Draymond Green Show - Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday joins ‘The Draymond Green Show’ and discusses growing up in a basketball family, being an NBA All-Star, and the trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to start “The ‘Process.” Dray & Jrue also chat about getting traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Portland Trail Blazers and then the Boston Celtics for Damian Lillard, what was said among Jrue, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton after the fact, and what it’s been like playing for the Celtics as a childhood fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, Dray & Jrue talk about how Jrue’s defensive talents are similar to Steph Curry’s shooting ability, the leap that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have made, and much more.

00:00 - Start
03:00 - NBA family
09:00 - 76ers trade
14:00 - Damian Lillard trade
27:00 - Celtics experience
37:00 - Being a lockdown defender
44:00 - Tatum & Brown’s growth
59:00 - NBA families

Produced by: Jackson Safon

#Volume #Herd

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (01:39):
What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show.
This next guest as a brother of mine, one of
my golden brothers. We want to gold medal together. That
is just one of his many accomplishments. He is a
twenty twenty one NBA champion, two time NBA All Star,
three time NBA All Defensive First Seam, probably slided a
little bit there, Two time All NBA Defensive Second Team.

(02:04):
You can have those, because I got too many of those, and.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
He should be on first team all the time.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
This last one is one of my favorites because this
is him in a nutshell and life.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
This is him in basketball.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Like I said, I had the opportunity to play with
him three time NBA Teammate of the Year.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Drew Holliday, what's up, my brother, man.

Speaker 5 (02:29):
Glad, Glad Glad. I'm glad we can make this work. Man, Glad,
I could be on here.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Man. I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
And we've been making efforts to make this happen, and
Drew been making efforts and our you know, our schedules
get a little crazy at times, and then you got
the West Coast and the East Coast.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
And all of those things.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
But we wanted to bring you all this and we're
doing and Drew, I thank you for coming on the show.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Brother.

Speaker 6 (02:50):
Sure for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Ah Man, let's just take me back number one, like
or just for starters, your your parents both played at
Arizona State, played basketball at Arizona State. Just talk to
me about like growing up in a household with parents
that played at a high level that understood that because
y'all are an extremely athletic family.

Speaker 5 (03:14):
Yeah, I think, honestly, it was it was competitive, but
it was so natural for us.

Speaker 6 (03:21):
Like everything that we did. Yeah, it was.

Speaker 5 (03:24):
It was competition, but I think our parents knew because
they were competitors, that when it comes to family, that
comes first. So that was one of the big things.
You obviously played with my older brother Justin, and you've
seen my little brother trying to do his thing in Houston.

Speaker 6 (03:42):
But we've always we've always tried to be able.

Speaker 5 (03:45):
To cheer for each other, you know what I'm saying,
through our successes, help each other through our downfalls. But
I think my parents did a really good job of
keeping us.

Speaker 6 (03:54):
Competitive and then at the same time like loving on
each other. So it's been bro, it's been.

Speaker 5 (04:00):
The hell of a ride. Being able to kind of
talk about my family. People don't even know about my sisters.
She played basketball, but just really being able to, uh.

Speaker 6 (04:10):
Be competitors and then just love each other through all
the other bs.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
You know what I'm saying, absolutely, how was that growing up?
Like you being middle child and just but in particular
up the boys and Justin Justin being older than you?

Speaker 2 (04:27):
What was that like?

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Because you're way, like the way thicker than Justin Justine
skinny as hell a twig? Like, what was that like
growing up and y'all two playing against each other two
totally different games as well?

Speaker 5 (04:42):
Man, I tell people all the time, my brother made
me who I am? Uh, he's taller than me. Uh,
longer arms, you can jump higher. So all the finishing
and stuff that I usually do over people and trying
to do it over you know, length and people that
are tall to me was because of him, and obviously
him being older, Like I looked up to him. A
lot of the stuff that he did, I always wanted

(05:05):
to do. So I follow his game, I mirror him,
and then once I kind of got.

Speaker 6 (05:10):
A chance to like be on the same level or
try to. When we play one on one.

Speaker 5 (05:13):
Or two on two, he would like always block my shot,
he'd always take the ball from me. But I mean, shoot,
he made me better just because we had battle every day.

Speaker 6 (05:23):
Bro, every day we battle.

Speaker 5 (05:25):
We fight, going side for twenty minutes, cool off, and
then come back outside and start start hooping again. So
it was a man.

Speaker 6 (05:32):
I so much credit goes to my big brother for
just the player that I am.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, that's fire.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
And you went to Campbell Hall back when we were
in high school. For those of y'all that don't know
me and Drew is the same high school class. And
then look up our high school rankings. You'll find Drew
pretty fast. It will take you a long time with
your magnifying glass to find me on those rankings. Nonetheless,
it was rightfully, so I was not bea you know,

(06:01):
It's okay. It all worked out at the end of
the day. But there's a lot of kids in LA
now attending Camber Hall wasn't quite that way.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
When you attended Camber Hall.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
What was it that drove you and your family to
or you to go to Campbell Hall in in the
first place.

Speaker 5 (06:18):
So my mom works there. My mom's worked there probably
ten years before I got there. I had some I had,
like my auntie and my cousins that went to school there.
So we're actually going there for a better education. It
was nothing about sports, nothing for sports. It was about
getting a better education. We got to get to college.
We got to graduate from college. My mom being a

(06:40):
teacher and an educator, that was what was most important
to her. She would always tell us like, if you're
good enough, you would make it anywhere. They will find
they will find you anywhere if you get enough. So
we're not going to go here for the basketball, We're
going here for the education. And that's kind of how
it started in and now, I mean it's just totally different,

(07:01):
especially like the private school game. And uh, I mean
you have so many other athletes now who have made
some money and they can have their.

Speaker 6 (07:08):
Kids in private.

Speaker 5 (07:09):
School and doing all that, and obviously being in LA,
the abundance of Hoopers that you have in kind of
this small area. It's been crazy and it's been fun
to watch kind of kind of from a distance up. Yeah,
when I went to Campbell hall Man, it was it
was me and my brother and uh, I mean a

(07:31):
couple other dudes from from Pasadena or whoever, and then
all of a sudden, it's like blowing up.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
Yeah, No, it's crazy to watch.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
I think, like I remember, if I remember correctly, y'all
had an ESPN game was in high school we did.
I remember watching that, yes, which is why I watched
it because Delvon we were both going to Michigan State.
I remember that, definitely remember that game. But then you
stay home, you go to u c.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
L A for one year.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
What was it like, like, what did it do for
you at that time to have another guy like Darren
Collison on your team where you're coming out your top five,
but don't have to shoulder all the responsibility at point
guard because you got a vet like Darren Collison?

Speaker 2 (08:13):
What what was that like man college.

Speaker 5 (08:15):
Yeah, I think it was a blessing in disguise, you know,
obviously going into college, especially nowadays, where like you see
freshmen coming in and they kind of had a world
on their shoulders, a lot of pressure to do a
lot as a freshman, I mean an eighteen or nineteen
year old kid, where that could be hard for me.

Speaker 6 (08:34):
I had somebody who's a season vet went to two
or three final fours and made some big.

