 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: another team. And Kobe was he wasn't embarrassed that they 272 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: got smashed. It was that they didn't know how to 273 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: play basketball like that. He's like, they're not playing back 274 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: like anybody who's watched AU. It's like, you know, if 275 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: a team is bad, you can't drow, we can't pass cans. 276 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: She just doesn't look right. And he was like, Okay, 277 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: we're not playing in a tournaments. We're gonna do six months, 278 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: five days a week of just teaching you how to play, 279 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: and then we'll play tournaments. And so that's what happened. 280 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: That's how Mamba the basketball things started. And obviously, Gianna, 281 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 1: you've practiced that much he hired Christina Mauser Mauser, who 282 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: was the p teacher, to be one of her coaches. 283 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: He hired other coaches as well to come in and 284 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: work with his his girls, and soon enough they became 285 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: the best team in southern California, the same team to 286 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: beat in by forty. They smashed by forty like the 287 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: next time they played. So our friendships started really because 288 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: our kids went to the same school, and he was like, hey, 289 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: you know, Harvard Day Dad, we should get We should 290 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: get together with a bunch of Harvard Day dudes and 291 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: all the parents. They are really pretty cool, and so 292 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: first it was like, hey, we gotta range schedules. And 293 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: then I actually we took one of my daughters, Grace, 294 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: out of the school. She was struggling academically. And then 295 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: Harper didn't love like the social scene just because she 296 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: didn't play basketball Gianna, so her friend group was like 297 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: one or two other girls, and she's just like, I 298 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 1: want to go to a big public school anyway. So 299 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: I was part of me was a little embarrassing, like 300 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 1: does he want to get together with me just because 301 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: my kid goes to school with his kid or do 302 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: we have a legit relationship and I actually texted him 303 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: and asked him and said, hey, dude, just so you know, 304 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 1: like I think we're pulling my girl out of harbor day. 305 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: He's like, yeah, we're still good though, right. I was like, yeah, 306 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: So anyway, spring of now spring at two thous eighteen 307 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 1: or maybe nineteen, I remember, Um, I remember getting a 308 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: text from him because we had we had talked a 309 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: bunch on text come uh once on the phone, a 310 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 1: couple of times in person and events, and we're like, 311 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 1: we gotta get it to get a good drinks. Sends 312 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: me a text, and we had missed each other in 313 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: other texts in terms of getting together. There's a place 314 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 1: called Javier's. If you listen to Jim Rome show, Jim 315 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: kind of made the thing popular. Um it's uh, it's 316 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 1: now become a chain. It's a high end masking place, 317 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,880 Speaker 1: good drinks, and Kobe has his own drink, the Momba there. 318 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: So he's like, hey, Javiers like seven thirty. So here's 319 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: my I'm not gonna tell you everything that happened, but um, 320 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: this is like a night with Kobe, just me and him. 321 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: So my wife is a little weird out by it 322 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:14,199 Speaker 1: because she's like Why does he wanted? Why does he 323 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 1: want to talk to you? Like I don't know the 324 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: guys get together and have drinks. She's like, I don't. 325 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: I did. Why would he just wanted? Like he has friends, 326 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: you're not as friends, like we've actually been kind of friends, 327 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: like text friends. That's not a real friend. I was like, 328 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,159 Speaker 1: all right, fine, So I assumed I'm gonna show up. 329 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: There's be a bunch of some other like Harvard Ay dads, 330 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: some other dads. I know, a couple of other dudes 331 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: that are you know, like um one of the guys 332 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,239 Speaker 1: that died Alto Belly Alta is like everyone knows him. 333 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: He has been the junior college baseball coach at oc 334 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: C Orange Coast College forever. Like I just figured I 335 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: walk into a room and they'll be those kind of 336 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: guys and we'd all be bullshitting having to a couple 337 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:54,080 Speaker 1: of drinks. So I walk into Javier's and I was like, 338 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go to the bathroom first. Now he might 339 00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: be asking like why would you go to the bathroom first? Well, 340 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: I just thought, like if I get engaged in a 341 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: conversation with Kobe Bryant, like I don't wanna have to 342 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: go pee, and like then, you know how guys are, 343 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,159 Speaker 1: like you lose your train of thought, you move on 344 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 1: somebody else at the table, the conversation never starts again. 