March 3, 2026 • 31 mins
Taj Gibson just signed a two-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies at 40 years old, and he's pulling up to All The Smoke Unplugged with Matt Barnes to break it all down. From the emotional phone call that brought him back to the NBA, to untold stories from the Derrick Rose-era Chicago Bulls, Taj holds nothing back. He reveals what D-Rose was REALLY like in practice (spoiler: he was NOT quiet), shares wild stories about Joakim Noah, Thibs' no-rules practice wars, and Carlos Boozer's infamous shoe-dye hairline.
Taj also compares Ja Morant to Derrick Rose, breaks down the death of the power forward position, picks his 2028 Olympic big men, and shares what it was like having Wemby grab his shot out of the air. Plus, Taj's childhood friend Tameek Floyd joins to talk about GFB Development and their mission to rebuild the Brooklyn community they grew up in.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to unplugged. I hope everybody is good. We
got a good one today. One of my friends in NBA,
super OG, super unk Vet Taj Gibson. I'm now sitting
down with the former enemy. No I'm playing. Although he's
a Trojan, I don't hold no, I don't hold no
beef towards him. But current just signed a two year
(00:21):
deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. You're a triple og. Now
they call you unc or Grandpa in the locker room
what they call you bro? The show's Taj Gibson Unk
call you unk. Yes, sir, all congratulations, man, congratulations. So
two year deal. You're currently forty years old, right, yep, yep.
(00:42):
It made me smile when I hear about this because
I know you and I both came into a league
that had guys your age on teams consistently, and whether
they were contributing on the court, they were instrumental in
just bridging the gap with young players conversations with the
coaching staff. I know, and you've exemplified this throughout your career.
You've always been a great leader, whether you're the best
(01:04):
player on the team such in college or a role
player in the league. You've always been someone who leads
by example. So tell me what it was like. Break
it down. When you got the phone call, what happened?
Where are you now, and what's the deal?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Be honest with you. I was home.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I was, you know, just having that that like that
that thought, just like every athlete has at the end
of their career, like, yo, I think I'm done. I
don't know if I can do this again. What can
I offer to a team? And I got a phone
call and I didn't my agent when he called me,
I was like, you know that when that phone called,
(01:40):
that second called, and that third call, I'm like, what
do you want?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Man?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Call? He was like, yo, quote and let me holler
at you. I'm like, are you serious about this? I
think I got a team that's that really could use
your service.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And what you think?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I said, of course, I thought about when I watch
the the Colts this this year at the end of
the season, seeing Rivers come, and he really light lit
a fire for me because when he said why not,
his biggest thing is why not?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
With you're playing? I got so many young kids.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I try to teach so many lessons to back home,
and they always ask me. You're never scared, you never worried,
and I'm just always eager to just jump into the
fire because you never know, never know what God's holding
for you. And I always come with an open heart.
And I love my teammates, I love I love the NBA.
I loved the game of basketball because such a good brotherhood.
(02:36):
And again when I came into the league, you was
one of those one of those vets that all I
can always count on this chopping up with you, and
you always just relax, like relax the whole situation, like yo,
I got one hundred dollars from the game.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I'm like, he's you know, I want to be just
like this guy when I get that age and then
that again again.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
For real now congratulations again. Like I said, it makes
me happy because I feel like the league lacks leadership
like yours. You know, this reminds me of you know,
Eudonna's Haslam Andre Iguidala towards the end of his career.
I'm sure I'm probably missing ah. You know, DeAndre Jordan
got called earlier this year to New Orleans. But again,
(03:20):
I feel like, you know, as great as the league is,
I'm not one of those older guys that they wants
to downplay the league, but I just feel like it
misses veteran leadership. But as far as veteran leadership goes
new to a team, the team's obviously struggled a little bit.
What do you still got left in the take? As
far as the kneecaps getting on the court, though, is
what I want to know.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Man, I caught a couple of dunks today and the
young boy is just happy for me.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
But yeah, the main thing, Matt is like, when you come,
when I come in, I'm so blessed when not coming
to situations, I've been around the wrong time. I'm not
trying to prove anything to anybody. The first thing that
they say to me is just be yourself. And when
I when I hear that, I'm I'm just targed. And
I come into the locker room, I come into the floor,
I'm coming to the gym. I'm telling them, let's work.
(04:05):
I'm here to work with y'all. Man, Let's just grind,
let's get better. Don't worry about all the other stuff.
I'm here to work. Let's get this journey. Let's get
this journey popping. And I'm here to you. I'm a
part of your journey and I'm blessed to be here,
and they respect it. And for example, practice was great,
and every day I'm out here, we having fun. Man,
(04:26):
That's the whole thing about it, having fun and getting
better and taking advantage of the opportunity. We have so
many young guys with a great opportunity in front of them,
and my job as a VET is to help them
get to that next level.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
And that's why I'm here.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Absolutely. I mean, this is a very interesting team. This
was probably maybe we go back three years. This was
a team that the world was like, Okay, it's only
a matter of time until this team takes off with
a young job Triple J who since moved on. What
obviously this team is three and a half games out
of the tenth playing spot. What's kind of your focus
(05:01):
as you come into a new setting, As you said,
you're in Minnesota right now. You guys play tonight, right, yeah,
we played tonight. You guys played Minnesota tonight. So you know,
as as as a new guy, but a VET coming
into a new team, like, how do you lead? Is
it by voice? Is it by example? Because again I
know you and and you're obviously you're very cognizant of
(05:22):
your surroundings and how to move as an older player
coming into a new younger team. How do you how
are you going to maneuver around and really feel your
best at leading with this new team.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, I just try to lead by example first. You know,
you don't try to just just come.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Into the room.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Is just because you got a lot of that through
the years. You got a lot of guys come in
to locker room and you hit them, just talk a
lot of fluff. I try to just be a positive,
a positive example of just putting in the work, listening
to the coach, being there for the coach first. And
then after practice, you're gonna run some sprints with me,
and we're gonna play one on one no matter how
(06:01):
I am, We're going to get it in. And then
you're going to have that respect because you know, I
always tell the guys, even when I did the MVP
A camp with your kids this summer, I always tell them,
don't look at me as that player, like the older
of that older that just look at me as unk.
