Club 520 - John Lucas III on Derrick Rose Bulls era, LeBron James DUNKING on him, Kobe Bryant story

We’re back with Season 3, Episode 22 of Club 520, where Jeff Teague and the guys are joined by John Lucas III. John tells stories about playing alongside Derrick Rose in the NBA, LeBron James dunking OVER him in a game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, meeting Kobe Bryant when he was in high school and building a close bond with Kobe. He also talks about his journey from college basketball to the D League, and his NBA career.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
All right, man, we're back another wonderful episode of Club
four twenty podcast.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
I'm the host. My name is DJ Willis.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
We in Chicago with It, special guests in the building. Man,
we been waiting for this episode. Man, ain't even a guess.
It's like family. We got a lot to talk about. Man,
we want to introduce my man's last to my far left,
I got my dog. But should be hearing out the pearls.
How you was nasty, nasty and the shot. Let's get
to it maybe for the show in the shot one
time to Jay, Look, listen, we know your full game
always been proper. But you know this man known for

(00:32):
Have you ever seen the black forces with the white
laces before?

Speaker 3 (00:35):
I've never seen that.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
I get your look with you about nine.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Like my son.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Let you know, I'm gonna take care of a little
no worry about.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
I got it, got the black nashs. On to my right,
my dog, young natcho, young teag. How you are chilling, bro?
We got we got family in the building for real. Bro.

Speaker 5 (01:01):
We in Chicago with it, you know, supporting some of
our other brothers, supporting d Rose, our guy. But we
got my brother in the building. Bro, unless you do
the honors. But I'm geek for this episode.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
For Shure Man. We've been waiting for this episode. Man,
come on, Man, decade plus professional man, the best.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Walk on ever to doing the n C A Man.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
We got a lot to talk about, a lot to
talk about today, Man, J L three, j'all looks at
third coach, look, appreciate your slide on.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
This big dog, and thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
For sure.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
We've been we've been waiting for this episode ever since
the Minnesota stories came out. This request the guests. Man, listen,
we got lots to talk about. But first I want
to talk about how y'all first met. That's so let's
go to your order story first. Well, you know I've
met him.

Speaker 5 (01:41):
By busting, you know, killing polls, almost going crazy about killing.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
When I was a rookie the Hawks, we didn't have
summer league.

Speaker 5 (01:49):
We had many camps, right, so we had a mini
camp and they had some veterans coming.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
He was a veteran of the league.

Speaker 5 (01:54):
He was you know, he was trying to work his
way on the team, will make the Hawks team a
roster or whatever it was with mini camp and it
was my rookie year. I never been to the NBA nothing,
and me and him got in a battle. So we
get to playing, me and him, going back and forth.
He giving me the blues. I'm doing my thing. At
the end of the day, I ended up getting the
best of him a.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Little bit, right, But in the middle of the game,
this nigga started coaching me.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
This is what I knew.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
He was gonna be my guy. He's gonna be a coach.
I'm going away. I'm doing my.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Thing, calling picking rolls. He's like a young fella when
you when you go on that pick and roll and
you goring it, don't.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Turn your head because I'm just gonna blow. I'm gonna
blow by you.

Speaker 5 (02:31):
I'm looking at this nigga like, man, what like we're
playing against each other.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
I'm like, who this nigga talking to him?

Speaker 5 (02:39):
So I go to Red Dolph Morris right, I'm like,
who is this nigga? He was like, no, he can
play man, this nigga Nah. Then the rest of the day,
this nigga just kept talking to me. That's how I
met this nigga. He was killing though I ain't going
ahead on either. I had about fifty though. That's fat Okay.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
You know you get drafted, you get take every shot.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
You want to that's the fact.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
You get to take every shot you want to take.
So I just like I remember because I was like,
you know, we all had to pull up in the
little van of the busted pickles of a hotel here.
It's like maybe I think I'm like maybe five. I'm
going through my sixth year. And he pulled up and
he got he brought himself a brand new dies challenging.

(03:20):
He called it a dope boy card. My man, look
at this little I said. I used to always try
to find something if I had to go against somebody,
like if I didn't know him, I had to find
something I didn't like about him for me to like,
just like what I don't like about him, which is

(03:41):
gonna make me like when we step on that corner
turn up. So I just like off me. I was like, oh,
his swagger is like to like. I was just like,
it's swag. Like he's walking down. You know, he had
little little speakers in the trunk, like that's cute. You
know we've been doing that.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
You know he doing this and doing that. He walked
out he acting like he don't acknowledge like the old heads,
you know, and we have we had some hitters in
there though, like the guys who like Literfi, who was
like probably on the edge, like I was just like
six years in like I said, but we had guys
that was at like ten twelve years that still trying
to fight, still could play. But everybody know when the lead,

(04:22):
the older you get, the more you kind of get weeded.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Out, right.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
So once I started seeing that, I just started playing
the game. I was like, all right, cool, Like I know,
I probably ain't gonna make the min you know, make
the Atlanta Hawks team. You know, they drafted tea point guards,
they had Mike Bbie Steele. Who else was on You
had nothing, Jamal, you know what I'm saying. So it's
just like, okay, it's a mini cap. Let me just

(04:47):
do what I gotta do whatever, get up out of here.
So once I seen Woody, he was like mad him
take every kind of shot. I'm like like, damn, Like
if he like he wanted to like turn backwards from
the three and throw it like this, it wasn't gonna
say nothing. I'm like, oh, they really gonna try to

(05:08):
build this team around this young you know, young boy.
So I'm like, all right, let me figure it out.
And my dad always taught me change lives, you know,
paying forward, and I was like, he fast, stupid athlete.
I got a crazy right there, like Craig, Like he
kept hitting me with this one simple move. I could

(05:29):
never stop. Always bid on the crossover and it was
a step back to the three jumper too. But his
pick and roll game was trash. He didn't know the game.
He was a one on one player. So in the
picking roll, I just started we icing it. He turning
the ball over, and I was like, yeah, I'm just
gonna start talking. Turned them up because I was like,

(05:51):
I'm basketball to me is eight percent mental to physical.
So I was trying to rookie ain't never been in
no situations. I'm getting that, like, yo, we icing him.
He ain't got it. No, man pulled over, he turned
them he turned it over, lefting right now, damn. And
so then I was like I felt kind of bad
because I'm getting frustrated.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
Fifty no no, no, no, no no no.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
You had fifty off, like twenty five free they started
cing now he took about twenty five free thoughts and
then the other twenty five was legit. The other was legit.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
I would tell you what start and they had y'all
had that big slow dude on y'all.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, I was in no win situation, a big man
situation by him.

Speaker 5 (06:36):
I figured it out. I was like, oh the icy,
I'm just keep the ball in the middle of the floor.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
You know, yeah, I can't. I But what I noticed was,
I was like for him to have like longevity, right,
and you could see it, like you can see like
Mike Bibi was on his way out older, you know
what I'm saying. He was, And I'm like, it would
be selfish of me not to like it for help

(07:01):
help somebody else along the way, because that's what Nick
Naxley did for me, That's what I did for me.
That's what Bubba Chuck did for me. West Side Tennis Club,
Houston text everybody used to come to Houston to train
in the summertime. So as a high schooler, it was
who I'm playing again, and they did the same thing
to me, and I just was like, I got to

(07:21):
pay it forward. So I did it with Tyas Jones,
I did it with t I try to do it
with Chris Dunn, you know what I'm saying. So it's
just like for me, I was like, I know, I
know I can go to bed at night and lay
my head down the pillow and be like, Yo, did
I get did I was? Was I better today? Did
I get somebody else better as well? And that was

(07:43):
and that was just that was just my way of like,
because I want no superstar in the league, you know
what I mean. But my whole thing was like I
wanted to play ten years in so I got to
be that locker room guy. I gotta be that guy
that's always ready. So when the opportunity presented itself, I
was ready and that's I took full advantage of it
here playing for Chicago Bulls. Those two and a half

(08:03):
years I was here was probably the best years I
had besides the Pistons year. I came in and I
just stay ready.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
We got to talk about let's start to the origins
of it. You gave us an interest before recording. You
never play AU basketball.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
You already played one tournament and AU is the eight
was it uh out in Vegas, Adidas big time and
I didn't play. I played for this team called the
Houston Superstars John Yury, they had TJ. Ford, Daniel ewing Room.

(08:41):
But I played tennis in the summer. So I was
top fifte in the country in tennis. Every every weekend
I was playing in the tennis tournament. Everybody else was
playing basketball. But this year I was just like, all right.
I told my dad. I was like, man, I want
to play. Yeah, I do both. He didn't want me
to quit tennis. My dad didn't really want me playing basketball.

(09:04):
He wanted me to play tennis, like, yo, you little motherfucker,
you're only five. It's gonna be so hard for you
to make it. And I was just like, yeah, but
this is what I love. So I quit tennis one
day Like this though, I go back, Man, you know
what's crazy, play tennis. That's what like I said, And

(09:27):
that's who trained my pops. So my people don't realize
my pops played professional tennis. And yeah, and he won
the n C Double A tournament and the n C
doubles and he won the singles. He a national championship
in tennis and while he was at University of Maryland,
and the one pick. So for me, my dad loves tennis.
So when I picked up tennis. It was for because

(09:49):
I was living in Philadelphia at the time. I was
a kid that never wanted to be in the house,
like if they was outside playing street hockey. I learned
how to ride skates and play hockey, played the cross.
I never wanted to be in the house. I just
wanted to be active. So when my dad found out
I was gonna go out for the tennis team, bro,
he turned into a monster, like the way that kids

(10:13):
trained now for basketball. We was like that for tennis,
like Serena, Daddy worse, damn Pops. Yeah, you know what
I'm saying, Like, imagine playing tennis with a forty pound
weight Benstone, damn and hell. And he knew I loved basball.
So when he was like, it's all going transition, but
he knew it's all gonna make sense. Trust the process.

(10:34):
That's all he's to say. So now, lateral movement angles.
All basketball is geometry. All Kyrie do is just geometry,
just angles on the glass. We're doing that in tennis.
Tops me in slice. If you're hit, if I if
I overhead and he goes to the right, just know
the whole left hand side of the court gonna be over. Now,
I got my bad hand going cross court, I got
my forehand run around.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
Nigga.

Speaker 3 (10:55):
We play tennis, but I played on the video game.
You know, it all translates, it translated, it all translates
over the basketball though. It all translates over the basketball.
So then the game of the basketball game starts slowing
down to me. And I was like, oh, you know what,

(11:18):
if I'm having a bag a bad match in tennis,
now I got tap into my psychic I gotta wheel
my way into like whatever I got going on tennis,
I gotta because I don't have four other players to
depend on to get me out this home. But now
in basketball, if I'm having a bad game, I can
lean on somebody. So Tennant tell me with my mental
game to where I could wield my way to be like,

(11:40):
let's check the boxes. I'm missing a couple of shots.
It's my elbow tucked in. I got a pincake goose neck, like,
I just start checking the boxes and then I would creak.
I would correct whatever mistakes I'm making.

Speaker 5 (11:51):
Crazy, I'm gonna say that because even when you helped
me my rookie year, but then when I see you
throughout the league, then when I got with you in Minnesota,
like I know I'm skipping ahead. We want to talk
about your journey. But when I got to Minnesota, you
know I was I was turned like, and you like,
yo's get some extra shots. I'm like, nigga, no, no,
I didn't come here for extra shots. I can't here

(12:13):
to pass about the Jimmy and Wiggy Cat.

Speaker 1 (12:15):
But you like, come on by.

Speaker 5 (12:17):
You got locked in on what we're gonna be good
is if you do this. And then that first year
I was doing that ship with you and we had
a good season. Jimmy got hurt, but we was having
a successful season. And then you was like you're too
you gotta keep going and like you would push me
in the de I seen you doing it with de Rose,
and like your mental always just been different. I'm I'm like,
I'm gonna show love to that because obviously Tennison helped

(12:39):
you a lot. So maybe I should start putting some
people in tennis on my team.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
Not just for me, it's more like for me, it's like.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
We needs.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
No for me. I think I think I saw something
in you that you didn't really see yourself. I think
you was already kind of planning your exit and in Minnesota,
I'm like, bro, you got about food five years left.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
And I would be like nah.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
I was like, don't let these people discourage you and
have you have you be in a role that ain't
really you, Like, yeah, you gotta play the game. But
I said, Yo, this ship don't move without you. You
are starting PG the point guard control everything the FU
And he I'm like, yo, you don't realize you can
get another big deal, I said. He to say that,

(13:22):
I said, bro, you can sign another eighty ball. His
goofy self used to be like, man, I'm cool. I
got I'm straight, and I'm like, yep, I'm like, what's
wrong with you? They giving money out too comfortable.

Speaker 5 (13:41):
But when I when we started, like when it started happening,
and I started caring, like we're doing these workouts.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
I'm gonna come off the bench, remember the bench. I'm
gonna get another bagby the six man I was hooping.
Then I get hurt. I said, what the fuck? He
was like, see when you play with the game, the.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
Basketball guy, I'm dig on that.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
I'm that I never disrespected the game.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, and I was disrespecting it.