345 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: I'm not a clinger, just the reality of I would 346 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 1: have to be at some point. I remember going pe 347 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: washing my hands and walking out and expecting to walk 348 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: into the back part of Javier is gonna be a 349 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 1: bunch of dudes there, and it's like Kobe Bryant sitting 350 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: by himself, almost like it was a blind date. And uh, 351 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: we talked for we talked for hours, and the conversation 352 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: started talking about basketball and about how basketball should be taught, 353 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: and so I said, you know, he told me a 354 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: little bit about when he first started playing in Italy 355 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: and how he was taught, and he didn't really know. 356 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: He knew my dad had been a you coached locally, 357 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: but he didn't know like made my dad coach in 358 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: college and all the different ties and um, so we 359 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,359 Speaker 1: just started talking about teaching kids. And this is where 360 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: like he kind of won me that night, like he 361 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:10,959 Speaker 1: had already won me over based upon his text and 362 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: the fact he was just he started to become like 363 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: an he's still a superstar and superstars do things just differently. 364 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: But there was a real human being and a pretty 365 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:22,880 Speaker 1: good and I was like, man, this guy's a good dude. 366 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: Like we started talking about how to how to coach, 367 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: now to teach kids and and here's kind of my story. 368 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,720 Speaker 1: So when we moved back to Orange County, I wanted 369 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: my son to get in some workouts. And there's a 370 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:39,440 Speaker 1: guy named Shae Freeze who uh shay is a works 371 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: for Bill Duffy. He's a very good workout coach. You 372 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: good basketball player in his own right. I think D 373 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 1: three up in uh Washington and he was running a 374 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: program called point Break. So um, my longtime friend Dylan 375 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: Rigg didn who played a U s Irvine and an 376 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: Arizona and then played in Australia. He has uh two 377 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,199 Speaker 1: older kids kid named walk. His son Joaquin is two 378 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: years older than my son. He was like, hey, wha, 379 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 1: kinos this point break? Bring Hayes to a workout. So 380 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 1: I go. And they were really good, but their teams 381 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,199 Speaker 1: were ship like. They literally every tournament they play in 382 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: they get beat by thirty forty points because they couldn't 383 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: pass and they couldn't play together. And yeah they could 384 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: all Eurostep and they had some advanced moves, but they 385 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 1: didn't pivot well. And you know, after doing this for 386 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: like two months, three months, and Hayes played up and 387 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: played in a couple of games and he's one very 388 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: good at time. Full disclosure. Uh Shade texted me after 389 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 1: a workout and he's like, what do you think? And 390 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,879 Speaker 1: I was like, well, say, when are you gonna do passing? 391 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: When are you gonna do pivoting? What are you gonna do? 392 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: You know, some of their work on their defensive form 393 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,159 Speaker 1: and their positioning, it's like, should we do that? Like yeah, 394 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: it's actually the first they just skip steps. It's like 395 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: they taught kids how to run and forgot that you 396 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,879 Speaker 1: have to walk first, or even crawl before you walk. 397 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: So I kind of took over and started coaching a team. 398 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:00,919 Speaker 1: When we started competing and winning. And then fast forward 399 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: to the next year, Say struggled to get a gym, 400 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: and so I got a gym and eventually kind of 401 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: absorbed the program, turned it into my dad's name sake, 402 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: which was Branch West, and now we have workouts. So 403 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: I was telling Kobe, like, dude, they don't know how 404 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: to pivot. They don't know how to pass, they don't 405 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: know how to screen, and here we are teaching how 406 