July 25, 2025 • 29 mins
On this special episode, Jemele shares more of her conversation with future NBA Hall of Famer Chris Paul at the American Black Film Festival. Audience members were granted the opportunity to ask Chris Paul about his life, career and passion for filmmaking, and Chris candidly shares some of his experiences and gives some critical advice for young hoopers who have dreams of making it to the NBA.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
All right, Well, at this point we are going to
pivot to some audience questions. We have microphones that are
here at the bottom of the stage, so if you
have a question for Chris, please come forward.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
All right, good afternoon. I'm doctor Elizabeth Joy. I was
just thinking and you brought it up. I wanted you
to touch a little more on the competitiveness and how
everyone wants to start their own thing. I feel like
in the black community we still deal with a lot
of the remnants of the ongoing experience of racism, which
(00:54):
causes us to feel like we need to.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Fight for everything.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
And when you think about NBA allso, I work with
the mothers of professional basketball players, and some of the
work that I do with them is even as moms
of NBA players, where competitiveness comes up with them. And
so I'm curious, how do you even maneuver that to
especially with you all, because egos are major, major, right,
(01:19):
So how do you maneuver to try to find that
connective tissue to be able.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
To part It's really hard. Exactly what you just said
is really hard. I'm actually actually also started a company
called Players TV, right, and that's with a gang of
other players Kyrie Irving and CJ. McCullum and another a
number of other athletes. And it's hard because we're conditioned.
We're sort of conditioned as people to they got that
(01:48):
I wanted to, right, And then you find somebody hating
on somebody or they don't like them because it is
it gets kind of petty at times. But we have
to continue to have these conversations. And it's actually really
dope when you see companies come together, right, you come together,
and it's really, like I said, sport taught me everything
in life. They say, what if you want to run
(02:11):
go far? Yeah, exactly, you know. And so also think
about like a hand right, like you don't punch anybody
like that, you do it like this, you come together.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
All these things I learned in sports.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So I think if we continue to have these conversations
and then someone also always has to be the one
to I think we look at it as giving in
or not instead of having real conversations.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
People be like, man, I ain't going to talk to them.
I'm only partnering with them.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
They come to me first, right, And the only way
you can grow something is that you have to start
it right. That was one of the biggest things I learned.
A lot of times you run into people who saying, man,
I'm gonna start this company, but I gotta do this
three years go by, right and instead of starting it
and then learning.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
And seeing how much better you are three years from now.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Which, by the way, y'all, mergers and that was posicians
is how you grow to be wealthy. That's how the
other people do it. It's mergers and acquisitions. You don't
start from scratch.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Yeah you could own, you could own one hundred percent
or something, but if it ain't nothing happening with that
one hundred percent of zero zero, nothing, thank you?
Speaker 6 (03:16):
All right.
Speaker 7 (03:17):
I was wondering we all have milestone moments in our careers,
in our lives. You being such a multi dimensional person,
can you share one or two or three milestone moments
that have impacted you either on the court or even
in your personal life, that have shaped your professional career
(03:38):
as a basketball player.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yes, ma'am, that's a good question, because I don't remember
in everything, but I'll try.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
I'll try.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Coming into the NBA is such a young age, right,
Like I was just like any kid in the backyard,
shooting fadeaways, acting like Michael Jordan, right, me and my
older brother.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
It's just us too.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
So we was in the backyard acting like Michael Jordan
Scottie Pit.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
I was mj. Of course he was Scotty, right.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
But when you and when you're a kid, and you like,
I would have never thought that I would still be
playing and have my kids watch me, right. So I
think that was a very pivotal point for me when
I became a dad, right, because I have all these
different stages of my career. I have this stage where
it was just me and my brother living together. Right
(04:24):
then my girlfriend got pregnant with my son, she moved in.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
So I remember all these different phases of my career, right, like.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Before kids married and then like my grandparents getting to
come see me. One of them was All Star Weekend,
my very first year in NBA. All Star Weekend. My dad, Right,
My dad is a huge basketball fan, just like anybody else.
My dad was in two leagues growing up. In one
(04:52):
of his leagues, he was number forty four. That was
the CJ. Jocks, that was the name of his team,
and he had another team called the Chris Crushers, right, yeah,
very original, right. But in one league he won number
forty four for Iceman George Gervin, and in the.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Other league he won number six for who Doctor J.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Right man, I made it to the NBA and at
All Star Weekend, they had this thing called the Legends Brunch,
the Legends Brunch. I took my pops to the Legends
Brunch and Iceman and Doctor J came over, and I
got to see my dad like a little kid, right.
And for my dad now to know George Gervin and
(05:31):
they play golf and all this different type stuff. It's
the wildest thing ever. And it's the coolest thing for
me because I'm not where I'm at without my dad, right,
and now being a parent having a sixteen year old
son who I can't wait to get home to to
probably knock his head off, because I remember going through
with my dad like in fifteen sixteen. I felt like
(05:54):
he didn't know anything, right. I just felt like he
was so hard on me, And I think my son
is at that age now and you don't understand that
until you get a little older.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
So that was definitely one of them.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
And then probably this past season finishing my twentieth year, right,
because there's so many people who have played a role
in making that happen, and I still probably want to
appreciate it till I'm really on the other side of it.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
But I just have so much gratitude because.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
I haven't had to live in the real world yet. Honestly,
I say it, and I tell all these kids that
want to come up and take my job, you ain't
gonna take my job because you're not gonna outwork me.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
You're not.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You're just not gonna outwork me. And so I feel
like that, and yeah, I'm grateful. After this twentieth season
is when it really hit me because, like I said,
my kids have only known me in the NBA, so
that would be it.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
That's ma'am.
Speaker 8 (06:54):
Christ behf Why I asked you a question, Jamil and Hill.
I just want to tell you. I want to thank
you for being a positively black and telling the truth.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
At all time, because the truth is uncomfortable.
Speaker 8 (07:06):
But in order for you to grow, you have to
You're gonna be you need to hear the truth, and
I thank you for that. I listened to you all
the time and I appreciate what you are doing.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
I received that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Chris.
