October 10, 2024 • 51 mins
On the latest episode of ALL THE SMOKE, 6-year NBA vet and 2000 NCAA champion, Mateen Cleaves, joins Matt & Stak for an energy filled sit down. Cleaves looks back on his high school and college days as a highly touted prospect, including playing in the 1996 McDonald’s All-American game with Kobe and winning the National Title over Florida in 2000. Plus, he explains what it was like playing under Tom Izzo and what makes him such a special coach.
Also, he reflects on his NBA career, including being drafted by his hometown Detroit Pistons, being traded to Sacramento, and facing Kobe & Shaq in the highly controversial 2002 Western Conference Finals. Cleaves also speaks on the impact Suns majority owner, Mat Ishbia, has had on his life post-NBA and why players should be flocking to Phoenix.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
M mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Mm hmm. All the smoke.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Day two man Pump gall of twenty twenty four. Jack
yesterday was dope. Yeah, he was able to sit down
with Tim Hardaway, the big old Dominique Wilkins. Then we
got a chance to go to the to the what
was shit called the reception where we got the fellowship
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Yeah, we did out there, shine, Yeah, food, grab some
dinner after the fan heads whatever they call him ships
some ship was dope.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
I ain't never had one of them shits in there either.
He got more chickens than I did last night.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
They had. I got like four pictures and people taking
pictures thinking their tongue got him, like.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
The real one over here.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Now they off him, they off him. We buy them.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
But man, today we get to start day two off
on the right foot.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I saw I saw broke downstairs in the lobby when
I went to go get somebody, so I ain't seen
him in a minute. We chopped it up a little
bit and I was like, bro, He's like, yeah, man,
whatever you need. So one of my really it was
a surprise for you.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, that was a great surprise. Prise. But I really
love Man, that's my real brother. And to Douce who
we got today.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Man, Man, my class made somebody that a lot of
people don't know. He was one of those guys that
you know, they always talk about all these basketball players
that could have went professional two sports where he was
ahead of the head of this time. He was a
du All American quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks in
our class. And I also won the best basketball players
punk guards in our class, you know, along with Kobe
(01:41):
Bryan and Mike Bibban, all of us. So uh, he
was somebody that I grew up with in summertime planning
the camps with like we made. We basically made a
name for ourselves together and those camps coming up because
we neither one of us was really known coming from
small cities Flint fifteen sixteen, coming from Flint and coming
from put Out, the Texas, the small cities, so we
came ain't brothers, and though we're still doing our thing
(02:02):
right now. So it's blessing to have them on the
show today, my brother and my team clease.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Man, welcome.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
That's one of the best I've ever did too, so
you know, it was genuine.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Now I want to get to it. Before we get
to the class of ninety six.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Before you start, let me say that ship I made it,
you know what I mean, this ship be on this ship,
I feel like.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I've made he said.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
The smoke, you know, like you never left? What were
them AU days?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Like, I mean obviously raised in here, me and Raven
rocking together since we were fourteen on the AU Circle. That's
some of the finest memories of my life. I mean,
A you kind of set the foundation for everything. So
what was A you like to me about the first
time I met And how did y'all start kicking it?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Man?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You know? For me?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Hey, you I love AU from the standpoint You've seen
other cats that really could hoop, you know, like even
more Internet. Yeah, seem like because you think of you,
Michael Jordan, you know what I mean, in your neighborhood.
So for me to be able to go and see
other cats like damn, you know what I mean, you
see cats doing some shit, You're like, whoa, you know
(03:21):
what I mean?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
This cat's all around that could play, you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Know for me.
Speaker 8 (03:25):
So that's that's what AA you really did for me.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I didn't.
Speaker 8 (03:28):
I wasn't on a scene like that, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
I just was in Flint, you know, I was at
the parks, you know what I mean, the open runs,
somebody backyard. That's just how we was getting down in Flint.
So I wasn't really on the national scene far as AAU,
but I played little local tournaments. But main mainly shit
I was in Flint. We was in Flint getting getting
after Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
What do you remember about him when you first met
him the Nike camps?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Coming to the Nike camps, you know, you got guys
with all the big names, you know what I'm saying,
And we knew with tem Clees, but they weren't talking
about it like that. And at the end of the camp,
all they talking about is the team Clees and Baron Davis,
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
And Uh, that's that's the respect we had. You know.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
In my own position, I made a name for myself
the same time he was making a name for himself,
you know what I'm saying. So that that that's what
made that's what makes the memories more memorable because it
was the same time.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
We both were doing it at the same time. And
think about this, you had to get it from the
mud had to you know. It wasn't all the highlight
films and putting all that stuff out. Man, you had
to go get it.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You see that, you had to get it.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Y'all had to go get to it. And they was
matching us up, They was making us play each other.
It was that way you had to You wasn't dunking nobody,
So you had to go see people, you know, So
that that was the thing that I loved about it
back in the day.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, class of ninety six arguably one of the greatest
classes of all time.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
We talked at length.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I mean, were good argument rest in Peace, co argument Bibby.
Who else was in that class? We talked to j
oh Thomas, Tim Thomas. Yeah, we've got a list of
ninety six, probably more we're forgetting.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
But what does it mean being in that class?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And like you said, as you're going on the senior
kind of seeing all these dudes and the McDonald's back
in that time was the top of the mountain. So
what was that McDonald's experience like for you?
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Oh man, it was it was unreal, Like I said,
because I went to Nike, That's how I made my name.
Speaker 8 (05:21):
But getting that I remember getting a letter in school,
you know.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
They come to you, they come to school, they give
you a letter and to let you know you made
the team, you were selected, you know. I remember getting
that and then just with all the great players that
was on that list, man, it was it was that
shit was crazy, you know what I mean. It was
one of the moments man that I just I'll never forget.
But going to the you know, the the real ship,
(05:46):
really the real Hoopers that that week practice, you know
what I mean. And I couldn't like I was a
shell of myself, to be honest. My back was off,
fucked up. I wasn't eve supposed to play in that game.
But back then a car accident, yeah, and visit at Michigan,
Oh yeah, nobody heard about I didn't know about that
(06:09):
class playing in the game.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And we didn't hear nothing about it. We didn't know
nothing about it.
Speaker 5 (06:12):
Yeah, on my recruiting visit at Michigan. We got in
the car. Actually that Maurice Taylor, Uh yeah, he was driving.
He had the old Ford Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, you
know back then, and uh, it was me and him
tractor trailer. Lewis Bullock. Yeah, rest please Maude Louis Bullock. Yeah, yeah,
(06:35):
we all was in the in the car and coming
back from hanging out on the recruiting visit. Yeah, in
the car and then rolled over on the highway. Yeah,
I was remember that was like that was a big deal. Yeah,
the whole everything was in that car. That started. That
started a lot of like the investigations against Michigan because
(06:57):
the thing was back then Maurice Taylor called police from
a cell phone, and back then you ain't have a
cell phone. He's from the city of Detroit. Then he
had the Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, you know what I mean.
So that that was the thing. You know that the
n C double a start well digging into it. Then
how you got a phone? That cell phone and Eddie Bauer.
(07:17):
So that's how a lot of that stuff started coming.
I was the recruit and the visit on the in
the car.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, So fast forward.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You end up really hurting yourself but not really knowing it.
So you try to push through for the McDonald's game.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
Yep, yep, Yeah, playing the McDonald's game, and god bless
went for Warden Man Detroit, that's my dog.
Speaker 8 (07:35):
And he was he was like, let's listen, you know,
and practice like let's get it.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
And I'm like, dog, I can't, you know what I mean.
I'm like I can't. I'm like, yep. It was my
back and I was getting Yeah, I was getting paid
through the front of my legs. So I thought it
was like a growing pull or something like that. But
the problem was by nerves. That's why I was feeling
in the front. But yeah, I couldn't do nothing. But
my whole dang was I got to get the Saturday.
(08:00):
I just want to be on TV, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 8 (08:02):
Back then there was CBS Saturday Morning.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
I'm like, I just want to be on TV. That's it.
I scored. I ain't even scoring that game, but I
just ran up. And if you if you go back
and look at the ship, I couldn't move.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I was, but I just.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Wanted to be on TV. Yeah, I wasn't missing that moment.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
What do you remember about Code?
Speaker 5 (08:22):
Different? Different? Like I seen the first hand, Like I'll
be seeing a lot of these interviews stuff. I got
a chance to see a first hand. And you gotta
think we was all Americans, so we were some bad boys.
He was, Yeah, he was different, and how he approached.
It was different, was totally he was a pro back then.
(08:42):
He was locked in like we was. We was hooping
and we had fun and all that. But you know
we a venture off and getting ship sometimes too. Yeah,
not him. It was all hoop and he was he
he was so locked in that dude was different.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, teenager man, cold blooded.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
And he's talking about you know, he talking about well,
Winple was talking about, you know, let's let's practice hard,
like we had that same situation. We're supposed to be
just walking through and Kobe caught the bomb ripping.
Speaker 9 (09:13):
Swung his middle hard boom like, no, let's pregnice, let's
practice it supposed to be a walk through.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
He didn't give an he didn't give a goddamn Nigga's time.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
To go.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Flint, Michigan. A lot of y'all came out of there.
What's that scene like?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Now? Man?
Speaker 5 (09:33):
It's uh. If you remember a few years ago we
had the water incident, you know what I mean, and
people acting like the water good, it still ain't good.
They still trying to figure it out and get it together.
But sh Flint is flint, Flint what it is, man,
it's it's it's grinding, you know what I mean. You
get up out of there, you're good.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
But let the crazy part too, because I've been down
there that don't give back water a couple of times.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah, you appreciate that too.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
That soon as you get in Flint, the first thing
you say is a big water a big water tower.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
That's the first thing you see.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
When you get to that. That where Jackie Moon had
his team out.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah Flint.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (10:15):
Man, it's the same old ship.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
It's grindy.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
What is it about that that turns out so many
professional athletes?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Though?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
It's grimy, but it's I mean, it produces greatness.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
I think it's like Clarissa Shills from Flint, that's my.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I just reconnected with her the other day on the show.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Corissa grew up like boys. Yeah that way yeah around
your age, younger than me.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Super cool.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Yeah, she's real. We used to hoop at Bursting. She
used to box. They had a ring downstairs and box.
She used to box down there. But she we used
to Man, she's a boxer, fight dudes, you know. Growing up.
But Flint, it's just that's a that's the mentality, you
know what I mean. If you think a lot of
us was born off our parents worked at general mode,
(11:01):
all right.
Speaker 8 (11:02):
A real one, A real one, yeah because yeah yeah.
Speaker 10 (11:13):
Yeah yeah, top authority, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
all that.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
But it's like it's a mentality, like it's just how
you cut, you know what I mean, It's like every
other hood. But we just we we wired that we're
so driven, you know, you're so driven to get up
out of there. And back when I was coming up,
you know, they they took care of the athletes, you
know what I mean, the cast that was in the streets,
you know what I mean, they kind of tried to
steer you away from that. That's one thing we got
to get back now. I think they kind of dragging
(11:48):
him into the I was coming up. Gee, they had
a past if you Yeah, they took care of you.
You were straight, you know what I mean. Now it's
a little different, But it was just a mentality. Man,
we we we that's that small city complex that we
had to prove ourselves everywhere we went.
Speaker 8 (12:05):
And that's what it was. And the shit just got real.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
You know, when he was hooping on the courtse in
the backyard, wherever it was, it was, it was it
was really competitive starting at a young age, elementary, you know,
we had like it was very competitive.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
What cool question about the water?