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: to fucking eurostep, you know, and how to do all 407 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,680 Speaker 1: this fancy ship that they see in transition in the 408 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: NBA played downhill, Like, you can't play downhill if you 409 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: can't break a press, can't play downhill if you don't 410 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: know how to actually set a ball screen. You know, 411 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: you can't play downhill if you can't play without the 412 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 1: ball as well as with the ball in terms of 413 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: spacing and getting your feet ready, in your hands ready, 414 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 1: and your body ready for the ball when you catch 415 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: and you can shoot. And he's like, exactly, So he 416 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,879 Speaker 1: started telling me his story. We started we're talking ball. 417 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:52,920 Speaker 1: Then he like switches to talking about the Wizarding Series 418 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: or whatever it's called. And look, you know, when you 419 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: sit with somebody like, oh god, this guy's he's smarter 420 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:04,439 Speaker 1: than me. And I like to think that I'm pretty 421 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 1: smart guys. I do like being in rooms where I'm 422 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: I'm the dumbest guy in I was the dumber guy 423 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: in the conversation because in the midst of talking about basketball, 424 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: talking about kids, talking about life, getting to know each other, 425 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: and by the way, I just want to fold disclosure. 426 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: The first thing I said when we first started talking was, hey, 427 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember by I sent you 428 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 1: a text about a tweet that I had and go 429 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: back in the I can't breathe. And he looked at me, 430 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: do you remember the do you remember that Kobe Jalen 431 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,639 Speaker 1: Rose commercial where he ordered eighty one olives these Now 432 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,880 Speaker 1: I'm just kidding anyway, there was the before that. Jalen's like, hey, 433 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: I said, I put this thing out on Twitter. Is like, man, 434 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: I'll pay attention that ship, right he It was the 435 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: exact line. That's exactly what he said to me, is like, seriously, 436 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 1: I don't care, Like I wouldn't have invited to drinks 437 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 1: if I gave a ship about a tweet three years 438 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: ago about I can't Breathe don't care like cool. So um, 439 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: He's switches to talking about his books, podcasts, movies, his 440 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: vision for this thing. And I was like, you had 441 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:11,199 Speaker 1: a lot of time to think about this. He's like, 442 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: I don't know how, Like I'm a storyteller. This was 443 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 1: when I was in school, Like I couldn't. I was 444 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: I want to be like an English teacher, write books 445 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 1: or whatever. And one of his I mentioned there's five movies. 446 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 1: That was because at some point in the conversation like 447 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,959 Speaker 1: what are your five favorite movies? And there's like Godfather, 448 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:34,359 Speaker 1: there was um uh Steel Magnolia's, which I was like, 449 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: really Harry Potter, Um, I'll remember the other two in 450 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,400 Speaker 1: a second. I remember Harry Potter. And he's like, I'm 451 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,600 Speaker 1: telling you this should be bigger than Harry Potter because 452 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:47,680 Speaker 1: there's so many He was telling about these different worlds 453 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: and different wizards and different age groups it sells to, 454 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: and how it could eventually be an amusement park, and 455 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: I was like, dude, you've really thought this thing out. 456 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: He's like, what do you think I do all day? 457 00:24:58,720 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 1: I go, I don't know. What do you do? Is 458 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: like I get up at four in the morning, I 459 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: go work out at Equinox, and you know, um, he 460 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: takes his older daughter works out with him, and then 461 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: he comes back and um, he has breakfast and he helps, 462 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: you know, get kids up and ready and go to school, 463 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: and then he goes to his office and he works, 464 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:19,479 Speaker 1: you know, and he's got he's a venture capitalist as 465 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: well as he's got the books in the podcast, and 466 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 1: then he's also got mamba and he does this other investments. 