WEBVTT

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Welcome back to Entirely NBA, hosted by Entirely

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Media. I'm your host, Darion Robinson. Kyle Murph,

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what's good? We got a special guest with us today,

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Michael Carter -Williams. What's going on, bro?

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Ain't nothing, bro. Thanks for having me. I appreciate

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it. I want to ask you this question. What's the

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hardest part about being an NBA player? Definitely

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the travel. Just, you know, the mental drain,

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the physical drain that it has on you, you know.

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being in different time zones, waking up, you

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know, being tired. The travel, you know, takes

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a toll on you. Yeah, I've heard that a lot. So

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how do you actually deal with that? And it's

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not something you can really take out of it.

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It's part of the process, right? So not even

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deal with it. How do you learn to cope or make

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that something that doesn't weigh on you so heavily?

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Just stagger sleep, like, you know, try to sleep.

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you know during the plane rides you know make

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sure naps are you know essential in in the routine

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um that's something that i always did was you

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know try to get a nap before you know every game

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um just to be real scheduled on that on my sleep

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now during this time as you have started seeing

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other opportunities other than basketball do

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you still follow that same regimen that same

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scheme that same schedule no i haven't honestly

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okay okay i like i just last year was the first

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year that that I didn't play, the first season

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that I didn't play. So it's been an adjustment

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period for me. Like I'm trying to still get adjusted

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to my daily routines, what that looks like, things

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I'm doing, you know, off the floor. But I'm getting,

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I'm starting to feel like, okay, like I need

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to go back to, you know, even doing some hoop

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workouts, like just, you know, staying active,

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staying in the game. You know, I just, I'm still

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trying to figure that out. I'm still trying to

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figure out what that looks like for me. my daily

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routine and, you know, how I can, you know, most

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benefit as for, for, you know, as a human being

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for that. Kind of backpedaling. Do you think

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that, um, like not having that sleep, did that

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affect or that traveling? Did that affect your,

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your play in the game? Sometimes, sometimes,

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definitely some days I'll go into the game a

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little, you know, with a little bit more energy

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than, than others. Um, you know, you just get

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tired, you know, especially on the back to backs.

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Like if you, if you play in, you know, LA, and

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then you play a Sacramento on a back, that's

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a short distance, but you know, even the longer,

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you know, distance from Portland to Sacramento,

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like a back -to -back, you know, waking up on

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that, you know, second back -to -back and some

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days, some guys, some, some seasons, man, we

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got like, we had the 12, 1130 game on a back

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-to -back. Like I remember a couple of years

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ago, I think they took them out now, but, but

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for sure. The league, they schedule for that,

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though, right? They make sure. Don't they put

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that together, like making sure you're not going

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from Cali to New York? No, no, no. They don't

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do it like Cali to New York, but there's other

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distance. You go on a West Coast trip, you could

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get a little three-, four -hour flight that,

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you know, on a back -to -back night where, you

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know, they should just throw one day in between.

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They get you sometimes, though. For sure it does.

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For sure. So, all right, let's jump right into

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Syracuse because I want to talk about this part

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of it. And I've watched, trust me, like when

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we said these interviews, the research that we

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try to do is pretty immense, right? So I've watched

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pretty much every interview you did. So some

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of this I know is going to be like a rerun for

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you. But I want to obviously do this in a way

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that provides maybe a different perspective.

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So when we talk about Syracuse, obviously being

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the guy up until this point, you know, being

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behind three other guards. I want to ask you,

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what the hell kept you from transferring out

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when you were getting little to no playing time?

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I know that's frustrating. So why didn't you

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transfer out? The honest answer is I knew that

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the platform, the keys to the car, would be mine

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the next year. Oh, okay. Nah, nah, nah. How'd

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you know that? How'd you know that? Well, because

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Dion was going to leave. We knew Dion was going

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to leave. Scoop was a fifth -year senior, so

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he was going to leave, right? So it was going

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to be me and Brandon. you know as the as the

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you know and it was up in the air if brandon

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was going to leave so like i knew that you know

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but like nobody was going to take that spot for

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me that that next year if i all the dues that

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i paid my freshman year of but there was plenty

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of times where i threatened to leave where i

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was like i'm out of here like there was plenty

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of times but then i you'd always have that little

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grace period where you sit down and you think

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about it and you're like, damn, if I leave and

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go somewhere else, then I got to sit out a year.

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This was back when the transfer and you couldn't

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just transfer and play that year. So I'd have

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to sit out that year and then wait for my junior

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year. I was like, it just doesn't make sense

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for me. If I know I'm going to sit here and play

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here and I've been working my ass off this whole

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year, I've been competing in practice every single

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day, every day were wars in practice. there was

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no reason for, you know, it wasn't a good idea

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for me to leave. I just thought that like the

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best thing for people, it was frustrating. It

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was hard. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I want to pivot

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real quick because we just came off an interview

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with Jeremy Lamb. And so I want to ask you then,

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because you said it yourself, you said, I knew

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I was going to play. Ain't nobody taking that

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spot for me. That's confidence in its finest.

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He said that he didn't have that type of confidence.

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So I want to ask you, when the hell did you know

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you were the man? When, when did that confidence

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come for you? I think. And during our, like I

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said, our practices were wars. During those practices,

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when I, you know, the days I got the better of

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Scoop or Brandon or even Deion, I was like, man,

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like these guys are playing at the next level

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somewhere. You know, Deion was definitely getting

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drafted, right? Like playing ones with him, like

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if I can do well and be successful against him

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and Scoop and Brandon, I was like, okay, then

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I know I can, you know, be successful at the

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next level. That's what really kind of opened

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my eyes. Like, oh, yeah, like I can play at the

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highest level of this game. But yeah, like our

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first unit was like Scoop, Brandon, Chris Joseph,

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James Sutherland, and Fab Mello. And our second

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unit was, our second unit was me, Dion, CJ Fair,

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Rakim Christmas, and By Musakita. So we had like,

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we had a crazy, we had a crazy second unit. Like

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sometimes, you know, second unit would get the

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better of our first unit, you know, vice versa.

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So like every day was, every day was a war. And

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I knew that, that was getting me ready to play

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in that next level. So that gave me a lot of

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confidence. With that confidence, did you still

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put the work into that next summer going into

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your sophomore year? Or was it just like you

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kind of just knew? Did the coach come up to you

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and ask you, like, hey, look, here's the keys

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to the car. You got to lead us. Is that what

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they did to you? Yeah, I mean, it was kind of

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like a, even during the year, like I was the

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first one to practice, last one to leave. Like

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I would like basketball was my outlet, like getting

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all my frustration out, like playing scrimmages

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in the practices were like games to me because

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like I wouldn't play. I remember Coach Hopkins

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and I, we got into it. And that's like he was

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like a big like an uncle, big brother figure

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to me, you know, when I was at Syracuse and he

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he subbed me out during practice. And I was like,

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man, you subbed me out there in practice. You

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know, I don't play in the game like I was going

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at him because he subbed me out. and like we

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were like face to face damn near and actually

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he had one of me on the nose a little bit i kind

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of i owe him one for that but uh he but yeah

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like so every single day you know i try to do

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my best and that that carried over to the summer

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for me to you know really prepare myself because

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everything that i was asking for everything that

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i was bitching about You know, all that was like,

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okay, now it's your turn. So now I was like,

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all right, I got to be ready now because everything

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I asked for now is on the table for me. I got

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to be ready to go get it. I like that. So let's

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fast forward just a little bit there. After eight

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double -doubles you had your sophomore year,

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I think five of those were in a row, what, almost

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12 points. I think it was like seven assists,

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five rebounds, and then almost damn near three

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steals, which, first of all, that defense aspect

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has always been a staple in your career. We're

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going to talk about that. But what was the atmosphere

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like around campus at Syracuse when you guys

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made it to the Final Four that year? It was lit.

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Every game we won in the tournament, when we

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come back home, it was exciting. You guys know

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Syracuse, they don't have an NBA team. All of

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us are the stars in the city. Every single game,

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we got... immense support from our you know from

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everyone all our fans everyone at the school

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um it was a good time so how was that transition

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after you know the um the tough losses in the

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final four how was that transition transition

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to getting ready for the draft to go into the

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nba the next year after you knew he was headed

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up um it was a lot like everything just kind

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of happened so fast um actually my my house had

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burnt down during the yeah but during the the

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tournament um and you know i i probably was going

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to enter the draft anyway i had a good tournament

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i you know did well but like that was the final

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stamp for me to be like okay things are a little

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rocky in my family like i got it like there's

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no turning back there's no thinking about going

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back to college like i'm going to the nba um

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so i kind of was dealing with a lot you know

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going into the draft um but you know i just let

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you know i leaned on my family leaned on my agents

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and you know going through the pre -draft stuff

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working out um adjusting to you know the lifestyle

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um it was a lot a lot was coming at coming at

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me at once did you have like a thought process

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of what number you're going in um yeah i knew

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i think i knew i was going to go lottery my agent

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was confident that i was going to go lottery

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i was nervous though because i didn't want to

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be that guy that you know the camera panned to

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like every time somebody was you know did get

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drafted so um i did well in my workouts for teams

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i got invited back by a few teams But it was

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a good process. It was a cool process. It was

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a long summer, man. I couldn't wait to be done

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with it. Those emotions, especially with a traumatic

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situation like that with your house, being able

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to make it there and get to the NBA, like financially

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help your family, did that take off some pressure

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or did that just make you want to work even harder

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to go even further in your career? Yeah, no,

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it definitely took off some pressure. I was obviously

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able to help out financially. My brothers and

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sisters lost everything. A lot of my stuff was...

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All my clothes and material stuff was in at Syracuse,

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but they lost kind of all their stuff. So being

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able to help them out, being able to help my

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family out, that took a lot of pressure off from

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me and my family. Well, good. I'm glad you were

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able to help with that because that's a big step

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for you as a man. Right. Now, 76ers. In a process

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year, which has been the staple of that damn

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city and team for too long. You had lost 26 straight

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games that year. I mean, obviously you yourself

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had a lot of usage. Number one, congratulations

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on that. Appreciate you. No problem. You were

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also hitting that rookie wall. So, I mean, I

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got to ask, as a man, how did you maintain your

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professionalism and your play that year? Man,

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it was a learning experience for me. Hitting

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that rookie wall was crazy. I remember trying

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to sneak in 10, 15 -minute naps on the bus before

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games. That was probably the most tired year

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I've ever experienced in my life. But I was grateful

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for the opportunity just to go out and hoop and

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be in the NBA. I was a kid who worked my whole

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life to get to the NBA. And I was excited to

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play against different guys, going against Brown,

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going against Steph, Westbrook. D Rose like you

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know playing against the guys that I watched

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growing up I'm like man like I finally get to

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do that so there was some excitement there and

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then all the other stuff that you know happened

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um you know losing 26 games straight You're having

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new teammates every other game. That was hard

00:12:07.830 --> 00:12:09.929
to deal with. As a competitor, that was hard.

00:12:10.230 --> 00:12:12.750
Most of my life, I've won games. I've been a

00:12:12.750 --> 00:12:16.809
winner on all my teams. So that was hard. I'm

00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:19.149
not going to lie. Those were some tough days

00:12:19.149 --> 00:12:24.070
where I was upset with losing. Not only losing,

00:12:24.210 --> 00:12:26.330
but just even going into games feeling like...

00:12:26.669 --> 00:12:28.889
You know, we're heavily, heavily outmatched.

00:12:28.929 --> 00:12:30.570
Like I'll never go in a game and be like, we're

00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:32.629
going to lose. But like to look over on the other

00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:35.190
side and be like, you know how everybody, you

00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:36.990
know, games like that where you're just like,

00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:40.490
man, like we got to go through this again. And

00:12:40.490 --> 00:12:42.690
it was like we'd be close. We'd be so close.

00:12:42.769 --> 00:12:45.389
And it was like teams would just chill like against

00:12:45.389 --> 00:12:47.269
us for the first three quarters. And then the

00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:51.889
fourth turn up and we would lose. How do you

00:12:51.889 --> 00:12:54.110
think winning rookie of the year impacted your

00:12:54.110 --> 00:12:58.789
career? I think it put a staple on my career.

00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:01.509
I mean, first, I mean, to me, it was an accomplishment

00:13:01.509 --> 00:13:04.090
that, you know, that I'll obviously remember

00:13:04.090 --> 00:13:06.809
forever. You know, it brought light to my name.

00:13:06.850 --> 00:13:09.710
People knew who I was. It's funny, though. No

00:13:09.710 --> 00:13:11.629
one had picked me to win Rookie of the Year before,

00:13:11.710 --> 00:13:14.809
you know, before I got, you know, drafted. Right.

00:13:15.690 --> 00:13:18.570
But then, you know, the comments are being made

00:13:18.570 --> 00:13:20.350
that I won Rookie of the Year and, you know,

00:13:20.370 --> 00:13:23.980
my career seesawed a little bit. From the beginning,

00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:26.580
I don't think anyone had me winning Rookie of

00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:28.059
the Year or doing the things that I was able

00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:31.399
to do in the NBA. So to me, it's a real accomplishment

00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:34.360
for me. But obviously, it was tough. It put a

00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:36.379
target on my back. A lot of the guys, I was getting

00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:38.179
attention, a lot of the guys in the league, especially

00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:42.860
when I was a rookie. I remember even bringing

00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:46.899
out the best of guys because I was heavily favored

00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:48.580
for Rookie of the Year. So it was good, though.

