October 13, 2020 • 44 mins
The Greatest duo welcome the Los Angeles Sparks’ head coach, 5-time NBA champion, basketball legend Derek Fisher to the mic as they discuss a variety of topics including The Bubble, The Lakers and what it means to be a leader.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Greatest, a production of I Heart Radio. Hello,
and welcome to another episode of the Greatest. I'm Megan
Gaily and I'm joined by my husband and my co
host and giant Lakers fan, well giant Lebron James is
(00:24):
on the Lakers for the last two years. C J Toldanno,
I'm hi, I'm Megan. Hi, honey. Um, we are recording
on Monday evening. Yeah, this might be like the latest
we've ever Well, we've recorded episodes more currently, so we um.
We had other plans. Yeah, so we interviewed Derek Fisher
(00:45):
you're a listener on Thursday, which you're going to get
to hear very soon. And then we waited to record
this part of the podcast until the Lakers one, which
c J thought was going to be Friday evening times.
Why don't you give just a little rundown of the
stuff you had set up for Friday. Okay, Well, first
of all, any new listeners, if you're listening because you're
(01:07):
a Lakers fan, you're Derek Fisher fan. This podcast does
have a premise where we talk about the great we
have our greatest picks for certain sports topics, categories or
whatever like you know, greatest player, greatest team, grace, whatever.
So this episode is a little bit more specially I
haven't done either of those topics though. Yeah, if you
want a bunch of episodes about Sneakers, we're here for you. Um.
(01:31):
But yeah, so this episode is a little bit different.
We're just so Laker crazy. Over the last few weeks,
we got to interview a Lakers legend who is still
so a part of the l A basketball community as
head coaches the Sparks, and then the Lakers won the
NBA Championship last night. So it feels so. I mean,
(01:52):
my greatest Derek Fisher moment if I if I need
one to talks about it is the point for second
shot against the Spurs. I mean, yeah, there's so many moments.
I mean, I guess, you know, we would be Actually,
it would be kind of redundant for us to because
everyone's been talking about the greatest moments just because the
Lakers have been you know, winning and it went deep
in the playoffs and they went last night. But also
(02:14):
Kobe you know, passing away. There's been a lot of
reminiscing about the Lakers franchise and just just really historic
and I'm actually really embarrassed when you know, in the
last twenty four hours, everyone congratulating me because I, yeah,
I became a fan because we live here now, we'll
probably live here for the rest of our lives. And
I've just followed the brain wherever I've gone, wherever he's gone, Yeah, wherever, oh,
(02:38):
remember he's gone. I'm not. I have to get used
to that. And I don't mean that in a mean way. Yeah,
but the plan was we we interviewed him last Thursday,
the night before what would have been Game five, and everyone,
I mean, we all deserved any anyone who was reading
(03:00):
for the Lakers truly deserved the Lakers losing on Friday
night because I had bought in champagne. We interviewed Derek Fisher.
We were talking about We're asking him questions and you'll
hear it. You invited people to our home. I invited
people to our home social distance. It was social distance,
but it was the most amount of people that have
been in our backyard, just in our backyard. Um masks
(03:24):
masks on, yes, but to the point where distant where
plus ones we're trying to bring plus one, you shut
it down. You shut it down. To be me and
I just we can you can't have a stranger in
your home during pandemic, so we learned from that. It
was still a nice time. It was nice to watch
sports with other people. I think everyone was really safe,
(03:44):
which was good. Even them losing was fun. Yeah, I
mean what a game like, let's think about it. Had
that game ended in a Danny Green game one, That's
not what I mean was fun. I mean it was
fun for me personally to get to see people I
hadn't seen. Yeah, some people have been said, man, if
(04:04):
this is the way I got COVID, I wouldn't be
that mad. Did you say that you mentioned Danny Green?
If you are listening to this and you are one
of the people who sent Danny Green and or his
fiance a death threat, what's going on? It's weird. And
when they say death threats, I I don't well, I
(04:25):
shared this with you. Yes, I don't know what. I
don't know what you're gonna say right now that that.
I don't know if they're death threats that are like
you should die, or if they were more like I
wish you had been on the helicopter. They're both bad. No,
I mean yeah. YouTube comment Megan isn't making that up
Like that's not she doesn't mean that's funny. It's truly
(04:48):
sports fans. It's not even that. I mean, it's like
disgusting in the comments. And I guess, let me not
preface because I'm let me make up for It's like,
I don't want you to think people know I do
not take this lightly. I'm not being flippant about it.
A man once commented on a video of mine that
(05:10):
he wanted to choke me and have sex with my
dead body. So I guess I am able to at
least come to this is no one cares, no one,
no one actually wants to kill me. But I have
had people on the internet say they want to kill me.
So I do feel like I can talk about yea,
but let's keep the podcast. Let's keep the podcast about
(05:34):
the Lakers. The Lakers one, How did how did that
make you feel? Last night? It made me feel mostly
happy for you, and yeah, I was really I'm, you know,
the Kobe of it all. And I love Genie Buss
getting to watch her. I always I don't forget about her.