467 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 1: I was like, dude, this guy's unbelievable. And like I said, 468 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: like the more you know how guys can use big 469 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: words and they're not really smart and they use them 470 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,440 Speaker 1: out of context. So Kobe Bryant, We're having all these 471 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: conversations and people come up and everyone who works at 472 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: the restaurant is bilingual. Guess who else is bilingual? Kobe Bryant, Right, So, 473 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: like it's one thing to order a mamba and say, 474 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: you know those mamba sport famular, but like to have 475 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,439 Speaker 1: a full on conversation with guys that work on the 476 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: restaurant in Spanish and then turn around and be right 477 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: back in the conversation about the Wizarding Series or whatever. 478 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: You're like, holy sh it, this dude's brain is on fire. Meanwhile, 479 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: I got like four drinks in me and I'm just 480 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: sitting here going I can't believe I'm talking to Kobe Bryant. 481 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:14,399 Speaker 1: So we talked about basketball, We started talking about Lebron, 482 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 1: We started talking about Mike. I shared this story on radio. 483 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: It's that this is he said this to me several 484 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 1: times about how um the mom mentality is also kind 485 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 1: of a derivation of some of the things he read 486 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:35,000 Speaker 1: about warriors and samurais and Phil Jackson actually taught him. 487 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: And he's like, you know, the thing that I learned 488 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,680 Speaker 1: from Phil and through all my studies and reading, is like, 489 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: when you're at war, it's full scale psychological warfare, right 490 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: like any of these leaders of countries, even our own, 491 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,360 Speaker 1: in order to get all the soldiers to buy in, 492 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,880 Speaker 1: it's full scale psychological warfare. He is like, I believe that. 493 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: In basketball. I was like, all right, He's like, that's 494 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: why I could. That's why Mike knows. He can't funk 495 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: with me, like we you mean, Mike can't funk with you, 496 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 1: like is Michael Jordan? Dude? And and at this point 497 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: one we had established a friendship too. I had some 498 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: drinks in me, he had some drinks in him, and 499 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: you know, I was like, look, dude, I love you. 500 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: I think you're unbelievable, you know, top ten all time player, 501 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: but you tried to talk and walk like Michael Jordan 502 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,439 Speaker 1: and play like Michael Jordan's like, let's be honest, my 503 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 1: Mike's the goat. He's like, yeah, okay, but he can't 504 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,439 Speaker 1: work with me because I would use full scale psychological warfare. 505 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 1: I said, Kobe, what are you gonna say to Michael 506 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: Jordan that hasn't already been said in terms of trash talk. 507 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: It's like, you know, his dad loved Larry More. I 508 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: was like, what what it's like, you know Larry. I 509 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: was like, yeah, Larry Jordan. His younger brother was only 510 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: his older brother was only six ft tall. Mike was 511 00:27:57,359 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: the only guy who sprouted up in his family. It's like, 512 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: he's like, it was always a thing that Mike thought 513 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: his dad loved Larry Moore, and he probably treated him 514 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: that way because Larry never grew, he didn't have the 515 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: god given gifts that that Mike had. I was like, 516 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: so you would say that. He's like, yeah, full skill 517 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: psychological warfare. I was like wow. So we started talking 518 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,479 Speaker 1: about Lebron and he's like, yeah, Lebron, you know he 519 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: wants to have this mentality, but it's just not in 520 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: his makeup, Like he just he just isn't. He ain't 521 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: like us all the time, and he's broke through some 522 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 1: of it, but he hasn't always broken through. He's like 523 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: and he's like, I've never had the problem taking the 524 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: big shot or missing the big shot that didn't bother me. 525 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 1: He's like, where Lebron like he he gets the most 526 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:52,320 Speaker 1: joy out of making having somebody else make the shot. 527 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,080 Speaker 1: He's like, which, I'm just that is just not how 528 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 1: I'm white. We're wired so differently as people. But he 529 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: also told me that, like, look, I old Lebron and 530 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: this was Lebron was playing in the NBA Finals for 531 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: with the with the calves at the point, at that 532 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: point in time we're close to playing, He's like, dude, 533 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: I told him he needs to get in the post more, 534 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: you know, he needs to roll down to the post 535 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: and needs to simplify his game really work on just 536 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:16,479 Speaker 1: playing out the post, passing on the post, scoring out 537 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: the posts. He's gotta become a bucket get get, get 538 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: a fade away, go and use