00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:51.899
It was fun. It was competitive. I wouldn't want

00:13:51.899 --> 00:13:54.120
it any other way. So with that being said, do

00:13:54.120 --> 00:14:00.399
you think that you got a lot of criticism for

00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.679
being Rookie of the Year of the bad draft year

00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:07.700
when you came in? Yeah, I mean, I think that's

00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:09.200
a misconception. I don't think we had it. It

00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:10.740
was a bad draft year. If you look at everybody

00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:16.840
who panned out, our draft was solid. It was definitely

00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:23.179
solid. I think, like I said before, it's an accomplishment

00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:28.659
that I'm happy with. People always say, I peaked

00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:30.700
at my first game. I don't know what else you

00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:32.440
wanted. I don't even know how I'm supposed to

00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:36.879
get nine steals twice in my career. Having 22,

00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:44.399
12, 7, 9. Not many people can do that once. Obviously,

00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:48.549
it's a... But hey. I'll take it any day of the

00:14:48.549 --> 00:14:51.350
week. That bothers me. People, I hadn't read

00:14:51.350 --> 00:14:54.710
that, but clearly you've heard it. People said

00:14:54.710 --> 00:14:56.549
you peaked after that first game. Yeah, I've

00:14:56.549 --> 00:14:58.149
heard it a bunch. You know, I mean, everyone,

00:14:58.250 --> 00:15:00.549
you know, fans love to talk. It's part of the

00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:02.110
game. Everybody got an opinion. It is what it

00:15:02.110 --> 00:15:05.490
is. Yeah, everybody has an opinion. That's wicked

00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:08.610
to me. So, I mean, in that rookie year, I think,

00:15:08.610 --> 00:15:12.149
what, season starts in October. So November 10th

00:15:12.149 --> 00:15:13.830
would have been maybe a week and a half into

00:15:13.830 --> 00:15:15.970
your season. You matched up against Kyrie and

00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:17.470
the Cavs. Do you remember that game, that double

00:15:17.470 --> 00:15:20.429
OT game? Yep, yep. I remember that game. I love

00:15:20.429 --> 00:15:23.830
that. So as a young rook coming in and I watched

00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:25.750
a hell of a game on your part, what was that

00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:28.509
like being matched up? Yeah, I mean, it was a

00:15:28.509 --> 00:15:31.490
point where, you know, again, like I'll watch

00:15:31.490 --> 00:15:34.389
guys and I'll be like, man. I can't believe I'm

00:15:34.389 --> 00:15:35.809
going against this dude. And that was another

00:15:35.809 --> 00:15:39.570
one. It was Kyrie, like, going against him. It

00:15:39.570 --> 00:15:41.529
was just exciting. Like, yeah, like, I always

00:15:41.529 --> 00:15:43.429
had the mindset of, like, guys are, you know,

00:15:43.450 --> 00:15:46.190
really, really good. But, you know, they were

00:15:46.190 --> 00:15:48.169
never really, really good against me until they

00:15:48.169 --> 00:15:49.750
are really good against me. You know what I mean?

00:15:50.190 --> 00:15:52.529
Going into that, it was just another one of those

00:15:52.529 --> 00:15:54.990
games where I was like, man, I got to win, you

00:15:54.990 --> 00:15:56.610
know, and I got to play well. And, you know,

00:15:56.649 --> 00:15:58.549
he's going to get the best version of myself.

00:15:58.970 --> 00:16:01.980
So then when we talk about. And I want to, I

00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:03.139
guess, transition. We'll come back to the guys

00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:04.440
you played against, but I want to talk about

00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.419
real quickly guys that you've played with. And,

00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:09.519
I mean, when we talk about your game and your

00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:13.659
mentality, Rondo, Kimba, CP3, Giannis, Wade,

00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:17.039
Harden, Jimmy, and Evan Turner. I threw him in

00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:19.019
there. I know his name is not huge like the rest

00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:21.200
of the guys, but Evan. I was about to say you

00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:24.679
snuck E .T. in there. I had to. I had to. How

00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:29.519
did being, at least viewing those guys, being

00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:31.940
around those guys, shape your understanding of

00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:34.679
the game and how you played? I mean, yeah, we

00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:36.559
talk about Evan, right? Like, he was big for

00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:38.899
me, you know, when I first, when I was a rookie,

00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:42.559
just in terms of, you know, having somebody to

00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:45.960
ask questions to, somebody to show me the NBA

00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.259
lifestyle, you know, kind of the ins and outs

00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:51.139
of the league, you know, what not to do, what

00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.360
to do, you know, kind of taking me under his

00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.889
wing a little bit. He did a lot for me. In terms

00:16:56.889 --> 00:17:00.730
of the other guys, I saw Rondo with how much

00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:04.990
he studied film and what really paying attention

00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:08.450
to the game does. um with jimmy you know he was

00:17:08.450 --> 00:17:11.849
the ultra ultra competitor um always you know

00:17:11.849 --> 00:17:14.170
always ready to compete um every single game

00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:17.410
you know he's he gives it it he gives it his

00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:20.069
all so it was cool to see that from you know

00:17:20.069 --> 00:17:23.089
a guy of his stature um i think you know same

00:17:23.089 --> 00:17:24.990
thing with chris paul you know ultra competitive

00:17:24.990 --> 00:17:28.529
guy um seeing somebody think the game like he

00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:31.289
does on the court you know similar to rondo um

00:17:31.289 --> 00:17:34.549
and janice just the the work that he put in was

00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.319
you know was crazy to see him go from him and

00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:39.220
i were you know around the same age at the time

00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:42.039
so and it was you know before he he blew up so

00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:43.859
to see the steps that he took to get to that

00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:47.140
level um you know was was inspiring it was cool

00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:49.700
like to be a part of that to you know help him

00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:52.880
out with you know things that he needed and you

00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.039
know building a friendship with him was was great

00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:58.339
and then with kemba um it was probably the first

00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.549
time i was able to see somebody lead just by

00:18:02.549 --> 00:18:04.390
being kind of who they are, right? Not even with

00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:06.789
their voice. Kemba wasn't a huge talker. He wasn't

00:18:06.789 --> 00:18:11.470
a rah -rah guy. He wasn't going to be in your

00:18:11.470 --> 00:18:14.410
face about things, but he was able to lead just

00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:20.170
by how hard he played. He just has natural leadership

00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:22.869
without using his voice. It's kind of a hard

00:18:22.869 --> 00:18:26.829
thing to explain, but if you want somebody to...

00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:29.200
you know, follow and lead the pack, you know,

00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:31.140
Kemba can do that without, like I said, without

00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.660
his voice. So all those guys are great. And I

00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:35.720
try to take bits and pieces from, you know, all

00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.900
of them. I got, I got excited because you brought

00:18:39.900 --> 00:18:42.339
this up when you talk about Kemba leading by

00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.599
example, one of the biggest knocks of my favorite

00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:49.680
all time player is Kevin Durant. Okay. So I want

00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:52.019
to hear from your perspective, if you've already

00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:54.460
seen him with Kemba. And obviously you're a player.

00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:56.940
You've seen it in real time, real live action.

00:18:57.420 --> 00:19:00.200
Can a player lead by example without having to

00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:02.539
be vocal like Kevin Durant gets knocked for?

00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:06.819
Yeah, I mean, if you look at KD's career and

00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:09.220
you see obviously the things that he's accomplished,

00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:13.319
but if you even look at his losses and the times

00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:17.059
that he's won, he's always performed. It's not

00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:21.400
like, was him being vocal going to change his

00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:25.349
big toe on the line? I guess. It wasn't going

00:19:25.349 --> 00:19:28.390
to do that. He played against Braun in Cleveland

00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:31.650
when they lost when he was with OKC. You can't

00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:37.549
fault him for that either. I'm not agreeing with

00:19:37.549 --> 00:19:41.890
KD isn't a good leader. I think he shows up every

00:19:41.890 --> 00:19:43.990
day and he plays to the best of his ability.

00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:49.000
I think he lets guys play their game. He let

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.500
Westbrook do his thing. Westbrook's numbers weren't

00:19:51.500 --> 00:19:54.160
going down when playing with KD. Steph's numbers

00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.720
weren't going down playing KD. Klay's numbers

00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.119
weren't going down. He lets guys develop and

00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:03.500
play their game alongside of him. I just think

00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:06.380
people are going to knock guys wherever. People

00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:08.680
hate on Bron, people hate on KD, people hate

00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:12.589
on Steph. you know, people who hate on Westbrook.

00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:14.650
Like, they're just going to find things to do

00:20:14.650 --> 00:20:18.230
because that's what critics and fans do. I think

00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:20.309
that people just kind of just dislike greatness.

00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:23.670
So when you're doing too well or if you hit some

00:20:23.670 --> 00:20:25.670
type of peak, everybody's just like, there's

00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:27.750
something wrong with this guy. Like, I think

00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:30.309
that's kind of wild. But still kind of talking

00:20:30.309 --> 00:20:31.809
about the fact that, like, the players that you

00:20:31.809 --> 00:20:35.009
play with, being drafted with Leonis, playing

00:20:35.009 --> 00:20:36.789
with Leonis, all that good stuff there. Like,

00:20:36.809 --> 00:20:38.650
can you talk about, like, you kind of watch them

00:20:38.650 --> 00:20:40.750
grow firsthand? Can you talk about how special

00:20:40.750 --> 00:20:44.009
Jabari Parker was if he wasn't injured? Like,

00:20:44.029 --> 00:20:45.569
what was that dynamic when you were over there?

00:20:46.089 --> 00:20:49.509
Yeah, I mean, for a while, there was a debate.

00:20:49.710 --> 00:20:51.849
Like, who's better right now, Jabari or Giannis?

00:20:51.950 --> 00:20:54.450
Like, who's going to be the guy on the team?

00:20:56.250 --> 00:20:59.589
And, yeah, no, he was real good, man. He still

00:20:59.589 --> 00:21:02.730
can move. Yeah, he's still good. I don't like

00:21:02.730 --> 00:21:04.730
using the word was when people are playing. But,

00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:09.809
yeah, man, he... He can hoop. His injuries definitely

00:21:09.809 --> 00:21:12.609
affected him. A lot of his game was athleticism,

00:21:12.609 --> 00:21:17.150
getting to the rim. I think mentally, I think

00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:19.069
the difference between the two of them is mental,

00:21:19.210 --> 00:21:21.369
and you can't really blame Jabari on that for

00:21:21.369 --> 00:21:24.400
all the injuries that he has gone through. And,

00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:26.240
you know, getting traded and being on different

00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:29.500
teams, it's not an easy thing. And not everybody,

00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:33.039
you know, can adapt to it so quickly. So I think

00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:34.680
their career paths, you know, went different

00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:37.099
ways. Obviously injuries played a big part. But

00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:39.279
for a while, you know, it was like, man, like

00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:42.960
they're one and two, you know. And I don't know

00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:45.019
who knows which one is one and which one is two.

00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:49.769
That's crazy to think about. We were talking

00:21:49.769 --> 00:21:51.450
to somebody, and that's the exact conversation

00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:53.710
that was brought up. It's like if Jabari doesn't

00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:56.349
get hurt and I see you guys still get Chris Middleton

00:21:56.349 --> 00:22:00.150
and that team continues on, that's a scary lineup

00:22:00.150 --> 00:22:04.049
for a lot of years. It sure is. Well, I'm glad

00:22:04.049 --> 00:22:06.569
we're on the Bucs because I do have a quick question,

00:22:06.630 --> 00:22:08.490
and obviously we'll talk about more mental stuff

00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:10.789
with trades and stuff like that later. But that

00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:15.640
2015 -2016 year. Jason's kids, their style of

00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:17.980
coaching and motivation, I should say, towards

00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:21.900
you, for some, would push them to another level.

00:22:22.099 --> 00:22:24.900
And I mean a small amount, right? Like there's

00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.119
no way I would have been able to cope with some

00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.920
of the stuff that he was directing towards you.

00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:30.319
I'm not saying it was wrong, but that's how it

00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:32.460
works sometimes. So it did the opposite for you.

00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:34.500
It kind of stripped your confidence. And those

00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:37.039
were your words in the article I read. So, man,

00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:39.259
what do you think went wrong between you two?

00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:43.720
It's tough. It's tough to talk about because

00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:47.380
I think that I'm at a place in my life where

00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:51.059
I'm not trying to hold animosity towards anybody.

00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:54.720
I'm not trying to talk bad about anybody. It's

00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:57.680
been a long time. But I think if I evaluate the

00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:59.759
situation, and even like you said, there's a

00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.200
small percentage of people that would have advanced.

00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:07.380
I think if I came out and told stories about...

00:23:07.789 --> 00:23:10.650
you know him and i's arguments our conversations

00:23:10.650 --> 00:23:13.250
the things that he did to me yeah and you guys

00:23:13.250 --> 00:23:15.529
knew that background i don't even think you would

00:23:15.529 --> 00:23:17.829
say a small amount of people would succeed in

00:23:17.829 --> 00:23:21.349
that i just don't see a way where you know the

00:23:21.349 --> 00:23:23.349
the things that him and i went through where

00:23:23.349 --> 00:23:27.769
anybody could succeed um yeah and i don't know

00:23:27.769 --> 00:23:32.180
i i i would hope he's I get asked about him in

00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:35.559
a lot of interviews, so again, I try not to just

00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:38.259
sit here and bash him. There's things that he

00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:41.220
does great, and I give him credit for it. His

00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:44.819
in -game adjustments, the approach that he takes

00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:47.660
about teammates trusting each other and communication

00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:50.799
that he forces on guys. Some things he does the

00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:52.519
best I've ever seen, but then there were some

00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.640
things that him and I went through that were...