Speaker 8 (07:19):
In twenty twenty, you and Lebron and your other NBA players.
You guys stood up with all the things that were
going on, right, and I'm wondering with your production company,
are you guys going to be doing anything? And what
I mean by that, I'm an immigrant. I've been here
fifty years since since well this past March, and one
(07:41):
of the things that I that I heard was a
lot of the foreign players who were here in college
were looking at being deported.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Are you going to do anything in.
Speaker 8 (07:50):
Terms of using your company as a vehicle to show
the uncertainty and things? I kind of like humanize them
because when I came here, I was only nine years
old and just trying to live was a challenge. But
I couldn't imagine being here. My family is on the
other side of the world, and I have all this uncertainty.
So are you going to be doing anything like that?
In terms of social justice?
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Would love to, honestly, would love to.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Social justice has been a huge initiative of ours, actually,
me Carmelo and d Wade started a nonprofit right called
Social Change Right, trying to elevate those voices. But everything
you said is extremely valid and we love to talk
to you about that. But it's interesting that actually became
(08:36):
a huge deal of why we went to the bubble right.
We could have stayed home, and there's a number of
guys who said that we took the light off of
what was going on. But we made sure that black
and brown communities were being supported. We tried to put
different messages on things and whatnot, just tried to make
sure that we could be as impactful because we do
have a platform. Regardless if you like it or not,
(08:58):
we do have a platform. So we love to be
able to tell some of those stories.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yes, I mean, I'm gonna put it a being in
for Detroit before we finished this composition me wrong.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
My name is you fan, you Bell. I'm from Fortan, Oregon. Uh.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
It was tough losing Dame. But I'm a filmmaker, first time,
first year here. We had a film premiere yesterday, you know.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
So it's.
Speaker 9 (09:25):
Yeah the Rats, Yes, sir, but I wanted to ask
you about you know well, First of all, I appreciate you,
like I watched you during the pandemic when you were
head of Players Association. Like a lot of black men,
a lot of black people saw you advocating, standing up,
doing the right thing representing black people, black presenting black men.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
So like, I just want you to know I appreciate
you for doing that. You know, that's that's that means
a lot to us. Like I know what you was doing,
we saw you.
Speaker 9 (09:53):
Thank you, But I wanted to talk about like as
a producer, you know what I'm saying, Like we have
all this ability to create, We have our lives, we're
we know people watch us, and we get into this
place where we own ourselves, like we have our own platforms.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
That next step, you.
Speaker 9 (10:15):
Know, we talk about Disney and how the deal didn't
happen and we're sitting on it. What is that next
step to the point where it's like we don't need
that Disney, but more importantly, like we don't want that Disney.
How do we transition from this point where we take
that and do the next thing, which is to create.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
Our own networks?
Speaker 9 (10:38):
And I know we're starting to do that, but we're
still in this place where it's like I want to
be on Netflix, I want to be on Disney Plus
and all that kind of stuff, which is cool and
it's great because the more people that see our stories
better and you know, to a certain degree, like that's important.
But I think there's like this one more thing that
we can do, and you mentioned it because like everybody like,
(10:59):
we have all this power and we are much stronger
together than we can ever be a part. So I'm
just curious what you think about that next spot, which
I really think is you know, it's on a tip
of everybody's tongue. You know, how do we how do
we do that next thing?
Speaker 5 (11:15):
But that's a great question. I don't know the answer honestly.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Like that's that's that's for everybody in here.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
But I will tell you this.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
That I'll never forget one of our players Association meetings
might have been an All Star one year and a
former teammate of mine said these two words, right, said
these two words, And it's meeting with all the NBA
players and still trying to see it really come into fruition, right.
And it was group group economics, right. And I've heard
(11:45):
that I don't know how many times, and you get
in rooms and you talk about it, but who can
really pull together the execution Because I know exactly what
you mean by saying, we just want to do our stuff.
But at the end of the day, you know, things
do costs. Things do costs, and I don't care who
you are. For the most part, people want as many
eyeballs on what they're doing.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
So I think you're exactly right.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
I don't know the answer to that, but the more
that people see people collaborate, hopefully that'll just be a
thing that starts to happen, right, And it's got to
be someone who starts it. And it may be big companies, right,
that's African American led when they come together, and now
other people might start to do it. I don't know
the answer, but I would love to be a part
of the conversation.
Speaker 9 (12:27):
Also, I just finished the first draft of my next feature.
It's gonna be shooting in October. It's about a young
basketball phenom. It goes on a journey to find the fathers,
based on a true story.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Let's talk. Let's talk, all right.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I think this will probably have to be our final question.
Oh okay, we have two are you? And then we
have one over here? So I'm gonna start with you, sir.
I'm sorry. Oh see, you're about to get me cutted
out up here.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
Yeah I can do it.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Okay, that's fine, Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
My name is Edward Gillis. I'm also a filmmaker.
Speaker 10 (13:07):
It's a pretty similar question to the previous one, but
it's for both of y'all. You know, talking with Bob
Iger and all these corporations Disney, Netflix and stuff like that,
where do you think like black TV and black film
is going and what do you think like these corporations
(13:29):
are feeling about our art and our our culture. You know,
you hear a lot of stuff about you know, de
I and stuff like that. Then getting rid of de
I and our story is not really being a priority.
Where do you think some of the art and the
business of art is going moving forward?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
You know, Chris, I'll slightly reframe it, but I think
this is where you're going. What has been your experience
in the marketplace as a seller in terms of how
you feel like companies are receiving you know, you as
a black production company, I mean, you're you know, many
of your projects are about black people, brown people, black athletes.
