All The Smoke NBA Finals Rewind: 2017 Durant Warriors & 2003 Duncan Spurs

Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson reminisce on their NBA Finals runs with the Golden State Warriors & San Antonio Spurs alongside Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan.

Plus, the guys breakdown the 2025 Finals involving the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Man, we are finally here.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
We've all been waiting for the NBA Finals and here
make sure you check us out. Game one will be
streaming live. Myself Stacked, Mad Max and a couple of
the guests are going to pop through, so make sure
you guys tap in with that. Today we have a
very special edition of Unplugged with Larry O'Brien. Hope you
guys enjoy that. But before we get to that, the.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
NBA Finals are officially here.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
No big market teams this year, and I wonder how
that will affect viewership, although I still feel it's going
to be a great finals. Two very deep teams. Ok
see thunder Verse the Indiana Pacers, man number one seed,
dominated all year long. My whole thing with OKAC this
year was this can be the year that they get
knocked early, or they've learned from their past and they're

(00:44):
ready to make that run. I said that, you guys
go back and check the files. Obviously this is the
year they've learned from the past and I have them winning.
But we'll talk about that and a little bit before
we get to the finals. Let's quickly shout out the
Nicks and the Wolves. Man shout out the Knicks. I
know people get in patient and expect shit to just happen,
but I mean, this is a very solid season. Eastern

(01:06):
Conference Finals, Brunson was amazing. Cat was amazing throughout the year. Og,
you know, their cast of stars. Questions are kind of
surrounding this team about what's next. They got a little
taste and it's not enough. Some people are saying I
don't know who they are, but some people are saying
Kat could be on the move.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
It'd be very interesting.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Offensively, was very solid this year and in the playoffs
played really well. But you're hearing rumbles from the locker
room about his antics on defense and his lack of
effort on defense, and you know, probably kind of explains
why OG went off on them that one time the
camera caught him going off because they say Cat be
on his own shit on the defensive end, So ain't

(01:47):
no Teller's a lot of big names out there that
could possibly make a move to the Knicks. You know,
Kevin Durant is one of them. I know he was
close to going before and he chose Brooklyn. Obviously, Giannis
I think it's a coin flip. Giannis can either stay
in Milwaukee, or he could be on the move and
he would be incredible. There one other person that could

(02:08):
possibly be on the move and I think needs are
fresh started and can be great, would be Zion be
very interesting. I mean, say what you want about Zion.
When he's on the court, he's a problem. Shoots very
high efficiency, he rebounds the ball, he scores the ball.
He just has to stay on the court. We'll see
what this summer. I saw Sham said something last week,
this can be a very explosive summer. He didn't use

(02:28):
that words as my words, but I'm summarizing there's gonna
be a lot of big movement this summer. So excited
to see who lands where and what happens. I also
want to shout out Minnesota Man. Although they weren't very
impressive in the Western Conference finals, I think ant will
learn a lot from this year and come back even better.
I like to see the Julius Randall somewhat caught his

(02:49):
rhythm in the playoffs. Didn't play that well in the
Western Conference Finals, but I think they're a piece, possibly
a piece away from really doing something crazy. But over
the last two years, Thanny Edwards and his teams have
taken down Jokic, They've taken down Kevin Durant and Devin Booker,
and then this year they took down Lebron James and

(03:09):
Luca and they took down Steph Curry and the Warriors.
So say what you want. Twenty three. Obviously a lot
of room to grow for Ant. You know, we're taught
we're throwing face of the league out there. Obviously, I
still think he's got some growth, but I mean he's
on a great trajectory for his age and what he's
been able to bring to that city. So really exciting
to see if they do anything this offseason. Anyway, let's

(03:33):
get to the NBA Finals. That's why we're here, Oklahoma
City Thunder versus Indiana Pacers. Some are calling it the
Paul George Finals because he's moved through these franchises and
from trading him and moving him around. All these teams
have got got a lot of pieces and a lot
of draft picks. But let's get too at the finals.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Are they attractive?

Speaker 2 (03:55):
My question has always been the NBA has always kind
of pushed for big brands, larger markets, and this is
two smaller markets with two very talented teams. Its to
be the eight season straight. Do we have a new champion?
We haven't had a back to back winner since the
Warriors in seventeen and eighteen. Let's start out by talking
about the Indiana Pacers. Do they have a chance? The

(04:17):
DraftKings has the thunder out of minus seven hundred favor
which is a huge difference. The only four seed to
ever win in the history of the game was the
nineteen sixty nine Celtics. That's obviously where Indy six No.
Five to seven or eighteen has ever won. The Rockets
in ninety four were the only sixth seed.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
To ever win.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Was Max on that team? Shout out Max, of course
he was. Let's take a look at each starting lineup
and see who gets the nod in my opinion, So
first off, starting with the two stars, Sga is about
thirty points six assists and Halliburton is at nineteen ten
and six with under two turnovers the game, really taking

(04:56):
care of the ball and running that team. I'm gonna
give Shaye the nod. I mean, he's on a historical
run for guards right now, and we'll tap into that
a little bit later, but I'm gonna give Shaye the
nod At the point guard, Lou Dort and nem Haart.
Dort was absolutely incredible. Obviously it was a team effort,
but Dort was incredible on Anthony Edwards his ability to

(05:18):
slow him down. First Team All Defense, congratulation to him.
And then nem Hart has been tough, scored the ball
really well early on, scored the ball really well in
the playoffs last year, didn't necessarily score it well in
the Eastern Finals, but played great defense on Brunson, which
I like to see, so look for him to hopefully
be able to produce on the offensive end. Two, I'm

(05:40):
gonna give.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
That's a tough one.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
I'm gonna come back to that one because I think
obviously nem Hart can score the ball better than Dort,
but Dortch's been incredible on defense. But dem Heart's been
really solid on defense too, So let me come back
to that one. Next up, Jalen Williams and Nie Smith.
Remember the historical run he had in Game one in
that fourth quarter to get Indie the victory. Solid defense,

(06:02):
sprained ankle but didn't really slow him down. And then
Jayalen Williams. Jalen Williams has been solid in these playoffs.
I think he's this is where stars are born, and
he's starting to look for, you know, his stardom. First
time All Star, All Defensive Team. I'm going to give
him the nod on this one. So Jayalen Williams has

(06:22):
a nod at the three chet in Pascal. This is interesting.
Chet is a do it all. He's scored well, he's
played defense, he's rebounded the ball well. Pascal obviously the
Eastern Conference Finals MVP shout out an agent Todd Ramazar
and his trainer, my dog Rico Hines. They put a
lot of working with this kid man. I've seen him
grow over the years and really happy for all his success.

