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Speaker 1: This is kJ Live with Chris john Sallen and Chris

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Speaker 1: is having conversations with influencers in the sports world and

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Speaker 1: entertainment in the strain. Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now

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Speaker 1: see down the kJ Live. Today's guests on the show

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Speaker 1: is a professional basketball player by the name of Curtis Hollerd.

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Speaker 1: Now I had a chance to watch, observe, and coach

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Speaker 1: against Curtis and the j b A back in the day. Curtis,

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Speaker 1: what's up, my man? O man, great to see you too, brother.

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Speaker 1: I mean I when when we connected, you had tweeted

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Speaker 1: something out about the Dominican Republic and Uh, it's funny

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Speaker 1: because I had said something back, and it just kind

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Speaker 1: of reminded me though. Our interaction reminded me of the

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Speaker 1: j b A days. Man, it was. It was funny

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Speaker 1: because we're on opposite teams. I was coaching with Seattle,

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Speaker 1: you were on with You're on Houston with Rick and

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Speaker 1: all them, and uh, and you were kind of like

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Speaker 1: that dude, man, the first dude kind of in the

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Speaker 1: league on an opposing team that I you know that

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Speaker 1: just you know, even spoke to me, you know, even

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Speaker 1: even said what's up. You're cool man, You're humble. You know,

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Speaker 1: you always gave it up. Man. You always said what's up?

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Speaker 1: So I always like I always remembered you, always like

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Speaker 1: kept the eye on you because I'm like, yeah, that's

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Speaker 1: a that's a solid dude right there. Man. But thinking

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Speaker 1: about the j B A, bro, before we uh, kind

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Speaker 1: of go back in time man and kind of get

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Speaker 1: the beginnings of your story fresh off the j B, A,

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Speaker 1: may just talk about just the experience in the j B. A.

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Speaker 1: Did you think that you know, LaMelo would end up

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Speaker 1: doing what he did and how how did the league

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Speaker 1: and that experience help you in your career in shaping

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Speaker 1: your journey. First, I mean my experience with the j

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Speaker 1: B it was amazing. You know a lot of people

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Speaker 1: have maybe make signals, but you know, I'm gonna say

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Speaker 1: I got the pretty good and you know what I mean. Um, So,

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Speaker 1: you know, for a lot of different reasons. But to

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Speaker 1: answer your second question about Melo, um, it probably me

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Speaker 1: playing with him to really figure it out. And we

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Speaker 1: went and played in the j B. AU was safe

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Speaker 1: for the people that don't know. We went overseas Lavart

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Speaker 1: took the best probably ten people, and we went to

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Speaker 1: like valuy By twenty five different countries, so he was

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Speaker 1: just hopping places playing against high level players. So when

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Speaker 1: I played against when I played with Mellow, is when

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Speaker 1: I really figured out, like, okay, like, yeah, he'll be

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Speaker 1: where he's at. He obviously is an all star, you know,

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Speaker 1: but like for the different reasons of the fact that

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Speaker 1: he was sixteen in and um, we were going to

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Speaker 1: playing growing men professionals like first division and second division

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Speaker 1: you know, all over. But he's getting triple doubles, Like

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Speaker 1: he's helping me get off, he's helping Jello get off,

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Speaker 1: and then he's going to do it himself. And for

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Speaker 1: people that played basketball, like that's really hard to do,

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Speaker 1: like get people involved and keep everybody involved and then

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Speaker 1: go score and do your thing too. So you know,

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Speaker 1: I've been around a lot of guys like before I

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Speaker 1: got into j b A, so I've seen what they

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Speaker 1: look like, and I knew instantly when I played with him,

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Speaker 1: you know he was gonna be legit. Um. Also, the

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Speaker 1: j b A Like in terms of mark career, it

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Speaker 1: really boost like it really is the reason I have

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Speaker 1: a professional career. We're just gonna be an honor person, honest,

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Speaker 1: because um, I got picked up from a team in

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Speaker 1: Germany playing in j b A. So really, the whole

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Speaker 1: time I went into j b A with the plan.

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Speaker 1: You know, a lot of people just kind of hopped

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Speaker 1: in and just you know, wanted to play. But I

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Speaker 1: knew I was losing my origibility. So I'm like, listen,

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Speaker 1: I'm one them all in and two. If I don't

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Speaker 1: make something out of this, I'm gonna be jobless. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna be out of school. Like I gotta really

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Speaker 1: do something, you know. So um, like I said, it,

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Speaker 1: really it really made my career, you know. And I've

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Speaker 1: been playing now for four years, you know, professionally, So um,

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Speaker 1: it did a lot for me. I got picked up

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Speaker 1: playing in the j b A show. Yeah it was

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Speaker 1: great for me. Man, that's dope. Man. But let's rewind

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Speaker 1: a little bit. Man, Let's talk about before the j

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Speaker 1: b A. Before all that. Man, where are you born

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Speaker 1: and raised? Like, where did you get your basketball foundation?

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Speaker 1: So I'm born. I was born in Dallas, Texas, raised

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Speaker 1: in Arlington, Texas. So I really got got my foundation.

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Speaker 1: You know, I tell people I think my brother, like

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Speaker 1: just being around. I have an older brother that's two

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Speaker 1: years older than me. So I Philip, Philip Polish and

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Speaker 1: my dad's named Philip too. So my brothers a junior,

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Speaker 1: my dad as a senior, but just my brothers two

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Speaker 1: years older than me. So you know, growing up, we

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Speaker 1: played every sport like we did everything, you know. So

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Speaker 1: I played football, basketball, baseball, swimming, track like I did everything. Um.

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Speaker 1: But just being around my brother um and just me

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Speaker 1: like I was the kid that would go shoot at

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Speaker 1: half time at this game, you know, stuff like that.

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Speaker 1: So just being around him and just stuff like that,

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Speaker 1: I think that's really how I started to love it,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Because, like I said, he

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Speaker 1: was older, So I wasn't really playing you at the time.

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Speaker 1: Like I was maybe five, maybe six, maybe four, and

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Speaker 1: he's like seven seven eight, you know. So I'm seeing

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Speaker 1: him and just you know, experiencing with the ball, like

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Speaker 1: I said, playing at half time, just you know, playing around,

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Speaker 1: and I'm just like Okay. Once I start getting older

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Speaker 1: and older, I started to really love it. So yeah, no, man,

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Speaker 1: I came from a big family, man, you know, gang

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Speaker 1: of brothers, but I was I was the old this

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Speaker 1: and so and so my big brother in a sense

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Speaker 1: was kind of my dad, you know, who played in

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Speaker 1: the league and at the time I was growing up,

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Speaker 1: he was trying to make a little comeback. So he

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Speaker 1: kind of treated me. Sounds like, how Philip did you

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Speaker 1: where I was kind of the test dummy, And yeah

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Speaker 1: I played against him, but I get beat up, you know,

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Speaker 1: man handled, you know, posted on duct. I don't know

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Speaker 1: Philip was ducking on you, because you know, you gotta

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Speaker 1: live with it. But my dad, my dad was ducking

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Speaker 1: on me, you dog, And I'm like thirteen fourteen and

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Speaker 1: stuff in the front yard right wasn't money. But now

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Speaker 1: all that to be said, I understand how that how

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Speaker 1: that older influence kind of kind of you know, definitely

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Speaker 1: kid can help you and get you going. So talk

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Speaker 1: talk talk to him. What happened? Man? When when when

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Speaker 1: do you remember saying to yourself, I want to get

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Speaker 1: serious about the game, like I could do something here. Um.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if you were on any paths of

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Speaker 1: going the wrong way with stuff, but when did you

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Speaker 1: When did everything click for you? What age? And you

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Speaker 1: know what moment made you kind of open your eyes?

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Speaker 1: So it was definitely after my freshman year, and it

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Speaker 1: was really kind of going through it because, like you said,

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Speaker 1: you know, I was kind of doing a bunch of stuff.

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Speaker 1: Like I had an older brother, so I came in

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Speaker 1: as a freshman. He's already a junior, so you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm kind of already lit going in, you know, like

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Speaker 1: I know everybody, like every I was moving too fast,

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Speaker 1: you know. But probably after that night grade summer because

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Speaker 1: I played in the U Y b L. Like a

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Speaker 1: team came and found me and they were just like listening,

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Speaker 1: which is pro scie leader still around. Um, you know,

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Speaker 1: but a guy named George Play he came and found

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Speaker 1: me and he was like, listen, I see your talent,

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Speaker 1: Like come try out, come work with us and see

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Speaker 1: how it goes. So I ended up playing with Trey Young,

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Speaker 1: which is actually crazy. That year I was fifteen, and um,

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Speaker 1: I started seeing him blowing up. I'm like, whoa, Like

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Speaker 1: he's getting everywhere. All was like that. He was like

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Speaker 1: that back then. Man, what how he played now? He

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Speaker 1: played then? Like bro, it's wow, it's wow. Because I

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Speaker 1: was just talking to somebody about just his like his frame,

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Speaker 1: his body, like when you look at him, it's like damn,

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Speaker 1: he's so skinny. And they looked a little but it's nothing.