Speaker 5 (14:07):
And then when I tried to get serious, and he like, yeah,
we locked in.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
I get hurt. It's like, damn, but.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
We got back right. We got back right. But I
was a see my pops raised me and my whole
me and my brother and my sister that he raised
us on principals. Yeah, and he was like, you never
want to disrespect the game host. So like when my
teammates in high school, they all wanted to wear hot socks.
I never wore high socks before. I always wore like
either ankle sace or little crew. So I was like,

(14:35):
I'm gonna wear hot socks because the whole team wearing it.
I want to be a team player. Yeah, what did mama?
He crazy, like he crazed, like, so we warming up.
You see, I got high socks on. He walked in
the middle of the court. I was like, what you doing,
Go put your socks on. Damn, I'm a junior in
high school. I'm like a junior in high school.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
And nobody gonna say the pops not damn.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
Nobody said, And I was like all right, but he
was like, don't be no followed. But he was also
saying that's that's that's not you. So now mentally you're
not even ready to play because you're so worried about
how you look and making sure you fit in with
everybody else that you ain't even ready to go seek
and destroy. That was his whole thing. This whole thing

(15:20):
was like my print. I think it was protect. His
thing was protect my last name every game. You used
to tell me that.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, yeah, that's a hell of a lineage, though, tell me.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
That because I didn't play au like I said, so,
I'll go back. So when I played high school back,
I only played basketball for four and a half months.

Speaker 4 (15:39):
When did you get cold?

Speaker 3 (15:41):
I always been cold? I'm telling you. You know you
was doing good. No, I've always been called listen.

Speaker 6 (15:55):
I understand that, bro, I'm understand. When did you be like, damn,
I can do this? You feel me?

Speaker 3 (16:01):
You was Arthur to day. I came out my mom.
Then that's what I knew I was called. I came
out like this, that's my daddy. I came out with
my hand form like this. They got pictures what you
call when you make that dog sneeze.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
My neighborhood? You said, make that dog.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
You know you know that made that You ever heard
of dogs sneeze before? No? So every time I shoot,
that's the next I'm a country boy.

Speaker 6 (16:31):
I understand that. I was saying, when when did you
have to feel like? Damn, I can do this for real, like.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
My whole life. I'm telling you.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
What you gotta tell.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
You gotta say how you grew up because he grew
up differently than.

Speaker 3 (16:45):
You. Don't really, I let the whole stadium scoring. I
got what year every year I played?

Speaker 1 (16:52):
He went to He went to bell there like real life.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
I was a fresh principal there before real smith one
of them bullshit. School's a public school. See. People always
thought I grew up in a private school. My pops
won't for that. We published I'm a public school. Will
So will So. Bel Air is like, yeah, the bel
Air is like the Baylor you would think of. I

(17:15):
grew up nurse. I grew up next to the iron people,
next to the Chevron people, ex people.

Speaker 4 (17:22):
We was good.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
What year did you play with America? All through high school?
We graduated all one together. Okay, he zoned to my school.
I had Lawrence Roberts.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
I don't know if you remember.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
We end up going to Baylor Gain We always zoned
to the same school. See my school, My school is
a public school. But like bel Air, people think I'm
from the suburbs, I'm from the center of the city.
But we are own city inside of the inside of Houston.
But when you go over here, every school we played
was in the hood. Madison with Vince Young went, that's
herm Clark. We had Sterling, Worthing, little Flip with the

(17:58):
Worth and that sunny side shot. All our schools was
in our district was all hood schools. We only had
one other school that's kind of like because that was
La High School. Who went there, Lawrence Robertson, transferring our
freshman year and he went to our rival school. But
they had a guy out there named Corey Smith who
end up playing at Vanderbilt in the SEC. He was
nice too, so we had a lot of hoopers.

Speaker 4 (18:18):
How was that playing with the mcado? But was he
always good?

Speaker 3 (18:23):
He was trash? He was he was. He was trashed
like the greatest big ever. He was trash. Our fresh
he won't trash, but he couldn't. He was uncoordinated, but
he wanted to be a doctor. He's smart. He graduated
our junior year in high school, he already graduated, so
our senior year he was taking courses for college already,

(18:45):
so make it was smart. He he didn't think about
even playing in the NBA. He didn't think that. He
was like, I'm just gonna use basketball and get into
medical school. Like get into that's crazy. That so my
dad one day, because I always did player development. My
dad trained my whole life.

Speaker 4 (19:01):
He was.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
He was in my life though. You know, it don't
matter if he had a job in Denver. I used
to be all fly for the weekends to Denver, and
I'm practicing with the team. Are I'm practicing with n
like I'm working out? So A Mecca ended up going
from being like six four in freshman year to six
seven our sophomore year. Then he kept going my dad

(19:23):
one day, come home. He was like, a Mecica, you'
a pro. He was like, you got a chance to
make eighty million. He said, you got a chance to
make eighty million and a Mecicas oh, and then even
a Mecca Dad didn't see. He was like, no, he
need to focus on his books. He gonna be an
engineer adopted, you know, he not. You know, so that's
what they think.

Speaker 4 (19:44):
Man.

Speaker 3 (19:44):
We get to our junior year, he started playing with
the Houston Hoops having success summertime. Every day we in
the gym six am. I used to go pick him
up from from his place. Pops had us. It was
the workouts was crazy because it'll be me a Mecca.
Lawrence Daniel Ewing, T J Ford, Carlos Hurt, Phiel Williams,

(20:07):
guys you don't know of like that, and and it
was like my Papa's like, yeah, they better than you.
And I used to be like.

Speaker 1 (20:16):
Better than you.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
They were, but at the time my mental game was
like I'm the best, I'm the best thing on the court,
but aren't. But I didn't realize what my pops is doing.
Iron Shoppers aren't. So we was all getting each other better.
Were at the same time, we was all kind of
dissating each and each one of our games, so we

(20:39):
was gonna all play against other at one point.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, that's an interesting you say with that, just like
you're talking about both your obviously coach and you see
it now like a lot of kids now duck that competition.

Speaker 1 (20:48):
Back then, y'all had their brass. How do you kind
of translate that now for kids?

Speaker 2 (20:52):
It's just like you at some point you have to
show up and play against the top man.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
You know what, kids scared a competition. Now kids are
so worried about if they're gonna get posted on social media.
Kids are scared of being embarrassed. I grew up to
where if you ain't been dunked on, crossed over, or embarrassed,
you ain't playing at a high level.

Speaker 4 (21:16):
That's real.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
So all my best friends aren't from the neighborhood I'm from.
All my best friends are from the other side of
the tracks. Yeah, that's where the best ball is at.
So when I used to leave high school, I'm in Sunnyside,
I'm in third ward, I'm in fifth word. That's what
the ball is. It didn't matter. I wasn't worried about
going over there. I won't worried about It's like, it's basketball,

(21:37):
it's a universal language. Now. I knew how to conduct
myself when I was over there. So where I can
you know, I can come back, you know, get back
to the crib. But at the end of the day,
like I wasn't gonna get better playing against my neighbors.
Are are staying in my neighborhood while I'm playing against
Billy and Tommy and John. I had to go and

(21:58):
play against against Tyree Wait Caref or somebody like that
at thet But I'm just using like at that game.
But I'm just saying, no, no, I'm just using that
name as an example. I'm saying I had to go
play against like a Kareem or or somebody like that,

(22:20):
because no, no, not right kre like that that. But
I'm just saying I had to go. I had to
go what the kids called trenches. Now, I had to
go get that so I can get better at basketball.
I don't know it just you know me.

Speaker 7 (22:36):
I'm just gonna say, yeah, you know me, I'm gonna
speak that's the name that popped up in my head.

Speaker 3 (22:48):
I just said, But that's why I got better at
I don't know. That's like, I'm not even I wasn't
even thinking about the football player what I'm saying that.
I was just saying the name under saying the name.
But that's why I got better at and am you
know you and Daniel the same class though we all
one class. He probably had the best class coming out

(23:10):
of the United States, the one. It's oh, I'm saying
that year Texas as a state seven had the coldge class.
My little Oh yeah, yeah, little bro McDonald's American. Yeah yeah,
we can talking. You know, that's the first thing. That's

(23:30):
the first thing he goes, you know, your little better
should I make McDonald's I said, how look what he
was doing, Look what he was doing.

Speaker 6 (23:38):
But he he had a lake you know, pause coming
out party, So I mean, you know he did.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
He's doing great things he's doing.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
And you know what, he the only Lucas that can
brag about being the McDonald's American possible to McDonald's American.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
I wasn't he the only one that.

Speaker 3 (23:57):
He's doing this thing. I'm proud of he's doing. He's
doing his thing.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Talk about opening the show up. You know what?

Speaker 4 (24:01):
Saying?

Speaker 2 (24:01):
You the best walk on ever. Let's let's go through
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Now you make a college decision, your first school.

Speaker 3 (24:08):
Baylor University, worst decision ever made in my life.

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Speaker 1 (25:54):
Dollars off your first order. The worst the worst. If
it wasn't bad that, who was it gonna be?

Speaker 3 (26:04):
I really run need to go to Texas A and M.
And I remember I verbally committed to Coach Watkins at
Texas and Him. I said but I don't want to
sign early because I want to make sure my guys
that I came in as a freshman. They all get
scholarships as well. But me and a meccha ogle for

(26:24):
signed early. Ain't no more schools gonna come to our game.
So my pops, my pop set us down. So we
talk of Mecca because he was supposed to go to
Georgia Tech originally.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
I could see that though.

Speaker 3 (26:35):
So he was supposed to go to Georgia Tech originally.
So every time I see coach he out of LA
because you know he's part of the Ontario Clippers. He
get mad at me because I had a mecha ogle
for it to you and your daddy taught him not
to sign out. So that's when Yukon came in. But
my dad was like, bro, y'all came in like everybody
got to eat. Everybody need to So he was like,

(26:56):
y'all don't sign early. Y'all gonna have all the colleges
still come in. And after that, I took a visit
to fam you because if I wouldn't wanted to fam you, now,
if I took a visit fan, that was gonna get
one of my teammates a scholarship just for me coming
on campus, and by far, and by far, that was
the best visit I ever took it in my life.
A right to state right across the street.

Speaker 1 (27:20):
You know.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
But my pops is all about you bring somebody along,
which you never and that's just how we grew up
as a family. So we talked to Mecca, So I
really want to go to A and M because I
wanted to play for a black coach. Uh And I
gave him my word and he was, okay, we got you.
You know, we're gonna wait on you. Seven days later
they signed a point going at the jew Coop.

Speaker 1 (27:41):
So so then now going to Texas A and.

Speaker 3 (27:44):
I'm back at square one. So I had Baylor, I
had Rutgers, I had everybody really recruited me for basketball,
but I had more offers in tennis.

Speaker 4 (27:55):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (27:57):
So and everybody who was recruiting me wanted to rid
show me because I didn't left waste. I don't. I
was only one hundred and forty pounds my senior year,
damn right. But I was just like we always. All
we did was push up, dips and pull ups. We
didn't touch the weights because My dad was like, you
touched the waist's gonna mess with your shot. Yeah, argue

(28:17):
with at eighteen, it's crazy. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (28:21):
Yeah, I was five d one athlete, but you came back.
They put you on that shot.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
You came Yeah. When I went to college, I was
only I was like one fifty, and then they made
me like you had to eat a peanut butter and
jelly soundwich like every four hours, and I would gain
like three pounds and then I'll run it off and
I'm right back. And I just was like, and I
had to run anyway because they tried to make me
left waist and cause and I was fighting against not

(28:48):
lifting waist in college, so that the knockoff was well,
you're gonna have to run for punishment because you don't
want left wists. I said me, I'm just I'm my
mental game. I'm like, I'm just gonna be I can
run everybody. Yeah there, And I still got my burner
because I U said, if I live waits and I
missed my first three shots, I will always blame the
waits because I'm stiff. I'm sore now, shooting like a

(29:11):
running back in the football. See the football players played
the rereck Center game. Yeah, you know it looked like yeah,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
But for me, I had to be No, I was nothing.
I was one fifty. I came back one eighty five.
That could have been some niggas.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
Was like it was in three months. Fact, she game
thirty something pounds.

Speaker 4 (29:32):
It was like a wrong man coming back to the city.

Speaker 8 (29:34):
No man.

Speaker 3 (29:36):
Baylor was like, I said, the worst because it was
too close to home.

Speaker 1 (29:40):
And I had You went back home a lot every day. Damn.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
I used to take that two hour drive like it
was like forty five minutes away. Damn you had a
lady or something. No, I just I was home. I
had the whole house with myself and my pop. Took
the coaching job in Cleveland. Yeah, it was that's like
you're not having fun somewhere. When you're not having fun somewhere,

(30:08):
and me and the coach started end up having problems
and issues Coach Dave Bliss. Uh, you know, I was
just trying to find comfort, trying to be around love
really and all my boys back home, cousins, best friends
that I grew up was all back in Houston, and
I would rather be there than that. Baylor, like miserable.

(30:31):
I mean, Waco, Texas nothing to do the first of all.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
And I watched it.