Look at me at that uncle that didn't make it,
that really loves you. And I'm here to help you,
(06:21):
and that's where they each team I go to. That's
how it always goes. And it's always family. I's always family.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
I'm gonna tell you one good thing that you have
to look forward to. And I think sometimes mephic it's
a bad rap and I had kind of a I
wouldn't say distorted. I just had a different view of
Memphis until I actually got there and bro it was
a breath of fresh air. Southern hospitality. People were great. Obviously,
there's not a ton of stuff going on out there,
so the Grizzlies are absolutely everything. They got good food
(06:52):
out there. I really think you're gonna enjoy yourself, especially
at this point of the crew. I know if you've
golfed a lot, but they got some golf courses out there.
But who were some of the more influential guys early
on in your career that kind of helped calm you
and bridge the gap between college and the pros And
what's it like to be a pro.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Man when you you on how to you to understand
me and you both understand. It's in La and a summer.
I was always in LA and seeing gods like you,
Paul Pierce, KG Al Harrington like car those booz are
like I got my ass kicked every day, but I
was always dead like asking questions and and God's respected that,
(07:38):
and I always came to love and I don't know,
it's just God always just puts me in these spaces
with genuine good dudes bed like the the NBA.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Has been so good to me and still to this.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Day when I even when I see you, you always
give me that love and and that's a testament to
our brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Absolute. So this will be this is your wet for.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You seventeen seventeen.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Man, I can't get no more pension manx.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Max You've max stablished it. That's because a lot of
dudes are fighting to get that pension and you maxed
the pension out. So that's your set for life. Congratulations
with that. Not too long ago, you guys reconnected as
a bulls community to retire Derreck Rose Jersey. Tell me
what that day was like, and then I want to
hear a little bit about what it was like playing
with him.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well, that day was special, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Just to come back to the city that basically gave
me my stripes and helped me earn my stake in
this NBA for so many years. It was really emotional
seeing all the people that you grew up with, people
of the city, because you understand, our team was not
just a regular team. We were a team that was
outside like if you were in the early parts of
the NBA, the early two thousands of late teams, each
(08:57):
team was outside together, and we was a and the
embody of that like. And Derek was the man in
the city, so we everywhere he went, we was dead.
So the city was just like our real sanctuary because
we never really left and we embraced the city. And
it was just good to be back in this just
seeing that how far I've come as a man, be
(09:19):
able to just be able to speak talk, And I'll
give that a testament to Chicago, all Chicago.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Playing with Derek Rose, you got early prime, one of
the greatest players we had seen at the time, one
of the most athletic guards, really no holes in this game.
He looked like a silent leader. I don't really know
d ros brother from the outside. Looking at it, it
looked like someone who led by example, get left it
all on the court. What was it like playing with
(09:49):
the young d rose Man.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Listen, that's all fluff because in practice he's talking. Because
I was always on the most, I had to split
time between the second unit and the start, between me.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
And Bull, me and Booze.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
But every every day he would be the main one talking.
Then Joe Keem would be right behind him. Yeah, pooh,
yeah kill. I'm killing every day. I'm just stressed out,
like yo, bro, I'm gonna get it. We're gonna get
a win.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
And this the athleticism.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Like people think he's quiet, but once you really go
through something and go through the ups and downs with
a long season with a player, you really start to
see the ins and outs of man. And I was
blessed to be so close enough that we really became family.
We really became brothers. Even though I cracticed Jaw a
couple of times in practice and I was questioning while
(10:42):
I was gonna get traded the next day, but everything
worked out.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Question you brought up something that I love talking about.
In those early two the mid two thousands, you know,
early teens of the two thousands, the ones versus the
twos used to be better than what people would see
on TV.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Hands down, those were wars. Those were fights. Those were
fucked that. Now we're not done, coach, We're gonna play
one more game. What were those battles like? Because you
guys had a really deep Chicago team, so I can
only imagine those those those those ones and twos during
practice were it.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
It was hell because you're thinking about we got a
young Tibbs. Imagine TIBs not back then you think he
was he was tough. Now imagine that back then when
we ain't have no regulations, we didn't have no strict timing,
no large no large training staffs. So then you're dealing
with the tips factor. Like and TIBs is that guy
(11:38):
like here he pumping every He's he's gassing the situation
up every day. Ah, you're gonna let the first team
destroy you guys again. You got you guys getting thrown
around like rag dolls. And then you got Carlos in
the back of his mind, he's hearing the chatter. Joe
Keem is the biggest uh ship talking the whole NBA.
He's like, yeah every day he's copying, Yeah, TG, y'all
(11:59):
not doing today. I'm like a couple of times I
tried to fight. I'm like yo, and That's how it
had to be. That's how it had to be. Every
time in practice we went out it we tried to fight,
we tried to scrap because we had to go against
guys like y'all and the Clippers. We had to go
against the top of the top every day. It was
no hose ball. That was some of the best basketball
(12:20):
in my life. And that that really sent my whole
trajectory to how I carried every day in this life
as far as carrying in basketball, because you was going
to get smacked up in those early teams in the
early years, you was gonna get smacked up, beat up,
and then we're gonna talk about it after and uh,
that was that was real special.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I want to ask about someone who I think is
just unsumber uh and you've mentioned his name a couple
of times and probably sound like me to one of
the heartbeats of the team joke, Kim Noah, what was
he like? As he was a little bit older than
you right now, we've run the same age, the same
age for me, okay, So what was like with him?
I mean, he was someone that I've befriended and I'm
(13:03):
actually really good friends with now. Post career, and I
wish I would have get a chance to know him
during your career because I think we're really similar, uh
in the way we just moved. But what was it
like with him every day? Uh? In practice, on the road,
in the games.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
It was it was special, man, because Joe Keem's that
teammate that he's going to put that battery in your
back and he loves his ship.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Talk all day. So he's goning.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
He's really turned up. But he's a great leader man.
The way he's the way he used to like really
amp us up when we even lost Derek for all
those years, like we really had to being together and
he was one of the sparks. But Joe Keem's that teammate.
He always going to pull up to your room good bad.
And I gotta say, I remember Joe Kean pull up
(13:48):
to my room up and uh and he lit I
lit my first Jay with and I can't he calmed
me down. He's like, yo, I love it because hit
my nickname was Woo. They yoo calm down because I'm
like yo, I'm trying to get some minutes, but I'm
going up against a Priminum All Star on Booze, So
(14:12):
I gotta just wait my turn. So every day, like
as a rookie, as a young guy, you got he
coming to the lot, he coming to my hotel room,
He's like, yo.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
All right, I'm like yeah, And then I remember that
day he's lit that l and it was changed your life,
changed my life.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Boy. You ain't got to tell me. I got a question.