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Speaker 1: What do you is he super strong. I mean, what

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Speaker 1: is his biggest kind of key to his success. I

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Speaker 1: think the kudos is to his dad, his father, because

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Speaker 1: his father ray ray for young man. He used the

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Speaker 1: grilled trade I'm talking about. Like I tell people this

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Speaker 1: story all the time, Like I went to Pangos camp, right,

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Speaker 1: so I'm just my first time really seeing it. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: all right, cool, like I'm here for the experience. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to get in one of the top games.

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Speaker 1: I end up getting the top forty. But you know,

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Speaker 1: Trey was hord to cover to he was top five,

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Speaker 1: top whatever point guard coming coming in. So you know

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Speaker 1: his pops played at the University of Oklahoma played Oh

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Speaker 1: she's a little bit, so he's seen what it takes,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So trade one game, he

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Speaker 1: just went at forty, you know, going crazy, right, so

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Speaker 1: we're on the right back. I'm like, all right, cool,

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Speaker 1: like trying a good job, you know, like you know,

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Speaker 1: I like his pop. Really, man, you ain't got up, like,

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Speaker 1: you ain't assisted. You look bad. He's like horrible shots

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Speaker 1: and I'm just like he just had forty. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: what are we doing? So it was at that moment

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Speaker 1: where I was like, Okay, I know why he's gonna

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Speaker 1: be great. You know what I mean. He just kept

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Speaker 1: going up that trajectory, you know what I mean. But

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Speaker 1: one I will say, you always had talent, you know

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Speaker 1: what I mean. He's always been really talented. He could

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Speaker 1: always really shoot the ball. But like that mentality that

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Speaker 1: was drilling him, plus continuously working, you know, just stuff

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Speaker 1: like that. Um, I feel like he's the reason why,

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Speaker 1: He's the reason year today. So yeah, he seems like

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Speaker 1: he you know, from when I've watched him. My son

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Speaker 1: was at Oregon and Oklahoma came. They played up in Portland.

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Speaker 1: He Trey had a forty ball and Brayton Pritchard. But

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Speaker 1: from what I saw, you know, I mean, his his

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Speaker 1: his i Q was is incredible. And then and then

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Speaker 1: like he just has a unique ability to know how

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Speaker 1: to get his shot off before you can block it.

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Speaker 1: Like I just know, like like he just his release

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Speaker 1: is always right before you get there. It's just no

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Speaker 1: matter what I'm like, dang, because you think you always

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Speaker 1: go get it, but it's like no, because it's real quick.

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Speaker 1: It's real quick. Man. Uh So you played on the

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Speaker 1: E Y b O with Trey, you earned it out.

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Speaker 1: So so you got on people's scouts. So let let

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Speaker 1: me just break this down. Let me just break this

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Speaker 1: down real quick. So for those out there that don't know,

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Speaker 1: and this is kind of was my scouting report on you, Kurt,

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Speaker 1: back when you were playing in the j b A.

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Speaker 1: I mean I I classified you at the time as

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Speaker 1: as a slasher wing kind of guy that could create

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Speaker 1: handle for its own shot. The jump shot was at

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Speaker 1: times a little inconsistent, but you know, we didn't want

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Speaker 1: you to get warm. We didn't want you to hit

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Speaker 1: a couple because once you can hit a couple, we

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Speaker 1: felt like, you know, you could, you know, you would

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Speaker 1: go off. Then you'd be eight nine in a row. Um,

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Speaker 1: you're on the glass a little bit. You defensively is

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Speaker 1: where I saw a lot of NBA potential from you. Uh,

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Speaker 1: you hadn't put it all together at the time, but

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Speaker 1: you were still giving a lot of effort. You were

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Speaker 1: still giving the effort. But it was like one of

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Speaker 1: those things where I felt like, hey, man, if this

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Speaker 1: guy gets in the right situation and this is this

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Speaker 1: is as a pro if this guy gets in the

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Speaker 1: right situation, you know, in the right kind of place

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Speaker 1: where coaches are gonna development and believe in him and

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Speaker 1: he could be an NBA player. Let's rewind back to

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Speaker 1: the y b L. What was the scouting report then

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Speaker 1: on Curtis house Man. That's exactly That's exactly what it

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Speaker 1: was like, you know all the other stuff, like they're

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Speaker 1: creating all that I didn't even have back then, you know.

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Speaker 1: So really I was a late bloomer. I'm just gonna

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Speaker 1: be real, like I just was. But I know how

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Speaker 1: to slash, you know, to the fen. I know how

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Speaker 1: to get guys involved. Like I was kind of like

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Speaker 1: that glue, you know what I mean. And that was

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Speaker 1: just natural for me. Like I was always athletic, you

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Speaker 1: know what I mean. So that that's what it was like. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, like that next year I played seventeen U

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Speaker 1: I b A right, So that's what I was. You know.

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Speaker 1: I was a slasher, a guy that could rebound, like

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Speaker 1: I know, but no no players drawn up for me,

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Speaker 1: but I would end up with twenty you know that

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Speaker 1: type of guy, you know. So yeah, that that's what

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Speaker 1: That's what that happened for sure. Okay, and then what

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Speaker 1: schools kind of pain we're in the mix as far

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Speaker 1: as recruiting, you colleges coaches. So I'm gonna be real.

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Speaker 1: I you know, I had a lot of schools, Like

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Speaker 1: I played A U, I B L. You know, like

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Speaker 1: like that was great for me. You know, high school,

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Speaker 1: I did my thing. You know. The biggest thing for

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Speaker 1: me was you know, the great situation. And what happened

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Speaker 1: with that is I didn't really figure out, like I said,

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Speaker 1: I was late blooming. I didn't really figure out about

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Speaker 1: the clearinghouse, what you had to have a specific d

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Speaker 1: p A and all that to like my junior year,

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Speaker 1: and it was late. It was late by that, you know,

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Speaker 1: I was just going by getting seventies, you know, to play.

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Speaker 1: So that was the biggest thing. Like because your coaches,

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Speaker 1: your coach, your coaching, your coaches and stuff. You didn't

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Speaker 1: have counselors or anybody like that. That was like, yo, man,

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Speaker 1: this is the move and nothing like I wish. And

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Speaker 1: I was talking about that about this the other day.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, you know, like I wish, that's what you know.

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Speaker 1: I wish somebody would have really pulled me to the

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Speaker 1: side of even my parents. This was like this how

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Speaker 1: it goes like this is the navigation, Like I was

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Speaker 1: navigating everything I've gotten to this point by myself, you know.

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Speaker 1: So that's what that's that was the toughest part, you know,

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Speaker 1: just figuring that out. So all right, man, and then

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Speaker 1: the grades were issues. So now the j b A

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Speaker 1: opportunity rises. How did you hear about the j b A? Like,

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Speaker 1: how did you hear about that? So it was really

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Speaker 1: it was really my best friend his name is kJ kJ,

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Speaker 1: but he really was just hearing about it, like on

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Speaker 1: Twitter and all that. He was like, Yo, they're having

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Speaker 1: to try out in dollars, like you should come. And

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Speaker 1: it's crazy because I was at junior. I was at

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Speaker 1: my junior college like basically just for listening the season,

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Speaker 1: and I'm just thinking in my head, I'm like I

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Speaker 1: want I'm not. I've always been a guy who doesn't

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Speaker 1: really want to miss out of opportunities because you never

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Speaker 1: know and you never want to go back and just

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Speaker 1: be like, man, I'm what if I would have did that?

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Speaker 1: You know? So I figured it out. I was like,

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Speaker 1: all right, just this for real. So I called my mom.

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Speaker 1: I was like, yo, like this is what's going on.