Speaker 5 (30:35):
I watched your show based out of Waco, Texas may
be selling homes, and yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:44):
I think they split up. Actually think they Baylor Longs.
I think.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
Got back together. I don't know why he knows that.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
But yeah, because now they do some good work. But
I just hated. I just hated. Like my freshman year
was cool. I let I let my team scoring and
assist as a first man, big twelve. You know, TJ
obviously did his thing. Sure, So it was just like

(31:12):
and then my sophomore year, it just got tricky. It
got weird all sudden. Just it's like everything shift. It's
like I come back as a starter, still leading the
team and scoring assists, were playing, and then I think
we got like teen games left for the season. All
of a sudden, coaches like just own me all day
in practice, on me all day in practice. And we

(31:32):
had a we had a point guard I back up.
His name was Matt Sainman, and I like, in practice
if it was born to me, Like I told Jeff,
I had to find something bad about something. So I
just started talking trash. The whole practice. You can't hold
me like hold that like And that's when Jeanne came out.
So every time I shot, like y'all used to do

(31:53):
like that, and so coach coach pulled me, coaches like
cursing me out. He's talking abou you think you so
and so wooy woo. It was like you grew up
with a silver spoon in your mouth. I was like,
what silver spoon? I said, man, that my spoon is platinum.

(32:17):
Kick me out of practice, Kick me out of practice.
He come in the locker room. We get into this
full blown argument and I don't play for the next
eight games. I want from starting not playing. They playing,
I walk on they playing. Everybody here that people like
asking questions like why this, why that, and nobody could
get the answer.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:37):
So then now I'm like, damn, what I do?

Speaker 1 (32:42):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (32:43):
I said, it can't be that bad for me, just
you know you're trying to be this to me. I'm like,
it's not silver is platinum because platinum?

Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, it was better what.

Speaker 3 (32:56):
You think like you like, because I just felt like
you can talk to me another way if you're trying
to like just say no like instead of trying to
put me down in front of everybody because of my
background where I come from. I was like, okay, and
me being who I am, I could be an asshole
a little bit. I was just like, nah, it's platine

(33:18):
and I was ready to hoop again, but he just
took it to hold on another kick me out price.
So it just went downhill from there, and I just
was like calling back home because my post was living
in clean They was in Cleveland coaching at the time,
and I was telling him how I was being treated
and this, and he was like, be professional. My dad
was all about, don't disrespect the game. He coming to
practice stuff like that. So I did. And you know,

(33:40):
one day I had a next Tael phone because I
had two phones in college, so I had the next
Tell the church and you could record, and I was like, yo, damn,
I'm telling you he'd be talking crazy to me. I'm
gonna snap on him one day, like he's just talking crazy,
and I just recorded. I let my dad hear it.
My dad still and then my dad eventually got fired
from Cleveland, so he started coming to the games around

(34:00):
me more, making sure my mentor is making sure everything
was straight. And when he first got there, he said,
behind the bench, and we was doing so bad that
the wac On newspaper people don't know this fake with
new papers like yo, when need to be a trip?
If coach Lucas ends up becoming the head coach of
the Fairs because he already had it, because he's already
training all of us in the summertime and he was

(34:22):
man the next game, next home game we had they
had my mom and pops in the note damn they
had my mom and pops, my dad who is He
grabbed my mom said, man, come on, we're going back down,
said that down right back to his normal sea. But
they had had our ticket. My ticket was all the
way in the those.

Speaker 1 (34:39):
Beleeve that that's crazy.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
Yeah, And then all of a sudden, you know, unfortunately
what happened, What happened, you know RP to my teammate Pat,
then all that stuff happening in the summer and obviously
you know we went through you know what we went
through right right right, you know it's that was a
crazy time. That was a real a real dark time.

Speaker 1 (35:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (35:08):
I can ask the question, like when that time happened,
like to go through that or whatever, with your teammate.
It's a tough I can't even imagine what that feel
like to even go through that, Like where.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
Would you think? What you thinking?

Speaker 5 (35:18):
Like, Yo, I'm getting out of Baylor, like I gotta
lead this place like it ain't for me, or would
you like damn.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Let's well, before before all that happened, i was already
checked out, okay, yeah, and I'm like, man, I'm transferring.
He was like, you ain't transfer I'm holding your paper.
You stuck here for two years, that type of vibe. Yeah,
So I was like, I'm like, I'm transferring. I don't
know what's gonna happen, you know what I'm saying, Like,
but I know I'm I ain't playing for I ain't

(35:45):
playing here no more. And then that situation happened, and
it was crazy because like everybody was in Houston training
with us that day, and then we get the phone
call asking if we seen Pat. I was like, now
he's not down here lift it like that. Then we
ain't think nothing of it. We just thought, okay, so
we're still going there. Now. Weeks go by. Now, all
of a sudden, you see on CNN, you see the

(36:06):
FBI involved. You see all that's going on, and my
teammate Artie Gwynn started like recording like all the conversations,
and like one of the conversations popped up. I never
forget this when I got when my name got cleared
from everything from like you know, if I accepted any
money or anything like that is they got on tape,
said well we can't go to Lucas cause he ain't

(36:27):
gonna lie for us. And wow, boy, like that was
a bet, like seeing my dad chest poked out all
the teaching and the principles and stuff he taught me
about brother and you.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
Ain't with him at this point either.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
And I ain't talking. I'm just this. I like I
just wanted to hoop. And it was like when that
came out, I remember getting that phone call saying you cleared,
Like you enjoy the rest of your college career. You
don't have to worry. Because they started like how did
he get his car? Like I had my car myself
when you're in high school. How he gets his rooms

(37:03):
Steve Francis brought my rooms. How he gets how you
get your life? How you how you get your system
in your car? Like you know what I'm saying, Like
those are my big brothers. So they saw me doing
good and they like, I'm training every day with them.
I'm in it. So they like man like different, you know,
a regular. It was just like I grew up different.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
It's like back to we didn't even get to the
good ship. Yeah, when he grew up in Philly. Let's
talk about it here.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
That I grew up in How old are you when
you moved to Philing sixth grade middle school? I went
to balakan With middle school. It's only two NBA players
ever come out of Balaquan with middle school. And who
is that the goat first of all? So Jordan Kobe Dean.

Speaker 1 (37:50):
Oh okay, you look at looking at me.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Look it's only two that came out ball in middle
school Kobe Brian, John Lucas the third h J three
since the w Y. I'm telling you, it's just like
it's crazy because we like we just literally moved to Philadelva.
My dad was the president and the general manager, president
and head coach of the seventy six ers when he
was there. What hold on?

Speaker 1 (38:15):
This is just me like what what is that? Like?

Speaker 2 (38:18):
Like I grew up my mom and dad worked down
the street and ship, like you.

Speaker 7 (38:22):
Know what I mean, I be Yeah, I get you,
you know, my man, Yeah, I get you.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
You're my nigga.

Speaker 5 (38:28):
But like, what is that like to know, like your
dad is like an NBA coach, your dad played in
the league, but like he the guy.

Speaker 3 (38:36):
What's that? What's that like normal? I ain't think that
was just normal? That every day to me?

Speaker 1 (38:40):
That shi it was.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
I mean, bro, when I was like five years old,
I remember going to the barbershop with Michael Jordan and
my dad. Michael Jordan picked us up in the corvette
and I'm sitting my dad's left we driving on the
South side Chicago while they go get haircuts during the
Eastern Conference playoffs and my poster playing in Milwaukee.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
That's all right.

Speaker 3 (38:56):
Like I got every Michael Jordan's shoe he ever played
and signed.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
I know, I listen, I know, I know.

Speaker 3 (39:02):
I'm talking about the shoes he played in sign like
the shoes he got crossed up in against Allen. I
got it in my garage sign. I know I was
a ball boy.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
I'm just speaking for the people who know, so I know,
I know, yeah, I know, I'm.

Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yeah the coat, Yeah I was, I was. I've been
a ball boy my whole life. So I've been around.
I've been around like my dad. I was like, you know,
every kid who just want to be around. So when
my dad went to the gym and met her, I
was a ball boys. I used to mop the floor
like free throws. I was that kid mopping the floor.
I was that kid, you know, doing everything. I learned

(39:41):
how to talk to girls by going into the into
the stands, get numbers, and I used to I used
to the players. You give me like fifty dollars, go
get a number, and then you give me one hundred dollars,
go get a hot dog and and preszels and be like.
I was like, here, you're change. But now, Luke, you
got it, keep it change. I changed eighty five dollars.
I'm walking home three four hundred, like six years old.

(40:02):
Seven years old as a ball boy and getting paid
on top of that as a ball boy.

Speaker 6 (40:06):
Was What was it like first seeing Kobe hooped up?
When was your first glance at Kobe Bryant?

Speaker 3 (40:12):
Amazing?

Speaker 1 (40:15):
The biggest Kobe fan in the world.

Speaker 5 (40:18):
You can't say nothing, but I love Kobe too, not
as much as I love Jordan, but you I'm gonna
let him go.

Speaker 3 (40:24):
You got let me get up. Amazing, Broy, give me
that time. We want to story time with. My mom
is the one who discovered Kobe, not like overall, but
she the one who is newspapers and everything. So I
can give you all all these off facts. I never
lie saw facts. My mom comes home one day. I
just got back from tennis practice with my dad. She

(40:45):
come home one day and tell my pox, I think
I seen a better high school player than you.

Speaker 1 (40:50):
Mm hm. My dad like, what this is funny?

Speaker 3 (40:56):
Like he low key about to bring a drug test
out to test. My mama makes just he's straight. So
my dad was like, next time they play, we going
to the game, like my mom, come in. It's a
king named Kobe. King named Kobe Lloyd Man had to
go to my sister. My sister graduated Lord Marry and
so my dad I never give it a Friday, So

(41:17):
we go liewdle Men in high school. They had a
home game, so my dad packed me and my little
brother up in the car. We just got done working out.
So we go all the way to the game and
he see Jelly, you know, Jelly in there his pops
and my dad was like, Jelly, what you doing here?
Like oh, he was like a man, I'm here to
see my son play. He's like, yeah, man, my wife
come on home talking about it's a kid up here
named Kobe that's supposed to be I didn't me in
high school, like she he the next best great thing

(41:39):
ever to play the game. And he was like, oh man,
that's my son, right. So we so he was like
for real, like you know what, my dad. So we're
sitting there watching and then the game start. Kobe starts
out at the five. He went the jump ball till
they throw the ball a head, he out run first,
played the game. He win me damn. And that day

(41:59):
I was locked dean because you know, you don't see it.
So he was like eleven, not twelve. Twelve, yeah, sixth grade.
I think like eleven too about the turn to I
got late birthday, so I probably wasn't that about to
turn to okay, but yeah, and then we start. Then
we started going to every high school and my dad
and then then my dad started having him come practice

(42:19):
with the Sixers because they didn't have a practice cility
at the time. They used to Saint Joseph University was
the practice cility. That's why I say basketball is a
full circle for me. Yeah right, So I live right
down the streets in Saint Joe's used to go hoop.

Speaker 1 (42:33):
Every day and.

Speaker 3 (42:36):
So now we you know, my dad got him practicing.
And what my dad used to do is he big
on competition. So he used to match Kobe up against
all of the draft workouts. So Jerry stad cows all
those guys who got drafted, right, Kobe beat them all
one on one, damn. And they was like, man, what
school he went to school? Like what cos he want?

(42:58):
My dad like, man, he a junior high. This is
junior year man.

Speaker 1 (43:02):
And Jerry say, yeah, it was phenomenal, amazing.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
So like like y'all have y'all had, y'all had my
O g on here Vernon Maxwell, I got stories about
him for days, but we ain't gonna get in there shot.
But vern what he said about Cole ready to fight,
he was ready to fight up. Coke didn back down
from there. I was there. I was at that part.
Cole was ready to get his like Vernon crazy.

Speaker 1 (43:25):
Bro, we know, like got the record for it. Motherfucker's
on her.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
Yeah, Vernon said the first five minutes, he said thirty
seven motherfuckers in the first Yeah, Vernon crazy forty seven fucker.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
So Vernon was ready to fight Kobe, Like Kobe was
really going.

Speaker 1 (43:41):
At him and he was seventeen seventeen.

Speaker 3 (43:44):
He ain't back down, and I was just like, oh,
and then I started, Like then I started. He started
picking me up from school. He was picking me up
from my house. You're life different, I remember, I'll never
get when he got his car. He got a forest
green Toyoda land Cruise.

Speaker 1 (44:00):
This nigga life different.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
Remember he picked me up because he was going to
work out the city. I was like this call and
he had like two trash bags in the trunk of
his car. I was like, man, what you got in
the trash bag? He was like young bull. You know
in Philly they said young bull. It was like young
boys a game everywhere in Philly. I ain't got time
to go back home and get my gear and then
come back and the game might be over. I gotta
be ready right now.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Boy.

Speaker 3 (44:22):
When I got my Dodge d Ringo my sophomore year,
I ain't putting no trash bags in my back. Had like, hey,
that's first thing I in the trunk of my car.
I put four pair of hoopy shoes and a bag

(44:44):
of just hoop gear.

Speaker 5 (44:45):
But this is a fact because when I went to Minnesota,
this nigga was retired from the league. Nigga still had
a back of shoes in the back of his car.

Speaker 3 (44:53):
Did you wear who shorts on your under your pants? Absolutely? Yeah,
when he was getting busy at lunch time, like you
didn't have time, like you had your shorts on them.
I was living in Philly at time, so we always
wore tim so you'd be hooping in tim you know,
it was just different. But yeah, you had shorts on underneath.

