WEBVTT - THE PROFESSOR - Stay Out The Kitchen 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:03.320 What's up? This is the professor. We're here on eating 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.680 while broke, and today I'm gonna break down my meal 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:09.680 that got me through a time when I was broken broke. 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.880 All right, So when I went broke late two thousand eight, 0:00:14.080 --> 0:00:17.079 early two thousand nine, somewhere in there, I have a 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:18.639 lot of money, and I never really learned how to 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:20.959 cook either, So we had to make it work a 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:27.600 bare minimum, and we got the Tyson's Looney Tunes TV dinners. Okay, 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:32.040 now these earlier talking there's no nutritional value or anything 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.479 in these, but they got it done. You know, I 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:36.840 feel like the reason why you chose this was because 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:39.559 of the whole dessert. That was a big part. I mean, 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.519 I like est dinner on it was it was the cheapest. 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.280 You know, you got the Marie calendars, like the luxury 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:49.560 TV dinner you got. I don't know, hungry is a 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:55.480 hungry man? Yeah, the tyson the Looney Tune ones, you 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:58.120 know what I mean. Super cheap. So so I haven't 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:00.800 had a TV dinner in ages. So what do you 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.320 want to try and eat? First? So we everyone, we're 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:07.360 eating the chicken nuggets, mac and cheese corn and this 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:09.800 is supposed to be a brownie even everyone. Yeah, when 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:11.280 I got it back in the day, that was always 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:12.760 a big part of it was it was like, actually 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:14.800 a fudge brownie. This is kind of like a brownie 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:18.360 slopping stop. Probably still pretty good. Let let's try it. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:20.560 Start with the nuggets. Let's start with the nuggets. Do 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:22.640 you do catch up? I'm going to try. And always 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:25.160 was your soggy on one side back in the day 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:28.959 too easily could have been let's do it. That was 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:30.680 my whole thing. Always like I didn't like to spending 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:31.959 time in a kitchen, you know what I mean, So 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.720 I'm always just trying to get it done. You didn't 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:36.800 try to get like a girlfriend and just feed you 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.760 in spurts. You get a girlfriend, you'll be like, what's 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:43.959 your cooking skills? Like spurts. It is why I got 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:47.440 kicked at the curb. You know. So you said back 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:48.960 in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine, what 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:51.880 was the last time you actually ate this dish or 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:57.720 even stop for a TV dinner? Two thousand tens Probably 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:00.480 the last time at least this TV dinner. I might 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:01.880 have got a Marie coulendar, like if I was in 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:05.320 a road or something, like here and there, but yeah, 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.320 for the most part, like like being broke just to 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:13.160 make it work. Yeah yeah, yeah, definitely. Now what were 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:18.359 you going through at that time? Two and that's that's later. Yeah, So, um, 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:20.760 I started playing professionally for the and one mix stape 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:24.720 Tour two thousand three. The company the same day we 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:26.720 were on the cover of The Sports Illustrated two thousand 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:28.720 and six is the same day that the company actually 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:32.320 got bought out, and that was by Sequential or something. Right, Uh, 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:34.840 it's American Sporting Goods. But since then it's been bought 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:36.799 out three or four times, so the one you're saying 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.840 is probably somewhere along the line. But uh yeah, two 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:41.800 done six got bought out by American Sporting Goods. And 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:44.880 at the time, you know, I was only years old. 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:46.440 I don't even know what a company by. I didn't 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:47.840 even know what that is, first off, you know what 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:49.600 I mean. And then I didn't know how that would 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:53.000 affect business moving forward, you know. So I remember asking 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:54.520 one of my O G teammates. I was just like, 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.119 so we still we still got a job, we still 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:58.880 gonna play ball, and they're like yeah, So I was 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:00.160 like all right, cool and that's all I thought out 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.920 of it. But they I think they had two years 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:06.520 left on the production ESPN deal and they fulfilled that 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:08.880 and then after that the tour was over. They didn't 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.240 put any money into street Ball as their advertisement. But 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:14.440 I think what those owners didn't know and I think 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.840 rest in peace and they passed away since but they 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.440 didn't know that the company was based on street Ball, 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:21.240 you know. I mean that's what fuel of the whole thing. 