Speaker 5 (12:18):
Like what why is it so difficult to get The
issue was all bro man, because they don't care.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
That's yeah, that's real.
Speaker 8 (12:26):
Yeah they don't care.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Man.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
It's a lot of inner city people. They're blacks, whites,
you know whatever, that they don't care. That's the problem, man.
So they trying to trying to get it right, but
that whole infrastructure messed up.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
All for people that don't understand. Let me explain this
to you.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Imagine going to somebody house and they have probably forty
five palace of water stacked up in the house, and
you bring walking around giving water and they want that
water that you're giving because they got to take a bath,
they got to cook, they got to do everything with
that water. Because the water that's coming out the boss
is so poisoned that if you put it on your skin,
your shit and start peeling.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
That's how bad it is. So just imagine living like.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Up in the top dogs the powers to be, and
they knew what they was doing. They just didn't care
about the people. So that's that's the sad part. But
Flint resilient, you know what I mean. Everybody stands strong,
like Clarissa came right up out of that thing. She
doing her thing, and all the other athletes. Man, I mean,
if you you look back, I mean Andre Rising. People
forget how great he was. That's ride On Rise and
(13:20):
that's big bro. He was cold blooded. Glenn Rice one
of the best shooters ever played in the league.
Speaker 8 (13:25):
You know, he from Flint. Jeff grere here, oh g
he played.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
You know, so you got Roy Marble he ended up
pass away, but we got tons of pros. Mark Ingram
his daddy was a bad boy, you know what I mean.
He won a championship with the eighty five Giants. Then
little Mark he went to Alabama. But it's just you
got tons of people, man, Draymond, Draymond sagging off. We're
right next to each other. You can say that the
(13:49):
Street j Rich, all them boys in baby Charles Rogers
he died, but them all all right, Lamar Woody, you
can go on and on about them boys too, but
we are. But we were like twenty thirty minutes away
from each other.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Do a sport athlete, quarterback? What was your style like
you would throw a runner. Both, yeah, both, Yeah. I
could throw it.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Yeah, you know, back then we ran a lot of
options too, but I could throw it. You know, it
wasn't a typical just run all the time an athlete.
I can throw it.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It's something about football though, because I played football too,
and yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 8 (14:24):
But to think about when you go through a couple
of times that you go.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
To the stadium, you see eighty five thousand or one
hundred thousand. I mean, I love basketball, glad I chose basketball,
but there's not that I get chills thinking about just
them being in them stadiums and you almost committed to
actually play high major college football.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Yeah, that's my only regretting life that I never got
a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Football one year. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
And I and to be honest, I was gonna My
freshman year was so so it was like ten points
of five, So it was all right. But you know,
coming in as a McDonald's, you know, it's a lot
of hype, but people didn't know I went through the
back issues and all that stuff. So me and Coachizo
met with Nick, he was the football coach at Michigan State.
I was going to play football if I didn't have
(15:05):
a great sophomore season. I was gonna play football that
next year. But what happened was I was a big
team player of the year, I was All American and
it just took off.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
The exact same thing. You see after my sophomore year.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
My sophomore year, I went out there, Bob Toledo caming
down that team. I went out there and did springball,
ran routes for the first time in lest year.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Was dope. And then they started talking.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
All this change of dorms, not captain, won't start on
the basketball. I'm just like, God damn, just because I
want to play a little football. So but that was
one thing too. I mean, to this day, I'm just like,
what if I would have just gave it for a
year and saw what it would have happened, So it
would have been dope. Draymond told is a great story
about being recruited by Izzo. Just a straight shooter. What
(15:48):
was your recruitment process like with Michigan State and who
were some of the other schools you were considering going to?
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Oh Man back then, I was my top schools was
like Syracuse, Cincinnati, you have Huggins, he recruited Dogs you
know what I mean. He went after all the dogs.
Back then, Georgia Tech, they was pumping out point guards.
You know, you look at the history of Georgia Tech
point guards they had. You go back from Mark Price
(16:14):
to uh a A, Travis Best and Steph k and
I would have been like right behind him. Who else
was it? Michigan Uh, Louisville, Florida State was another big one,
and that was mainly football. Yeah, back then they had
a run. Uh they was on national TV every week, Yeah,
(16:35):
every week, and so I was looking at them. But
being recruited by Izzoe what separated him? Man, he was
in front every day.
Speaker 8 (16:42):
When I say every day, Man, he recruited.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Me high because back then they ain't had nothing, you know,
so Draymond recruiting was a little different.
Speaker 8 (16:49):
You know, he could be a straight shooter with him.
With me, he was damn they're big.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
And to be honest, you know, because the people don't realize,
like I took a chance on Michigan State. Michigan State
was is the prominent program that is they It wasn't
They ain't had like no top players there. Michigan had
six or seven McDonald's All American on the roster. Michigan
State didn't like Coachizo didn't make the tournament before I
got there. He was in this second year when I committed,
(17:15):
So Michigan State wasn't what it was.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
And what was it like building that team out though,
with Charlie and Mo And this is back when you
were in college for it, you know, at least three
years sometimes four. Yeah, what was it like kind of
just going along that path because I say all the
time like that was some of the best funniest times
of my life.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Bro, Yeah, no doubt about it. I would never change
it for the world. You know. Antonio Smith, people forget
about him. He was the first one to go Big Tom.
We played together at Michigan State. He went and then
Mopete went. I came in, the Charlie came. And the
reason I loved them my brothers, you know what I'm saying.
And it was special on how we did it because
(17:53):
we got it from the mud, like we wouldn't knowing
that Michigan State wasn't shit, you know what I mean.
And we came in there and grinded coach starting with coaches,
so he was a grinder two. But we just came
in grinded, you know what I mean. That's that's what
it was every day. When I got there, I started
the first thing I said, I got to change the mentality,
you know what I mean. I could just tell people
(18:13):
was used to losing. I wasn't with that, you know
what I mean, Like even like the open gym games,
they're played and you lose, and whatn't No, they didn't
nobody care. So I'm like, let's start keeping tracked. Let's
start keeping tracks of wins and losses, you know what
I mean. So that started making winning important, you know.
And then just to just me saying I beat you
every day. It got real competitive, you know what I mean.
(18:34):
And we started changing it slowly but surely, and and
and then they clicked, you know what I mean, like
we got something special here. And I told coaches, start
going to recruit some dogs, you know what I mean.
And and even when we like and the schedule, like
I had a big part of that. People don't know
that tough schedule they have. Me and coaches talked about
that years. I went to him saying, start lighting them up.
(18:55):
Let's clay, let's scratch. Yeah, let's scratch me. You know,
when you play some of them big schools, some of
the other Cats deer in the headline.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
They're nervous.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So I'm like, go line them up first, get him going,
and now when we play him in the tournament, we're
gonna be ready to roll. Cats ain't in awe Like
when we played Vince Carter my sophomore year. Cats there
they want the actual autograph before the game, you know
what I mean. They wasn't used to none of that.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Yeah, so they was like almost fanboy.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
But after we started lying them, you know, them tough
games up early in the season, that changed everything.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
But so it seemed like you and Isa were kind
of growing on the same traject You were going as
a player and he was kind of growing as a coach.
I want to forget it and put it, you know,
getting this team on the map. What is it about
him that made him different than made y'all clip?
Speaker 8 (19:42):
He a real one, He real like he really rock
with you.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Like a lot of these coaches they use you to
you know, and then they gone to the next one.
Now he really really really rock with you, you know
what I mean, you know to this day and you
know he care about you. You know what I'm saying
that's what separated him from all even being recruited. You know,
I'm like, damn, this dude so like he care, you
know what I mean. And that's how we connected because
he was still growing as a coach. So I'm stuff
(20:07):
he ain't know, but we knew he cared, so we
didn't run through a brickwater.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
I was working on Fox on showing Fox Matt and
during the episode, I can't remember, I can't remember who
it was it was. I think it was Nick Uh,
Nick right, I was on his show and uh, somebody
Chris Carter.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
They're real cool.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
Yeah yeah, And during the episode, he said, I got
a message from you from coach is Me talking about
how much he loved my takes. Uh, he hoped I
can see you to get more work because he liked me,
liked me being a straight shooter. That made me and
I'm like them. I ain't never met coaches all my life,
you know what I'm saying. But I just wanted to
know that that's the type of person he is. I've
(20:48):
never met him in my life, but he's sent a
message through Chris Carter to tell me on National TV
that he loved what I'm doing y'all his.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Guys, yea, yeah, I've seen him at a piece gym,
so you know, I spoke to him for a second.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Dude.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
In nineteen ninety eight. Yeah, y'all lost in North Carolina
bench quartering.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
How was that? Just losing to in the sweet sixteen?
Speaker 5 (21:08):
It was It was a good experience, you know what
I mean. They was out called they I thought they
was going the pros they had on that team. Man,
you had when your mom was a pro. Yeah, jumping
people don't know this rock when of the best.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Jamison once again belongs in the Hall of Fame twenty twenty,
twenty thousand points to twenty thousand rebounds.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I think, so he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
It was the big they.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Had, the big African uh and John Yeah mc targe
was it mc tar Yeah, he was at Michigan then
transferred there. Yeah, career to not be getting Yeah, Coda Winley.
It was called that's ninety six.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
He looked that. Tell you our class is ridiculous though.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
But not these.
Speaker 8 (22:06):
But that was a hell of experience, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
Get there and see it, and I remember we lost,
and I was like kind of frustrated and uh, coaches,
I'll never forget this. You came in the locker room like.
Speaker 8 (22:16):
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 5 (22:16):
I'm like, man, you know, we ain't sure we should
have played better, blah blah blah.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
And he was like, you, how can.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
You get mad at some of them players when you
walk by their door room the whole summer before that
working on your game and take nobody with you. We
had that conversation one time. It was older than that.
It was up after that. It was a nine catch
in the gym and not just me. Now I'm grabbing
everybody calling everybody beat me at the gym. So that
we learned a lot from that, because see, sometime you
(22:44):
think you you superman, but when you go up against
a team like that, they was double on me, tripple
with me, taking the ball out of my hand, and
so that made me grow so much. It's like, oh, no,
you can't be no real teams by yourself. Get somebody
else you come to the table, you know. And that
so we we grew from.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
That little buck kicking yeah ninety nine, losing the Duke
Brand Trading Langdon.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Team I thought was gonna win it all. I thought
the Duke was the best team made back to the
final FLI though they was Yeah, so so yeah, we
grew from that, got to the final four that following year.
That's something I pride myself. Yeah, my team's got better.
That's a big adjustment. Yeah, big adjustment.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
Better every year adjustment myself on that.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
But we playing they were so man, It's like you
scouting was like damn. They were so good. William Aby
Lottery pretty much, Corey mcghetty, Shane Battier, Eldon Brand like
Trading Langey. They had a squad. I don't know how
(23:49):
they didn't win it. I know, Ripping them got down
on them that next game.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Ripping them had some pros too, they did.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And some dog and some dog yeah yeah, yeah, that
boy was on there was on he was on there gang.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
He had a gang and and and a wet curl.
Did you make rookie game?
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Ye played? The rookie game?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Was I remember?
Speaker 5 (24:16):
How was it?
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Steve francecon Baron Dave was.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
Doing like that, yeah, both, you know, throwing it around him.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Yeah, but it was a bad game for him because
he had because Steve Frants.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Came out, Baron Davis came in like it was a
bad game. That was tough, but he was it was
specifically bad for him bringing that game. That ship was funny, man,
because I think back I there, that was still buzz
from the night before, you know what I mean. We
went crazy. We had the whole floor, We talked.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
About the story, the open door party, the open door floor.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
We was doing it. And then we had money money.