(06:46):
I like Chet, but I'm gonna give Pascal the nod
on this one. So Indiana gets their first check and
then the center matchup. Hartenstein has done a great job
in the playoffs. I think he needs to be a
little bit more, not selfish on the offense because he's
not a selfish player, but just look to he's you know,
every time he touched the ball, he's looking to move it,
and I think they can scout that. Miles Turner's played

(07:08):
well a defensive wall on that backside, but also has
been able to stretch the floor and take advantge of missmatches.
So I'm gonna give Miles Turner the nod on that.
So the final one comes down to Lou Dort and
nim Hart.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
I'm gonna give.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Dort the nod first team all defense, but I expect
Nimhrt to be a big part. If the Pacers have
a chance to steal a couple games in this series,
nim Hart is gonna have to play.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Well.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Let's look at the bench Caruso and Wallace versus McConnell
in top them. I'm gonna give okay See the nod
from the bench, and it's not necessarily with points. I
think McConnell in topping probably outscored the Caruso Wallace dual.
But I just think the combination of defense and offense
that okay See is giving you with those two is

(07:53):
gonna be big. But McConnell's always been tough, proving vet.
And then I like the way Tophim top Of was
showing his ass against his former team, the Knicks. So
this is gonna be a beautiful series. Again, odds bakers
have this as his landslide, but I think it's gonna
be a little closer.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
I think this is probably gonna be.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
What am I thinking?

Speaker 2 (08:13):
I'm thinking it's gonna be maybe a four to two
ok C. Obviously clashes of style. OKC has had their defense.
It's been beautiful, you know, as someone who is a
big defensive guy and in the way defenses kind of
got away from this league of late. The way this
team plays first of all man de man defense. They
have three or four guys that are locked down defenders.

(08:35):
But this is obviously too the best defensive team as
a whole life scene too. The way they're on the string,
they make the second and third effort, they they're all
on the line. They have been beautiful on the defensive end.
And then Indy on the flip side. Indy's offense has
been incredible. They lead in three point percentage, field goal percentage,
and assists in these playoffs. Again, Tyresee is the head

(08:58):
of that getting downhill and making his teammates better while
hitting clutch shots at the same time. Is Tyrese Halliburton
a superstar yet that's kind of been buzzing around. When
you look at the numbers, obviously they're not crazy numbers
nineteen ten and six but then and again taking care
of the ball. But what he means to that team

(09:20):
is so he's so instrumental to that team and his
energy carries that team. His pops is in the crowd
holding it down for him. That's a good question, I think. Obviously,
if he does his shit in the finals, I think
you start looking at Tyrese Halliburton as a superstar in
this league. Again, we touched on Pascal Siakam has been
incredible twenty one and six, shooting forty six percent from three,

(09:43):
but just huge, huge, huge games, clutch baskets someone that's crazy.
They don't run a ton of plays for this guy either.
He just gets get gets to the money, gets downhill,
knocks down shots, takes advantage of mismatches. Really smart player
and really has just played well. And again shout out
to his his circle. That's his circle is the UCLA
family man. They've been working with this kid for a

(10:03):
long time, so he's been incredible as well. Our brothers
Akeen Barack over at Ring Champs recently had Terrence Budd
Crawford on the episode. He talked about fighting Canelo in
September and also meeting Alan Iverson for the first time.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Check out this clip.

Speaker 4 (10:21):
I mean Irison years ago and he knew my whole story.
I was just like, it's crazy.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
What's the first thing he said to you?

Speaker 5 (10:29):
He was like, but I was like Irish. I was
over there like dog man. He was like, man, I'm
a big fan. Man, dude, Like, like, how.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Many years ago do you think?

Speaker 4 (10:41):
Man? I don't even know, Probably like six years ago.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
If you had to comparing yourself as a fighter to
an NBA player, who would it be?

Speaker 1 (10:48):
Shit?

Speaker 3 (10:48):
Irish Irish And that's what That's what made me think
of that for sure, fighting against the system.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
Yeah, I'm not the biggest guy in the world, but
plays with a big heart. Throw it down on you
like six months two?

Speaker 3 (11:02):
Yeah, for sure. Does it hurt you that you can't
really play basketball? No, that you saw a boxer?

Speaker 4 (11:09):
Okay, I beat you, but you couldn't beat me on
your bedsday, you probably couldn't beat it.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
I'm past my I'm past my pass.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
Why would you even speak on basketball if you can't
beat me?

Speaker 6 (11:22):
No?

Speaker 4 (11:22):
Because I think you think you never could be and
you're not. I didn't beat a lot of people that
think they can play want.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
To shout out BEAESLA in the Black Entertainment and Sports
Lawyer Association. I got award out there this past week.
They had me out. Got meet a lot of great people,
a ton of black young lawyers in this sports and
entertainment space. It was a beautiful thing. So shout them out.
And also, man, I've been on the move. I took
my four sons to go see my ninety eight year

(11:49):
old grandmother this weekend in Seattle.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
Man. She'll be ninety eight next.

Speaker 2 (11:53):
Month, still living by herself, doing her daily routine, has
horses on a farm. Actually found out only am I
obviously black from my dad's side. But I talked to
my grandma. I'm German and Italian. I didn't know that.
I only thought I was Italian, but found out this
weekend that I have German in my blood. So I
think it's time for me to dead ancestry shit. See
what the hell's going on because I got a lot

(12:14):
of shit going on, emmy. But man, love my nony
ninety eight, Happy birthday soon. It was great to see
her and great for her to meet the boys. So man,
make sure you guys tap in OKC verse the pacers.
It'll be a first time champion for one of these
one of these clubs, and I'm really excited. We'll be
live streaming Game one. Myself, Stack, mad Max, and a

(12:36):
few other people will pop through the streams, so make
sure you guys tapping with us enjoy the game. So
we got a special episode today, I Lariy O'Bryant Trophy
took a stop into All the Smoke studios and Stack
and I sat down together and reminisced on the ups
and downs of our runs. Hope you guys enjoy that.

(13:03):
Welcome back all the Smoke. It's a little different this trip.
We had to come out here for some some business.
Uh So we don't have a guest today and it's
been a long time past do overdue since me and
my guy Steven Ulysses Jesse Jackson have just sat down
the Third the third have chopped it up man.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
So that's what we're gonna do today.

Speaker 2 (13:24):
But before we do that, Jack, you always look out
for me with the shoes, and it's always hard to
find you shoes because you have pretty much everything. But
I got you some custom boys today that I think
you're gonna like. And it's crazy because you had just
sent me some ship that you had me some shoes.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
So it's just like perfect.

Speaker 7 (13:39):
But but but last time, y'all got me some custom shoes.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
I don't know what we're doing. It's I'm on guard
this time. What we're doing. Yeah, I know, I like ship.
The cameras.

Speaker 7 (14:03):
Your shoe was the only way I showed you what
shoes I got coming for you today.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
Now it's starting off hella well with the box. And
it's heavy too. Then I don't have no protige.

Speaker 7 (14:14):
No, it's a hope. Oh it's kind of cold. It's
a whole bunch of bacon in here? Is it bacon
in here? It's cold? I think it's bacon. I knew it.
I knew it.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
What's in there? I knew him too well, Bro, I
knew it. It was cold at the bottom. He couldn't
even give me no bee bacon port. I appreciate you, Bro.
The bostle fool.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
And the weight. The weight, it's starting off real good.
But the bottoms of cold, the bottom two cold. It's told. Yeah,
it's told. It's totally I knew it. Oh man.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
Anytime I eat bacon, I'm at the grocery store, bacon beds,
anything I take a screen show if you guys see
me in Stat's conversation, like eighty five percent of it.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
One day, I actually told him look good.