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Speaker 1: Put me up flight home. I'm gonna come try out,

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Speaker 1: and I'm gonna literally go back to school. I went

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Speaker 1: back to school like that night. It was crazy. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's that's how that that's how I came. But at

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Speaker 1: the time, did you were you aware? So when you

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Speaker 1: knew about the opportunity, you knew that this was a

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Speaker 1: professional opportunity, that you you would get probably get paid,

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Speaker 1: you would get paid, and that you would have to

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Speaker 1: give up your remaining college eligibility. I wanted to talk

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Speaker 1: to you about just sort of that process of thinking

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Speaker 1: that you know, that thought press us, what made you

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Speaker 1: want to make that decision. It wasn't a gang of money,

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Speaker 1: and you know, and and conventional wisdom could have said, hey,

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Speaker 1: a guy like you, you would have got your stuff

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Speaker 1: situated at the jukeco man anothering, you could have transferred

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Speaker 1: two years to a legitimate spot, uh possibly at a

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Speaker 1: Power five conference, got on the radar of NBA scouts

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Speaker 1: off top. So then you, if you're a little bit patient, right,

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Speaker 1: you may get there talk a little bit about the

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Speaker 1: choices and why you made it. So really, like I said,

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Speaker 1: like I was navigating on my own, Like I didn't

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Speaker 1: have anybody telling me. I didn't have anybody say listen, Curtis,

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Speaker 1: to sit down. You know, this the visual one is

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Speaker 1: what it looks like to the NBA teams, you know

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Speaker 1: what I mean, it looks very different, you know, And

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Speaker 1: I just I didn't know that. And like what happened

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Speaker 1: with the thought process was really after the trial, maybe

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Speaker 1: like an hour later, I got a call from LaVar

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Speaker 1: ally right, and they're like, listen this what's going on.

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Speaker 1: This will be doing We're going offseas like it's legit,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I knew they were putting

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Speaker 1: mellow in Jello in it, so I was like, man,

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Speaker 1: I'm Tinto's in. Like I always wanted to be a professional,

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Speaker 1: so that was really intriguing to me. And just you know,

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Speaker 1: like I felt like I could really make a name

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Speaker 1: for myself, like because Nomelo and Leangelo over there in

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Speaker 1: LaVar you know, like that league was huge, you know

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Speaker 1: what I mean. So and I end up doing that,

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Speaker 1: But definitely, like I'm not gonna sit here and say, like, man,

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Speaker 1: I regret anything, because you know, like life is life,

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Speaker 1: you know. But definitely, if if I would have known

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Speaker 1: like a lot of different stuff back then, like I

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Speaker 1: probably would have made a different decision to be on

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Speaker 1: one hundred percent honest with you, because like I said,

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Speaker 1: I had every school coming in. I put any r

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Speaker 1: B L obviously, like you saw my talent, a lot

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Speaker 1: of other people saw my talent too. And really going

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Speaker 1: through those times, like when I was in Juka was

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Speaker 1: really developed, Like I was really developing. I started watching

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Speaker 1: film like understanding, so my game was really starting to expand,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So that's really what the

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Speaker 1: thought thought pressure was was. I really didn't have any

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Speaker 1: understanding of the Division one process and how big it

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Speaker 1: would be, like with what NBA teams looked for in

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Speaker 1: that platform and just all that stuff, like I had

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Speaker 1: no idea. Yeah, you that's why it's up. Yeah, it's man,

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Speaker 1: that's a wild because we're taking for granted. We're taken

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Speaker 1: for granted, and but you understand why, you know, the

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Speaker 1: certain decisions are made. Fox Sports Radio has the best

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Speaker 1: sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our

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Speaker 1: shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the

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Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.

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Speaker 1: So as we as we talked about it, now when

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Speaker 1: we get to the j B A. Man, the j

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Speaker 1: B A was. I think the setup was nice. I

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Speaker 1: enjoyed it. I enjoyed the setup Um, I know, fake. Look,

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Speaker 1: the games were televised on Facebook Live m We traveled

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Speaker 1: it was eight teens. We traveled to about ten or

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Speaker 1: eleven cities. Man, we're going, you know, coach, and the

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Speaker 1: music was nice that summer to some jams, so we

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Speaker 1: were we was on the jams. Um. From the basketball perspective,

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Speaker 1: how important do you think it was for like LaMelo, yourself,

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Speaker 1: other guys with the professional aspirations to play in under

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Speaker 1: the setup of the j b A which was four

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Speaker 1: quarters forty eight minutes and LaVar had this thing. Man,

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Speaker 1: we wanted to push the basketball. We wanted the scores

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Speaker 1: to be high run, run, run, And how important was

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Speaker 1: that style for you as you went onto other jobs

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Speaker 1: and you know, as as you played in Germany as

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Speaker 1: a pro, then that style helped prepare you. I mean

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Speaker 1: definitely because one I mean, I want to say, like

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Speaker 1: for me coming in, I had never really had my

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Speaker 1: own life team, Like I had never really had to

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Speaker 1: figure out how to get guys involved, you know, make

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Speaker 1: people better, you know, then score on my own and

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Speaker 1: I'm playing a whole game, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: Like and like you said, it's fast paced. So really

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Speaker 1: that was a big challenge for me, like just really

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Speaker 1: figuring that part out and understanding like and we weren't

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Speaker 1: winning like all the games at first, we started winning,

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Speaker 1: so I was like, man, well I gotta figure it out,

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Speaker 1: like I'm trying. So that really helped me a lot.

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Speaker 1: Adrey start thinking the game and watching basketball like really

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Speaker 1: deeper and all that, so that really helped me out

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Speaker 1: a lot. And then you know, obviously like in terms

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Speaker 1: of professional like how that really helped, Like, you know,

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Speaker 1: I took it and ran with it because like LaVar

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Speaker 1: used to talk to me crazy, I'm gonna be honest,

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Speaker 1: Like he used to talk to me crazy when he

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Speaker 1: was playing over there because I could get maybe fifteen

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Speaker 1: the first game. He was like, Bro, you're doing He

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Speaker 1: was like, why are you passionate? We need you scoring

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Speaker 1: forty or or we're gonna lose, like you and Jello

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Speaker 1: have to have forty on the wing or we're gonna lose. Period.

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Speaker 1: And like I used to go up trying to lay

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Speaker 1: people up, people like bro, you saw people like Bro,

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Speaker 1: you're trying to you you laying people? Let me all this,

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Speaker 1: don't even dunk on nobody. I start punching on everybody,

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Speaker 1: like I started throwing it on everybody. So that's really

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Speaker 1: you know, it was really the bar like you know,

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Speaker 1: just really enhancing me and just really challenging me. So

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Speaker 1: that really, you know, that was glued to my head,

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Speaker 1: like I don't know how to play one way, you

392
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Speaker 1: know what I mean? So that a lot. I bet

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Speaker 1: it did. Man and LaVar was the head coach on

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Speaker 1: that team, right and you go and you guys, the

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Speaker 1: level of competition, how would you describe the level competition

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Speaker 1: of the European teams you're playing against? It was, it

397
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,399
Speaker 1: was really all level. Like we played a couple of

398
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Speaker 1: teams in LKL First Division. We played Chisca and my

399
00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,360
Speaker 1: scouting they wanted multiple times. We didn't play their their

400
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,560
Speaker 1: early team, but we played their their farm team, and

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00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,080
Speaker 1: they bring the guys down, you know what I mean?

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Speaker 1: Really they really We beat them on their soil, like

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Speaker 1: you did. They didn't. They did not like that. They

404
00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,600
Speaker 1: did not like that we beat them on their show.

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Speaker 1: We'd beat sent it the sentence in the ear league too,

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Speaker 1: right now, beat them on their soil. Okay, okay, we

407
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Speaker 1: was playing legit teams like we were, and we was

408
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Speaker 1: playing legit pros. You know what I mean, so we

409
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Speaker 1: were playing a different way. Also, like we were playing

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Speaker 1: American style. We wasn't playing slow pick and roll like no, no, no,

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Speaker 1: We used so they couldn't keep up. They was like whoa,

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Speaker 1: Like what is this attack and just getting it out

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Speaker 1: and attack, Yeah, pushing, throwing a full court trapping the

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Speaker 1: whole game like that. They didn't they didn't know what

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Speaker 1: to do with that Jello ball Man. I've always felt

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Speaker 1: like Jello was the purest score obviously, of of the

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Speaker 1: Ball brothers, the most the codest kind of assassin shooter,

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Speaker 1: like I mean, I know, I know other guys are

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Speaker 1: really good, but Jello is like, you know, I've seen

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Speaker 1: Jello do some unbelievable stuff in his career. I know

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Speaker 1: in that championship game we ended up losing to the

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Speaker 1: l A team, I think he had fifty eight on us,

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Speaker 1: but it was just like you know, thirty in a

424
00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:14,639
Speaker 1: row or something crazy dog and we're really I'm sitting,

425
00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,040
Speaker 1: we're sending the double teams, we're trying to guard bro.

426
00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,680
Speaker 1: It wasn't like that's what I knew that that game

427
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,720
Speaker 1: is what I was like, Oh man, Jello is that dude?