Like what's been sort of the response in the marketplace
(14:14):
that you've seen?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Yeah, it varies, it varies, And what's always interesting is
I feel like sometimes companies they want the culture but
don't want the culture, if that makes sense.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
They want everything that comes.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Yeah, they want everything that comes along with it, because
that's how it's relevant. Right, that's the music, right, I
don't care what you watch, the music is going to
be for the most part, you know, hip hop or
something like that. You know, So I think, I mean,
we're all still trying to break down barriers, right trying
to make sure that these story because also some of
(14:51):
these large corporations they have quotas, they got things that
they got to meet, or they got bosses or all
these different types of things. So to figure that out too.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I've my experience right now is that it is a
very tricky place right now for black content. Is that
they see that consumers Black people over consume, right, so
we know the marketplace is there, but yet we're constantly
put in this position where every success is treated like
(15:23):
it happened just the first time. You know, Ryan Coogler
talks a lot about this, no matter, Ryan Cooler is
a billion dollar director, but he still has to prove
oh I can do it again, right, And unfortunately, like
a project like Forever that despite the success of that,
you know, we have you know, the dynamics of family
of teenage love of all these relatable things. She got
(15:47):
to go back out there and prove she can do
it again, like it's not going to be automatic.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And so that's the struggle in the fight.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
And much like the last gentleman came up there and said, like,
what's the next step? I know me personally as a creator,
I'm tired of being at their mercy.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I'm so tired of this. It's very exhausting.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
And I have purposely tried to be very intentional with
how our partner who are partner with because I'm tired
of explaining black people to white people.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
I'm tired of doing this, and so.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I'm like, I'm not having those conversations anymore personally. And
so what I would say is the economic reality is
that we have to get these bigger corporations to buy in.
But I do very much when I have these conversations
with people in a similar position filmmakers like yourself, is
(16:39):
that there is our exhaustion level is high. Our fight
is still strong, but the exhaustion is real. So I
think the next step is, Yes, somebody with a lot
of money that looked like us has got to come
up with something because we we we're tired of haveing
(17:00):
to pitch, not like I mean, we get it. You
get to pitch our ideas as part of it. But
we're not just pitching ideas. It's like we're pitching worth.
I ain't pitching worth no more.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
So please somebody with deep.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Pockets, partner with somebody like Chris Paul put it all
together so.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
That we can have some group of.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Economics, because that's really that's the only way that we're
going to survive long term. It's the only way it's
going to happen. So I appreciate your question, and young lady,
I will get to you. I know you have a
question top.
Speaker 11 (17:35):
As an ex athlete myself, I wanted to know because
one of the hardest transitions is trying to figure your
way coming out of athletics and going.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Into the next field. I'm pretty sure you as.
Speaker 11 (17:45):
Ex teammates you had conversations with and then all other
people you know who were ex athletes who didn't make
the NBA, who played overseas, things like that.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
When was the click for you?
Speaker 11 (17:56):
When it started for you to start making the next
steps towards your career. And then the second part of
that is how influential was Kobe to help you because
he was not exactly in film, but he was also
involved in doing content.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
Well, I answer the second part. First, Cole Cob was
a real one.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
But Cob didn't have a lot of friends in the league,
you know what I mean, like seriously, like he had
his teammates.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Me and Cob had a relationship.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
I know, Cob and Mellow had a relationship past that
other than like palle Gasol and some guys like me
and Cob never really talked about film. But when he
got done, I remember seeing what he was starting to do, right,
But me and Cole got along, I think because of
our competitiveness, right, We always just competed so hard against
(18:43):
each other.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
So that was that as far as Cole.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
But when it goes to when it clicked, I'm gonna
tell you right now, I worry about myself when I
get done playing basketball. And I mean that because for
a lot of reasons. First of all, I love it.
I've done it since I was five years old. I
just turned forty in May, right, so like it's been
a part of my life for so long, and it's
(19:07):
actually how I expressed myself, like there's a joy that
I play with. But my third year in the NBA
is a guy named Billy Hunter who was over the
Players Association. Billy came to me and was like, Chris,
I need you on the executive committee.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
I was like, for what, right?
Speaker 4 (19:23):
So, just so y'all know, back then, guys who used
to be on the executive committee, they looked at it
as like, hey, nah, I ain't doing that. I ain't
doing that. I ain't got time for it. And so
at that point, I was my third year in NBA,
it was me, Moe Evans, Roger Mason, Eton, Thomas, Derek
(19:45):
Fisher was the president, THEO Ratliff. No offense to those
guys or whatnot, but not big guy name, big name guys.
I was this young kid sitting in the CBA negotiations.
I've always been curious, right, And so I'm in the
CBA negotiation and I'm looking across the table at Jim Dolan,
right that owns the Knicks. I'm looking at all these
(20:06):
different owners and I'm a young kid at the time,
and I'm hearing all the conversations and whatnot, and like, wow,
this is crazy.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
So I've been curious all that time.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Then I used to always hear one day, that ball
is gonna stop bouncing.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Right. I went to Wake Forest University.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
Graduated from Win Salem State, but two years I went
to Wake Forest University. I went there because it was
a good academic school. I didn't know I was going
to the NBA. So I've always paid attention to my
homies that have retired and when I was the president
of the union.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
And I'll tell you this right now, and it is
this high of a number.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It's probably eighty to eighty five percent of players that
are not doing well. Yeah, that high, that high because
you have been out of the home for so long.
You have been elevated here for so long. You've been
playing and focused on basketball while other people have been
managing your money or whatnot. Right, So I I have
(21:00):
a snack company, right, it's called good Eating.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
I started business. We have our production company.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
I have a lot of different things going on or
whatnot to hopefully prepare me for when I get done playing.
But that excitement of all those people out there screaming
in that arena for you, and I'm so grateful that
I have a support system, because everybody doesn't have it.
But a lot of times people see you smiling and
doing all this stuff, but you're really suffering on the inside.
(21:25):
So I think for me, I've always just been conscious
of that and always trying to learn and make sure
that that basketball is not all because I tell the
guys now that come into the league, like I'm forty,
I hope I got another fifty to sixty left, you know.
So this was just you know, the first first chapter,
(21:46):
first chapter of life, and so you got to be
ready for what's next.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
One of it is funny. Is one of the last
conversations I had with Kobe. It was we were doing
a talk for BT Awards weekend and this is before
we took the stage, and I was messing with him.