Speaker 8 (24:59):
That was about twenty thousand. Yeah, we was acting up
nose right across the street.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
I couldn't walk.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Across the street. We learned no ship, no ship.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
I ain't gonna lie go in there and wash my
face a half time, like to try to come back.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Like we graduated high school same yeah, Niga end up
in the rookie Game same year.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
That was fastic. That was that was I'll never forget it.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
Man, didn't blessed for Yeah, for sure, two thousand, y'all
beat Mike Miller and Donna's am.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
I mean they was they was on one that floor.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I think they went back to back after that, right yeah,
after that, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (25:45):
It was a couple of years, was it for them?
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Came Mike Miller got one for sure though, Yeah, mc
miller got him one. Yeah, So y'all, I'm talking to
you right. It was Horford and uh yes he did Miller.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Win a championship.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
No, was in the same draft, but Mike, he was dog.
That was hard for your Kams and Brewer and Brewer.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Yeah, yeah, that start the team was went went crazy.
They were nice. Used to make that that was called.
It was like they had.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
I was just they just had they had Mike Miller.
You Dona's has Matt Bonner was on that team. Donee hard?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
You did want a collage championship. You didn't win a
college championship, Bro.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
He didn't know you di didn't. He always put me
in the head like every time I see he had twenty
eight on us though he was killing us.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Harvey was a fucking animal dog he was.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
He was a first niggayah rebounding energy.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
Today, first rolls, Joe Willis type.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
He was first Joe type.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Yeah. So they had a squadty too.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
But we what that feel like, though, I mean, this
is you finally got it. Like you said, every year
y'all got better and you reached the pinnacle your last year.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Ah. Man, I'll take you right before the game, man,
I was tripping like it's on it's own and your
senior year, my senior year, yup.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
And the toughest thing about that National Championship game is.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
It's so late. So you waiting around like, yeah, you
want to play, like and you the game.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
At like nine o'clock and you're like, damn, I just
want to.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
Get out here. But like playing in that game, Florida
was good, but they was They was younger.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
You know.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
We had we just battle test and we had been there.
We were so locked in. We wasn't losing. We was
not losing to them, you know, we were so dial
Then the game plan was right, everything was was on point.
Tom Cream was our assistant, so he always had us
on point where everybody Scott was unreal. So we was
always prepared, but were so locked in. And then at
(27:49):
that point, I mean, at that point it was like shit,
let's get it, you know what I mean. It's it's
it's time to hoop, you know what I mean? That
lay it all on the line, and we knew they
was talented, but like I said, we looked at them.
People didn't think we could run with them, and that's
how we wanted to play. People ain't knowing the Big ten.
They just slowed us down. They were sending two three
people back. You know, they wasn't sending nobody to the boards.
So they were trying to keep us in the half court.
(28:10):
And they were saying, well, Florida's gonna press and ship
as a point guard. You take that personal, you know
what I mean, press press, I got that, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 8 (28:19):
I ain't worried about that. So playing them, that was
our style.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
We wanted to get up and down and with more
Pete you know, Charlie Bell, the athletes we had, We
had Mike Chappelle that transferred though from.
Speaker 8 (28:29):
Duke Ja Rich was a baby.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
That's my baby. That's a little bro. We had them
guns on them wings. And for me, I was just picked,
you know what I mean. That was easy money for me.
But but that was the hell of a feeling.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Man.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
I never forget watching that that tying roll off that clock,
and it's like, damn, you know I did it, you know,
because I grew up watching the Final Fours every year,
watching you know, one shining moment and you dream about
that moment, man, and that I was tripping on.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
Kind of like the football shit because in the play
in front of eighty five.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, yeah, different triple rays.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
You at the don't yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Watching everybody's watching flor even when you're watching it on TV.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
You hit the rims. Yeah, they got the mics up
on the rim.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
That that ship changed my life even to this day. Man,
there's people that can't tell you what NBA team I
play for. And I'm okay with that, you know what
I mean. I ain't got the problem with that. That
that changed my life that I'm still going out. Man,
I'm that's it'll be our twenty fifth year reunion coming
up this year, and I'm still out. People like Michigan State,
you know what I mean, They just that that changed
(29:38):
my life and the way we I forgot. You know,
I had the injury in it, so that helped to
you know, coming back injury, coming back from that. But
you know, at that point, I wasn't tripping about that ship.
We got to win, you know, let's lock in, let's
get to it. So that that changed my life. That
was a magical moment. That's something I wish everybody just
playing in the Final four or winning, and I wish everybody.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
That, right, I know, I know you and and let
me get this.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
I know you and I know Magic, and you know
people can put their own interpretations on stuff. Explain this
picture to me, though, Spring the picture to me, it
looks crazy, looks crazy, It looks crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
It looks crazy, it looks crazy.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
You want to tell you, I'm saying it looks crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
I know.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
That's why. That's why I live with I know you
and I know magic.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
My boy, this looks crazy.
Speaker 8 (30:31):
You know what that.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Was crazy? It looks crazy, but I know I know
what it is. We know about ship right there. Man, Yeah,
that's that's that guy. That's that dude.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
That's that dude telling me you him, I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Yeah, yes, sir, you did sir, dude.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Ain't nobody did this as I done it?
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Yeah, sir, yes, yeah, he can't. Nobody else make him
feel better in that moment. But yeah, that's it. And
he told me in that picture, you don't even realize
what you just did. He said you, he said it's
gonna get better the older you get.
Speaker 8 (31:12):
It's gonna get better every year. And that was and
he ain't lying.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Every time I watch it Definal Fours or I still
get chill ups because they come back to me.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
But he was telling me like, yeah, I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
You know what I mean. And you you will see
every year as you get older, you're gonna appreciate this
more and more.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Did you win state championships?
Speaker 8 (31:31):
Oh yeah, Jack town winner.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Yeah that's what I do. Yeah, football, but basketball would
won the state championship.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
I was almost with Sacramento.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Get there, go get okay.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Yeah, I pride myself on winning.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Yes, sir, got that right.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
What was your introduction to the NBA, like in the
two thousands, have to buy the Pistons ended up with
the Kings. Yeah, controversial loss in the West Coast. To
talk about all that controversial when you cheated.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Yeah, I want to know what it's like to get
I'm just I want to know what it's like to
get drafted.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
That's pretty much your hometown team.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Yeah, it's not that was that was that was cool? Yeah,
to get drafted by the Pistons. You know, I'm a
bad boy thing. Grew up and Myron you know, Isaiah
Thomas and the bad Boys and all them. I was
lucky to grew up where I grew up at to
watch the Fab five, you know, see them, and to
see Isaiah Thomas, and I just thought like, damn, that's
(32:36):
just how you play basket.
Speaker 8 (32:37):
Yeah, that is how you do it. So I was blessed.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
And then to get drafted by the Pistons was it
was crazy, you know what I mean, that's a that's
a dream come true to get drafted in the league regardless,
but Pistons my hometown team. That was That was that
was that was crazy. I don't even got the words
to explain on what that was.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Draft party was like, it was crazy, you know, I
know Mo mo p had a draft party together.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, the round favorite.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Yeah yeah, let's as being won our.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
Favorite human beings. That's my baby. Yeah yeah, yeah, we
had a draft party together. And see mo p P
had a lot of girls too, so we brought him.
Yeah did you know he was but no, we had it.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
We had it.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
We had a good time. Flint showed up, man, Flint,
Flint rock with us, you know what I mean. We
kept a one hundred you know what I mean. We
we Flint to the course. So they always showed up
and supported us. So that was that was that was
big time. Yeah, that was something special. And and and
getting there and playing my rookie year. That was That
was That was cool too.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Who was on the team at that time.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Stack Stacked to the raft, Stacked to the rag, bad boy.
Stack led the league and scoring that year. Yeah, U G.
Hill had just up.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
I tell him all the time, I G.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
Hill, you stay, I'm I'm in the league for a
long time. I got stack House right here here once. Yeah,
I'm in the league. I'm topped in the citison of
the league. If I'm you know the way I played,
you know what I mean, my style I was. But
he had just left, and Stack was the man we had.
Mike Curry was O O G. Yeah, O G. Mike Curry.
Speaker 8 (34:22):
Yeah, Chucky Atkins, that's my dog.
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Yeah yeah, Jerome Williams was on that team.
Speaker 8 (34:30):
But yeah, Dana Burrows old school, yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
We didn't have a good year at all. But like
you said, I think earlier. You know, I got to
end up getting traded that summer, and that was eye
opening because I learned it's a business real quick. Yeah,
and Joe Dumars I thought, was my man, you know
what I mean, But it's business, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
You think when it's all the way to Sacramento too.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Oh man, that.
Speaker 5 (34:55):
Was and it ain't really fit my style, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 8 (34:59):
I'm like, damn man, you send me to sack. That
ain't my style.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
They already had just traded for Mike and Bobby Jackson,
so they had the pgs on point to beyond.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
They was already locked in the bigs with the playmakers
on that team.
Speaker 5 (35:13):
Yeah, for sure. And one thing I do respect about Sacramento.
I always remember their front office was they was honest.
You know, they was like, hey, we got Mike Bibby,
we got Bobby. We love the way they play. They
fits our style better. Uh, We're gonna go with them.
You know, you come in compete every day and we'll
see what happens. But they was real, so at least
I knew my role. So what I did was my
(35:34):
whole folkus. Okay, well, how do I impact this team?
How do I ain't gonna come in here and just
do nothing. I gotta have impact and beyondest asks, Web asked,
Mike asked him. I was one of the leaders on
the team. And that's odd because I didn't even really
play that much, you know what I mean? But yeah,
I just personality yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. Like
Matt Barnes, like and Jackson. You can have like your
(35:56):
home players.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
But because you leave by example, you just play hard. Yeah,
it was real.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
We competed the.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Second team used to get that ass though.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Yeah, I wanted to because we wanted to play.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
So when was that? So that was that young Paysia
young Hto.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
Was starting.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Will Yeah, Bobby yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:21):
Second, we used to be a Scott Pollard yeah, Scotty p. Yeah,
we used to be added.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
So that Laker team.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Uh So I don't mean to make it about me,
but I'm a UC at the time, so I'm fighting
for I'm obviously he grew up a huge Laker fan,
but obviously be in a sack. I grew on that team,
and I used to play with y'all in the summertime
with Webb and all them dudes and workout. So I'm
over here battling Laker fans and wanting the Kings to win.
But and then we got a member of the Lakers,
one of the Lakers, he was on the team at
that time.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Someone to hold the computer back there? What was that?
Speaker 3 (36:50):
What was that playoff series in particularly that battle with them?
Like from Kobe getting sick, to the referees, to a
lot of shit going on, and and the Kings all
bullshit disciples. Probably the best team in the league that year,
with all due respect, and he back that time, my man,
let it go.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
But you know who was referee in game six, Scot
the famous Yeah he was Donah wow, he was refe
game six.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
That's what I was talking about.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
The series was when they started really investigating him.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
What would it look like for a Sacramento Kings team
or the Lakers to win the championship? Yeah, it's always
it's always the business.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
It's always a business market.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
But let's talk about that was what was that? What
was that series? Like?
Speaker 5 (37:37):
Man, it was that was the whole season was crazy
because it was if you remember, that's when Doug Christy
and Rick five got into a fight in the preseason, preseason.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, that's why I was in pres a real game.
Speaker 5 (37:49):
Yeah, that was a preseason.