428
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,480
Speaker 1: Like I had a whole we had a whole game

429
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,399
Speaker 1: plan for Jello. Man and then and man, he just

430
00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,760
Speaker 1: lit us up. What do you think when do you

431
00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,200
Speaker 1: think it's gonna be time or he's gonna get that

432
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,400
Speaker 1: opportunity to play in the league. I mean I tell

433
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,760
Speaker 1: people like, I just feel like if he just stays

434
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,439
Speaker 1: on the course, stays consistent, you know, because I've always

435
00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,760
Speaker 1: told everybody Joe's play to me, like kind of like

436
00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,240
Speaker 1: you've experienced. I played with him, you know what I mean.

437
00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:50,240
Speaker 1: So I know for sure what he can do, and

438
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,199
Speaker 1: I know for sure he can shoot the hell out

439
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,440
Speaker 1: the basketball, like the hell out of it, like I've

440
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,119
Speaker 1: seen I've seen really good shooters. He's easy to talk to,

441
00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,600
Speaker 1: shoots i've ever seen in my life. And he's strong,

442
00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,119
Speaker 1: so we can guard him paint. You know, he can

443
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,159
Speaker 1: guard big if you got to switch physical guy. You know,

444
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 1: UM really confident, you know what I mean. He's growing

445
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,080
Speaker 1: up with LaVar ball, so you better be confident, you

446
00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:11,919
Speaker 1: know what I mean. So I feel like everything everything

447
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000
Speaker 1: is in order for him, you know, like he's been

448
00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:16,280
Speaker 1: he's with Charlotte, you know he Yeah, I think he

449
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,360
Speaker 1: did a really good job. He's really professional. Like there's

450
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,639
Speaker 1: some games maybe he didn't play, but he stayed with

451
00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,840
Speaker 1: the course, you know what I mean. So I just

452
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:24,399
Speaker 1: feel like the biggest thing is with him is just

453
00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:27,640
Speaker 1: staying consistent. Just keep showing and showing and keep working

454
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:29,560
Speaker 1: on this game, and eventually I feel like he'll get

455
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,359
Speaker 1: a real opportunity. Yeah, I think he will. Man, he's uh,

456
00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,080
Speaker 1: he's he's a really unique player, man. I mean he

457
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,440
Speaker 1: has when you have Pettigreen, like the Ball Brothers and

458
00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,679
Speaker 1: that family, I mean, you just got a belief now.

459
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,959
Speaker 1: I mean, I know it was a crazy thing when

460
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,440
Speaker 1: LaVar first came out with all this and was telling

461
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,760
Speaker 1: everybody from Jump Street what time it was gonna be

462
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,520
Speaker 1: ten years now. I know it was crazy for people

463
00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,440
Speaker 1: to believe. But as we see, please never lost and

464
00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,520
Speaker 1: he's spoke everything into existence. Literally, dog, he got too

465
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:07,320
Speaker 1: pap three picks as sons. That's the other thing that

466
00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,320
Speaker 1: people don't realize. They was already paid bro Yo, I

467
00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,239
Speaker 1: didn't want to say that, but Jello, I think Jim

468
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:15,560
Speaker 1: Man Jello was like showing his bank account or he

469
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:20,440
Speaker 1: was doing something on the floor. I saw the Olds Bros. Like,

470
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,680
Speaker 1: you know, he bought his own house right next to

471
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:27,879
Speaker 1: LaVar Man without even playing in the league or NBA.

472
00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:34,919
Speaker 1: Uh see, I love his nuts. Man. Man, Think when

473
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,399
Speaker 1: when you think about LaVar, man, what is what's his

474
00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:41,280
Speaker 1: best quality? Dude? What was his best quality? Man? There's

475
00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:46,080
Speaker 1: so many, but I just feel like the genuineness and

476
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,000
Speaker 1: the real the realness of him. I think those with

477
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:50,720
Speaker 1: his two I said too, but I think those his

478
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,000
Speaker 1: main two qualities because I feel like that's what really

479
00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,240
Speaker 1: makes from him. But one, he's so real, like he's

480
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,480
Speaker 1: show that's all he knows, Like whether he like you

481
00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:01,200
Speaker 1: or not, he gonna tell you the truth. You know

482
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:02,840
Speaker 1: what I mean, you all you can do is respect it.

483
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,639
Speaker 1: But at least it's the truth. And he's on genuine,

484
00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:07,640
Speaker 1: Like if you show him you're a good guy, he's

485
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,080
Speaker 1: gonna he's gonna be nothing but love positive. You know,

486
00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,560
Speaker 1: he's not out the gates gonna love you, you know,

487
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,080
Speaker 1: like I will, I will say that. But you know,

488
00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:17,400
Speaker 1: once you start showing him and he's showing the loyalty

489
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,000
Speaker 1: and all that, like he's an amazing guy. Amazing guy.

490
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:24,240
Speaker 1: You gotta earn lavars respect, and yeah, you gotta you

491
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:29,680
Speaker 1: gotta earn it. Brouh man. I but I just felt like, man,

492
00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,040
Speaker 1: that and this is kind of the last thing on

493
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:33,280
Speaker 1: the j b A. Man, I just felt like it

494
00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,240
Speaker 1: was a great, great thing, man for to give young

495
00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:40,359
Speaker 1: men an opportunity to be pros. Some guys that may

496
00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:42,639
Speaker 1: have had, you know, certain type of issues that prevented

497
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,240
Speaker 1: them from playing whatever. Those might have been playing Divisional

498
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,479
Speaker 1: one or wherever. But now you have a home. Now

499
00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:49,639
Speaker 1: you have a place to go, and out of the

500
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:51,920
Speaker 1: j b A. After the j b A, you see

501
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,360
Speaker 1: other leagues kind of popping up and things on as

502
00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 1: as we see now there's two or three there's two

503
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,879
Speaker 1: or three leagues now that kind of have a j

504
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,520
Speaker 1: b A like structure, man, And so it was always

505
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 1: honored to kind of be the trailblade on the trailblaze

506
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:09,120
Speaker 1: in front of that um and you got a job

507
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,000
Speaker 1: out of that. I think that's pretty sick. But talk

508
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:13,800
Speaker 1: about that job, man, who what's the name of the

509
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,800
Speaker 1: team that signed you? And how many games you play

510
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,280
Speaker 1: and how was that experience? Yeah, it was great And

511
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,879
Speaker 1: like even like last speak on the j b A, like,

512
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:22,440
Speaker 1: I feel like it was great for you. And you're

513
00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:26,879
Speaker 1: a choice too, because y'all had Seattle. Y'all was legit. Listen, here.

514
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,080
Speaker 1: I'm telling my team, I'm like, bro, listen, bro, these

515
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,520
Speaker 1: dudes is real, Like they're not coming to play. Remember

516
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:34,840
Speaker 1: one time we had a practice maybe and we got

517
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,920
Speaker 1: into it a little bit. Yeah yeah, listen, I hope

518
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,080
Speaker 1: you already bro like rail not playing with y'all. Bro,

519
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,040
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, Like, yeah, we had hitters,

520
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,680
Speaker 1: we had hitting, you had you as a as a coach.

521
00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,800
Speaker 1: You know y'all have abandoned like yeah, legit, legit. People

522
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,440
Speaker 1: over there like so that that was it was great man.

523
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,080
Speaker 1: But um, the team I went to was a Dragon's

524
00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,440
Speaker 1: ruin doorf in Germany, so that they're actually partnered with

525
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,480
Speaker 1: a BB team was the first division in Germany and

526
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,280
Speaker 1: it's Telecom Bast's Bond, so that's their farm team. And

527
00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:07,879
Speaker 1: actually it's kind of crazy. They have a guy to

528
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,560
Speaker 1: playing the Vision one from that team. He goes his

529
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,520
Speaker 1: name seem sclekozis he liting Winnian kid who goes to

530
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,320
Speaker 1: the Butler University. But he had a great years year.

531
00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:18,920
Speaker 1: He's a freshman. He's gonna be NBA player, I believe

532
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,200
Speaker 1: because and he came from there. So what happened was

533
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,119
Speaker 1: a guy named Yassin came. He's Dominican now, I mean,

534
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,399
Speaker 1: he's a German national player, played with Munich, play with

535
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,160
Speaker 1: Albert Berlin, you know, the German national team. So he's

536
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,520
Speaker 1: a legendist, you know what I mean. And so yeah, yeah,

537
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,600
Speaker 1: So what happened was he came and saw me playing

538
00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:40,439
Speaker 1: and I was just like I said, I was at

539
00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,160
Speaker 1: a forty game. That game, I think I like forty,

540
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: like forty and five games in a row or something,

541
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:46,680
Speaker 1: but I had forty. He was going crazy, right So

542
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,159
Speaker 1: after the game, uh, he came up to me and Alan,

543
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,920
Speaker 1: I mean in LaVar. He was like, listen, you have

544
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:54,959
Speaker 1: a lot of talent. Like he was like, yeah, you're

545
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,399
Speaker 1: really talented, but you're doing everything off raw Town, Like

546
00:24:57,440 --> 00:24:59,879
Speaker 1: you just killed us off raw Town. And he's like,

547
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:01,399
Speaker 1: I could see you if you haven't, you know what

548
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,440
Speaker 1: I mean, you just aren't playing. So he's like, listen,

549
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:05,600
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with a different club next year and

550
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,359
Speaker 1: I'm gonna come bring you. And that's exactly what happened.