Were you on the team when Booze put that shoe
dye on his head and made a hairline, Yeah, a
sweating durney. Uh tell me what were y'all killing him?
But y'all was cool because you know he was sensitive
about his ship.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Be honest, we said something afterwards, Uh boozs in type.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
But here he okay, he like y'all y'all hat him.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Just look good, y'all y'all be like, all right, Booze,
I don't know about this one, but hey, I'm happy
he got through.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
But that's gonna be that's classic for sure, classic for
show too much for that man.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
That shit was no nasty. You obviously got a chance
to play with d Rose. Now you're on a team
with Jah. There's been a lot of comparisons to their games. Obviously,
Jah is someone that I'm a huge fan of and
still wholehearty believing. I just feel like someone like you
particularly could be good if he allows you to kind
(15:28):
of embrace and come into his world, because it's never
really been the stuff on the court, has been the
noise off the court. But I know you're new there,
but kind of comparing and contrasting from what you've seen
on the outside of jaw. Do you see any comparisons
between him and him and d Rose.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, I love everything about him.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I love how people don't understand when you play against
them and you really on the court, you see a
like Tyvey commands his team, how they embrace each other,
how they love and they play hard. But being a
point guard you got to be a leader. Being a
portgut you ought to be tough, and your teammates are
feud off that. But the main thing I would see
(16:08):
between him and Derek, and it's just the athleticism, but
the willingness to just try to be great. Like some
players they talk about trying to be great and doing
it what they gotta do, But that young man is
special and he's trying to put on He's really trying
to put on that for the city. You can tell,
and I'm blessed to be in a situation where i
(16:28):
can really lock on to him and have a good
conversation and build with him. That's the whole point about
this journey is just building.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
To be honest with you, That was one of the
first things that came to my mind outside of you're
gonna surprisingly like Memphis, is that you're going to be
able to breathe on on on job, which I think
will definitely be a benefit to him if he allows
you in. So I'm hoping for the best. The somewhat
death of the power forward. You came into the league
when the power forward position was insane, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Pocosow,
(16:59):
Chris David West, just to name a few. Dirk Nowitzki's
in there. Today that position is almost or somewhat extinct.
You know, they're playing threes at the four now and
some teams are going too bigs. What are your thoughts
out of position? You came into the league and had
to scratch and claw to earn minutes out and establish yourself,
and now that position is really non existent now.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Well, it's just it's just the way the game is
just just transformed. But the one thing about the game,
it's always going to tell you about what you need
to do, because one thing you can't match his size,
and the one thing you can't match is good post players.
At the end of the day, you're going to always
have to get those guys back. But you got it,
(17:44):
you got it. It's guys like Draymond Greeny change the game.
He kind of took that position away. But when I
came in, we had so much talent that we most
players ran through the four I had to get I
had to guard Antoine Jamison, Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith, Oh
(18:04):
my god, there's a nightmare, and Blake Griffin. Forget about it, Like,
what are we talking about here? But the game is
the game. When it comes to the physicality, they may
be a little shorter, they may be having to have
their little wiggle ring, but I think far as like
it's the physical aspect of the game is a little
bit dampered.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I'm gonna have you put your GM hat on right here,
because you've been around the game so long, and you
know some of these younger players. If you were asked
to help the twenty twenty eight Olympic team who were
two or three big that you really like to think
you would be able to that you think would represent
that team in the country. Well, hmmm hmm.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
JD for sure. JD Durant for sure. He's tough. I
was withing in Detroit. He's a future He's a future
big of our of our big man and he's he's
he's there like he brings it every night and you
just tell by his physicality like he wants it. Bam
bam is for sure a high caliber uh all World five.
(19:19):
Now he went from being this a live threat, then
he went to a face up threat, then he went
to a handle face up threat. Now he's a pull
back three point threat. Our bigs are really uh like growing.
But again I can't take away from the young guys.
A lot of young guys coming up in the game.
But I would say j D Nurant for sure, that's
(19:40):
my young guy, and I really I watched him on
a consistent basic We got even Jack Eaton. But like
it comes down to who's going to be healthy. I
member every USA trial it always comes down to who's
going to be healthy.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Mm hmmm. The one thing I like about during is
he's just embraced his role. He does what he has
to do, goes out there, puts his hard head on
it to get paid with money. He's getting rewarded with
All Stars and he'll definitely be on that twenty eight team.
Have you got a chance to go against Winby yet?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah? For sure.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
But what I like when I it was just it
was just crazy to understand like how total he was,
but how agile and how flexible he can just like
he just sold. He's just moved so flawlessly. But then
when you you really got to try to, like shoot
along mid range, get him out of your way, because
any shot he's grabbing out the air and he's taking
(20:34):
it to the house.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Grabbing it out the air. Literally, he's literally grabbed my
shot off the end. I was like, oh my god,
I'm not doing that anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Let me just scream do the O G rule screen
and roll, get an office of rebound. I don't want
no parts.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yeah, man, try to get him on a quick drop
off and put him in the rim.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Even if you grabbing it, even if it Man, he's
he's tough.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Man.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I really watching him, and I hope that he's able
to stay healthy because I think he's going to give
this world something we haven't really seen yet. And that's
that's that's saying a lot have you seen obviously, I'm
sure you saw the back and forth between Steve Kerr
and not playing Kaminga and then he was able to
get traded and the level he's playing at right now,
(21:21):
he's averaging twenty one and eight shooting nearly seventy percent
from the field. You've seen and you've personally been through
a lot of ups and downs with coaches and different schemes.
What would your advice be to a younger player that
is very talented but really just not getting the opportunity
to spread his wings jets such as Kaminga. What would
your advice be to guys like that?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Stay in the gym, steak, get you whatever circle you've got,
bringing in even closer circle all your wagons, because when
you got too many, when that's when things like that happen.
You tend to have a lot of outside Especially you
move into a new city, you you always go. When
you go out, you Goever, people you meet in that
new city that come around, they start giving you opinions
(22:05):
of how you should do this. You should do that.
Lock in with the people you've been down with. Lock
in and and tighten that bond, and just lock into
the gym. Don't don't do anything out of the order,
and just stay into your craft and good things will happen.
There's thirty teams in this league, and there's so many
people constantly watching, constantly having conversations, constantly worrying about the
(22:31):
next thing that's gonna happen. So that's my that's my
opinion on it. And again, lock in with a vet,
locking with somebody that you can really pull up to
their house. Really just ask some questions and be like, Yo,
what you think I should do? How I should handle it?
Because even to this day, I still call my vets.