Speaker 5 (08:42):
Plays and had some big games and kind of ran
you sell a basketball and kind of the whole campus
and everything. So it was cool just learning from him
and then being able to get drafted with him the
same year, and then and then play against him in
the league for so long it's been it's been cool. Definitely,
like a bigger break there to be able to kind
of step into college life with in the the NBA.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Yeah. No, And man, I remember that we went further
than y'all our freshman year, but he went on to
the league seventeenth pick, seventeenth pick after freshman year, drafted
by the seventy six ers in the two.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
Thousand and nine NBA Draft.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
You then go on to become the youngest All Star
at least at the time. I'm not sure if it
still stands, but you're going to become the youngest All
Star in seventy six or history, and then the next
year you're traded. I remember talking to Andre Godala. You
know Andre obviously we played many years together, and he

(09:46):
specifically talked about when they traded you just us before,
and he was like, I was talking to Drew, Like
I can't remember the story vividly, but something I was
talking to Drew. He was on vacation or I was
on vacation or something, and like, you out the blue
get traded. What what? What do you think about the
business at that time? You coming off an All Star

(10:08):
and you get traded the next year for Nolans.

Speaker 5 (10:10):
Noel Man, I didn't know what to think. Like you said,
I just became an All Star. I just signed an extension,
And I mean I thought I was one of the
cornerstone pieces or one of the major pieces of seventy

(10:31):
six years basketball, like Philadelphia basketball me Evan Turner. D
Young was still there. I think they had already traded Dre,
they'd already traded lou Will, but it was like Dang,
I was on my way to a Dodger game.

Speaker 6 (10:47):
I just did a camp.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
I just did a camp in Orange County at one
of my best friends colleges in Orange County.

Speaker 6 (10:54):
We went our way to a Dodger game, and I.

Speaker 5 (10:55):
Get a call from Sam Henkey like, Amen, we've never
met because this is when he started taking over that year.

Speaker 6 (11:03):
Yeah, He's like, hey, man, I know we've never met her.
Great things about you over trading to New Orleans for
It was like a thirty second conversation.

Speaker 5 (11:12):
I never met him or talked to him before. I
think at this point, I don't even know what Bro
looked like.

Speaker 6 (11:16):
So wow. Yeah, So we was.

Speaker 5 (11:18):
We was on our way with me, I think, my
brother and so my best friends on the way to
the Dodger game. And next thing, I'm like, next thing,
you know, I get off the phone. I'm like, hey,
I just got traded. They're like, no, you didn't, like
all right. Two seconds later, pops up on the on
the little screen ESPN drew how that got traded.

Speaker 6 (11:39):
For number six pick? That's crazy And that's how you
found up bro. Yeah, just like that.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
That's the only conversation you've ever had with Sam.

Speaker 5 (11:50):
I haven't spoken to him before or after that. Wow,
the only conversation I've had.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
He came in and did that. Let's look back at that,
all right, when he starts turning, weel.

Speaker 5 (12:03):
That Michael Carter Williams. Remember Michael Carter Williams.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
I think that rookie going keep going, keep going. Tell
me somebody else.

Speaker 6 (12:13):
But I mean, I think I was, like, I like
to think I was the start of the process.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
You want to start the process. I'm just not sure
the processes ever worked.

Speaker 6 (12:23):
He could still be going, yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
I mean, you get Joel, right, like, all right, so
you got Joel.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Everything else outside of that process didn't work.

Speaker 6 (12:34):
Yeah that's tough, like Joel.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
Is obviously, but everything else outside of the process fail.

Speaker 6 (12:42):
I mean yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (12:43):
I mean they traded Evan away after me. I mean,
and I called Evan right away because Von was my dog.

Speaker 6 (12:49):
Like I got I got drafted.

Speaker 5 (12:51):
The next year, Evan Turner got drafted, and he like,
there's no way that they just trade you. I'm like, bro,
look like we are not. Like me and Evan thought
we'd be teammates forever. We thought we were the youngest,
the two best players and team. We thought it would
be teammates forever and just like that literally thirty second conversation.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
That's crazy, man. That's the NBA for y'all, folks.

Speaker 6 (13:14):
Yeah, and it and it ain't any different now.

Speaker 5 (13:20):
It might even be a little worse now because you
have Twitter, you have Instagram, but you have these other outlets,
media outlets that will catch it before you do, and
maybe that hurts lit a little worse. Like I've seen
a couple of teammates come in from a game and
find out they get cut. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like,
I know you've experienced it too, Like you've seen teammates

(13:41):
just like dang bro, like I had no clue and
they didn't have the boss to tell you face to face.
You know what I'm saying before anything else got out.
I'm talking about like right after you step off the court,
right after you just got them playing. To me, that's
crazy to me, it's yeah to me. To me, that's crazy.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
No, I think it's it actually should be illegal. I agree,
Like because if I came out and said something about
the trade before, I get fined for sure.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
So why is it that.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
They can announce me being traded and my feelings just
gotta be hurt, right, and I'm left to pick up
the pieces of my feelings. I'm left to pick up
the pieces of my life. I'm left like, I'm just
left to pick up the pieces. But if I said
that first, no problem, Like, I mean, come off the bread.

(14:36):
Yeah it should, it should be illegal. Take take me
through the process. This time though, this time around, there's
a bunch of reporting that going on that Damian Lillard
is going to get traded.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
No one knows where.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
He keeps saying Miami or people keep saying he Miami's
number one choice or the Knicks Bucks. Isn't even a conversation. Ah,
And then like, how soon with that? Did you know
that you were getting traded?

Speaker 6 (15:05):
And yeah, I was. I mean, so I.

Speaker 5 (15:13):
Through the week, you know, in the off season, you
go in, I'm already Milwaukee because my kids go to
school there and they started school and we're working out.

Speaker 6 (15:22):
I mean most of the teams they're working out.

Speaker 5 (15:25):
Monday Tuesday will workout. I take Wednesday off kind of
do my own thing, recovery day, and then Thursday Friday
I workout, and then the weekends I can'd of.

Speaker 6 (15:32):
Do my own thing. Me and my wife.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
Well, Wednesday was my day off and I'm taking a
nap and I'm taking then and I got my.

Speaker 6 (15:42):
I got my watch on my have a watch on
and I see the text. I see a call from
the GM and I'm like, I'll call him back, like
I'm deep in this nop too.

Speaker 5 (15:52):
What I'm saying, it's a good one. And then two
seconds later my agent coffee. I'm like, all right, so
I picked a his call. He's like, you talked to him.
I'm like, nah, bro, I'm sleeping. He's like, well, you
just got traded, so you should probably call him back.
And then I ended up looking at my phone. He

(16:13):
ended up texting me everything that was happening, like yeah,
we traded you here here, And then I ended up
calling him and ended up saying like, yeah, we traded
you for Damian. So I also had no clue, like
just like the world had no clue, also no clue.

Speaker 6 (16:30):
He did tell me. I think before it broke on.

Speaker 5 (16:35):
Twitter and all that the world kind of knew.

Speaker 6 (16:38):
But I think for me.

Speaker 5 (16:40):
It was just a shock because I had no clue,
like out the blue, and I think a part of
me thinking like maybe I felt like I not that
I was untouchable but maybe I had done enough to
at least let me know twenty four hours in advance,

(17:01):
not five minutes in advance. And maybe I'm asking for
too much. I don't know, but it's kind of like,
I mean, we want I won there.

Speaker 6 (17:12):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
We won there, so how many championships in Bucks history? Yeah,
you ain't asking for too much, yer span, But.

Speaker 6 (17:23):
Again I'm not. I'm not upset with it. Yeah, I'm not.

Speaker 5 (17:26):
I'm not upset with it. It was just more of
a shock, Like I didn't I didn't think that if
I was going to get traded. I thought I would
at least know in advance. I can prepare my family,
I can prepare my kid like we had a life
there and like I said, my kids were already in school.
And then that next Sunday or that next Monday was

(17:48):
training camp.