his body like play 539 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,240 Speaker 1: from the elbow as well. And then he started talking 540 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 1: about other guys in the NBA that he kind of 541 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: like secretly works with. And this is probably the part 542 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: that you're starting to hear stories about on social media 543 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: that Kobe Bryant, who most people half America thought was 544 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: an asshole for a long time, and he probably probably 545 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: maybe he was, like if you were seventeen years old 546 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: and you're a kid and a millionaire and son of 547 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 1: a pro, and all of a sudden you're playing in 548 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: l A with Shaquille O'Neal. Like, you'll probably be a 549 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: jerk sometimes too, write you'd probably be entitled, Mike, wouldn't 550 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: you like the world fell at your feet? We watched 551 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: him grow up and evolved, But he so did a 552 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: lot of things for people, and he wanted nothing in return. 553 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: But he wanted no PR like their stories coming out 554 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,239 Speaker 1: about going and seeing sick kids and cancer awards. But 555 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: he told would tell the parents, you know, like, listen, 556 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: this is not about PR. This is about your kid. 557 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: There's lots of stories like that. The same is true 558 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: with the workouts with players and the texts with players 559 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: and the calls to players. Like he loved ball. He'd 560 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: watch it and then he'd send a guy a text. 561 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,800 Speaker 1: Here's something I saw and like anybody who sees a 562 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: text from Kobe Bryant's gonna read it, and like, damn, 563 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant's watching my game. I would guess there are 564 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 1: fifty guys in the NBA that have texts out saved 565 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: on their phone from Kobe Bryant where he's like, dude, 566 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: you need to do this more, you need to do that, 567 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: or now that they had momb Academy they start working together. 568 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 1: He just did things like that, which brings me around 569 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,479 Speaker 1: to why he was never on the podcast. When Lebron 570 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: signed with the Lakers, Kobe came on. I was guest 571 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: hosting The Dan Patrick Show me and Jason Smith, and 572 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: I text him like, hey, dude, this is not why 573 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: we're friends. Will you come on? It's like absolutely, And 574 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:05,959 Speaker 1: then I just didn't want to ask him a podcast 575 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: because that wasn't why we were friends. I didn't want 576 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: to use a friendship. Not that people are on the 577 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: podcast aren't really friends. They are, but I don't know, 578 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: I just felt weird about it. I just felt like 579 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: I would be that guy who is only befriending Kobe 580 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,280 Speaker 1: Bryant and sending you know, he's sending me videos of 581 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: different sets they're running out of Triangle and new things 582 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: that he's putting in, you know, because I want him 583 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 1: on my podcast to get downloads, to make more money. 584 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 1: Like I just didn't That's not how I wanted wanted 585 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:40,520 Speaker 1: to be. UM. So now I sit here, I don't 586 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: know five days removed from Kobe Bryant's helicopter crashing and 587 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: him tragically dying with eight other people, several others who uh, 588 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 1: somebody my family knew really really well. And I'm bummed 589 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,719 Speaker 1: because I could have had a great audio record of 590 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: an interesting conversation. I don't know. I'm I've been really 591 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,719 Speaker 1: sad with this. And again I'm not gonna lie to you. 592 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: I was not best friends with Kobe Bryant. I never 593 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: went over to his house. He never came out to 594 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: my house, although he was It was at one point 595 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: in time there was a text from him was like 596 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 1: when we when are we getting the invite to watch 597 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: games of your house? And you know, we bought a 598 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:20,960 Speaker 1: house like a year ago or two years ago, and 599 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: we've been process of redoing it and the last thing 600 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: we want is like Kobe Bryant coming over during a remote. 