Dorell Wright

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is kJ Live with Chris Johnson, and Chris is
having conversations with influencers in the sports world and entertainment industry.
Now here's Chris Johnson. You're now tuned in the kJ Live.

(00:22):
Today's guest is on the show. The eleven year NBA
veterans won an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. Since
retiring from the game, he spends his time as a
analyst for the Gold State Warriors on the NBC Bay
Area Network and the program director for Kanye West's Dunda Academy,

(00:44):
a prep school based out here on the West Coast. Uh.
It was really a great pleasure and honor to interview
somebody that I've followed his entire career since he was
a youngster. Uh. Durrell, Right, welcome to the show, my man.
Let's sorry, appreciate you having I don't no doubt, man,
it's always great to talk to you. Man. Uh, you've
always been one of the guys over the years that

(01:06):
Uh it's one of the guys that represented the city
of Los Angeles in an excellent kind of man. And
you and your brother, your entire family, So we had
to get you on the show. Man. I guess what
I wanted to know. Man, A lot of people know
about you, but they don't really know about Durreil. Talk
a little bit about where you were born, what you know,
section of the city of Los Angeles that you were

(01:27):
born and where you grew up. We want to be
the street term. I grew up in the hundreds south
central Los Angeles, Imperial on Western. The places that a
lot of people know is Southwest College. You know, the
old bowling alley, uh lucy stuff like that. So that's
where I grew up man and crazy childhood as far

(01:48):
as just where I grew up at and you know
where I where it took me, you know the things
that taught me. So definitely proud of where I'm from.
Uh definitely wasn't easy growing up in that area, just
because we've know about the gang cultures in Los Angeles.
And I just told my son, it's like I used
have to walk to school every day when I went
to Washington High School, and I'm walking through three to

(02:10):
four different hoods every single day. So it's a blessing that,
you know, I made it through all that and I'm
here because any day could have been my day, you know,
mistaken identity me being affiliated with certain people I grew
up with. So I love where I'm from. I rep
it hard, and I think we had a lot of
talent come out of that area. Absolutely. Uh, the south

(02:31):
central section of the city of Los Angeles has some
of the greatest athletes that we've ever seen across all sports,
legends of the game. Um, I guess one thing I
wanted to kind of drill down into man, when you
when you're you know, youngster, and you're walking through these
hoods and you have to worry about you know, what
color you wear, the school that was the era of that,

(02:53):
How what sort of advice? Who did you lean on
for direction and advice? Man telling you, hey, man, you
you know you can't you know, because I'm Michael much
of this, Babe. Youre walking through different hoods, but if
you were blue that day, one of them hoods is
a bloodhood. So it's like, so it's like, how did
that work? You know who and who taught you how
to move in those situations? Uh, your peers, you know,

(03:13):
having awareness and you know my parents, I had both
parents at home. I was one of the only kids
not you know, it was very few of us in
my neighborhood that grew up with both parents. A lot
of my friends grew up with single mother homes or
either live with their grandparents. Things that that nature. And
you know, when you grow up, it's a lot of
kids that's way more mature than you. They know a

(03:33):
lot more than you. Their parents are letting them watch
and learn stuff. Uh at your mom and dad might
be screening you from and you know, probably just not
ready to have that conversation about about certain things with you.
So you learn a lot of stuff from school and elementary.
I learned stuff because you know, a lot of my
friends either family are somebody you know, cousin friend, was

(03:56):
affiliated with something. So that's kind of where you learn
stuff from. Man. Uh you you kind of believe them
until you learn the real truth about a lot of stuff.
But a lot of the stuff that I learned from
my friends was dead on, like with section, what hood
is this? What they do over here? So that's kind
of how I learned at early age elementary about the
game culture and uh different sections and what they say,

(04:19):
the lingo, the terminology, the color ways, all that stuff.
So I learned that from my peers. And then you know,
being on those bikes, being outside, that's where you learn
how to be street smart and you know how the
awareness of what to do, not to do, and things
of that nature. So uh, definitely, my mom and dad
tried to let me know, you know, when certain people

(04:41):
are doing certain things, it's okay to be like, yo,
I'm sitting this one out. It's okay for them to say, oh,
you know, as an l a term, you're square or
you've been a weirdo or whatever, because you don't wanna
interacting certain things. You know that's gonna get you in trouble.
So I think my mom and dad did an awesome
job with letting us know, like, hey, it is okay

(05:02):
if somebody think you a certain way because you don't
think that's cool. So I was super aware of a
lot of things. So yes, you know, I have a
lot of friends that you know, grew up in the game,
culture and relatives and stuff like that. I just chose
to stay active in sports. My mom and dad did
a great job with putting us in baseball, basketball, football

(05:22):
year around, so we always stay active, we always stay busy.
So they did an awesome job with that. In baseball,
i've heard you talk about it with your first love,
talk about why you love the game of baseball and
why you got into it. Well, if you know anything
about that area about Southwest, you got the batting cage
over there as well. So it's like that was right.

(05:43):
We lived there on the coulta sack. So I used
to run up, you know, the side of the freeway.
We had like a little entrance you could go through
if you knew, you knew, and that gets you to
the back and cage in like two seconds. So I
got the back and cage right there. I grew up
playing at Holly Park, and you know, your all your
people in your neighborhood, they played baseball because the park
was right there. You know, parents always going to keep
their kids active. So my dad was a big baseball head.

(06:06):
He played in high school at free My High. So
he wanted us to be baseball players as well. So
I was basically groomed to be a baseball player, me
and my brother. The line, whether that was in the
backyard hitting off the t soft toss with my dad
against a big old comforter he hung up on the
on the garage, or whether that's us playing catch, us

(06:27):
doing to Holly Park where even my dad are my
coach Randy Oldam who coached me for years doing pitching
practice in field batting. So it was kind of something
that I knew from day one. So you know, I
just stuck with it, stuck with it, and you know,
I really have so much fun. That's all My friends
playing baseball are people in my neighborhood played baseball. So

(06:48):
that's kind of how it was the number one sport
in our household because my dad was really influencing us
to be baseball players. And so you said, your dad
went to free Mont and played baseball, did he buy
any chance playing with Eric Davis? Because Eric Davis from
the Reds played a free Man. I don't know. Your
dad might have been younger though, Yeah. I think my
dad might be a little bit younger than Eric Davis.
So he missed playing with Eric Davis, but I was.

(07:11):
But he he let me know who Eric Davis was.
You know, obviously I knew who these dudes was when
they was in the league, but not knowing that these dudes,
Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry and all these dudes played
in my backyard, you know what I mean, So that
was inspiring. I used to want to be like Darryl Strawberry,
so it was pretty dope to know that they were
interesting kids that made it to the league. A quick

(07:31):
story about those two gentlemen that you mentioned. My dad
used to take me up to, uh this old summer
league called Joe Weekly's Run, Dunk and Shoot League and Crinshaw. Okay,
it was like the Drew before the Drews, like everything
before the everything, all the pros all and then all
the top local guys and back then, you know guys,
it was a lot of casts that could who but
didn't was Prop forty eight, didn't have the grades, you know,

(07:53):
went had to go to Juco, but had major respect
and put it down. So major time, major, big time
hoof man. I rolled up with my pop. We walk
in and on the gym entrance. Right, it's like two
red or one blue and one red of Mercedes being
five hundred that cl back in the day to the
big body Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry standard kind of

(08:16):
let's sitting out on front. Both of them got curls, okay,
both of them got the big the thick, the thick
link uh in the rock and full left, full headed
toe leather suits, bro level leather brother in the middle
of the summer, bast killer. And this will let you
know how big time the dudes was. They was posted

(08:37):
and they was posted. But but anyway, enough about them, guys,
what possition did you play? By the way, drill Well,
I grew up being a shortstop. We all know everybody
want to be a shortstop growing up, either want to
pitch or play shortstop. So I played shortstop. I was
really utility. I played a lot of shortstop, a lot
of bad catcher, and not pitched a lot. But once
I got older high school, I was a first baseman

(08:58):
in the right fielder because a scout told me the
first day of RB I reviving baseball in the inner City.
I played under the Dodgers organization. One two championships was
sponsored by Gary Sheffield. The first day I went out
and at this time I'm like six six and I'm
at third base, and the scout named Mr Butler. I

(09:20):
was like, what are you doing? Son from the White
Sox too. I was like, none, I played third bay.
He said no, you don't you say? He said, you're
a first baseman or right field you need to go
tell your parents about your first baseman glove. So that's
kind of high ventured over the first base. Like I said,
I was six six, So he was like, you're gonna
make yourself a lot of money if you can be
a first baseman at that height, or a right field
because I can already hit, so uh, you know, I

(09:42):
finished as off as a right fielder in the first basement.
What was your moment in your baseball career man? Were
you said? Was there a moment or was there just
a gradual kind of drifting away where you were like
I'm putting down the batting ball, and I'm picking up
this this rock, over this hoop rock, and I'm putting
on all my basket because because you know, as somebody

(10:04):
that came out as a high schooler, right, you didn't
have a lot of time to be doing a bunch
of stuff. So it happened really quick. You were baseball
for a minute, and then you got good at basketball apparently,
were you good at both simultaneously? Yeah, I think I
was getting better. I've always played on the black top outside.
I always had a court. I think my parents bought

(10:24):
me in court my seven years old for Christmas so
I always had a court. I always stayed active, never
really played on the team, uh like a tribal team.
But you know it was funny. I'm from you know
where I tell you I'm from, But I used to
go play wreck ball at St. Andrew's Park. If you
know any history, you know those size don't get all
my dad. That's where my dad grew up, playing in St.