Speaker 2 (17:51):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (17:51):
So like it wasn't like in the middle of the
summer or the middle of the off season, Like, no,
we had four days. So I have to figure out
how to who my family.

Speaker 5 (18:01):
I got to figure out from one, I got to
figure out where I'm going, yause I didn't end up
staying in And that also took a minute too. So
I'm in limbo for three days, like not really knowing
what's going on, and then when it all kind of
came together at the end. I mean, I really thank

(18:21):
God for Portland and and Chancey and the GM there
because they really liked did good bye me, just really
asking me and talking to me where I wanted to
go and if I was on the same timeline as
them and.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
All that, and they did it. I mean, I love
them for that, but.

Speaker 5 (18:42):
It was just such a shot. And then being thrown
into another system that I had no clue about, but
being traded four days ago and then having just to
fly there and go straight in the training camp was crazy.

Speaker 2 (18:56):
Did you get a chance to talk to Gianni's dang anybody?

Speaker 6 (19:00):
Like? Uh? I talked to Dan.

Speaker 5 (19:03):
I was like, uh, hey, bro, you're gonna love it here.
I think, like because honestly, just like everybody else think,
I thought Dame was a good fit with Yanni.

Speaker 6 (19:12):
Like how they play together.

Speaker 5 (19:14):
The pick and roll addam came into that and you
got you got Brooked obviously stretching the floor. You got
Bobby stretching the floor and being a bully in the paint.

Speaker 6 (19:24):
I thought it was a good.

Speaker 5 (19:25):
I thought it was a good fit for him. So
I ain't had no no hate or anything. I talked
to Giannis a little bit, but the first person that
called me was Chris and he came. He came to
the house, and uh, we had a we had a
deep conversation.

Speaker 6 (19:39):
We had we had a good conversation. So uh yeah, yeah,
came in my boy.

Speaker 5 (19:44):
So it was it was good to kind of talk
it through with him, because honestly, I think a lot
of them were just as shocked as as I was. Like,
I don't think anybody knew. I think they kind of
kept it close to the chest for the most part.

Speaker 6 (20:01):
Again, I don't know who knows who knew like the
whole story and who didn't, So I can't speak on
all that, but like I know, I know a lot
of them they just kept it close because if it
did get out. Yeah, again, I don't know. For me,
it's like I'm a grown man and if you tell
me that, like I'm possibly gonna get traded them and

(20:22):
be like all.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
Right, yeah, I think that's a tough thing to do
though for a GM for being who you are and
what you meant to that team, and like, like you
have to play well for that team to win. If
they're like, yo, you may get traded and then all
of a sudden you don't. That could be tough because like,
all right, trade me, then like like get me out
of here. So I get that from a certain extent,

(20:45):
But this isn't a normal situation. This isn't like some
guy that just play here and now we're just moving
on because it didn't work, Like we just won a championship.
We're within two years of winning a championship and we
still have championship aspirations. Is pulling me out of the
puzzle gonna help better that championship? I personally don't think so.

(21:11):
Not that Dame isn't great, but just for what you
meant to that team, that team took a big hit
defensively all year because of the way people.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
Don't understand the way Janni's.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
And Brooke play in the drop that only works in
today NBA. If you have a guard that a doesn't
get screened and chases over the ball like a hawk,
Like he chases over the screen like a hawk, And
with you chasing over the screens, they can sit in
that drop and you're good enough to funnel them to

(21:45):
the drop. All of a sudden, you remove that and
you don't have anyone to do that, and Grayson Allen
was gone, who also thought was your second best perimeter defender,
like defense to a huge hit.

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Speaker 5 (23:10):
When I tell people during that time because me and
Grayson just ironically, me and Grayson didn't go in the
same day the day that we got traded.

Speaker 6 (23:19):
Grayson also been going that day, which I don't know.
I don't know why.

Speaker 5 (23:25):
Grayson was killing this offseason. Grayson put in work and
he was killing. I'm like, he is the best player
on the court this offseason, So I think all of
it kind of like, looking back at it, I'm like, man,
it was I do think defensively it was.

Speaker 6 (23:42):
A big It hurt him a lot, But you know.

Speaker 5 (23:48):
Trades can be made and you can try to find
defense and do all that.

Speaker 6 (23:52):
But I agree with you.

Speaker 5 (23:53):
I think that I was kind of perfectly put or
I fit perfectly and funneling guys to Brook, who I.

Speaker 6 (24:02):
Think last year had career hiring blocks.

Speaker 5 (24:05):
Obviously, you see what Giannis does blocking shots and stuff,
so I was like, I was meant for that.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
But yeah, for sure, brook Brook was mentioned as defensive
possibly defensive Player of the Year last year, and I
don't remember nobody ever mentioned a brook for Nobody's defensive
Player of the Year. So that does definitely show your impact.
But I did so, so you pretty much chose to
go to the Celtics, like the Blazers kind of gave

(24:33):
you that right to just kind of Yeah.

Speaker 5 (24:36):
There were other teams that I wanted to. They were
one of the teams that I wanted to.

Speaker 6 (24:40):
Try to go to. Obviously they had pieces. I think something.

Speaker 5 (24:44):
Happened with Brot with Malcolm earlier where he didn't go
to the Clippers, so I think he was maybe looking
to go somewhere else and he was definitely one of
the teams. But I want to go to contendent. I mean,
this is a few of them out there where I
felt like I could make my impact. It was like,
there's the Clippers at the time, it's Miami, there's Celtics,

(25:07):
and I think maybe those.

Speaker 6 (25:07):
Are the like the big three, the ones that I
felt like, you know what, if I go there, I could.

Speaker 5 (25:14):
Really really do something, and you know, after you get
traded sometimes you kind of question not your abilities, but
like sometimes your confidence, Like am I.

Speaker 6 (25:25):
As good as I think I am? Because like I.

Speaker 5 (25:27):
Can just be traded for nothing or not even know
about it. But to see so many people kind of
text me and be like dang, Like I didn't see
that coming getting those text messages. Man, I'm like, you
know what, like, yeah I can still It ain't mean
I'm still nice.

Speaker 6 (25:45):
So it was cool. It was cool to kind of
have that fee back.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
But what was your reaction, like initially, like y'all just
finished playing the Celtics and back and forth the last
few years and you know that thing has grown into
a rivalry.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
What was your reaction to that was?

Speaker 1 (26:02):
It was it more like damn, I don't know if
I want to go or because of the way they
traded you, it was just like, no, I actually want
to go there and get.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Back at them.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (26:13):
It was more like, yeah, I want to go there
and win.

Speaker 5 (26:18):
It wasn't necessarily to get back at them because, like
I told you about my first trade experience, it's happened
to me before. I've been traded without knowing I've been
traded for I mean, for whatever reason and it just
go like like thirty second call, I'm somewhere else. So
and I still love the guys on the team, you

(26:38):
know what I'm saying, But I also want to beat them. Yeah,
also you know what I'm saying, I also want to
beat them. So it's not like in spite I didn't
go there in spite of them. I went there because
like that's my best chance of winning. And again it
ended up working out where I feel like the Celtics
equally wanted me to.

Speaker 6 (26:57):
Like it wasn't just right. It wasn't just me.

Speaker 5 (27:00):
Going after them, like they also pursued me too, So
I think it was that definitely worked, But it wouldn't
I wasn't going there like yeah, I'm gonna get back
at the at the Bucks.