00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:57.779
And I know he went through it with other guys

00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:00.380
that... You know, that's for me is unforgivable.

00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:02.779
Right. Like I can't you know, there's there's

00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:05.640
no excuses for those things. And a lot it played

00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:09.319
a big part on on my career. But I don't blame

00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:11.599
him for nothing. I don't like I'm a man at the

00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:13.240
end of the day. I take full responsibility for

00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:16.099
everything that I did. But, you know, that's

00:24:16.099 --> 00:24:19.380
that's probably what I got to say about it. That's

00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:24.119
such a mature and responsible answer. And number

00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:26.869
one, the big thing of. That we're trying to do

00:24:26.869 --> 00:24:28.809
with what we're doing here on this pod is kind

00:24:28.809 --> 00:24:31.750
of, one, bridge the gap between normal people

00:24:31.750 --> 00:24:34.390
and players, right? So there's not as much animosity.

00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:37.910
But two, give you guys a platform to tell your

00:24:37.910 --> 00:24:40.950
side of stories where it just, the other media

00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:43.349
outlets can't, right? And so for you to sit here

00:24:43.349 --> 00:24:45.269
and tell me, you know, hey, it is what it is.

00:24:45.309 --> 00:24:47.190
It played out how it played out. And I'm not

00:24:47.190 --> 00:24:50.650
bashing someone, bro. Much respect. Appreciate

00:24:50.650 --> 00:24:52.849
you. Much respect. Because I know, especially

00:24:52.849 --> 00:24:54.430
with that, a lot of people would definitely just

00:24:54.430 --> 00:24:56.670
like. Like, oh, this is my time to shine to be

00:24:56.670 --> 00:24:59.009
over here and just dog, just person out. Yeah,

00:24:59.069 --> 00:25:03.089
yeah, yeah. But I think a lot of people, yeah,

00:25:03.150 --> 00:25:05.190
a lot of people just need to communicate, learn

00:25:05.190 --> 00:25:07.549
that different people take different types of

00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:11.009
communication. But like you said. Yeah, you know

00:25:11.009 --> 00:25:14.089
how words carry on and, you know, they can turn

00:25:14.089 --> 00:25:16.509
into something. My bad. They can turn into something

00:25:16.509 --> 00:25:19.470
that's, you know, it's just not needed, right?

00:25:19.490 --> 00:25:22.789
Like, whatever happened, happened. It is what

00:25:22.789 --> 00:25:25.339
it is. You know, I felt the way he felt the way.

00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:28.460
Still kicking. Right. Moving forward. Exactly.

00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:32.759
All right. Now, 2016, 2017, the year was going

00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:36.059
well. Rondo got hurt. Give me an example of the

00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:38.519
experience of what it was playing with like Rondo,

00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:41.200
Jimmy, Wade, like just that solid team that you

00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:44.220
had over in Chicago. Yeah, it was it was crazy.

00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:46.599
It was an up and down year. But during the playoffs,

00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:50.579
it was cool to see like a guy of D Wade and a

00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:53.380
guy like Jimmy. you know their stature to kind

00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:56.240
of let rondo hold the keys for a little bit um

00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:58.680
so they basically rondo was like listen like

00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.859
i've been watching the film i feel like we can

00:26:00.859 --> 00:26:03.319
exploit this against the celtics on the offense

00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:06.380
um and they were they were locked in they were

00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:08.259
tuned in they were like okay let's let's do this

00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:10.920
and um once that happened i think we were up

00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:15.180
to 2 -0 um and then rondo got hurt but what he

00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:17.220
was showing us was working and we were like man

00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:19.640
like that like it was showed rondo's true just

00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:23.490
like His mindset, it showed his mind on display,

00:26:23.730 --> 00:26:27.289
his knowledge of the game. And it was cool to

00:26:27.289 --> 00:26:29.690
see, man. It was cool. I really feel like if

00:26:29.690 --> 00:26:31.150
he doesn't get hurt, I feel like we win that

00:26:31.150 --> 00:26:33.150
series. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And that's

00:26:33.150 --> 00:26:36.630
why, because these were kind of like not the

00:26:36.630 --> 00:26:38.609
downside, but the back ends of their career,

00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:41.250
of Rondo and Wade's career. And so I don't think

00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:43.710
it was expected for y 'all to go as far as y

00:26:43.710 --> 00:26:48.759
'all did because of that situation. But what

00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:52.359
role did you play on that team? My role was up

00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:54.180
and down that whole year. I'm not going to lie.

00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:57.180
Like I went from games where Jimmy was hurt.

00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:02.500
I was starting to and playing well to to, you

00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:04.519
know, I had like DMPs that year, like didn't

00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:06.259
play any games, didn't dress for some games.

00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:09.799
Right. So my role was up and down. And kind of

00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:12.000
once you get into that mix, it's just, you know,

00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.390
people use them to stay ready. you know all the

00:27:14.390 --> 00:27:16.130
time in the nba just stay ready just stay ready

00:27:16.130 --> 00:27:18.490
so my minutes were up and down i was six man

00:27:18.490 --> 00:27:21.190
sometimes i i was you know backup point guard

00:27:21.190 --> 00:27:24.750
sometimes i wasn't um so it was it was like i

00:27:24.750 --> 00:27:27.170
said it was it was a crazy year it was fred hoiberg's

00:27:27.170 --> 00:27:30.130
first year coaching um so he was going through

00:27:30.130 --> 00:27:32.190
you know some of those things as a head coach

00:27:32.190 --> 00:27:34.150
for the first year so he was trying to figure

00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:37.190
things out um so it was a you know it was it

00:27:37.190 --> 00:27:39.009
was a cluster of things going on that year did

00:27:39.009 --> 00:27:41.009
you focus on a certain side of the other court

00:27:41.540 --> 00:27:44.519
Yeah, I was trying to focus on defense to get

00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:46.240
me on the court. I feel like a lot of the times,

00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:48.700
if guys are trying to work their way on the court,

00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:51.079
they should focus on the defensive end. If you're

00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:52.740
getting stops out there, if you're stopping guys,

00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.240
then you'll get on the court more because most

00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:57.799
teams have those guys that are already taking

00:27:57.799 --> 00:28:00.619
care of offense. Our game is so isolated right

00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:03.220
now, but two or three guys can carry a whole

00:28:03.220 --> 00:28:05.539
offense, and then the rest got to fill in the

00:28:05.539 --> 00:28:08.390
blanks. A lot of the times guys don't think,

00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:10.509
okay, if I can be a lockdown defender and guard

00:28:10.509 --> 00:28:12.430
the other team's best guy, I can find my way

00:28:12.430 --> 00:28:15.109
on the court. So that's what I was trying to

00:28:15.109 --> 00:28:17.589
do. I love that answer because we've seen it

00:28:17.589 --> 00:28:19.829
with DeJounte Murray. He talked about that when

00:28:19.829 --> 00:28:22.190
he was in San Antonio. So I got to ask, man,

00:28:22.269 --> 00:28:24.869
again, we talked about defense earlier on. What

00:28:24.869 --> 00:28:28.049
came, how the hell did you learn to focus on

00:28:28.049 --> 00:28:32.309
that so primarily? I think I figured it out just

00:28:32.309 --> 00:28:34.589
trying to. like like i said finding my way on

00:28:34.589 --> 00:28:36.390
the court right there was some times where i

00:28:36.390 --> 00:28:38.349
was out the lineup and i was like you know i

00:28:38.349 --> 00:28:42.109
gotta find a way and what's my way um again it

00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:44.329
wasn't gonna it wasn't gonna be me coming in

00:28:44.329 --> 00:28:46.829
and scoring 20 25 a night because i just they

00:28:46.829 --> 00:28:49.170
were there was the opportunity wasn't there like

00:28:49.170 --> 00:28:51.089
i would have tried to fight something that i

00:28:51.089 --> 00:28:53.130
couldn't be able to fight like it wouldn't have

00:28:53.130 --> 00:28:56.109
worked um so if i figured you know if i can guard

00:28:56.109 --> 00:28:58.400
the best player on the team if i can if i can

00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:00.440
be a pest on the defensive end you know kind

00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:02.119
of coach would have no choice and then i'll get

00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:04.180
more minutes and then okay i can sneak in offense

00:29:04.180 --> 00:29:07.079
here and there and keep building that up to eventually

00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:10.059
where you know i can be like okay now i can have

00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:11.839
a more of a significant role on the offensive

00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:14.240
end but the staple was always to you know be

00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:17.579
a lockdown defender I love that. Honestly, man,

00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:19.960
that's always been one of my favorite fucking

00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:22.140
things about the game is not only being able

00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:23.759
to get a bucket on someone, but if you can strap

00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:25.460
someone on the other end or at least make effective

00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:27.500
defensive plays, then that's how you become one

00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:30.099
of my favorite players, man. That's how I play

00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:32.240
ball. So I love it. Since you focus on defense

00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:34.799
so much, how was it like guarding? Who was your

00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:36.660
hardest person to guard? Because we was watching

00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:39.819
a clip of the double overtime with Kyrie, second

00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:42.710
week in the game, and you have to guard. one

00:29:42.710 --> 00:29:44.190
of the most elite point guards. So, like, who's

00:29:44.190 --> 00:29:46.289
the hardest person you ever guarded? Man, that's

00:29:46.289 --> 00:29:48.829
tough, right? It depends on the night. Like,

00:29:48.829 --> 00:29:52.190
guarding Kyrie when he's on is, you know, damn

00:29:52.190 --> 00:29:55.329
near impossible. Guarding Steph when, you know,

00:29:55.390 --> 00:29:57.109
guarding Steph in general is hard because he

00:29:57.109 --> 00:29:58.750
doesn't stop moving, so you've got to chase him

00:29:58.750 --> 00:30:02.740
everywhere. So, you know, that's another one.

00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.460
And then Westbrook, when he was, you know, when

00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:07.759
he was having that role where he was doing everything

00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:11.740
and he was in constant attack mode, you knew

00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:14.559
you were in for a long night there, too. All

00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:16.799
right. I want to talk about Charlotte again,

00:30:16.900 --> 00:30:18.900
especially since we're coming off of Jay Lamb.

00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:22.900
Lambo. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my guy. I want

00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:26.079
to focus actually on Dwight Howard for a second.

00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:31.680
No funny stuff. You know what we're about now.

00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:33.900
No funny stuff. It's basketball. Right, yes.

00:30:34.140 --> 00:30:37.059
I get it. So at that time when you were there

00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:39.160
and you guys were together, Dwight was 32 years

00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:42.279
old. He played in damn near, I think he only

00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:44.779
missed one game that year, 81 out of 82. But

00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:47.859
he was averaging almost 17 points, 12 and a half

00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:51.160
boards, and almost two blocks. So what do you

00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:53.319
think in your opinion on Dwight Howard? What

00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:56.190
was the most slept on quality about him? I think

00:30:56.190 --> 00:30:58.250
you said it right, him and the ability to come

00:30:58.250 --> 00:31:01.210
in and get those numbers every single night.

00:31:03.269 --> 00:31:06.869
Yeah, it's tough because no knock on Dwight,

00:31:06.970 --> 00:31:09.349
like I said, he can come in and give you those

00:31:09.349 --> 00:31:13.670
numbers. But I think it was just the other things

00:31:13.670 --> 00:31:18.769
that people, not even off the court stuff, I'm

00:31:18.769 --> 00:31:23.640
saying on the court stuff, I think that... I

00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:25.599
think that same year, right, he averaged those

00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:27.779
numbers, but he also led the league in offensive

00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:29.799
fouls, and he also led the league in travels.

00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:36.279
And some things that he would voice to the team,

00:31:36.420 --> 00:31:38.359
and again, Dwight's a, you know what I mean,

00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:40.980
I liked him as a player. He's a good dude, a

00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:44.019
good player. No knocking on him, but I think

00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:46.099
the reason why people would start to be like,

00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:50.200
eh, on him, given those numbers, was because

00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:52.259
a lot of the times he would preach things, and

00:31:52.259 --> 00:31:54.799
then like, kind of do the opposite in the games.

00:31:54.960 --> 00:31:56.779
But, like, he would still get his numbers, though.

00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:58.859
You know what I mean? And, like, the defensive,

00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:02.920
you know, on defense, was he following the defensive

00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:05.859
plan where it wasn't affecting other guys and,

00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:08.380
you know, guys would get frustrated. But, I mean,

00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:10.400
it's hard to complain about a guy who does go

00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:12.880
out there and does get those numbers. So I think

00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:17.140
it was like a – the conversation is happening.