Speaker 2 (15:12):
He said he almost gave in. Man, I promise you
soon he gonna take a bit, sir. But Jack today, Man,
we got a very special guest. Larry O'Brien is making
his way around the country.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Give it up for.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
Him, the one and only and Jack, we're blessed because
we're the very first stop of seeing the trophy. Thanks
chargirl Tina who brought it in with appreciation. But first
stop is here on all the smoke.

Speaker 6 (15:38):
Man.

Speaker 7 (15:38):
Man, you know Larry is a real one. Yeah, so,
I mean his first stop had to be to pull
up on some real ones.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Ye get it. It makes sense. It makes sense, Larry,
you made the right choice.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
We're gonna talk about our journeys to get to our
NBA championships. Very different, very similar in some ways, but
we played different roles on teams that were able to
say they want a championship, and I want.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
To start with yours.

Speaker 2 (16:04):
Obviously very talented, touted class of ninety six.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
The McDonald's game.

Speaker 2 (16:10):
You finally got Kobe the stamp rest in peace to
our brother before that you, oh you weren't the MVPs
shit made you feel so good that day when he said,
oh you weren't the MVP stack.

Speaker 7 (16:19):
What makes me feel good is everybody from ninety six
when we talk about it, they know they think I
wanted to Yeah, everybody thought I did.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
Right that.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
From there, it's time to take your your, your, your
act to college and it's documented your your your stories
with Mike Baby.

Speaker 1 (16:36):
Actually, quick story.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
I'm leaving today after we're done to go fly with
Mike and meeting with some money people up in Sack State.
Congratsto boy Mike Baby for his new job. But that
was your dog, ye there you go, Come on, pluck it.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
That's family.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Tell us real quick about your SAT shit and how
come it never ended up working out of Arizona.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Well, well one, I want to skip over it because
it's a good story.

Speaker 7 (16:56):
Yeah, well one, you know, I'll take the taps about
sixty seven times before I actually got to Arizona, I
took the test. It was just too early, matt six
seven in the morning, and sometimes I didn't even go.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
And when I did show up, I.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
Go on the late night would stop you from the
SAT yeah, you was living a crazy life because I.

Speaker 7 (17:21):
Was not living the athletes like. Okay, I was not
living the athletes like. I'll show up to the test
thirty minutes late and they let me in because I
played basketball, and I write my name and fall asleep.
Wake up, somebody will wake me up some kind of way,
and I'll get to aba kadaba all the way through there.
Next time I don't go. So finally, when I get

(17:42):
to Arizona, they actually have me on. Let me come
to campus for the first semester when I was supposed
to go to school that with Mike, we had the
number of the crew class.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Who else was on that team? That's the either won
the national championship.

Speaker 7 (17:51):
Right, Mike, Bibi, Jason Terry, Eugenie Egerson, Miles Simon, AJ Bramlett.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
Yeah, stuff, we had a good team.

Speaker 7 (18:00):
They set it up for me to take the tests
on campus with somebody in the house.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
Someone was gonna help you. Well, I didn't know that time.

Speaker 7 (18:08):
There used to nobody, especially not nobody white at the time,
helping me. So I'm used to nobody really helping me
with no motherfucking test at all. Right, So I'm sitting
there he put the test down there and he's like, Okay,
it's time to start. So I'm you know, I'm just
doing what I do. Aba kadaba baby. That's because I
don't know this shit, so I'm not gonna waste my
time actually trying to figure it out.

Speaker 1 (18:28):
I don't know it, none of it.

Speaker 7 (18:30):
It's for sure, for sure, it's one hundred percent sure
that I'm gonna fail. I finished the test, I slide
to him like, man, you know I even you know.
I try to play it off. Then I tried to
even give a tough side, like I've worked my brain.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
I'm surprised you didn't ask me no questions.

Speaker 7 (18:47):
So the whole time he was sitting there to help
me with every question I needed help with, he didn't
say nothing. Time I finished the test, So I could
have been in college and got a NAVA championship.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
But I didn't know he was there to help me.
I thought he was just a minister in the test.

Speaker 2 (18:58):
So your journey moves on. You don't get it chance
to go to Arizona. Yeah, you're working out with dudes
out there working out.

Speaker 7 (19:06):
I'm actually working out with Dane, my Bibi's brother, Dane.
He taking me to the gym every day. Mike's at school,
and uh, Dane. I'm working out with Dane every day
and Dan ain't taking me up to the little gym,
and I'm busting their ass up there. But Mike MoMA,
I guess she was working for me the whole time.
So what I didn't know too now I know now.
My MoMA and Mike mom had a conversation right before I,
like a like a week or two for that trial.

(19:28):
I was. I was trying to go back home. My
mom was like, he can't. It'll be over. You'll never
hear about him again. And I think that's why Mike
Mama made that panic move to reach out to the
Suns and give me a trial. And so it happened
like a week or two later after they had that conversation,
and she take me up there. She wakes me up
to me to get my stuff and we're gonna play basketball.
So I think I'm just gonna work out with Dane.
I'm not thinking nothing different until we get by the facility.

Speaker 1 (19:51):
Yeah, and she drives straight through. You know. I'm like, damn, okay, Oh,
normally you.

Speaker 7 (19:56):
Gotta show ideal whatever, But she takes me to the
back of the gym and she told me to go
to the court.

Speaker 1 (20:01):
You know what I'm saying, Danny, and just look at
me like yeah, you know. And I played well. They
had one pick that year.

Speaker 7 (20:06):
The forty second pick in the second round, and they
had just made some trades so they had lost all
their picks Steve Nash and George McLeod antony and mcdys
and those guys. And they drafted me, but no roster
spot guarantee me tow HUNDI fifty thousand.

Speaker 1 (20:21):
And that's when my journey started.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
So from there we have to take every stop. I'm
going to name him, but Lacrosse. How you say that?

Speaker 1 (20:31):
Lacrosse, Wisconsin, that's the CBA before the D League. What
was that like? Hell? Nasty work? Hell nasty work.

Speaker 7 (20:38):
Twelve guys in the eight passenger van driving eight hours
to play a game and driving right back.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
It wasn't no hotels. It was the worst. And I
got cut. Say the next name, Sidney Kings, Australia. I
broke my foot my two weeks there, came back. Where'd
you go? I came back home to put off the Texas,
went back to Texas, so rehabbed yeah, next year where
you at Venezuela Waitla.

Speaker 7 (21:01):
One of the best, some of the most beautiful women
I've ever seen in my life.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
Mad know it's there already in there. Yeah, Venezuela had
a good time out there.

Speaker 7 (21:10):
When I made thirty five thousand dollars, I came home
with two thousands.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Gave it all to the women. I would have gave
him the two thousands, but I just had to have
something to come.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
A Yeah, there could be some miss y'all. There could
be some young Jesse's out there, could they?

Speaker 7 (21:22):
I miss y'all? They treated me so well. I heard
Venezuela was something for the low too.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
It was. It was crazy stories too, but it was
for the most part. I loved it.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
Could be Could there be any offspring out there?