Speaker 6 (27:11):
It was like, well, I'm gonna go there and win.
If we got to go through the Bucks, then be.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Going through absolutely, And I you know, I can appreciate that,
and I love it because see what people and you know,
people get mixed up all the time and they forget
these these these time of these events. Marcus Smart was
already traded. The Celtics didn't have a point guard going

(27:35):
into the season, Like again, four days away from training camp,
they didn't have a point guard. This Damian Lillard trade
actually made Bride look like a genius because now all
of a sudden, you you, you end up in Boston.
They traded Marcus Smart not knowing that that was happening. No, No,
it was almost like a panic, like, oh man, we

(27:56):
can't win, all right, the money getting up there, JB
money kicking in.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
We know we about to pay JT. We might as
well start getting off some stuff now.

Speaker 1 (28:03):
It was almost like a panic and like them letting
go the rope how I viewed it, and then all
of a sudden you pop up and everybody's like, oh,
Drew's in Portland.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
But Drew said he not standing in Portland. He's available,
and they come up on you, and I mean, it's
changed everything.

Speaker 5 (28:20):
It's a it's been fun, bro, I'm not gonna lie,
it's been it's been fun. The culture here in Boston,
what it means to win, the history that it has,
Like me being from La growing up a Laker fan.
That was probably the weirdest part for me, Like being
in that green being like being a Celtic, knowing that

(28:44):
I was gonna sign and be a Celtic was like, like,
am I portraying my roots? Like where I came from?
Orically growing up a Kobe fan, I thought I was
supposed to be six eight and be like magic, Like like,
am I betraying.

Speaker 6 (28:57):
Where I came from?

Speaker 5 (28:57):
Because all my family to this day still Lakers fans.
Like I got family that came to the game in
Boston with Lakers stuff on. I'm like, You've got me
messed up. Watch this game with a Lebron jersey on?

Speaker 6 (29:12):
Like what is wrong with you?

Speaker 1 (29:14):
Right right?

Speaker 6 (29:15):
I got like like I got family.

Speaker 5 (29:17):
From La who still came to the game with Lakers stuff.
I'm like, yeah, that's that's crazy to me. But that's
the rivalry. That's like the history behind it. But being
in at set the Green bro like it, Like the
pressure is like it's different. I mean you can probably attest.

Speaker 6 (29:33):
To it, like being on top for so long or
even then like kind.

Speaker 5 (29:38):
Of doubt you like you can't win, Like all they
talk about here is winning and the only thing that
is important is winning.

Speaker 6 (29:47):
And I'm like, man, I'm here for it, bro, Like
I'm here for the ride. So I'm excited. I'm excited
to be here.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Now that's crazy, but that's also a different type of pressure.
Like even for us when we came in here this
like we made it to the playoff my rookie year,
we pour water on each other, like Mark Jackson, don't
don't do liquor, Like we had a water celebration, not
chap but because that was like I mean, the biggest
moment was was the we Believe season and like since

(30:16):
seventy five, that was the biggest moment in history was
do we believe? Winning the first round playoff series, So
we didn't necessarily have like pressure to win at the
level that we won at because you just couldn't compare
it to anything. But you saying y'all feel that pressure,
like they make sure y'all feel it and know like no,
we we gotta win championship.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
That's it here in Boston.

Speaker 5 (30:39):
I mean, you played, you played in the garden. You
know what the fans are like, you know how crazy, right,
It's like it's it's live or died, like they something's
green all the way. So I think kind of being
in a position and bro big like big props and
big ups to JT and JB because I feel like
they ho there most of the pressure, like a lot

(31:02):
of it is on them because they've been together for
so long and kind of have gone through this where
they've been to the conference finals and they've been to
the they've been to the finals and all that so
many years in a row, and even what they did
last year, like almost coming back from down three against
the against the heat.

Speaker 6 (31:22):
Yeah, I think that playing with them and seeing like
now that I'm on this side and seeing like the
pressure that they go through and how they handle themselves
is like is ultimate professional. Like I don't think a
lot of people would be able to do what they
do now.

Speaker 1 (31:42):
That's incredible, and they carry it well because it doesn't
come off that way like obviously we all here the
talking heads on ESPN or on this shore, like, but
to be feeling that pressure at home, you know what
I'm saying, Like to be feeling that pressure from your
fans to like, that's a different type a thing to
handle because when at any moment, like you hit a

(32:04):
rough patch, yeah, like they you should trade this person,
you should trade that person, And yet you still got
to try to keep that same love for this fan
base because you're one and the same in the sense
you're trying.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
To do that's that's a tough thing to do.

Speaker 1 (32:19):
And I don't think people realize how much that takes
and how much that says about those two and just
where they are and their maturity.

Speaker 5 (32:28):
Yeah, no, it's and I saw that from day one, bro, like,
and you know JT, and I mean you know JB
two but you know JT like super cool and calm.

Speaker 6 (32:37):
It don't seem like anything mess with him and all that.
But I know, like again, just being here and seeing.

Speaker 5 (32:45):
That type of pressure, Bro, I'm like, man like, I
really admire it, like and they do with such a
grace and just how to handle themself is like way
wiser or like wise beyond the year.

Speaker 6 (32:58):
So it's been has been cool to kind of see that.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
That's super dope being on the other side and now
being with them.

Speaker 1 (33:06):
You coming to the Celtics, your role has changed quite
a bit offensively, But in that change offensively me having
the opportunity to play with you, watching you play, you
don't get off on offense. Like you're more than capable
of scoring the ball at any level, which I think

(33:26):
most people don't understand. You can take guys to the post.
You are a great finisher around the rim. You have
a floater, you have a mid range, you have a
three point shot. There's guys that average far more points
than you in the NBA that can't score at every
level like that, and so just to be able to
score like that already puts you in an elite category. However,

(33:48):
you've taken on a lesser role knowing that JT is
going to get a lot of shots. JB is going
to get a lot of shots, and everything else from
there is fleet throwing, it's you d.

Speaker 2 (33:58):
White, some nice, it's our some nights, it's Peyton something like.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
It's so free flowing outside of those two getting the
shots that they're going to get every night. And your
role has changed great. Granted I understand that maybe people
don't understand that, but I don't really want to talk
about that. What I want to talk about is the
role that I see you playing now on the defensive end,
because you've gone from a guy who, like were speaking

(34:25):
about earlier, where you're gonna be on Steph Curry, you're
gonna be on Kyrie Irving, you're gonna be on the
best ball handler at all times, to now you're on
me when we played y'all to start the game, and
I see you playing more of a like I used
to love to do that. When our lineup's allowed for
me to just match up with a guy who's maybe
a lesser shooter, I can I can mess up y'all

(34:46):
offense in a totally different way than just having to
go guard that guy.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
And I see y'all doing more of that now with you.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
How has that been for you, adjusting to that role
as opposed to being the gardener dominant ball handler.

Speaker 5 (35:00):
It's been a different experience for sure, because, like you said,
and especially when we first came into the league, it
was like you guarded your matchup absolutely.

Speaker 6 (35:11):
If I was the point guard, I guarded the point guard.
If I was the two, I guarded the two.

Speaker 1 (35:16):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (35:17):
And honestly, my first few years or whatever, like I
don't ever think I guarded a three like a small
forward or whatever. Was it the point guard or shooting
guard now and then it became like hound the ball,
best player, don't matter if they six, eight, don't matter
if they five.

Speaker 6 (35:34):
To ten, hound them.

Speaker 5 (35:36):
And those two are kind of the same though, Like
I still had the hound because you know, when we
came in the point guard is just the one who
brings it down, sets people up and does all that.
But they didn't pretty much the main ball handler getting
it to the guy in the spot where the guy
yes absolutely.

Speaker 6 (35:53):
Now it's like.