00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:20.579
about him because of those other things right

00:32:20.579 --> 00:32:23.660
if it was just he was averaging 16 12 whatever

00:32:23.660 --> 00:32:25.940
then there would be like no debate like what's

00:32:25.940 --> 00:32:28.099
going on here why isn't he getting the respect

00:32:28.099 --> 00:32:29.819
that he was supposed to be getting but i think

00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:31.460
it's because of those other things that people

00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:34.339
started to question like is this still the same

00:32:34.339 --> 00:32:37.839
delight as we've seen in a for a while bro that's

00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:41.299
interesting take i had uh you can't you can't

00:32:41.299 --> 00:32:44.920
you cannot average the most offensive fouls and

00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:48.069
travels in the same season like it's got to be

00:32:48.069 --> 00:32:50.690
one or the other you can't lead in both you know

00:32:50.690 --> 00:32:53.250
what i mean like and that was and i think like

00:32:53.250 --> 00:32:55.529
we had team meetings like yo bro like we gotta

00:32:55.529 --> 00:32:57.369
we gotta do this we gotta do that and it'd be

00:32:57.369 --> 00:32:59.309
like yeah yeah yeah yeah and then when we get

00:32:59.309 --> 00:33:02.569
on the court it'd be like what happened you think

00:33:02.569 --> 00:33:06.299
he just lacked like fundamentals like I don't

00:33:06.299 --> 00:33:09.819
know. I don't know. I don't know. I think he

00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:11.680
had a few bad habits. He'd spin baseline, step

00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:14.640
out of bounds. The game started to change a little

00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:19.319
bit. The flopping on defense started to come

00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:21.660
to play a little bit. The game evolves a little

00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:23.859
bit, and some guys adjust to it well, and some

00:33:23.859 --> 00:33:26.740
guys it takes a little longer. By no means, I

00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:31.819
think Dwight is a Hall of Famer. He's one of

00:33:31.819 --> 00:33:34.549
the best bigs to ever play our game. In his prime,

00:33:34.750 --> 00:33:37.089
he's one of the most unstoppable players that

00:33:37.089 --> 00:33:40.769
ever touched the ball. He could do a lot of things.

00:33:40.890 --> 00:33:42.930
He was even good as a backup big. He could do

00:33:42.930 --> 00:33:45.170
a lot of things. But I think if we are on the

00:33:45.170 --> 00:33:47.549
subject of what was going on with him, I think

00:33:47.549 --> 00:33:50.890
in having those numbers, I think explaining the

00:33:50.890 --> 00:33:53.890
other side, it kind of makes more sense to people.

00:33:54.029 --> 00:33:56.150
I respect the answer. It's not one that I've

00:33:56.150 --> 00:33:58.950
ever heard, so I appreciate it. So then pivoting

00:33:58.950 --> 00:34:02.430
back to... Because you just said Jay Lamb, you

00:34:02.430 --> 00:34:04.529
know, your guy. What's some of the best memories

00:34:04.529 --> 00:34:06.809
you had on that Hornets team? Man, just kicking

00:34:06.809 --> 00:34:09.349
it with me, Jay Lambeau, Kemba, and Marv, Marvin

00:34:09.349 --> 00:34:12.289
Williams. Marv, yeah. All of us. Yeah, like three

00:34:12.289 --> 00:34:15.469
great dudes, like, you know, playing with them

00:34:15.469 --> 00:34:17.889
on the court, hanging out with them off the court,

00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:21.320
you know, doing whatever it was, you know. on

00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:24.679
the plane you know bobbing up laughing some of

00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:27.039
the best times in my career for sure frank kaminsky

00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:32.900
him frank yeah frank frank okay what is it about

00:34:32.900 --> 00:34:36.980
marv um that so many players are so fond of marv

00:34:36.980 --> 00:34:39.579
is probably one of the one of the greatest people

00:34:39.579 --> 00:34:42.199
i've ever met in my life like not even just for

00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:46.139
basketball like he just has this he has his way

00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:48.119
about him where he carries himself he doesn't

00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:53.570
say bad nothing bad about nobody He's just an

00:34:53.570 --> 00:34:58.610
OG. He's just like a grand pops. You know what

00:34:58.610 --> 00:35:02.710
I mean? He's cool. He's cool. He works hard.

00:35:03.010 --> 00:35:07.730
He's always giving you inspirational stuff without

00:35:07.730 --> 00:35:11.369
sounding corny. He's the type of person that

00:35:11.369 --> 00:35:13.849
when he talks, people listen. And I think that

00:35:13.849 --> 00:35:19.579
carries a long way in his life. He's just a,

00:35:19.579 --> 00:35:21.719
you know, he's just a pure human being. Yeah,

00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:23.619
and it was just tough. It was tough. It would

00:35:23.619 --> 00:35:25.760
be like in pivotal times where he's setting offensive

00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:28.039
foul on the screen and Kemba's coming off and

00:35:28.039 --> 00:35:31.840
it's just like. It stopped the momentum. Yeah,

00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.000
it stopped the momentum. And it's like, you know

00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:35.639
what I mean? Then you put coach in the bind.

00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:37.179
Like, are you going to play him? Are you going

00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:38.860
to not? He's in foul trouble. Like, we need,

00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:41.699
we can't. At this point in the game, we can't

00:35:41.699 --> 00:35:43.659
afford one of those. Like, we got to take care

00:35:43.659 --> 00:35:46.849
of the ball. And Dwight said he's an ultra -competitor

00:35:46.849 --> 00:35:49.389
too, so he wants the ball in the post. And that

00:35:49.389 --> 00:35:54.929
kind of game of basketball is, you know, is worn

00:35:54.929 --> 00:35:57.469
out a little bit. It's diluting. Yeah, so it's

00:35:57.469 --> 00:36:01.349
like, it's a hard, it was a hard dynamic to,

00:36:01.409 --> 00:36:06.150
you know, to accomplish. Kind of just side note,

00:36:06.230 --> 00:36:09.369
if you had to, because like there were comparisons

00:36:09.369 --> 00:36:14.309
between Shaq and Dwight. If you're just looking

00:36:14.309 --> 00:36:18.630
at their – who would you rather pick? Hold on,

00:36:18.670 --> 00:36:20.489
Mike. I think the better question – well, two

00:36:20.489 --> 00:36:22.170
questions, and you can answer that one. But mine

00:36:22.170 --> 00:36:28.789
off that would be, is he as dominant as we or

00:36:28.789 --> 00:36:33.170
the fans think that he is? Who, Dwight? Yeah.

00:36:33.389 --> 00:36:37.110
Yep. Because you know how Shaq says, don't put

00:36:37.110 --> 00:36:39.150
that D word in there whenever he's talking about

00:36:39.150 --> 00:36:43.469
Dwight. Or any big man. no i mean i think the

00:36:43.469 --> 00:36:46.409
orlando dwight was definitely the orlando dwight

00:36:46.409 --> 00:36:48.809
was definitely him like there's no doubt about

00:36:48.809 --> 00:36:52.030
it like he was killing like he made it to the

00:36:52.030 --> 00:36:54.670
he made it to the championship like he was doing

00:36:54.670 --> 00:36:57.449
his thing but like i i i think the comparison

00:36:57.449 --> 00:37:01.389
the shacks i don't think i i just i just i just

00:37:01.389 --> 00:37:03.230
can't it's not that you can't do it i mean it's

00:37:03.230 --> 00:37:05.949
just not the same like the diesel was he was

00:37:05.949 --> 00:37:08.650
a force that we we have never seen in our lives

00:37:08.650 --> 00:37:11.300
and probably will never see again like yeah Man,

00:37:11.300 --> 00:37:13.360
I think Shaq was a one -of -a -kind player. Like,

00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:16.320
there's nothing different about him. Yeah. If

00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:17.940
you had to put a starting five of all time for

00:37:17.940 --> 00:37:19.860
the people that you played with, who would be

00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:25.059
your starting five? All prime? Yeah. Yeah. Man,

00:37:27.159 --> 00:37:32.579
that's tough. I'd probably CP at the one. Giannis

00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:35.719
would be in there. I'm going to say seven because

00:37:35.719 --> 00:37:37.659
I know you're going to – I'm going to say seven.

00:37:37.699 --> 00:37:39.260
Let's go seven. Start at seven. Seven? All right,

00:37:39.280 --> 00:37:48.280
cool. It would be Giannis, D. Wade, Jimmy. Oh,

00:37:48.420 --> 00:37:50.659
wait, wait, wait. James was in there. James was

00:37:50.659 --> 00:37:55.039
there. James was in there. Damn, that's tough.

00:37:55.380 --> 00:38:00.300
Dwight. I put Dwight in there at the five. I

00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:05.360
feel like I'm going to forget somebody, but I

00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:11.289
got to go with Kemba. And Rondo. I don't, I don't,

00:38:11.289 --> 00:38:14.369
I'm forgetting somebody. So your PG, so you got,

00:38:14.550 --> 00:38:16.469
uh, so who's your, who's your starting point?

00:38:16.530 --> 00:38:20.250
Yeah. So you got CP at your one. Yeah. CP at

00:38:20.250 --> 00:38:26.349
the one. Yeah. Put Jimmy at the two. Oh man.

00:38:29.429 --> 00:38:32.489
I don't know. Maybe, uh, I'm, I'm prep. Yeah.

00:38:32.630 --> 00:38:34.010
It's, it's the preference that people are going

00:38:34.010 --> 00:38:35.829
to look at me crazy for not having D Wade at

00:38:35.829 --> 00:38:41.690
the two and his prime. I know. But like, Man,

00:38:41.690 --> 00:38:43.690
prime D -Wade is probably tough. I mean, yeah,

00:38:43.730 --> 00:38:46.510
I'll probably put – I can put Jimmy at the three,

00:38:46.550 --> 00:38:49.989
but then I'll leave James out at the prime. Yeah,

00:38:50.090 --> 00:38:51.690
I'll probably – yeah, I'll put D -Wade at the

00:38:51.690 --> 00:38:54.170
two. I'll put Jimmy at the three. And I'll put

00:38:54.170 --> 00:38:58.829
Giannis at the four and Dwight at the five. I

00:38:58.829 --> 00:39:01.449
know, I know, leaving James is crazy. You know

00:39:01.449 --> 00:39:02.670
what's even – Leaving James Harden is crazy.

00:39:03.170 --> 00:39:07.530
What's even crazier is that when I first put

00:39:07.530 --> 00:39:10.929
this question in there, it started off as – you

00:39:10.929 --> 00:39:12.510
know, put a starting five together that could

00:39:12.510 --> 00:39:14.570
compete actually with Team USA. Because I looked

00:39:14.570 --> 00:39:17.409
at the teammates you had, and I'm like, based

00:39:17.409 --> 00:39:20.429
on how it goes with this, that team damn near

00:39:20.429 --> 00:39:23.030
could actually compete with Team USA. Oh, for

00:39:23.030 --> 00:39:26.630
sure. Yeah. For sure. That's sick. So you said

00:39:26.630 --> 00:39:29.889
CP, then you're going Jimmy, or D -Wade, then

00:39:29.889 --> 00:39:32.730
Jimmy. Yeah, D -Wade, then Jimmy, then Giannis.

00:39:32.750 --> 00:39:34.309
You know the defense that's being played out

00:39:34.309 --> 00:39:35.989
there? That's what I'm saying. That's what I

00:39:35.989 --> 00:39:37.769
got to commit. I got to commit to the defensive

00:39:37.769 --> 00:39:41.150
end. Oh, my God. That's sick. I got to commit

00:39:41.150 --> 00:39:46.210
there. It's crazy you said that because you put

00:39:46.210 --> 00:39:50.510
CP3 first because we did a take a couple months

00:39:50.510 --> 00:39:52.929
ago, about a month ago, and a lot of people said

00:39:52.929 --> 00:39:55.909
they'll pick Rondo over CP3 just with their accolades.

00:39:56.050 --> 00:39:58.769
I think out of 30 ,000 votes, bro, it was like

00:39:58.769 --> 00:40:02.250
75 -25 for Rondo. What was the question? Who

00:40:02.250 --> 00:40:04.269
would you pick as a point guard, Rondo or CP3?

00:40:04.469 --> 00:40:05.269
As a point guard to lead a team in their prime,

00:40:05.369 --> 00:40:12.179
yeah. Man, CP3. I mean, it could go either way.

00:40:12.219 --> 00:40:15.420
I would pick either one of them. It's just hard

00:40:15.420 --> 00:40:20.320
because if you look at today's game, there's

00:40:20.320 --> 00:40:22.119
so much shooting in today's game. That's the

00:40:22.119 --> 00:40:25.460
only thing that holds me back. With Rondo? Yeah,

00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:28.300
but you can't go wrong with either one. It's

00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:30.159
50 -50 to me, but that's the only reason why

00:40:30.159 --> 00:40:33.300
I chose. I mean, yeah, it's interesting, though.

00:40:34.619 --> 00:40:43.139
Rondo got the championships in his career. CP3

00:40:43.139 --> 00:40:46.079
is one of my favorite point guards. But you'll

00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:48.420
hear so many people say that he's overrated or

00:40:48.420 --> 00:40:51.980
that he has no real accolades. He's not that

00:40:51.980 --> 00:40:53.880
good of a point guard. I was like, that's crazy

00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:58.579
to me. I'm not saying it's a wash, but I just

00:40:58.579 --> 00:41:00.519
don't feel like people respect CP3 as much as

00:41:00.519 --> 00:41:05.139
they should. They need to go watch New Orleans

00:41:05.139 --> 00:41:08.940
CP3. That's what I'm saying. Only that I can

00:41:08.940 --> 00:41:12.920
really say about Paul is the fact that somewhat

00:41:12.920 --> 00:41:15.480
of a defensive liability, but being the star

00:41:15.480 --> 00:41:17.820
he is, you surround him with defensive players

00:41:17.820 --> 00:41:23.699
to make him that much. He's like top ten in steals.