551
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,879
Speaker 1: And man, the testament to him as a person and

552
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,119
Speaker 1: what they really did to help me develop, like is amazing,

553
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,840
Speaker 1: Like I learned so much over there. Tell me about

554
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,200
Speaker 1: described this the detail detailing for me, man, Like what yeah,

555
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,080
Speaker 1: I mean, just like just like me coming in as

556
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:30,879
Speaker 1: an American, I was maybe I've never been overseas, never

557
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,240
Speaker 1: understood it, didn't understand what it took to be a

558
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:36,680
Speaker 1: high level player really even a professional. Let's just be real,

559
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,600
Speaker 1: because I went over there, you know, I go to practice, like, okay,

560
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,120
Speaker 1: let's try and get through this, you know, go through

561
00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:45,399
Speaker 1: the motions. They wasn't having that. You're going a hundred

562
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 1: percent hard every single day or you'll go home. And

563
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,800
Speaker 1: then I had practiced for two hours and I had

564
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,560
Speaker 1: to work out, so basically I worked out three times

565
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 1: to day. I'm lifting, I got individual skill practice, and

566
00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,000
Speaker 1: then I had a practice with the team and we're

567
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:02,560
Speaker 1: pointing one time a week, you know what I mean.

568
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,000
Speaker 1: So I was really getting it in, really developing, and

569
00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:08,000
Speaker 1: like he broke down how to watch film, he broke

570
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:09,960
Speaker 1: down my game, Like what am I looking at on

571
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:11,719
Speaker 1: the floor? What? What? What? You know? What I mean?

572
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,520
Speaker 1: My game slowed down so much, and it's crazy what what? What?

573
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,360
Speaker 1: What the development was from after year one, after month one,

574
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,800
Speaker 1: two months six, and I started realizing because when I

575
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 1: was watching myself, I'm like, yo, like I'm getting better,

576
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,879
Speaker 1: Like I'm seeing all this stuff, like I'm learning how

577
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:28,760
Speaker 1: to play the picking role, you know what I mean,

578
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:30,879
Speaker 1: I'm learning how to play real defense. I'm learning how

579
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:33,040
Speaker 1: to you know, really work as a professional and what

580
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,280
Speaker 1: it takes. So you know, that's just the ultimate testament

581
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:38,240
Speaker 1: to him. And he didn't have to do that, you

582
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,000
Speaker 1: know what I mean, but he really saw something in me.

583
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,520
Speaker 1: And um, you know, like like I said, he's another

584
00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:45,240
Speaker 1: reason I'm I'm continuing. I'm going on year four, not

585
00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,720
Speaker 1: like so you know, it's been great. That was great,

586
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,440
Speaker 1: And what you describe sounds like you figured out that

587
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,359
Speaker 1: hard work is kind of that secret to success. That

588
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,800
Speaker 1: magic quote unquote formulas is doing the stuff that you

589
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:05,400
Speaker 1: above and beyond at an you know, and it's all

590
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,560
Speaker 1: the time. So it's like when you don't feel like

591
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,359
Speaker 1: I heard somebody Shaheen Holloway to the new head coaches,

592
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:16,080
Speaker 1: Uh Seton Hall. Was that Peter he was talking? He

593
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,080
Speaker 1: tweeted out this note that said something to the effect of,

594
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,760
Speaker 1: you know, successful people, uh keep appointments when they don't

595
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,280
Speaker 1: feel like doing it. You know, unsuccessful people, you know,

596
00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,520
Speaker 1: won't won't show up somewhere because they in a bad mood. Yeah, hey,

597
00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,120
Speaker 1: but that if that ain't the realist thing I ever heard.

598
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,440
Speaker 1: And it's like it's crazy because like I used to,

599
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,639
Speaker 1: like you know, like I thought, like I said, I

600
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:42,400
Speaker 1: thought I was a professional. I've always been a worker.

601
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 1: I've always been working because I always knew, like listen,

602
00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 1: I'm at the bottom. I gotta get to it, you

603
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:46,920
Speaker 1: know what I mean. Even when I was in the

604
00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:48,879
Speaker 1: y b L. You know, I wasn't on top of

605
00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,639
Speaker 1: the player, but you know I always stood out and

606
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,320
Speaker 1: knew how to do that. I've always been that. But

607
00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:57,160
Speaker 1: it's just another level of work, like in another level

608
00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,200
Speaker 1: of speed, and like it's just different and you go

609
00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,000
Speaker 1: over sieves, especially in Europe, you know what I mean,

610
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,440
Speaker 1: Like these coaches are crazy, you know, so you gotta understand,

611
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,399
Speaker 1: like you know, it's not personal. They want you to

612
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,639
Speaker 1: be better, and like I said, like Americans, you know,

613
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,960
Speaker 1: like no disrespect to Americans, how we are. I'm American myself,

614
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,960
Speaker 1: But the training and stuff isn't really the level like

615
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 1: over there, you know. I mean that's why these kids

616
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:21,760
Speaker 1: are so good at such a young age, because they

617
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 1: really trained O D like a young Well also, Curtis,

618
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,720
Speaker 1: you overseas in Europe. In those places, they take basketball

619
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,560
Speaker 1: a little differently, so they take courses, they have degrees.

620
00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:35,600
Speaker 1: So some of these coaches, we have a degree in coaching,

621
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,200
Speaker 1: so they studied on a on a high on a

622
00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,320
Speaker 1: really high level. Um. It's funny when you talk about

623
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,760
Speaker 1: how the coaching style and the work, it reminds me

624
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,880
Speaker 1: of when I was in Turkey and I was in Russia.

625
00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,040
Speaker 1: I had similar experiences with three days, uh we three

626
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,960
Speaker 1: or three days doug morning shooting middleweights, wait in in

627
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,120
Speaker 1: the afternoon, then practice in the evening. You know what

628
00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,800
Speaker 1: I'm saying. We was conditioning and ridiculously that they're taking

629
00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:00,440
Speaker 1: us up to the mountains and turn you we gotta

630
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 1: run three miles in the mounds with these big roaches

631
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,120
Speaker 1: and stuff. I mean, it was all kind of stuff.

632
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:08,320
Speaker 1: But my fondest memory dog of that and the work

633
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,000
Speaker 1: was actually in Qatar, the Quatars, you know, the Middle East.

634
00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,240
Speaker 1: It's right next to Dubai, you know. But it was

635
00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 1: cracking when I was there. But I had an Egyptian

636
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,480
Speaker 1: coach man and it sounds like your guy, but he

637
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:22,840
Speaker 1: believed in me, man. I mean this. I had a

638
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,280
Speaker 1: Quatarian head coach but my Egyptian head coach was the

639
00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:27,960
Speaker 1: guy that worked me out all the time. He put

640
00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:32,280
Speaker 1: me through these individual workouts, bro, we do yo, throwing up.

641
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,560
Speaker 1: I'm throwing up yo. The no rest like you just

642
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:39,200
Speaker 1: like you can't see like he was, and they just

643
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:41,800
Speaker 1: looking like are you gonna finish the workout? Like come on?

644
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:45,320
Speaker 1: And the toughest nails, they don't have no sympathy. They

645
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,280
Speaker 1: look like But I tell you what, man, when I

646
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,000
Speaker 1: got to the game and I was dropping, you know,

647
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:51,960
Speaker 1: hitting the leven ten, eleven threes, and it was just

648
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,840
Speaker 1: wet ball city like a robot right Like It's like yo,

649
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,360
Speaker 1: It's like yo, I'm like controlling myself out here like

650
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:03,320
Speaker 1: like that. It was crazy. I'm like, yeah, I'm on

651
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:05,760
Speaker 1: another level, like this is wow, this is what really happens.