Speaker 5 (35:55):
I think our first time we played Philly Usguard and
Joel like seven to I'm six four and I some
day six y five, depending on if I got my hair.
You know what I'm saying, And I think kind of
like being a roamer or disrupting.

Speaker 6 (36:12):
Kind of like what you said, has been so fun
to me. It's been so fun because.

Speaker 5 (36:17):
I see the game in a different way. Now I
see the reason why I'm on this person. I start
to catching Now. Me and Joe talk about that quite
a bit, Like I start to catch with Joe is
thinking defensively before he tells me. I'd be like, hey,
you want to do this, You'd be like, yeah, yeah,
that's what I want to do it. I'm like, see,
I'm starting to catch on. Before I was just so
locked into hounding the ball, disrupting it, sending them over

(36:42):
the screen, sending them down to Brookrianni before that, send
him the ad when I was with the Pelicans. So
it was like that was it was a consistent type
of thing that I was doing. And now, Bro, one
day I might be on a non shooter, the next
day I might be on a shooter. I might be
on the big for if they want to come up
and set a screen, but we don't want to big

(37:03):
in it. So because I'm on him, now he's in
the corner, and now they're going with like somebody else
who's maybe less of a shooter, you know what I'm saying,
Like so many things playing to the defense now, And
I didn't see the.

Speaker 6 (37:16):
Game that way. I was always the person who had
to hear people tell.

Speaker 1 (37:22):
Me what to do, which is a scare re feeling.
You're out there on that island. Everything's happening behind you. Yeah,
but you can't turn and look, and you just have
to do it like you're at the mercy of whether
the big wants to talk.

Speaker 6 (37:35):
Or not for sure one hundred percent. And then yeah,
So I learned early to let my.

Speaker 5 (37:40):
Biggs get the rebounds and feed them the ball and stuff,
because then they talk. But now I'm the one screaming.
I'm like you, I'm trying to be loud, I'm trying
to be crazy. So like my teammates ain't getting smacked
by scream, so they know what's going on in situations.
And I think that that was something a little different
from me because I've always been like a quiet player

(38:01):
because I didn't.

Speaker 6 (38:01):
Really have to say much. I was always on the ball,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (38:04):
So it's it's been a cool experience, Like I guess,
I'm I'm I'm like Draymond Green, not way.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
Better, way better. And I include myself and this.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
Anytime someone talks about a defender being overrated in the NBA,
I cannot recall ever seeing one person say another name
outside of you, Yeah, you've never finished higher than seven
place in defensive playerity of your voter.

Speaker 2 (38:38):
What do you make of that?

Speaker 1 (38:39):
Because that to me, I know the type of defender
you are number one, and playing against you and watching
you play, I know the type of respect that people
have for you as a defender, especially those guys that
you are guarden.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
But what do you make of that thing?

Speaker 6 (38:57):
I think that for the most or.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
The people, the players in the NBA and a lot
of the coaches in the NBA see how good of
the defender I am, and that's all I need. Like
I could see the respect when somebody when my guys
going up to set a screen and they're like, no,
go to the next one. You know what I'm saying.

(39:23):
What I'm like, all right, respect to me, Like that's
what I mean. I don't really care for the accolades.
I don't care for the whatever. It would it be
cool to get DPO out yet, but I think me
personally it was for one, Like I was super happy
when Marcus got it because it had been so long
since a guard had gotten it. Or and no offense

(39:44):
to the bigs out there that block shots.

Speaker 6 (39:46):
And I know that they affect the game, but like
not all the time.

Speaker 5 (39:51):
They not guarding the best players night, and that they're
not affecting the game in that way where they got
to fight over screens or chase them around or pound
them full court. Like not saying that it is easy
because I can't block shots. I'm not averaging five five
blocks a game. But you would know, like you have
to guard. You have to guard the best players at
the end of the day, you had to you they

(40:14):
were either trying to get away from you or you
would go and seek them out.

Speaker 6 (40:18):
Because you knew, like I'm that guy, I'm tend to.

Speaker 5 (40:22):
So when Marcus got it, I was like so excited
because I'm like, all right, well we trending in a
direction now where I feel like they could possibly go
to guards and do all that, but me not getting it.

Speaker 6 (40:33):
Man, I could I could care less. Now I wouldn't
say care less. I wouldn't say careless, but like I'm
I don't know the sleepover it.

Speaker 2 (40:43):
You got more.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
You have more respect from your peers as a defender
as I wouldn't say more. You have as much respect
from your peers as a defender as Steph has as
a shooter, or as like from I mean the guys
you've guarded, Like if you talk to the guys that
you've guarded, like they don't think for a second like oh,

(41:06):
Drew Holliday, like like you asked Drew Holiday, Like no question,
And that's what I like. It's just the same way,
like obviously Steph is the greatest shooter we've ever seen,
if you actually is the best shooter the first Steph Curry,
like you not a second thought like Steph Curry, and
guys that you've guarded that know the game, that know

(41:27):
what is what their facing went they're up against you.

Speaker 2 (41:30):
It's the same. It's true holiday, no, no question.

Speaker 1 (41:33):
And I think and as you just like that's that's
that's the biggest compliment one could ever get.

Speaker 5 (41:38):
Ever, that's that's crazy to me, that like it's not
even a question. It's not even like yeah, like when
I hear people are when I hear that, like every
time I hear it, Bro, I'm like, yeah, that's that's
insane to me. But that's that's a good feeling. That's
I think part of the reason why, Like I know,
I mean going to sleep at night, bro, I'm good, yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
No, and gearing up for.

Speaker 1 (42:05):
You know, you guys are the best record in the
NBA by probably double digit games at this point, playing
better basketball or as good as basketball as anyone.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
I think Denver. Denver is playing great basketball right now too.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
So who's playing better Tomato Tomato, probably you guys and
the way y'all been.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Winning as well.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
But what do you feel as a champion on a
team with guys who's gotten there conference finals, gotten to
the NBA Finals, yet haven't been able to get on
over the hump as a champion. What is it that
you see that it's going to be important for y'all
to be for you and the Celtics to be able
to get over that hump that they haven't been able

(42:48):
to get over.

Speaker 6 (42:52):
Man. I think it's this sense of.

Speaker 5 (42:58):
Consistency, but like calm through the storm, because you know,
in every series, in every playoff run, something goes to shit,
some go bad. You got to have a little bit
of luck. You gotta have a lot of bit of
luck and a lot of bit of health and stuff
going your way to get to where you want to
get to. But I think that like our mindset right

(43:21):
now has been really good, and knowing obviously been there
and experiencing it, me being able to and then even
then making it to the finals, losing, experiencing that, experiencing
what it takes to get there.

Speaker 6 (43:38):
I think that I think that it's been really good.

Speaker 5 (43:41):
Like our mindset hasn't been even when we up double
digit games or even when we're playing against the worst
teams in the league.

Speaker 6 (43:48):
It's always like our mindset is to win this game,
like go for the kill. And you know how it is,
sometimes especially at this time and the at the end
of the year, it get hard to play. Sometimes just
get me to the playoffs. We already we already up
in games or whatever, like give me to the playoffs,
and I'm looking forward to.

Speaker 5 (44:09):
But I feel like as a team, we're kind of
in the place where it's like we can still learn
from each game, and I think that's going to kind
of take us and carry us over the top whenever
we get to that point, if we.

Speaker 6 (44:22):
Ever do no.