601 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: All right, but he would have been cool. We've been fine. 602 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 1: So there's other stuff. Um. He he was interesting and 603 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: that he really understood the psychology of players. He he 604 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: likes Shack, and I think Shack understood. I think, at 605 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: the end of the day, I don't know Shack actually 606 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: understands why they the Lakers chose him over Shack. Um, 607 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: I think most of the basketball world does. Shack was great, 608 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: Chack was dominant. Shack could have been the best player 609 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: in the history of the NBA. But Chack likes to 610 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: have fun, like to have a good time, you know, 611 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: would work in basket on basketball and basketball season, whereas 612 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:09,959 Speaker 1: Kobe like this. He was a professional basketball player. He 613 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: was a licensed killer and he spent the offseason thinking 614 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: about how he's gonna kill people in the regular season, 615 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: where Shack would use training camp an early season to 616 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: get in shape. That's why he wasn't the league's MVP 617 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,720 Speaker 1: off it, even though he was the most dominant player 618 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: in the league. And he kind of worked together for 619 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: a long long time. Obviously, some of the comments that 620 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: they made about each other started to to to break, 621 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: started to make a fissure with it within the two. So, Um, 622 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: maybe I've rambled on this, but I'll tell you this. 623 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: Like one, he loved basketball. Kobe Bryant loved understood basketball. 624 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 1: It wasn't the only thing he wanted to do in 625 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:50,040 Speaker 1: this next version of himself, but he really loved the 626 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: art of what basketball is. He was kind of a recluse. 627 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: He was a bit of a loner. He was a 628 00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 1: little awkward. He did to have a tency to befriend 629 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,520 Speaker 1: the bottom guy and the totem pole. Maybe because that 630 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 1: guy would never kind of challenge his authority. I don't know. 631 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,439 Speaker 1: Um I didn't get a chance to know him well 632 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: enough where I could ask him why he was how 633 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: he was earlier in his life. I can also tell 634 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,960 Speaker 1: you this, When I was young and at ESPN, like, 635 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: I had a friend of mine who's an agent and 636 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: endeavor say like, you know, god like, but I kind 637 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:27,680 Speaker 1: of like, I really like you now. I met you 638 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: when you're like twenties and ESPN, and I didn't like 639 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:33,799 Speaker 1: you like I feel like I've been the same guys like, nah, 640 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: you're much better now. I think the same can be 641 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 1: said for Kobe. Maybe that's what I see in him, 642 00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: Maybe that's what we all see in him. Is he 643 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:46,280 Speaker 1: was a guy who went from being sometimes a punk, 644 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 1: sometimes entitled, sometimes aloof to a dad and the dad 645 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 1: of girls, which I have twin girls that are thirteen 646 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:57,799 Speaker 1: years old. And not only that, chill you out. It 647 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:00,879 Speaker 1: gives you a different perspective and and you become much 648 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:05,319 Speaker 1: more relatable. You know, I'll share with you more in 649 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 1: future PROD podcasts about him. UM, I don't think the 650 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: logo of the NBA should change for Kobe Bryant. And 651 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: this is not to say it wasn't a great player, 652 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: but you know, like, if it's not gonna be Jordan's, UM, 653 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: what Jerry West's logo is perfect. Jerry West is the 654 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 1: only player in the history of the NBA to be 655 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 1: the to the finals MVP and his team not win. 656 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:30,879 Speaker 1: That's how good he was. And he averaged forty points 657 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 1: a game in UM. You know, I I think it's 658 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: knee jerk, but it is. It's he was the generations Jordan's. 659 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:45,920 Speaker 1: And one of the things that Lebron has fought is 660 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:51,960 Speaker 1: how Kobe was, how Jordan was, was how I grew up. 661 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,600 Speaker 1: The best player was supposed to be and and here's 662 00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,600 Speaker 1: what I mean. Kobe would guard the other team's best player, 663 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 1: and he wanted the ball and was willing to take 664 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: and even miss the game winning shot. For for the 665 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,600 Speaker 1: life of me, as long as I've played basketball, once 666 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: you start playing pick up, you know, you could do 667 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 1: a pickup game. And anybody's ever played ball with magic. 