Speaker 1 (21:32):
Maybe? I mean it's strong possibility. Next stop fort Wayne Fury?
What league is that for? Wayne?

Speaker 7 (21:38):
Is CBA B A two for Wayne's CBA two. I
got cut from there too because they weren't dealing with you.
I was young, somber. I came out of high school,
so I was young.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
So is it is it you don't know how to
play in the team system? Are you tripping? Is it unfair, Like,
what are these experiences and stops?

Speaker 7 (21:52):
I was nowhere close to being a professional professional Basketball
is still a game to me. I wanted to be
in the streets to play basketball at the same time.

Speaker 1 (21:59):
Couldn't do it.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
That doesn't work. Couldn't do it now than two thousand.
Shout out to Pueblo on the Web and Dominican Republic.
I won a championship there.

Speaker 7 (22:08):
Actually, we need to go back there because they are
building the statue for me.

Speaker 1 (22:12):
They just wait for me to come back and take
the show back there and have a good time.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
But that's where the kids might because isn't that where
they carried you from the arena all the way back
to your crib.

Speaker 7 (22:19):
So I was gonna say that, So talk to that,
you know, charge to my head, not my hard Just
reach out to them and I'll get you know, I'll
give shit right. I might have a few out there
for real. Now, Now that was different out there.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
They love they loved the brothers out there for sure,
a great time.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
But explain how you won the championship and they carried
you like a king all the way to your crib.

Speaker 1 (22:36):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 7 (22:39):
This the city is, it's all they have, bro it's
this basketball team.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
I'm telling me, they die behind it.

Speaker 7 (22:45):
The games are so serious where if you're not sitting
at VIP, you got to sit behind the gate. They
got a gate because the people all the way up
they getting drunk and they're ready to fight over the
game every night, you know what I'm saying. So and
that's how that's how they carried us. But it was
big because they really appreciated winning that championship. The hosted
like they carry us, BRO with my uniform for about
ten blocks to my hotel.

Speaker 1 (23:04):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 7 (23:05):
They parted outside my hotel all night. But it's good
because I get dms from these people all the time.
You know, they still appreciate their championship, Bro, and the
fact done the good stuff.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
You know now they still Let's find a date and
find out when they're doing your statue. Let's go out.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
You mean you say we do it around like the
playoff for championship out there could be a reunion. How
many years ago was that? What year was that? Two thousand? Yep,
twenty five years Bro? Every time, Yeah yeah, damn, your
sons might be a little older, daughters might be a
little older.

Speaker 6 (23:31):
They might be twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
Anyways, So what is the how did you end up
with the Nets?

Speaker 7 (23:40):
Okay, so after trying out for sixteen to seventeen NBA
teams and not making it right before that I tried,
I was trying out for the Bulls and it was
last day cuts.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
Wait did you go back in the drafting? You were
kind of just like a free agent. Now I was
just free agent, but I'm in the system. That's why
I just wanted to get drafted. I'm in the system.

Speaker 7 (23:58):
Okay, try out for the Bulls probably like eight months
before I signed with them, and I break my other
foot the day of. I went from wearing a penny
to now I'm on the starting five.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
You know.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
Those are those stress fractures, right, Yeah, those were going
around that time a lot. Remember like it was weird,
how like it went in ways injury?

Speaker 1 (24:17):
Yeah? Like I met yeah, yeah too much. Yeah, And
I ended up breaking my foot.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
So it was jam like a motherfucker the rank seventeens,
but go ahead.

Speaker 1 (24:31):
My foot, I damn that gave up, you know.

Speaker 7 (24:33):
So my MoMA she had to really you know, put
something in me to get myself back going. And that's
when I ended up getting an opportunity to play summer league.
I played some leage. I can't remember the team who
I played something league with, but I had a good
summer league. It might have been to the Vancouver with
Grizzlies and I balled out or something like that. And
last minute I got a call from New Jersey to
come to camp. They had a full roster, all a

(24:55):
whole bunch of bet so they was just using me
as a body. I wasn't thinking that went there balling
then I, you know, steps soon as I got there,
the starting point guard Marlbarr, he embraced me.

Speaker 1 (25:04):
The number one pick was Keny Martin.

Speaker 7 (25:06):
That was already my boys, both being from Texas, so
it was a nice fit. I had both of them
embracing me, and I was playing well. I kept playing well.
I kept playing well till Barron Scott, like you said
on the show, he was like, who was this young kid?
You know what I'm saying. I ended up getting invited
to camp and making it, making a roster. Didn't know
I was gonna stop my first game, but I was
just happy to make the roster.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
So you end up and I forgive me. We've done
so many interviews.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
I forgot because for a while there was some hostility
because you didn't understand his point of view. He said
it on the show, But repeat, what was the reason
why you weren't playing after you play so well because
you made the All Rookie to or you made the
Rookie All Star Game, right.

Speaker 7 (25:37):
I was leading all rookies and scoring going into Ostar
breaker after Osar Bak we come back. He don't play me,
And like I said, I was still trying to line
to be professional. I didn't know the business. He had
to play the older guys. You know what I'm saying.
At that time, me as a kid, I'm just thinking
he's fucking over me. You know what I'm saying. But
now after talking to him, I don't stand Now. Yeah,
I understand now he had to play those sorry ass
guys older than I was busting the ass at the time,

(25:59):
but they they with my old g's. But uh, if
I didn't have Steph Keen and even Sherman Douglass there,
I probably would have lost it because my grandfather had
died from my first year. As soon as I got
that my grandfather died.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Oh yeah, that's somebody we don't talk enough about that
mental side of all the ship you're going through. I
was still trying to Stephen Jesse Jackson. I'm named after
my grandfather.

Speaker 1 (26:17):
Come on, man.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
So from that experience with the Nets, you're confident now
you know you could play in this league.

Speaker 1 (26:24):
You laying with San Antonio? How does that happen? So
while I'm not playing, were playing.

Speaker 7 (26:28):
We play Spurs in New Jersey and it's a time out,
you know, it's halftime, and they warming up. Mike Mike
Brown walks down to the Nets bench like, keep your head.

Speaker 1 (26:38):
We come and get you. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
I'm like, out the blue, random tampering.

Speaker 1 (26:46):
Came up to, hey, we come and get you. Keep
your head. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 7 (26:49):
And I ended up going to play some league with
them after that year, and that's why I end up
signing with the Spurs.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
How long does it take you to start getting some
real playing time on that team? Because that's that's the
team that won the championship obviously, So who was on
that team? Remind us who's on that team?

Speaker 1 (27:00):
What year?

Speaker 7 (27:00):
So this was uh two? So my first year that
was two and I was was on Injure List. I
didn't play that whole year.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
Oh really?

Speaker 7 (27:08):
Me and Spider Uh Spider uh Speedy, Charles Smith. Me
and Charles Smith from New Mexico. He went to Mexico
from Dallas too. We both was on the Angel List
the whole season. They was playing him a little bit,
but but I was on.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
So you were just working out and walking out. Were
you grinding though? Were you on your bullshit? I was
grinding because this like.