(10:46):
Andrew bro Yes, St Andrew Park. I'm a St. Andrew's
Park baby me Hassan Adams, very very red and a
bunch of others that came through there. But I played
at St. Andrew's wreck I was always one of the
top players make the All Star team every year. But
I was like, you know, I'm just doing this, but
I want to be a baseball player. So when I
when it came to that point where I had to

(11:07):
meet it in the middle and like, yo, what I'm
gonna do. Was my senior high school, I was still
playing that losing or one of the top players in
the area. The year before I was first I was
second team All Area. My senior year, I was second
team All Area as well. But a scout came in
my game and said that same Mr Butler. He said, hey,
it's time for you to put all your eggs in

(11:27):
one basket. We've got scouts, we've got different people accent.
What is the rail right gonna do? It's almost time
to get drafted. Are you gonna be a baseball player?
Are you gonna be a basketball player? Right there on
the spot, I told him, I'm gonna be a basketball player. Now,
I'm getting all the attention off basketball. I got yu Con,
I got coach Henry Bibby coming up and see my
baseball game. It's not bad, he wanted me. Uh you know,

(11:49):
I got Jim Calhoun on the phone. I got Steve
Offered on the phone because he was at Iowa. I've
got I got all these schools recruited me now, and
I'm loving it. I'm like this is this is it?
Like my friends are all in the baseball I mean
on basketball teams now. So at that point, I made
my decision, and I would never forget telling my mom

(12:09):
and dad. They were lived. They're like, dude, you don't
make no decisions around here without uh, you know, consulting
with us. Like who are you to tell this dude
that you're not doing this no more? And I was like, Mom, Dad, like,
I'm I want to be a basketball player, and you know,
they were upset about it. And then they let me
kind of be be me and and be that young

(12:30):
adult that made a real big decision on the spot
to an MLI be scout, you know what I mean?
That was crazy. So they were definitely mad, and but
they ended up working out the end of the day.
What gave you that confidence to tell this Major League
Baseball scout? Because you know, I've been in front of
scouts and you know, I mean, we know how that
feeling is when you're in front of somebody that's in

(12:52):
the league and you're young too, Like, what gave your
confidence to tell him? Know the Baseball's I just felt
like I was trending in the right to direction for
for basketball, Like I said, I when I when I
tell you I was talking to these people. They were
coming to the school. Like I went to Kingwood Classic
with a Pat Barrier. You know that they had hardwood

(13:14):
is it Hardwood Calst Classic? And it was in Houston.
It was a tournament in Houston. So my coach let
me and my parents were super loyal let me go
and play with Pat Barry for one tournament and I
played with Marcus Johnson, Aaron to follow, Taylor King, all
these great players. You know what I mean. I mean
I'm still green, Like I played for independent team but

(13:37):
the last three years. So I'm going to play with
s C I'm getting all this gear, like I'm living
this like Lokia rock Star team. You know, everybody know
the history of s c A. So I'm like this
is little first day. I kind of put my imprint,
like yo, I'm one of them. Like I know all
y'all great players, but I'm gonna be out here playing hard.

(13:59):
And I was the leading school or the whole tournament.
All these schools was like yo, like who is this kid?
So after that tournament, I had day later, I had
Heary Biby. I had a coach Vaughn from Yukon. They
coming to the school to see me. I'm in person
like yeah, they're coming pulling up to the school Like

(14:19):
I'm like okay, So, like I got a chance at this,
you know, to go to college. The NBA is nowhere insight.
I'm like, I can go to college. So that's when
I knew, like I had that confidence, like yo, I
got a chance to go play college basketball Yukon USC
Like I'm with it. So that's kind of where I
knew and had that confidence where I'm like, I can

(14:40):
get I could be done with baseball. Yeah, they make
a lot of money. But in the back of my mind,
I still being smart because I'm like, you got rookie ball,
you got hey, you got double A, you got triple A.
Now you're thirty five years old, you're probably first getting
your first taste of the league. I'm thinking like that
at that age, so I'm like, dude, I'd rather play
who yeah, coming out you comparisons to t Mat. I'm curious, though,

(15:04):
how much influence did Kobe Bryant have on your game
at that time, because my theories this real quick, real quick,
since you weren't on the typical circuit and everybody didn't
see you, right, so everybody, you know how we know
each other game. Once you start seeing each other on
the circuit, you know how it is. We started, we are,
we do our own scouting for So you went down

(15:25):
Kingwood and probably just absolutely turned it out because I
know what you were at six seven, six eight back there, yeah,
six seven right at that time? Were you booming? Were
you booming on foods. A lot back there, there wasn't yeah, ok,
brooming and a lot of a lot of midis. I
used to have a nice man, right, so I'm making

(15:45):
and that and that's crazy you say that because a
lot of my friends just say you play like Kobe.
I think the athleticism and just being so wrong and
just jumping in the air and just making decisions like that.
Yeah yeah, where the tea mat came from. But I
had all a like Kobe stuff in me, you know
what I mean, just from watching the Lakers. I used
to sit there with my dad. Used to be like,
how are you a basketball player? You don't watch the basketball?

(16:08):
And I used to be like, you're right. So I
used to sit there with my dad and watch Laker games.
And you know, when you see somebody, you go mimic
that stuff. So the footwork, get into your spots, all
that type of stuff. I used to have a little
bit of Kobe in the as well. Yeah. Absolutely, So
you had every coach in the country, uh, pretty much
recruiting you, chewing interest in you. That must have felt great,

(16:28):
And this is why you're at losinger. Talk a little
bit so about just the losinginger tradition UM in basketball. Um.
You know a lot of people don't know that. You
guys have a number of first round draft picks, UM
and some high quality of professional athletes. Right. But let
me tell you this quick story before I get to
that and how that how the tradition even started. So, Uh,

(16:52):
my ninth and timer grade, I want to Washington High.
So that wasn't the goal. The goal was for me
to go to Palisades. My mom my dad wasn't feeling that.
And when I went to when I was gonna go
to Palisades, I was gonna play baseball, football, and basketball.
So I was in line to play all three sports.
They're like, I'm talking to the coaches everything. It was
all set end up not going there. So the next

(17:15):
thing was the goal maybe to like Sarah, go play
with Pool Jetter and all them didn't play well in
their tests. So my mom and dad was like, uh,
so I end up going to end up going to Washington.
Go to Washington for two years. Uh. Tried to play
basketball my freshman year, coach Andy Davis told me I

(17:38):
couldn't play varsity ninth grade. You gotta play j V.
I said, well, I'm not playing. So that was that.
I played baseball in my ninth grade year. Temth grade year,
roll around. Now I'm about to play varsity. I make
the varsity team. Now he got uh Andre Patterson, Wayne
Chamberlain and Twine Parker. You know what I mean, like
some real o g Yeah, like basketball, you know what

(18:01):
I mean? Cedric Smith who played. He was the only
freshman to play that and that kind of was why
I was like, yo, say playing Varcy nineth grade, Well,
I can't play varsy so whatever, uh ten grade, come around,
make the team. I play one tournament at Beverly Hills
High School. Now I'm ineligible, so I can't play. Uh Now,
I gotta get my grades right. End up playing the

(18:24):
last game at Fairfax and the playoff game, but I
still play baseball. Was one of the best players in baseball.
Went oh in two and two years, we didn't win
one game on the baseball team. Pops like, we're going
we out, So that's what we try to get back
in Sarah. That didn't work out. The coach that Sarah said,
my boy coaches at losing your Joel Romero and he

(18:47):
can he had take him, and we want to talk
to Ramero, made it happen. Was like, the only thing is, Ramero,
you don't have to pick me up every day for school.
If you want me to come there, no problem. So
that's how I ended up at losing your coach, Romero,
Uh sent me, I mean came pick me up every
day for two years, took me, took me to school,
pick me up. I know that don't happen no more.