I still asked Nazi Muhamma, and I still talk to
Kurt Thomas, I still talked to Joe Kim, and I'm like,
(22:53):
I asked these guys what you think I should do?
They asked me go for it, and I respect that
and I respect every time visit every time they're not
gonna they always tell me the real They are gonna
be my teammates and my friends.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
First.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
I love that. Well. I want to wish you the
best of luck on the basketball side, continue to represent
for the unks out there. But before we get out
of here, I want to welcome in one of your
teammates from another level or another side of the game,
one of your brothers to meet Floyd. I hope I
pronounced your name right. What's up, Bro?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
How are you guys.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Happy to really hear about this again? Obviously we love
the basketball side, but the business of basketball is something
that Taz, you were able to hang on long enough,
because I know when you came in the league, we
wasn't really talking about business, you know, I mean, we
was talking about everything but business. But as the league
has grown to the business basketball now, business conversations are
more prevalent in the locker room, and you guys have
(23:53):
started something really special and we want you guys to
share that. So talk about what you guys have going on,
Taj and Tamik, and who's in your group and what
we can expect.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Well, first and foremost, Matt, you know, thank you for
the opportunity, and it's definitely a pleasure to share this
with you on your platform. First and form, I have
to give my flowers to charge because our story is
you know, typical inner city kids growing up in the hood.
I didn't have a father figure, we didn't have any mentors.
And the project that we're part of our development companies
(24:24):
called GFB Development, which stands for Gibson, Floyd.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
And Brown Brown. Malik Brown is our other partners.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
So we all grew up in four green projects Downtown
Brooklyn and Boys and Girls Club that me and Targe
went to as kids from the age of ten playing
youth sports went under sell and a local developer purchased
a site and the community was in an uproar and
charging myself stepped in and wanted to be that bridge
(24:51):
to connect the dots and closing the gap right and
have the community feel good about what's to come. And
we partner with this company and read developing the Boys
and Girls Club, and the Boys and Girls Club went
they went for they had to file for bankruptcy because
they had like a sexual assault case and that was
one of the assets that were so that had they
had to sell off. But the bad part about it
(25:13):
was they didn't form the community in the right way.
They gave the community like a three week notice that
this property will no longer be here, and it's so
many families that depend on organizations like that. They got
to work, they need someone for their kids to go.
So it was only right for us to step in.
For two, it means a lot for Taging us to
have ownership in our neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
For so many years not we didn't know any better, right,
but now that we're in the room. So many developers
develop in urban areas and they don't evolve.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
The community at all. So this is the opportunity.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Yeah, so like the building go up, right, it's so
many condominiums in downtown Brooklyn. It looked like mini Manhattan.
But all these buildings don't service our community. It's no,
we don't have access to the amenities. There's no public
benefit for our people, and it's like we're always being
left behind. So this project that being charge, you know,
I was to be putting our name on the line, right,
(26:07):
being a part of it's like really having the community
involved and having a seat at the table.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Tag what does it mean for you to one do
something like this, but do something with your brother your
brothers that you grew up with and in this community.
And again being able to have your name and have
some equity in something like this.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Well, this guy right here, but he was, but he
was the one that took me to my first basketball team.
So we go way back and we've been through the
whole ups and downs of going uh, but it's it's
bigger than me, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Like I try each time I go back, like you
know how it goes back.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Well, all this money where we try to make all
the endorsers you get, I always put into my community
because I really believe in my community. And when it
comes to this, our community needs this, our kids ers needed,
our kids need this. Man, I go to our schools
in the local area. It's our funding isn't there. It's
(27:07):
our whole organization isn't right. And as a third generation
Brooklyn guy from Fort Green, I just had I felt
like it's time, and I got I'm just tired of
the narrative of just us being taken advantage of and
just to be here that really have my voice and
really standing on what I stand on in the meetings
(27:29):
and say how I feel and not feel judged. I'm
just like we were onto the next phase doing something
right for the neighborhood. But again, I always tell him,
it's not about me, it's not about him. It's not
about him. It's about the future of our community.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
And another thing that like me and Todge, you know,
so we grew up as kids playing ball, and you know,
I went to college. I wasn't league, but I was
good over I could have played overseas, but my junior
college I lost my Aflecate scholarship. And then like after
he got drafted, I went to prison for ten years.
So it means a lot for us, for us, for
(28:05):
me to be in this position right to show growth
and to show kids that it's so many opportunities if
you really want to change. So the fact that charge,
you know, outside of him being my brother, he allowed
me to be to add to his platform and it's
bigger than basketball. To us, it's just Vascal is a
vehicle that got us out of our neighborhood, in our situation.
And so like we're grateful to be able, like to
(28:27):
just come on your platform and like really spreadsh awareness
of what we're doing and our goal is inspired in
next generation and that's what we love that.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
So it sounds like the first step is revitalizing the
Boys and Girls club. What is And then you said
the overall goal is to inspire. But do you guys
have any other projects in the workings or ideas? After
you know, God willing you guys get this boys and
girls club, black rolling and intertwined with the community, what
else do you guys have planned for your your city?
Speaker 5 (28:59):
So I have to put respect on the project.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
So we're so one of the agreements was to replace
the actual center. So we're gonna give the community a
free community, a free center, right, So we're gonna rebuild
a community center. But with that we have we're gonna
have three two mixed income buildings. So that mixed income
mean you have affordable housing with market rate housing, and
(29:22):
then we're gonna have one standalone senior housing which is
one hundred percent affordable. And there's an elementary school that
I went to as a kid. We refurbished in the
school as well, So we basically doing the whole block over,
you know, humbly speaking, And we're also bringing a cultural
art space and it's gonna be a home to an
African arts exhibits. But to answer your question, our goal
(29:44):
is to potentially create this model where community is really
the call of development and having them understand the process
of developed development and knowing what to actual and take
this model and potentially go to other cities. Like Targe
had a well decorated career which he's looked at. You know,
he's a good role model in other cities like Chicago.
He spent time in La So we want to continue,
(30:07):
like to move the needle. And it's funny that he's
in mephis because I actually have a relationship with Paul
Young and he's the mayor of Memphis, a black young guy.
So like just like being able to have those conversations
and see what's needed and our experience working in our neighborhood,
you know, try to just pass it along to the next.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I love it fellas well. Congratulations. We're definitely going to
have you guys back in to check on how the
progress is going and what's come of it and if
there's any way that this platform can help you guys.