652
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,000
Speaker 1: And you know, like another really thing, like kind of

653
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:10,440
Speaker 1: crazy story I'll tell you about that is like I

654
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,360
Speaker 1: was going, I was getting you know, obviously like the NBA,

655
00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,480
Speaker 1: they have people everywhere, right, So NBA team came in

656
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,600
Speaker 1: right a scout. Yeah, so this is like a big

657
00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:23,000
Speaker 1: lesson that I learned. You know, I came in you know,

658
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:24,800
Speaker 1: I just went to practice. You know, we had practice

659
00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:28,000
Speaker 1: went harder individual cool. So this practice over, I take

660
00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,320
Speaker 1: my stuff, you know, all right, let's go right. So

661
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,720
Speaker 1: my GM calls me like maybe an hour or two after,

662
00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,320
Speaker 1: he's like, yo, Courtish, you know the NBA team was

663
00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:38,080
Speaker 1: in there for you, right. I'm like, yeah, how did

664
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,360
Speaker 1: what they think? What they say? He said, they don't

665
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,160
Speaker 1: think you're serious? And I was like, why what? I

666
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,680
Speaker 1: was going hard in there? Said as soon as practice over,

667
00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:50,400
Speaker 1: you took yourself off in lest I said, whoa, I

668
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,720
Speaker 1: didn't even think of that. They want to see you

669
00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:54,360
Speaker 1: get some extra word. They know you can, They know

670
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,240
Speaker 1: you can. They want to see if you're gonna work extra,

671
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,520
Speaker 1: if you're gonna ask to get some development. And that's

672
00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,560
Speaker 1: just a little of stuff like that. You would never

673
00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,080
Speaker 1: know that has to happen to you to understand, you

674
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,240
Speaker 1: know what I mean? Like even was even with some

675
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,800
Speaker 1: college players might be able to take from this because

676
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:12,680
Speaker 1: that's the little stuff they look at like. They come

677
00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:14,680
Speaker 1: in knowing that you can play. They come in knowing

678
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,040
Speaker 1: what you look like. They want to see the little

679
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,960
Speaker 1: stuff to see light. Can can we really take a

680
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:21,560
Speaker 1: risk on him? Does you want to be better? Does

681
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,560
Speaker 1: you want to be great? Better? Himself, so that that

682
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,440
Speaker 1: was probably just such a huge big thing for me,

683
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,520
Speaker 1: you know, and every single time, like after practice, you know,

684
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:33,840
Speaker 1: I'm getting an extra work before practice, getting extra work,

685
00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:35,200
Speaker 1: And that's what it takes to be great, you know.

686
00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,640
Speaker 1: Like in the NBA's a little different because people are

687
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,160
Speaker 1: playing with millions, so not everybody loves the game now,

688
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 1: everybody wants to be great, but the ones that are

689
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:44,360
Speaker 1: all stars and the ones that are you know, a

690
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:47,040
Speaker 1: hundred million to a million are working like that, you

691
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,120
Speaker 1: know what I mean. So that really helped, Like that

692
00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,800
Speaker 1: changed my whole perspective of a lot of things. And

693
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,200
Speaker 1: it stucks that it had to happen, but I'm glad

694
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,760
Speaker 1: that it did happen. Yeah, and they came back to yeah,

695
00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,240
Speaker 1: I know they did, I know what they did. Yeah,

696
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,640
Speaker 1: it was like, listen, we understand you don't know. We're

697
00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:03,640
Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna tell you, and we're gonna come back

698
00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:05,680
Speaker 1: and we're gonna tell you once. They're gonna tell you once,

699
00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,880
Speaker 1: and then they didn't tell me. They talk about GM

700
00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,080
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And and you got to

701
00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,000
Speaker 1: think of it like as a scout man, if I'm

702
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,120
Speaker 1: going overseas and I'm looking at you as a player. Oh,

703
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,560
Speaker 1: I got on you really is film. I did my research,

704
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:20,120
Speaker 1: I talked to people about you, but I really don't

705
00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,640
Speaker 1: really know a lot about you other than what I

706
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,440
Speaker 1: see right now in the gym. I can tell a

707
00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,960
Speaker 1: lot about a dude if he's out there working after practice.

708
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,360
Speaker 1: You don't say if you see like you we see

709
00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,960
Speaker 1: somebody that stays after practice, you just kind of look

710
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,800
Speaker 1: you might be leaving, but you're looking at him kind

711
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:37,320
Speaker 1: of like over your shoulder, like that he's getting his

712
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:44,480
Speaker 1: work it, you know where it was like, mama, guilty,

713
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 1: There'll be all right over there, like we not just

714
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:53,480
Speaker 1: go through the same practice like he look crazy exactly.

715
00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,040
Speaker 1: But those are the ones. Those be the ones, man,

716
00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,280
Speaker 1: them ones that make it bro. That's Fox Sports Radio

717
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,160
Speaker 1: has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch

718
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,040
Speaker 1: all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com

719
00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,240
Speaker 1: and within the I Heart Radio app. Search f s

720
00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:15,520
Speaker 1: R to listen live. And so after that that season, um,

721
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:19,640
Speaker 1: the second season, right, what happened you go? Year three? Now?

722
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,760
Speaker 1: Where did you go after that? So it was this man,

723
00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:26,760
Speaker 1: my monster was crazy. So I went I entered the draft. Really,

724
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,960
Speaker 1: that's what happened and what happened. Was I hit it?

725
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:31,760
Speaker 1: I went to as soon as soon as COVID is

726
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,680
Speaker 1: so I'm already behind the ball because I'm playing pro

727
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,160
Speaker 1: be in Germany. We got kids from Dog and all that,

728
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,040
Speaker 1: you know, Um, and then I'm dealing with COVID. So

729
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,880
Speaker 1: there wasn't any any person workouts. There's none of it.

730
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,400
Speaker 1: I'm doing everything virtual. No. I mean, I had a

731
00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:48,280
Speaker 1: lot of feedback, but you know, it just it was

732
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,720
Speaker 1: tough because they couldn't see me in person, and it

733
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:52,720
Speaker 1: was really it's really hard. You know, when you see

734
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,240
Speaker 1: somebody on film, when you see me in person is

735
00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,880
Speaker 1: a bits different, you know. So so I didn't get drafted,

736
00:33:58,080 --> 00:33:59,720
Speaker 1: and then, um, so I had a couple of teams

737
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:01,360
Speaker 1: that were interested, like yo, we're gonna bring you in,

738
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:03,600
Speaker 1: you know, I just want to see you developed, like

739
00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:05,520
Speaker 1: see how you are, like in Miami Heat. There was

740
00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 1: one of them was Gota Keith Askins. I'm sure you

741
00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,839
Speaker 1: know Keith. Yeah, you know he's he played with under

742
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:13,520
Speaker 1: pat Riley and all that. So we worked with Miami

743
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:15,600
Speaker 1: right now. So he was like, listen, I see a

744
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,680
Speaker 1: lot of like talent in you, Like we want to

745
00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,440
Speaker 1: bring you in. So they end up the g Leaue Bubble.

746
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,440
Speaker 1: That's what happened with that. So I didn't even they

747
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:25,399
Speaker 1: didn't even end up going. You know, there's like five

748
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,600
Speaker 1: or six team that didn't go, So so I didn't go.

749
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,200
Speaker 1: You know, I was going through the draft process for months,

750
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 1: you know, like going through that. Then the draft finally hit.

751
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,359
Speaker 1: You know, they kept backing it up, it finally hit.

752
00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,399
Speaker 1: Didn't get drafted, didn't and now they didn't a team.

753
00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:40,320
Speaker 1: I supposed people didn't even go to the Gili Bubble.

754
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:43,320
Speaker 1: So granted, I'm like out of a job basically, you

755
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:45,320
Speaker 1: know what I mean. It was late. So what I

756
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,080
Speaker 1: happened was I went to the Dominican Republic because one

757
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:50,480
Speaker 1: of my friends was playing out there, and I just

758
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,680
Speaker 1: was like, man, I'm not playing, like, let me just see,

759
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:54,320
Speaker 1: like you know, like I want to see how it

760
00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:56,719
Speaker 1: is over there. I always knew about Europe, I didn't

761
00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,279
Speaker 1: know anything about South America, so I just went. I'm

762
00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:02,040
Speaker 1: a visual learning yo. I went over there and saw

763
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:03,920
Speaker 1: how how they was living in what they was getting,

764
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,399
Speaker 1: and just how the basketball was. I was like, whoa,

765
00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:09,880
Speaker 1: how would you describe the basketball over there? What's the

766
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,400
Speaker 1: style of play? So they do it differently. The infrastructure

767
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,720
Speaker 1: in South America is different because it's not eight months,

768
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:17,640
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. They they are a month

769
00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,279
Speaker 1: and a half. Some leagues are longer, you know, like

770
00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:22,279
Speaker 1: maybe at the most you're gonna play three much and

771
00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,200
Speaker 1: then you don't have another season. But the basketball is

772
00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:27,640
Speaker 1: high level, like they have the Dominican national team players,

773
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,960
Speaker 1: Puerto Rican national team players, Argentina, like all the South

774
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,719
Speaker 1: American countries, they have really high level players and they

775
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:36,320
Speaker 1: go and play these leagues like the l m b

776
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:40,440
Speaker 1: P Mexico. Puerto Rico is really big right now. Um,

777
00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:42,279
Speaker 1: the d R is really big right now, you know

778
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:44,320
Speaker 1: what I mean, So the argent like you know, the

779
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,920
Speaker 1: South American countries, it's it's high level basketball. How much

780
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,640
Speaker 1: how much NBA? How much NBA presence is down there?