668 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 1: Matt Johnson's the greatest Laker ever unbelievable passer, but Magic 669 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:18,680 Speaker 1: Johnson the end of a pickup game, the end of 670 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:21,239 Speaker 1: an NBA game, you gave the ball to Magic and 671 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: he was gonna go make a play. The bank shot 672 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: in Boston, the hook shot in Boston. Uh. Obviously Magic 673 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: was a great passer, but he was a licensed killer 674 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 1: at the end of games. And Magic was a bad defender, 675 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,320 Speaker 1: but he wasn't afraid to guard whoever the other team's 676 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,719 Speaker 1: best player was. That's what we were taught great the 677 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,239 Speaker 1: greatest of great two. That's what Jordan did. That's what 678 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:48,960 Speaker 1: Bird did. That is frankly what Kobe Bryant did. And 679 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: so what Lebron has fought is like Lebron's like, look, 680 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: I'll take whatever the best shot is. I love creating 681 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,439 Speaker 1: shots for other people. You double team, and that's hard. 682 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 1: And and there have been times when he wasn't guarded 683 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 1: the other team's best player, or he has and he 684 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: got lit up by Kevin Durant. But I think it's 685 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:12,839 Speaker 1: that's part of the mentality of the true basketball Alpha 686 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:17,440 Speaker 1: and why he was so admired by NBA players, because 687 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: he was fearless at both ends, even to a fault 688 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:22,120 Speaker 1: when he would take bad shots like Game seven of 689 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:27,319 Speaker 1: the NBA Finals. I can't attest to how he was 690 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,839 Speaker 1: every hour of every day or how he treated you, 691 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: but I do. I live in a community that I 692 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:39,560 Speaker 1: shared with with Kobe Bryant, and um, he had some 693 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:41,680 Speaker 1: run ins with parents, as anybody who runs an AU 694 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:45,360 Speaker 1: program does. But I do believe that he had the 695 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 1: best intentions at heart of Hey, if you're in, you're in. 696 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 1: If you're not, you're not, I mean wanting. There's a 697 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: couple of girls that he he cut from the team 698 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: because whether it's injury or other sports, they weren't making 699 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: practice is and um, I actually understand it, Like I 700 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,759 Speaker 1: would love to do that with my program for some 701 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,880 Speaker 1: of these kids. I just my program, isn't it. I 702 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,799 Speaker 1: don't have his unlimited resources. I don't have, you know, 703 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 1: ten kids that I can go the you too, you 704 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: can't show up, you're out, you don't play. I would like, 705 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 1: you know a lot of people would like to run 706 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,319 Speaker 1: their AU program the way that Kobe did. We just 707 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:29,120 Speaker 1: don't have the resources, need the kids. You know, can't 708 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 1: bid a dude to kids or that's not And I'm 709 00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:36,880 Speaker 1: and I'm a pretty hard line guy. Um. So I 710 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,440 Speaker 1: can't vouch from in every aspect of his life, I 711 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,080 Speaker 1: can tell you this. He impressed me as a guy. 712 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 1: He was incredibly bright, he loved basketball, loved loved basketball. 713 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: Um and the Mamba mentality was more than I want 714 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,440 Speaker 1: to take and make the big shot. To me, the 715 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: MoMA mentality was really this vote uh which I saw 716 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: and I'm just I continue to kind of marvel in. 717 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: This is from Cobe Ryan. I have self doubt. I 718 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:12,399 Speaker 1: have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights 719 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:13,880 Speaker 1: when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 720 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:16,040 Speaker 1: my back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I 721 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: don't have it. I just want to chill. We all 722 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,759 Speaker 1: have self doubt. We don't deny it. You don't deny it, 723 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:24,279 Speaker 1: but you don't capitulate to it. You embrace it. I 724 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: try and teach my kids about that as well. With 725 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,520 Speaker 1: the same thing with jealousy, Like, jealousy is not a 726 00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:30,960 Speaker 1: bat not a terrible thing, and it's you can't deny 727 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 1: that you have it. It's what does jealousy make you do? 728 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: Does make you do some mean to somebody else, or 729 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: does it make you work hard so that you can 730 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,480 Speaker 1: get what they have, all right, It's okay to be jealous, 731 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,920 Speaker 1: that's all right. Does that fuel you as motivation? You know? 732 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,799 Speaker 1: Does uh insecurity fuel you or does it make you 733 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:52,839 Speaker 1: shut down? That's the true Mama meant that's the true 734 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:56,600 Speaker 1: mama mentality, you know. Because Kobe as a player could 735 00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:01,960 Speaker 1: be selfish, could be self aggrandizing, could be arrogant and aloof. 