Speaker 6 (37:54):
Guy, the s Yeah, yeah, that had to in some
beef before the game though.
Speaker 5 (38:01):
It was before it was just the years of playing
each other. Yeah, yeah, light skin ship, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Douglas with the ship was with it.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
But the cool ass dudes though I.
Speaker 5 (38:15):
Don't like super good, super good dude. But yeah, they
were they it got real. So it started I think
even the year before that. But man, it was it
was on site. Whenever we seen them. It was I
remember Mike uh Bibby Hell one time we was going
to the to the bus and he was kind of
hanging out in the arena before he went to the bus.
Speaker 8 (38:33):
He was like, they out there like oh, because you know,
I was with it, you know what I mean, I was,
I was.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
They dont get down.
Speaker 8 (38:42):
So Mike like they out there, I'm like, it's like
shack boys.
Speaker 5 (38:45):
They waved by the bus. That's wrong, you know what
I mean, Like whatever, go down, go down with you
shouldn't get on this bus. So but it was like that,
you know, it was major. You know, they was calling
us the queens. They had little ship, but they were
scared of us. I don't care what they said. They
know because the way we played it was, I mean,
(39:05):
you got to go to state now. We was kind
of like that back, you know, our style of playing ball.
Bigger t Well was so good. He made everybody around.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Talk about how good because I mean, obviously the homie
friend of the program. We're doing some work with him,
but I don't think he gets the love.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Before Webb's knee injury.
Speaker 5 (39:26):
Cold Well was so good. He made everybody around him better.
I'm talking about passing and he posted hit, make plays
off the bounce. Well was so good, you know what
I mean? Yeah, yeah, all day.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
He definitely one of the best passing big man easy easy.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
He made us out of all them great players on
that team, Man Web made everybody better.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
He did.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
He was the dude. And that's why our team was
so close because Well was. He was the man. He's
so cool. He took care of everybody, made sure everybody
was was in you know. But Well was so good.
And then you have Lottie Body, O G. Doug Christy,
Bobby Mike, everybody on that team.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
Dog was so.
Speaker 5 (40:08):
Good and really good at what they did. But playing
the Lakers, you're talking about dog fights, you know what
I mean. Every possession counted, every possession we had them, Man,
we had them. I ain't want them just trying to
blame the rest. But we we got screwed. We did, man,
we we we got screwed.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Number eight wasn't taken off on y'all.
Speaker 8 (40:30):
He was he.
Speaker 5 (40:32):
Was Yeah, him and and to see and Doug Christy
had d yeah, yeah, defense, But.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
Kobe was different and Doug made earned everything he.
Speaker 9 (40:45):
Got defense because he had the security. Bro, he was
up there studying. Yeahs, Like, bro, what's wrong with you?
Speaker 4 (40:58):
Because you know, because you know if Doug's one of
the guys he closed.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Up here when he coming here.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
Yeah, he was one of the first dues. Was showing
me how he timed dribbles, you know what I mean,
because I'm like, damn, man, he's taking the ball from
these cats that that could play. Like, man, how is
you taking the ball from these dudes who really can play?
Speaker 2 (41:17):
You know?
Speaker 5 (41:18):
And uh, he was timing they dribbles. But like them
battles was crazy. But our team, I'm stand on that
we was the best team.
Speaker 9 (41:24):
Man.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah we got ribbed.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
I'm a stand on that people can have their opinion
whatever that I feel like we got robbed. He was
the best team. Man.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
What are your memories from Lebron's rookie year?
Speaker 5 (41:37):
Different? Like I gave a nickname Heaven Sent, Like God said,
you you know what I mean?
Speaker 8 (41:45):
You don't get that good?
Speaker 5 (41:47):
Yeah? Early right out the gate a team coming out
of high school. I ain't nobody thinking. I was like, nah, man,
he can't be that good. He's gonna be good in
the league. But I ship, man, I'm in practice this boy.
I'm like, whoa. He was the real deal and I'm
talking as a baby. He was.
Speaker 8 (42:04):
He knew it, he knew he had a great feel
for it.
Speaker 5 (42:07):
Athletic get where he wanted to get, you know what
I mean. He he was different. That's why I used
to call it heaven sent. Like God just said, you
though the deal.
Speaker 9 (42:16):
Athletically sixty and changed. Yeah, the first time I ever
got come. Yeah, I was behind.
Speaker 5 (42:23):
Yeah he was.
Speaker 9 (42:24):
I was like, he's a kid to sixty the whole ship.
That's gonna be a problem.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Like running like a deer too.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
It's like it's like you this is a king thing.
Now I wash it too, Like he's gonna be good. Yeah.
When I started, the pressure.
Speaker 10 (42:39):
Was like yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
I say it's heaven sent, like said, man, he got
to still he was playing. I think it's Dallas. Michael
Finley tried to chase him down, like he looked back
and like he was at like the topic. He just
one step took off boom. I was like, he just
(43:03):
run the other way like he was having said. Except
that's what it is right there, God said you you can't.
You can't practice and get that good.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
Yeah you got to that.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Yeah, yeah you can't. You can't do it, Lebron. Yeah,
I'm blessed, you know, to be able to say I
played with him. You know, that's when when I'm speaking
to people and doing nothing, I know, I throw that name.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Out, play with Yeah, post basketball business.
Speaker 5 (43:31):
If you're trying to win, you're trying to win. Tell
the motherfuckers.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
Yes, sir, so you do some work with Matt and
his group, But what what is what is business of
basketball mean to you now that you're done? And what
if you don't mind sharing doing some of the stuff
you're doing?
Speaker 5 (43:47):
Man, you know what, I'm blessed. I'm blessed. Man. You
know I've been able to do broadcasts and got the
music a little bit. I did some things there. But man,
my real blessing is now, like man, this he's a
real one. He is a real one. Like if you
a player in the NBA, you want to get to
the Phoenix Sun the time. Yes, that's my little brother. Yeah, man,
(44:07):
he was in our championship team. That's my little brother man,
and he had always been talking to me about getting
in the mortgage industry and doing stuff. And I'm like, Morgans,
you know, I don't even seem fun. But he so,
he's such a visionary man. He had the vision and
he taught me. What he started was a leadership development
team at his company u WL. We didn' number one
(44:28):
overall it in America, so we win it, winning again.
But his vision was like, I want you to come
to my company and help lead my leaders. I want
you to show our leaders how to get the best
out of other people. So that's what I do, you know,
in the mortgage industry. But he's a visionary man. He's
such a real one. He came and got me, man,
(44:48):
when a lot of people you know, scattered, and he
he came like, let's roll. I got a good thing going.
I want you a part of it. Let's go win
another championship.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
You know.
Speaker 5 (44:58):
So here, yeah, a real one. So I'm working in
the mortgage entustry now and we're killing it. We're killing
the game.
Speaker 6 (45:05):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:05):
We got a good thing going. I'm talking about from
Matt to all of our senior executives, to all of
our team members.
Speaker 8 (45:13):
It's like we got over eight thousand people at.
Speaker 5 (45:15):
Our company and we family. It's like everybody like we
we do it like the hoop. You know what I'm saying,
Like this your brother, this is your sister, Like we
because of you. Yeah, that's how we're doing it. Yeah,
that's the culture that we got there.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
But to think about that, I mean, obviously to be
a great college athlete, win a championship, to make the NBA,
and then post career to pay to be you, like
I want you to rub off on my multi possibly
billion dollar company.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
Like what does that feel like?
Speaker 5 (45:41):
Man? It's a great feeling, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
And it's it's you know, how to win that life?
Speaker 5 (45:45):
Yeah, you want to win that you're trying to win,
but your mind right, keep your grind time, you know,
that's how we get into it. I'm blessed to be
able to do the same thing I I'm just doing
leader up of America now, being the leader. That's what
he brought me in and it's all It start with
(46:05):
him though, because he's so humble. He set the stage
because he's such a humble dude and a hard working guy,
you know what I mean. And everybody else in our
company that we all follow that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 8 (46:16):
He's such a he's such.
Speaker 5 (46:17):
A real one man, and everybody loved him like we
all run through a brick wallfort like I said, with
the coaches or effect, like you know, he cared about you.
Speaker 8 (46:23):
That's how all eight thousand our employees feel like.
Speaker 5 (46:27):
There he there in the building, sitting at lunch with
people know every day and the everybody name in the building.
Speaker 8 (46:32):
He's like that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (46:34):
So he that that environment that we got there is
something that we took from sports, you know what I
mean in Michigan State, and now we got to building
over eight thousand people and everybody, everybody rock with you.
I always tell people, you know what I mean. At
Michigan State, he I mean it was pros. You had myself,
(46:54):
Charlie Bell, mo p J. Rich, you know what I mean.
So Matt was undersized. He could at a mid major,
he would have been he would have played. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
he just a little undersized. But mac got gain.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (47:08):
Owners can't no owner, No, they ain't even coastal.
Speaker 8 (47:11):
Yeah, none of them.
Speaker 5 (47:16):
But Matt, Yeah, no man can play.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
He got gag.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Listen man, we appreciate your time. Moving on to quick hitters.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
The first thing to come to mind, let us know
that fill in the blank, Mateen Cleves wouldn't be here without.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
Great parents. I say, great man, Yeah, they my mother
and daddy instilled the self confidence in me a dog. Yeah,
I say, yeah, my parents.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
Man. Shut One thing you wish you were better at?
Speaker 5 (47:43):
Hm hmm. One thing I wish I was better at. Damn.
That's what you know, your little arrogant you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (47:59):
Yeah, let me think, let me think I've done that, done, this,
was great at this.
Speaker 7 (48:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (48:06):
And I'm joking when I say that one thing I
wish I was better at? Uh, yeah I would. I
would say, yeah, mortgage. Learning more than mortgage. I'm learning
now getting better out of Yeah. That that that's on
the way. Childhood crush. Oh dang, my wife's gonna see
(48:29):
this too, So I got to be careful. Childhood, child childhood,
childhood man, you know, man, Janet Jackson, Janet, I'm.
Speaker 3 (48:42):
Gonna just said, Janey not too long ago. One album
you listened to with no skips?
Speaker 5 (48:52):
Oh man, you gotta go pop the world pop?
Speaker 4 (49:03):
Yeah, Yes, what's your guilty pleasure?
Speaker 8 (49:11):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 5 (49:13):
Guilty pleasure that you could share.
Speaker 11 (49:17):
Right, they can't get it pleasure.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Dang man, make you think I would probably man, just
keep it like I mean ships, sweets man eating Yeah,
I love.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
Sweets mane hear you. I'm on to get better.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
It sucks if you can have if you can see
one guest on our show, who would it be?
Speaker 2 (49:52):
But you have to help us get your answer on
the show Man.
Speaker 5 (49:56):
One guess ship. Trying to have everybody y'all here, man,
there's been a lot.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Of people we said, some names that we haven't him.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
Yeah, Man, Jordan gotta come on this show man.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
You can call them and tell Michael Jordan. It's gotta
be something.
Speaker 5 (50:12):
You know that somebody I know that you already have
magic see weeby'll.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
Have well rich Man, yeahs in your circle.
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Yeah you can make it so happen.
Speaker 5 (50:26):
Oh for sure. Yeah, y'all got to get Matt coaches.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
Yeah. Oh yeah, Matt for sure. We love as well.
Speaker 5 (50:35):
Yeah, y'all got to get both of them.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Appreciate you, yeah, man, love.
Speaker 2 (50:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
You're getting to it, Yes, sir man, that's a wrap.
My team cleaves Man one of just the good dudes
in the game.