But like, there's just so few like women in ownership positions,
(05:59):
um and she's just a badass, and just seeing her
interact with the players, it was really a nice We've
been listen, we've been watching the vlogs and hearing the
stuff that comes out of the bubble, but to see
just such a joyous moment in the bubble, and the
joy I think was from the victory and then on
(06:19):
in Adam Silver's part, the fact that they pulled this
off at all. You know, like everyone who went to
the bubble, whether you know it's the Pacers who got
swept or the Lakers who won the championship, should like
really be so so so proud of themselves that they
made this sacrifice for the country. I think, yeah, to me,
a Lakers championship, even if I wasn't a Lakers sound
(06:42):
I'm not just saying that it is. It's just the
perfect exclamation point on the you know, this NBA experiment
which went incredibly but also just we needed to pick
me up in And I even have friends who hate
the Lakers who are like, yeah, this makes sense. This
is like like in momentum going into an election, like
(07:03):
it seemed like right, like the people who don't like
Lebron are insane um and the people like we have
die hard Clipper fan friends who are like, yeah, we
like Lebron. Like Lebron. He again, you said it several times,
you said it in our interview coming up. But he
is not only trying to you know, win it for Kobe,
win it for the you know, to get the the
(07:25):
what is acceptance of the Laker community, but also his
fighting social injustice, getting people to vote, you know, for
for you know, black communities. Was willing to leave the bubble,
willing to leave this opportunity to win a championship because
he did not feel as though the m b A
(07:46):
or the players we're getting to accomplish what they wanted to.
And that is when you saw this deal that the
stadiums will be voting places. I think some of the
places have renigged on that, which is not great. And
in addition to Lebron for the Lakers organization, like you
see those trainers and and the and the owners in
(08:07):
this and all of the people that like not even
the organization. We were just downtown and it's just as
many Kobe jerseys as it is Lebron jerseys. And I'm
sure that will change in some way, but people are
still mourning and and that really was the kickoff to
(08:28):
what has been one of the most difficult years in existence.
And so it does feel like something just and right
happened as a result of all of the other bullshit
that's been bad. Yeah. I remember the first game that
the Lakers played after Kobe's passing. It was against the Blazers,
(08:49):
and everyone was like, oh man, we like it meant
every single game meant so much more. A championship meant
some more for them. And they lost, and it was
told really understandable that they are, like you just saw
there was they were defeated. The look in their eye
they're kind of just like confused, scrambling, Like it was
just a weird emotions in that arena. But for them
(09:11):
to come together as a team, so much stuff happened
with this roster. Avery Bradley sat out of the of
the restart, they added j R. Smith and Dion Waiders
you know there it was just there was so much
adversity that they overcame. Like in Lebron again, so much
on his plate, Like have you ever asked me to
work out on a workday, Like I'm like, that's too much.
(09:33):
Like Lebron has nineteen things he's doing on a daily basis,
and it's like coming through on all of them. So
I'm really happy about it. I'm really happy. I'm it's
you know again, we might be Homer's or bias here,
but like the city of l A. I think really
not needed this, Like you know, every city needs something
right now, but like this was sunny out there. We
(09:54):
walked around Staples and it was a nice feeling, and
I think people in l A, um, yeah, they deserved
this and are are going to enjoy it. I'm gonna
miss the Bubble so much. I got, I like got
choked up telling my therapist last week how much the
Bubble has been. I mean, it really has been a
bright spot and it it's given us something to look
forward to. Um, Like the team I love Number one
(10:17):
in my heart had such like a terrible exit and
I still have fun, like everything about it. Oh, everything
about the Bubble, even I mean the lou Williams, the
everything was fun. I feel so bad for Daniel House. Um,
but I just congratulations to the m b A as
(10:38):
as a whole for for really making everyone else looked
pretty freaking bad. I mean that's like kind of five it.
I hope Adam Silver gets to like really rest now,
but I know that season is already upon us and
there's all of these you know, changes and things that
need to be put in place, and he obviously does
(10:59):
that better than many other commissioner minus the hockey man.
I don't know, um, but but thank you to him
and and best of luck. And I mean, what an
audition if he true, if you wanted to become president,
what an audition he just did. Like it's if the
job of president is to manage a group of people
and you're looking at their financial like you're you're handling financials, health,
(11:23):
you know, residents like man, that's he did it, I
guess in a small samples size, but really came through
not a single case that came from within the bubble.
So shout out to Adam Silver. And we get into
that with Derek. They you know, end up getting less credit,
(11:46):
but also did the same exact difficult fee and an
upheld their bargain with activism and entertainment and everything that
they gave to us. I don't know what we're gonna
watch now, but well we're gonna watch the NFL, which
every day, Hey, the game is this giant game is
postponed or canceled, but you know, and we're going to
(12:06):
watch the Dodgers. Yes, go Dodgers, Um, go anybody, but
the asteris And honestly, yeah, we're shout out to all
the players in every sport who are returning right now,
like we we've seen one comes to a happy conclusion.