00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:27.519
In steals, yeah. Steals, never makes turnovers.

00:41:28.199 --> 00:41:31.440
But I think everybody's judging him off of...

00:41:32.150 --> 00:41:34.309
Yeah, not win the championship and get injured

00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:36.849
in the playoffs. Like, what have you done for

00:41:36.849 --> 00:41:39.730
me lately type. I get it. It's still one of the

00:41:39.730 --> 00:41:42.570
most frustrating things. I mean, I wanted to

00:41:42.570 --> 00:41:44.030
go with Satan to win, but I was so pissed we

00:41:44.030 --> 00:41:47.710
needed that spin move. I was like, where are

00:41:47.710 --> 00:41:52.230
you going? Yeah, no, it's tough. He's had some

00:41:52.230 --> 00:41:55.750
tough moments in the playoffs. But, yeah, I mean,

00:41:55.769 --> 00:41:58.449
he's an all -time great. Both Hall of Famers,

00:41:58.489 --> 00:42:01.030
though. Oh, for sure. I was about to ask about

00:42:01.030 --> 00:42:04.739
the – Super team question. Oh, I got a question

00:42:04.739 --> 00:42:12.500
for you. Yeah, bro. All right, listen. So we

00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:14.719
got a lot of flack here, and we've had multiple

00:42:14.719 --> 00:42:17.880
opinions, but I want to get yours. First, define

00:42:17.880 --> 00:42:29.630
a super team. A super team has three. I wouldn't

00:42:29.630 --> 00:42:32.349
say all -stars. They've got to have three superstars

00:42:32.349 --> 00:42:35.449
on their team. Okay. All right, my man. I appreciate

00:42:35.449 --> 00:42:40.429
you. Jay Lamb said the same thing. But, okay,

00:42:40.650 --> 00:42:45.929
but then how can we say that the Phoenix Suns,

00:42:45.929 --> 00:42:49.789
when they picked up obviously Brad, they were

00:42:49.789 --> 00:42:51.710
saying that was a super team. Brad wasn't a superstar.

00:42:52.550 --> 00:42:54.769
To me, he was an all -star. He was an all -star.

00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:00.559
Here's the thing about super teams. We saw the

00:43:00.559 --> 00:43:04.280
most super of all super teams when KD went to

00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:09.460
Golden State. That put fear in the league. The

00:43:09.460 --> 00:43:13.519
league was like, who's going to win it? No question,

00:43:13.639 --> 00:43:18.119
Golden State. So now it's like when a super team

00:43:18.119 --> 00:43:21.280
is so -called created. There's that fear factor

00:43:21.280 --> 00:43:23.199
really isn't there. Right. Because it's like,

00:43:23.219 --> 00:43:25.219
you know, we've all we've all played against

00:43:25.219 --> 00:43:27.579
Golden State. We've all played against KD with

00:43:27.579 --> 00:43:30.400
the Warriors. So like anything less than that

00:43:30.400 --> 00:43:33.800
is deemed to be beatable. Right. I think on paper,

00:43:33.900 --> 00:43:36.619
I think on paper, I think that Phoenix is a super

00:43:36.619 --> 00:43:39.139
team. But do I think that it strikes fear in

00:43:39.139 --> 00:43:42.000
anybody? No, not really. That's exactly what

00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:44.340
I said. Like the confidence, like the confidence

00:43:44.340 --> 00:43:47.099
to beat Phoenix is a lot higher than the confidence

00:43:47.099 --> 00:43:49.369
was to beat Golden State. And, like, everybody

00:43:49.369 --> 00:43:51.489
going through that run and dealing with how they

00:43:51.489 --> 00:43:54.889
played and adjusting to that and, like, finding

00:43:54.889 --> 00:43:57.590
ways to, you know, beat a team full of shooters

00:43:57.590 --> 00:44:01.030
is, like, now adapted in the league. So, like,

00:44:01.130 --> 00:44:06.469
it doesn't – it's hard because, like – and it's

00:44:06.469 --> 00:44:08.869
a different dynamic, too, right? Like, Klay was

00:44:08.869 --> 00:44:12.519
getting 60 off. four dribbles right like he doesn't

00:44:12.519 --> 00:44:14.619
need a dribble like brad isn't like i don't think

00:44:14.619 --> 00:44:16.300
he's that type of dude to do that right like

00:44:16.300 --> 00:44:17.739
he's gonna put the ball on the floor a little

00:44:17.739 --> 00:44:20.880
bit he's gonna take it the rim like there's there's

00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:23.579
gonna be a lot more you know that rather than

00:44:23.579 --> 00:44:26.139
just a straight sniper on the outside just shooting

00:44:26.139 --> 00:44:28.059
threes right all three of those guys like to

00:44:28.059 --> 00:44:31.179
put the ball on the floor when for golden state

00:44:31.179 --> 00:44:34.820
it was like you know kd can doesn't need to put

00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:36.159
the ball on the floor steph doesn't need to put

00:44:36.159 --> 00:44:37.400
the ball on the floor clay doesn't need it but

00:44:37.400 --> 00:44:39.940
they can spread you out so far that, like, they're

00:44:39.940 --> 00:44:42.300
just passing, you know, passing the ball around

00:44:42.300 --> 00:44:45.739
and then, you know, they're shooting. So that's

00:44:45.739 --> 00:44:47.840
probably my answer. I don't know if that answers

00:44:47.840 --> 00:44:50.519
the question, but, like, I think it is a super

00:44:50.519 --> 00:44:53.059
team. I just think that it's not something that

00:44:53.059 --> 00:44:55.860
somebody fears. Gotcha. Well, you know, the argument

00:44:55.860 --> 00:44:59.880
actually started with the question of is currently

00:44:59.880 --> 00:45:02.659
the current Boston Celtics team, are they a super

00:45:02.659 --> 00:45:04.340
team or can they be considered a super team?

00:45:05.820 --> 00:45:09.090
I don't think so. It's a really good team. it's

00:45:09.090 --> 00:45:11.670
i think it's just a really really good team like

00:45:11.670 --> 00:45:14.050
they're they're they're like i don't a super

00:45:14.050 --> 00:45:16.070
team i think is a collective of guys that they

00:45:16.070 --> 00:45:19.550
put together that are like have been you know

00:45:19.550 --> 00:45:22.190
monsters you know on other teams you know have

00:45:22.190 --> 00:45:24.010
been superstars on other teams these guys have

00:45:24.010 --> 00:45:27.849
been together for a while people were not high

00:45:27.849 --> 00:45:30.829
on porzingis after a while like nobody was talking

00:45:30.829 --> 00:45:32.250
about about i mean they talked about you can

00:45:32.250 --> 00:45:35.110
shoot the ball well but like He wasn't the unicorn

00:45:35.110 --> 00:45:37.289
no more. He wasn't the unicorn no more. And,

00:45:37.309 --> 00:45:39.449
like, then they added Porzingis. Like, Al Horford

00:45:39.449 --> 00:45:41.530
played real well. Derek White played real well.

00:45:41.710 --> 00:45:45.690
Like, these are guys that, you know, aren't superstars

00:45:45.690 --> 00:45:49.630
elsewhere. But, you know, they got, you know,

00:45:49.690 --> 00:45:52.750
Drew Holiday was a great pickup. People don't

00:45:52.750 --> 00:45:54.929
consider him as a superstar, but he's a great

00:45:54.929 --> 00:45:57.429
player. Right? Like, I think they're just a very

00:45:57.429 --> 00:46:00.250
well -rounded team that fit together real good.

00:46:00.550 --> 00:46:02.929
Yeah, I said if you use the word super team.

00:46:03.340 --> 00:46:06.940
it kind of discredits the organization for Boston

00:46:06.940 --> 00:46:08.820
specifically because, like, they did what they

00:46:08.820 --> 00:46:10.820
had to do. They found those pieces. And then

00:46:10.820 --> 00:46:12.820
the pushback was, well, the Clippers are a super

00:46:12.820 --> 00:46:15.159
team. Last year. I said, no. People were telling

00:46:15.159 --> 00:46:17.199
Westbrook to retire. Should he? No. But people

00:46:17.199 --> 00:46:18.519
were telling him to retire. And then they put

00:46:18.519 --> 00:46:19.900
him on a – like, on paper, you're going to be

00:46:19.900 --> 00:46:21.539
like, how did these four guys play together?

00:46:21.579 --> 00:46:24.519
But at the same time, if you lived it, they were

00:46:24.519 --> 00:46:26.320
not a super team. That's why they lasted for

00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:28.940
two years. Right, right. I don't think they were

00:46:28.940 --> 00:46:33.159
a super team either. All right, good. So that's

00:46:33.159 --> 00:46:37.000
the basketball segment. You know, after essentially

00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:38.539
these questions, I got to looking at these damn

00:46:38.539 --> 00:46:42.800
things. I was like, man, this is a lot of mental

00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:45.559
stuff. So I'm going to pick and choose here,

00:46:45.719 --> 00:46:48.800
if you're cool with that. Cool. Yeah, yeah. Because

00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:51.219
obviously I want to go deep, but not too deep,

00:46:51.340 --> 00:46:54.780
right? So I want to talk about, and you've said

00:46:54.780 --> 00:46:57.679
this multiple times, man, but obviously winning

00:46:57.679 --> 00:47:00.219
Rook of the Year. being in those discussions

00:47:00.219 --> 00:47:02.940
with the GM and the coach. And again, you said

00:47:02.940 --> 00:47:05.820
this, you weren't asking for anything, but they

00:47:05.820 --> 00:47:07.099
were asking you like, hey, what do you think

00:47:07.099 --> 00:47:10.840
about this, this and that? And it made you feel

00:47:10.840 --> 00:47:13.860
like, you know, you were really being a part

00:47:13.860 --> 00:47:16.800
of something to grow in Philly. And then, yeah,

00:47:16.940 --> 00:47:20.960
then you get traded. So how did you deal with

00:47:20.960 --> 00:47:22.719
that? What was the emotions going through that

00:47:22.719 --> 00:47:25.780
process? It was tough because I felt like it

00:47:25.780 --> 00:47:27.880
was the first time in my life, you know, i've

00:47:27.880 --> 00:47:30.360
ever been traded um i had to get you know pack

00:47:30.360 --> 00:47:33.000
all my stuff in two three days and move um to

00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:35.179
milwaukee it was a weird feeling right because

00:47:35.179 --> 00:47:37.940
it's like they milwaukee traded somebody that

00:47:37.940 --> 00:47:41.739
you know that they you know loved you know the

00:47:41.739 --> 00:47:45.039
people loved them the staff loved them the players

00:47:45.039 --> 00:47:46.980
loved them so i was walking into a situation

00:47:46.980 --> 00:47:49.059
where you know locker room was quiet they just

00:47:49.059 --> 00:47:51.440
lost a brother that you know they've been playing

00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:54.639
with for a long time um so it was like damn like

00:47:55.579 --> 00:47:58.079
I didn't ask for this, but, like, it just happened,

00:47:58.179 --> 00:47:59.880
right? So, like, I mean, obviously guys were,

00:47:59.960 --> 00:48:03.019
you know, welcoming. So it was awkward there.

00:48:03.159 --> 00:48:05.360
And then I was dealing with other emotions that

00:48:05.360 --> 00:48:10.000
I felt like a team just gave up on me. You know,

00:48:10.019 --> 00:48:12.000
so there was, you know, trying to get over that.

00:48:13.579 --> 00:48:15.400
So it was hard. It was hard. There was a lot

00:48:15.400 --> 00:48:17.579
of different emotions in my mind. I didn't understand

00:48:17.579 --> 00:48:19.639
why. I was constantly trying to figure out why

00:48:19.639 --> 00:48:21.260
they traded me, why they traded me. What did

00:48:21.260 --> 00:48:24.219
I do? Did I say something wrong? They had me

00:48:24.219 --> 00:48:28.900
in all their plans. What did I do to deserve

00:48:28.900 --> 00:48:31.340
this? I just won Rookie of the Year, and then

00:48:31.340 --> 00:48:34.320
I get traded. It just wasn't making sense to

00:48:34.320 --> 00:48:37.460
me. So I think the whys were something that I

00:48:37.460 --> 00:48:39.400
tried to figure out for a long time until I was

00:48:39.400 --> 00:48:41.519
just like, you know what? I got to stop trying

00:48:41.519 --> 00:48:44.170
to figure this out. Let me ask you and answer

00:48:44.170 --> 00:48:45.710
this the best you can, or if you don't feel like

00:48:45.710 --> 00:48:47.050
there's an answer you can give, then, you know,

00:48:47.050 --> 00:48:50.110
obviously let me know that too. But how would

00:48:50.110 --> 00:48:52.130
you compare that feeling or what, what is the

00:48:52.130 --> 00:48:56.210
equivalent to that for the common person? I don't

00:48:56.210 --> 00:48:58.050
know, man. I don't want to be, I don't want to

00:48:58.050 --> 00:49:00.210
be too dramatic because like losing your job,

00:49:00.250 --> 00:49:02.090
like it is not another one, you know, waiting

00:49:02.090 --> 00:49:04.090
for you, obviously getting traded. You're still

00:49:04.090 --> 00:49:08.570
getting paid, you know, very, very well. I don't

00:49:08.570 --> 00:49:10.579
know. Maybe, maybe. getting transferred in a

00:49:10.579 --> 00:49:11.980
position and they're like, yeah, you got to be

00:49:11.980 --> 00:49:14.880
here by tomorrow and you got to leave your friends

00:49:14.880 --> 00:49:17.679
and family. I don't know. It's a tough thing

00:49:17.679 --> 00:49:21.739
to, you know, it's a tough thing to comprehend

00:49:21.739 --> 00:49:23.639
if you don't, you know, if you haven't really

00:49:23.639 --> 00:49:27.360
been through that situation. Yeah. So my opinion

00:49:27.360 --> 00:49:31.179
on it is that I think you separate the two, like

00:49:31.179 --> 00:49:34.000
the emotional aspect of it versus what's actually

00:49:34.000 --> 00:49:37.340
happening. Like the feeling of why something's

00:49:37.340 --> 00:49:39.889
not. Happening for at least why someone would

00:49:39.889 --> 00:49:42.750
put you on this pedestal invite you into certain

00:49:42.750 --> 00:49:44.469
chats make you feel like you're a part of something