I was like, man, you're probably gonna be unhappy as
hell when you retire, because like knowing the competitor that
he was.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
He was like, I promise you, I'm not gonna miss
it like people think.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And he was telling me then about how he wanted
to get into animation. I was like, you want to
get into animation? I thought it was crazy. And then
he want to ask her, like, do.
Speaker 5 (22:20):
You use that exactly? Exactly?
Speaker 4 (22:22):
And Kobe was the true meaning of how you do
anything is how you do everything right. So all the
effort and time and stuff that you put into the game,
that's what I will do with our production company, with
my snack company. And even I say, this is funny,
Like all these years I go from these teams and
everybody always says, man, look what Chris does for this guy,
(22:43):
Look what he does for that guy.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
I ain't been able to do that for my kids.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
So I'm more excited to be able to go and
be they coach, not coach their team, coaching at home.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
I ain't coaching the team all.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Right, well before you go, coach Kate Cunningham.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
But anyway, so this is this is the.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Perfect segue because I'm gonna make it personal. I'm the
mother of a D two college athlete who's in the
building today, aj Headley, and he.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Goes to Davis and Alkins.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
He was a little shy to come up here, but
I'm gonna put him on the spot because he's nineteen
and he's in this mind he needs guidance on how
to be in a better mind state when it comes
to being an introvert, dedicating his time and discipline to
the game. Right.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
He's he's I.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
Don't have any friends and he feels a little stuck.
But can you tap back into when you were nineteen
and the guidance that it took in the discipline that
you had to have in order for you to get
to where you are today.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
First of all, you a good mom.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yeah, show that's me and him all right?
Speaker 9 (23:49):
Where you.
Speaker 5 (23:53):
Come up, come down down?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
He's so shy, man.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
I tell you this, And this is as real as
it comes, because, like I said, my son is sixteen, right,
and all of these kids have a false realization of what.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
They think it is and what it looks like. Right.
They all think they go on D one. They all
think they going to the league. Right.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
But I get the friends and all this stuff, Like
I got homies and all that. But at the same time,
anybody who was ever great in anything sacrifice.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
You got to sacrifice, right. I've sacrificed so much time
right to be great. Right.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
And I tell you my parents. My dad was really
hard on me and my brother. Like when you're in it,
you can't see that. You can't see that vision that
they have for you men. Growing up, me and my
brother had a curfew. I thought my homies that didn't
have a curfew was the coolest.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
We be at a party or whatever, checking in the clout,
be like, man, we got to get home, and they're like, oh.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
You are pump, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And then I look at the flip side of it,
and look at what I've been able to do right
for my parents, you know, the trips that I've been
able to take them on, the things that I've been
able to do, and what I've learned.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
And I say this all the time.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
I played in the NBA long enough, long enough to
know what I don't need. I'm won't get a twisted
When I got in the league, I had to escalate
with spinning rims.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
You know what I'm saying. I did. I had free whales.
You should have.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Seen my mama driving that right I had to tend with.
But as I got older, what I realized is that
life is all about experiences. It's experiences and the sacrifices
that I made at seventeen or eighteen nineteen, all these
different ages. Man, you get a chance to enjoy it
on the back end. You get a chance to travel
and see the world.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
And I'm not here without them sacrifices.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Seriously, I'm not here getting a chance to actually have
a platform and a voice, right, And I still have
to do that day in and day out. And it's
not just like a lot of times people want to
wake up and train for a couple months.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Right, Guys get to the NBA.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
They let draft day be the highlight of their career
because when you get drafted, now you got access, right.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And this is the type of storytelling that I love
because I lived it my whole life.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
When you get drafted, you get access, right. So you
got Instagram, right. I'm sure you got some joints or
whatever that you follow on Instagram, all that stuff.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
Now it's real life.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
But this is what happens, right, you follow them, you
see him on Instagram, you make it to the NBA.
Now they're sitting right there at the club, right next
to you. Life changes like that, you know what I mean.
And so you still got to be able to make
those decisions, the right decisions. You still got to stay
committed to your craft. I talked to my son on
my way in here. I was on FaceTime with him
and he was headed to practice. They had practice at
(26:41):
seven am this morning, and I'm looking at his face
and he looked like he's still half sleep and I said,
I said.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
You're tired.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
He was like, yeah, a little bit right. And this
is what's crazy. I said, he was probably up last
night late last night, school out, he's playing a video game.
And I didn't trip on that because I know, like
I know life. I don't go to bed nine thirty
every night. But you got to find out who you are.
You gotta find out who you are. And that's what
I challenge my son with. If you're gonna stay up late,
(27:08):
you gotta be able to bounce back the next morning.
I'm gonna tell you right now. Growing up in the league, man,
I can go to the club till three, I'm still
gonna be at the gym at seven thirty eight o'clock.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
But that's me. Everybody ain't built like that.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
I done had some teammates that can fly to Vegas
and do this, and a young dude to try to
roll with them, try to do it all right now,
all right now, that man.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Right there, different, be different. So you at the end
of the day, you got to find out who you are.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Man.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
And a lot of times guys be like, man, I
ain't got no coach. I ain't got no trainer.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
You got to find a way to be self motivated,
self motivated. And if you can find that, man, the
sky's the limits. So I wish you nothing but luck. Man,
that's the lucky.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Remember this conversation, young man, Remember this conversation.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
All right, we went way over our time.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
So I thank you for being patient and for just
filling this room with great energy, support, love.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Please give it up for Chris Paul for being so
honest and candid with us.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Chris, I wish you so much luck on your journey
as a filmmaker in this next phase of your your career.
People forget that when athletes retire, you guys are still young.
You're still a baby. Okay, got shoes older than you.