(45:13):
That was normal.

Speaker 1 (45:14):
That's just kids.

Speaker 6 (45:15):
I just like bring it up for the nostalgia. But
like kids, our kids don't understand that ship.

Speaker 4 (45:21):
Bro.

Speaker 1 (45:22):
We always want to parties with my shorts. Like I'm
not about to go hoop. I'm really about trying to
go get something.

Speaker 3 (45:27):
But like.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
Shorts, definitely. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (45:32):
Yeah, you're supposed to put your opinions down a little
bit at the at the at the parties.

Speaker 3 (45:38):
You know what I couldn't. I couldn't sad to who
shorts combos crazy. I couldn't. I couldn't say what we do.
I couldn't I couldn't sad cops won't playing that. Yeah,
pops won't playing.

Speaker 6 (45:53):
So I always we weren't say we're taking at that
party though, Yeah, I would be.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Scared about poss will come into part wherever I was.
I used to be scared. I get and I was
always like on alert. He'd be like, no, sagging boy.
Used to have my you know, the little belts that
is like one size fit all the little.

Speaker 6 (46:13):
Come in, the motherfucking cordos, all all that.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
You know, you know what's crazy? Hey, you know what
I love them? You know what I love him? No,
you know what I love You want you want't think
about it?

Speaker 1 (46:34):
Right?

Speaker 3 (46:35):
We off our clothes came from Gap or Target. We
didn't wear like how like how now NBA kids went
like the Gucci and all, but like take that million.
We know we like that. We used to go shop
at Wieners. We used to go stop at all these
different Like my mom was like, Yo, we're going to
shop youle boy, take that bill. I mean it works,

(46:59):
I need ass, but yeah, I mean that jo't never.
So when we get hoop, I ain't have to worry
about leaving my pants up to go by nobody. They
won't move it thet they won't. They won't lose it.

(47:23):
They won't movebe Bro.

Speaker 1 (47:26):
That's yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
So it was just like for me, I just I
just was like a sponge soaking up all the games.

Speaker 4 (47:32):
Is that the best high school basketball player you ever? Said?

Speaker 3 (47:34):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (47:35):
Because you saw Lebron too? Ye you saw him? Do
you speak on that?

Speaker 6 (47:39):
When we see Lebron in high school with his workout
with the pros, that was a better showing Kobe's showing
with the you got.

Speaker 3 (47:48):
Kobe had an impact on me as an individual, So
I saw different work at that. I saw what it
what it took to be a pro yea. So the
impact was a little bit different than like, now, that
could be my little brother's story about Lebron, you know
what I'm saying. But for me, I was in college
when I first saw Broun. Understand, my post was coaching

(48:10):
in Cleveland, and I never remember coming. I just got
done with my second year when I was going through everything,
and my past was still in Cleveland. So I used
to fly back on like holidays or the summers and
was in Cleveland, and you know, I trained with the
guys like that, and my dad was like, man, it's
a kid up here better than Kobe. And I was like, man,

(48:33):
whatever like that. He was like, well, take your little brother.
So my little brother's playing on Lebron's high school coach
Jruce Jordan, he had an AU team called Actling Superstars.
My little brother played on that team, okay, and they
practiced at the University of Akron. So I took my
little brother to a practice one day and they were
hooping in the back gym. Come and find out a

(48:54):
lot of these guys, a local acting was hooping in
the back gym while my brother knew was practicing. I
was also hooping too. So that's when I first saw Lebron.
And when I first saw him, it was just, you know,
it was some mile sauce. That's just my opinion. Wasn't like.
But then my dad started inviting him like he did
with Kobe, because he was like, man, you know, I'm

(49:15):
just gonna get in the game and let him just
come work out. I don't think I ain't trying. I
don't want nothing from this kid, just you know, let's
get some good bump in. So we had a little
mini camp and my dad used to fly in guys
from Ohio State Kansas, you know guys, and we have
a mini camp and we'll play against the you know,
the rookies who was already there getting ready for some

(49:37):
believe it's a little screamage little mini camp. And bron
came and like nobody was passing Broun the ball because
everybody knew was in high school. And we was all
like not passing the ball. My dad like stopped practice, like, hey, y'all,
little motherfuckers back, get him the ball. He the best
one on the court, like not talking about his players,
but he was just talking about guys on our team,

(49:57):
and we like, man, whatever. So I had the ball
on the point so I can control everything. So I
was just like discussed. I was like, man, here, like
through the ball to him, like like he ain't gonna
do nothing then, so we'll get it right back. Hey,
bro we he on the right seating, right hand side
of the court. He's being guarded by Ricky Davis. He

(50:19):
make a move, just do something, go baseline. So now
you got Chris mill siganad ya.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
The whole calf scene. By the way, they all help.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
Sign so they all come up. He jumps outside the
paint like jumps like and like Cigan and this man
underneath the rim reversing hoes it in without looking at
the rim was a ball and you know he like
this and just keep going. Man, he got to put

(50:55):
ball every possession out of there because it was unbelievable.
He's like, what else can he not? What else can you? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (51:00):
He unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (51:03):
I got the coaching, like you know what I'm saying.
So I'm seeing that and I'm like yo, he like
and then all the time you get to see and
then then I'm around Maverick, I'm around Rich like like
before Rich became clutch. Rich sold everybody the throw back
jerseys out the trunk. Every throwback I got I brought

(51:23):
from Rich, like every throw back Mitchell and that jerky
I brought from Rich. In Cleveland, he had a van
he suosedld sell out the van. That's where I got
my jerseys from. He overcharged me too, but you know
we had to get him. Yeah, real stock. But yeah,
so Mark and then all of a sudden, you know,
my pops get fined two hundred thousand because all the

(51:45):
other teams started complaining saying he had you know, cause
he's gonna be no. One pick and then you know
he got fired, you know, and then you know Ron
end up getting drafted by Cleveland.

Speaker 1 (51:55):
But what the moments do for you?

Speaker 5 (51:56):
Because I know, you leave Baylor and you go to
Okay State and this is what we like I felt,
I like fell in love with your game and found
out who you was because okay, stay, you had a
squad and you was hoping you was killing. But I
love Saint Joe's and we don't get to that game,
Jamr and Nelson Delonze. I wore T shirts under my
jersey like I hooped in Barkley's bronze and all that

(52:17):
ship because Maar and Nelson and.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
Go ahead, because you you fucked up.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
You fucked up my momental because them niggas was cold
and they was undefeated.

Speaker 3 (52:26):
They were called they like my g So when I man,
it was a blad like God had my back, bro,
That's all I can say. Because I live walk on.
I was literally going to Memphis. Well you talk about you, Yeah,
like I had Memphis Rutgers in Georgia and I was
already like I'm going to Memphis called Caliperry already been

(52:48):
out there summertimes. You know, Like now that I coach.
You know, you do go to different places and pick
each other's brain. So my pops was doing that, like
in between like jobs. He'd be like, I gotta go
to Memphis, and would go to Memphis. He in there
talking to coach Calibery. They talking x's and o's, and
now I'm practicing with the team, shooting, getting my workout.
So everywhere we went, I've always worked out, you know

(53:08):
what I'm saying. So I was like, man, Memphis, you
know that'd be a great look Coach cal it was
gonna be a Darius Washington was coming in. He'll be
coming in my senior year. But then Victor Williams was
He went to Oklahoma State point guard. He was He
was the man at Old State too. Victor wins was

(53:30):
a point guard and he did his draft work out
with my pops and he kept saying, like, Yo, you
should go to Old State State. By the time, like
I was wild and I had braids, I used to
wear grill.

Speaker 1 (53:41):
Like I.

Speaker 3 (53:43):
Was Houston. So Paul Wall one of my one of
my really good friends. So when that song let Me
See Your Grills came out, he made me six at
the bottom all diamon out so and I was in
a rap song. So people don't even realize. Paul Wall
and Chameleon, they had this group called Color Changing clip
Bro Still My Money and yeah, and Paul Wall said,

(54:04):
he said, I swerved down the Baylor to watch John
Lucas score and Jordan came back to the game because
the game was bored.

Speaker 1 (54:10):
It was on a mixtape, so that.

Speaker 9 (54:13):
Was like, my man, don't forget you know, you don't
forget stuff like that, right, you niggas don't never forget
you are said you.

Speaker 3 (54:31):
Don't forget it because at the end, I wasn't even
inspecting it because the mixtapes you just come out every
every Friday. So I'm up here driving make the bailing.
I just brought the mixtape that Color could and I
hear it. I said, hold on, what do he saying?
I rewinded and I was like, so I walked on
campus now everybody so everybody like, oh, like Paul Wow,
shot at you. I'm like, I'm playing it cool when

(54:54):
I'm no key hyped because he don't put me on
like I'm at Baylor. We trash, yeah, like maybe ten
we were, but we had a great squad. We just
was running flex so we had horses. We should have
been running, but he's no, that's here and there. So
Victor Winim was like, man, you should take a visit

(55:15):
to Oklahoma. Say it'd be a perfect fit for you.
They don't got a point guard ba Boom. But at
the time the n C double A said we couldn't transfer.
When they said all this, we couldn't transfer into conference,
so I could go anywhere and not sit out. But
if I went like and then like two weeks later
they said, y'all can transfer in the conference and you
won't be penalized. Okay, So originally transfer before the transfer.

(55:38):
So originally I wanted to go to Texas. No TJ left,
he just got tracked. TJ he was in there with
Booby was on the way in there. Booby came with
my senior. So Rebarns kept the buck with me. I'm
like trying to like yeo, Rebarns, like, I want to
come to Texas. You already know I can do well.
My other teammate, Kenny Taylor, who was a shooter, he

(56:01):
ended up going to Texas and Rick Barnes kept the
Buckers like yo, we committed to Daniel Gibson and we
don't want to bring you in because we might de commit, right,
But he wanted to come in into my senior year,
so then I had to respect it. So then I
was like cool. So then the legendary Adie Southern called

(56:22):
me one day because of Victor Williams, and I go
up there. I had a I never forget. I went
up there. I had my braids, just my mom used
to brave my hair, so I had fresh braids. I
had an Iceman San Antonio throw back Jersey on.

Speaker 1 (56:35):
Like you know what.

Speaker 3 (56:38):
And I go visit and I go by the campus, right,
I'm like, man, it's the middle of nowhere. But I'm
a city boy. Like now, I'm eight hours away from Houston.
I ain't that. I'm not getting on no highway driving
eight out you know what I'm saying. And then the
next best city is Oklahoma City. Come on exactly. They
didn't have a team out there then, So I went
out there and they ain't tell me I had to

(57:01):
cut my hair, damn. Like my dad Ben wanted me
to come here because that's when the big like the
NBA was changing over to like appearances and you know,
it's a business and stuff. But I was fighting. I
was fighting. I was I ain't cutting my hair where
my AI was like I'm watching it, you know what
I'm saying. And then TJ cut his hair like right
before the draft. And then TJ my dad had TJ

(57:24):
called me to like kind of taught me and come out,
y'all go. So I went to Oklahoma State first braids
and everything. I'm like, man, all right, you know, I'm
looking at the team. I don't know who Tony Allen is.
I mean, I know playing against him. I ain't know
the Grams cause they was coming off a redshirt year
cause they transferred. I ain't know who Daniel Bobby was.
I ain't know who a couple, but something in my

(57:45):
spirit was like this is where you need to be.
So when I was like commit, they never said nothing
about cutting my hair. So now I was like, man,
you know what, coach, I want to come here. So
he was like, oh, you know, I got a couple
of rules. I was like, okay, I'm thinking, like you know,
he was like, one rule, I can't have braids, you
can't have facial hair. Then you go back and look

(58:06):
at our team number guys rue and my dad was
like so I went back home was like, well, let
me think about that. I flew back to Houston and
I'm near my Barbara Marquette. I walked in there. I
just firstly picked it up, and you know, you have
braids for a long time, you still get the lines.

(58:26):
I was like, chop it off. What my mama was man,
because she was like, that's somebody, that's another man trying
to control you. Like she barely. She very militant, and
my dad was all for it. So I ended up
cutting my hair and I committed in Oklahoma State and
they didn't have no scholarships, so I didn't even care.
I was like, gonna pay for school. So I ended

(58:50):
up my junior year. Of the year, I won the
Big Toy Player of the Year, John Nate Smith Award,
First Team all the married. I'm just giving you a
little bit of accolades.

Speaker 8 (58:56):
But but but I was a walk on respect greatest,
greatest walk on ever and people didn't know I.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
Was walking on. I paid my ju go do it.
They already came out with the facts. They already did it.

Speaker 4 (59:17):
So shouts to the Texas Place.

Speaker 3 (59:20):
So so I ended up paying my junior year. So
the year we went to the Final four and stuff
like I was a walking I always have been on scholarship.
I didn't go on scholarship until my senior year. To
my senior y'all went.

Speaker 2 (59:32):
On scholars boosters out of pocket. That should have made
that happen. Walk On, walk On, he's the greatest.

Speaker 3 (59:39):
I gotta get it.

Speaker 8 (59:40):
I gotta get it.