(19:09):
Uh that's the old school stuff, when your coach come
pick you up and things like that. So those car
rides from school amazing, amazing because one of the things
he did he opened my mind up. You know, I'm
so West Coast. I really thought I was in the
Beak with snooping and the dog Pound and you know,
death Row. I didn't listen to no East Coast music.

(19:31):
He introduced me to jay Z the Blueprint too. We
listened to that thing every day for a whole year.
So I'm like, dang, like I'm tripping on these dudes.
You know, I really think I'm I'm all the way.
We don't listen to the East so no, yeah, And
I want to know if he even know that, Like
he influenced me to listen to more East Coast music,

(19:52):
Jay Z and stuff like that. So the car rises
was great. You know, it was like he felt like
he was like a big brother to me. If anything
culturing merrow So get the Loosing your Day one. He
see the basketball coach. He said, you want me to
introduce you to the basketball coach. I was like, nah,
I came here to play baseball at Washington and then
work out. I'm focusing on baseball. He was like, man,

(20:13):
let's just meet him. So I'm like, all right, we're
gonna meet him. So Travis show walked through. I meet
him and at this time six six He's like, yo,
you know, we love to have you, you know, come
to a tryout or you know, open gym. Tuesday. I'm like,
you know, I came here to play baseball, but I
come go. So Tuesday roll around. I go to the gym.
My guy Derek Clark, uh Tweetie, who went to Curntshaw

(20:35):
High School as well, Uh was there. I go into
to the open gym. I killed everybody and I was like, hey,
show Walker, I'm playing. I'm playing. I'm gonna play two.
I'm gonna play basketball as well. So that's kind of
how that happened. Uh. And then you know our first
year there of my Elevon grade year, weren't that good

(20:56):
with eight gay teams. Uh, they let go show walks.
He found another job. Reggie Morris Jr. Rose in young coach.
I think at that time Red was only twe two
years old when he coached. So he kind of came in,
you know, not I don't want to say Rigan. He
came in like on something and we're turning this thing around,

(21:18):
and I hit him with the I'm leaving going to Westchester.
Trevor Rees, Bobby Brown, Uh, Scott Cutley, Jonathan Smith, then
my homies. Now so I'm not going to play with
the homies. I'm not coming back here. So you know,
they come have a meeting with my mom and dad like, yo,
we need him here. My mom and dad was like,
he ain't going to know Westchester. He is there to

(21:39):
play baseball. First off, he ain't going nowhere. So that
set that and you know we got got it going.
Coach Morris came in and basically shipped the cold culture,
and we were his first group, got all the way
to the semifinals loss, and then you know that's when
we blossom. The whole program. He had Russell Westbrook on
the JV team who was a freshman. Then you have

(22:04):
my brother Delon Right who was next in line. And
then the culture a Mere Garrett who played who pitches
for uh Cincinnati Red. So coach Morris basically grew that
culture with my group. Uh you know, going to the
semi finals and you know, making a lot of noise
in that area, and then the list goes on as
far as the players are losing your sees. Now, So

(22:27):
that's kind of a short story how it happened, and
Reggie Morris was the person to get that whole thing booming.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Search f s R to listen live. Now. You so

(22:47):
you hit your senior year, you still played baseball or
did you had given it up by that point your
baseball went through. I was still playing baseball. Hit. I
had my best year. I hit five foot team. I
led the team in triples and doubles. I was set
in the team and home runs. And like I said,
I had Henry Bibby coming to my baseball games to
recruit me. So I got the basketball coaches at the

(23:07):
baseball game, and so what made you decide to attend
self Kent after losing? So now now I'm going to
the A U circuit. Now I go to a B
C D camp, I'm going to five star camp. I'm
going all these camps. So Eric Harden, who coached me
with the Paladin, said, hey, d right, if you go

(23:30):
to prep school, you will be able to go to
the NBA the following year. Mine, you, I told you,
I never even thought about the NBA. I'm just excited
that I might got a chance to go to a
major D one college. So he liked, you right, I'm
telling you, you're gonna go to all these camps. They're
gonna see you. Now, you're gonna see the East coach,
You're gonna see them. But if you can go and

(23:51):
do what you just did this year and do that
on the East Coast, you're going to the league the
next year. And I remember going home and telling my
mom and dad. Coach Eric told me if I go
to prep school, I can go to the NBA. I
said it very casual like that, and it was like, yo,
you need to go to coach are he don't know
what we're talking about, Like, that's some bs, that's bologning

(24:13):
you going to college and you're not going to the
NBA maketure. I'm just letting you know that now. So uh,
I had to find the prep school. My mom and dad,
we all did our due dealings. Now, Sonny, but Carol
is in the picture now. Now, Sunny has been a
huge part of decision making in my house. You know,
he basically consulting the family and telling them, hey, I

(24:36):
think this is a good opportunity. I think this and that.
So I got I, you know, hold so much the
Sunny and Poum because they played a major part and
you know, me developing finding the proper prep school and
then giving my mom and dad that go to the least.
So that's kind of how South King came along. Raphael
Chelios did a great job with letting me know how

(24:58):
they're gonna be able to develop me, how they'll be
able to get me qualified and and not qualified the
wrong way, the right way. As far as that you're
gonna be in class, you're gonna take this. Yeah, we're
gonna get you right. You're gonna have options after you
leave here. So that's kind of how that came about.
And it was one of the best decisions I've made.

(25:19):
Where did you Rockfield? Chill is who I met when
he was coaching with Lorenzo Romark the University of Washington
UM And then where did you meet Sunny? He was
at abc D. I met Sunday before abc D. Eric
Hardon kept sending him my highlights tape you gotta get
this kid in and and you gotta get this kid
and a B C D camp. He's the most Unstad's

(25:42):
one of the best unsigned underrated player. He's send Sunny
and sunny favorite line when he tells people how he
met me, it's like, yeah, this guy's hey, you coach
uh for whatever team? He always messes the name up
uh stead of staying of Paladins, he always say something
the wrong name. He kept calling me, kept emailing me,
and kept telling these people get in contact because it's

(26:03):
some guy named the roll right was the best. I'm like, yeah, whatever, whatever,
And then I never watched the tape. Somebody kind of
put the stamp on it. And that's how Sonny invited
me to the camp. And uh, we know before that
we met in person, met in person, and um, one
of the best days ever meeting him because when I

(26:24):
met Sonny also met t J. Four. He was just
fresh off of championship. You know, uh, you know, we
all know Sonny has a lot of great relationships with
you know, previous players, so kind of told me what
to look for and what was gonna happen when I
got the abc D camp and Sonny, you know, we
build that relationship before abc D Camp and then I

(26:45):
go there kill it. And he also brought Team Mac
to one of my games just to see me. I
saw he brought me over. This is Tracy. You know
a lot of people are comparing you guys. He's gonna
watch your game. You better do good. So that was
pretty It was a series of just kind of it's
crazy events that you took place for you. Uh, as

(27:06):
far as your your basketball journey was concerned. You got
Pat Barry, you got Sonny, and you're just and and
all and every stop you're turning it out. I mean
that'sar familiarly what happens. Ultimately you turned it out and
every stop it didn't that if it was Sunny whoever,
I the real right is turning it out. So if
you go back with you now, I guess my question. Now,
now that Raphael chili Is has given you the blueprint

(27:28):
for how you know you're gonna develop you and get
your qualified et center for that year, there had to
be well, let me ask you this what you had
Baseball still kind of looming in the back picture. So
that wasn't a deal where South Kent had a baseball
team to or how did that work? They did? But
you know, at this point, I had already burbally committed
to to the Paul so I kinda I kind of knew.

(27:50):
And then after the A B D abc D camp,
a lot of like the word got it got out
like now he ain't going to college. He he got
potential to go to the NBA. So buz started at
abc D. Can't because remember, uh, you got all the
hundreds of college coaches and then you got the NBA scouts.
So um, I get the South can they like baseball?