00:49:44.469 --> 00:49:47.610
and then Poof it's it's over with that's the

00:49:47.610 --> 00:49:50.730
part that that really Gets me not then not the

00:49:50.730 --> 00:49:52.130
fact that you know trade to another team. Yeah,

00:49:52.170 --> 00:49:53.170
you're making millions. Yeah, you're playing

00:49:53.170 --> 00:49:55.809
somewhere else Yeah, that's cool. But that that

00:49:55.809 --> 00:49:57.329
feeling lives with you for a very long time,

00:49:57.510 --> 00:49:59.849
which for sure I know is rough So that's why

00:49:59.849 --> 00:50:01.150
I was trying to see like how we could relate

00:50:01.150 --> 00:50:06.349
that to the common folk Say hello Hello, how

00:50:06.349 --> 00:50:10.719
are you? How you doing? Say my name is Red. It

00:50:10.719 --> 00:50:18.019
is a pleasure to meet you. All right, look, I'm

00:50:18.019 --> 00:50:19.400
going down. I'm going down this and then we'll

00:50:19.400 --> 00:50:21.619
turn around. But for me, it'd be the equivalent

00:50:21.619 --> 00:50:23.980
of like of having a rocky relationship with your

00:50:23.980 --> 00:50:26.659
dad or something. And finally, you get that back

00:50:26.659 --> 00:50:28.719
a little bit. And he's like, yeah, you know,

00:50:28.719 --> 00:50:30.780
we can do this. Giving you all these promises

00:50:30.780 --> 00:50:32.719
and they're going to establish a relationship

00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:35.340
and then gone. Kind of like that Fresh Prince

00:50:35.340 --> 00:50:36.980
episode. Why you don't want it? Right, right,

00:50:37.099 --> 00:50:39.980
right, right. So that's what I'm saying. No,

00:50:39.980 --> 00:50:43.420
yeah, I get that, too. Yeah, like, you know,

00:50:43.460 --> 00:50:46.559
or, you know, a girl telling you the world, we're

00:50:46.559 --> 00:50:47.760
going to be this, we're going to be that, and

00:50:47.760 --> 00:50:49.880
then she just pails on you. Yeah, go with another

00:50:49.880 --> 00:50:52.599
guy. Right, go with another dude. Go with another

00:50:52.599 --> 00:50:57.079
guy. Yeah. Houston is a good one. Like, what

00:50:57.079 --> 00:51:00.519
was the biggest hurdle at Houston? I don't know.

00:51:00.579 --> 00:51:03.519
I felt like I could see, you know, seeing my

00:51:03.519 --> 00:51:08.119
way out of Houston. um getting getting cut uh

00:51:08.119 --> 00:51:11.059
that was the first time i've ever been cut um

00:51:11.059 --> 00:51:12.960
things weren't going well with the team i could

00:51:12.960 --> 00:51:14.880
see they started to get away from me i felt like

00:51:14.880 --> 00:51:17.480
i didn't really you know get a chance to excel

00:51:17.480 --> 00:51:19.219
on the team like there was just a lot of different

00:51:19.219 --> 00:51:24.159
things going on um but yeah no i mean i was going

00:51:24.159 --> 00:51:28.059
through personal things too like i was um before

00:51:28.059 --> 00:51:31.320
i got cut like probably a week before that um

00:51:31.320 --> 00:51:34.519
my wife well my fiance at the time she ended

00:51:34.519 --> 00:51:37.059
up calling off the engagement she left with my

00:51:37.059 --> 00:51:39.159
one -year -old not even she wasn't even one yet

00:51:39.159 --> 00:51:42.360
she's probably like six seven months um she had

00:51:42.360 --> 00:51:47.500
left me um who to california um so i was there

00:51:47.500 --> 00:51:49.539
in houston kind of you know without her without

00:51:49.539 --> 00:51:53.300
my daughter um a week later i get released um

00:51:53.300 --> 00:51:55.679
and so there was a there was a real it was rock

00:51:55.679 --> 00:51:58.360
bottom for me in my life like it i've never you

00:51:58.360 --> 00:52:00.119
know been that low i've never been that depressed

00:52:00.119 --> 00:52:03.179
i've never you know had that anxiety you know

00:52:03.179 --> 00:52:06.139
feeling like that in my life So it was kind of

00:52:06.139 --> 00:52:08.380
a moment for me where I'd have been like, who

00:52:08.380 --> 00:52:11.619
am I as a person? What do I want to do? What

00:52:11.619 --> 00:52:15.920
are my moral values in my life? Am I going to

00:52:15.920 --> 00:52:19.619
take basketball more serious? Not that I wasn't.

00:52:20.280 --> 00:52:23.360
All these questions were kind of going in my

00:52:23.360 --> 00:52:27.380
head and kind of how I could fix everything.

00:52:27.639 --> 00:52:29.920
I wanted to be more stable. I was sick and tired

00:52:29.920 --> 00:52:33.139
of playing in a new city each year. What did

00:52:33.139 --> 00:52:35.869
that look like for me? You know, how was I going

00:52:35.869 --> 00:52:39.710
to get my family back together? You know, and

00:52:39.710 --> 00:52:42.329
luckily I was able to kind of accomplish all

00:52:42.329 --> 00:52:45.829
those things in given time. But yeah, Houston,

00:52:45.929 --> 00:52:47.829
Houston was hard for me. It was it was a rough

00:52:47.829 --> 00:52:49.730
time for me. I think it was the first time in

00:52:49.730 --> 00:52:53.590
my life where I let, you know, the NBA mentality,

00:52:53.889 --> 00:52:55.909
you know, kind of get to me, you know, with going

00:52:55.909 --> 00:52:58.570
out at night, hanging out with girls, you know,

00:52:58.570 --> 00:53:02.090
doing doing a lot of things that, you know, can't

00:53:02.090 --> 00:53:04.519
can't. You can't balance. And, you know, I was

00:53:04.519 --> 00:53:06.679
trying to be one person and be, you know, and

00:53:06.679 --> 00:53:08.599
it was being a different person at the same time.

00:53:09.340 --> 00:53:11.460
What were some of the steps that you took to

00:53:11.460 --> 00:53:15.820
to get back in your feet? Therapy was big for

00:53:15.820 --> 00:53:19.440
me. Started going to therapy. Just started looking

00:53:19.440 --> 00:53:21.420
inwards of myself, like thinking about who I

00:53:21.420 --> 00:53:24.699
wanted to be as a person. You know, things that,

00:53:24.699 --> 00:53:28.800
you know, I needed to fix on a daily habit. You

00:53:28.800 --> 00:53:33.130
know, I stopped. I stopped trying to, you know,

00:53:33.130 --> 00:53:35.210
figure everything out in one day. I kind of just,

00:53:35.329 --> 00:53:37.510
you know, each day I would take it day by day

00:53:37.510 --> 00:53:40.250
and just try to do the best I could and try to

00:53:40.250 --> 00:53:42.090
be the best person I could be, you know, each

00:53:42.090 --> 00:53:44.590
day. So therapy was big for me. Started getting

00:53:44.590 --> 00:53:46.570
into reading, started reading things that I normally

00:53:46.570 --> 00:53:49.289
wouldn't have. Started being more vulnerable,

00:53:49.409 --> 00:53:52.809
being more open with people. And just, you know,

00:53:52.829 --> 00:53:55.090
just started to talk about, you know, my feelings

00:53:55.090 --> 00:53:58.110
a little bit and not look at it as such a, you

00:53:58.110 --> 00:54:03.599
know, negative thing to do. I love that. And

00:54:03.599 --> 00:54:06.699
so this actually segues. So seeing your child

00:54:06.699 --> 00:54:08.900
there, that was beautiful. So I want to ask you

00:54:08.900 --> 00:54:11.039
then, as a father, how did actually becoming

00:54:11.039 --> 00:54:14.420
a father influence your approach on life or realistically

00:54:14.420 --> 00:54:17.500
even in basketball? Yeah, I mean, it changed,

00:54:17.659 --> 00:54:19.019
right? Because I mean, every decision that I

00:54:19.019 --> 00:54:22.380
now that I was making, you know, even even even

00:54:22.380 --> 00:54:24.980
now is not only about me, right? It's for my

00:54:24.980 --> 00:54:27.840
kids. It's for my wife. all the decisions i make

00:54:27.840 --> 00:54:29.940
away from them still affect them in some sort

00:54:29.940 --> 00:54:32.480
of way you know who i am you know how i speak

00:54:32.480 --> 00:54:34.760
how i present myself you know it's not only just

00:54:34.760 --> 00:54:37.019
for me it's for them too so you know kind of

00:54:37.019 --> 00:54:39.320
realizing that you know kind of grounded me a

00:54:39.320 --> 00:54:41.760
little bit and was like okay you know i really

00:54:41.760 --> 00:54:43.920
need to start thinking before i do things you

00:54:43.920 --> 00:54:46.880
know i can't be impulsive i gotta you know if

00:54:46.880 --> 00:54:48.460
i'm going through something how can i handle

00:54:48.460 --> 00:54:50.800
it in a healthy way instead of just trying to

00:54:50.800 --> 00:54:52.599
you know put a band -aid over something right

00:54:52.599 --> 00:54:55.500
like how can i heal you know how can i do things

00:54:55.500 --> 00:54:59.250
that You know, that that that they will look

00:54:59.250 --> 00:55:01.630
at me and then they'll be like, OK, you know,

00:55:01.650 --> 00:55:03.630
if I'm going through that, I saw dad do this,

00:55:03.630 --> 00:55:05.949
this and that. And, you know, I could try to

00:55:05.949 --> 00:55:07.750
help them in a healthy way instead of me leading,

00:55:07.849 --> 00:55:10.690
you know, by a bad example. It's a beautiful

00:55:10.690 --> 00:55:13.670
thing being a father. So what's one lesson that

00:55:13.670 --> 00:55:17.010
you hope to instill into your children? That's

00:55:17.010 --> 00:55:18.969
a good question. I mean, obviously, every every

00:55:18.969 --> 00:55:20.869
parent wants their kids to, you know, kind of

00:55:20.869 --> 00:55:23.309
be patient through things. But, you know, life's

00:55:23.309 --> 00:55:25.030
going to throw a bunch of different things at

00:55:25.030 --> 00:55:27.519
them. Life throws a bunch of things at everybody.

00:55:28.219 --> 00:55:30.880
It's just kind of how we handle them. Lean on

00:55:30.880 --> 00:55:33.139
the people that are close to you. How can you

00:55:33.139 --> 00:55:35.480
handle tough times in a healthy way? How can

00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:37.659
you build good habits? I think building good

00:55:37.659 --> 00:55:40.400
habits is a big lesson that I'm going to try

00:55:40.400 --> 00:55:43.079
to teach them. While you were playing or just

00:55:43.079 --> 00:55:45.159
while you were growing, just maturing, how did

00:55:45.159 --> 00:55:48.880
your vision of success change over time? I think

00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:52.320
for a while my vision of success was like...

00:55:52.429 --> 00:55:54.909
How can I put the most money in my pocket? What

00:55:54.909 --> 00:55:57.570
can I do to make the most money? I was so money

00:55:57.570 --> 00:56:02.889
-driven. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to want

00:56:02.889 --> 00:56:05.429
money and to chase dollars and to do all those

00:56:05.429 --> 00:56:09.250
things, but I think as I've grown more and more,

00:56:09.329 --> 00:56:13.150
I think that success is just me being happy every

00:56:13.150 --> 00:56:16.170
day. I can be happy. I remember growing up, I

00:56:16.170 --> 00:56:18.610
didn't have a lot, and I was the happiest kid

00:56:18.610 --> 00:56:22.139
in the world. So finding that happiness. With

00:56:22.139 --> 00:56:25.179
what I have, with the people that I'm surrounded

00:56:25.179 --> 00:56:28.579
with, not to say that I don't go out and try

00:56:28.579 --> 00:56:32.599
to make money and do those things, but just finding

00:56:32.599 --> 00:56:36.280
a better balance of, okay, with success, what

00:56:36.280 --> 00:56:39.980
does that look like for me is being happy and

00:56:39.980 --> 00:56:43.940
also just getting small wins each day. You kind

00:56:43.940 --> 00:56:46.320
of answered that question because I had a follow

00:56:46.320 --> 00:56:48.159
-up question with that. What do you think is

00:56:48.159 --> 00:56:50.420
better? What is more important to you at least?

00:56:50.829 --> 00:56:53.230
Being a good person or your basketball career?