Speaker 3 (59:41):
You know I got but hey, I gotta get it
to in Chicago. So yes, gott he might be the
best walk On ever.

Speaker 1 (59:48):
Shot to get him to the Final four.

Speaker 6 (59:49):
Though Shout looked at the elite lead. A game was
was big.

Speaker 2 (59:54):
Though it was about to pay My favorite thing we
was talking before the podcast, and that one was definitely
fresher than you in college when it came to the shoes.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
But you had a good game that game, you know what, Jami,
and now that every time you see me, curse me out.
But his shoe game one better.

Speaker 1 (01:00:22):
Nah, you're crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:00:22):
I mean you you could just.

Speaker 4 (01:00:23):
You had a Nike deal.

Speaker 3 (01:00:25):
I didn't have a Nike deal.

Speaker 4 (01:00:26):
You Jordan deal.

Speaker 3 (01:00:27):
I didn't have a Jordan deal because you know, it
wasn't no n I l at the time, so Pops
had that. So I just took advantage of what Pops had.
So I'm trying, like, now you can go on Nike
Elaite and order could you get a little back then
they used to bring your magazine and you had to
go in there and order the magazine. Yeah, I'm I'm

(01:00:49):
forty two. So it's like, you know, and seeing the transition.
So I used to I used to make a point
that when I first got the old said I was
gonna wear a different pair of sshoe every game. Yeah,
but then if I would have cooked, like you go
to my locker. I had over thirty pair of shoes
in my locker at school. But if I cooked in

(01:01:11):
a shoe, I would stay with that shoe. I was superstishes,
so I were the same socks, and then I end
up put the socks on the same way. So if
I ever put my right sock on first, it was
always be my right so first, then my left shot,
and then I'll go who and I I scored another
twenty ball, I'll do the same thing. But them two
K four as will always saw so much the two
K four as I had. You know, it's something about
my step back in the two K fours, I got

(01:01:32):
so much separation.

Speaker 1 (01:01:35):
I can only go right though.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
Right would be a fade away away my left to
gather the gather step, and then my left would be
a step back. Like I it didn't matter what however
you want, but it was gonna be a step back.

Speaker 1 (01:01:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
But I wasn't that tight player. I wasn't a one
on one player like the ice My ice O game
was trashed.

Speaker 4 (01:01:57):
You ain't had no shame or nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
I ain't had none that. I'll just put you in
the pick and roll, hit my hip and I had
Iron May Fall and Joey Graham come to a pick
and roll and then I bump you, put you on
my hip. Read read read, and then I see the
low man he might be.

Speaker 4 (01:02:10):
And that's what she was teaching youngster.

Speaker 3 (01:02:12):
I was trying to want to listen. Yeah, yeah, he
wanted to be Jamal Crawford. But I just learned, like
like I didn't have that one on one game.

Speaker 4 (01:02:23):
And I asked you to see this, nigga, now you have.

Speaker 3 (01:02:29):
Put him on your I'm serious, like I just used
to right though. But he right though. But the things

(01:02:49):
that I was trying to tell him back then, it's like, bro,
that's the game. And I said, I was just trying
to make the game as easy as possible for me. Yeah,
that's like if I came out there, because my dad
was like, you got a point five decision, making easy
to catch you to go. He was like, you ain't
no coach. You're gonna give you five seat dribble to
get your ship off.

Speaker 4 (01:03:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:03:09):
So my catch it if I was ware doing for
three was going up. If I saw you close out,
I was going back. If I was going right, it
was gonna be a gather fade away to my right
because I wasn't going all the way in the pink
because I probably got a block. If I go left,
it was a step back, and I make sure I
had the right angle just in case you showed me
any kind of content. I was going off the glass.
So its like I knew my spots. I want to

(01:03:32):
move to your overseas run. How was that like?

Speaker 6 (01:03:34):
Did you feel like you had a transition your game
when you went overseas for a little bit?

Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
Yes?

Speaker 5 (01:03:42):
Yes, so you do all this Oklahoma state, Yeah you killing.

Speaker 3 (01:03:47):
I went undrafted, drafted every seventeen crazy seventeen and five.
Imagine coming out right now, Avery, I'm a liar of
me now, I mean people want to lie. Are you
getting drafted with six points coming out eight points? Yeah.
So it's like I was like if my dad told me, like,

(01:04:08):
I was like washing it. I know I'm getting drafted.
Work out with my dad told me you ain't getting drafted,
Like he was like shut up. He was like, you're
not even drafted. I ain't even gonna watch the draft.
He went to the casino him my mom went to casino.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
That's crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:04:28):
He knew.

Speaker 5 (01:04:29):
That's about words. That my situation, my bod worst in
yours inside school.

Speaker 3 (01:04:36):
Yeah, I think he already knew I wasn't gonna get drass.
So I'm up here sitting in front of the TV
like this, waiting like this. I'm like, oh yeah, yeah.
The Rockets twenty twenty fifth they took Luther head shout
out Luther's head. But I'm like, uh, like, I'm like
I worked out for like every team. My agent at
the time was David Folk, who was MJS, but my

(01:04:58):
dad was David fowks first client ever, so it was
like that was family. So I went with him off top.
So it was just like okay, and then like David
was like, oh, back in the day that you supper
you with whoever the super he had everybody. So just
imagine like Jeff t is the man, right and I'm

(01:05:19):
a rookie, but he'll a rookie, he'll a free agent,
but he the highest free agent. So the agents used
to be like, Oh, if you want Jeff, you're gonna
have to take here and here, So paggage deal. So
that's what it was like. When I came out, it
was package It's not like that anymore, but it was
like package deal. So I was like, oh, David before
got KG, he got everybody, so I didn't get drafted.

(01:05:43):
So then I want to go what happened? I want?
I played in three different summer leagues. I played in Vegas.
They had one in Minnesota at the time, they had
New York, Minnesota, New York, they had Boston. Boston was
the other one and they had long been so it
was New York. In the Minnesota, it was Cleveland, New York, Indiana.

(01:06:06):
Minnesota is just a four team summer league at the targets,
and that was my rookie here. And then I left
there and I ended up playing with Cleveland Cavaliers in
Vegas for their summer league. Okay, but I ended up
signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the rookie right. So

(01:06:26):
my rookie year, they drafted Bracy Right and they drafted
Rishard mckins. Those are they two for the two picks.
And then I was the third rookie, but I was undrafted,
you know, I signed a camp deal. Yeah, And so
we had Mario Marco Yarrich, We had Lionel Charmers who
played Xavier, who's a dog. And we had Troy Hudson

(01:06:49):
with the bread and but then Kate kg was there,
whilely Zerbiad you know, Fred was there. We had Mad
Dog was there. So I'm a rookie, so I'm there
all summer. Dwayne Casey's the head coach, he just got
the coaching job. So I'm there all summer. I'm training
boom we godrinking. I'm actually doing. I'm like averaging like
seven eight points when I'm when I'm getting my times

(01:07:09):
only in the fourth quarter. I'm very efficient. So I
ended up making the team. And then I went to
bed that night. And matter of fact, you're not gonna
believe this because but Floyd Mike, I think it was
like Floyd Maywroth somebody had to fight, and I was
staying at the Ratising Hotel, you know, the Rasting hotel
right there, and that's what they had off the rookie

(01:07:29):
staying at. So one day KG was like, YO, come
to my house. We're gonna watch the fight.

Speaker 1 (01:07:34):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:07:35):
I'm like all right, cool. So at the time his
wife Brandy yep, and she was like, YO, where are
your stuff at I'm like, huh, I thought I was
just doing to watch the fight. He was like no,
KG said, you moving with us?

Speaker 1 (01:07:45):
Nah?

Speaker 3 (01:07:47):
I know you know. So I'm like huh. So I
go upstairs pack my bags real quid. So KG house unbelieving.
So I had the whole guest house to myself. His
best friend is like t Lou and Chauncey Bill. So
the guest house was called the Bill Ups to stay
because I guess when you know his family come there,
that's what they would say. So I stayed in the
guest house. So I didn't have my card at the time.

(01:08:07):
He just brought this brand new CLS cherry beans for
his wife. She hated the color, so he so much buddy,
she threw me the key. He threw me the Key's like, yo,
this is your car. Young fellow at paper place and everything.
I'm the only person in Minnesota rookie with the CLS
twenty two inch rel driving and I'm like, I'm not

(01:08:28):
on contract, you know what I'm saying. I'm living. So
we planning. I'm doing my thing like and so I
make the team. I go to bed that night, I'm like, man,
I'm like like, thank you God, Like who I go
to be? I wake up next morning they made a trade. Yeah,

(01:08:49):
they made a trade. So I'm walking into the facility
getting ready for the first day of official practice. They
make a trade for Ronald Dupree from the Piston. So
Kevin McKell pulled me to the off and they had
to cut me KG cause a fit like that was
like the fall of like KG like leaving Minnesota. So

(01:09:09):
Kg's like, you ain't going nowhere, Lord, Lord, you ain't
going nowhere like that. So he got me staying in Minnesota.
He got me staying in Minnesota for two weeks. They're
trying to figure it out, and my dad come, It's like, man,
you don't bring your ass, like you know what I'm saying.
I'm kids, you know. So I go home to Houston,

(01:09:30):
right and we get back to training. Now I'm into
My name ordinarily goes into the as the D League
at the time, but I didn't even go through the
draft because my name was so big in Oklahoma. They
allocated me to go to Tulsa with the sixty six ers,
and so I ended up playing like the first two
months of the season in Tulsa and I'm averaging like

(01:09:53):
eighteen twenty. I get my first call up. So I
get a call up to my hometown team, Houston Rocket. Yes, sir,
played against the Warriors. I never forget it. Play against
the Warriors. That's when they had stack five, they had
Baron Davis, you know what I'm saying. So I chick
in at the game, like last two minutes of the games,
like I'm like running out there with my head cut off,

(01:10:17):
like a chicken with his head cut And I got
a rebound on and stole the ball like I'm just
moving so fast, I'm going crazy, and we end up
losing that game. So then I ended up going and
this wasn't the ten day. I just got called up
because ten days haven't started yet. So we end up
my next game is in DC. A lot of people
don't know I was born in d C, so I

(01:10:38):
got family in d C. I'm possibly playing for the
Wizard the butt of the Bullets at the time, so
me and my sister are born in DC originally, but
I don't associate myself with DC because we moved when
I was like two years old in Houston, so I'm
from Houston. I scored my first NBA bucket gets Chuckie Atkins.

Speaker 1 (01:10:56):
We just talked about that was that was my.

Speaker 3 (01:10:58):
First NBA bucket. Gets Ruckin Atkins, y'all mean comes to
the side picking roll for me, coming to my right hand,
and I hit a floater and my aunt, my dad's
sister at the time, she was in the stand, so
I had a family members and so that was my
first NBA bucket was a floater at the arena. But yeah,

(01:11:18):
and then I got cut the next Then we got
cut the next day. I got cut the next day
because no but I got cut the next day because
they had to let me go. So they went and
pay extra in taxies. So I ended up flying back
with the team to Houston. I had to miss one
day of practice and then ten days started. So then
me and Chuck Hayes both signed ten day contracts and

(01:11:39):
then I signed another ten day after that, and then
they had to make a decision or where They're gonna
keep me for the rest of the year or they
was gonna let me go. So they ended up letting
me go. They kept Chuck Hayes, So I ended up
going back to Tulsa finished up that year and then
that's when I went to Europe. Then a team in
Italy called me to go play in the playoffs, and

(01:11:59):
that's when I played with Poor Allen, Yeah Street, you
know poor Allen University coach.

Speaker 1 (01:12:05):
He coached me in Boston.

Speaker 3 (01:12:07):
Correct, So cool was I replaced? I didn't replace him,
he was injured, so I was kind of like coming
in on his spot. And I've never been overseas a
day in my life mm hm, And so I was like,
oh no, I was ready to check out. They put
me in a hotel, you know, you in the NBA
us A, and they put me in a hole in
the wall. And then I was like, I'm calasophobic a

(01:12:27):
little bit, so I wanted to go raise the window.
No light coming in because they had a metal sheet
over the window. I'm like, oh, man, got me in jail,
Like that's why but I didn't know that was their
blind So it's a metal sheet to keep the you know.
So so if I would have went like this, then
the metal sheet goes up. I didn't know that, like,
and the bed was fall out out and my dad.
I called my dad. I was like, man, I'm about

(01:12:47):
to swipe the car. Just know I'm about to swipe
the car, and I'm coming home. They can keep this
bread like. I'm just gonna get ready for some leg
My dad was like, just go to the first practice.
He was like, just go to because you know, when
I get around ball, I'm in my conference zone straight.
So I went to my first practice and I was, okay,
let me, I can do one more day. And then
I just kept letting, and then I just that was

(01:13:09):
my first time playing Europe and I played only played playoffs.
I got thirty five thousand for seven games. That was
more than my G League contact, my D League contact
because at the time, that was a year in G League, right, No,
less was my biggest contract in the in the D
League was we had. So this was I feel like

(01:13:30):
they should bring it to the NIL because this shit,
you know what I mean. I was just speaking about
this like in the D League at the time. You
had three contents. You had an A contract, you had
a B contract, and you have a C contract. This
is the game. Yeah, two top dogs got the A
contract in the A contract with twenty five thousand dollars. Oh,
that was the That was the A. The B contract

(01:13:50):
was eighteen to five. The C contract was around fifteen
something games.