(28:12):
That's house and I'll be like cool with me already
that I'm like, I don't want to play. So when
I got the South camp, the word was already out,
like Yo, this dude going to the lead after the
after this year. So now what Eric Hardon told me
months ago, right after the losing your season and like
kind of the middle of au circuit, the word was out.
So when I got there, it was like, yo, you

(28:34):
I heard you might be going to lead after this,
and I kind of was like, yeah, I think, yeah,
I think that's gonna happen. I don't know, I think
that's gonna happen. So that's kind of how all that happened.
Like I was, my mind shifted. I was no longer
thinking I was going to cause my whole mindset shifted
to I'm going to lead now. So when I got
there and chills, you know whatever, he kind of knew

(28:56):
to like, yo, we're getting you prepared for the next
next level. How old were you at this time when
you're going from eighteen because I to seven team so
that put me in my right grade when I did
my post ride year. Okay, And so you go through
the season to South Kent now presumably believe the NBA
pre draft process is next, right, How talk a little

(29:18):
bit about that process for you and if you have
any crazy kind of stories from a crazy workout or
anything like that. Yeah, So during the season, though I
had like you know, the NBA scouts there, so we're
going all these big events. You know, Danny Yangs from
the Celtics. A lot of the heat people followed me.
Uh so I'm getting these different scouts at the game.

(29:39):
So so Danny is in the building. Yeah, they they're pulling,
They're pulling up. So that's how real is getting you
know what I mean, They're pulling up a lot of
times I didn't know what's going on to chills, Like
you know, scalt from six was here, scout from here
was here. I was like, really, he's telling me this
is after the game. Sare well, they know they I
just had thirty so they know. And so but once

(30:00):
you get to the pre draft workout is a funny story.
I tell her the had master of school, j R. Smith,
Josh Smith to bashing. He's all my homies because I
went to a D C D camp. I went to
the USA, so we I didn't. I'm in the group.
I'm in the click now like they I'm wanting them. Now.
I'm hearing they leaving school early to start getting ready

(30:21):
for pre draft camp. I'll go tell the head man,
I said, hey, all the high school kids, that's coming out.
They're going to pre draft camp. He like, that's cool.
You ain't gonna nowhere. You're gonna do it here because
you gotta finish school. Remember we set a goal. We
told your parents are gonna be qualified for college. So
if that don't have, you're gonna be qualified. I'm like, okay.
So the pre draft camp and uh, you know, all

(30:41):
the workouts were cool. The craziest stuff was just when
I did the two workouts in Boston, just all the
running and things of that nature. It was pretty simple
because a lot of stuff that we did their chills
was preparing this for a lot of stuff. We questions
that questions that teenager like why are we doing this?
It's crazy. Once I got to those pre draft camps,

(31:02):
our workouts we were doing that, so nothing really crazy.
I did too. I did two workouts for Boston and
I did three from Miami. I did too in Miami,
and then they came to South Kemp to watch me
work out too, So that was pretty crazy for them
to come all over the South camp. Pat Riley, No,
it was what is uh cam? Oh, check camera, check camera,

(31:25):
there you go. The O G came and see me,
So that's who it was so that that that was
pretty crazy for them to come there. Yeah, that's crazy, man,
that you you got a crazy story. Man. That is
really because because you you from South Central, but you
went to South Kit You got all these league dudes
coming to see you. Man, you play, you didn't play

(31:45):
on the traditional route. You hit a couple of spots,
turned it out. You have a really, really teresting story.
But let's keep going, man, Let's keep going. Because I'm
fascinated with the heat and the heat culture, right, so
if I followed that organization for a while. I actually
met with Spokes back in two thousand and twelve at
the Heat offices. I was trying to sell them from software.
That's another story, but I was down there, down there

(32:08):
the Heat officers. Man, I was chilling with sposing them.
It was crazy, but I just kind of was curious, man,
because we hear a lot about the heating culture and
how they you know, they stressed conditioning and physical toughness.
When you we're going through the pre draft process with
the heat, did you was the what could you get
a sense that it was a little bit different the
way they did things down there, or wasn't following in

(32:31):
line with pretty much what everybody else was doing, because
now you know people talk. I did twenties six workouts.
Remember I didn't have no agent, so I kept that open.
So I had some random person scheduling these workouts. And
Sonny was his He was like, who was doing this?
They got you going to Boston. Didn't you come to
l A? Then you're going to Chicago, You're going back

(32:51):
to I was doing that, like I come back to
l A. Then I go all the way to Atlanta,
then I go to Seattle. Like it was no real structure.
What my but you know, I'm eighteen, I'm green, I
don't you know. So those conversations start, like, yo, who
you worked out for so far? Uh? You tell them
I went to Miami and went to Boston. Everybody was
like that Miami one right. I was like Miami Boston

(33:16):
because of that running at the end in New Orleans
were the toughest ones. And then you think about it,
the running is just at the end, it's gonna see
what type of shape you in Miami, New Orleans. The
common denominic you got pat Riley, you got Byron Scott.
So we all know Byron Scott took a lot of
that blueprint from what pat Riley did. So those are

(33:38):
the two toughest ones. But my cardio and where I was,
you know, as far as in shape, it was easy
to me. I'm eighteen, I'm so excited to be here.
You couldn't. It was nothing I was complaining about because
I was so happy to be there, you know what
I mean. They saw like everything we did, I was
okay with it, like you know, I did it at
full speed. I didn't show no weakness to all the

(34:01):
cardio stuff. So I kind of think that's what really
made me do three workouts and then I didn't think
of it to the end, like damn, I did do
three workouts with them. That me that might mean why
they drafted me, right, they took They took you with
the with the nineteenth pick, the two downs, and in
four draft you were officially a first round To talk
about when you heard your name called or did you
know already? Did they did they call you already and

(34:23):
tell you? Yeah? So Calvin Andrews at the time was
my agent. You know, I signed with B d A
and Bill Duffie and Calvin Andrews and before they called me, um,
he called me into my kitchen. He was like, come
here right fast, d right. He was like, Miami just called.
They want to know you can handle South Beach. Mind
you've never been in Miami. Like that. I went there

(34:43):
and do my workout and I left. I'm like, yeah,
I'm like, YEA can handle the Miami. So that that
was that. Then a few picks later they end up
calling my name. I kind of got, you know, I
kind of set up a little bit like damn he
did is asking about Miami. Let me see, I did
do three workouts and then when they called my name
is a best feeling in the world. Man. Uh definitely
changed my life. I know a lot of people in

(35:05):
Miami were upset because they took me before Jamir Nelson
with that nineteen pick. And I know a lot of
people thought they needed a point guard for the Wade,
the kind of like match up in that back court.
And one of the first questions that asked me was like,
what how did you feel about the booze this and that.
I was like, yeah, I was in the house with
full full of people that loved me. I didn't hear

(35:25):
no booze. It was all cheers. So uh, you know,
I didn't take that personal and I didn't care like
I don't. I don't have control over draft me. But
that was definitely a big, big highlight of my career
and and like young life as well. You still remember
your your rookie that first rookie training camp and when
you had to go at you know, d Wade and

(35:45):
also of these guys who was it Eddie Jones And
I mean you had you had about eight six or
seven small forwards, so practice for you, That's what I
noticed kind of looking back on it, and I was like, man,
this dude had to go up and get some dog
in practice. Every single day was a challenge. My main
matchup was Rosco but arrest in Peace and Eddie Jones.