781
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:53,560
Speaker 1: Oh it's a lot, a lot, a lot, especially in

782
00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:56,000
Speaker 1: the Puerto Rico. And the d R is being there too.

783
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,759
Speaker 1: Like Keen Christmas is playing in there right now. He

784
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,440
Speaker 1: played in the NBA. Um, you know a lot of

785
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,800
Speaker 1: guys are playing, and I guess from a scouting a

786
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,359
Speaker 1: scouting perspective, people coming like the NBA scouts coming down

787
00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,640
Speaker 1: there checking guys. I'm not exactly sure, Like as far

788
00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:13,239
Speaker 1: as I know, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be

789
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,440
Speaker 1: surprised if they're not even even watching, you know what

790
00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,399
Speaker 1: I mean, Like because like I know Puerto Rico for sure,

791
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,120
Speaker 1: Puerto Rico l M. P. Peters, NBA scouts for sure,

792
00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: for sure, because Michael Basy playing in the last year

793
00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,440
Speaker 1: at the end. So there's NBA. You know, I know,

794
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,320
Speaker 1: there's gout in Paris bats. He was actually on the

795
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,960
Speaker 1: Lakers D League team this year. He played in the

796
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,520
Speaker 1: Dominican Republic play in Puerto Rico, went straight to g

797
00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:37,440
Speaker 1: Now he got on a couple of ten days with Phoenix,

798
00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,760
Speaker 1: Like so he's he's from d R from Puerto Rico straight,

799
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,040
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like that's where he got

800
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,200
Speaker 1: his name and really made it. So it definitely is

801
00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:50,160
Speaker 1: possible for sure. So your current the way you think

802
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,719
Speaker 1: about it, you're saying you want to go through the

803
00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:56,440
Speaker 1: d R route. Do you ever think of trying or

804
00:36:56,560 --> 00:37:01,120
Speaker 1: vying for European route or maybe so like a G

805
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:06,280
Speaker 1: League round? Oh definitely, Like that's obviously I tell everybody,

806
00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:07,759
Speaker 1: Like the NBA's where I where I feel like I

807
00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:09,520
Speaker 1: should be and where I want to be like that's

808
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 1: always gonna be to go from me. I'll never not

809
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,120
Speaker 1: change that until I get there. But you know, it's

810
00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 1: just a matter of like kind of like resources and

811
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,160
Speaker 1: you know, me knowing other people, like you know, how

812
00:37:18,239 --> 00:37:20,280
Speaker 1: that stuff goes. Like I was actually with Santa Cruz

813
00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:22,560
Speaker 1: for the training camp for about three weeks. I was

814
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:24,759
Speaker 1: like the last one cut actually, but you know I

815
00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:26,520
Speaker 1: had to deal with a couple, you know, some stuff

816
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:27,960
Speaker 1: like that, and that's how it goes. But it was

817
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,080
Speaker 1: a great opportunity for me and I got to meet

818
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:32,520
Speaker 1: some great people and I made my way in you know,

819
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:34,719
Speaker 1: like I went to a try out and everything, like

820
00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:36,719
Speaker 1: I went and I had to do all that, but

821
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,160
Speaker 1: you know, they saw something, so it was great for

822
00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:42,200
Speaker 1: that and um but you know, like obviously I would

823
00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:43,840
Speaker 1: love to go play in Europe. I would love it.

824
00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:45,399
Speaker 1: You know. I just got to find the right agent

825
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 1: that can really help me make that happen. But I

826
00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:48,759
Speaker 1: would love to go play over there because I know,

827
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:50,960
Speaker 1: like I know what it is in Europe, you know

828
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,400
Speaker 1: what I mean, Like obviously it's longer. You know. I

829
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,879
Speaker 1: love the the d R in Puerto Rico and South

830
00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,600
Speaker 1: American countries because like I said, it's not long and

831
00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:00,759
Speaker 1: it's not far, you what I mean. So I can

832
00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,439
Speaker 1: go play two months to get a really nice bag,

833
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,319
Speaker 1: go home for a week or two, and then come back,

834
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:07,880
Speaker 1: you know, go somewhere else, you know what I mean.

835
00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:09,680
Speaker 1: You can't really do that in Europe, Like they're not

836
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:13,680
Speaker 1: playing that. You know, they like what holiday and don't

837
00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,480
Speaker 1: don't play that. They don't play so you know, like

838
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:19,520
Speaker 1: for me, it's just about being comfortable. I don't feel

839
00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,759
Speaker 1: like I'll be playing overseas my whole career, so you know,

840
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:23,480
Speaker 1: it's only just for now, you know what I mean.

841
00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:25,360
Speaker 1: And I've been making my way up, so I'm starting

842
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:28,279
Speaker 1: to really played a high level over there, and I'm

843
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,000
Speaker 1: not a really high level places are calling me so like, um,

844
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:33,000
Speaker 1: if I'm not in the n b A or if

845
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:34,160
Speaker 1: I'm not in the G League, you know, I have

846
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,920
Speaker 1: a really good, you know, situation to go to. So yeah,

847
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,040
Speaker 1: that's awesome, man. How how much longer do you see

848
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:42,680
Speaker 1: yourself playing, like to try to make it to the NBA,

849
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:44,279
Speaker 1: Like do you put a year on it? Like do

850
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:46,960
Speaker 1: you say, if I don't make the league in five years,

851
00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,719
Speaker 1: shut it down and think about something else or what? Yeah,

852
00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:53,279
Speaker 1: I mean, I just feel like now like I'm kind

853
00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:56,120
Speaker 1: of at the point to where like I'm at that point.

854
00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,120
Speaker 1: I'm only twenty three, which is the crazy part about

855
00:38:58,120 --> 00:38:59,560
Speaker 1: all this. I started that's a good thing. That's a

856
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:02,360
Speaker 1: good yeah. I know, I start playing professionally young, so

857
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,279
Speaker 1: I've been hit. I've learned so much, you know, at

858
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,520
Speaker 1: a young age. A lot of these guys don't understand

859
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,640
Speaker 1: that learn this today like thirty three, you know, So

860
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,640
Speaker 1: I have a long like I have a really you know,

861
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:15,840
Speaker 1: like advantage, you know what I mean. And now I

862
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,320
Speaker 1: feel like I'm at the highest level to where like

863
00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:20,479
Speaker 1: you know, if I don't, if I'm on the NBA,

864
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,600
Speaker 1: I'll be playing at a really high level. So I'll

865
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:24,319
Speaker 1: be okay you know with that, you know what I mean.

866
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:27,080
Speaker 1: So you know, obviously like the goal, like I said,

867
00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:29,120
Speaker 1: I want to shoot to um you know, till I'm

868
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,480
Speaker 1: in the NBA. But right now, like at this point

869
00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:36,320
Speaker 1: and probably next year, if I'm not playing in the NBA,

870
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:38,640
Speaker 1: like I'm at the highest level, you know what I mean.

871
00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:41,200
Speaker 1: So i feel like I'm okay with you know, like

872
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,560
Speaker 1: not being there and just you know, keep pushing to

873
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:46,560
Speaker 1: get there. And like obviously like guys come from overseas

874
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,080
Speaker 1: all the time, you know. So with my game and

875
00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:50,879
Speaker 1: how I am, my skill set, I feel like I'm

876
00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:53,160
Speaker 1: kind of prototypical NBA players. So I just feel like

877
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:56,279
Speaker 1: if I just stay consistent, keep killing, eventually it's gonna

878
00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,719
Speaker 1: happen for me. But you have faith in your skill set,

879
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:02,879
Speaker 1: you you have faith in your work that your game

880
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:07,359
Speaker 1: in his current phase, in his current stage, it's ready

881
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,960
Speaker 1: right now for the NBA. Yeah, because I'm played with

882
00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,080
Speaker 1: NBA players. I played with all Stars, Like I said,

883
00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,280
Speaker 1: I played with Trade and I play with Deer and Fox.