Speaker 4 (50:48):
My brother tell them one time. They they what if
you're trying to win? Tap in right there.
Speaker 3 (50:53):
That's a wrap just on all the smoke productions in
the DraftKings Network.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
Man, we'll see y'all next week.
M mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Mm hmm. All the smoke.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Day two man Pump gall of twenty twenty four. Jack
yesterday was dope. Yeah, he was able to sit down
with Tim Hardaway, the big old Dominique Wilkins. Then we
got a chance to go to the to the what
was shit called the reception where we got the fellowship
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Yeah, we did out there, shine, Yeah, food, grab some
dinner after the fan heads whatever they call him ships
some ship was dope.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
I ain't never had one of them shits in there either.
He got more chickens than I did last night.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
They had. I got like four pictures and people taking
pictures thinking their tongue got him, like.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
The real one over here.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Now they off him, they off him. We buy them.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
But man, today we get to start day two off
on the right foot.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I saw I saw broke downstairs in the lobby when
I went to go get somebody, so I ain't seen
him in a minute. We chopped it up a little
bit and I was like, bro, He's like, yeah, man,
whatever you need. So one of my really it was
a surprise for you.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, that was a great surprise. Prise. But I really
love Man, that's my real brother. And to Douce who
we got today.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Man, Man, my class made somebody that a lot of
people don't know. He was one of those guys that
you know, they always talk about all these basketball players
that could have went professional two sports where he was
ahead of the head of this time. He was a
du All American quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks in
our class. And I also won the best basketball players
punk guards in our class, you know, along with Kobe
(01:41):
Bryan and Mike Bibban, all of us. So uh, he
was somebody that I grew up with in summertime planning
the camps with like we made. We basically made a
name for ourselves together and those camps coming up because
we neither one of us was really known coming from
small cities Flint fifteen sixteen, coming from Flint and coming
from put Out, the Texas, the small cities, so we
came ain't brothers, and though we're still doing our thing
(02:02):
right now. So it's blessing to have them on the
show today, my brother and my team clease.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Man, welcome.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
That's one of the best I've ever did too, so
you know, it was genuine.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Now I want to get to it. Before we get
to the class of ninety six.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Before you start, let me say that ship I made it,
you know what I mean, this ship be on this ship,
I feel like.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I've made he said.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
The smoke, you know, like you never left? What were
them AU days?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Like, I mean obviously raised in here, me and Raven
rocking together since we were fourteen on the AU Circle. That's
some of the finest memories of my life. I mean,
A you kind of set the foundation for everything. So
what was A you like to me about the first
time I met And how did y'all start kicking it?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Man?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You know? For me?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Hey, you I love AU from the standpoint You've seen
other cats that really could hoop, you know, like even
more Internet. Yeah, seem like because you think of you,
Michael Jordan, you know what I mean, in your neighborhood.
So for me to be able to go and see
other cats like damn, you know what I mean, you
see cats doing some shit, You're like, whoa, you know
(03:21):
what I mean?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
This cat's all around that could play, you.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Know for me.
Speaker 8 (03:25):
So that's that's what AA you really did for me.
Speaker 5 (03:27):
I didn't.
Speaker 8 (03:28):
I wasn't on a scene like that, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
I just was in Flint, you know, I was at
the parks, you know what I mean, the open runs,
somebody backyard. That's just how we was getting down in Flint.
So I wasn't really on the national scene far as AAU,
but I played little local tournaments. But main mainly shit
I was in Flint. We was in Flint getting getting
after Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
What do you remember about him when you first met
him the Nike camps?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Coming to the Nike camps, you know, you got guys
with all the big names, you know what I'm saying,
And we knew with tem Clees, but they weren't talking
about it like that. And at the end of the camp,
all they talking about is the team Clees and Baron Davis,
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
And Uh, that's that's the respect we had. You know.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
In my own position, I made a name for myself
the same time he was making a name for himself,
you know what I'm saying. So that that that's what
made that's what makes the memories more memorable because it
was the same time.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
We both were doing it at the same time. And
think about this, you had to get it from the
mud had to you know. It wasn't all the highlight
films and putting all that stuff out. Man, you had
to go get it.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You see that, you had to get it.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Y'all had to go get to it. And they was
matching us up, They was making us play each other.
It was that way you had to You wasn't dunking nobody,
So you had to go see people, you know, So
that that was the thing that I loved about it
back in the day.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, class of ninety six arguably one of the greatest
classes of all time.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
We talked at length.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I mean, were good argument rest in Peace, co argument Bibby.
Who else was in that class? We talked to j
oh Thomas, Tim Thomas. Yeah, we've got a list of
ninety six, probably more we're forgetting.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
But what does it mean being in that class?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And like you said, as you're going on the senior
kind of seeing all these dudes and the McDonald's back
in that time was the top of the mountain. So
what was that McDonald's experience like for you?
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Oh man, it was it was unreal, Like I said,
because I went to Nike, That's how I made my name.
Speaker 8 (05:21):
But getting that I remember getting a letter in school,
you know.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
They come to you, they come to school, they give
you a letter and to let you know you made
the team, you were selected, you know. I remember getting
that and then just with all the great players that
was on that list, man, it was it was that
shit was crazy, you know what I mean. It was
one of the moments man that I just I'll never forget.
But going to the you know, the the real ship,
(05:46):
really the real Hoopers that that week practice, you know
what I mean. And I couldn't like I was a
shell of myself, to be honest. My back was off,
fucked up. I wasn't eve supposed to play in that game.
But back then a car accident, yeah, and visit at Michigan,
Oh yeah, nobody heard about I didn't know about that
(06:09):
class playing in the game.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And we didn't hear nothing about it. We didn't know
nothing about it.
Speaker 5 (06:12):
Yeah, on my recruiting visit at Michigan. We got in
the car. Actually that Maurice Taylor, Uh yeah, he was driving.
He had the old Ford Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, you
know back then, and uh, it was me and him
tractor trailer. Lewis Bullock. Yeah, rest please Maude Louis Bullock. Yeah, yeah,
(06:35):
we all was in the in the car and coming
back from hanging out on the recruiting visit. Yeah, in
the car and then rolled over on the highway. Yeah,
I was remember that was like that was a big deal. Yeah,
the whole everything was in that car. That started. That
started a lot of like the investigations against Michigan because
(06:57):
the thing was back then Maurice Taylor called police from
a cell phone, and back then you ain't have a
cell phone. He's from the city of Detroit. Then he
had the Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, you know what I mean.
So that that was the thing. You know that the
n C double a start well digging into it. Then
how you got a phone? That cell phone and Eddie Bauer.
(07:17):
So that's how a lot of that stuff started coming.
I was the recruit and the visit on the in
the car.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, So fast forward.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You end up really hurting yourself but not really knowing it.
So you try to push through for the McDonald's game.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
Yep, yep, Yeah, playing the McDonald's game, and god bless
went for Warden Man Detroit, that's my dog.
Speaker 8 (07:35):
And he was he was like, let's listen, you know,
and practice like let's get it.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
And I'm like, dog, I can't, you know what I mean.
I'm like I can't. I'm like, yep. It was my
back and I was getting Yeah, I was getting paid
through the front of my legs. So I thought it
was like a growing pull or something like that. But
the problem was by nerves. That's why I was feeling
in the front. But yeah, I couldn't do nothing. But
my whole dang was I got to get the Saturday.
(08:00):
I just want to be on TV, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 8 (08:02):
Back then there was CBS Saturday Morning.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
I'm like, I just want to be on TV. That's it.
I scored. I ain't even scoring that game, but I
just ran up. And if you if you go back
and look at the ship, I couldn't move.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I was, but I just.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Wanted to be on TV. Yeah, I wasn't missing that moment.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
What do you remember about Code?
Speaker 5 (08:22):
Different? Different? Like I seen the first hand, Like I'll
be seeing a lot of these interviews stuff. I got
a chance to see a first hand. And you gotta
think we was all Americans, so we were some bad boys.
He was, Yeah, he was different, and how he approached.
It was different, was totally he was a pro back then.
(08:42):
He was locked in like we was. We was hooping
and we had fun and all that. But you know
we a venture off and getting ship sometimes too. Yeah,
not him. It was all hoop and he was he
he was so locked in that dude was different.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, teenager man, cold blooded.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
And he's talking about you know, he talking about well,
Winple was talking about, you know, let's let's practice hard,
like we had that same situation. We're supposed to be
just walking through and Kobe caught the bomb ripping.
Speaker 9 (09:13):
Swung his middle hard boom like, no, let's pregnice, let's
practice it supposed to be a walk through.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
He didn't give an he didn't give a goddamn Nigga's time.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
To go.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Flint, Michigan. A lot of y'all came out of there.
What's that scene like?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Now? Man?
Speaker 5 (09:33):
It's uh. If you remember a few years ago we
had the water incident, you know what I mean, and
people acting like the water good, it still ain't good.
They still trying to figure it out and get it together.
But sh Flint is flint, Flint what it is, man,
it's it's it's grinding, you know what I mean. You
get up out of there, you're good.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
But let the crazy part too, because I've been down
there that don't give back water a couple of times.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah, you appreciate that too.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
That soon as you get in Flint, the first thing
you say is a big water a big water tower.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
That's the first thing you see.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
When you get to that. That where Jackie Moon had
his team out.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah Flint.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (10:15):
Man, it's the same old ship.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
It's grindy.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
What is it about that that turns out so many
professional athletes?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Though?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
It's grimy, but it's I mean, it produces greatness.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
I think it's like Clarissa Shills from Flint, that's my.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I just reconnected with her the other day on the show.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Corissa grew up like boys. Yeah that way yeah around
your age, younger than me.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Super cool.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Yeah, she's real. We used to hoop at Bursting. She
used to box. They had a ring downstairs and box.
She used to box down there. But she we used
to Man, she's a boxer, fight dudes, you know. Growing up.
But Flint, it's just that's a that's the mentality, you
know what I mean. If you think a lot of
us was born off our parents worked at general mode,
(11:01):
all right.
Speaker 8 (11:02):
A real one, A real one, yeah because yeah yeah.
Speaker 10 (11:13):
Yeah yeah, top authority, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
all that.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
But it's like it's a mentality, like it's just how
you cut, you know what I mean, It's like every
other hood. But we just we we wired that we're
so driven, you know, you're so driven to get up
out of there. And back when I was coming up,
you know, they they took care of the athletes, you
know what I mean, the cast that was in the streets,
you know what I mean, they kind of tried to
steer you away from that. That's one thing we got
to get back now. I think they kind of dragging
(11:48):
him into the I was coming up. Gee, they had
a past if you Yeah, they took care of you.
You were straight, you know what I mean. Now it's
a little different, But it was just a mentality. Man,
we we we that's that small city complex that we
had to prove ourselves everywhere we went.
Speaker 8 (12:05):
And that's what it was. And the shit just got real.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
You know, when he was hooping on the courtse in
the backyard, wherever it was, it was, it was it
was really competitive starting at a young age, elementary, you know,
we had like it was very competitive.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
What cool question about the water?
Speaker 5 (12:18):
Like what why is it so difficult to get The
issue was all bro man, because they don't care.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
That's yeah, that's real.
Speaker 8 (12:26):
Yeah they don't care.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Man.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
It's a lot of inner city people. They're blacks, whites,
you know whatever, that they don't care. That's the problem, man.