(36:07):
Uh and they they really got me to where, you know,
my career was, you know, competing at the high level.
One thing about me, you didn't have to tell me
to go hard, so like they used to have to
be like, yo, bro, you need to chill out. It's
a walkthrough. I'm busting Eddie Jones lip. He looking at
me like, bro, what's up with you? Man? You need
to chill out a little bit. I'm like what I do?
He's like, Man, my lift is bleeding because you're you're

(36:28):
going too hard. So I was one of those dudes
they used to have to be like, yo, slow down
a little bit, young feller. But you know, I really
really had the opportunity to compete at a high level
against some of the greats, you know what I mean,
d Wade, Eddie Jones, Shannon Anderson, Derek Anderson, uh, in
my first few years. So they just kind of taught

(36:49):
me to rope to how to work and how to
bring it every single day. So that's something I really
appreciate with those guys. And uh, you know some stuff
I try to install in the kids I coached. Now
it's a rookie you peel O'Neil, Christian later and Alonzo
Morning we're on that heat team and that's that's that's
an amazing trio for a lot of reasons. Three and
the greatest college stars that the game has ever seen,

(37:12):
and just American basketball folklore. I mean, yeah, Latner Zo,
I mean, those are some of the biggest legends. What
was it like being around them and what kind of
dude today? You've got any stories from them? Brothers? Man?
I got stories to days. But well, well you know
with Shock, it was a little bit different. You know,
I'm a I'm a Laker faner on up. I just

(37:33):
watched him win back to back to back championships. Then
I go get drafted by Miami and we go trade
for him to three weeks after I'm drafted, so I'm like, wait,
what am I gonna be on a team with Shaq? Surreal?
You know, he's one of those dudes as bigger than life,
a big jokester. So once I was able to team
up with him, you know, he kind of knew what

(37:55):
I was because we got mutual friends. My mom best friend.
My mom used to work for l AP So one
of my mom's close friends was a detective for l
A p D. And they kind of took Chack under
his wing, you know, when he wanted to be a
police officer, learned about the uh the four, so they
kind of connected us. So she told Shaq, this is

(38:16):
my best friend son, so make sure you look out
for him. So he kind of came there already you
know who I was because of her Marcella's so uh
it was cool because he took me on his wing.
He treated me well always, you know, random like clown
stuff all the time. But the stories, you know, go
for days just being a big prankster, uh and just

(38:37):
being just a big brother man. But the funny thing
is with with him and Zoe, He's always get on
He's a Zoe I'm five minutes better than you. You
just remember I was in the league five minutes before you,
because obviously he was the first pick and you know
Zoe being a second pick. He's always joked on him
about that. But it was always cool. Zoe was more
of that uh father figure. He didn't treat me like

(39:01):
a little homie. He used to treat me like he
was my dad. Like I used to say crazy stuff.
I'm eighteen nineteen joking, always doing wild stuff, and he's
always been looking at me like what would make you
say something like that? You know, I'm like just goofy man,
just saying anything, but everybody else laughing and Zoe serious
because I don't know what. So that was that was

(39:22):
cool was because it was different, you know, a shock
I go over there, joke was tell me some real
stuff like you need to do this and that I'm
all right man. And then later he was just laid back.
He was just you know, uh, one of those dudes
that you know, he just wasn't that he wasn't It
wasn't nothing too crazy for him. He did pass me

(39:44):
the ball on my first bucket and made sure he
told me, hey, Brook, don't ever forget whoever who gave
you your first assists. So I'd never forget that moment.
But three cool dudes. Uh took a lot of a
lot of advice from them, soaked it up like a sponge.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk line up
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(40:07):
Search f s R to listen live. How your relationship
with the sv T Stan van Gundy it was, it
was whatever, you know, I was still a young fellow.
I think Stan really wanted Jamir Nelson as well. I
think he, uh, you know, thought that that was the
right fit for them. So I don't want to say
that he treated me a different way because that didn't happen,

(40:27):
because I think, you know, after you look back at it,
standards just like that with everybody. You know, He's just
about his craft and that's about winning, developing. So uh,
he definitely stayed on me. He used to hate when
I went left all the time. If you go left
one more time, I'm gonna find you. So that was

(40:50):
the one thing he's gonna say, if you go left
one more time, you getting fine? Why was he keeping
on the list? I used to break every play. You
know what I'm thinking. I'm coming from being a man.
I didn't know that. You know, you gotta run a
play every single time. I used to think, Hey, it's
my moment right now, I don't play. I gotta show
you I'm trying to play. So he used to just
stay on me, you know, And I felt like the
older I got, and when he was away, like when

(41:12):
he went to another team, I think we were even
more cooler. You know how there's some people are okay,
but you see how much they benefit you and how
much they helped you once they are gone, If that
makes sense like that, that's kind of how it was
our relationship with stand But we were always cool. Uh,
no hard feelings for him. He was just on me

(41:33):
all the time. And you know, as a young player,
you want you need people like that when you're a
vantage from your vantage point. What was the I guess
you know, the single most important factor behind you guys
winning the championship in two thousands and six. The biggest
thing was the leadership of Pat Roley, you know, staying
you know, he stepped down. Pat came in and took over.

(41:56):
But it was a leadership. It was him holding everybody accountable.
We had the same fifteen strong and we really meant that,
like we all on a rope together, like if our
brother do it, we all go go down doing it.
So just him bringing us together, him motivating us, him
making us understand why those Showtime team were champions and

(42:18):
crowned at the end of the season. And he showed
us the blueprint and everybody followed that blueprint. Everybody believed
and you know, he played a major part in that.
The way played a major part of that, just because
Shock told him, this is your team and we're gonna
follow you. And I think with those two leaders and
then you add a Shock and Gary Payton, uh, it's

(42:42):
no way you can lose because everybody is on that
same rope. I think that was the biggest thing, just
the leadership and the togetherness we have. Yeah, that team
was tight and it was a you guys played as
a unit. But man, you guys, the way he kind
of took it to a new of the level at times.
And you played against the greatest, some of the greatest

(43:04):
of all time, right, where do you think, Yeah, and
I'm not getting saying give me a number or anything
like that. Where do you think, though, just d Wade,
where does his place of his all time greats of
a basketball the shooting guard position. I think he's the
top five shooting guard of all time just because of
the credentials and before the lebron and for the Chris Boss,
he actually put a team on his back and went

(43:27):
and told everybody I ain't going out, like yeah, yeah,
you know what I mean. So that's what puts him
in that top five of all time. And I've never
heard nobody argue that, like that's a fact. The way
he did it, uh, you know, on the both ends
of the floor. He was a bad boy. So I
would definitely put the way top five. Hey, yeah, that

(43:47):
was that's fair. That's fair. Let me actually this one
more thing on Miami. Now, what was what was spo
at this time? He was assistant Yeah, he was assistant
coach and he was more one on one with the
way he did a lot of stuff with the way. Okay, okay,
and you played and you played with I mean you
played for his assistants during your career. A number of

(44:09):
guys that have made it as head coaches in the NBA,
Stephen Silis, Lloyd Pierce Western Jr. Michael Malone. Is there
was there anything? And it's just a random question, but
could you tell certain guys are built for this job
more than the others head coaches? You just see the
passion and all those people you just named that I
played for all of those guys or they were assistant coach,

(44:32):
but the passion, uh, you know, the i Q and
just being there early, leaving late, always locked in on
the film. Um always spoke up, you know what I mean.
Some assistants don't really speak up, but the dudes were
speaking up. He used to dude that Pool you to
the side, like Hey, we need to do this and this, X,
Y and Z. And out of all those guys, I
think the next one on the list is dander David

(44:54):
Vanderpool Penderpool. Yo. You know what I mean saying, same
guy that going that same category with these dudes. You
just but the thing was supposed just his passion and
I he uh the attention to detail and holding people accountable,
things of that nature. Where you see him as a
head coach, you like, I ain't surprised, Like people are
you surprised. I'm not surprised at all because I saw

(45:14):
it do I saw him do it every single day.
What you and from what I gather you what you
see is the work is what ultimately all of them
guys kind of have in common. Locked into the field
on the court and then asking questions and not afraid
to talk that those are two huge things. I think
that a lot of times you get intimidated a little bit,
don't want to say nothing, but man, you raise your

(45:35):
hand and say something. Man, you got to man, because
a lot of coaches think their opinion doesn't matter because
the head coach is locked in his whatever scheme the system.
You gotta say something, especially when you the assistant coaches
have better relationships with the head coaches because how it goes,
they expend more time with us. So you gotta speak
up sometime. And that's when you get the trust from
your players that come to you openly and tell you

(45:58):
stuff so they could go I could make this short.
The team is doing better, so I think those are
the guys that that wasn't afraid that you know, uh,
what's therapeen? Absolutely, and then after Miami he signed with
the Golden State Warriors, where in two thousand eleven under
head coach Keith Smart, you had a career high and
pretty much every statistical category jump made a big time

(46:20):
jump sixteen and a half points a game, which was
I believe Steph's second season in the league, So it
was early on um at this at this point in
your career playing with Steph Curry, what was your opinion
of him? Sort of if you could take yourself back
to Darrell in two thousand eleven, what was your opinion
of him at that time? Worked? That boy just gonna work.

(46:44):
He's gonna work, and you used to have to tell
him that. You know, me and Monte led the league
that year. We know we're top five in the league.
It was him or Lull dang in him and then me.
I think we're the top three and minutes Uh played
that year, so you know, we were we were serious
about our rest. Yeah, we worked on our craft, but
we had the rest. Uhould be like Steph, like you

(47:05):
little relaxed young feller. We got a game tonight in
there in the full sweat getting to it. So I think, uh,
just seeing the work he put in, that was the
one thing that used to always be in the background,
and this young feller be in the gym. Uh So
I think now seeing him, it's not a it's not
like oh wow, like he's this big time player. You know.