00:56:54.130 --> 00:56:57.150
Oh, being a good person, 100%. That's always

00:56:57.150 --> 00:57:01.030
first for me. I've made it to the highest level.

00:57:01.130 --> 00:57:04.429
I played at the highest level for 10 years. I

00:57:04.429 --> 00:57:11.409
was plenty good in basketball. Being a good person,

00:57:11.530 --> 00:57:15.449
it takes working on yourself each day. And you

00:57:15.449 --> 00:57:18.210
can't be a good enough person ever. So working

00:57:18.210 --> 00:57:20.269
on that till the day I die is something that...

00:57:20.570 --> 00:57:22.530
I'm always going to do. I'm always going to,

00:57:22.550 --> 00:57:24.130
you know, I think the people around me would

00:57:24.130 --> 00:57:26.210
say, you know, I'm a good dude or, you know,

00:57:26.230 --> 00:57:28.949
I take care of my family. I try to live the right

00:57:28.949 --> 00:57:31.289
way. I try to treat people how I want to be treated.

00:57:31.590 --> 00:57:35.050
And yeah, I heard this the other day and I want

00:57:35.050 --> 00:57:37.530
to ask you, have you ever met a player that's

00:57:37.530 --> 00:57:40.590
worked literally as hard as you or harder than

00:57:40.590 --> 00:57:43.010
you and knew that they'd only play three to five

00:57:43.010 --> 00:57:46.030
minutes or maybe even get DMPs? Yeah, I mean,

00:57:46.150 --> 00:57:48.610
there's definitely other guys that I've seen

00:57:48.610 --> 00:57:51.360
that were. you know played less than me or in

00:57:51.360 --> 00:57:53.239
in a similar position to me that that worked

00:57:53.239 --> 00:57:58.199
hard every single day um yeah and it's it's tough

00:57:58.199 --> 00:58:01.260
it's a grind right like people people people

00:58:01.260 --> 00:58:03.500
do a lot just to stay in this league and it's

00:58:03.500 --> 00:58:06.000
a hard thing when you're at that level um where

00:58:06.000 --> 00:58:08.199
you're you know when you're an interchangeable

00:58:08.199 --> 00:58:11.760
you know player um it takes it takes a lot you

00:58:11.760 --> 00:58:13.920
got to be you got to be on every day you got

00:58:13.920 --> 00:58:15.940
to be the you got to be in there early you got

00:58:15.940 --> 00:58:18.940
to be working out hard You've got to be a good

00:58:18.940 --> 00:58:21.460
person. You've got to have a smile on your face.

00:58:21.659 --> 00:58:23.579
You've got to be willing to take criticism that

00:58:23.579 --> 00:58:26.480
maybe you don't deserve. And I think the people

00:58:26.480 --> 00:58:29.260
that learn that the fastest are the people that

00:58:29.260 --> 00:58:31.360
stay in the league a long time. There's the guys

00:58:31.360 --> 00:58:33.079
that are talented that come in the league, and

00:58:33.079 --> 00:58:36.840
they're not in the position that they want to

00:58:36.840 --> 00:58:41.840
be. So they act out. They do things that necessarily

00:58:41.840 --> 00:58:46.530
won't keep them in the league. And, you know,

00:58:46.550 --> 00:58:49.130
if they just be patient and they not saying be

00:58:49.130 --> 00:58:51.309
a yes man or let anybody disrespect you, but

00:58:51.309 --> 00:58:53.989
like if you can be patient and if you can play

00:58:53.989 --> 00:58:58.170
that 12th, 11th, 10th, 13th man on the, you know,

00:58:58.190 --> 00:58:59.650
on the floor for a little while, your role can

00:58:59.650 --> 00:59:01.610
increase. You know, we've seen it time and time

00:59:01.610 --> 00:59:03.349
again. We've seen guys from the G League come

00:59:03.349 --> 00:59:07.340
up. and be patient and wait their turn and end

00:59:07.340 --> 00:59:09.679
up starting, right? A prime example is Fred Van

00:59:09.679 --> 00:59:11.519
Fleet, right? He came up from the G League, and

00:59:11.519 --> 00:59:14.920
then he earned his way. He wasn't playing, then

00:59:14.920 --> 00:59:16.440
he started playing, then he became the backup

00:59:16.440 --> 00:59:18.500
point guard, and then he ended up starting. And

00:59:18.500 --> 00:59:22.039
then he's one of the top eight guys in the league,

00:59:22.119 --> 00:59:25.400
right? But he doesn't get that without being

00:59:25.400 --> 00:59:27.820
patient with himself and understanding what's

00:59:27.820 --> 00:59:30.199
going to get him on the court. Same thing with

00:59:30.199 --> 00:59:32.320
Jimmy, right? He went from being a defensive

00:59:32.320 --> 00:59:34.730
guy to... you know, a superstar in the league.

00:59:35.829 --> 00:59:38.710
It's just, if you can be patient for how you're

00:59:38.710 --> 00:59:41.230
going to get on the court, then you'll have the

00:59:41.230 --> 00:59:43.070
opportunity at some point. All right, my man.

00:59:43.110 --> 00:59:46.670
So you are now chasing career, I'm sorry, business

00:59:46.670 --> 00:59:48.230
endeavors, which you've been doing for a while.

00:59:48.650 --> 00:59:50.610
Let me ask you a question about that part of

00:59:50.610 --> 00:59:53.090
it. What's some of the biggest challenges you've

00:59:53.090 --> 00:59:55.130
faced transitioning from being a professional

00:59:55.130 --> 00:59:57.829
athlete and playing professional basketball to

00:59:57.829 --> 01:00:01.000
now being a business owner? Um, biggest obstacle

01:00:01.000 --> 01:00:04.760
I've had is trusting the right people. Um, I've,

01:00:04.760 --> 01:00:06.800
you know, everyone in business has their story

01:00:06.800 --> 01:00:09.739
of losing, you know, money and trusting the wrong

01:00:09.739 --> 01:00:11.599
people. And, you know, I went through my fair

01:00:11.599 --> 01:00:14.800
share of lumps. Um, so, you know, figuring out

01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:19.380
that, figuring out people's, um, how do I, how

01:00:19.380 --> 01:00:21.940
do I phrase it for figuring out, you know, people's

01:00:21.940 --> 01:00:24.860
agendas and what they want from you. Um, every

01:00:24.860 --> 01:00:27.340
deal looks good. You know what I mean? You read

01:00:27.340 --> 01:00:29.300
a deal on paper and you're like, oh, man, this

01:00:29.300 --> 01:00:31.840
looks good. I mean, I want to be a part of it,

01:00:31.880 --> 01:00:34.780
right? Kind of pulling back and really dissecting

01:00:34.780 --> 01:00:36.719
things and being, you know, figuring out who

01:00:36.719 --> 01:00:38.619
people are, getting to know them. You know, do

01:00:38.619 --> 01:00:40.099
they want what's best for you or are they just

01:00:40.099 --> 01:00:44.480
looking for money? You know, so, you know, that's

01:00:44.480 --> 01:00:47.320
been the toughest part for me. Luckily, I've

01:00:47.320 --> 01:00:49.679
been in the business for a while that I feel

01:00:49.679 --> 01:00:52.679
like I've found good, solid people that I work

01:00:52.679 --> 01:00:57.320
with. It's going to take flight soon. What skills

01:00:57.320 --> 01:00:59.639
or lessons, at least playing basketball and being

01:00:59.639 --> 01:01:03.579
in that realm, well, first of all, from the time

01:01:03.579 --> 01:01:05.059
you started playing basketball to the time that

01:01:05.059 --> 01:01:06.940
you start to fill your career phases out, what

01:01:06.940 --> 01:01:09.219
lessons during that time or skills have you tried

01:01:09.219 --> 01:01:11.420
to apply to your business endeavors? I know in

01:01:11.420 --> 01:01:15.880
basketball, regardless, there was probably some

01:01:15.880 --> 01:01:17.980
days where I didn't do nothing, but that's rarely.

01:01:19.280 --> 01:01:21.860
But even if I, you know, on an off day, like

01:01:21.860 --> 01:01:23.739
I'll still make sure I do treatment on my body

01:01:23.739 --> 01:01:25.460
or, you know, I'll get in the gym and do some

01:01:25.460 --> 01:01:27.280
spot shots, do free throws. Like every day I

01:01:27.280 --> 01:01:29.880
was trying to do something to keep my mind on

01:01:29.880 --> 01:01:32.460
basketball, you know, watching film, doing something.

01:01:33.159 --> 01:01:36.380
With business, now that, you know, it's not really,

01:01:36.480 --> 01:01:39.340
you know, if you're a part of a company, then

01:01:39.340 --> 01:01:40.980
you might be doing something every day. But if

01:01:40.980 --> 01:01:44.539
you're, you know, an entrepreneur and, you know,

01:01:44.559 --> 01:01:46.760
kind of. figuring out your way and doing deals

01:01:46.760 --> 01:01:48.920
here and there. I think educating yourself each

01:01:48.920 --> 01:01:52.000
day on something different that you're focusing

01:01:52.000 --> 01:01:55.280
on, like with me for real estate, I try to learn

01:01:55.280 --> 01:01:58.320
something about real estate each day, whether

01:01:58.320 --> 01:02:00.699
it's different terms in real estate, whether

01:02:00.699 --> 01:02:02.619
it's talking to different people, whether it's

01:02:02.619 --> 01:02:04.559
going to meetings, right? Like I try to do something

01:02:04.559 --> 01:02:07.340
each day to keep my mind flowing and keep learning,

01:02:07.519 --> 01:02:10.579
right? So taking that work ethic of basketball

01:02:10.579 --> 01:02:13.400
into the business world and figuring out what

01:02:13.400 --> 01:02:15.840
that looks like. I do have a business mind frame.

01:02:15.860 --> 01:02:19.460
I just didn't know. But no, what books are you

01:02:19.460 --> 01:02:22.000
reading or what books have helped you get to

01:02:22.000 --> 01:02:25.300
that? Um, um, I, I read the money, money and

01:02:25.300 --> 01:02:29.199
law of attraction. Um, that's a good one. Uh,

01:02:29.280 --> 01:02:33.030
rich dad, poor dad's a good one. Um, Those two,

01:02:33.090 --> 01:02:34.929
I mean, those, those two are, those two are rich

01:02:34.929 --> 01:02:36.849
dad, poor dad is really good just to start off

01:02:36.849 --> 01:02:39.829
on your mindset. You know, I read, I try to read,

01:02:39.829 --> 01:02:43.349
try not to just go crazy on, on business. I try

01:02:43.349 --> 01:02:45.369
to read like a business book and then, you know,

01:02:45.369 --> 01:02:47.849
a self -help or, and then something totally irrelevant

01:02:47.849 --> 01:02:50.610
that, you know, whether it's a autobiography

01:02:50.610 --> 01:02:54.590
or, you know, fiction, whatever. Just keep a

01:02:54.590 --> 01:02:56.550
good balance of everything. Yeah. Yeah. I got

01:02:56.550 --> 01:02:59.489
to, got to keep the mind balanced. So your quote,

01:03:00.059 --> 01:03:03.099
in the article I read said, I just didn't want

01:03:03.099 --> 01:03:04.739
to be looked at as a shitty basketball player.

01:03:05.380 --> 01:03:08.760
So my question for you is, in 10 years plus,

01:03:08.860 --> 01:03:12.139
when we look back at your career, what do you

01:03:12.139 --> 01:03:15.059
want people to say about NCW? I just want people

01:03:15.059 --> 01:03:16.780
to, you know, every time I stepped on the floor,

01:03:16.840 --> 01:03:19.159
I played the hardest I possibly could. I think

01:03:19.159 --> 01:03:20.960
that's the biggest compliment that I get, you

01:03:20.960 --> 01:03:22.579
know, especially being in Orlando, right? Like

01:03:22.579 --> 01:03:23.739
I'll see a bunch of people and they'll be like,

01:03:23.800 --> 01:03:26.460
man, you know, watching you, I knew every time

01:03:26.460 --> 01:03:28.219
you were going to give it your all. And I was

01:03:28.219 --> 01:03:30.199
like, yeah, like that's what I want people to

01:03:30.199 --> 01:03:33.800
see me. You know, that's how I want people to

01:03:33.800 --> 01:03:35.820
view me. It's how I've always been, no matter

01:03:35.820 --> 01:03:37.800
what level of success that, you know, that I

01:03:37.800 --> 01:03:40.320
had. You know, from being the best player on

01:03:40.320 --> 01:03:42.519
a team to being the last man on a, you know,

01:03:42.539 --> 01:03:45.019
coming into the game. That's all I want people

01:03:45.019 --> 01:03:46.880
to realize is that whenever I stepped on the

01:03:46.880 --> 01:03:49.880
floor, like I was, you know, sacrificing my body

01:03:49.880 --> 01:03:52.239
and giving it all. Yeah. You remind me of something.