Speaker 7 (27:29):
I walked into a professional organization where it wasn't nobody
to go hang out with and smoke, There wasn't nobody
to hide with, you know what I'm saying. And then
that year they had just got Steve Smith. Uh who
else we had? We had got uh, Bruce Bowen, Uh,
Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Gerobley, Tony

(27:49):
Malik Rose, Kevin Willis, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (27:52):
So we have yeah, Steve.

Speaker 7 (27:53):
So that and and that's I didn't start playing twins.
I didn started playing to two thousand and two, two
thousand and three the next year.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
So how did how did that? How did you get
yourself in the rotation there?

Speaker 7 (28:02):
So the following y'all played Summer League again. He popped
made me back, and this was Tony's first year. This
is and I went crazy in Summer League, go crazy
to when I when I when I come back, you know, I.
Tim kind of started embracing me more. We started playing paintball.
I started hanging out with him more, and I started
I spent the whole summer.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
This is the first summer in my whole life where
I spun it working out. I was working out the
whole summer. Didn't leave San Antonio.

Speaker 7 (28:27):
That's not normally your hell. I no, I'm going to party,
you know, do my thing. I didn't do none of
that this summer to the point where I came in
this I was came in the season. I was right.
I was ready to go. And uh, about eighteen games
into the season, I was averaging probably like fifteen off
the bench, dope. And uh in Seattle, I woul tell
I start about the Seattle when I was out with
Shaul Lewis and something happened the night before and I'm

(28:47):
thinking Pop calling me in the room the next day
to get on me about it, to cut me Him
and Tim center room and say.

Speaker 2 (28:52):
You free social media in trouble because some fists were thrown,
but go ahead.

Speaker 7 (28:57):
He probably would't even call him up there. It probably
just you know what I mean, But him and ten
was in the room. When he called me in the
room was to see out. It was like many been playing. Well,
you know what I'm saying, We're gonna start you tonight.
My whole attitude. I wasn't even thinking about starting because
Steve Smith was my o G. That's who embraced me.
You know what I'm saying. His wife used to cook
for me and all that. They used to used to
take me places. So walking in the locker room, I
still was kind of uneasy. I wasn't too I was happy,

(29:18):
but I couldn't you.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
Know what I'm saying.

Speaker 7 (29:20):
As soon as I walk by and I normally speak
to him, I ain't say nothing to him. He grabbed
me like, young fella, No, you supported me. I'm gonna
support you. That ain't for me, and you you go
out there and do your you know what I'm saying,
And him and Pop beef the rest of the year.
But I needed to hear that that was my ol
G and he supported you though that that's that's different.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
I needed that. It's not a lot of that no more.
It's a lot of sneak dish and the ship. Yeah,
that was my o G. So uh. He made it
easy for me to go out there and play after that.
Two thousand and.

Speaker 7 (29:45):
Three, you're playing Kobe Lakers, who you last, your three
time champs?

Speaker 1 (29:50):
Game five tied to two. What were you thinking when
Robert y missed the shot? This shot? Probably best class.

Speaker 7 (30:00):
We always were always thinking with Tim Duncan, Tim Duncan face,
Tim duncan face say at all.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
Mmmmm that face.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
Watch Tim Duncan face. That was in and out, big shot, Bob.
Can we get some we get some sound on this ship.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
We can't celebrate. Nobody can't really celebrate that.

Speaker 7 (30:22):
Sposta been al Rob hit that ship ten out of
nine out of ten times.

Speaker 1 (30:29):
I had a bad game in this game too. M m.
That ship was in that changed the series right there.
Did you want to be on that team? Were on
that team and yours already gone?

Speaker 7 (30:47):
No, he wasn't on that team. They was on their
way to four p.

Speaker 1 (30:57):
I want to put them up three two.

Speaker 7 (30:59):
Instead you go going back to LA and then you
close it out.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
No, Tim closed it out.

Speaker 7 (31:03):
Yeah, when when Tim. When Tim do that, I don't know,
but it was outrageous. He went to work. He went
to work.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
Let's see what Tim's numbers were. Look at Game six
for sure though, thirty seven, sixteen four in LA to
send him home sixteen.

Speaker 6 (31:24):
TDA.

Speaker 7 (31:25):
He was crossing over, he was floaters, he was and
guess who locked shack up? Low key Maro. Kevin Willis
came in big time, diod He big time hashacks you, hooks,
pushing him and ship.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
He used all six as files, but.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
He made it strong though short arms.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
Tim was cooking Shack. He was well too.

Speaker 8 (31:49):
After round one shot Round two through the finals, Duncan
average twenty seven, fifteen five and three blocks.

Speaker 1 (31:57):
There was not even go around social media that Duncle
was never the best player the league.

Speaker 2 (32:03):
Commercial wise, basketball player wise, he was so next round
Dirk talked about it on the show. He gets injured.

Speaker 7 (32:13):
Thank you, Derek. I mean, I don't say thank you,
but brou I appreciate you. It was a whole different
series when he got.

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Game five, Game six, You're averaging twenty two points per
game and shooting fifty percent from the three?

Speaker 7 (32:24):
What was your mindset during that time? I was hooping
just happy to be out there. I know, I knew
how Pop was. You know, he wanted he wanted me
to play the way they wanted to play. You know
what I'm saying, the Spur style, and you bought it
and find me. But but at times, especially in the playoffs,
I had to be me, you know what I'm saying,
because the throwing it inside, the tim spacing that you know,

(32:47):
the teams are scout to day on that and the
swing swinging the threes ain't falling. You got to have
somebody so pop star running plays for me. I was
posting up, you know what I'm saying, and I can
come down, you know, you know I like to walk up.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
Three.

Speaker 7 (32:57):
He started letting me play my game a little bit,
and I think, you know, had a lot to do
with Tim having a lot of conferences, you know, going
to Pop telling me to give me more shots. But
I had to, I had I had to step up
because Tim, you know, he was in and out in
that series. And Tony was definitely not having a good
series because from Stephani Marlber for round one, who yeah,
he had Derrek we wasn't He had a good series

(33:18):
against the Lakers, But that series against Dallas.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
He was struggling. Who was who was the point guard there?

Speaker 7 (33:23):
And Nick Van Exell he was struggling. So if you
look at it, speede Clachtson played the whole series.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
So here you're you're you're here with the finals versus
your old team. How good was Jason kidds? I think
people quickly forget how great Jason Kidd was on both
sides of the ball.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
I mean, I've never got a chance to.

Speaker 7 (33:41):
I hear about Magic Johnson and his passes and the
way he was on the court, But I actually played
with j Kidd, actually seen it against him, like I've
never seen nothing like it, the way that's the best passer,
best actually the best passing point guard I've ever seen
in my life, you know what I'm saying. Playing against him,
and then later later in his career he became a

(34:01):
score with that shit, you know what I'm saying. When
we played against him the finals, though, he was frying
Tony Downhill, it was just a and he was hitting
jumpers and shit, his jumper ack came around, you know
what I'm saying, And he was still fast, like definitely
definitely top five point guard of all time in my mind.
But I think that year him and Tim was neck

(34:21):
and neck for MVP voting. That's what that type of
year he was having because Tim was having an unbelievable year.
So for a point guard to be right there with Tim,
I let you know, j K was balling too, and
they had just been to the finals.