(47:25):
I remember he worked, he worked on his craft. He
wanted to be better. So, uh, that was my my
main thing, Like, this kid has a lot of potential.
If he can stay healthy and keep working like he does,
he's gonna be one of the best players in this league.
So you can see it then, because what physical tools like,
what nuances to steps game, like the things that Hooper's

(47:48):
kind of recognized. What were some things that you kind
of saw, you know, I don't know if maybe the
way you know he's able to pull hesitated, I don't know,
maybe it's a technical thing. But did you see like
little nuances to his game that you said, yeah, that different,
super crappy around the basket, he defended in different ways.
He had the handle, he had the i Q, he
could play, he could play make very underrated playmaker, and

(48:10):
then he can shoot, you know, what I mean, did
we know that the game was changing that what with
shooting being the number one option? Now, we didn't know that.
But he had all those tools and those attributes. He
just had to put it together. Yeah, and that no,
So you guys thirty six and forty six that season,
I think you guys said they decided to make a
change and the head coach bringing Mark Jackson the draft, uh,

(48:35):
Clay Thompson amongst others. Um, you averaged with nine ten
points a game that year. Now at the time I'm
looking at the articles, they say he took a step
back as far as your game. They used the word regrets.
What did Clay's arrival have anything to do with you?
Sacrifice and sort of what you were doing out there?

(48:55):
Or was this something that you know, you just you
can't really explain why or was it not in the play?
It's key play why The biggest thing is to change,
you know, having Keep Smart who let me go, and
then having Mark Jackson who let me go. But you
know it wasn't the same style of play. You know,
it wasn't as free. You know, Keith Smart was under

(49:16):
then Don Nelson. So that means we gotta get up
a bunch of threes. We gotta running gun, so I
had way more attempts and way more opportunities to average
sixteen points. You know, I'm playing forty minutes a game,
shooting the ball almost seventeen times a game, shooting eight
threes a game that you know, there's a lot of
opportunities there. So but Mark, you know, he kind of

(49:37):
wanted me to still be myself. I got off to
a slow start, so I was kind of behind the
needle on everything. Then you know, I caught rhythm at
things of that nature, but it was just different. You know,
my minutes got cut a little bit. We also have
Brandon Rush. Brandon Rush is playing behind me. He was
playing good, so sometimes he had finished the game. Yeah,
as a starter, you want to finish the game. But

(49:59):
you know, as a as a teammate, a team player
like I am, you understand, Hey, he playing better than me.
Y'all playing me right now and that, And that's just
how it happened. So I wouldn't definitely say I definitely
wouldn't say because Mark Jackson came or Klay Thompson. No,
I just didn't, uh, you know, meet those expectations that
I said in the beginning the season, which happened, so

(50:21):
definitely I wish I did better. Still, you know, was
one of the top guys in the league with threes
made a year before. I led the lead in threes
made the following year. I still think I made a
hundred some of threes. I wasn't as satisfied as I
was a year before, because obviously you want to do
the same thing. But I felt like, you know, maybe
I grew the situation. So I was definitely happy I

(50:44):
got a fresh start and was able to you know,
move on from you know, to go to State Era
and go to Philly. Yeah. Absolutely, One last thing, did
you ever think that these two Stephan Clay would be
regarded as the greatest shooting that court and NBA history?
Was there anything? Was there ever a moment in your
practice of you ooping against you know, how you can

(51:06):
hoop against somebody, you might sell do hit fourteen threes
on it, you know, so you'd be like walking away.
Nobody else saw it. But you know, was there ever
a moment like that? It was never a moment, But
I know Clay used to kick me and be rushed.
But at the three point practice, we do these drills.
You gotta shoot for a minute each spot, Like you know,
I'm gonna I'm getting out hitting seventeen or eighteen, be

(51:28):
rushing in seventeen or eighteen. Then Clay come and hit
twenty four in a minute. He's like, dang, like, and
I'm telling you, bro, I'm not We're not even missing
like that, We're hardly missing. So I just tell you
how high the clip he will shooting. He wasn't missing
at all. So he's like, damn, Like this young dude
is a rookie. He's shooting the ball like that. So

(51:49):
he showed signs he's so flashes to being a good player,
but not a great player, you know, because it's still
super laid back. Clay used to get there to fifteen
minutes before practice starts, still got stuff all in this
I don't speak to nobody. So you're like, yo, you know,
if he can get here a little bit early. But

(52:10):
he one thing I can't say. He had stayed behind,
you know, after you know, when you're vet, you're gonna
get it in before practice, after practice. You know, we're
trying and tell him, like, yo, bro, you need to
start getting here a little bit earlier. And Clay was
okay and never did it. He'd get his work after,
but teach his own like it's a new lead. Now
guys got what they prefer. When we came in the league,

(52:32):
I was in the league with older players. Me and
the Montes came out of high school, so we was
with a whole different era. He coming in with a
new era. I think this is my like seventh year
in the league. He like, when you get here, when
I get here, I get to work in when I
when I get it in. So it worked out. So
I was our biggest thing, like if he could start
getting here a little bit earlier and taking this crap

(52:55):
a little bit serious, he could be a good player.
So he you know what I mean. So that's kind
of how we we saw Clay. And then once I
left and he got more of a role, you can
see like, Okay, he could be really really good. Absolutely,
and he definitely. They both blossomed into the Splash Brothers
and then so and then you you dipped from Golden
State and then went to Philly with Doug Collins. You

(53:17):
have there four l a dudes on that roster, Nick Young,
Justin and Drew Holiday. How was that and then you
had Kwammy Brown. How was that experience in Philadelphia? Man,
that was a roller coaster, to be honest with you,
just the Philly man being in Philly. Uh, that team
they kind of built it around Andrew buying them, so
that's why they want to go get me. Jason Richardson,

(53:40):
Nick Young, they needed ass shooting around his big fella
who was gonna cause double teams and you don't have
to kick it out for somebody. So that was the
whole thing. So now we're teaming up with Evan Turner,
Drew Holiday that he is, Young, Spencer Hall, they were
already there. So myself, Clay, I mean myself Nick uh

(54:03):
kuam a, we're gonna be coming off the bench. Ja
Richard b starter. But Andrew Wiggins was hurt. I mean,
Andrew Biinen was hurt that whole year. So it did
we didn't meet expected expectations. So we heard a lot
of those blue birds early, you know how feeling Yeah,
So man, it was tough sometimes because you be in

(54:23):
the first quarter down seven or eight, ay boom, you
and Doug Colline like y'all hear that, Like that's that's
for us because we're not you know, doing what we're
supposed to be doing. So it was it was a
roller coaster, to be honest with you. I enjoyed my
time there, but you know that one year was more
than enough for me. Yeah, and then you finished your
career importantly with the trail Blazers before retiring. I guess

(54:47):
one of the thing I'm curious about is what was
the When was the moment you knew that it was
time to shut it down? Well, when I went to Europe.
You know, I got those four years in Europe. So
I did China, I did Germany, I did Russia, and
then I did like a quick stint in Bosnia. Um,
but I just knew, like, this is not what I
want to do. No more Like I gave the game everything.

(55:08):
My body wasn't responding the way I would want it
to respond. My my kid was getting ready to be
an eighth grader, and I'm an eighth grader and a
seventh grader. I'm like, this is the time when you know,
I'm thinking about when my my childhood. Which way you go?
You either do the streets or you do the sports. Obviously,
my kid don't grow up, didn't grow up how I

(55:30):
grew up, so let's make that loud and clear. Uh So,
I'm like, this is the time where you either gonna
veer off and do something or you're gonna pick the
sports now. So I'm like, it's so important for me
to be a father because when I went and play
those four years in Europe, my family was living in
the States. So I'm like, I gotta be there from
my kid, you know, I gotta be that father figure. Yeah.