01:03:52.860 --> 01:03:56.380
You obviously have been around Orlando for, what,

01:03:56.460 --> 01:04:01.079
four years, five years now? So, Paulo, what's

01:04:01.079 --> 01:04:05.639
one slept on quality about Paulo? I just don't

01:04:05.639 --> 01:04:08.699
think he gets like, you can't even name a slept

01:04:08.699 --> 01:04:10.719
on quality. I just think he gets slept on in

01:04:10.719 --> 01:04:13.320
general. I don't get it. I really don't understand

01:04:13.320 --> 01:04:16.559
it. The things that he was doing this year, the

01:04:16.559 --> 01:04:18.300
things that he did his rookie year, I was like,

01:04:18.400 --> 01:04:23.039
yo, why isn't he on ESPN every day? Why isn't

01:04:23.039 --> 01:04:24.800
the league pushing him like that? I don't know

01:04:24.800 --> 01:04:31.440
why. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, yo, it's

01:04:31.440 --> 01:04:35.260
crazy. The second round of the playoffs, you

01:04:35.260 --> 01:04:37.599
know what I mean? As a second -year player, I

01:04:37.599 --> 01:04:40.280
don't know. I don't know what it is. And performing

01:04:40.280 --> 01:04:43.900
at a high level. If I were to pick one thing,

01:04:43.980 --> 01:04:47.199
I would think that people sleep on how competitive

01:04:47.199 --> 01:04:50.780
he is. If you watch him play, he's not a super

01:04:50.780 --> 01:04:54.420
emotional guy. And even that's his personality.

01:04:54.440 --> 01:05:00.579
He's quiet. But, like, he's ultra competitive.

01:05:00.840 --> 01:05:02.900
Like, he wants to win. You can see it on his

01:05:02.900 --> 01:05:04.480
face sometimes if you're really paying attention

01:05:04.480 --> 01:05:06.519
and you really watch, like, you know, if you're

01:05:06.519 --> 01:05:11.079
a Magic fan. But, like, no, he deserves more

01:05:11.079 --> 01:05:14.639
coverage. He deserves a bigger platform. He's,

01:05:14.760 --> 01:05:18.420
like, he's an amazing hooper. This is just a

01:05:18.420 --> 01:05:20.800
question, speculation. Is he comparable to Bron?

01:05:21.639 --> 01:05:24.219
I don't know. I think they're similar. They have

01:05:24.219 --> 01:05:27.320
similar attributes that are the same. at a young

01:05:27.320 --> 01:05:31.719
age um i don't know man i know it's hard to compare

01:05:31.719 --> 01:05:33.659
anything i know yeah that's right like it's just

01:05:33.659 --> 01:05:37.500
it's just it's just a big like it's early it's

01:05:37.500 --> 01:05:40.079
way too early to say it too but yeah it's early

01:05:40.079 --> 01:05:44.159
yeah it's early it's like yeah yeah it's it's

01:05:44.159 --> 01:05:46.239
it's so who are some of your favorite young players

01:05:46.239 --> 01:05:52.019
then good question um yeah i like i like paulo

01:05:52.019 --> 01:05:58.349
um Rookies or just, I mean, obviously, Wemby

01:05:58.349 --> 01:06:03.429
is insane. Anthony Edwards, he's 23, right? I

01:06:03.429 --> 01:06:08.210
think he's 22, right? He's tough. Yeah, I like

01:06:08.210 --> 01:06:09.550
his game. He's one of my favorite players in

01:06:09.550 --> 01:06:13.190
the league right now. Anthony Edwards. I like

01:06:13.190 --> 01:06:19.230
Paulo. I like Wemby. I'm trying to think of a

01:06:19.230 --> 01:06:24.829
guy who's a little bit under the radar. that

01:06:24.829 --> 01:06:28.210
I think is going to be real good. Jalen Williams?

01:06:30.329 --> 01:06:33.869
Jalen's tough. I really like Jalen Williams.

01:06:33.969 --> 01:06:37.750
He's the perfect fit. I actually was at OKC's

01:06:37.750 --> 01:06:41.150
practice, and I was talking to their coach. Yeah,

01:06:41.190 --> 01:06:43.989
he's one of my favorites, too. I think he's underrated,

01:06:44.010 --> 01:06:47.050
too. He's so efficient. He shoots, like, over

01:06:47.050 --> 01:06:50.989
40 from three and, like, over 55 from the field,

01:06:51.050 --> 01:06:55.329
like something crazy. And logs down, right? Logs

01:06:55.329 --> 01:06:57.730
down on the defensive end. So, yeah, those guys.

01:06:58.130 --> 01:07:03.909
Hey, who's your GOAT? Kobe. Oh, man, the GOAT

01:07:03.909 --> 01:07:07.949
conversation is tough. I mean, it's either LeBron

01:07:07.949 --> 01:07:11.750
or Jordan. I flip -flop depending on the month.

01:07:12.710 --> 01:07:16.179
You don't like LeBron. Oh, my gosh. I'm not going

01:07:16.179 --> 01:07:20.579
through this again. I'm a LeBron hater. I respect

01:07:20.579 --> 01:07:25.599
him. I mean, look at his longevity, though. You

01:07:25.599 --> 01:07:29.280
know what I mean? That alone, you can consider

01:07:29.280 --> 01:07:32.000
him the GOAT just because he's done this for

01:07:32.000 --> 01:07:35.239
so long. At this level. Yeah, at this level.

01:07:35.340 --> 01:07:37.880
Or you can say MJ's the GOAT because during those

01:07:37.880 --> 01:07:41.340
years in his span, we've never seen anybody perform

01:07:41.340 --> 01:07:45.010
like that. The only thing that knocks, the only

01:07:45.010 --> 01:07:50.449
thing on the months that I'm pro -Jordan, the

01:07:50.449 --> 01:07:52.230
only thing that knocks is that Dallas series

01:07:52.230 --> 01:07:55.769
with LeBron. Yeah, that first year. That eats

01:07:55.769 --> 01:07:59.769
at me a little bit. I'm like, I just can't picture

01:07:59.769 --> 01:08:03.550
MJ ever performing in the finals. Yeah. I know

01:08:03.550 --> 01:08:05.889
in other series that he hasn't played that well,

01:08:05.929 --> 01:08:07.989
and you can go and pick and choose playoff series

01:08:07.989 --> 01:08:11.590
where MJ didn't play that well. on a stage like

01:08:11.590 --> 01:08:14.090
that in the championship i just i don't i don't

01:08:14.090 --> 01:08:16.369
i just don't see that i don't i don't know what

01:08:16.369 --> 01:08:19.210
that counts for but like i don't know but i i

01:08:19.210 --> 01:08:22.909
think more often than not i i probably go lebron

01:08:22.909 --> 01:08:26.970
i think just because he wow the longevity he's

01:08:26.970 --> 01:08:28.850
been doing it for so long he's really still a

01:08:28.850 --> 01:08:36.369
top 10 player in the league at age and i didn't

01:08:36.369 --> 01:08:38.250
say i don't like brown i didn't say i don't like

01:08:38.250 --> 01:08:41.289
brown i just I'm a Kobe fan, so I feel like it's

01:08:41.289 --> 01:08:45.729
my duty to be a LeBron. I respect what LeBron

01:08:45.729 --> 01:08:49.149
does. He's a great player. Kobe, yeah. Kobe,

01:08:49.229 --> 01:08:52.489
true, true Kobe fan. It's my duty. You got to

01:08:52.489 --> 01:08:55.609
exit. You got to exit. See you later, buddy.

01:08:55.930 --> 01:08:58.689
It's never, it's never, it's never. It's my duty

01:08:58.689 --> 01:09:01.630
to be a LeBron hater. That's all it is. So do

01:09:01.630 --> 01:09:04.250
you think that Kobe's better than Jordan? So

01:09:04.250 --> 01:09:06.630
I don't think Kobe's better than Jordan, but

01:09:06.630 --> 01:09:12.050
I think that. He replicated Jordan so much that

01:09:12.050 --> 01:09:14.109
he could have surpassed him just because of his

01:09:14.109 --> 01:09:17.090
mentality. Jordan had the killer mentality, but

01:09:17.090 --> 01:09:23.029
at that time, that time of that era, I feel like

01:09:23.029 --> 01:09:27.090
the work wasn't put in as much like Kobe was.

01:09:27.229 --> 01:09:28.949
It might be media, it might be something like

01:09:28.949 --> 01:09:34.979
that. He replicated Mike. That's my preference.

01:09:35.079 --> 01:09:37.600
I grew up with Kobe, so I didn't watch Mike.

01:09:37.680 --> 01:09:39.380
I watched Kobe, so that's why I picked Kobe.

01:09:39.899 --> 01:09:43.500
What do you think? As far as what? Do I think

01:09:43.500 --> 01:09:45.380
he's better than Jordan? Yeah, what do you think?

01:09:46.859 --> 01:09:52.340
No. No, I love Kobe. I love everything he represented.

01:09:52.539 --> 01:10:01.000
I loved his career, but I just don't see how

01:10:01.000 --> 01:10:03.539
people can put him better than him. better than

01:10:03.539 --> 01:10:07.060
jordan because every the people who are colby

01:10:07.060 --> 01:10:09.720
fans when they argue about him and lebron and

01:10:09.720 --> 01:10:12.140
they say that he has five championships they

01:10:12.140 --> 01:10:14.600
can't use that argument against jordan so it's

01:10:14.600 --> 01:10:18.779
just like a i like him better than jordan but

01:10:18.779 --> 01:10:20.720
that doesn't mean he's like there's a lot of

01:10:20.720 --> 01:10:22.760
guys that people like that aren't the best player

01:10:22.760 --> 01:10:25.199
in the world paul george right now yeah like

01:10:25.199 --> 01:10:27.720
all the youngins love great player just you know

01:10:27.720 --> 01:10:31.239
what i mean yeah i like it yeah i mean They're

01:10:31.239 --> 01:10:33.760
a little dirty. No, no, no, no, no, no. Where

01:10:33.760 --> 01:10:38.720
are you going with that? That's funny. No, I

01:10:38.720 --> 01:10:41.960
was going to say, yeah, I don't know. I love

01:10:41.960 --> 01:10:44.500
PG. He's a great hooper, but all the youngins

01:10:44.500 --> 01:10:46.619
think he's the best player in the league right

01:10:46.619 --> 01:10:51.159
now. I just don't see that. I mean, if I'm honest,

01:10:51.319 --> 01:10:55.659
I do think it's interchangeable Mike Braun, Kobe,

01:10:55.819 --> 01:10:58.680
but who I grew up with. I mean, interchangeable

01:10:58.680 --> 01:11:01.939
Mike Braun. Mike Braun, Kobe. No. Interchangeable.

01:11:02.020 --> 01:11:04.100
Just be honest. It depends what you're looking

01:11:04.100 --> 01:11:05.520
at. If you're looking at stats, if you're looking

01:11:05.520 --> 01:11:07.579
at gameplay, if you're looking at mentality,

01:11:08.600 --> 01:11:11.579
like rings, it depends what you're looking at.

01:11:12.579 --> 01:11:18.260
Kobe is three. Yeah. Thank you. I don't know.

01:11:18.420 --> 01:11:21.140
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Like

01:11:21.140 --> 01:11:26.199
I'm saying, it's hard. People love Kobe. People

01:11:26.199 --> 01:11:29.539
love Kobe. I get it. I don't know. Like, when

01:11:29.539 --> 01:11:31.439
you come into a debate and you've got to bring

01:11:31.439 --> 01:11:35.000
in, like, you've got to bring in, like, real

01:11:35.000 --> 01:11:38.399
facts of, like, what happened, like, in their

01:11:38.399 --> 01:11:40.840
careers. I just, some of the things I'm just,

01:11:40.899 --> 01:11:45.220
like, it's easy to ignore when it comes to Kobe.

01:11:45.680 --> 01:11:50.460
Like what? Like, just like he was a super volume

01:11:50.460 --> 01:11:56.840
dude. Like, both Braun and MJ shot way better

01:11:56.840 --> 01:11:59.470
from the field than Kobe. Like it's not even

01:11:59.470 --> 01:12:01.970
close. And there's like, there's other guy, like,

01:12:01.970 --> 01:12:06.250
like he's had, Kobe's had performances that weren't

01:12:06.250 --> 01:12:09.090
like great at certain points of his career that

01:12:09.090 --> 01:12:11.989
like people like to overlook because they, they

01:12:11.989 --> 01:12:14.930
think, you know, that, that he's had, you know,

01:12:14.930 --> 01:12:17.350
I don't know. It's just, it's just, it's just

01:12:17.350 --> 01:12:19.409
hard. The field goal percentages at times was

01:12:19.409 --> 01:12:22.630
like, it's crazy. It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't

01:12:22.630 --> 01:12:26.300
top three ever. you know good like it gets it

01:12:26.300 --> 01:12:28.539
got crazy at times right so it's like i don't

01:12:28.539 --> 01:12:31.199
know i i don't know i i'm not a co -creator i

01:12:31.199 --> 01:12:33.760
am from boston i'm not a co -creator though i

01:12:33.760 --> 01:12:36.479
like kobe he's one of the best to ever do it

01:12:36.479 --> 01:12:38.539
i just think when it comes to the goal conversation

01:12:38.539 --> 01:12:41.460
i think people get a little delusional i think

01:12:41.460 --> 01:12:43.560
you're a realist and i appreciate that i think

01:12:43.560 --> 01:12:45.119
that's needed in the basketball world especially

01:12:45.119 --> 01:12:46.899
when debating that conversation so i'm glad i

01:12:46.899 --> 01:12:50.600
asked His name will always float around in there,

01:12:50.640 --> 01:12:52.880
though. All right, so excellent episode again,

01:12:53.020 --> 01:12:54.800
Mike. I appreciate having you. Appreciate it,

01:12:54.800 --> 01:12:56.300
my man. This was a hell of a time. No problem,

01:12:56.380 --> 01:12:57.520
bro. Thank you guys for having me.