Speaker 1 (34:31):
But back to back years.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
So you find yourself from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the CBA. Uh,
year three in the NBA, You're in the NBA finals,
VERUSU of your old team, Like, what's your mindset?

Speaker 7 (34:44):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (34:44):
One?

Speaker 7 (34:44):
I was just I was happy to be home. You know,
I was five hours from the house, My family was there.
Definitely was thinking about making big plays against my old
old team. You know what I'm saying. I did everything want.
I hit Kenyan with a nice in and out move,
fucked over him. You know what I'm saying. I did
it so bad they call carrying. You know what I'm saying.

(35:04):
I got him. Uh told Richard Jefferson ass to pieces
the whole series because they got rid of me for
you know what I'm saying, to bring him in. You
know what I'm saying saying, Barron Scott, you know, I
didn't understand at the time, so I wanted to really
wanted to fight him.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
He was on some other ship. Was you smoking? Then?

Speaker 2 (35:19):
This time we had one drug test then, of course
owing it down, we had on two thousand, we don't
have one drug test, and that was in training camp.

Speaker 1 (35:27):
Yes, sir, I was blowing a roof off. So let's
take a look at this.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
What do we have here, Dylan whiskey lips.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
I'm okay, this is all the fourth quarter. You're down
five at this point, down five with seven minutes left.
Nice past wind, so positive.

Speaker 7 (35:47):
Positive. So before that, what was the scoring drought? We
had a We had a long drought of scoring before
Pop put me back.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
In the game.

Speaker 2 (35:55):
Okay, you know what I'm saying. So you just got
back and just got back in the game first shot,
So in your mind you're saying I should have been
in here.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
I'm always feeling it's a nice penetrating kid. Mm hmm.
That's one.

Speaker 7 (36:15):
That's one person that always made me feel mm hm.
The defense who feel appreciated, Like I was really like
that genoa Like he really made me feel like I
was nice.

Speaker 1 (36:24):
Fuck with you. That was my boy.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
This is David Robinson's last year, last year, yep, last year.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Was he giving y'all anything? He gave us enough?

Speaker 2 (36:31):
Yeah, I remember how we saw a highlight tape of
him not too long ago.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
Oh my god.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
M h another step in, boy, So you're on a
sixth nothing, run yourself right here.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yeah. I think Jay Kidd turned it over, so no
king turn it over. Rebound.

Speaker 7 (36:55):
I'm looking for you know, I'm looking ready to know,
I'm looking for it going opposite ten because I know
they pro the double hold on, hold on, can just
go back him with the ball. Look at you know this?
How you know he my boy? Watch he look to
see where I'm at to make sure I'm.

Speaker 1 (37:13):
In that slop.

Speaker 7 (37:13):
You see, he was in the slot he made He
wanted to make sure I was in that slot because
he knew I was hot. He didn't want He gave
me the first pass. Watch you look so so he's
pulling them over. He pulling them over, smart bro. His
IQ was through the roof. Dog kid, you gotta get
out that baby.

Speaker 6 (37:32):
M mmmm three straight.

Speaker 8 (37:42):
Williams called filing speedy mm hmmm, and Williams now h
light skin up, hey, but put you know the announcer
Bill Walton and another guy, Tom Tolbert remarker, if you
listen to it, he said, and the miraculars come back

(38:03):
from the Spurs and by Stephen Jackson who was cut
by the New Jersey Nets.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
Really, Bill wall say that that's dope.

Speaker 7 (38:09):
On the same video, he's so dramatic up and walk
who's cut by the two bands Contino Contino and Steve
Francis they used to wear for all of them. That's
where I got it from.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
This this so this is you guys, are able to
come through and beat them, revenge against your old team.

Speaker 1 (38:34):
This is rest in peace.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
David Stern presenting this trophy right here to your team. Like,
what's going through your mind right now when he's saying
all this stuff knowing you had a big hand in
the success.

Speaker 1 (38:46):
I don't know where. Can you see me anywhere up there?

Speaker 7 (38:50):
I'm probably either in the back when my brother and
them running around, I'm trying to pull my people down.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
I'm somewhere running around. I wouldn't don't even think I
was up there.

Speaker 7 (39:00):
I probably came up that late, but I was trying
to get my people because you know, I was trying
to get my people down to the court you know
what I mean. I'm trying to get my brother, my
mom and everybody to come down. And I don't even
remember none of this. I probably got up the last minute,
but I don't remember none of that.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
I know this summer, nobody could tell you shit this.

Speaker 7 (39:17):
I had my jersey on to the next morning, I
believe it, whole uniform, went to the club with it all.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
Yeah, all that crack, yeah, oh crack, doped up.

Speaker 2 (39:25):
That's the first time I seen you this summer after
you won this in Las Vegas at Girg's camp. Yes,
and you had to throw back jersey on to your
knees like motherfuckers. Really couldn't tell you nothing. I could
tell by the way you was walking. I didn't really
know you there, but I could just tell by your
George Jefferson's step that there wasn't too much you could
really say.

Speaker 1 (39:41):
Can tell how I walk.

Speaker 2 (39:44):
It was strugg that I could tell. You couldn't really
tell stap shit, But I mean amazing.

Speaker 7 (39:50):
It felt good, bro, you know, to get that early
in your career. Yeah, now just you know, now you
gotta get the money. Now you got that out of
the way, go chasing pivot to you bro twenty seventeen.
You get a championship, you get a chance to build
a relationship with o'ladd right here.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
Yeah, how did that come about?

Speaker 2 (40:05):
It's my last I just signed a contract with I
left Memphis, like I played in Memphis. I was supposed
to get what I was told by a person in charge.
I was supposed to get a three year, thirty million
dollar deal there and finished there.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
I was promised that, and man, I was told that. Yeah,
and then who was that z bo on him?

Speaker 2 (40:27):
Yeah? Zbo t A. A couple of weeks later, I
hear they've changed their mind. And then when they give
Chandler Parsons that big, I think he got eighty or
something or sixty or something. He got a nice deal
over there, but he was hurt and couldn't play. So
I'm like, that's what your motherfuckers get. Fuck with Chandler obviously,
but that's what you get for backdoor me. So anyway,
I'm off, and I'm thinking Sacramento just has a brand
new arena built.

Speaker 1 (40:47):
It's fuck it.

Speaker 2 (40:48):
Let me just go finish my home, my career at home.
So I signed a three year deal there and just figure, hey,
I'm gonna finish up with my hometown. This would be
dope as soon as I get there. Bro it's crazy
and I've told this before, but like they were scared
to talk to Boogie from the top to the coaches,
and for some reason, I think they even wrote an
article about this ship. They used to call me like

(41:10):
the Boogie Whisper because everyone would bring me stuff they
wanted to don't want me to tell Boogie.

Speaker 1 (41:14):
It was the weirdest shit.