(55:51):
I'm doing a great job. I'm providing. I'm I'm telling
what he needs to do through FaceTime, but I need
to actually be there and make sure he's doing the
right thing and be that, you know, that that figure
for him. So that's when I kind of, you know,
I was like, yeah, it's over. I told my wife.
My wife was like what. Everybody was like, wait, what?
Like you got so much more left? Like I was like,

(56:12):
but I don't want to play basketball anymore. And I
think a lot of that has to do with not
only just being a father and being around for my kids,
A lot of that has to do with me being
a baseball player of my whole life. So I love basketball,
but I didn't love basketball like you know, some of
my peers like a Bobby Brown a pool jetter. They're
still hooping the thirty eight thirty seven still want to

(56:35):
hoop me. I'm like, I'm cool, you know what I mean.
I got everything out of it. I'm good. So that's
that's kind of how I felt to like, y'all love basketball,
but I didn't love it like that. So I felt
like I was okay with walking away. Yeah. Wow, I
mean that's a heck of a decision because when especially
when you still got some left in the tank but
you don't love it like that, and then the odyssey

(56:58):
of of traveling and playing over can definitely leave a
bad taste in some people's mouths. I've played in Russia, Turkey, France,
and then uh I hit a groove in Qatar, which
is right in the Middle East, right next to Dubai,
and uh I spent four years out there and that
was probably my favorite experience. But you miss out on

(57:18):
so much at home, and I can't you cannot overstate
the importance of a father being home in those four
performidable years seventh grade or adolescents and kind of that
thirteen fourteen, you know, everybody be real bad. You know,
that's where you be real bad right, So that I
was like, we need a dude around here. I didn't
do that trip, but now I totally get it, man,

(57:40):
And and that's that's a that's a great decision. Fox
Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot
com and within the I Heart Radio app search f
s R to listen live. What made you decide to
start your own AU program? So with with that, that's

(58:01):
a great question. I just know, man, I just know
what goes on with AU basketball. I feel like, um,
the state of AU basketball is in a bad state.
The reputation for AU basketball isn't isn't good. The representatives

(58:22):
for AU basketball aren't there, and I felt like we
needed more people like me to be in there. So
now you see the Russells, and you see the E.
Y d. L. You see the John Walls, the Bradley Bill,
you see these guys as in basketball create their own
teams because it's important to see the guys you want

(58:42):
to be like, either being a program director, even being
the sponsor, or being me the coach. So I felt
like it was needed. I felt like, you basketball sometimes
can be a joke because a lot of people are
just rolling the basketballs out. So I felt like, Uh,
these kids need to learn how to play the basketball
the right way. I can't help everybody, but the small

(59:04):
group of kids that's in my program, I feel like,
I could you help them succeed the dreams that they
want to pursue and the things that I reach. So
I was like, what's what's better than me being a
director of coach and coaching my son and some of
the top talent in this area. So that's kind of
what led me to do it after seeing my son
playing for different teams, and you know, I really wasn't tripping.

(59:27):
I want my kid to be good later. I don't
want my son to be good right now. I wanted
to be solid. I wanted to be out. I got
a deer looking at me through the window, which is funny,
where do you live? Where you live, I'm in the
I'm in the boonies and the all in the interview
looking at I just don't want to run through my window.

(59:47):
So I'm like, what you're looking at? Right? So yeah, so, uh,
you know, it's a long term goal for my my kid.
I wanted him to be like me in the line.
I want him to be that late bloomer or hit
that surfers when he's supposed to. Now he finally hitting
the stride of being a good player. So I'm like,
how can't we make a make an impact in the

(01:00:09):
in the community and help these young fellers get to
where they need to be. And I was like, man,
we gotta start our own program and I gotta be
a part of it. I gotta be there every single day.
So that's kind of what made me want to be
a program director and also a coach. Awesome man, And
how did the Donda the Donda Academy opportunity to get about? Oh? Man,
my guy, just little boy. I don't know if people

(01:00:29):
are familiar with him. He runs one of the biggest
meme pages for our culture. And I say culture because
there's a lot of stuff that we go through an
African and African American community and other communities. But it's
a lot of relationships stuff, you know, things like that.
And he and I became cool years, probably about a
year and a half ago when he probably had maybe

(01:00:53):
two thousand followers, and I watched them grow as this platform.
So now he has like five or six million followers
within a year. So we became cool because we're always
laughing at you know, the stuff I posed. He posed
and uh, seeing he had this platform and he needed
to do more than just be a mean guy. Right.

(01:01:13):
So myself and my wife are kind of like connectors
and we've had businesses. We know so many people. So
I reached out to justin like, yo, bro let me
and my wife, um let me and my wife manage
you you do a podcast? He was all in. He
was like, man, I got all these big companies reaching
out to me, but they don't want to give me ownership.

(01:01:33):
And you know, now, like as the community, like we
we gotta be a little bit smarter about the things
we do and the things we signed. So the number
one thing should be ownership, especially if you deserve that
you're putting that work in, You deserve deserve ownership, and
it's important for our people to know that, Like, YO,
get ownership, own your stuff. Don't lest somebody just hang

(01:01:55):
something over your head and say I got this opportunity
but not looking out for you. Because you bring value
just like they bring value. So make sure you're being
uh taking care of as well. So that was kind
of the plan didn't fall through, I mean didn't follow
through or it fell through, end up doing his own thing. Whatever,
all good. We remain friends. So Kanye West hires him

(01:02:19):
to be his main marketing strategy guy because he understands culture,
he understands our community. So Kanye hired him to be
his marketing guy. Kanye came up with a bright idea
to start a a I mean a basketball program now
to AU program, but the school that can compete with
the other high schools around the area. So he was like,

(01:02:42):
reach out to some people. They was reaching out to
all these coaches and Justin was like, I know the
perfect person, the real right. He said, he just had
an AIRU team for him. In two years. They had numbered.
We were numbered like a team team in the country.
We feel is just the year off the number two
team in the country. He's like, I've been watching him

(01:03:04):
grow as AU program and they're like one of the
best teams in the country. Let's hire him. So I'm
on a two day I'm on a twelve day vacation
in south of France. They called me day two like,
we need you to to get to l A. I want
you to meet Kanye you want to do with school.
I'm like, bro, I'm in the south of France of
d Way Gabriel Union, my wife having a grand old time.
I ain't coming back in before another ten days, so

(01:03:26):
that's don't have to wait. So he calling me every day. Man,
you gotta get back, you gotta get back. So the
day I get back, Justin calls me like, I gotta
zoom set up tomorrow. We need you ya get on
a zoom with you. Ye like where I want to
create my school. I want to create U basketball team.
I want to compete with all the schools. Can you
help it? Can you make it? Can you make this happen?

(01:03:48):
I said, oh yeah, I said next year we're gonna
have the best team. I'm put all the resources, coach
and everything. They was like, na, we want to start today.
I'm like what, I'm like, people are in school already,
people are on their team. It's not gonna happen. It
was like, no, it can't happen, So find a way.
And I was like, let's do it. So that's kind
of how I came became the program director. Uh, Donda,

(01:04:11):
and it's been crazy and you and you, so this
program Donda now you guys have we at five six sevens,
five stars or you guys got a heck of a roster.
I know, I've seen the names, and I've seen the highlights.
I was watching it. I was watching the game the
other day. Uh missed the lamp at the buzzerd but
didn't get it. But but hey, he should he should
have talked. He should have? Should you should? I mean

(01:04:31):
you're telling you talked to him? Yeah, you gotta boom that.
But it's an exciting situation. You guys played uh Veritas
Prep earlier this year. I'm familiar with their program, so
I got to see some highlights. I'm curious, how does
you know you're sitting behind the eight ball taking that
job man, and trying to build a program like today
with it, you know, within a matter of months. I mean,

(01:04:53):
is it a testament to the team you built, the
resources you have around the country? How did how did
you get it to this point so quick? Uh? As
the resources when you're dealing with somebody like a Kanye West, Um,
a lot of people and it's a lot of people
think like the budget is unlimited, like you just we're
just about to run it up. No, you know, we
had a budget to get things done, and we had

(01:05:14):
to go do the research. I had to put my
head down and do the research when it came to school,
you know, going after different schools like k twelve who
we use and we been, uh potentially became partners. So
we're partners with Kate twelve. Uh. Where they live at,
where they're gonna work out at, who's going to be
the nutrition is all these things. I had to use

(01:05:36):
my resources. So me being that connector me being you know,
one of the guys from l A that's as well
known as known for doing all these crazy things and
things of that nature. I just reached out to people
that I knew that had these things that can host us,
like a Frink Robinson who became the coach. He has
the district And see me by I mean chat's work

(01:06:00):
was the coach. I was trying to figure out coach.
So it's Frankie Frank Robinson. Anybody know Frankie has been
having a gym called the District. That's where they go exactly.
So that's where they practice, that, that's where they do
weight lifting, that that's where they do a bunch of
things that so, uh, that's kind of how I built
this thing with my resources and also Kanye's resources, his