Spread the word, connect dots, whatever you need from us, man,
we're here. But congratulations to you guys.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Appreciate you, bro, appreciate.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Go get the go, get the needs some sleep, bro,
you might want to get.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Hey man, good luck, good luck to you guys. Uh,
it's a pleasure talking with you, and we'll talk again fellas.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
All right, man, appreciate bro.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
That's a wrap for Unplugged. You can asks us on
all the Smoke Productions YouTube and the Draft Kings Network.
We'll see you guys next week.
Welcome back to unplugged. I hope everybody is good. We
got a good one today. One of my friends in NBA,
super OG, super unk Vet Taj Gibson. I'm now sitting
down with the former enemy. No I'm playing. Although he's
a Trojan, I don't hold no, I don't hold no
beef towards him. But current just signed a two year
(00:21):
deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. You're a triple og. Now
they call you unc or Grandpa in the locker room
what they call you bro? The show's Taj Gibson Unk
call you unk. Yes, sir, all congratulations, man, congratulations. So
two year deal. You're currently forty years old, right, yep, yep.
(00:42):
It made me smile when I hear about this because
I know you and I both came into a league
that had guys your age on teams consistently, and whether
they were contributing on the court, they were instrumental in
just bridging the gap with young players conversations with the
coaching staff. I know, and you've exemplified this throughout your career.
You've always been a great leader, whether you're the best
(01:04):
player on the team such in college or a role
player in the league. You've always been someone who leads
by example. So tell me what it was like. Break
it down. When you got the phone call, what happened?
Where are you now, and what's the deal?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Be honest with you. I was home.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I was, you know, just having that that like that
that thought, just like every athlete has at the end
of their career, like, yo, I think I'm done. I
don't know if I can do this again. What can
I offer to a team? And I got a phone
call and I didn't my agent when he called me,
I was like, you know that when that phone called,
(01:40):
that second called, and that third call, I'm like, what
do you want?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Man?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Call? He was like, yo, quote and let me holler
at you. I'm like, are you serious about this? I
think I got a team that's that really could use
your service.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And what you think?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I said, of course, I thought about when I watch
the the Colts this this year at the end of
the season, seeing Rivers come, and he really light lit
a fire for me because when he said why not,
his biggest thing is why not?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
With you're playing? I got so many young kids.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I try to teach so many lessons to back home,
and they always ask me. You're never scared, you never worried,
and I'm just always eager to just jump into the
fire because you never know, never know what God's holding
for you. And I always come with an open heart.
And I love my teammates, I love I love the NBA.
I loved the game of basketball because such a good brotherhood.
(02:36):
And again when I came into the league, you was
one of those one of those vets that all I
can always count on this chopping up with you, and
you always just relax, like relax the whole situation, like yo,
I got one hundred dollars from the game.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I'm like, he's you know, I want to be just
like this guy when I get that age and then
that again again.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
For real now congratulations again. Like I said, it makes
me happy because I feel like the league lacks leadership
like yours. You know, this reminds me of you know,
Eudonna's Haslam Andre Iguidala towards the end of his career.
I'm sure I'm probably missing ah. You know, DeAndre Jordan
got called earlier this year to New Orleans. But again,
(03:20):
I feel like, you know, as great as the league is,
I'm not one of those older guys that they wants
to downplay the league, but I just feel like it
misses veteran leadership. But as far as veteran leadership goes
new to a team, the team's obviously struggled a little bit.
What do you still got left in the take? As
far as the kneecaps getting on the court, though, is
what I want to know.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Man, I caught a couple of dunks today and the
young boy is just happy for me.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
But yeah, the main thing, Matt is like, when you come,
when I come in, I'm so blessed when not coming
to situations, I've been around the wrong time. I'm not
trying to prove anything to anybody. The first thing that
they say to me is just be yourself. And when
I when I hear that, I'm I'm just targed. And
I come into the locker room, I come into the floor,
I'm coming to the gym. I'm telling them, let's work.
(04:05):
I'm here to work with y'all. Man, Let's just grind,
let's get better. Don't worry about all the other stuff.
I'm here to work. Let's get this journey. Let's get
this journey popping. And I'm here to you. I'm a
part of your journey and I'm blessed to be here,
and they respect it. And for example, practice was great,
and every day I'm out here, we having fun. Man,
(04:26):
That's the whole thing about it, having fun and getting
better and taking advantage of the opportunity. We have so
many young guys with a great opportunity in front of them,
and my job as a VET is to help them
get to that next level.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
And that's why I'm here.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Absolutely. I mean, this is a very interesting team. This
was probably maybe we go back three years. This was
a team that the world was like, Okay, it's only
a matter of time until this team takes off with
a young job Triple J who since moved on. What
obviously this team is three and a half games out
of the tenth playing spot. What's kind of your focus
(05:01):
as you come into a new setting, As you said,
you're in Minnesota right now. You guys play tonight, right, yeah,
we played tonight. You guys played Minnesota tonight. So you know,
as as as a new guy, but a VET coming
into a new team, like, how do you lead? Is
it by voice? Is it by example? Because again I
know you and and you're obviously you're very cognizant of
(05:22):
your surroundings and how to move as an older player
coming into a new younger team. How do you how
are you going to maneuver around and really feel your
best at leading with this new team.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, I just try to lead by example first. You know,
you don't try to just just come.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Into the room.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Is just because you got a lot of that through
the years. You got a lot of guys come in
to locker room and you hit them, just talk a
lot of fluff. I try to just be a positive,
a positive example of just putting in the work, listening
to the coach, being there for the coach first. And
then after practice, you're gonna run some sprints with me,
and we're gonna play one on one no matter how
(06:01):
I am, We're going to get it in. And then
you're going to have that respect because you know, I
always tell the guys, even when I did the MVP
A camp with your kids this summer, I always tell them,
don't look at me as that player, like the older
of that older that just look at me as unk.
Look at me at that uncle that didn't make it,
that really loves you. And I'm here to help you,
(06:21):
and that's where they each team I go to. That's
how it always goes. And it's always family. I's always family.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
I'm gonna tell you one good thing that you have
to look forward to. And I think sometimes mephic it's
a bad rap and I had kind of a I
wouldn't say distorted. I just had a different view of
Memphis until I actually got there and bro it was
a breath of fresh air. Southern hospitality. People were great. Obviously,
there's not a ton of stuff going on out there,
so the Grizzlies are absolutely everything. They got good food
(06:52):
out there. I really think you're gonna enjoy yourself, especially
at this point of the crew. I know if you've
golfed a lot, but they got some golf courses out there.