So they trying to trying to get it right, but
that whole infrastructure messed up.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
All for people that don't understand. Let me explain this
to you.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Imagine going to somebody house and they have probably forty
five palace of water stacked up in the house, and
you bring walking around giving water and they want that
water that you're giving because they got to take a bath,
they got to cook, they got to do everything with
that water. Because the water that's coming out the boss
is so poisoned that if you put it on your skin,
your shit and start peeling.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
That's how bad it is. So just imagine living like.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Up in the top dogs the powers to be, and
they knew what they was doing. They just didn't care
about the people. So that's that's the sad part. But
Flint resilient, you know what I mean. Everybody stands strong,
like Clarissa came right up out of that thing. She
doing her thing, and all the other athletes. Man, I mean,
if you you look back, I mean Andre Rising. People
forget how great he was. That's ride On Rise and
(13:20):
that's big bro. He was cold blooded. Glenn Rice one
of the best shooters ever played in the league.
Speaker 8 (13:25):
You know, he from Flint. Jeff grere here, oh g
he played.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
You know, so you got Roy Marble he ended up
pass away, but we got tons of pros. Mark Ingram
his daddy was a bad boy, you know what I mean.
He won a championship with the eighty five Giants. Then
little Mark he went to Alabama. But it's just you
got tons of people, man, Draymond, Draymond sagging off. We're
right next to each other. You can say that the
(13:49):
Street j Rich, all them boys in baby Charles Rogers
he died, but them all all right, Lamar Woody, you
can go on and on about them boys too, but
we are. But we were like twenty thirty minutes away
from each other.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Do a sport athlete, quarterback? What was your style like
you would throw a runner. Both, yeah, both, Yeah. I
could throw it.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Yeah, you know, back then we ran a lot of
options too, but I could throw it. You know, it
wasn't a typical just run all the time an athlete.
I can throw it.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It's something about football though, because I played football too,
and yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 8 (14:24):
But to think about when you go through a couple
of times that you go.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
To the stadium, you see eighty five thousand or one
hundred thousand. I mean, I love basketball, glad I chose basketball,
but there's not that I get chills thinking about just
them being in them stadiums and you almost committed to
actually play high major college football.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Yeah, that's my only regretting life that I never got
a chance to play.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Football one year. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
And I and to be honest, I was gonna My
freshman year was so so it was like ten points
of five, So it was all right. But you know,
coming in as a McDonald's, you know, it's a lot
of hype, but people didn't know I went through the
back issues and all that stuff. So me and Coachizo
met with Nick, he was the football coach at Michigan State.
I was going to play football if I didn't have
(15:05):
a great sophomore season. I was gonna play football that
next year. But what happened was I was a big
team player of the year, I was All American and
it just took off.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
The exact same thing. You see after my sophomore year.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
My sophomore year, I went out there, Bob Toledo caming
down that team. I went out there and did springball,
ran routes for the first time in lest year.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Was dope. And then they started talking.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
All this change of dorms, not captain, won't start on
the basketball. I'm just like, God damn, just because I
want to play a little football. So but that was
one thing too. I mean, to this day, I'm just like,
what if I would have just gave it for a
year and saw what it would have happened, So it
would have been dope. Draymond told is a great story
about being recruited by Izzo. Just a straight shooter. What
(15:48):
was your recruitment process like with Michigan State and who
were some of the other schools you were considering going to?
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Oh Man back then, I was my top schools was
like Syracuse, Cincinnati, you have Huggins, he recruited Dogs you
know what I mean. He went after all the dogs.
Back then, Georgia Tech, they was pumping out point guards.
You know, you look at the history of Georgia Tech
point guards they had. You go back from Mark Price
(16:14):
to uh a A, Travis Best and Steph k and
I would have been like right behind him. Who else
was it? Michigan Uh, Louisville, Florida State was another big one,
and that was mainly football. Yeah, back then they had
a run. Uh they was on national TV every week, Yeah,
(16:35):
every week, and so I was looking at them. But
being recruited by Izzoe what separated him? Man, he was
in front every day.
Speaker 8 (16:42):
When I say every day, Man, he recruited.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Me high because back then they ain't had nothing, you know,
so Draymond recruiting was a little different.
Speaker 8 (16:49):
You know, he could be a straight shooter with him.
With me, he was damn they're big.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
And to be honest, you know, because the people don't realize,
like I took a chance on Michigan State. Michigan State
was is the prominent program that is they It wasn't
They ain't had like no top players there. Michigan had
six or seven McDonald's All American on the roster. Michigan
State didn't like Coachizo didn't make the tournament before I
got there. He was in this second year when I committed,
(17:15):
So Michigan State wasn't what it was.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
And what was it like building that team out though,
with Charlie and Mo And this is back when you
were in college for it, you know, at least three
years sometimes four. Yeah, what was it like kind of
just going along that path because I say all the
time like that was some of the best funniest times
of my life.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Bro, Yeah, no doubt about it. I would never change
it for the world. You know. Antonio Smith, people forget
about him. He was the first one to go Big Tom.
We played together at Michigan State. He went and then
Mopete went. I came in, the Charlie came. And the
reason I loved them my brothers, you know what I'm saying.
And it was special on how we did it because
(17:53):
we got it from the mud, like we wouldn't knowing
that Michigan State wasn't shit, you know what I mean.
And we came in there and grinded coach starting with coaches,
so he was a grinder two. But we just came
in grinded, you know what I mean. That's that's what
it was every day. When I got there, I started
the first thing I said, I got to change the mentality,
you know what I mean. I could just tell people
(18:13):
was used to losing. I wasn't with that, you know
what I mean, Like even like the open gym games,
they're played and you lose, and whatn't No, they didn't
nobody care. So I'm like, let's start keeping tracked. Let's
start keeping tracks of wins and losses, you know what
I mean. So that started making winning important, you know.
And then just to just me saying I beat you
every day. It got real competitive, you know what I mean.
(18:34):
And we started changing it slowly but surely, and and
and then they clicked, you know what I mean, like
we got something special here. And I told coaches, start
going to recruit some dogs, you know what I mean.
And and even when we like and the schedule, like
I had a big part of that. People don't know
that tough schedule they have. Me and coaches talked about
that years. I went to him saying, start lighting them up.
(18:55):
Let's clay, let's scratch. Yeah, let's scratch me. You know,
when you play some of them big schools, some of
the other Cats deer in the headline.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
They're nervous.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So I'm like, go line them up first, get him going,
and now when we play him in the tournament, we're
gonna be ready to roll. Cats ain't in awe Like
when we played Vince Carter my sophomore year. Cats there
they want the actual autograph before the game, you know
what I mean. They wasn't used to none of that.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Yeah, so they was like almost fanboy.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
But after we started lying them, you know, them tough
games up early in the season, that changed everything.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
But so it seemed like you and Isa were kind
of growing on the same traject You were going as
a player and he was kind of growing as a coach.
I want to forget it and put it, you know,
getting this team on the map. What is it about
him that made him different than made y'all clip?
Speaker 8 (19:42):
He a real one, He real like he really rock
with you.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Like a lot of these coaches they use you to
you know, and then they gone to the next one.
Now he really really really rock with you, you know
what I mean, you know to this day and you
know he care about you. You know what I'm saying
that's what separated him from all even being recruited. You know,
I'm like, damn, this dude so like he care, you
know what I mean. And that's how we connected because
he was still growing as a coach. So I'm stuff
(20:07):
he ain't know, but we knew he cared, so we
didn't run through a brickwater.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
I was working on Fox on showing Fox Matt and
during the episode, I can't remember, I can't remember who
it was it was. I think it was Nick Uh,
Nick right, I was on his show and uh, somebody
Chris Carter.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
They're real cool.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
Yeah yeah, And during the episode, he said, I got
a message from you from coach is Me talking about
how much he loved my takes. Uh, he hoped I
can see you to get more work because he liked me,
liked me being a straight shooter. That made me and
I'm like them. I ain't never met coaches all my life,
you know what I'm saying. But I just wanted to
know that that's the type of person he is. I've
(20:48):
never met him in my life, but he's sent a
message through Chris Carter to tell me on National TV
that he loved what I'm doing y'all his.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Guys, yea, yeah, I've seen him at a piece gym,
so you know, I spoke to him for a second.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Dude.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
In nineteen ninety eight. Yeah, y'all lost in North Carolina
bench quartering.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
How was that? Just losing to in the sweet sixteen?
Speaker 5 (21:08):
It was It was a good experience, you know what
I mean. They was out called they I thought they
was going the pros they had on that team. Man,
you had when your mom was a pro. Yeah, jumping
people don't know this rock when of the best.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Jamison once again belongs in the Hall of Fame twenty twenty,
twenty thousand points to twenty thousand rebounds.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I think, so he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
It was the big they.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Had, the big African uh and John Yeah mc targe
was it mc tar Yeah, he was at Michigan then
transferred there. Yeah, career to not be getting Yeah, Coda Winley.
It was called that's ninety six.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
He looked that. Tell you our class is ridiculous though.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
But not these.
Speaker 8 (22:06):
But that was a hell of experience, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
Get there and see it, and I remember we lost,
and I was like kind of frustrated and uh, coaches,
I'll never forget this. You came in the locker room like.
Speaker 8 (22:16):
What's wrong with you?
Speaker 5 (22:16):
I'm like, man, you know, we ain't sure we should
have played better, blah blah blah.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
And he was like, you, how can.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
You get mad at some of them players when you
walk by their door room the whole summer before that
working on your game and take nobody with you. We
had that conversation one time. It was older than that.
It was up after that. It was a nine catch
in the gym and not just me. Now I'm grabbing
everybody calling everybody beat me at the gym. So that
we learned a lot from that, because see, sometime you
(22:44):
think you you superman, but when you go up against
a team like that, they was double on me, tripple
with me, taking the ball out of my hand, and
so that made me grow so much. It's like, oh, no,
you can't be no real teams by yourself. Get somebody
else you come to the table, you know. And that
so we we grew from.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
That little buck kicking yeah ninety nine, losing the Duke
Brand Trading Langdon.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Team I thought was gonna win it all. I thought
the Duke was the best team made back to the
final FLI though they was Yeah, so so yeah, we
grew from that, got to the final four that following year.
That's something I pride myself. Yeah, my team's got better.
That's a big adjustment. Yeah, big adjustment.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
Better every year adjustment myself on that.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
But we playing they were so man, It's like you
scouting was like damn. They were so good. William Aby
Lottery pretty much, Corey mcghetty, Shane Battier, Eldon Brand like
Trading Langey. They had a squad. I don't know how
(23:49):
they didn't win it. I know, Ripping them got down
on them that next game.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Ripping them had some pros too, they did.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And some dog and some dog yeah yeah, yeah, that
boy was on there was on he was on there gang.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
He had a gang and and and a wet curl.
Did you make rookie game?
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Ye played? The rookie game?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Was I remember?
Speaker 5 (24:16):
How was it?
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Steve francecon Baron Dave was.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
Doing like that, yeah, both, you know, throwing it around him.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Yeah, but it was a bad game for him because
he had because Steve Frants.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Came out, Baron Davis came in like it was a
bad game. That was tough, but he was it was
specifically bad for him bringing that game. That ship was funny, man,
because I think back I there, that was still buzz
from the night before, you know what I mean. We
went crazy. We had the whole floor, We talked.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
About the story, the open door party, the open door floor.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
We was doing it. And then we had money money.
Speaker 8 (24:59):
That was about twenty thousand. Yeah, we was acting up
nose right across the street.
Speaker 5 (25:09):
I couldn't walk.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Across the street. We learned no ship, no ship.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
I ain't gonna lie go in there and wash my
face a half time, like to try to come back.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Like we graduated high school same yeah, Niga end up
in the rookie Game same year.