(01:06:22):
name and the budget that we were able to to
use to make this come to what it is today.
And then you know, my god, Samir at Slam reaches
out like, yeah, we want to do uh, we want
to do uh Donda, we want to feature them. I'm like, okay,
we can do it. What y'all want to do. We
want to put them on the cover. We want the
best two players and Kanye on the cover. It was like, no,

(01:06:45):
we want the whole team on the cover because we
don't want it to be an individual It's not the NBA.
If it's the NBA is different. But these are high
school kids, like showcase all of them and Slam was
like no problem. And it was like in Kanye's gonna
be on there with them, He's gonna pose with him.
So uh, the Slam just dropped yesterday. Uh. I know

(01:07:06):
that the kids are super excited about that. It's like,
come on, I was. I was in the back and
in the punks section of the Slam magazine when I
was in high school and super excited. These kids are
on the cover of the Slam magazine with Kanye West,
really but that just showed you the value that these
kids bring and and with this program is bringing to

(01:07:27):
them as well. So it's definitely a great partnership. And
the best part is that, you know, Kanye Inged, they
hired excellent basketball people. Let them do the basketball part
of everything exactly. And I think that has a big
reason why you got so competitive so quick, because there's
no way you guys should be the competitive that quickly.
Let me come on, I mean it just came out

(01:07:49):
and came out the gates. Just we're gonna get hey
and so give you all some time, man. So that's awesome, man.
And then, um, so talk about this one more question. Man.
I'm a at you go, because we've been on this
thing for a while and this kind of flow, bro.
But I got one more thing, and I just kind
of want to know about as far as this year's Warriors, now,
Draymond Clays back, Draymond has been hurt. There's no light

(01:08:14):
at the end of the tunnel was the quote that
they had to day. As far as his return um
surprise team, do you think that this team, well, do
you think that the second first of all two parts,
do you think that the second unit, the bench mob
as as I've heard you as you called him, are
experience enough to carry this this team to a deep
playoff run. And do you think that Clay Thompson is

(01:08:35):
going to round into form and become a shadow of
his former self. Yeah, I think Clay Thompson me back
to itself. I think it's all about him getting his
legs back under him, getting back into the routine. It's
hard when you missed two and a half years of
basketball and you just want somebody to beat them. Like
I've meant through surgeries, it wasn't two years is a
couple of months. It took me a minute to get

(01:08:58):
back to myself. So to see where Clay Iimepson is
right now averaging fourteen fifteen points at the missing all
that time, it's still impressive. Yeah, you know, he's probably
not the same player he was right now when he left,
But I think eventually more reps he gets, the more
time he is on the court, the more they expanded,
expand his minutes hed get back to that. So definitely

(01:09:20):
think Clay Thompson's gonna be back to the old Clay Thompson.
And with this bench, I think it's the perfect fit.
I think Otto Porter Jr. Gary Payton, the second Jordan's Pool,
Jonathan Cominga, These are the right pie Andre Goodal, he
can't forget about him. These are the right pieces for
this team because I think the previous years they didn't

(01:09:41):
have the right fits like they did when they were
winning those championships and when they were a dynasty. So
now I think with the with that bench, and then
you add a Andrew Wiggins, you add a Caban Looney,
everybody fits perfect. Now you got your big three there.
And then you add a guy like Andrew Wiggins who
was a former number one pick. Somebody gets you fit
in the twenty every night. Then you go get a

(01:10:02):
number the former number three pick who's made and had
a contract over a hundred million dollars in out of Porter,
who I think are the two biggest X factors on
this team. So I think they could go deep and
in his in his playoff running and potentially won the
championship because they are the number one defensive team in
the NBA and too, they're gonna put it on the
line every night. Yeah, it's curious how the Warriors that

(01:10:24):
will continue to perform moving forward. If Draymond has a
Lympic absence. I feel like that Clay some of his
slow starts attributed to Draymond not being there because you know,
you know as well as anyone that Draymond on offense
is is like one of the just I mean, back
in the day the bulls, the Rodman would swing the ball.

(01:10:45):
I don't remember the triangle, but they always probably he
moved that thing like a hot potato so fast it
would just he would help the continuity the offense. Draymond
is like Roman times ten because of the back of
the back door threats on the diamond. Then the nuance
of knowing these two shooters, like the back of his
hands and how they want to curl, then when they're
getting their feet set, you know, to do that quick

(01:11:05):
one to like and then make sure the pass is there.
I think that, to me has been one of the
biggest factors in Clay's slow start. I remember saying, and
also what what stuff struggling a little bit? You know,
he's been uh, you know, for for me or for
anybody else. He hasn't been shooting a well, he's still
shooting thirty seven cent from three point line, which is

(01:11:28):
still pretty amazing. But we all used to for d
for two for three, and I think just how he
sets sets his guys up, like you mentioned, and also
the the offense that they run. That offense is uh
around more of a Draymond for him to be a facilitator,
and it's more of that old school basketball where you pass,
you move, uh, you come together, split actions and you

(01:11:50):
go different ways. It's all about reads. So when you
got somebody that's not used to play that position playing
that position, it's hard to get those guys. Uh, there're
shots where they like it. So I think once Draymond
is back, a lot of those things that they're struggling
with right now and it is a little funk, will
definitely be a lot better. Yeah, I think a lot
of these guys to the experience that they're getting GP

(01:12:13):
two Jordan's Yes, I've got them waiting. I've been waiting
for Wiseman just for I've been waiting from Wiseman forever,
just to kind of see, you know what with him
and cominga with the Lungdon those young legs, how they
could potentially help you know, well, they are going to
help roster in a rotation, you know what. I mean,
when you got to too young uns in that next

(01:12:34):
to ye man, it make all the differences that they
close out. It never recovers that, you know, And I
think that's something that Warrior has been lacking the last
few year is just the athleticism. You know, you got
Draymond Clay and Steph they ain't the most athletic guys.
But then you ask somebody like a Jordan Pool Wiggins,
uh cominga Wiseman. Those are athletes, GP two. Those are athletes.

(01:12:58):
So you need at you know, when it's time to
rebound the fan Like you said, multiple uh possessions and positions.
So I think that's what's gonna separate them absolutely. The
last thing, man, and before we sho shoot off the interview,
I read your letter to your younger brother telling them,
you know, to walk away from the card table and

(01:13:21):
chill out of viavy. Yeah. I was curious as I
was reading that thing, man. That was a beautiful letter.
By the way, I was curious when I was reading
that thing, Man, if you could pin a letter to
your younger self right when you were six, what would
you tell your younger self or would you tell yourself
any differently? Yeah, it's it's some things that I did
that to be honest with you, I don't have many

(01:13:44):
things that I can say I regret because that obviously
everything is a learning lesson, and a lot of my
lessons were very minimum, so that that's another great thing.
But that that just shows you the foundation in the
circle around me that helped me accountable, not only myself
but the people around me, hoping me accountable and not

(01:14:04):
having too many people around me just saying yes to everything,
Like I got real people in my corner that's gonna
tell me your d right, you tripping? So uh. That's
that's something I think I installed in my life early on,
and and one of those people was my wife. So uh.
But if I if I had to say something, I
would just be like, Yo, it's a long race, a marathon. Um,

(01:14:26):
it's gonna be a lot of ups and downs. Um.
I think the people that successful the people that can
go through those ups and downs, you know what I mean,
and take a few bumps, yeah, and know that it's
all good. Like you got another day to seize the
moment the carpet d M sees the moment and just
don't dwell in the past like you gotta move on.

(01:14:47):
Every day is a new challenge. So I think that
are some of the things because sometimes, you know, I
used to be in a phone. I kind of premeditate,
not premeditate, but pre determined what's gonna happen. I put
bad things in you to birds my mindset. What was off.
I'll be like, yo, x Y Z is gonna happen.
And when I get there, x Y and Z happened.

(01:15:07):
Like why am I surprised at that happened? I said
it was gonna happen instead of being like, no, we're
gonna do it like this, this and that and you know,
more positive vibes. So I think that right there limitates
a lot of bad days that I have because my
mindset is different. So I would definitely say mindset is
one of them. Have a positive mindset, Uh, be coachable,

(01:15:30):
Always be coachable and just live man, have fun and
build those relationships as they go along. Way. Why is words,
ladies and gentlemen. Durrell right, thank you so much, my
brother for Jordan's show. That's certain. Thanks for having me

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