But who were some of the more influential guys early
on in your career that kind of helped calm you
and bridge the gap between college and the pros And
what's it like to be a pro.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Man when you you on how to you to understand
me and you both understand. It's in La and a summer.
I was always in LA and seeing gods like you,
Paul Pierce, KG Al Harrington like car those booz are
like I got my ass kicked every day, but I
was always dead like asking questions and and God's respected that,
(07:38):
and I always came to love and I don't know,
it's just God always just puts me in these spaces
with genuine good dudes bed like the the NBA.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Has been so good to me and still to this.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Day when I even when I see you, you always
give me that love and and that's a testament to
our brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Absolute. So this will be this is your wet for.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You seventeen seventeen.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Man, I can't get no more pension manx.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Max You've max stablished it. That's because a lot of
dudes are fighting to get that pension and you maxed
the pension out. So that's your set for life. Congratulations
with that. Not too long ago, you guys reconnected as
a bulls community to retire Derreck Rose Jersey. Tell me
what that day was like, and then I want to
hear a little bit about what it was like playing
with him.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well, that day was special, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Just to come back to the city that basically gave
me my stripes and helped me earn my stake in
this NBA for so many years. It was really emotional
seeing all the people that you grew up with, people
of the city, because you understand, our team was not
just a regular team. We were a team that was
outside like if you were in the early parts of
the NBA, the early two thousands of late teams, each
(08:57):
team was outside together, and we was a and the
embody of that like. And Derek was the man in
the city, so we everywhere he went, we was dead.
So the city was just like our real sanctuary because
we never really left and we embraced the city. And
it was just good to be back in this just
seeing that how far I've come as a man, be
(09:19):
able to just be able to speak talk, And I'll
give that a testament to Chicago, all Chicago.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Playing with Derek Rose, you got early prime, one of
the greatest players we had seen at the time, one
of the most athletic guards, really no holes in this game.
He looked like a silent leader. I don't really know
d ros brother from the outside. Looking at it, it
looked like someone who led by example, get left it
all on the court. What was it like playing with
(09:49):
the young d rose Man.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Listen, that's all fluff because in practice he's talking. Because
I was always on the most, I had to split
time between the second unit and the start, between me.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
And Bull, me and Booze.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
But every every day he would be the main one talking.
Then Joe Keem would be right behind him. Yeah, pooh,
yeah kill. I'm killing every day. I'm just stressed out,
like yo, bro, I'm gonna get it. We're gonna get
a win.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
And this the athleticism.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Like people think he's quiet, but once you really go
through something and go through the ups and downs with
a long season with a player, you really start to
see the ins and outs of man. And I was
blessed to be so close enough that we really became family.
We really became brothers. Even though I cracticed Jaw a
couple of times in practice and I was questioning while
(10:42):
I was gonna get traded the next day, but everything
worked out.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Question you brought up something that I love talking about.
In those early two the mid two thousands, you know,
early teens of the two thousands, the ones versus the
twos used to be better than what people would see
on TV.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Hands down, those were wars. Those were fights. Those were
fucked that. Now we're not done, coach, We're gonna play
one more game. What were those battles like? Because you
guys had a really deep Chicago team, so I can
only imagine those those those those ones and twos during
practice were it.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
It was hell because you're thinking about we got a
young Tibbs. Imagine TIBs not back then you think he
was he was tough. Now imagine that back then when
we ain't have no regulations, we didn't have no strict timing,
no large no large training staffs. So then you're dealing
with the tips factor. Like and TIBs is that guy
(11:38):
like here he pumping every He's he's gassing the situation
up every day. Ah, you're gonna let the first team
destroy you guys again. You got you guys getting thrown
around like rag dolls. And then you got Carlos in
the back of his mind, he's hearing the chatter. Joe
Keem is the biggest uh ship talking the whole NBA.
He's like, yeah every day he's copying, Yeah, TG, y'all
(11:59):
not doing today. I'm like a couple of times I
tried to fight. I'm like yo, and That's how it
had to be. That's how it had to be. Every
time in practice we went out it we tried to fight,
we tried to scrap because we had to go against
guys like y'all and the Clippers. We had to go
against the top of the top every day. It was
no hose ball. That was some of the best basketball
(12:20):
in my life. And that that really sent my whole
trajectory to how I carried every day in this life
as far as carrying in basketball, because you was going
to get smacked up in those early teams in the
early years, you was gonna get smacked up, beat up,
and then we're gonna talk about it after and uh,
that was that was real special.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I want to ask about someone who I think is
just unsumber uh and you've mentioned his name a couple
of times and probably sound like me to one of
the heartbeats of the team joke, Kim Noah, what was
he like? As he was a little bit older than
you right now, we've run the same age, the same
age for me, okay, So what was like with him?
I mean, he was someone that I've befriended and I'm
(13:03):
actually really good friends with now. Post career, and I
wish I would have get a chance to know him
during your career because I think we're really similar, uh
in the way we just moved. But what was it
like with him every day? Uh? In practice, on the road,
in the games.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
It was it was special, man, because Joe Keem's that
teammate that he's going to put that battery in your
back and he loves his ship.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Talk all day. So he's goning.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
He's really turned up. But he's a great leader man.
The way he's the way he used to like really
amp us up when we even lost Derek for all
those years, like we really had to being together and
he was one of the sparks. But Joe Keem's that teammate.
He always going to pull up to your room good bad.
And I gotta say, I remember Joe Kean pull up
(13:48):
to my room up and uh and he lit I
lit my first Jay with and I can't he calmed
me down. He's like, yo, I love it because hit
my nickname was Woo. They yoo calm down because I'm
like yo, I'm trying to get some minutes, but I'm
going up against a Priminum All Star on Booze, So
(14:12):
I gotta just wait my turn. So every day, like
as a rookie, as a young guy, you got he
coming to the lot, he coming to my hotel room,
He's like, yo.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
All right, I'm like yeah, And then I remember that
day he's lit that l and it was changed your life,
changed my life.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Boy. You ain't got to tell me. I got a question.
Were you on the team when Booze put that shoe
dye on his head and made a hairline, Yeah, a
sweating durney. Uh tell me what were y'all killing him?