You got to be kidding me, but.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
But no, really, I wish you all the success.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I hope you get to tell every story that you're
passionate about, and I just wish.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
You just all the luck in the world.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So thank you, thank you for saying thank you, thank
you so much, Thank y'all so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Don't forget to follow and subscribe to politics on iHeart
and follows politics by and on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Politics is spelled s p O l I t i
c S.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
A new episode is Politics drops every Thursday on iHeart
Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is politics,
where sports and politics don't just mix, They matter
All right, Well, at this point we are going to
pivot to some audience questions. We have microphones that are
here at the bottom of the stage, so if you
have a question for Chris, please come forward.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
All right, good afternoon. I'm doctor Elizabeth Joy. I was
just thinking and you brought it up. I wanted you
to touch a little more on the competitiveness and how
everyone wants to start their own thing. I feel like
in the black community we still deal with a lot
of the remnants of the ongoing experience of racism, which
(00:54):
causes us to feel like we need to.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Fight for everything.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
And when you think about NBA allso, I work with
the mothers of professional basketball players, and some of the
work that I do with them is even as moms
of NBA players, where competitiveness comes up with them. And
so I'm curious, how do you even maneuver that to
especially with you all, because egos are major, major, right,
(01:19):
So how do you maneuver to try to find that
connective tissue to be able.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
To part It's really hard. Exactly what you just said
is really hard. I'm actually actually also started a company
called Players TV, right, and that's with a gang of
other players Kyrie Irving and CJ. McCullum and another a
number of other athletes. And it's hard because we're conditioned.
We're sort of conditioned as people to they got that
(01:48):
I wanted to, right, And then you find somebody hating
on somebody or they don't like them because it is
it gets kind of petty at times. But we have
to continue to have these conversations. And it's actually really
dope when you see companies come together, right, you come together,
and it's really, like I said, sport taught me everything
in life. They say, what if you want to run
(02:11):
go far? Yeah, exactly, you know. And so also think
about like a hand right, like you don't punch anybody
like that, you do it like this, you come together.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
All these things I learned in sports.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So I think if we continue to have these conversations
and then someone also always has to be the one
to I think we look at it as giving in
or not instead of having real conversations.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
People be like, man, I ain't going to talk to them.
I'm only partnering with them.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
They come to me first, right, And the only way
you can grow something is that you have to start
it right. That was one of the biggest things I learned.
A lot of times you run into people who saying, man,
I'm gonna start this company, but I gotta do this
three years go by, right and instead of starting it
and then learning.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
And seeing how much better you are three years from now.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Which, by the way, y'all, mergers and that was posicians
is how you grow to be wealthy. That's how the
other people do it. It's mergers and acquisitions. You don't
start from scratch.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Yeah you could own, you could own one hundred percent
or something, but if it ain't nothing happening with that
one hundred percent of zero zero, nothing, thank you?
Speaker 6 (03:16):
All right.
Speaker 7 (03:17):
I was wondering we all have milestone moments in our careers,
in our lives. You being such a multi dimensional person,
can you share one or two or three milestone moments
that have impacted you either on the court or even
in your personal life, that have shaped your professional career
(03:38):
as a basketball player.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yes, ma'am, that's a good question, because I don't remember
in everything, but I'll try.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
I'll try.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Coming into the NBA is such a young age, right,
Like I was just like any kid in the backyard,
shooting fadeaways, acting like Michael Jordan, right, me and my
older brother.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
It's just us too.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
So we was in the backyard acting like Michael Jordan
Scottie Pit.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
I was mj. Of course he was Scotty, right.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
But when you and when you're a kid, and you like,
I would have never thought that I would still be
playing and have my kids watch me, right. So I
think that was a very pivotal point for me when
I became a dad, right, because I have all these
different stages of my career. I have this stage where
it was just me and my brother living together. Right
(04:24):
then my girlfriend got pregnant with my son, she moved in.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
So I remember all these different phases of my career, right, like.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Before kids married and then like my grandparents getting to
come see me. One of them was All Star Weekend,
my very first year in NBA. All Star Weekend. My dad, Right,
My dad is a huge basketball fan, just like anybody else.
My dad was in two leagues growing up. In one
(04:52):
of his leagues, he was number forty four. That was
the CJ. Jocks, that was the name of his team,
and he had another team called the Chris Crushers, right, yeah,
very original, right. But in one league he won number
forty four for Iceman George Gervin, and in the.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Other league he won number six for who Doctor J.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Right man, I made it to the NBA and at
All Star Weekend, they had this thing called the Legends Brunch,
the Legends Brunch. I took my pops to the Legends
Brunch and Iceman and Doctor J came over, and I
got to see my dad like a little kid, right.
And for my dad now to know George Gervin and
(05:31):
they play golf and all this different type stuff. It's
the wildest thing ever. And it's the coolest thing for
me because I'm not where I'm at without my dad, right,
and now being a parent having a sixteen year old
son who I can't wait to get home to to
probably knock his head off, because I remember going through
with my dad like in fifteen sixteen. I felt like
(05:54):
he didn't know anything, right. I just felt like he
was so hard on me, And I think my son
is at that age now and you don't understand that
until you get a little older.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
So that was definitely one of them.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
And then probably this past season finishing my twentieth year, right,
because there's so many people who have played a role
in making that happen, and I still probably want to
appreciate it till I'm really on the other side of it.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
But I just have so much gratitude because.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
I haven't had to live in the real world yet. Honestly,
I say it, and I tell all these kids that
want to come up and take my job, you ain't
gonna take my job because you're not gonna outwork me.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
You're not.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You're just not gonna outwork me. And so I feel
like that, and yeah, I'm grateful. After this twentieth season
is when it really hit me because, like I said,
my kids have only known me in the NBA, so
that would be it.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
That's ma'am.
Speaker 8 (06:54):
Christ behf Why I asked you a question, Jamil and Hill.
I just want to tell you. I want to thank
you for being a positively black and telling the truth.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
At all time, because the truth is uncomfortable.
Speaker 8 (07:06):
But in order for you to grow, you have to
You're gonna be you need to hear the truth, and
I thank you for that. I listened to you all
the time and I appreciate what you are doing.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
I received that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Chris.
Speaker 8 (07:19):
In twenty twenty, you and Lebron and your other NBA players.