Speaker 1 (01:13:55):
You played a week energy week.

Speaker 3 (01:13:57):
Three played three and so me and but Noard King
was on the A Contractard King went to Texas A
and l boy no, no, no, and then we and
then we had our Will Conroy who was doing this
thing at USC. He was he had Washington now he's
at USC. He was a teammate of mine, right and

(01:14:18):
he was a point guard. So Will and I used
to bump his all time because he thought he should
be playing more than me. But he just made each
other better, you know what I'm saying. And when I
get called up, he will start. But when I come back,
I get my spot back, and it will always call
friction because he'll be hooping, you know what I'm saying.
But I coach at the time, coach myers when it
be like, oh, we're gonna ease you back in. I

(01:14:40):
was like, now you can, You're coming back. You just
get your spot right now. Yeah, so it called out.
I only made twenty five thousand my first year as
a professional, first of all player. Then I went to
Italy and made the thirty five. So my man, I'm
looking at I made like seventy thousand, a little bit
and some change my my first year is profession athlete.

(01:15:01):
And so I was like, man, I'm not going back
over whatever it is. But I'm just saying, but I
mean other money besides that, we have we have bonuses. Though,
I have bonuses in my in, my in, my thing,
so yeah I have I have bonuses and stuff like
if I score a certain mound points. I got like
this because Europe is different, get bonuses. So I told

(01:15:22):
my part I ain't going back overseas.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
What was your I mean, what was the difference stuff?

Speaker 3 (01:15:27):
What you mean lifestyle? And I was home. I couldn't
understand nothing.

Speaker 6 (01:15:30):
Nobody was saying to Italy, Oh yeah me either. What's
the game, Like, huh, the game?

Speaker 3 (01:15:35):
The game is very strategic. The game is very strategic.
They wanted to be a playmaker, like they want they
really want me to be a point guard. Oh okay,
but I'm a points guard. Points I got points, and
I usually get frustrated because would be losing. They put

(01:15:57):
me in the game and I scored quick fifteen, then
they take me the game. I'm like, yo, I'm on fire,
Why do you take me out the game? They'll go
back and so I would be like, you know what
I'm saying, he playing like with me? So I never
I didn't fit Europe, but I played euro League like
we lost in the final. For I played on some

(01:16:18):
good teams, but I was like, like, y'all put me
in the game when we down, and then when we
when I get us back in the game, y'all take
me out. Ye who was the cold that you saw
over there when he was across the water Bell and Nelly?

Speaker 1 (01:16:31):
Nelly?

Speaker 3 (01:16:31):
He was the person he played and then the other
one was the other one was.

Speaker 1 (01:16:38):
He was playing in New Orleans about ten screens?

Speaker 3 (01:16:41):
What's the one that? And the big man who got
drafted by Toronto first round? Nelly Yanni was the other one.
I played him in Italy was nice, but in Spain, Spain,
my teammate was talking to Iago splitter y'all, so we lost.
So that was the year I won, so people don't

(01:17:03):
even realize I won a D League championship with the
Colorado fourteeners.

Speaker 1 (01:17:08):
I left them, so it's me.

Speaker 3 (01:17:17):
Colorado fourteen. They got better, but I had Sonny Wims
on my team, so we were We had an NBA
team like Sernie Hamilton was on that team. You probably
play against Vernon Dam so we always team. We we
ran through. We end up beating Salt Lake City Stars

(01:17:37):
in the championship two days. Two days later, I'm in
Spain playing for the U League Championship and then we
end up losing in the final four, and then we
end up losing to Barcelona in the A C B Championship.
So I could have tried to win three championships in
one year. That's fine, But back to like my first
year after I came back from Italy, I'm not going

(01:17:58):
back to Europe. So I ended up playing Summer League
with the Rockets. I should have got MVP of Summer League,
but technically I wasn't a rookie because I played so
Randy Foy that year is when Nate Nate went crazy
in that and then Randy Foyd was a rookie that
year with men of Minnesota. I averaged twenty eight, eight
and eight in summer with the Houston Rockets. Guess who

(01:18:21):
my coach was, your dad? No, I guess you. My
coach was Tom Thibodeau. Tims read every play for me.

Speaker 2 (01:18:35):
If you know Timms, if he like you, you're gonna
get every play call.

Speaker 3 (01:18:39):
Every play I had angle, I had side pick and roll.
Everything was me coming off the pig into all my
sweet spots and he said, if you see the rim,
you let it go.

Speaker 1 (01:18:50):
Ti.

Speaker 3 (01:18:51):
I had Pat Carroll who played for He was on
my team, so I got a lot of from him.

Speaker 1 (01:18:56):
And then if you look like people you've been with.

Speaker 3 (01:18:59):
Tim tis my favorite coach Till. I love coaches like Tills,
my favorite. My best career is in the NBA was
coaches that fell unneath the same unbro So Tills, Ben
Gundhi and Stan Benga.

Speaker 1 (01:19:11):
They are all the same. They wanted the same.

Speaker 3 (01:19:14):
They wanted played for Jeff Yep Houston. Jeff was my
coach and then Tims was my workout guy. So every
day I worked out with Tills.

Speaker 1 (01:19:23):
They wanted the same.

Speaker 3 (01:19:25):
Every day until y'all me step some court and I
had to move to the side and it was time
for y'all mean to get his work. But yeah, ray
for Austin load. They wanted, you know, we so Tims
ended up coaching something league. I aver twenty eighty eight.
I signed my contract in the bathroom. I signed a
three year contract from one point nine. And that ain't

(01:19:47):
that's bro, That's no bread.

Speaker 1 (01:19:50):
From what point you're just trying to get.

Speaker 3 (01:19:52):
That's no bread. It's bread, but it's no bread. But
at the time, you know, I'm like, you're trying not
to go back. I should have won the New Orleans
I should have been Chris Paul Backer. What they wanted
to do was I should have just left to see
Houston when I was got three for three. It was
too much.

Speaker 1 (01:20:08):
He was in love. He was in love with being
at home.

Speaker 3 (01:20:13):
I'm home.

Speaker 1 (01:20:14):
That was a great time in Houston.

Speaker 3 (01:20:15):
It was a great Timmy. I'm I'm the prince of
the city, like you know, out every night.

Speaker 1 (01:20:23):
In the president of city, pent.

Speaker 3 (01:20:26):
City, being like Jesse. Imagine, like I don't know about
three to have about night clubs. I don't go to clubs,
but I was him.

Speaker 1 (01:20:42):
I was him before everybody saying week in the bitch
on uh.

Speaker 3 (01:20:50):
You know, just some heat. You know, I keep trying
to tell you. It was crazy and we had a
good team.

Speaker 1 (01:20:57):
Though.

Speaker 3 (01:20:58):
Color the which one of.

Speaker 1 (01:20:59):
The Kobe your phone, you could be sick of it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:02):
It was blue.

Speaker 4 (01:21:03):
It was like.

Speaker 3 (01:21:05):
It was blue blue. It was like the different. It
was different. You know, you know I can tell you exactly.
Let me show you step back.

Speaker 1 (01:21:21):
Was coming on that one.

Speaker 3 (01:21:25):
Color right that coming on that? How was going left?

Speaker 6 (01:21:28):
I see the feed, I was going left, say man,
shout out to the fourteen I had.

Speaker 3 (01:21:32):
I had a nice little hairline. Then it just disappeared
one day disappeared.

Speaker 5 (01:21:37):
So you're going from Houston and now you got to
make your way in the NBA. You know, you signed
your three year deal. You're back at the city. What's
that journey like.

Speaker 3 (01:21:48):
In Houston?

Speaker 1 (01:21:48):
I mean you get you get to Houston, you got
your three year deal.

Speaker 2 (01:21:51):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:21:51):
I stayed at my parents' house.

Speaker 1 (01:21:53):
You ain't the only one.

Speaker 3 (01:21:55):
Like my dad was like, you ain't gonna get no spot.
I was like looking for places. He was like, no,
you gonna stay right here. You're gonna say you're gona
say right here. I'm gonna stack your money up.

Speaker 1 (01:22:04):
I had girls and my mom and daddy when I
moved back then, No, I just.

Speaker 3 (01:22:07):
You know, hotel room about two hundreds, you know, yeah,
you know, you know I probably got a little paper
in my podcasting forty he going to a trap house,
but I got but my dad was. But the thing is,
my dad I didn't realize. He was like, bro, you

(01:22:29):
ain't really making money like that because taxes and everything
come in. It was like, you just stay at the house,
your mama cook every night. We ain't gonna bother you.
We I don't give it them when you come home,
no matter if you come home. And now you've grown.
But he was like, you stack your braid. So what
I used to do with my my first check, I
used to keep a check and then I send a
check to my financial. I keep a check, send the

(01:22:50):
next check to my financial. So it's just like I
was the Thacond. But my habit was out by jewelry.

Speaker 1 (01:22:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:22:59):
Like my thing was like I was like, okay, I'm
gonna get a new change. So my dad was like
he'll let me make those mistakes. He was, Oh, you
got a new chain, Oh you got a new watch.
I ain't got a new bracelet. Like he just kept
it was okay, like he'd just let me, you know,
because he was like he's gonna everybody got to go
through them. But he was like it was a teaching lesson.

(01:23:20):
But I'm thinking, like I'm doing good saving. But then
when you go to jew or you see a new
chain you want and you try to trade in your
chain and it's the same change you just brought frohim
like two weeks ago, but he trying to knock off
three thousands of the price. So I was like, the
value di, So you just learned as you go. My
path is like everything my pops did for me was
a learning lesson. I called it. I call him the

(01:23:40):
blueprint is definitely, I call him the blueprint. But yeah,
I stayed home. And how long did you stay home?
You stayed home years? I stayed I got there. I
stayed two years. And then they fired Jeff. They brought
in recounted me, and we brought back Steve Francis, We

(01:24:01):
brought back Mike James, old school Mac James, and then
we had then we just drafted Aaron Brooks, we had
we had myself, we had Rafael Austin.

Speaker 1 (01:24:16):
Shot the world with you.

Speaker 3 (01:24:18):
So then we had seven point guards all in the
guaranteed contracts, so I and so I tried to get cut.
I was like, I'm gonna go play for another team,
but they owe me like seven hundred, but they wanted
me to give money back, and my daddy always told me,
don't get no money back. So I just went into
training camp and I just played my heart out like
I was about to change their minds. They just brought

(01:24:40):
back Steve Francis before me and gave Mike James for me,
and then they trying to trade Ray for Austin. They
drafted Aaron Brooks, you know what I'm saying. So it
was like I went in there and then I had
a hell of preseason and they kept me all the
way to the end, and Rick Adaman was trying to
figure out a way to keep me on because I
actually was playing football and I just got first D

(01:25:00):
and when they cut me, I was still getting paid,
and I was just like, you know what, I'm going
to enjoy the holidays. So I enjoyed Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year's and then I was itching to play. And
then that's why I called my agents, Okay, I'm ready
to go play, and so I did my second stint

(01:25:22):
in Europe with a euro League team called Benetton. It's
not there anymore. It was in Treviso and Reach Games
was a teammate of mine, Royo Austin, and then Lionel
Charmers was a teammate of mine who I went against
in Minnesota and Minnesota. Yeah, so it was just like that,
and then we ain't gonna talk about that situation. But

(01:25:43):
I ended up leaving that situation. I got picked up
by the Seattle SuperSonics. But the way I left in
Italy that held my release papers. So I took my
physical on everysteine to play the last year with the
Seattle SuperSonics, which was Jeff Green and Kd's year, and yeah,
I'm about to run out on the court and Sam

(01:26:05):
Precy pulled me to his side, said they won't. They
won't give us your release paper. So they end up
signing the boy from your hometown, Eddie Gill Little.

Speaker 1 (01:26:16):
Oh he's talking about he worked with he worked with
the patients.

Speaker 3 (01:26:18):
But Eddie, they end up and Eddie Gill got that
get them last thirty days when I was supposed to
get that cost me, Like I'm being at least to
seventy five three. So then then okay See and then
Seattle end up moving to ok See and I ended
up playing on ok See team.

Speaker 2 (01:26:36):
Yeah, listen, mate, I had a couple of great So
we got to ask you a couple before we get
out of here. Let's talk about the Bulls situation in Chicago. Obviously,
great weekend, Honor and d Rose. I wasn't playing in
the city of Chicago, man, best city ever.

Speaker 5 (01:26:50):
It ain't the best city ever, but it's really nice
for basketball Indianapolis.

Speaker 4 (01:26:55):
Don't let them.

Speaker 3 (01:26:57):
Actually, it's nothing like walking on the same hallway Jordan's
and Pipping and all them walk in every night. And
then it sold out that you yeah what I'm saying,
and it so and it sold out every game and
we was the number one team in the NBA.

Speaker 1 (01:27:13):
I killed y'all though, but y'all, we still.