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:23.880 So they tried to go like this traditional route where 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.640 it's like, uh, lower tier NBA players, which is who 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:29.079 they could afford at the time, right be you don't 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:32.760 have the Nike money lower tier NBA players uh to 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:34.720 to brigade the way. But it's just not the same 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.000 if you don't have superstars or like a niche like 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:39.240 how we had with the and One mixtape tour. It's 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.160 tough to survive in basketball, you know. Yeah, So when 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.160 you were doing the whole and One thing where they 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.360 breaking guys off, like was it like salaried or was 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.000 it like here's a sign on bonus manager money. Well, 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.240 so I think my first deal I ever signed, I 0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:59.800 think with sixty I thought it was rich. You know, 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:02.480 I was eight team or no, I was actually seventeen 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:07.960 when I signed that deal, graduated young se that turned 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:09.640 eighteen like a couple months later or whatever. But yeah, 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:12.240 I thought my money wouldn't run out to move out 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:14.440 and get our own apartment. But what did your parents 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:17.720 say when you got that check? So my parents actually 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.719 fully supported everything. Um, I actually played one year junior 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:24.520 college and uh kind of had to decide whether I'm 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:27.320 gonna go back to school or play professionally. But they 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:31.279 knew that, like they had invested everything into my hoop dream, 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:36.000 you know, like like sneakers, trainers, clinics, camps and you Oh, 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:38.400 they supported me so heavy. That's the reason I am 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.920 doing what I do today. So I think they looked 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:43.560 at it like, hey, you know, this is an opportunity 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:46.640 to play pro. The funny thing is I actually barely 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.560 played college basketball. I got cut from three community colleges 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.240 and then I walked on to my local community college, 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:53.760 like the one I didn't want to go to because 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.359 I wanted to go out of town. Um. I always 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:57.800 had offensive skills, but I looked like I was like 0:04:57.839 --> 0:04:59.640 twelve years old, and so I think a lot of 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.320 coaches it really trust me, like like from a defensive standpoint, 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:06.360 but it's kind of hard to imagine you're getting cut 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:08.840 at a community level though. That's the crazy part. Like 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.119 I had skills. I remember one of the community college 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:14.040 trials I went to. I remember I played like five 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.400 games and like I literally scored. We're playing games and 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:19.159 seven I was scored at least four or five buckets, 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:23.800 if not all each game. But they still wouldn't let 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:25.480 me get a shot. But literally, if you look at 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:27.520 somebody's twelve years old, it's hard for you as a 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.560 coach to say, this is my guy, but you're competing 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:34.320 at a community level at twelve, Like I just looked 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:38.160 like but but yeah, I was, you know, seventeen, trying 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:42.279 to trying to watch your your games you look yeah, yeah, 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.040 so just trying to get on And I think that 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:46.559 that's what made it tough. It's like what separates the 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:49.880 street baller from the NBA player. There's two different goals. 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:53.560 So so with street ball, obviously very competitive, you want 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.000 to win every game, but you know people are paying 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:58.200 to see an exhibition. You know, it's more about that 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:00.920 game there, So we want to like strip entertained the most. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:04.520 So we're like kind of like shooting for the craziest highlight, 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.640 but we also want to win, whereas like the NBA, 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:10.080 it's really about efficiency. If somebody gets a highlight, that 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.640 happens by default. Yeah, do you think NBA is more 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:19.280 team player friendly in uh, street balls more like you said, 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:21.920 like more flashy, because I feel like street balls almost 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.040 like a form of art. But street ball in its 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:26.640 purest form is really just summertime basketball. It's really like 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.440 a summer pro am league. You know, guys that played overseas, 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.960 some college players, the best high school players in the 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.880 summers um would come play and it's just like a 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:36.800 way to get a run. It's just basketball in the summer. 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:39.720 There's less structured because coaches aren't really like putting their 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:43.160 all into summertime basketball. But then when when companies like 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:47.320 and One got involved, it really became about selling tickets 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:50.080 and making it about the exhibition. So we so we 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:52.120 amped up the highlights, you know what I mean. It 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:56.200 became more about the entertainment um. But I think it 0:06:56.240 --> 0:06:59.800 was always a looser style game with showtime, even even 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:02.560 in pierst form before companies got involved. But I think 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:05.159 the stakes got hired. So it's like you strive to 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:07.920 put on more of a show. Yeah, you know, as 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.760 as like the ANI one Mix Safe Tour and things progressed. Yeah. 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:14.320 So you when do you when you start to run 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.080 out of the money, which is you know, now you're 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:20.480 getting consistent money. How many years were you getting the 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:24.120 consistent money? Yeah. My whole run from AND one from 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:26.320 two thousand three to two thousand eight probably made a 0:07:26.360 --> 0:07:29.600 few million dollars and I spend it all, blew it off. 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.480 You didn't invest any of it. Um. When the recession 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:36.240 came two thousand nine, I'd take out my savings and 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:37.720 I was like living off the savings for a while, 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:39.600 and that ran lowd next to you know, that was 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:43.520 gone to Yeah, but but I didn't say yeah. I 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.160 didn't say well, I didn't have like a six figure 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.000 at the time, so it was like a little bit. 