You guys stood up with all the things that were
going on, right, and I'm wondering with your production company,
are you guys going to be doing anything? And what
I mean by that, I'm an immigrant. I've been here
fifty years since since well this past March, and one
(07:41):
of the things that I that I heard was a
lot of the foreign players who were here in college
were looking at being deported.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Are you going to do anything in.
Speaker 8 (07:50):
Terms of using your company as a vehicle to show
the uncertainty and things? I kind of like humanize them
because when I came here, I was only nine years
old and just trying to live was a challenge. But
I couldn't imagine being here. My family is on the
other side of the world, and I have all this uncertainty.
So are you going to be doing anything like that?
In terms of social justice?
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Would love to, honestly, would love to.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Social justice has been a huge initiative of ours, actually,
me Carmelo and d Wade started a nonprofit right called
Social Change Right, trying to elevate those voices. But everything
you said is extremely valid and we love to talk
to you about that. But it's interesting that actually became
(08:36):
a huge deal of why we went to the bubble right.
We could have stayed home, and there's a number of
guys who said that we took the light off of
what was going on. But we made sure that black
and brown communities were being supported. We tried to put
different messages on things and whatnot, just tried to make
sure that we could be as impactful because we do
have a platform. Regardless if you like it or not,
(08:58):
we do have a platform. So we love to be
able to tell some of those stories.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yes, I mean, I'm gonna put it a being in
for Detroit before we finished this composition me wrong.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
My name is you fan, you Bell. I'm from Fortan, Oregon. Uh.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
It was tough losing Dame. But I'm a filmmaker, first time,
first year here. We had a film premiere yesterday, you know.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
So it's.
Speaker 9 (09:25):
Yeah the Rats, Yes, sir, but I wanted to ask
you about you know well, First of all, I appreciate you,
like I watched you during the pandemic when you were
head of Players Association. Like a lot of black men,
a lot of black people saw you advocating, standing up,
doing the right thing representing black people, black presenting black men.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
So like, I just want you to know I appreciate
you for doing that. You know, that's that's that means
a lot to us. Like I know what you was doing,
we saw you.
Speaker 9 (09:53):
Thank you, But I wanted to talk about like as
a producer, you know what I'm saying, Like we have
all this ability to create, We have our lives, we're
we know people watch us, and we get into this
place where we own ourselves, like we have our own platforms.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
That next step, you.
Speaker 9 (10:15):
Know, we talk about Disney and how the deal didn't
happen and we're sitting on it. What is that next
step to the point where it's like we don't need
that Disney, but more importantly, like we don't want that Disney.
How do we transition from this point where we take
that and do the next thing, which is to create.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
Our own networks?
Speaker 9 (10:38):
And I know we're starting to do that, but we're
still in this place where it's like I want to
be on Netflix, I want to be on Disney Plus
and all that kind of stuff, which is cool and
it's great because the more people that see our stories
better and you know, to a certain degree, like that's important.
But I think there's like this one more thing that
we can do, and you mentioned it because like everybody like,
(10:59):
we have all this power and we are much stronger
together than we can ever be a part. So I'm
just curious what you think about that next spot, which
I really think is you know, it's on a tip
of everybody's tongue. You know, how do we how do
we do that next thing?
Speaker 5 (11:15):
But that's a great question. I don't know the answer honestly.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Like that's that's that's for everybody in here.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
But I will tell you this.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
That I'll never forget one of our players Association meetings
might have been an All Star one year and a
former teammate of mine said these two words, right, said
these two words, And it's meeting with all the NBA
players and still trying to see it really come into fruition, right.
And it was group group economics, right. And I've heard
(11:45):
that I don't know how many times, and you get
in rooms and you talk about it, but who can
really pull together the execution Because I know exactly what
you mean by saying, we just want to do our stuff.
But at the end of the day, you know, things
do costs. Things do costs, and I don't care who
you are. For the most part, people want as many
eyeballs on what they're doing.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
So I think you're exactly right.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
I don't know the answer to that, but the more
that people see people collaborate, hopefully that'll just be a
thing that starts to happen, right, And it's got to
be someone who starts it. And it may be big companies, right,
that's African American led when they come together, and now
other people might start to do it. I don't know
the answer, but I would love to be a part
of the conversation.
Speaker 9 (12:27):
Also, I just finished the first draft of my next feature.
It's gonna be shooting in October. It's about a young
basketball phenom. It goes on a journey to find the fathers,
based on a true story.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Let's talk. Let's talk, all right.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I think this will probably have to be our final question.
Oh okay, we have two are you? And then we
have one over here? So I'm gonna start with you, sir.
I'm sorry. Oh see, you're about to get me cutted
out up here.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
Yeah I can do it.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Okay, that's fine, Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
My name is Edward Gillis. I'm also a filmmaker.
Speaker 10 (13:07):
It's a pretty similar question to the previous one, but
it's for both of y'all. You know, talking with Bob
Iger and all these corporations Disney, Netflix and stuff like that,
where do you think like black TV and black film
is going and what do you think like these corporations
(13:29):
are feeling about our art and our our culture. You know,
you hear a lot of stuff about you know, de
I and stuff like that. Then getting rid of de
I and our story is not really being a priority.
Where do you think some of the art and the
business of art is going moving forward?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
You know, Chris, I'll slightly reframe it, but I think
this is where you're going. What has been your experience
in the marketplace as a seller in terms of how
you feel like companies are receiving you know, you as
a black production company, I mean, you're you know, many
of your projects are about black people, brown people, black athletes.