Speaker 6 (41:15):
Like, no one wanted to tell book anything but extra.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
Come on, man, let me get a little bit more.
But crazy.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
So they're telling me pretty much the whole year they're
not going to trade him, to make sure he knows
they're not trading them. We're not gonna trade them, not
going to trade him all Star break. And by the way,
I'm back in Sack. I'm popping. I got the crib
on the river. It's cracking out there. I haven't been
home in a long time. I've been in LA for
so long, so I'm back home.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
It's Boogie using you as a bridge between the Bookie
doesn't really give a fuck. Yeah, he didn't really give
a fuck, you know.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
I just I think he said me and I think
he said, Reggie Evans, there was there wasn't very many
people like he looked up to when he respected, that
would listen to.

Speaker 1 (41:54):
And I just happened to be one of them.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
So, you know, I was just kind of like like
kind of big homie to him. But anyway, life is good.
We're we're playing well. We're a couple of spots out
of the playoffs. I think we're a couple spots out
of maybe two games out of the playoff running. Going
into All Star break, I'm chilling. Next thing, I know,
Boogie gets traded during the All Star Game. Why he's
on the like he's doing interviews and and someone comes

(42:18):
and whispers in his ear during the shit that he
had been traded. And I'm just like these motherfuckers literally
said bro the whole entire time, Lottie and them, we're
not trading them, We're not trading Long story short, he
gets traded. So me and Lottie have a call just
like you know, like this, you guys are about to
start rebuilding, Like I'm thirty seve you know, I'm thirty
six at the time, thirty seven. I'm I'm not gonna rebuild.

(42:38):
It's just like this is what we'll do. Obviously, give
you a whole contract, and and and where do you
want to go? Is there where you want to go?
Tell him a few teams. He's just like, we'll work
on it. So I'm home maybe a week and a half, chilling,
working out, staying in shape, back in LA and I
get a call when I'm with the with the Twins
at we have some little chicken wing spot and it

(43:00):
was actually Steve Kerr. He's just like, hey, you know,
Kevin Durant just went down in Washington. We're gonna be
in Chicago. We want you to come play with us.
I'm like, what the fuck? So took the boys back
to their mom, packed a bag, and I was flying
to Chicago the next day. Flew the whole day, got
there before the game. In like first game, I played
like twenty minutes like Steve Kurt th to me right
in the mix. So it was dope because obviously this

(43:22):
is a high level high Shape Yeah.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
I was ready, high.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
Level high IQ team. It was perfect for me. You know,
I could play kind of that Swiss army knife where
I can knock down shots. I could be the screen
and roller and get that pocket pass and get it
out to the shooters.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
It was perfect.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
They didn't really have to tell me shit, you know,
because I'm already a very selfless player. But what was
dope about that time stack was this is ten years
from our rebelieve run. So from the second I get there,
bro the locker room, the media, the fans, the city like.

Speaker 1 (43:50):
What was that team? Like? What was thatak? Like? What
was Baron? Like?

Speaker 3 (43:53):
What was Monte like?

Speaker 1 (43:53):
What was it like during that time?

Speaker 2 (43:55):
And then obviously a ton of you know, we took
it to a certain level, we believe, and then this
that team came and kind of took it over the
top and started winning championship. But I found it so
crazy how fascinated they still were with that we believe team.
So shit, we're running like it's maybe this is post
All Star Break, twenty five games before the before the playoffs,

(44:15):
star KD goes down. I don't know how many games
out of All Star Break, maybe two or three out
of All Star Breaks. So I'm in there playing in
the mix again. I'm playing anywhere from like fifteen to
twenty three, twenty five. No, I wasn't starting. I was
actually I started. I might have started a few games.
But yeah I started a few games, but out the
second unit, but just getting good minutes, you know what
I mean. Steve used to like, I just love I

(44:36):
can throw you in there like a mittle relief pitcher.

Speaker 1 (44:38):
Yeah, super deep, Bro, but just smart.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
I mean, it's it's Iggy, it's David West, it's Sean Livingston.

Speaker 1 (44:44):
Like. It was a good team.

Speaker 2 (44:45):
And one thing I remember the most about that team
was the work ethic. And luckily I got there before
the drama kind of started happening. Because before the drama,
Bro is the most unbelievable shit ever. Just the energy
was so pure. Everybody fuck with each other.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
Days. The whole entire.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
Team is in there getting treatment, lifting weights, working out
post practice. Man Stephen kd used to work on one
side and Clay would be on the other side, and
you would see them doing this one foot Steve nashit
because Steve Nash was like a special assistant coach. Then
he would pop in every once in a walk. But
turn the playoffs he was there a lot. So they're
doing all this spin around one foot balance and you
see Steph at sixty three, and then you see Kevin

(45:23):
Duranton almost motherfucking seven feet and they're just mirror images
of doing this shit. But all the lefty shots one
foot fade away off balance, like all that shit broke
every single day without note. They worked on this shit.
And then you see Clay on the other side of
the court. Clay will go ninety seven.

Speaker 6 (45:39):
Four one hundred shooting jumpers like.

Speaker 1 (45:43):
Just like unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (45:44):
Then you see Igwadalar working on because I used to
have to work, so I always wanted to obviously get
my work in. But there was a pecan order here,
like all the young guys work together on the court,
the loonyes and the younger guys at the time, Loudi
was a young cat, Iggy had a spot, Dre had
a spot, Livingston had a spot. I did what was
So it was just a beautiful thing to see Bro,
just to see how hard they work. And then when
I went back, you know, our ownership at the time

(46:06):
was this ownership. It was top notch Bro. So they
took care of absolutely everything. Man, they had the big
old private plane for your family. They took care of
the hotels, they fed them like the ship. Was all
you had to do there was play basketball. So back
to the basketball side, of it, maybe a week before
the playoffs start. Jelan, You guys came out right after

(46:26):
I sprained my ankle, right like a.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
Week before the playoff.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Kd's first game back, Bro, I gets subbed in the game,
and I want to say I hit my first one
or two threes if I'm not mistaken, Like yeah, against
the Pelicans. I was off to a good start, Bro,
and then I came down on someone's foot, Bro, and
it was the worst sprain of my life. I was
devastating some KDS.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
God damn it.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
So mentally I'm like fuck, like not now, like not.
Kd's finally back, like we're getting in the playoffs, and
again I'm playing, playing, playing, playing like I'm playing good minutes.
So I'm hurt and the season finishes out and this
is fucked. My ankle's huge, but I never had an
ankle sprain that bad. So I'm the lining them came
up and kicked it, Gino. We're up in there and

(47:13):
I'm we're fucking around having a good time smoke, but
I'm icing that muffle constantly having it rubbed on a
rap and I was trying to do everything I possibly could,
and that shit just wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
It took so long.