Speaker 5 (25:29):
That was fastic. That was that was I'll never forget it.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
Man, didn't blessed for Yeah, for sure, two thousand, y'all
beat Mike Miller and Donna's am.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
I mean they was they was on one that floor.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I think they went back to back after that, right yeah,
after that, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (25:45):
It was a couple of years, was it for them?
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Came Mike Miller got one for sure though, Yeah, mc
miller got him one. Yeah, So y'all, I'm talking to
you right. It was Horford and uh yes he did Miller.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Win a championship.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
No, was in the same draft, but Mike, he was dog.
That was hard for your Kams and Brewer and Brewer.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Yeah, yeah, that start the team was went went crazy.
They were nice. Used to make that that was called.
It was like they had.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
I was just they just had they had Mike Miller.
You Dona's has Matt Bonner was on that team. Donee hard?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
You did want a collage championship. You didn't win a
college championship, Bro.
Speaker 5 (26:30):
He didn't know you di didn't. He always put me
in the head like every time I see he had twenty
eight on us though he was killing us.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Harvey was a fucking animal dog he was.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
He was a first niggayah rebounding energy.
Speaker 6 (26:48):
Today, first rolls, Joe Willis type.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
He was first Joe type.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Yeah. So they had a squadty too.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
But we what that feel like, though, I mean, this
is you finally got it. Like you said, every year
y'all got better and you reached the pinnacle your last year.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
Ah. Man, I'll take you right before the game, man,
I was tripping like it's on it's own and your
senior year, my senior year, yup.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
And the toughest thing about that National Championship game is.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
It's so late. So you waiting around like, yeah, you
want to play, like and you the game.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
At like nine o'clock and you're like, damn, I just
want to.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
Get out here. But like playing in that game, Florida
was good, but they was They was younger.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
You know.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
We had we just battle test and we had been there.
We were so locked in. We wasn't losing. We was
not losing to them, you know, we were so dial
Then the game plan was right, everything was was on point.
Tom Cream was our assistant, so he always had us
on point where everybody Scott was unreal. So we was
always prepared, but were so locked in. And then at
(27:49):
that point, I mean, at that point it was like shit,
let's get it, you know what I mean. It's it's
it's time to hoop, you know what I mean? That
lay it all on the line, and we knew they
was talented, but like I said, we looked at them.
People didn't think we could run with them, and that's
how we wanted to play. People ain't knowing the Big ten.
They just slowed us down. They were sending two three
people back. You know, they wasn't sending nobody to the boards.
So they were trying to keep us in the half court.
(28:10):
And they were saying, well, Florida's gonna press and ship
as a point guard. You take that personal, you know
what I mean, press press, I got that, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 8 (28:19):
I ain't worried about that. So playing them, that was
our style.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
We wanted to get up and down and with more
Pete you know, Charlie Bell, the athletes we had, We
had Mike Chappelle that transferred though from.
Speaker 8 (28:29):
Duke Ja Rich was a baby.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
That's my baby. That's a little bro. We had them
guns on them wings. And for me, I was just picked,
you know what I mean. That was easy money for me.
But but that was the hell of a feeling.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Man.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
I never forget watching that that tying roll off that clock,
and it's like, damn, you know I did it, you know,
because I grew up watching the Final Fours every year,
watching you know, one shining moment and you dream about
that moment, man, and that I was tripping on.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
Kind of like the football shit because in the play
in front of eighty five.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, yeah, different triple rays.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
You at the don't yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Watching everybody's watching flor even when you're watching it on TV.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
You hit the rims. Yeah, they got the mics up
on the rim.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
That that ship changed my life even to this day. Man,
there's people that can't tell you what NBA team I
play for. And I'm okay with that, you know what
I mean. I ain't got the problem with that. That
that changed my life that I'm still going out. Man,
I'm that's it'll be our twenty fifth year reunion coming
up this year, and I'm still out. People like Michigan State,
you know what I mean, They just that that changed
(29:38):
my life and the way we I forgot. You know,
I had the injury in it, so that helped to
you know, coming back injury, coming back from that. But
you know, at that point, I wasn't tripping about that ship.
We got to win, you know, let's lock in, let's
get to it. So that that changed my life. That
was a magical moment. That's something I wish everybody just
playing in the Final four or winning, and I wish everybody.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
That, right, I know, I know you and and let
me get this.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
I know you and I know Magic, and you know
people can put their own interpretations on stuff. Explain this
picture to me, though, Spring the picture to me, it
looks crazy, looks crazy, It looks crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
It looks crazy, it looks crazy.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
You want to tell you, I'm saying it looks crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
I know.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
That's why. That's why I live with I know you
and I know magic.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
My boy, this looks crazy.
Speaker 8 (30:31):
You know what that.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Was crazy? It looks crazy, but I know I know
what it is. We know about ship right there. Man, Yeah,
that's that's that guy. That's that dude.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
That's that dude telling me you him, I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Yeah, yes, sir, you did sir, dude.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Ain't nobody did this as I done it?
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Yeah, sir, yes, yeah, he can't. Nobody else make him
feel better in that moment. But yeah, that's it. And
he told me in that picture, you don't even realize
what you just did. He said you, he said it's
gonna get better the older you get.
Speaker 8 (31:12):
It's gonna get better every year. And that was and
he ain't lying.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Every time I watch it Definal Fours or I still
get chill ups because they come back to me.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
But he was telling me like, yeah, I'm proud of you.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
You know what I mean. And you you will see
every year as you get older, you're gonna appreciate this
more and more.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Did you win state championships?
Speaker 8 (31:31):
Oh yeah, Jack town winner.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Yeah that's what I do. Yeah, football, but basketball would
won the state championship.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
I was almost with Sacramento.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Get there, go get okay.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Yeah, I pride myself on winning.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Yes, sir, got that right.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
What was your introduction to the NBA, like in the
two thousands, have to buy the Pistons ended up with
the Kings. Yeah, controversial loss in the West Coast. To
talk about all that controversial when you cheated.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Yeah, I want to know what it's like to get
I'm just I want to know what it's like to
get drafted.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
That's pretty much your hometown team.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Yeah, it's not that was that was that was cool? Yeah,
to get drafted by the Pistons. You know, I'm a
bad boy thing. Grew up and Myron you know, Isaiah
Thomas and the bad Boys and all them. I was
lucky to grew up where I grew up at to
watch the Fab five, you know, see them, and to
see Isaiah Thomas, and I just thought like, damn, that's
(32:36):
just how you play basket.
Speaker 8 (32:37):
Yeah, that is how you do it. So I was blessed.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
And then to get drafted by the Pistons was it
was crazy, you know what I mean, that's a that's
a dream come true to get drafted in the league regardless,
but Pistons my hometown team. That was That was that
was that was crazy. I don't even got the words
to explain on what that was.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Draft party was like, it was crazy, you know, I
know Mo mo p had a draft party together.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, the round favorite.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Yeah yeah, let's as being won our.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
Favorite human beings. That's my baby. Yeah yeah, yeah, we
had a draft party together. And see mo p P
had a lot of girls too, so we brought him.
Yeah did you know he was but no, we had it.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
We had it.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
We had a good time. Flint showed up, man, Flint,
Flint rock with us, you know what I mean. We
kept a one hundred you know what I mean. We
we Flint to the course. So they always showed up
and supported us. So that was that was that was
big time. Yeah, that was something special. And and and
getting there and playing my rookie year. That was That
was That was cool too.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Who was on the team at that time.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Stack Stacked to the raft, Stacked to the rag, bad boy.
Stack led the league and scoring that year. Yeah, U G.
Hill had just up.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
I tell him all the time, I G.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
Hill, you stay, I'm I'm in the league for a
long time. I got stack House right here here once. Yeah,
I'm in the league. I'm topped in the citison of
the league. If I'm you know the way I played,
you know what I mean, my style I was. But
he had just left, and Stack was the man we had.
Mike Curry was O O G. Yeah, O G. Mike Curry.
Speaker 8 (34:22):
Yeah, Chucky Atkins, that's my dog.
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Yeah yeah, Jerome Williams was on that team.
Speaker 8 (34:30):
But yeah, Dana Burrows old school, yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
We didn't have a good year at all. But like
you said, I think earlier. You know, I got to
end up getting traded that summer, and that was eye
opening because I learned it's a business real quick. Yeah,
and Joe Dumars I thought, was my man, you know
what I mean, But it's business, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
You think when it's all the way to Sacramento too.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Oh man, that.
Speaker 5 (34:55):
Was and it ain't really fit my style, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 8 (34:59):
I'm like, damn man, you send me to sack. That
ain't my style.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
They already had just traded for Mike and Bobby Jackson,
so they had the pgs on point to beyond.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
They was already locked in the bigs with the playmakers
on that team.
Speaker 5 (35:13):
Yeah, for sure. And one thing I do respect about Sacramento.
I always remember their front office was they was honest.
You know, they was like, hey, we got Mike Bibby,
we got Bobby. We love the way they play. They
fits our style better. Uh, We're gonna go with them.
You know, you come in compete every day and we'll
see what happens. But they was real, so at least
I knew my role. So what I did was my
(35:34):
whole folkus. Okay, well, how do I impact this team?
How do I ain't gonna come in here and just
do nothing. I gotta have impact and beyondest asks, Web asked,
Mike asked him. I was one of the leaders on
the team. And that's odd because I didn't even really
play that much, you know what I mean? But yeah,
I just personality yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. Like
Matt Barnes, like and Jackson. You can have like your
(35:56):
home players.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
But because you leave by example, you just play hard. Yeah,
it was real.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
We competed the.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Second team used to get that ass though.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Yeah, I wanted to because we wanted to play.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
So when was that? So that was that young Paysia
young Hto.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
Was starting.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Will Yeah, Bobby yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:21):
Second, we used to be a Scott Pollard yeah, Scotty p. Yeah,
we used to be added.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
So that Laker team.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Uh So I don't mean to make it about me,
but I'm a UC at the time, so I'm fighting
for I'm obviously he grew up a huge Laker fan,
but obviously be in a sack. I grew on that team,
and I used to play with y'all in the summertime
with Webb and all them dudes and workout. So I'm
over here battling Laker fans and wanting the Kings to win.
But and then we got a member of the Lakers,
one of the Lakers, he was on the team at
that time.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Someone to hold the computer back there? What was that?
Speaker 3 (36:50):
What was that playoff series in particularly that battle with them?
Like from Kobe getting sick, to the referees, to a
lot of shit going on, and and the Kings all
bullshit disciples. Probably the best team in the league that year,
with all due respect, and he back that time, my man,
let it go.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
But you know who was referee in game six, Scot
the famous Yeah he was Donah wow, he was refe
game six.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
That's what I was talking about.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
The series was when they started really investigating him.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
What would it look like for a Sacramento Kings team
or the Lakers to win the championship? Yeah, it's always
it's always the business.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
It's always a business market.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
But let's talk about that was what was that? What
was that series? Like?
Speaker 5 (37:37):
Man, it was that was the whole season was crazy
because it was if you remember, that's when Doug Christy
and Rick five got into a fight in the preseason, preseason.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, that's why I was in pres a real game.
Speaker 5 (37:49):
Yeah, that was a preseason.
Speaker 6 (37:54):
Guy, the s Yeah, yeah, that had to in some
beef before the game though.
Speaker 5 (38:01):
It was before it was just the years of playing
each other. Yeah, yeah, light skin ship, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Douglas with the ship was with it.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
But the cool ass dudes though I.