Speaker 3 (01:27:15):
Won the battle. You know what I'm saying. I whole award.
We want, we want everything about it. We want everything.
But like we they almost they almost had us in
the playoffs. They almost had us in the playoffs. Shout
out to Smooth. We used to love with Smooth made
his first shot because we was like, oh, he gonna

(01:27:37):
take away Jeff's shots. He's gonna take away Johnson shot
because he gonna think he owns. And that's what happened
in the playoffs, end up being all game six and
when he hit that first shot in Atlanta in that
game six, we was all on the bench. Oh yes,
we got him. We got him, man. But I'm just

(01:28:00):
saying he would be he would be owned. So you know,
as any score would be. You see your you see
the ball going, you're gonna think you own. But now
you're taking shots because Jeff and Joe, Jeff and Joe
was cooking us. That's that that's serious. Was it was playing.
It was playing great basketball. But we just had we
had Pod and and and who would do some humble

(01:28:21):
you know that's m v P year. He did.

Speaker 5 (01:28:24):
What like like, you know, you've been a part about
some you've been around Kobe, He's been on some great players.
When before damn d Rose got hurt, before you got hurt, Like,
where did you rank him?

Speaker 1 (01:28:37):
Like what did you see? Because niggas was scared of him?

Speaker 3 (01:28:40):
Oh bro, we had we used to have this thing
called the Rose flew. People was ducking him. Oh god,
some of your favorite players was ducking him. I'm gonna
say that in the camp, some of your favorite players
that was dunking him ship and we've seen him. I
ain't gonna say no names because he's all colleagues, but we,
like we'll be we used to mess with like the
other point guards on the team, because you know, sometimes

(01:29:00):
he'd be playing sometimes, you know, we'd be like, oh
he playing today? Are he playing today? We just warm
up seeing that, and all of a sudden, like we
get to report before the game start, so and so
out with an ankle injury. But we just saw him
work out a full workout before the game. Nobody, kids,
you not, nobody wanted to smoke with that man. The

(01:29:21):
kids today not even gonna realize how much of an impact,
but how good d Rose wasivable. He was unbelievable and
he practiced hard.

Speaker 4 (01:29:33):
Do you think job Moran is comparable.

Speaker 1 (01:29:35):
No, he was unbelievable, specially.

Speaker 3 (01:29:38):
Job specially two different. I see the similarities and certain thing,
but I don't think you can compare anybody him at
that time. Animal, I'm just I'm night in and night
out practice every day seeing it.

Speaker 5 (01:29:55):
You know, you just and at that time, no disrespect
to the point guards. Now, it was just like a
elite level of point guard.

Speaker 2 (01:30:01):
Yeah, Will, everybody is every point guard was called rando
CP Steve nash Will, like he said, every team point
guard was just nasty, nasty.

Speaker 1 (01:30:12):
It was like you had young Kimball, Brandon Jennings.

Speaker 3 (01:30:14):
Separated yourself just from everybody.

Speaker 4 (01:30:16):
He was just he just.

Speaker 1 (01:30:20):
But you had.

Speaker 3 (01:30:23):
You know, you just it was just he was like
it was just he was different and you could tell
how this you know, it was crazy how the city was,
how the city showing him love for this, what we're
what we're out here for Jesse. Imagine he brought that
energy they're giving him now, he brought that every night
because he wasn't gonna let the city down. Yeah, he

(01:30:44):
did it more than just for him and his family.
He did it for the for the shot.

Speaker 5 (01:30:48):
Playing against him at that time, like I had guard
like all the fire point guard at this time, and
like him, it was just like this nigga just got
a different gear, Like I wasn't scared of nobody playing basketball.
Was like I wasn't scared of him, Like I played
him in high school. And then you get every they

(01:31:09):
used to run his forehead play. They run it every
time down You're like what the fuck and he just
never stopped you. He missed two shots, like yeah, motheruck,
he can't shoot the next four possessions. He's attacking you
like he never quit, Like like yo, this that's why
I tell you to guard Steph. I didn't guard Kyrie.

(01:31:30):
I didn't guard you name.

Speaker 2 (01:31:32):
Him see will cp he Rose was the most like
he was crazy, bro. I'm like, yeah, this niggad different?

Speaker 4 (01:31:42):
Who next in line?

Speaker 1 (01:31:43):
Though?

Speaker 3 (01:31:44):
He got here?

Speaker 4 (01:31:45):
Who you got next on?

Speaker 1 (01:31:46):
Like who?

Speaker 2 (01:31:47):
I just couldn't stand the guard because it was just
like Steph is annoying because he's not.

Speaker 1 (01:31:52):
Even like a point. He like throw the ball and
then he started running Kyrie.

Speaker 4 (01:31:57):
Kyrie.

Speaker 5 (01:31:58):
Kyrie is like guarding a two guard like Guard and
Kobe Bryant. He gonna post you up, He's gonna do
all that stuff. But like I rather guard Kyrie because
I know where he gonna catch the ball. Like d Rose,
he bringing the ball up, getting a pick and roll.

Speaker 1 (01:32:12):
He might call pick and roll off. He might I
sow you know, like you didn't know.

Speaker 2 (01:32:16):
And it was all like attacking, like Kyrie might jab
you jabby three and if you three, you can test
you just got.

Speaker 1 (01:32:23):
To live with it. The Rose wants you no threes.

Speaker 3 (01:32:26):
He was getting. He was straight at you like you
north to south.

Speaker 1 (01:32:30):
You either go on getting a foul or you're getting
scored on it. And then Westbrook was kind of like similar.

Speaker 2 (01:32:36):
The only thing that held Westbrook back is like he
had k D and James at this time, and it's
like not holding back, but you knew like he had
to at some point in time.

Speaker 5 (01:32:47):
These two guys touched the rock. Rose had that Lou
was gonna cut. He was finding all them. Nobody had
no set plays. It was just really d ro is
gonna make the place for everybody else.

Speaker 3 (01:33:00):
But he was, Yeah, he was, and you know it
made us so good that we had great players, but
everybody knew they wrong. We all accepted that.

Speaker 7 (01:33:08):
Bro.

Speaker 3 (01:33:08):
I knew I wasn't gonna play with c J. And
d Rose was healthy, you know, but I had to
stay ready because tims were always because of my shooting ability.
He'll throw me in at the two guard to spread
the court out, and now my guy would go help
d Rose because he's drawing some more attention kick out
of me. So you always had this even though I knew, like, okay,
they're healthy, I might not play today, so but I

(01:33:29):
was just.

Speaker 1 (01:33:31):
I was just.

Speaker 3 (01:33:32):
I always wanted to be one of the one percent.

Speaker 2 (01:33:35):
Happen when Lebron jumped over you. I don't know how
I got to that, because that's all I have.

Speaker 6 (01:33:46):
I was gonna slide to my nigga transitioning from basketball
to coaching.

Speaker 3 (01:33:51):
We're here, I mean you woke up. That ship was
everywhere about like I'm being the Hall of Fame every time.
I don't fame every time the playoffs start, and I'm
cool with it.

Speaker 1 (01:34:09):
Three is what was you thinking?

Speaker 3 (01:34:11):
I wasn't thinking. I ain't see it happen until until
we called time out and they put it on the jumper.
Why didn't you electric slide to the left because of
rip him? I can't wait for him to get here,
that's yeah, because it was ripped guy. Yeah, he was
supposed to drop back. I called to pick out. He
supposed drop back. He supposed to be the low man.
But you know we so defensively minded. Tips. Okay, you

(01:34:33):
got caught up on the screen, so let me. I
gotta take your spot, and that goofy ass play. They
still running to this day. Mario, who is one of
my really good friends man. When he did that, I
he talked to him for like two days he could.
I didn't talk to him. It was he jumped and
when I when I look, I'm like, dn, who he
throwing that too?

Speaker 2 (01:34:52):
And then like that.

Speaker 3 (01:34:54):
But that is my mind, so I'm like, yo, who
he throwing that to? And when I when I looked
up and you see me like this, all I see
is and I'm like, he dunted it, and he had
a nerve to look back at it. So my mind
she was like, yo, here, you'll tee the ball. I'm
gonna run. I'm gonna run down and get a bucket.
But Tims called a timeout. So now when Tim's call

(01:35:14):
So now when Tim's call a time out, we're sitting.
Now Tim's in the middle with Andy and all them,
and now they got it going over the jumble like
and Miami. You know, they were all white at the game.
So you're looking up and it's all white and it
is Oh, they're going crazy, you know what I'm saying.
I'm like, and then he sucked me out.

Speaker 10 (01:35:36):
If he wasn't, if he watched the time I'm about
to get back in the game, he put pull back
in the game, so I ain't really get my look
back into.

Speaker 3 (01:35:48):
Two weeks later today came here. But what saved me
was like two days later. That's when because I was
number one for like a lot until until Blake Griffin
don't don't Kendrick Perkins and throw the ball man, and
then he became No. One and I slid. Yeah, but
that's what's saying.

Speaker 1 (01:36:10):
For the show.

Speaker 3 (01:36:11):
Yeah, but when that happened, Bro, I could like, and
now you're like people like you know you got don't
know my lebron like you. It's Jason Serry's a lot
of y'all in that.

Speaker 1 (01:36:20):
Iconic.

Speaker 3 (01:36:22):
That's because clear bro he did, but he boomed up.
It got it got to the point in that game
I thought he was picking on me. Bro First he
jumped over me, right, and then I'm picking up full court.
He set up screen on me. I thought it was
le I tried to fight him. I got up to
fight him.

Speaker 2 (01:36:43):
I got to slip you feel like I feel about Broo.
I just said I can't be Yeah, it's like I'm
taking him out.

Speaker 3 (01:36:52):
I just ran it.

Speaker 1 (01:36:53):
He went to the stands popcorn.

Speaker 6 (01:36:55):
That's what happened when niggas get embarrassed on the court.
They trying to play extra hard.

Speaker 3 (01:37:04):
Nah, bro, I give you not. He said a pick
on me. It was a legal screen like once you
go back and watch it. But I was just like,
oh he picked. I got a little man syndron boat
like I feel like, like I ain't never gonna let
nobody talk to get Like he's been around me, so
he's seen he's seen a different side of me. So
I'm like, oh, he gotta see me now. So it's

(01:37:25):
like I'm trying to get up, but it's wet on
the court, so I'm slipping his slide and trying to
get to him. And when I pushed him, he didn't
move and I went back and so now I'm like,
oh ok. All I said was like, oh, let it
be an NBA fight. Let everybody like, let everybody come
in the middle and break it up, and then I'm
gonna turn up. Oh you like that. And that's what

(01:37:48):
happened because gets it ran over the room quick and
like and like uh ma bo charmers who like get
off me, like you know what I'm saying, Like, man,
I got that unchecked. I was hot, but I was
just like, oh you got and then two weeks later
they came back, and for like a whole two weeks,

(01:38:08):
I was just kept seeing there. Yeah, like Poo's one
of my bits, like one of my really good friends,
like he know how me and Pool. So Pool was
really supposed to come back that game when we played
Miami here and I knew if he came back. I
called him on the phone. I said, Yo, gee, you

(01:38:30):
gotta sit out this game. And he was like what
because he was itching to get back. You know, he
missed like fos this game. I think he had turf
toward it was something one of the injuries that I said, bo,
this game, sit out. I gotta get my lick back.
Like you don't realize what it been like for these
two weeks for me, you know what I'm saying. My
dad called me talking about that we about to get

(01:38:51):
put in protective custody, and like he called me talking about, damn,
you done make the name fame wors than ever, like
he met swe me, and so I'm like, I gotta
get my lick back, right man, everywhere I was everywhere.
So I'm driving down the hallway right here. I lived
out north cause we practice out there. I'm driving now

(01:39:12):
it was I g if you if I sit out,
you better kill. I said copy like no more man,
I had like three red bulls that I was turnt man.
I check in the game, it was got I ain't
I missed that one shot. I mean the only shot
I missed was a wide open corner three. That was
the only shot I missed that I had twenty four

(01:39:32):
points National te game. And then I already had in
my mind if he because I was gonna cook Mario
and I was gonna cook Norse Cou. I did then
my guy, but I had one person in mind that
I had to get my link back. But those are
the guys that was guarding me. But I knew if
I cooked, was gonna switch off.

Speaker 1 (01:39:57):
Come over there.

Speaker 3 (01:39:57):
Fourth quarter, Bron switched off on me and kids calling
to play for lou Out. That play went through everyone.
All I saw is like that summer because it was
lockout here that summer. I was playing in New York,
so I was like really working on my game. So
that's summer sifty and Nike New York. I heard about
that I had sixty the night KD has sixty one.
I played in that game at Rutger. I had twenty one.

(01:40:19):
The next night we played him, I had sixty, he
had forty nine, but he won. So you know, but
I made I made my name in New York as
well by going to cool Hand Loo, Cool Hand Lo,
Cool Hand Lou the gun Slinger. And so so when
we came back, I started working on a double step back.

(01:40:41):
So I was like, I got it. It's almost like you,
you know, like a boxer, you gotta get your jab.
So to me, a step back is like to get
you separation. Because of his length in my size, I
knew I had to.

Speaker 1 (01:40:56):
I can't let that keep a gang with you. I
didn't with.

Speaker 11 (01:40:59):
Grace's crazy that that's David and Ca Williams in Friday, Oh.

Speaker 4 (01:41:24):
Yo, or.