Like what's been sort of the response in the marketplace
(14:14):
that you've seen?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Yeah, it varies, it varies, And what's always interesting is
I feel like sometimes companies they want the culture but
don't want the culture, if that makes sense.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
They want everything that comes.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Yeah, they want everything that comes along with it, because
that's how it's relevant. Right, that's the music, right, I
don't care what you watch, the music is going to
be for the most part, you know, hip hop or
something like that. You know, So I think, I mean,
we're all still trying to break down barriers, right trying
to make sure that these story because also some of
(14:51):
these large corporations they have quotas, they got things that
they got to meet, or they got bosses or all
these different types of things. So to figure that out too.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I've my experience right now is that it is a
very tricky place right now for black content. Is that
they see that consumers Black people over consume, right, so
we know the marketplace is there, but yet we're constantly
put in this position where every success is treated like
(15:23):
it happened just the first time. You know, Ryan Coogler
talks a lot about this, no matter, Ryan Cooler is
a billion dollar director, but he still has to prove
oh I can do it again, right, And unfortunately, like
a project like Forever that despite the success of that,
you know, we have you know, the dynamics of family
of teenage love of all these relatable things. She got
(15:47):
to go back out there and prove she can do
it again, like it's not going to be automatic.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And so that's the struggle in the fight.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
And much like the last gentleman came up there and said, like,
what's the next step? I know me personally as a creator,
I'm tired of being at their mercy.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I'm so tired of this. It's very exhausting.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
And I have purposely tried to be very intentional with
how our partner who are partner with because I'm tired
of explaining black people to white people.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
I'm tired of doing this, and so.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I'm like, I'm not having those conversations anymore personally. And
so what I would say is the economic reality is
that we have to get these bigger corporations to buy in.
But I do very much when I have these conversations
with people in a similar position filmmakers like yourself, is
(16:39):
that there is our exhaustion level is high. Our fight
is still strong, but the exhaustion is real. So I
think the next step is, Yes, somebody with a lot
of money that looked like us has got to come
up with something because we we we're tired of haveing
(17:00):
to pitch, not like I mean, we get it. You
get to pitch our ideas as part of it. But
we're not just pitching ideas. It's like we're pitching worth.
I ain't pitching worth no more.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
So please somebody with deep.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Pockets, partner with somebody like Chris Paul put it all
together so.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
That we can have some group of.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Economics, because that's really that's the only way that we're
going to survive long term. It's the only way it's
going to happen. So I appreciate your question, and young lady,
I will get to you. I know you have a
question top.
Speaker 11 (17:35):
As an ex athlete myself, I wanted to know because
one of the hardest transitions is trying to figure your
way coming out of athletics and going.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Into the next field. I'm pretty sure you as.
Speaker 11 (17:45):
Ex teammates you had conversations with and then all other
people you know who were ex athletes who didn't make
the NBA, who played overseas, things like that.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
When was the click for you?
Speaker 11 (17:56):
When it started for you to start making the next
steps towards your career. And then the second part of
that is how influential was Kobe to help you because
he was not exactly in film, but he was also
involved in doing content.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
Well, I answer the second part. First, Cole Cob was
a real one.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
But Cob didn't have a lot of friends in the league,
you know what I mean, like seriously, like he had
his teammates.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Me and Cob had a relationship.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
I know, Cob and Mellow had a relationship past that
other than like palle Gasol and some guys like me
and Cob never really talked about film. But when he
got done, I remember seeing what he was starting to do, right,
But me and Cole got along, I think because of
our competitiveness, right, We always just competed so hard against
(18:43):
each other.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
So that was that as far as Cole.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
But when it goes to when it clicked, I'm gonna
tell you right now, I worry about myself when I
get done playing basketball. And I mean that because for
a lot of reasons. First of all, I love it.
I've done it since I was five years old. I
just turned forty in May, right, so like it's been
a part of my life for so long, and it's
(19:07):
actually how I expressed myself, like there's a joy that
I play with. But my third year in the NBA
is a guy named Billy Hunter who was over the
Players Association. Billy came to me and was like, Chris,
I need you on the executive committee.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
I was like, for what, right?
Speaker 4 (19:23):
So, just so y'all know, back then, guys who used
to be on the executive committee, they looked at it
as like, hey, nah, I ain't doing that. I ain't
doing that. I ain't got time for it. And so
at that point, I was my third year in NBA,
it was me, Moe Evans, Roger Mason, Eton, Thomas, Derek
(19:45):
Fisher was the president, THEO Ratliff. No offense to those
guys or whatnot, but not big guy name, big name guys.
I was this young kid sitting in the CBA negotiations.
I've always been curious, right, And so I'm in the
CBA negotiation and I'm looking across the table at Jim Dolan,
right that owns the Knicks. I'm looking at all these
(20:06):
different owners and I'm a young kid at the time,
and I'm hearing all the conversations and whatnot, and like, wow,
this is crazy.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
So I've been curious all that time.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Then I used to always hear one day, that ball
is gonna stop bouncing.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Right. I went to Wake Forest University.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
Graduated from Win Salem State, but two years I went
to Wake Forest University. I went there because it was
a good academic school. I didn't know I was going
to the NBA. So I've always paid attention to my
homies that have retired and when I was the president
of the union.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
And I'll tell you this right now, and it is
this high of a number.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It's probably eighty to eighty five percent of players that
are not doing well. Yeah, that high, that high because
you have been out of the home for so long.
You have been elevated here for so long. You've been
playing and focused on basketball while other people have been
managing your money or whatnot. Right, So I I have
(21:00):
a snack company, right, it's called good Eating.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
I started business. We have our production company.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
I have a lot of different things going on or
whatnot to hopefully prepare me for when I get done playing.
But that excitement of all those people out there screaming
in that arena for you, and I'm so grateful that
I have a support system, because everybody doesn't have it.
But a lot of times people see you smiling and
doing all this stuff, but you're really suffering on the inside.
(21:25):
So I think for me, I've always just been conscious
of that and always trying to learn and make sure
that that basketball is not all because I tell the
guys now that come into the league, like I'm forty,
I hope I got another fifty to sixty left, you know.
So this was just you know, the first first chapter,
(21:46):
first chapter of life, and so you got to be
ready for what's next.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
One of it is funny. Is one of the last
conversations I had with Kobe. It was we were doing
a talk for BT Awards weekend and this is before
we took the stage, and I was messing with him.