But y'all was cool because you know he was sensitive
about his ship.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Be honest, we said something afterwards, Uh boozs in type.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
But here he okay, he like y'all y'all hat him.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Just look good, y'all y'all be like, all right, Booze,
I don't know about this one, but hey, I'm happy
he got through.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
But that's gonna be that's classic for sure, classic for
show too much for that man.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
That shit was no nasty. You obviously got a chance
to play with d Rose. Now you're on a team
with Jah. There's been a lot of comparisons to their games. Obviously,
Jah is someone that I'm a huge fan of and
still wholehearty believing. I just feel like someone like you
particularly could be good if he allows you to kind
(15:28):
of embrace and come into his world, because it's never
really been the stuff on the court, has been the
noise off the court. But I know you're new there,
but kind of comparing and contrasting from what you've seen
on the outside of jaw. Do you see any comparisons
between him and him and d Rose.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, I love everything about him.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I love how people don't understand when you play against
them and you really on the court, you see a
like Tyvey commands his team, how they embrace each other,
how they love and they play hard. But being a
point guard you got to be a leader. Being a
portgut you ought to be tough, and your teammates are
feud off that. But the main thing I would see
(16:08):
between him and Derek, and it's just the athleticism, but
the willingness to just try to be great. Like some
players they talk about trying to be great and doing
it what they gotta do, But that young man is
special and he's trying to put on He's really trying
to put on that for the city. You can tell,
and I'm blessed to be in a situation where i
(16:28):
can really lock on to him and have a good
conversation and build with him. That's the whole point about
this journey is just building.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
To be honest with you, That was one of the
first things that came to my mind outside of you're
gonna surprisingly like Memphis, is that you're going to be
able to breathe on on on job, which I think
will definitely be a benefit to him if he allows
you in. So I'm hoping for the best. The somewhat
death of the power forward. You came into the league
when the power forward position was insane, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Pocosow,
(16:59):
Chris David West, just to name a few. Dirk Nowitzki's
in there. Today that position is almost or somewhat extinct.
You know, they're playing threes at the four now and
some teams are going too bigs. What are your thoughts
out of position? You came into the league and had
to scratch and claw to earn minutes out and establish yourself,
and now that position is really non existent now.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Well, it's just it's just the way the game is
just just transformed. But the one thing about the game,
it's always going to tell you about what you need
to do, because one thing you can't match his size,
and the one thing you can't match is good post players.
At the end of the day, you're going to always
have to get those guys back. But you got it,
(17:44):
you got it. It's guys like Draymond Greeny change the game.
He kind of took that position away. But when I
came in, we had so much talent that we most
players ran through the four I had to get I
had to guard Antoine Jamison, Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith, Oh
(18:04):
my god, there's a nightmare, and Blake Griffin. Forget about it, Like,
what are we talking about here? But the game is
the game. When it comes to the physicality, they may
be a little shorter, they may be having to have
their little wiggle ring, but I think far as like
it's the physical aspect of the game is a little
bit dampered.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I'm gonna have you put your GM hat on right here,
because you've been around the game so long, and you
know some of these younger players. If you were asked
to help the twenty twenty eight Olympic team who were
two or three big that you really like to think
you would be able to that you think would represent
that team in the country. Well, hmmm hmm.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
JD for sure. JD Durant for sure. He's tough. I
was withing in Detroit. He's a future He's a future
big of our of our big man and he's he's
he's there like he brings it every night and you
just tell by his physicality like he wants it. Bam
bam is for sure a high caliber uh all World five.
(19:19):
Now he went from being this a live threat, then
he went to a face up threat, then he went
to a handle face up threat. Now he's a pull
back three point threat. Our bigs are really uh like growing.
But again I can't take away from the young guys.
A lot of young guys coming up in the game.
But I would say j D Nurant for sure, that's
(19:40):
my young guy, and I really I watched him on
a consistent basic We got even Jack Eaton. But like
it comes down to who's going to be healthy. I
member every USA trial it always comes down to who's
going to be healthy.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Mm hmmm. The one thing I like about during is
he's just embraced his role. He does what he has
to do, goes out there, puts his hard head on
it to get paid with money. He's getting rewarded with
All Stars and he'll definitely be on that twenty eight team.
Have you got a chance to go against Winby yet?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah? For sure.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
But what I like when I it was just it
was just crazy to understand like how total he was,
but how agile and how flexible he can just like
he just sold. He's just moved so flawlessly. But then
when you you really got to try to, like shoot
along mid range, get him out of your way, because
any shot he's grabbing out the air and he's taking
(20:34):
it to the house.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Grabbing it out the air. Literally, he's literally grabbed my
shot off the end. I was like, oh my god,
I'm not doing that anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Let me just scream do the O G rule screen
and roll, get an office of rebound. I don't want
no parts.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yeah, man, try to get him on a quick drop
off and put him in the rim.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Even if you grabbing it, even if it Man, he's
he's tough.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Man.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I really watching him, and I hope that he's able
to stay healthy because I think he's going to give
this world something we haven't really seen yet. And that's
that's that's saying a lot have you seen obviously, I'm
sure you saw the back and forth between Steve Kerr
and not playing Kaminga and then he was able to
get traded and the level he's playing at right now,
(21:21):
he's averaging twenty one and eight shooting nearly seventy percent
from the field. You've seen and you've personally been through
a lot of ups and downs with coaches and different schemes.
What would your advice be to a younger player that
is very talented but really just not getting the opportunity
to spread his wings jets such as Kaminga. What would
your advice be to guys like that?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Stay in the gym, steak, get you whatever circle you've got,
bringing in even closer circle all your wagons, because when
you got too many, when that's when things like that happen.
You tend to have a lot of outside Especially you
move into a new city, you you always go. When
you go out, you Goever, people you meet in that
new city that come around, they start giving you opinions
(22:05):
of how you should do this. You should do that.
Lock in with the people you've been down with. Lock
in and and tighten that bond, and just lock into
the gym. Don't don't do anything out of the order,
and just stay into your craft and good things will happen.
There's thirty teams in this league, and there's so many
people constantly watching, constantly having conversations, constantly worrying about the
(22:31):
next thing that's gonna happen. So that's my that's my
opinion on it. And again, lock in with a vet,
locking with somebody that you can really pull up to
their house. Really just ask some questions and be like, Yo,
what you think I should do? How I should handle it?
Because even to this day, I still call my vets.
I still asked Nazi Muhamma, and I still talk to
Kurt Thomas, I still talked to Joe Kim, and I'm like,
(22:53):
I asked these guys what you think I should do?