736 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:04,759 Speaker 1: But the good parts of Kobe, and the parts that 737 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:08,320 Speaker 1: came out more and more, were about work ethic, about 738 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,440 Speaker 1: finding a way to use what other people see as 739 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:17,919 Speaker 1: negatives to fuel you to ultimately become a positive. And uh, look, 740 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:22,400 Speaker 1: we have lots of athletes post career success stories like 741 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 1: Lebron will eventually be And there's champions of business. Shakill 742 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 1: is a champion in business, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning 743 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:32,640 Speaker 1: champions in business, and there are more plenty more where 744 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,640 Speaker 1: they use their money and their wealth to buy into 745 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 1: other businesses and they create ridiculous generational wealth if they 746 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:44,319 Speaker 1: didn't already have it. That stuff is amazing. But to me, 747 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 1: what what made Kobe special is it wasn't even it 748 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,719 Speaker 1: wasn't about buying burger kings or buying Chick fil A's 749 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:57,520 Speaker 1: or whatever. It was about creating a business from nothing, 750 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,480 Speaker 1: making it into something and then like that is that 751 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:05,400 Speaker 1: ship is hard. And he was just like with the 752 00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:08,319 Speaker 1: AU program, just like with the Lakers. He was an 753 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 1: all in guy. He was the word I like to use. 754 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,799 Speaker 1: And I if you ever described me as indefatigable, which 755 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:17,600 Speaker 1: is not fatiguable, that's how you describe Kobe Bryant. That's 756 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:19,320 Speaker 1: how I want to be described. That's how you described 757 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant. And again I can't vouch for him in 758 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,799 Speaker 1: all aspects of life. I can only tell you in 759 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,960 Speaker 1: my interactions the person that wasn't a Kobe guy, that 760 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 1: not a shot guy. I understood that he had more 761 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,160 Speaker 1: value for longer because he got more juice out of 762 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:39,000 Speaker 1: the orange than Shack could ever get. Uh. I thought 763 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:40,959 Speaker 1: it was a pretty good dude, a really good dude. 764 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 1: I consider him a friend. I'm super sad for everyone 765 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:47,760 Speaker 1: who lost somebody. My my daughter lost a best friend 766 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: on that helicopter, and um, I know Rob Perlinkol lost 767 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: a best friend. And I know that my friend Miles Simon, 768 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:57,280 Speaker 1: have you heard in this path he lost an absolute 769 00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:01,319 Speaker 1: idol in Kobe Bryant who would become a friend as well. Uh. 770 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 1: And I know there's lots of people who grew up 771 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,719 Speaker 1: watching basketball who are just crestfallen that you're not gonna 772 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 1: chance to see Kobe Bryant courtside with Gianna and she 773 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:11,920 Speaker 1: was just gonna be a special player. Um, the only 774 00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:13,200 Speaker 1: thing I can do is share the story with I'll 775 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:15,319 Speaker 1: share with you one more thing and then we'll wrap 776 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:21,440 Speaker 1: the pod. I asked him, I just like, what's the 777 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:24,560 Speaker 1: greatest thing you've ever done in basketball? And he goes, 778 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 1: you know, people always said that I didn't make anybody better. 779 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,360 Speaker 1: That was the thing. I don't make guys better. And 780 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:37,239 Speaker 1: he's like how Derek Fisher do When he left, he 781 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 1: started going through the different guys, you know, And did 782 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:44,480 Speaker 1: lamar Odom ever win? Was lamar Odom focused unless he 783 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:49,240 Speaker 1: played with us? And they said, you know, Pagasol, excuse 784 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: my language of Pakastan. This is from Kobe Pallasol. People 785 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,000 Speaker 1: on in the NBA thought he was a pussy comes 786 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,719 Speaker 1: and plays the Lakers, he said. The people said, you 787 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:01,600 Speaker 1: can't win a championship, Pacasol, He's too oft. You know what, 788 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:05,920 Speaker 1: we won two championships with pall Gasol, So he's like, 789 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 1: my the greatest thing is it's no different than Lebron. 790 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: You want other to see other people succeed. Look at Lamar, 791 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:16,560 Speaker 1: look at Fish, you know, look at Palla Gasol and 792 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: the success that they had as part of our championship runs. 793 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:24,200 Speaker 1: It's pretty amazing. It's a really good point. I'll share 794 00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:26,319 Speaker 1: with you more thoughts of Kobe on our next pod. 795 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:32,280 Speaker 1: In the meantime, getting the gym. Getting the gym, overcome 796 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:35,760 Speaker 1: your own insecurity and love ball the way that Kobe 797 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:38,399 Speaker 1: love ball. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is all ball.