I was like, man, you're probably gonna be unhappy as
hell when you retire, because like knowing the competitor that
he was.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
He was like, I promise you, I'm not gonna miss
it like people think.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And he was telling me then about how he wanted
to get into animation. I was like, you want to
get into animation? I thought it was crazy. And then
he want to ask her, like, do.
Speaker 5 (22:20):
You use that exactly? Exactly?
Speaker 4 (22:22):
And Kobe was the true meaning of how you do
anything is how you do everything right. So all the
effort and time and stuff that you put into the game,
that's what I will do with our production company, with
my snack company. And even I say, this is funny,
Like all these years I go from these teams and
everybody always says, man, look what Chris does for this guy,
(22:43):
Look what he does for that guy.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
I ain't been able to do that for my kids.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
So I'm more excited to be able to go and
be they coach, not coach their team, coaching at home.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
I ain't coaching the team all.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Right, well before you go, coach Kate Cunningham.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
But anyway, so this is this is the.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Perfect segue because I'm gonna make it personal. I'm the
mother of a D two college athlete who's in the
building today, aj Headley, and he.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Goes to Davis and Alkins.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
He was a little shy to come up here, but
I'm gonna put him on the spot because he's nineteen
and he's in this mind he needs guidance on how
to be in a better mind state when it comes
to being an introvert, dedicating his time and discipline to
the game. Right.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
He's he's I.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
Don't have any friends and he feels a little stuck.
But can you tap back into when you were nineteen
and the guidance that it took in the discipline that
you had to have in order for you to get
to where you are today.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
First of all, you a good mom.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yeah, show that's me and him all right?
Speaker 9 (23:49):
Where you.
Speaker 5 (23:53):
Come up, come down down?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
He's so shy, man.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
I tell you this, And this is as real as
it comes, because, like I said, my son is sixteen, right,
and all of these kids have a false realization of what.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
They think it is and what it looks like. Right.
They all think they go on D one. They all
think they going to the league. Right.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
But I get the friends and all this stuff, Like
I got homies and all that. But at the same time,
anybody who was ever great in anything sacrifice.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
You got to sacrifice, right. I've sacrificed so much time
right to be great. Right.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
And I tell you my parents. My dad was really
hard on me and my brother. Like when you're in it,
you can't see that. You can't see that vision that
they have for you men. Growing up, me and my
brother had a curfew. I thought my homies that didn't
have a curfew was the coolest.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
We be at a party or whatever, checking in the clout,
be like, man, we got to get home, and they're like, oh.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
You are pump, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And then I look at the flip side of it,
and look at what I've been able to do right
for my parents, you know, the trips that I've been
able to take them on, the things that I've been
able to do, and what I've learned.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
And I say this all the time.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
I played in the NBA long enough, long enough to
know what I don't need. I'm won't get a twisted
When I got in the league, I had to escalate
with spinning rims.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
You know what I'm saying. I did. I had free whales.
You should have.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Seen my mama driving that right I had to tend with.
But as I got older, what I realized is that
life is all about experiences. It's experiences and the sacrifices
that I made at seventeen or eighteen nineteen, all these
different ages. Man, you get a chance to enjoy it
on the back end. You get a chance to travel
and see the world.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
And I'm not here without them sacrifices.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Seriously, I'm not here getting a chance to actually have
a platform and a voice, right, And I still have
to do that day in and day out. And it's
not just like a lot of times people want to
wake up and train for a couple months.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Right, Guys get to the NBA.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
They let draft day be the highlight of their career
because when you get drafted, now you got access, right.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And this is the type of storytelling that I love
because I lived it my whole life.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
When you get drafted, you get access, right. So you
got Instagram, right. I'm sure you got some joints or
whatever that you follow on Instagram, all that stuff.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
Now it's real life.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
But this is what happens, right, you follow them, you
see him on Instagram, you make it to the NBA.
Now they're sitting right there at the club, right next
to you. Life changes like that, you know what I mean.
And so you still got to be able to make
those decisions, the right decisions. You still got to stay
committed to your craft. I talked to my son on
my way in here. I was on FaceTime with him
and he was headed to practice. They had practice at
(26:41):
seven am this morning, and I'm looking at his face
and he looked like he's still half sleep and I said,
I said.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
You're tired.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
He was like, yeah, a little bit right. And this
is what's crazy. I said, he was probably up last
night late last night, school out, he's playing a video game.
And I didn't trip on that because I know, like
I know life. I don't go to bed nine thirty
every night. But you got to find out who you are.
You gotta find out who you are. And that's what
I challenge my son with. If you're gonna stay up late,
(27:08):
you gotta be able to bounce back the next morning.
I'm gonna tell you right now. Growing up in the league, man,
I can go to the club till three, I'm still
gonna be at the gym at seven thirty eight o'clock.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
But that's me. Everybody ain't built like that.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
I done had some teammates that can fly to Vegas
and do this, and a young dude to try to
roll with them, try to do it all right now,
all right now, that man.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Right there, different, be different. So you at the end
of the day, you got to find out who you are.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Man.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
And a lot of times guys be like, man, I
ain't got no coach. I ain't got no trainer.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
You got to find a way to be self motivated,
self motivated. And if you can find that, man, the
sky's the limits. So I wish you nothing but luck. Man,
that's the lucky.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Remember this conversation, young man, Remember this conversation.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
All right, we went way over our time.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
So I thank you for being patient and for just
filling this room with great energy, support, love.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Please give it up for Chris Paul for being so
honest and candid with us.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Chris, I wish you so much luck on your journey
as a filmmaker in this next phase of your your career.
People forget that when athletes retire, you guys are still young.
You're still a baby. Okay, got shoes older than you.
You got to be kidding me, but.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
But no, really, I wish you all the success.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I hope you get to tell every story that you're
passionate about, and I just wish.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
You just all the luck in the world.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So thank you, thank you for saying thank you, thank
you so much, Thank y'all so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Don't forget to follow and subscribe to politics on iHeart
and follows politics by and on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Politics is spelled s p O l I t i
c S.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
A new episode is Politics drops every Thursday on iHeart
Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is politics,
where sports and politics don't just mix, They matter
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