Speaker 5 (38:15):
Don't like super good, super good dude. But yeah, they
were they it got real. So it started I think
even the year before that. But man, it was it
was on site. Whenever we seen them. It was I
remember Mike uh Bibby Hell one time we was going
to the to the bus and he was kind of
hanging out in the arena before he went to the bus.
Speaker 8 (38:33):
He was like, they out there like oh, because you know,
I was with it, you know what I mean, I was,
I was.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
They dont get down.
Speaker 8 (38:42):
So Mike like they out there, I'm like, it's like
shack boys.
Speaker 5 (38:45):
They waved by the bus. That's wrong, you know what
I mean, Like whatever, go down, go down with you
shouldn't get on this bus. So but it was like that,
you know, it was major. You know, they was calling
us the queens. They had little ship, but they were
scared of us. I don't care what they said. They
know because the way we played it was, I mean,
(39:05):
you got to go to state now. We was kind
of like that back, you know, our style of playing ball.
Bigger t Well was so good. He made everybody around.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Talk about how good because I mean, obviously the homie
friend of the program. We're doing some work with him,
but I don't think he gets the love.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Before Webb's knee injury.
Speaker 5 (39:26):
Cold Well was so good. He made everybody around him better.
I'm talking about passing and he posted hit, make plays
off the bounce. Well was so good, you know what
I mean? Yeah, yeah, all day.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
He definitely one of the best passing big man easy easy.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
He made us out of all them great players on
that team, Man Web made everybody better.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
He did.
Speaker 5 (39:49):
He was the dude. And that's why our team was
so close because Well was. He was the man. He's
so cool. He took care of everybody, made sure everybody
was was in you know. But Well was so good.
And then you have Lottie Body, O G. Doug Christy,
Bobby Mike, everybody on that team.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
Dog was so.
Speaker 5 (40:08):
Good and really good at what they did. But playing
the Lakers, you're talking about dog fights, you know what
I mean. Every possession counted, every possession we had them, Man,
we had them. I ain't want them just trying to
blame the rest. But we we got screwed. We did, man,
we we we got screwed.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Number eight wasn't taken off on y'all.
Speaker 8 (40:30):
He was he.
Speaker 5 (40:32):
Was Yeah, him and and to see and Doug Christy
had d yeah, yeah, defense, But.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
Kobe was different and Doug made earned everything he.
Speaker 9 (40:45):
Got defense because he had the security. Bro, he was
up there studying. Yeahs, Like, bro, what's wrong with you?
Speaker 4 (40:58):
Because you know, because you know if Doug's one of
the guys he closed.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Up here when he coming here.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
Yeah, he was one of the first dues. Was showing
me how he timed dribbles, you know what I mean,
because I'm like, damn, man, he's taking the ball from
these cats that that could play. Like, man, how is
you taking the ball from these dudes who really can play?
Speaker 2 (41:17):
You know?
Speaker 5 (41:18):
And uh, he was timing they dribbles. But like them
battles was crazy. But our team, I'm stand on that
we was the best team.
Speaker 9 (41:24):
Man.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah we got ribbed.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
I'm a stand on that people can have their opinion
whatever that I feel like we got robbed. He was
the best team. Man.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
What are your memories from Lebron's rookie year?
Speaker 5 (41:37):
Different? Like I gave a nickname Heaven Sent, Like God said,
you you know what I mean?
Speaker 8 (41:45):
You don't get that good?
Speaker 5 (41:47):
Yeah? Early right out the gate a team coming out
of high school. I ain't nobody thinking. I was like, nah, man,
he can't be that good. He's gonna be good in
the league. But I ship, man, I'm in practice this boy.
I'm like, whoa. He was the real deal and I'm
talking as a baby. He was.
Speaker 8 (42:04):
He knew it, he knew he had a great feel
for it.
Speaker 5 (42:07):
Athletic get where he wanted to get, you know what
I mean. He he was different. That's why I used
to call it heaven sent. Like God just said, you
though the deal.
Speaker 9 (42:16):
Athletically sixty and changed. Yeah, the first time I ever
got come. Yeah, I was behind.
Speaker 5 (42:23):
Yeah he was.
Speaker 9 (42:24):
I was like, he's a kid to sixty the whole ship.
That's gonna be a problem.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Like running like a deer too.
Speaker 5 (42:33):
It's like it's like you this is a king thing.
Now I wash it too, Like he's gonna be good. Yeah.
When I started, the pressure.
Speaker 10 (42:39):
Was like yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
I say it's heaven sent, like said, man, he got
to still he was playing. I think it's Dallas. Michael
Finley tried to chase him down, like he looked back
and like he was at like the topic. He just
one step took off boom. I was like, he just
(43:03):
run the other way like he was having said. Except
that's what it is right there, God said you you can't.
You can't practice and get that good.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
Yeah you got to that.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Yeah, yeah you can't. You can't do it, Lebron. Yeah,
I'm blessed, you know, to be able to say I
played with him. You know, that's when when I'm speaking
to people and doing nothing, I know, I throw that name.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Out, play with Yeah, post basketball business.
Speaker 5 (43:31):
If you're trying to win, you're trying to win. Tell
the motherfuckers.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
Yes, sir, so you do some work with Matt and
his group, But what what is what is business of
basketball mean to you now that you're done? And what
if you don't mind sharing doing some of the stuff
you're doing?
Speaker 5 (43:47):
Man, you know what, I'm blessed. I'm blessed. Man. You
know I've been able to do broadcasts and got the
music a little bit. I did some things there. But man,
my real blessing is now, like man, this he's a
real one. He is a real one. Like if you
a player in the NBA, you want to get to
the Phoenix Sun the time. Yes, that's my little brother. Yeah, man,
(44:07):
he was in our championship team. That's my little brother man,
and he had always been talking to me about getting
in the mortgage industry and doing stuff. And I'm like, Morgans,
you know, I don't even seem fun. But he so,
he's such a visionary man. He had the vision and
he taught me. What he started was a leadership development
team at his company u WL. We didn' number one
(44:28):
overall it in America, so we win it, winning again.
But his vision was like, I want you to come
to my company and help lead my leaders. I want
you to show our leaders how to get the best
out of other people. So that's what I do, you know,
in the mortgage industry. But he's a visionary man. He's
such a real one. He came and got me, man,
(44:48):
when a lot of people you know, scattered, and he
he came like, let's roll. I got a good thing going.
I want you a part of it. Let's go win
another championship.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
You know.
Speaker 5 (44:58):
So here, yeah, a real one. So I'm working in
the mortgage entustry now and we're killing it. We're killing
the game.
Speaker 6 (45:05):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:05):
We got a good thing going. I'm talking about from
Matt to all of our senior executives, to all of
our team members.
Speaker 8 (45:13):
It's like we got over eight thousand people at.
Speaker 5 (45:15):
Our company and we family. It's like everybody like we
we do it like the hoop. You know what I'm saying,
Like this your brother, this is your sister, Like we
because of you. Yeah, that's how we're doing it. Yeah,
that's the culture that we got there.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
But to think about that, I mean, obviously to be
a great college athlete, win a championship, to make the NBA,
and then post career to pay to be you, like
I want you to rub off on my multi possibly
billion dollar company.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
Like what does that feel like?
Speaker 5 (45:41):
Man? It's a great feeling, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
And it's it's you know, how to win that life?
Speaker 5 (45:45):
Yeah, you want to win that you're trying to win,
but your mind right, keep your grind time, you know,
that's how we get into it. I'm blessed to be
able to do the same thing I I'm just doing
leader up of America now, being the leader. That's what
he brought me in and it's all It start with
(46:05):
him though, because he's so humble. He set the stage
because he's such a humble dude and a hard working guy,
you know what I mean. And everybody else in our
company that we all follow that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 8 (46:16):
He's such a he's such.
Speaker 5 (46:17):
A real one man, and everybody loved him like we
all run through a brick wallfort like I said, with
the coaches or effect, like you know, he cared about you.
Speaker 8 (46:23):
That's how all eight thousand our employees feel like.
Speaker 5 (46:27):
There he there in the building, sitting at lunch with
people know every day and the everybody name in the building.
Speaker 8 (46:32):
He's like that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (46:34):
So he that that environment that we got there is
something that we took from sports, you know what I
mean in Michigan State, and now we got to building
over eight thousand people and everybody, everybody rock with you.
I always tell people, you know what I mean. At
Michigan State, he I mean it was pros. You had myself,
(46:54):
Charlie Bell, mo p J. Rich, you know what I mean.
So Matt was undersized. He could at a mid major,
he would have been he would have played. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
he just a little undersized. But mac got gain.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (47:08):
Owners can't no owner, No, they ain't even coastal.
Speaker 8 (47:11):
Yeah, none of them.
Speaker 5 (47:16):
But Matt, Yeah, no man can play.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
He got gag.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Listen man, we appreciate your time. Moving on to quick hitters.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
The first thing to come to mind, let us know
that fill in the blank, Mateen Cleves wouldn't be here without.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
Great parents. I say, great man, Yeah, they my mother
and daddy instilled the self confidence in me a dog. Yeah,
I say, yeah, my parents.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
Man. Shut One thing you wish you were better at?
Speaker 5 (47:43):
Hm hmm. One thing I wish I was better at. Damn.
That's what you know, your little arrogant you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (47:59):
Yeah, let me think, let me think I've done that, done, this,
was great at this.
Speaker 7 (48:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (48:06):
And I'm joking when I say that one thing I
wish I was better at? Uh, yeah I would. I
would say, yeah, mortgage. Learning more than mortgage. I'm learning
now getting better out of Yeah. That that that's on
the way. Childhood crush. Oh dang, my wife's gonna see
(48:29):
this too, So I got to be careful. Childhood, child childhood,
childhood man, you know, man, Janet Jackson, Janet, I'm.
Speaker 3 (48:42):
Gonna just said, Janey not too long ago. One album
you listened to with no skips?
Speaker 5 (48:52):
Oh man, you gotta go pop the world pop?
Speaker 4 (49:03):
Yeah, Yes, what's your guilty pleasure?
Speaker 8 (49:11):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 5 (49:13):
Guilty pleasure that you could share.
Speaker 11 (49:17):
Right, they can't get it pleasure.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Dang man, make you think I would probably man, just
keep it like I mean ships, sweets man eating Yeah,
I love.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
Sweets mane hear you. I'm on to get better.
Speaker 4 (49:47):
It sucks if you can have if you can see
one guest on our show, who would it be?
Speaker 2 (49:52):
But you have to help us get your answer on
the show Man.
Speaker 5 (49:56):
One guess ship. Trying to have everybody y'all here, man,
there's been a lot.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Of people we said, some names that we haven't him.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
Yeah, Man, Jordan gotta come on this show man.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
You can call them and tell Michael Jordan. It's gotta
be something.
Speaker 5 (50:12):
You know that somebody I know that you already have
magic see weeby'll.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
Have well rich Man, yeahs in your circle.
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Yeah you can make it so happen.
Speaker 5 (50:26):
Oh for sure. Yeah, y'all got to get Matt coaches.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
Yeah. Oh yeah, Matt for sure. We love as well.
Speaker 5 (50:35):
Yeah, y'all got to get both of them.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Appreciate you, yeah, man, love.
Speaker 2 (50:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
You're getting to it, Yes, sir man, that's a wrap.
My team cleaves Man one of just the good dudes
in the game.
Speaker 4 (50:48):
My brother tell them one time. They they what if
you're trying to win? Tap in right there.
Speaker 3 (50:53):
That's a wrap just on all the smoke productions in
the DraftKings Network.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
Man, we'll see y'all next week.
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Matt Barnes
Stephen Jackson
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