Speaker 2 (47:23):
So I think by the time I felt okay, they
sweep through Portland. They who were playing the second round
play Utah in the second round and swept through them too, right, Yeah,
and then the spurs in the Western finds and that's
when I'm finally like I can run and practice and
I can kind of have anticipation cuts, so you know,

(47:43):
you know, when you go through drills and you tell
you to cut that you can brace yourself if you're hurt,
but when you have to anticipate it. I finally started
feeling good, but by that time, like I wasn't the
rotation's already set, you know what I mean. So I'm
from like a mental state like I'm an older player,
Like I'm not gonna if I get in, I get in.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
I'm gonna try to stay ready.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
But this is I think now is my position to
just continue to encourage these guys and kind of be
the OG. So I had talks with Dre during that time,
and I don't think he cares now because the world
knows these mokes. But me and Kad used to burn
it down in the bathroom after every you know, I mean,
just talking about game, just talking about the game and
breaking it down and what he's seeing out there and
what they're doing to him. So we would always chop

(48:21):
it up. So I was just kind of really on
some older og or what you know. I'm talking dre
Off the Ledge sometimes, so I kind of just took
more of that og, probably the same thing that Iggy
and David West were doing to him, but I had
a kind of different kind of connection to those guys.
I got thrown there a couple of times with Mike Brown.
That's a whole another story. Mike Brown played me with
the Lakers, and he played me in this situation because
he was more of the head coach at this time

(48:42):
because Steve Kurr fucked his back up. So I'm in
there talking to Steve Kerr and we're talking about alternative
medicines and him smoking and trying to do different kinds
of things because remember he had that fucked up back
for a while, so he'd even coach in some of
these playoffs. I'm building a big relationship, a great relationship
with Steve curR, and he's trying like, I can't wait
till you get healthy next year. Man, this is going
to be great. You're going to fit in perfect. You know,
we got a chance. You know, we got a really

(49:02):
good team here, and I'm excited to have you in
the mix. So I'm thinking like, Okay, well fuck, I'm
not gonna play this year, Like, just be ready for
next year.

Speaker 1 (49:08):
I'm ana be ready and really earn it.

Speaker 2 (49:09):
So long story short, this is a series where Zaza
put is somehow, some way Kawhi count of offa I
did or not, I don't really you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (49:17):
But Kawhi lands on his foot.

Speaker 2 (49:19):
He's he's working this playoffs too, Jack, And that was
my thing, Like it was I've always got a chance
and he's incredible. But even with my early Clipper days,
like I was gardening Kawhi and made Kawhi work on
both sides of the wall. I played really well against
Kawhi in the playoffs. I'm thinking, man, I could have
been one of them dudes out there guarding him. So
it was really hard from a mental standpoint because I

(49:40):
had worked so hard my career to kind of get
to this championship point and then I land back at
the crib basically with one of the greatest teams ever,
and I'm hurt. So again, so it's just that And
I've joked about obviously kind of this was like I
was a passenger, you know, kind of getting to see
firsthand how great this team was was because again I
felt like everything in my career, like I grind it

(50:01):
for like nothing, what injury? Yeah yeah, but again, but
that's why it's so hard. So it's finally like damn,
I'm here, I'm really here. Like with the Orlando we
went to the Western Finals with the Lakers into the
second round, like I'm finally here in the finals and
like I have the worst sprain ankle of my life.
So long story short, man, we shit, we beat them,
We beat we beat San Antonium. We go to the

(50:22):
finals and beat Cleveland, and it's great, like the team wins.
But I was kind of like obviously thankful for the
opportunity and enjoying the moment. But I think the thing
I was thankful the most during that journey was just
how gracious Steve Kerr was.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
And I talked to Steve.

Speaker 2 (50:39):
We talked about Steve when I interviewed him, like allowing
the twins in the mix of twins are like seven
or eight, bro, so they're fucking they're on the planes. Bro,
They're in the Western Conference, you know, finals practice, having
shootouts against KD and Steph at the end of practice,
like it's just invaluable.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Shit.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
They're in the locker room, Clay's teaching them how to
roll paper planes and you know what I mean, It's
just like dope. So I really appreciated the fact they
came to the morning breakfast when coach Kurk was back
talking and sitting with the guys and eating and going
over game plan. So it was just something they never
forgot and a tremendous experience. So again, thankful for the
opportunity to win this thing, But it just like it

(51:16):
didn't hit me as hard as it hit you because
I wasn't actually out there going against Kawhi and Lebron
and all these other dudes that I normally would have
been out there in the mix with.

Speaker 1 (51:27):
So very thankful.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
And then I decided to step away after this season
because business, a couple of things that I had doing
business started going well, and I wasn't really seeing the
twins that much, and I want, like, I was really
missing them, you know how I am with them. So
I was just like fucking man like championship team. You know,
business is going good. I still have two years left
of being paid, so I have to give myself a
two year gap to see what else I want to do. Bro,

(51:52):
So you know, I stepped away. I thought about going back.
Me and Bob had some conversations, but he said the
owners wanted to go younger, so they went out and
was vouching for me.

Speaker 1 (52:00):
Even St. Steve Curve is vouching for me, the dudes.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
But they went out and got Caspy, So yeah, yeah,
I ran him out of Sack low Key and then
they got rid of him in Sacked. So anyway, they
want to go with him, and then the ship it
doesn't end up working, and I come back for Steph's
birthday in March. I go back out to the Bay
of for STEP's birthday and they're like, man, you should
come back.

Speaker 1 (52:19):
So I actually thought for a second.

Speaker 2 (52:21):
They were talking and Mike Brown had called me and
like are you serious and just and I was just
like listen, I'm I'm cause by that time I was
done hooping like me and this is ship when Ray
almost died. This is when I'm every once in a
while playing pick up basketball down at the ship in Oakland.
But I'm I'm blowing and chilling like damn, I had
a cool run. So I was like, man, I probably
need like three to four weeks to get healthy. That'll

(52:42):
be playoffs and then I already know how rotations work.
It it's probably not gonna work. So it was a
quick live like damn it. Wish it would have worked,
but it didn't.

Speaker 1 (52:48):
And that was it. Bro, That was that was kind
of the end of my journey. So Steve tried to
give me another shot too.

Speaker 7 (52:55):
Remember when I was I was doing the jump and
he called him when I was fishing.

Speaker 1 (53:00):
Bring in for camp. Oh really, what year was that?

Speaker 7 (53:02):
This was twenty fifteen, sixteen, okay, and I call I
called Rach. I'm like Rachel telling her Rachel go to
social media with it, and she had took it to
Bob took it off the table because he was mad.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
Steve called me without talking to him. Yeah, No, that
was rat. That was that was a he's a stupid
thanks Rach.

Speaker 2 (53:21):
That was dope, though, I mean, I mean to be
able to see the chemistry and how them dudes drop
their egos and how fucking good that team was. Bro,
that shit was a blessing just to just to be there,
uh and a good way to end.

Speaker 7 (53:33):
So Larry just not here. We got we we know
both a little bit of his well yeah you know
what's real.

Speaker 1 (53:38):
Well, got a little bit of his guy.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
We want to thank Tina obviously for bringing this sue
think the NBA, Thank the people they decided All the
Smoke was going to be the first stop on the
West coast.

Speaker 1 (53:49):
Man, it's a tremendous honor. Thanks to you.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
Thank you guys for sitting here and chopping it up
with us. We'll catch you guys soon.

Speaker 7 (54:01):
Five