Speaker 3 (01:41:26):
I am a boy, oh my god son. So anyway,
I had to go through a double step back because
his arm limb right, DJ. So his arm limb so

(01:41:49):
his arm lift DJ. I had because I had to
see the rim. So when I hit him with the
double and then I hit him him and so then
I got my show. And so when I hit the show,
I knew what the cameras were. What you do, I said,
he can't hold me. It's all facts. Yeah, I said
he can't mother fucking hold me either. I look dead

(01:42:10):
in the camera said that he was, and my dad
called me, said, you had an out of body experience.
He was like, listen, listen. He always humbles you. So
he was like, let's keep it a buck. You had
an out of body experience. Like you know what I'm saying.

(01:42:32):
He kept the buck with me.

Speaker 5 (01:42:33):
So that was I had thirty my first game against
high school my senior year against Eric Gordon, and my
dad was like, I mean, somebody had to shoot.

Speaker 3 (01:42:45):
I coached him too. It's crazy because now coaching, now
I'm coaching against guys I want to get into and
I play against teammates. Coaching my teammates play against you know.
I'm just I always wanted to coach after after I
got done, I want.

Speaker 5 (01:42:59):
To show love to you because, like we talked about
it earlier. But what you did for d Rose people
don't know.

Speaker 6 (01:43:04):
I know.

Speaker 5 (01:43:06):
I know because I was there and you brought when
we like not to ship on de Ros because you
know he loved him like that. That's my bro, that's
my nigga. But when he came to Minnesota, his confidence
was gone.

Speaker 1 (01:43:18):
He was done.

Speaker 5 (01:43:19):
He was telling us he was done with basketball. Yeah,
but he was like, I'm done. I'm gonna retire. Tis
doing me a favorite kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (01:43:26):
And you like, I watched y'all work and put in
so much work to where he got back and to
the point where I was like, nigga, I need to
come off the bench like this.

Speaker 1 (01:43:35):
Nigga need to be started. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (01:43:37):
But I watched you and him and his family, like
his wife, y'all, are y'all all in the gym. I'm
coming late night after drinking doing whatever I'm doing it.
Y'all like, come in here. You like till you come
in here, pool in here shooting. I'm like, yeah, all right,
don't give fuck I come in there. I just see
y'all putting in work.

Speaker 3 (01:43:56):
And my thing is I wanted him to write his
own story and no, don't let nobody else write it
for him. Fact and he had a lot left hit him.
And when you go through what he's gone through, your
mental game. And that's one thing Tennis go back to.
Tennis helped me with. But also it also goes back
to recovery. My dad's recovered drug and alcoholic. So I

(01:44:16):
used to he used to scare me because I used
to scare me. I used to go to a meetings
with him. He used to make me standing up like Hi,
my name is John Luci third, and everybody like hi
John Louser third.

Speaker 1 (01:44:26):
Be like I wasn't.

Speaker 3 (01:44:28):
Atdeicate anything, but he was just showing me the mind
of mental and stuff like that. So I'm looking at Poor,
I'm like, bro, you still code like you know who
you are, Like I had like kind of reinsuring I'm like,
you know, with somebody's confidence and stuff because you like now,
I can only imagine playing in today's ere with social media.

(01:44:48):
People always commented about hearing and everything like and you
got to learn how to block out the noise. So
I'm telling him, like, bro, you you got about five
more you like, you can get another big deal like
I know you made. I was whit Pool when he
signed at eighty nine. Then the next day he signed
three hundred and twenty nine with Adder, like I know
you got the bread, stupid bread. It was like, fo bo,

(01:45:10):
you got so much more to get to this game.
Oh they say you can't shoot, fuck that. We're shooting
fifteen hundred shots fact, and we're gonna be we're gonna
My goal is for him to shoot over forty percent
from the three, and he did in then, So but
every night we put that work in. If you ever know,
it's in minnesot he starting to elbow shot. So we
shot so much right and I'm like, so when he

(01:45:32):
when he hit that fifty ball, he was crying. He
came and gave me a hug. That was like the
ultimate thing because I'm like, forget what Steven ain't Smith
and all what I'm saying. Then ran up and down
this court like we ran up and down with I
don't know. Yeah, that's a fact, you know what I'm saying.
And it's like, no knock on them, but I'm like,
they just talking. Yeah, but you gotta you got a

(01:45:53):
chance to prove everybody wrong, which he did and he
and he went on and played what six one years
after that, and I'm trying to talk. I'm talking to
him the same way he rated it, hanging up, but
he was.

Speaker 1 (01:46:12):
Giving us the same, but I was he won't listen.
It was different because.

Speaker 5 (01:46:17):
I'm like, like to me, you know, oh seven class,
he rolls m v P. When he giving him this spill,
I'm like the corner guy like he doing his thing and.

Speaker 1 (01:46:28):
I'm like, yeah, get that nigga.

Speaker 3 (01:46:29):
Ready right now. He Q, We're gonna be nice the
hype man, but in a good way. But he was like,
you know, I'm rock with him, like I got his back.
Like he was like, I want to come off there.
He raises him, looking at him like he crazy, I
want to come off the bench. I'm looking at him
like huh, I'm just not gonna give him my job now,
like if I was playing, I'm like no. But like

(01:46:52):
he wanted to come off the bench because he wanted
to go against all the backup. I'm keeping a buck
with you. He like he can food him, fool everybody else.
He wanted to go against the backup. He ain't want to.
He ain't want to guard night in and night out.
Guard I did, but you're smarter. But it's smart though.
It's smart because it's longevity, like you figure it out.

(01:47:16):
So it was just like for me, I want it
all everybody I rock with. I wanted the masses to see.
That's and that was my bason. I just want everybody
to And.

Speaker 5 (01:47:26):
That's why I gravitated because people that I know in
my life everybody similar to that, like all of us,
we want everybody to win in here. And that's when
I gravitated to you, like you don't naturally gravitate people
to gravitate the people that you don't rock with, right,
you had coaches on that staff where you know me,
I wouldn't even you behind the bitch, I'm like, look, man,

(01:47:46):
what the.

Speaker 3 (01:47:46):
Fun were running here? Get me in trouble. That's how
I get fired. No talking, that's how I get fired.

Speaker 1 (01:47:54):
I'm for real.

Speaker 2 (01:47:55):
I will really come to the bench because what do
you see? And I'll be like, look, what the up?

Speaker 1 (01:48:00):
We need to run?

Speaker 3 (01:48:00):
And I get fired because now like they're not looking
at the main guys, shoot the fucking ball. He'd be
wide open. I'll be like Jim said, like fuck him,
he'd be wide open. And he was like the defer.
I'm like, it's ain't this. Ain't that same kid? I
know they get out the challenger. You know what I'm saying, Like,

(01:48:25):
I'm still I'm still thinking like he him like with
that mentality, and that's that's like once you give me
your first impression, that's who I think you are.

Speaker 1 (01:48:33):
But I appreciate that.

Speaker 4 (01:48:34):
Yeah, man, we appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (01:48:37):
Look, let's show bro obviously. Man, we saw you at
the Top hundred camp.

Speaker 2 (01:48:40):
We was just like it makes purposes like having your
knowledge to help these young youths, especially like you said
with the mentals and the social.

Speaker 1 (01:48:46):
Media playing basketball at the full part sos have somebody
you charge like that.

Speaker 2 (01:48:50):
Were really happy to see. Before we get out of here, man,
we had a great story in this podcast. We got
to reconfirmed, you know. Before we get out of here, man,
we gotta talk about the Minnesota man, y'all put up
the club shouts some all these they said good in Minnesota,
that Google club five twenty.

Speaker 1 (01:49:03):
But we gotta get that. We're good.

Speaker 3 (01:49:05):
Look, we're always good. We're real good talking about we
always the funk with me, we always, we always do it.
You always good. Shout for stepping in them, Kirk Franklins,
it's tea. I don't even go out. You know, I'm married, you.

Speaker 4 (01:49:28):
Know, yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:49:30):
I don't go out just under the bus.

Speaker 3 (01:49:32):
But you know he wasn't you know, he had a
bad game that day. Yeah, he had bad games. So
we went out to eat. I always go out to
eat with the players. I don't go out with the players,
but we go eat. I ain't gonna pass up a
meal exactly. You know what I'm saying. I'm on the
coaching budget.

Speaker 4 (01:49:44):
Absolutely, So.

Speaker 3 (01:49:47):
So we got to eat. I'm trying to talk and
he ready to jump off the ledge. Not literally, but
he like mad because of the game he had. So
he was like, you know, I just need it. Almost
remind me of like that scene and paid him for Hey,
I just need be around love. It was like one
of them moments. So I was like, he was like, well,
we're gonna go out to and so I was like,
all right, cool, I'll come out for a little bit.

(01:50:10):
So it's me Jared Baylists, who wore a suit all
the time, snow dress. He wore a suit all the time,
clean though, right right, And I ain't your normal coach. Like,
once I get out my coaching and I'm back, I'm
dressed now, Nike, I'm gonna be fly. So he he
goes out. So we go out and so you know,
all sudden we're just in there chilling in the corner.

(01:50:32):
All of a sudden, like thirty people come walking towards
me and they speaking to me in their language. I'm
looking at them like what. I guess they ain't like
my reaction, so they started getting a little bit hostile
with It's just me hum and Jerry.

Speaker 1 (01:50:47):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:50:48):
So see how the bottle right there. I don't even
know who bottle it was that I grabbed, but I
was just I had a bubble cut on too, So
I was like they doing all this time. I just
after joint. I'm like, we're gonna get out of there.
I gotta get home to my baby, you know. So
he doing all I'm woofing back at him like I'm like, bro,
I ain't smiling like I'm from Houston, Texas. I ain't

(01:51:11):
from here. And they're like, no, you do, and I'm
like no, So what saved us was a whole nother
argument happened. A whole nother fight started, and they turned
around and turn and all of a sudden, before me
and Jeff could turn to walk out the door, we walking, yeah,

(01:51:31):
because I'm like part of my back. I'm like, you know,
I ain't really scared of like like whatever going. We
see Jared, Jared two blocks away from us, and me
and Jeff is like yo, and all you see is
them stations at him like he's sliding because it was
black ice out there that day, so he running, he
like sliding, and I was like, yo, that's curt. I said,

(01:51:53):
that's the last time I go. Like if I go out,
he can't come with me because I see I see
him all the time and Phoenix when I was coaching
with me, he was a man. But that was a
crazy night. But I wasn't supposed to be out. I
was like, it was his fault.

Speaker 1 (01:52:09):
I take the blad, but it is true.

Speaker 3 (01:52:14):
But they didn't think they know it's true that Minnesota
ship took a toll.

Speaker 4 (01:52:21):
Broy be hearing you good.

Speaker 3 (01:52:23):
The other niggas they got to check in. But he
he messed me all the time because we used to
always play one on one and he was coming back
from injury one day and I was getting the best
of them only for five possessions. Yeah, because I ran

(01:52:46):
out of gas. I'm out of shape, like mentally, I
was like done hoopy And they had posted on Twitter
at the time. They was like and we and I
think you was hurt. Who was hurt? Ties of hurt?
So we had to bring a point guard in. So
I'm trying to get here ready, I'm not even thinking.
It was like, yo, we should bring Luke in for
ten day, like that's what the family because it's like, look,

(01:53:08):
what are you doing to Jeff t he gonna tweet
back and post another video keep watching like he couldn't
let me just have my little fly because after that
boy was cook session. Boy I was. I was. It
was after that I retweeted the post. Somebody posted like, Okay, yeah,

(01:53:30):
I'm telling my daughter like this how your daddy used
to And then boy he posted he was like, no,
y'all gotta keep watching the video. He somehow called our
video courtnet the video who was it? Brian Randolph at
the time, he get the highlights of him cooking me
fifteen straight possessions.

Speaker 1 (01:53:45):
He wanted to do.

Speaker 3 (01:53:45):
He wanted the left, he wanted to right. I didn't
even touch the ball in the middle of court because
he went five five in the.

Speaker 1 (01:53:51):
Row and on the sund because of Minnesota. Had me
fucked up.

Speaker 3 (01:53:55):
But that's my dog though, I mean, that's that's my
man right there.

Speaker 1 (01:54:00):
You on the show. Bro.

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
I appreciate y'all having appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:54:04):
Man, This is all home coming.

Speaker 8 (01:54:05):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:54:05):
Man is like family, We're gonna do another episode man,
probably Andy. You know, I know you got some big
stuff coming up. We're gonna let you announce that when
you're ready to announce it. Well, man, we excited your
whole journey.

Speaker 4 (01:54:16):
We need to announced that before the All Star.

Speaker 1 (01:54:20):
We'll talk about that.

Speaker 3 (01:54:25):
Man, y'all. Man, I just want to tell y'all. Man,
y'all really hold down to coach it though.

Speaker 1 (01:54:33):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:54:34):
Bro y'all doing y'all theme and I watch all your
episodes for sure, happy I can get part of it.

Speaker 1 (01:54:39):
Appreciate y'all. Listen, man, We're gonna do this again the
other time.

Speaker 2 (01:54:41):
We appreciate y'all, Life Share, Subscribe, all that good stuff
will be back next time.

Speaker 1 (01:54:44):
PLUB five twenty