Speaker 1 (44:24):
And I just think like the things that y'all are
doing again, like just going back to the way y'all
been winning, Like when you're doing things like that, that
to me is like, Okay, they ready, you know what
I'm saying, Like they are ready to win a championship,
you know, not blowing games, you know, not like you
guys supposed to be the team y'all beating them, you

(44:46):
know what I'm saying, Like beating them handedly sitting fourth
quarters like and so to me and watching, it's like,
all right, they really ready to compete for a championship now,
you know, I think you you coming over there. It
adds a totally different demeanor to the team. I think
it also as a totally different confidence on both ends

(45:06):
of the floor.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
And I see that y'all y'all have been able to
benefit from that.

Speaker 1 (45:11):
But how what what is it that you've seen now
this year and being on the side that you on
as opposed to side that you were on with Jason Tatum,
Like what is it that makes JT so special that
you've been able to see now?

Speaker 5 (45:28):
I think when I was going against him, I just
saw him as an opponent. I didn't really take him
for everything else, you know, like everything else off the
court that plays into maybe the person he is or
even the player that he is. I think it was
just an opponent like him and JB, Like, these are

(45:50):
my opponents. I got to beat my opponents.

Speaker 6 (45:54):
Now that I see JT.

Speaker 5 (45:55):
And obviously like yeah, we played with him on the
on the Olympic team and all that, but like really
getting the gnaw now and you learn somebody on a
deeper level, you can see honestly just how good of
a person he is. And to me, I know that
that doesn't always I know that that doesn't always matter
in winning, but to me, I think it matters. I

(46:16):
think it matters how you treat people, not just in
the organization the people that you work with, but like how.

Speaker 6 (46:23):
You treat people off the court.

Speaker 5 (46:25):
Every time I see JT with fans bro, I'm like,
he literally like doesn't take this for granted, you know
what I'm saying when he's talking to a little kid,
or he sees a little kid as his jersey, or
I don't know, if somebody says something to him and he's.

Speaker 6 (46:40):
Turning in a way then and I'm like, he don't
have to do that. Like y'all came here to see him,
y'all came here to see him perform.

Speaker 5 (46:48):
But like he's giving y'all kind of like a piece
of him, which I feel like means a lot, and
it's genuine, and I think that that's the biggest part,
Like how genuine and how great a character.

Speaker 1 (47:01):
That he has.

Speaker 5 (47:02):
I feel like that plays onto the court because i mean, look,
God loves the winner. God loves a give or too,
and he's giving. He's giving more than he has to
out of the kindness of his heart. So I feel
like that translates on the court and you can tell,
like he cares about this game.

Speaker 6 (47:22):
Yeah, and it's not just sets, it's not just how I.

Speaker 5 (47:26):
Look that night on the stat sheet, Like he cares
about basketball. And you can tell on the court, but
off the court.

Speaker 6 (47:34):
You go often too.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
No, that's absolutely amazing. And also now being on the
other side with JB. To me and watching him play,
it seems to me like he's taking even more steps.
And I've always been a fan of JB because, you know,
being out here in the Bay, I remember going to
his game at Cal and watching him and being like, oh, man,

(47:57):
this kid is a good athlete.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
Do not great shot not great, but he's a good athlete.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
Got a great body, like super athletic, like you know,
can score a little bit. And to see the player
that he is today, where the way he can handle
the ball, the way he can shoot the ball, like
he is one of those guys to me that you
see every year he gets better every year, and to
me it seems like this year he's even taking a

(48:24):
bigger jump. Like what's it been like watching like playing
against JB with the growth that he's been having over
the years, but then also now being with him and
seeing the growth up close and personal.

Speaker 6 (48:37):
Playing against him is kind of like what you said,
there's always something that he couldn't do.

Speaker 5 (48:43):
He didn't shoot well enough. He finishes at the rim. Well,
he's an athlete, but he doesn't shoot well enough. Or
it could be like you said this handle isn't good enough.
And I think coming into this season and throughout the season,
he's just shown that, like when people doubt him, he
really take that the heart, bro.

Speaker 6 (49:03):
Like, oh, you don't have a left hand. And if
y'all really look at JB game this year, he's been
finishing crazy with his left and it's like, I don't
know if it's he do it on you know what
I'm saying, Like, I don't know if he was just
practicing that in the off season or or whatever it is.

Speaker 5 (49:22):
But like literally everything that you that they've talked about
him not that good of a shooter, he's shooting the three.

Speaker 6 (49:29):
Very well this year, like one of like one of
our go to three point shooters, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
Before our defense, but go ahead.

Speaker 6 (49:40):
Yeah, we was like, oh JB shoot it every time?
Every time shoot the ball? Can you shoot? He like, yeah,
all right, shoot it. But he brouh.

Speaker 5 (49:52):
I feel like everything, whenever somebody doubts him, he's like,
all right, I'm a pretty.

Speaker 6 (49:56):
Wrong And that's a dog to me. That's a dog
to me. Like he he.

Speaker 5 (50:01):
Just he got that that barking him, He got that
tough in him. That's like I really want to win.
And I saw it before like playing against him, that
he really wanted to win. But it's even born now
because like you hear the doubts that people had about him,
And can j B and JT do it together?

Speaker 6 (50:19):
And you will?

Speaker 5 (50:20):
And you see how they play together, bro, It's like
like they play well together. They both work on that game.
And JB's mid range is going crazy. His finishes at the.

Speaker 6 (50:32):
Rim are going crazy. It's three points going crazy. So, man,
I don't know. JB is a complete player to me,
and to hear the thing he don't.

Speaker 5 (50:40):
We got him in the corner at times, like coming
off down screens, catching off downscreens and making moves that way,
and then we'll have him bring it down and him
run point guard and him running off screen and rolls
and making plays and diamond people.

Speaker 6 (50:51):
I'm like, he has such a complete game to me
that I love. I love playing with JT.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
I mean, Ja's definitely he's definitely put it together, that's
for sure. Just switching switching gears a little bit before
we get out of here.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about your wife,
who you Jeezon already.

Speaker 6 (51:15):
That's my girl.

Speaker 1 (51:16):
But a few questions about your wife, but number one Lauren,
who's incredible World Cup gold medalists and soccer. For those
of y'all that don't know, I was diagnosed some years back,
I think in twenty sixteen with a brain tumor. And
you number one, you're a solid as a person as

(51:39):
they come, but you taking time away from the season
being there for her, taking care of her. Like, what
was that like for you in that process of number one,
dealing with that, like the scare of a brain tumor,
like that serious stuff, so that before any basketball, but
then going on and you know like, yeah, I'm not

(52:01):
going back to the season, like that'll be there or
it won't be, but this is what I have to do.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
What was that whole process like for you or her?

Speaker 5 (52:10):
For me, it was the easiest decision I made because
as much as I love basketball, it's always been God
family basketball. So growing up being in the church obviously,
you know, growing up your mama dragged the church and
all that.

Speaker 6 (52:24):
You don't want to go.

Speaker 5 (52:25):
But when you're faithful, I feel like God blesses you
and He's done that in my life so many time.
And another thing that my family has always taught me
is that my family is most important. Obviously I loved
again in basketball, and I've loved it since I was
two or three years old, but I've loved my family
more so. Again, you see my family league. We've talked

(52:48):
about him earlier. But my wife, like I told you,
is my dog, Like she's she's my person, and she
has been for so long because of our same values.

Speaker 6 (53:00):
Same faith. Not only that, though, but she's always pushed
me in my career and she's always had my back
in my career. Like when I had doubts about uh
ME being traded from Philly to New.