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:49.800 But yeah, then it was TV dinners and a lot 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.360 of people might not know this. For me to make 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:56.160 ends meet during two thousand nine, I actually kept a 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.720 box of like seventy five of my AND one jerseys, 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.800 like game jersey. I don't even know, like I gave 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:03.320 a good share away, but for some reason I would 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:06.080 always keep them often and do them a box, and 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:09.360 then I actually ended up selling them on eBay anonymously, 0:08:10.320 --> 0:08:12.800 and I made ends me like that for about six months, 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:14.440 for more than six months because some of them were 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.800 they were going from like three to seven hundred dollars 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:21.360 a couple of thousand. So yeah, and you were personally 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:24.920 doing this personally. Yeah, I love to hear that. That's 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:27.200 how you know the struggle was real. It was really, Yeah, 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:28.920 it was real. I only kept like I think I 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:31.040 only kept two and one jersey, like my first one. 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:32.800 I had a game, win a shot in medicine square guard. 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:34.800 I kept that jersey and I kept my very first one. 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:37.600 Did you ever offer to like sign it for more? 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:39.920 Did you ever spill the tea that hate? This is 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:42.400 the Yeah. So what happened with the very first one 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:44.400 I uploaded? I didn't do it anonymously. It was like 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:46.000 asked me. You know, I was holding it, but then 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:47.520 I just like I was like I was like branding 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:49.280 wise and just don't look right, you know. I was 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.000 like in my room holding it up. Remember I told 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:54.280 some girls take the photo like this one. You know. 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:58.079 It's like when digital cameras first came out, photos like 0:08:58.160 --> 0:08:59.720 Dusty Doll I was like, now you're gonna do this 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:01.840 no more? Or so because I saw other people were 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:03.960 selling the same jerseys. You know, they sounded like seven 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:05.360 hundred bucks, and I was like, oh, you don't need 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:07.280 a face to that. You know, maybe I could have 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.280 put a face when sold it for more, but I 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.360 wasn't about any risk at that time, like my hands smart, 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:15.680 make our money. You thought a short term and long 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:18.520 term and that you were like, so, then how did 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:22.840 you pivot out of the whole TV dinner state? Because 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:24.560 obviously it was the last time you ate this meal 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:29.960 l okay for sure, so you've you've pivoted out. What 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.520 was the pivot to get you out of the hole. Well, 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:34.559 two thousand nine was a pivotal a year for me 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.280 because I actually started my YouTube channel. So today I'm 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:42.920 most known for my YouTube channel social media. Yeah, praise guy. 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:45.440 I was looked out, but now at the time, yeah, 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.160 I started my YouTube channel. My whole YouTube channel became 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.640 business like overnight, I had a video did forty two 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.840 million views. You said overnight, but this was when YouTube 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:57.280 had first peaked. You jumped on right, Well, YouTube actually started, 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.800 so a lot of people know YouTube started two thousand four. Yeah, 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:03.360 YouTube started, oh four, I wish it would start. Reverend started. 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:07.080 But then by about two thousand nine, I actually knew 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:09.240 five people who were making ten grand a month on YouTube, 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.000 and so I remember I asked, when you know you 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:12.480 can you show me how to do it or whatever? 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.199 I end up signed with this agency. He showed me 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:19.160 a few things, and then uh about had some viral 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:21.560 content like this. This one video did six million views 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:23.920 in a week. And then my channel with remember I 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:27.000 had seventeen thousand views and it went from seventeen thousand 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:31.920 to six hundred fifty thousand subscribers in one week. Yeah, 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:35.120 it was like a business overnight. Literally, So you were like, 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:38.480 and then what was it like in at first check? Now? 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:41.960 It it it was YouTube that sents you to check right Google? Google? 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:44.800 Were you? Were you shocked? Did they call you and 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:46.840 tell you it wasn't just a check arrives in your mailbox? 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:49.480 You're like, what is this? Oh? Just check arrives? You know, 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.120 I mean their payroll If you look at Google's payrolls 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:54.800 and nuts like, I have five point five million subs 0:10:54.840 --> 0:11:00.200 and I'm like the biggest channel on YouTube. Ye up, 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:02.840 So but what was it like in that check. Getting 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:04.280 the check as thrilled, you know. I mean I was 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:08.320 learning some hood department in a Canoga park and you know, 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:09.880 still kind of trying to make ends meet. We had 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.800 we had a we had a salary deal with ball up, 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:14.160 so it was like stinny, you know. I mean I 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:17.680 was actually comfortable at the time, but check was nice. Yeah, 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:19.840 And I'm so you handled your money and looked at 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.640 everything so much more differently. Oh man, Yeah, I learned. 