They asked me go for it, and I respect that
and I respect every time visit every time they're not
gonna they always tell me the real They are gonna
be my teammates and my friends.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
First.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
I love that. Well. I want to wish you the
best of luck on the basketball side, continue to represent
for the unks out there. But before we get out
of here, I want to welcome in one of your
teammates from another level or another side of the game,
one of your brothers to meet Floyd. I hope I
pronounced your name right. What's up, Bro?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
How are you guys.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Happy to really hear about this again? Obviously we love
the basketball side, but the business of basketball is something
that Taz, you were able to hang on long enough,
because I know when you came in the league, we
wasn't really talking about business, you know, I mean, we
was talking about everything but business. But as the league
has grown to the business basketball now, business conversations are
more prevalent in the locker room, and you guys have
(23:53):
started something really special and we want you guys to
share that. So talk about what you guys have going on,
Taj and Tamik, and who's in your group and what
we can expect.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Well, first and foremost, Matt, you know, thank you for
the opportunity, and it's definitely a pleasure to share this
with you on your platform. First and form, I have
to give my flowers to charge because our story is
you know, typical inner city kids growing up in the hood.
I didn't have a father figure, we didn't have any mentors.
And the project that we're part of our development companies
(24:24):
called GFB Development, which stands for Gibson, Floyd.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
And Brown Brown. Malik Brown is our other partners.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
So we all grew up in four green projects Downtown
Brooklyn and Boys and Girls Club that me and Targe
went to as kids from the age of ten playing
youth sports went under sell and a local developer purchased
a site and the community was in an uproar and
charging myself stepped in and wanted to be that bridge
(24:51):
to connect the dots and closing the gap right and
have the community feel good about what's to come. And
we partner with this company and read developing the Boys
and Girls Club, and the Boys and Girls Club went
they went for they had to file for bankruptcy because
they had like a sexual assault case and that was
one of the assets that were so that had they
had to sell off. But the bad part about it
(25:13):
was they didn't form the community in the right way.
They gave the community like a three week notice that
this property will no longer be here, and it's so
many families that depend on organizations like that. They got
to work, they need someone for their kids to go.
So it was only right for us to step in.
For two, it means a lot for Taging us to
have ownership in our neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
For so many years not we didn't know any better, right,
but now that we're in the room. So many developers
develop in urban areas and they don't evolve.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
The community at all. So this is the opportunity.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Yeah, so like the building go up, right, it's so
many condominiums in downtown Brooklyn. It looked like mini Manhattan.
But all these buildings don't service our community. It's no,
we don't have access to the amenities. There's no public
benefit for our people, and it's like we're always being
left behind. So this project that being charge, you know,
I was to be putting our name on the line, right,
(26:07):
being a part of it's like really having the community
involved and having a seat at the table.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Tag what does it mean for you to one do
something like this, but do something with your brother your
brothers that you grew up with and in this community.
And again being able to have your name and have
some equity in something like this.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Well, this guy right here, but he was, but he
was the one that took me to my first basketball team.
So we go way back and we've been through the
whole ups and downs of going uh, but it's it's
bigger than me, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Like I try each time I go back, like you
know how it goes back.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Well, all this money where we try to make all
the endorsers you get, I always put into my community
because I really believe in my community. And when it
comes to this, our community needs this, our kids ers needed,
our kids need this. Man, I go to our schools
in the local area. It's our funding isn't there. It's
(27:07):
our whole organization isn't right. And as a third generation
Brooklyn guy from Fort Green, I just had I felt
like it's time, and I got I'm just tired of
the narrative of just us being taken advantage of and
just to be here that really have my voice and
really standing on what I stand on in the meetings
(27:29):
and say how I feel and not feel judged. I'm
just like we were onto the next phase doing something
right for the neighborhood. But again, I always tell him,
it's not about me, it's not about him. It's not
about him. It's about the future of our community.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
And another thing that like me and Todge, you know,
so we grew up as kids playing ball, and you know,
I went to college. I wasn't league, but I was
good over I could have played overseas, but my junior
college I lost my Aflecate scholarship. And then like after
he got drafted, I went to prison for ten years.
So it means a lot for us, for us, for
(28:05):
me to be in this position right to show growth
and to show kids that it's so many opportunities if
you really want to change. So the fact that charge,
you know, outside of him being my brother, he allowed
me to be to add to his platform and it's
bigger than basketball. To us, it's just Vascal is a
vehicle that got us out of our neighborhood, in our situation.
And so like we're grateful to be able, like to
(28:27):
just come on your platform and like really spreadsh awareness
of what we're doing and our goal is inspired in
next generation and that's what we love that.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
So it sounds like the first step is revitalizing the
Boys and Girls club. What is And then you said
the overall goal is to inspire. But do you guys
have any other projects in the workings or ideas? After
you know, God willing you guys get this boys and
girls club, black rolling and intertwined with the community, what
else do you guys have planned for your your city?
Speaker 5 (28:59):
So I have to put respect on the project.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
So we're so one of the agreements was to replace
the actual center. So we're gonna give the community a
free community, a free center, right, So we're gonna rebuild
a community center. But with that we have we're gonna
have three two mixed income buildings. So that mixed income
mean you have affordable housing with market rate housing, and
(29:22):
then we're gonna have one standalone senior housing which is
one hundred percent affordable. And there's an elementary school that
I went to as a kid. We refurbished in the
school as well, So we basically doing the whole block over,
you know, humbly speaking, And we're also bringing a cultural
art space and it's gonna be a home to an
African arts exhibits. But to answer your question, our goal
(29:44):
is to potentially create this model where community is really
the call of development and having them understand the process
of developed development and knowing what to actual and take
this model and potentially go to other cities. Like Targe
had a well decorated career which he's looked at. You know,
he's a good role model in other cities like Chicago.
He spent time in La So we want to continue,
(30:07):
like to move the needle. And it's funny that he's
in mephis because I actually have a relationship with Paul
Young and he's the mayor of Memphis, a black young guy.
So like just like being able to have those conversations
and see what's needed and our experience working in our neighborhood,
you know, try to just pass it along to the next.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I love it fellas well. Congratulations. We're definitely going to
have you guys back in to check on how the
progress is going and what's come of it and if
there's any way that this platform can help you guys.
Spread the word, connect dots, whatever you need from us, man,
we're here. But congratulations to you guys.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Appreciate you, bro, appreciate.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Go get the go, get the needs some sleep, bro,
you might want to get.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Hey man, good luck, good luck to you guys. Uh,
it's a pleasure talking with you, and we'll talk again fellas.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
All right, man, appreciate bro.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
That's a wrap for Unplugged. You can asks us on
all the Smoke Productions YouTube and the Draft Kings Network.
We'll see you guys next week.
Hosts And Creators
Stephen Jackson
Matt Barnes
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