Speaker 5 (53:16):
Orleans, Like why would they do that after I had
this type of season, Like am I just expendable? She like, not,
you're the best player, No, you are the best players.
So she would show she would show me love. But
it's also because she experienced it herself, Like she got
two gold medals in the Olympics, she got a World
Cup gold medal and the w in the uh in

(53:39):
the NWEL she was two time MVP and two time champions,
like like like people don't know, like she is like
the real athlete in my family, and I'm really just
trying to sit at the table with her. And when
it came down, when it came down to stop and
to play basketball, bro, it was like it was like, yeah,

(54:00):
that's that's easy, Like she's my rock.

Speaker 6 (54:02):
I wouldn't I wouldn't know what to do if I.

Speaker 5 (54:07):
Didn't have her, So it was it was an easy
decision for me to take care of my family. And
my daughter was also being born. So first my daughter
had to be born. She was five and a half
weeks early. She was born premature. And then a month later,
my wife had surgery. All this happened at Duke in Carolina, right.

Speaker 6 (54:28):
So we got a new born.

Speaker 5 (54:30):
We got to make sure that she's okay, and say
she's in Nikki for seven or eight days. My wife
is going crazy because she's like she should be home
with us. And I also still have to recover because
I have surgery a month later, and it's like it's
gonna it's gonna be okay. And then my wife had
a ten hour surgery. Like think of like being in

(54:50):
a hospital room for ten hours, not knowing what's gonna wait,
just waiting but not knowing, Like somebody's like about that,
like cut your brain open and you know, with your brain,
so many different functions you can either have, you can
have after or you can lose.

Speaker 6 (55:09):
Them, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (55:11):
So not only are we waiting to see what happens
at the end of the day, like she's also waiting.
And it was like the longest ten.

Speaker 6 (55:20):
Hours in my life. I'm not gonna lie to you.

Speaker 5 (55:23):
But we had support from my family, her family, our friends.
It was like we got a really good community. But
it was, bro, It's hard. It's hard to think that
somebody who was the best athlete in your family, somebody
who's at i mean especially health wise, like the best health.

Speaker 6 (55:42):
Of her life, she just had a brain tumor and to.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
Go through this.

Speaker 5 (55:46):
So like I'm kind of hurting for her because I'm like,
I'm an athlete, Like what if that would happen to me,
you know what I'm saying, Like and me not knowing
what's going on. So it was it was definitely a
crazy time, but we did it together.

Speaker 6 (56:02):
Bro, And I mean I think I think that we
made it through.

Speaker 5 (56:06):
And God bless us with a healthy child and we
got another healthy child. My daughter's seven and my son
is three, so and my wife is healthy too, So
I'm not I'm not a set And.

Speaker 6 (56:17):
Then I just put in perspective what basketball really was.

Speaker 5 (56:20):
It's a platform to show this ability that God gave me,
and the glory goes to him, but also it goes
to show like, as serious as I take this game,
there are things.

Speaker 6 (56:34):
That are more serious, Yes, more important.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Man. That's that's number one. That's crazy, but very special
to see.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
I've been married now for a year and a half,
but like to see that bond and like just being
so willing, Like, you know, people sign up for marriage
for a lot of reasons, and oftentimes people don't think, like, yo,
I'm a have to deal with a woman that has
a brain tumor and like take on all these things.
And we have a one month old baby, and now

(57:06):
I have to take care of the one month old and.

Speaker 2 (57:11):
My wife.

Speaker 1 (57:12):
And I mean, let's face it, man, we like your
wife obviously an athlete and doing her own thing on
the athletics side, but man, there's still so much that
we don't so much of the burden that we don't
have to carry due to our wives, you know, and
to now have the person who lifts all the burdens

(57:34):
up off you.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
Not be a burden to you, because it's not a burden.

Speaker 1 (57:38):
It's something like, I'm with you no matter what, but
not be able to lift one of the biggest burdens,
which is a newborn baby. And then also you, you know,
having to be so relying up on you herself for
you to just pull everything together, and that says so
much about your strength. And obviously I've all you know,

(58:00):
I've known for years, like I said before, one of
the most solid people that I've ever met, you.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
Know what I'm saying, And I've known that for years.

Speaker 1 (58:07):
But to just hear that, like and how you spoke
about that, and to relive that, man, that's so special.
That is because again, like you said, she's extremely healthy.
And not only is she healthy person, she's thriving in
her career.

Speaker 6 (58:25):
All right, bro, all right, like one of the best
to ever do it. Yeah, crazy and number one.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
Just have to abruptly stop and like deal with all
of those things.

Speaker 6 (58:36):
Man.

Speaker 2 (58:37):
I take my hat off to her.

Speaker 1 (58:39):
I take my hat off to you and and your
and y'all family, because that that's man like, that's just
out of god, Lee, I couldn't imagine.

Speaker 6 (58:49):
Well not I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
It was.

Speaker 6 (58:50):
It was the time in my life where like it
was definitely hard.

Speaker 5 (58:55):
Actually, I'm not sure I really told anybody outside of
like my close friends is but like I didn't tell
my wife how I felt or what I was going
through in those moments, like in that year span or
however long we knew until two years after.

Speaker 6 (59:11):
Like that two years later, I broke down and told her, Like,
by the way, I think maybe it was a year
or two after the whole thing went down, We in
our bathroom and.

Speaker 5 (59:22):
I'm like, oh, by the way, like this is what
I like, this is how I felt during that time,
you know, like I felt like I had to be
strong for him, but like internally, like I was scared shitless,
you know what I'm saying. Like I was, I was
like I was scared out of my mind to lose
my best friend. I know, I didn't know what was
gonna happen my daughter. But I ended up telling her

(59:43):
just one random day, like, hey, so this is actually
what I was feeling back back when. Back then, I
just wanted to.

Speaker 6 (59:52):
Let you know and get that out there. She was
like to keep long enough because I mean because she
cause she know me.

Speaker 5 (01:00:02):
That in that time like, I'm also hurting too, but
also she also felt like I had to be tough
for her, and she was like, yeah, it took you
long enough.

Speaker 6 (01:00:11):
I'm like, yeah, my bad in my own time. I mean,
I had to tell her.

Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
So that's fire, that's fire. And she how she knows
she's good enough.

Speaker 6 (01:00:23):
Great, great, God is good.

Speaker 2 (01:00:28):
God is good.

Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
Man, Bro, I appreciate you taking the time before we
get out of here.

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
We're going to end it on a much lighter note
than that.

Speaker 1 (01:00:37):
But there's, as you know, like there's this influx of
NBA brothers, there's this influx of NBA father, NBA sons,
there's this there's just this influx of all of these things.

Speaker 2 (01:00:52):
You got the brothers and y'all. You got the curries.

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
Well, Idlan will add dell in for the curries, will
take them back to his prime for the curries.

Speaker 6 (01:01:05):
There we go.

Speaker 2 (01:01:06):
We put all y'all up against each other.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
You got the Thompsons, you got Michael Thompson, Klay Thompson,
Mikey Thompson, you got Cody Zeller, Tyler Zeller. You got
Mason plumb Lee, Miles Plumbley. The other brother wasn't quite
good enough.

Speaker 5 (01:01:26):
But you got the Boss, you got the locals twins. Uh,
you got the Morris twin. Brother, there's a grip of them.

Speaker 1 (01:01:34):
It's crazy. Who winning these games? Who winning these games?
Y'all taking them easy?

Speaker 5 (01:01:47):
Oh, it ain't easy because they the NBA players, But
come on, now, we've got dogs over here.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
It's your whole family. Brothers don't make sense to me.
It's your mom, it's your dad, it's sister. You with
your brothers. It's crazy.

Speaker 5 (01:02:03):
Yeah, it's in our blood literally, So it's an easy
answer to me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
The most athletic family out of La Drew my brother.
I can't thank you enough. Last question, are y'all winning
the championship?