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.240 You learned a lot losing a few million dollars you should, 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:27.920 you know, So I learned a lot with that, and 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.120 uh yeah, I just saved. I don't even know that 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:33.440 I really explurged on any that. I probably aoust clothes 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:37.079 in there, but that was about it. Yeah. So there 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.439 was no like real dark moment where you were like 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.160 almost like I've had moments where I've like literally called 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:45.599 on her desk and called a mentor like, oh, this 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:49.000 company's it's done, it's going it's going down, and I'm 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:52.160 going down with it. Like yeah, it was dark. I 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.120 mean he got really dark. My best friend actually passed away. 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:57.680 He was he was my teammate. He was he was 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.600 like this big dude actually had a heart attack, rescue, 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.160 peace of my homie escalates. So um, yeah, for me, 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.800 like with that whole his death, me gonna broke. That's 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:09.880 definitely like a pivotal time in my life for sure. 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:13.960 Did you go into the feel sorry for yourself mode? 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:15.880 And I hate to say that but for lack of 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:18.440 better word, And then like what was the thing that 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:22.280 carried you out of the storm? Um? I mean for me, 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:23.600 it's like a faith thing, you know what I mean. 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:28.400 I actually actually became Christian at his funeral. At his funeral, 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.280 so that was that was big for me. Um. And 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:33.680 then yeah, I think there's probably like feeling sorry for 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:36.800 myself and they kind of like wondered how opportunity, how 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:39.760 I learned, like how fleeting fame could be, you know 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:41.439 what I mean. It's like I used to have hired 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:43.360 security with that one if I would go to like 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.240 a basketball event or like something like that, and then 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:48.760 what I would go to basketball events after and one 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:52.160 ended like one person might recognize me maybe, And that 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:53.480 taught me a lot of it was just like what 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:56.440 And then I was just shocked because I always get 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:59.080 calls for you know, bookings and games, and the companies 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.439 call me. I'm like, well, there's too many things to do. 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:05.280 I can't find hardly anything from work other than like 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:07.240 maybe like training somebody for an hour and showing some 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:09.320 ball him and stuff, which I you know, going from 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:11.720 like TV show fame, you don't really want to be 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:16.880 a trainer. Yes, So I have to ask and I 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.680 have to go there. So you know, when you think 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:25.120 of balling and street balling, you think black people. You know. 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:27.839 I have to ask though, Like you know, I'm sure 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:29.840 you've heard people compare you to like the Eminem of 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:37.800 basketball maybe my whole life. How did that make you feel? Oh? Um? 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.720 I just had like a sense of gratitude because I 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:45.720 worked so hard at basketball for so long, and you know, 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:47.440 come eighteen years old, didn't look like it was gonna 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:49.360 pay off, you know, but all all of a sudden 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:54.040 that you know, preparation meets opportunity moment happened for me, 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:55.640 you know, to be able to plan and make same 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:57.640 tour and then so whatever came after that, I don't 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.080 even care. I was just I was just grateful to 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:01.200 have have a gig then have like an audience. You know, 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:05.360 so they say eminem street ball or I mean technically 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:08.400 eminem is one of the greatest rappers of all time. Like, 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:11.840 you can't say you're top ten in hip hop without 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:15.600 saying eminem. You forget eminem. You quickly go back and 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.560 you say, wait, wait, let me swap out somebody else. 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:22.320 So to be compared to someone that can handle that industry, 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:26.080 it's it's it is a huge compliment. Oh yeah, I 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:32.800 consider a compliment blessing growing up beyond repeat repeat, Yeah, yeah, 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:34.840 I mean for me, yeah, I was always trying to 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:44.440 just resting gratitude for the opportunity to So what is 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:48.080 the one lesson that you've learned from like when you started, 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.920 So like a lesson that you carried to date, or 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.360 even just one pivotal lesson that you carry with you 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:59.000 that you always tell yourself you always have to reprove yourself. 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:02.760 So like a lot of times people will talk to me, now, man, 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:04.800 you're a legend, you know what I mean, Like you've 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.560 done it, you know. But the funny thing is, every 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:10.440 time you're in a game or a situation, you always 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:12.760 have to like reprove yourself for that to keep going. 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.080 So I've had a career like eighteen years long, but 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:17.640 it was always a series of like ups and downs 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:19.400 like a big roller coaster, but always have to like 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.240 reprove yourself that you belong in that slot, you know, 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:25.480 similar to like eminem right, he had like crappy album 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.960 to three albums ago slander and hate, but then he 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:31.800 like bounced back with the okay, solid one and then 0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:34.760 he had like a banger and now back to the legend. 