884
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:16,759
Speaker 1: I play with Mr Robertson. I play with DeAndre A

885
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,200
Speaker 1: and I play with him mellow Ball, I play with

886
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:21,480
Speaker 1: Ka Gunningham like the list goes on, you know what

887
00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:24,040
Speaker 1: I mean. And I've been at these guys like I've

888
00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:25,719
Speaker 1: been in the mix, like one of the top, Like yo,

889
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:27,680
Speaker 1: I'm one of the better ones, you know what I mean. So,

890
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:30,719
Speaker 1: and like I said, I watched so much basketball. I'm

891
00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:33,280
Speaker 1: a basketball junk. I'm a basketball head, so I understand

892
00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,120
Speaker 1: what it takes, you know what I mean. Like I know,

893
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:37,040
Speaker 1: maybe I'm not gonna be a guy to come in

894
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:38,560
Speaker 1: and be able to shoot all the shots, but I

895
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,359
Speaker 1: can come in and lock lock them up. I can

896
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:42,880
Speaker 1: come in and rebound, So there's value for me, Like

897
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:44,600
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I feel like there's really

898
00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:46,840
Speaker 1: value for me, like in any role. And then eventually,

899
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:49,239
Speaker 1: once I'm in there, I'll be able to expand and

900
00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:51,840
Speaker 1: you know, do all the other stuff when it comes.

901
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,080
Speaker 1: But just to get in there, and I understand what

902
00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:55,960
Speaker 1: it takes, you know what I mean. Like I had

903
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,080
Speaker 1: to be a role player when I was playing sixteen

904
00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,400
Speaker 1: U seven t U I B. I've had that and

905
00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:02,839
Speaker 1: I've had to be a star. So I have kind

906
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,399
Speaker 1: of both in my game, you know what I mean,

907
00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:08,480
Speaker 1: Like I understand both those sides of it. Yeah, man, man,

908
00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,520
Speaker 1: I love here you talk about it because it's it's confidence. Man.

909
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,200
Speaker 1: You gotta know, you gotta know that you can play

910
00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:16,560
Speaker 1: in the league. You gotta know why that you can

911
00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:18,719
Speaker 1: play in the league, because nobody else's go tell you

912
00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:21,120
Speaker 1: that that you can play in the league. But you

913
00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,799
Speaker 1: know that's like the number one fan. Your number one

914
00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:25,440
Speaker 1: fan has got to be you, bro, And so that's

915
00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,800
Speaker 1: what I always I've always told, like my son and

916
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:30,200
Speaker 1: my brothers when they were coming up, hoping, Man, just

917
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,080
Speaker 1: your belief in your game has got to be in

918
00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:36,440
Speaker 1: a solid place, right, right, can not have you know,

919
00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:39,920
Speaker 1: these these questions about yourself when you're out there against

920
00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:42,480
Speaker 1: in the world man, because especially like and it's like

921
00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:44,680
Speaker 1: you already kind of behind the ball, you know. But

922
00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,000
Speaker 1: it's like, I'll give it a testament. You're just really

923
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,360
Speaker 1: just me and my character and everything I've been like

924
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,200
Speaker 1: growing up because I've always been this way. Like I

925
00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:54,160
Speaker 1: I said, I only know how to play one way,

926
00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:56,439
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And it's just like I've

927
00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:00,560
Speaker 1: always had to be at that pedestal and you know,

928
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,040
Speaker 1: standing out because I haven't. I didn't go to college.

929
00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:04,799
Speaker 1: I didn't get I didn't get the luxury of coming

930
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:07,800
Speaker 1: into a different situation of averaging five, you know, not

931
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:10,319
Speaker 1: being a standout, not showing a lot of different things.

932
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:13,279
Speaker 1: So now I'm so wired in my brain and how

933
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:15,040
Speaker 1: I play like I only know how to play it

934
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,719
Speaker 1: one way, you know what I mean. So that you no,

935
00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:22,120
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, And so you take that and

936
00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:25,279
Speaker 1: now you're you're fine tune in different parts throughout of

937
00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:28,920
Speaker 1: your game. Because you watch so much film, You've added

938
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,560
Speaker 1: that aspect of scouting yourself, of being your worst critic

939
00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:37,160
Speaker 1: and then you're training now with Ashton Benney. Yeah, yeah,

940
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:39,759
Speaker 1: with Ashton and um also with Tim Martin sometimes you

941
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,960
Speaker 1: know Tim coach me UM. So yeah, you know I

942
00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:46,040
Speaker 1: was last summer, I was with John Luke's the third

943
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,560
Speaker 1: eason was with the Lakers, uh staff, So I was

944
00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,520
Speaker 1: out there in l A with him. But you know,

945
00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:52,920
Speaker 1: I just like I said, you know, I've always I

946
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:54,880
Speaker 1: played with so many guys. I've been around so much

947
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 1: I played and I'll be I've doil a great relationship

948
00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,720
Speaker 1: for people and that really helps me a lot because

949
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,360
Speaker 1: you know, I've been able to really call people and

950
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:04,480
Speaker 1: ash like, Yo, what can I come trained? Can I

951
00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:06,479
Speaker 1: come to do this? You know? I mean I didn't

952
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,279
Speaker 1: think these guys are gonna turn into that actually know

953
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,840
Speaker 1: something I did. But you know, you know, for the

954
00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:12,759
Speaker 1: most problem, like, Yo, these guys made as a league,

955
00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:14,320
Speaker 1: like I can really call them in you know, like

956
00:43:14,360 --> 00:43:17,240
Speaker 1: a lot of people don't have those, you know options,

957
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:20,520
Speaker 1: So that that's another thing like that's that's a testament

958
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:22,480
Speaker 1: of me and just you know how the person I

959
00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,760
Speaker 1: am like always being kind, you know, never known anything.

960
00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:28,080
Speaker 1: So that's just helped me out a lot. Yeah, man,

961
00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:31,640
Speaker 1: that's that's the right approach, the humility and you have.

962
00:43:31,719 --> 00:43:34,360
Speaker 1: You've always been a humble cat. You've always carried yourself

963
00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,480
Speaker 1: with a lot of like you respect, you know, a

964
00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:38,839
Speaker 1: lot of respect man when you walk around. And I've

965
00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:43,200
Speaker 1: always appreciate that about you. Man, I hope that you

966
00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:45,640
Speaker 1: get an opportunity. Dude, you been the kind of guy

967
00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:47,759
Speaker 1: I feel like, you know, could help somebody. You got

968
00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,680
Speaker 1: the right mentality. You're not. You know, you've been through

969
00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:52,800
Speaker 1: and you've got a great story. There's a lot of

970
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:55,000
Speaker 1: good there's a lot of good stories now in the

971
00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:58,319
Speaker 1: NBA of guys that are similar to you. The six

972
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,840
Speaker 1: six seven had to playing like five different leagues. I

973
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:05,400
Speaker 1: know why. Scotne Anderson. Hey, I'm telling you. It's a

974
00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:07,279
Speaker 1: lot of dudes that I'm seeing in the league that

975
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,360
Speaker 1: that you Curtis at twenty three, which just blew me,

976
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:12,160
Speaker 1: blew my mind right now because I'm like, damn, I

977
00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:14,560
Speaker 1: thought she was older, but you only. I'm like, yeah,

978
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:20,520
Speaker 1: So just stay of course, keep working, man, don't never change, man,

979
00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:23,080
Speaker 1: And it's gonna happen for your brother. And when that

980
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,759
Speaker 1: opportunity does happen, man, I think you're gonna be ready

981
00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:29,719
Speaker 1: for it this time around, man, wholehearted. Like it's like

982
00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 1: even like like I said, I'm a basketball head, so

983
00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:34,880
Speaker 1: like even the NBL, the euro League, like some of

984
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:37,520
Speaker 1: these leagues overseas. I'm like, yo, like these would be

985
00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:40,080
Speaker 1: crazy to play and like I would be in awe,

986
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:42,960
Speaker 1: Like you know, obviously the money is great, but it's

987
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,160
Speaker 1: just the league, like the professionalism, how they do stuff.

988
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:47,960
Speaker 1: Like I've always wanted to be a pro. You know,

989
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,480
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna s always be like yo, I want

990
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:50,719
Speaker 1: to be NBA and b A and b A like

991
00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:53,320
Speaker 1: that kind of came later, but me being a professional

992
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:55,799
Speaker 1: was always what I want to be. So I'm living

993
00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:59,080
Speaker 1: my dream. Like I'm extremely blessed, like I'm going through

994
00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:02,360
Speaker 1: this like like kind of like just an emotion, like

995
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:04,160
Speaker 1: I'm just like yo, you know, but I also have

996
00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:07,040
Speaker 1: appreciation of like what it really takes in. Like you said,

997
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:08,160
Speaker 1: I've been through a lot, so I have a lot

998
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:11,480
Speaker 1: of experience and so yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot,

999
00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:14,400
Speaker 1: but I just you know, I'm happy. Well, man, I

1000
00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:16,480
Speaker 1: wish you the best of luck. Brother. I appreciate you

1001
00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,560
Speaker 1: coming on the day and sharing your story. Yeah, I

1002
00:45:19,640 --> 00:45:24,280
Speaker 1: appreciate you. Man. Always know that ladies and gentlemen Curtis Hollis,

1003
00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:25,919
Speaker 1: Oh my guy,