Speaker 6 (01:02:20):
You know, I think we got a good chance, Bro,
I think we got a good chance. I think we
got a good chance.

Speaker 5 (01:02:30):
I don't like to speak on it, like, oh, maybe
out loud to myself obviously I know what I'm thinking,
But I think we got a good chance.

Speaker 6 (01:02:38):
There's a lot of.

Speaker 5 (01:02:39):
Things obviously in place, hell and all that that we
got to stay locked into. But man, we got a
real good chance. And obviously right now in a month left,
like it's a good feeling going in to this process
knowing where we are mentally knowing where I'm not mentally
feeling feeling real good.

Speaker 6 (01:03:00):
So yeah, man, we got a good chance.

Speaker 2 (01:03:03):
I love it, brother, I love it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:05):
One thing I will tell you about your Eastern Conference
playoff series before it starts.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
I think y'all handled the Eastern Conference. I really do.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
I think y'all are that good. One of the best
teams I've seen around since, like our power teams.

Speaker 5 (01:03:21):
You know, like when we were like one of the best,
like you, y' y'all got one of the telling you
telling me, y'all got one.

Speaker 6 (01:03:30):
Of the best teams since since me.

Speaker 1 (01:03:36):
Honestly, we knew we were going to win the championship.
It was just a matter of the date getting there.
Like when we got Kevin. It was weird, not weird,
like all of us playing together and trying to make
it work. It was weird up intil Christmas, and we

(01:03:56):
got smacked on Christmas Day. If I'm not mistake either,
we got smacked on Christmas. No, I don't think we
got smacked. That may have been the game where Kyrie
hit the shimmy fade to win it, But then after
that game, we lost that game to the Cavs because
at that time. That was during the time where if
you played in the finals, it was always a rematch

(01:04:18):
on Christmas there, and it was at the home team.
You know, whoever won the finals, they got the home game.
And so we're playing the Cavs and like, it don't
work out for us in that game, Kyrie hits a
tough shot, as Kyrie does, and we lose that game.
And I remember after that game Kevin telling Steph like, Yo,
you don't have to worry about me, Like, you don't

(01:04:39):
have to try to give me the ball, y'all don't
have to try to run a bunch of plays for me.
I'm gonna be fine. I'm going to score to basketball,
do what y'all do. And when Kevin said that, that
unlocked Steph. That unlocked Kevin. We beat them two weeks
later by fifty points, and it was just once that happened,
it was just.

Speaker 2 (01:04:59):
A at a time of us like, yo, we know
we win in a championship.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
And I'll tell you one of the craziest things for
me with those teams, one of the craziest things for
me was that you know how coaches always say, like
you can't flip the light switch on and off, like
you try to flip that light switch on and it
don't turn on, Like it just don't work like that.

Speaker 2 (01:05:22):
That is the first time in my life that I
learned I was a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:05:27):
We literally like half times during the season where we
turning up, we get drunk, we kicking it, and we
have times where we walk in and like, yo, for
the next two weeks, we're gonna approach this like playoffs,
nobody drinking, nobody going out, and let's just see where
we are. We win nine games in a row or
eight out of nine games, and so that's like or

(01:05:49):
we walk in at halftime, we down twenty points and
we're like, yo, turn it up. Now, let's turn it
up and go win this game. By the end of
the third quarter, we up fifteen points. And so for me, yeah,
it was crazy like that.

Speaker 6 (01:06:03):
Y'all could have like a thirty point swing in what
seven minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:06:08):
Yeah, it was crazy. It was crazy. So I think
that's what I like.

Speaker 1 (01:06:13):
That's the thing that stood out most for me is
that if we walked in the gym and we said, Yo,
this is a game we need to win, or this
is a game we need we're going to win, or
let's go win this game.

Speaker 5 (01:06:26):
We were gonna win the game like and that like
that to me mentally're just on a different level than everybody.

Speaker 1 (01:06:35):
Yeah, and that's that's like I see some of that
out of y'all right now, where like y'all coming into
these games and it's like, no, we winning this game,
like the game didn't like it is what it is.

Speaker 2 (01:06:44):
We win in this game.

Speaker 1 (01:06:46):
And that's like right now, if there's any teams in
the NBA that have that is y'all in them, you know,
that's like, oh, we winning this game when we walk in.
And so, man Bro, I can't thank you enough for
coming on the show. It's a good luck in the playoffs.
And I'll tell everybody one last story. We want a
gold medal in two and twenty one, which was twenty

(01:07:09):
twenty Olympics, and Drew.

Speaker 2 (01:07:13):
Book came in.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
All arrived the morning of the game because the playoffs
went late that year.

Speaker 2 (01:07:20):
They were playing in the finals.

Speaker 1 (01:07:21):
Drew hops off a plane from La I think or
somewhere west of Seattle. Hops on a plane, flies all
the way to Japan, comes out the gate, no practice,
play thirty one minutes. We end up losing that first game,
Evan forty eight played out of his mind. But what

(01:07:43):
you did for offense, Like we got to a point
where we lost that first game, we had a player's
only meeting and we just talked and we're like, yo, everybody,
just play basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:07:54):
Like drive if you can score, go score if you
can't kick it out.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
And what you did far off, like you just start
driving the ball just to kick the ball, and like
starting the domino.

Speaker 2 (01:08:05):
And when I watched you play during.

Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
The Olympics, and you did that offensively, and then obviously
what you was doing defensively, like I obviously had seen
you playing and like all of these things, but that
right there for me, when you were doing that, that
took you to a whole nother stratosphere for me in
my mind to watch that. And I just want to
say thank you because you got me another gold medal.

(01:08:27):
I appreciate you, brother. I can't thank you enough.

Speaker 5 (01:08:33):
No, I thank you for saying that, because a lot
of people do talk about my defense, but I do
take probably in my offense too. You know, absolutely, you
know what I'm saying. I work on it and I
put in that type of work. But I think knowing
what the type of talent that I was playing with, Like,
it wasn't really meant for me to score.

Speaker 6 (01:08:52):
We got scoring, but I think getting advantage and just
like getting into the paint.

Speaker 5 (01:08:57):
I've seen you do that so many times where you
getting to the bank, you draw that person up, you
throught a lot, or you draw the person you get
the kickout.

Speaker 6 (01:09:03):
So I think, man, it was so fun playing not
only like the European game, but.

Speaker 5 (01:09:11):
Playing with like the best players in the world. Bro,
Like that's like such an honor because who doesn't want
to represent a country and play with the best players
in the best league in the world.

Speaker 2 (01:09:20):
So no AGGREI you had, my brother, I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (01:09:24):
For those of y'all out there watching, I'm about to
send Drew a couple of restaurants in Detroit so he
can have a whole other sperience in Detroit that these
NBA players don't be having. And Detroit is going to
become a city, is going to become a player favorite city,
y'all just watch, and I'm starting here with Drew.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
I can't thank you enough for coming on the show,
my brother. Good luck in the playoffs, Bro.

Speaker 6 (01:09:48):
You said, Bro, you know you know I'll see you
around hopefully in the finals.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
Absolutely, you playing the Olympics this year.

Speaker 6 (01:09:55):
I don't know. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:09:56):
Yeah, I I am praise to God Almighty that I
could end up carrying somebody backs.

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
On that team. There we go.

Speaker 6 (01:10:08):
Yeah, hey man, hey, we'll see. We'll see what happens.

Speaker 2 (01:10:12):
Man, Yes, sir much love my dog. Thank you, bro.

Speaker 6 (01:10:16):
For sure.