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:36.640 You know what I mean, it's always a roller coaster. 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:39.640 So I think always knowing that you have to re 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.040 reprove yourself again and again it's good for like longevity. 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.320 But when you think about m or you or you know, 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.560 like people hear the professor are like, oh, oh, we 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.240 know who that is. You know, so it's like to 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.480 see to see reinvent yourself or what did you say 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:58.760 was read always had to reprove yourself yourself. Yeah, I 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.920 think always staying dedicated craft and having that preparation is 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:03.480 the way you can bring out like you said that 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:07.200 diamonds there. It takes. It takes hardwork and dedication all 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:08.800 the way through. You can never feel like I made 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:10.600 it and kick your feet up. Yeah, you know, that's 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:12.120 that's kind of the truth. But what do you say 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:16.920 to the kid that you know Aspires loves basketball. Either 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.840 he's too short or he's too you know, he's just 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:23.480 he doesn't have the skills quite yet. And you know, 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.600 right now it's like he's getting past on every team. 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.560 Do you know what can you say to that kid 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:33.360 that's like, don't you know? What I would say is 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:35.080 there is no such thing it's too short. It's just 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.720 that the smaller and height and the and the less 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:39.520 strength you have, the more skilled you'll have to be. 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:42.680 That's a general rule. So there's no sense. So when 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:47.000 parents will often say, oh, little Mike, he's trying to 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.200 make it, but he's too short, I'll be like I would, 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:54.360 but I was watching, but it was like, how tall, Lizzy. 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:57.520 You know it's nice? Right, So so yeah, you you 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:00.120 can be short, but a lot of skills the will 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.280 have to come into that. But I would say, you know, 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.160 persistence of sticking with some something is huge. I think 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:07.560 Jay Z had a good quote. They asked him, they 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:09.479 were like, what's the most genius thing you ever did? 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.359 And he just said like he never gave up. And 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:15.119 I think that's big because office people who stick with 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:18.399 something the longest end up winning because everybody's always kind 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:19.960 of like trying to find where they fit in or 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:21.840 what they want to do. But people try things out 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:23.760 and they go do something else. They try things out 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.080 something else, whether it's like you know, whether in viteography, music, sports, 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:29.919 or anything like. If you can actually just stick with 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.919 it consistently home the craft, then you might find a 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.040 lot of success. But it might be way down the road. 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:37.720 So for that kid who's getting cut from his team 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:41.000 or not not sitting right now, I would just encourage 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:42.639 if it's your passion and you have fun and you 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:44.879 love doing it, I would say, oh, definitely stick with it, 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.480 you know, because there's opportunities even now with YouTube. The 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.280 YouTube basketball communities like a building thing. So technically if 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.840 you couldn't play college, you couldn't play pro, there might 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.359 actually be a slot for you. Just depends, like if 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:57.640 you can get an audience, you know what I mean. 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.680 So to get your ball handling skills at the level 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:03.800 that you have yours, because I would never even dream sure, 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:06.679 I'm gonna I'm gonna go. I would never even dream 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.120 of trying to go up against anybody with your ball 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.359 handling skills. But um, to get them at that level, 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:17.000 what do you take on? Like the hardest player and 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:21.280 say mentor me, or like, how do you get those skills? 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.840 While you answer that, I'll eat a nugget. I think 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.640 elite training is actually very important. So I had a 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:32.280 great trainer round in fifth grade. Shout out to Rodney Howard. 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:36.879 He taught me some really foundational ball handling skills, what 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.960 literally what I wasn't like. Actually the fourth grade first 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:41.879 taught me like in and out, in and out crossing, 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.800 you tell me, like the Allen Iverson Crossover. And I 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.399 mastered to Allen Iverson Crossover when I was in fifth grade, 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:49.840 and I could like cross grown Man, Like I was 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:51.440 literally as tall as this table right here, but I 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:53.960 could like cross grown Man and like crowds would go crazy. 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.679 So having that elite training at a young age was big. 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.399 You think the younger the better. I think, no, no, no. 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:03.000 I think if you're like super little, you should just 0:19:03.040 --> 0:19:05.240 learned to like the game, because if you're gonna make 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:06.600 it, it it needs to be your passion. You need to 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:09.959 really enjoy just just the whole culture of it, you know, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.280 playing the game everything. So I learned to just enjoy. 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:14.280 I think by about middle school you should try to 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:16.919