Just hope that same for all these leagues that have
done the restart. And yeah, I mean hopefully we're close
to some sort of like tangible phase of the pandemic
(12:28):
being over. You know, they they are estimating November. I
don't know why I'm getting to this talk, but like, yeah,
the vaccine coul potentially happened next month and it's okay,
I don't know what this is what I've heard Without
further ado, UM, here is our conversation with Lakers legend
Derek Fisher, and I hope you enjoy it all right, guys,
(13:03):
the moment we've all been waiting for a very very
special guest in a very very special week in like
the last few months, Laker legend, current head coach of
the Los Angeles Sparks. We are so so thrilled to
have them, ladies, and gentlemen. Derek Fisher, J Man, how
(13:23):
you doing, man, I'm thankfully doing well. Man. I cannot complain.
You know healthy. You know, the kids and the misses
our safe and healthy. You know my mom and dad
and family back home and little Rock are healthy and safe.
And so just right now, there is there anything else
I could ask for. So yeah, I'm good. I mean,
I love your l A hat that you're wearing. I've
(13:45):
never seen it's a it's a Dodger's hat with a
rainbow flag. It's a Dodger's hat, Like you said, rainbow
flag ran across it about a year and a half ago,
right before I started up with the Sparks in terms
of like training camp in my first season, and I
really felt like it just represented how I feel about
life and w and everything right that we we should
(14:07):
support everybody, regardless of you know, their personal beliefs, their
personal choices, like they're still human beings and deserve to
be respected. And you know, I've I've got a lot
of compliments for you know with the hat, and uh,
it stands for something and that's that's why I really
enjoy wearing it. That's great. I mean, yes, before we
get into all the Lakers stuff. I also, yeah, we
(14:27):
want to put a spotlight. I mean, you've been the
Sparks coach for the last two seasons. You just I
mean unprecedented. I mean everyone's saying unprecedented season. You were
in the bubble? Can you tell us a little bit.
I mean you just got out of one a couple
of weeks ago, Like, how was it? How was that experience? Yeah, No,
it's um, it was a life changing experience. Uh. You know,
(14:47):
I hope that we don't have to experience that, you know,
ever again, and that um, it's one of one. Uh,
there isn't anything to compare it to. There wasn't anything
that you could, you know, try and think back on
and say how am I going to get through this
and figure this out? Um? But you know, I think
it's difficult as it was, there were definitely things to
(15:10):
be thankful and grateful for. A lot of folks don't
have jobs that even offer them the opportunity to go
to a bubble and work for a while, which is
difficult to do. But it's a job, right, and it's
something that I love to do, so um So that
part of it was really enjoyable. I think really observing
the women though, was probably the most fulfilling aspect of it,
(15:33):
I think, and I'm sure you know, the mrs can
tell us even better, like just the experience of being
a woman in the WB is predominantly African American and
women of color, and so the burdens that they carried
in terms of trying to excel and be great on
the court, carrying the mantle and their voices off the court,
(15:55):
speaking out for things that they believed in. It wasn't easy,
and I'm just thankful that we were healthy and we
stayed healthy for the most part. We had a couple
of injuries late in the season, but overall the ladies
were healthy and we made it home safely and we
had a good regular season. Like, you know, we definitely,
you know we we everybody wants to win the championship
(16:16):
in advance in the postseason, but a lot that we
can learn from and we'll see how things work out
for us as we come back together for next season. Um,
the NBA has gotten so much credit, all of it
deserved about the bubble and the activism and the awareness
that they've brought to issues that deserved awareness. For a
(16:38):
lot longer than just the last few months. But when
you talk about the NBA, it's like the the w
n b A has always been on the forefront and
has always pushed and really been saying all this stuff,
and it was just kind of a matter of a
spotlight being shown on them and people listening. And you
have now these mega A mega stars in Sue Bird,
(17:02):
who's part of this power couple, where it's like you
can't deny that their celebrities and we have to listen
to them now. So I think what the NBA has
been able to accomplish would not even be possible if
it was not for the leadership and the voices within
the w n b A as well. And so it's
just wonderful to see them finally getting the credit that
(17:24):
they deserve. Yeah. No, I think those are great points,
and I think it underscores the importance of us working
together to solve problems. Right that that even though the
w n B A ladies have always been on the
forefront of using their voices and their platform to stand
up for things that are much bigger and more important
than any of us individually. You know, the voices and
(17:45):
the platform that the men in the w n B
A can add to these ladies voices and these women,
that's what really gives it the true essence and power
that it needs in order to stand strong and over
the test of time. And it was great to see
how both the men on on the NBA side and
the women on the w NBA side the level of
(18:07):
respect and admiration and appreciation for each other's sacrifices and
choices to speak out for those that opted out and
chose not to go and participate to continue their fighting
in the social justice conversation and movement, there's just a
lot of love and positivity and even though these are
difficult conversations that have in difficult experiences, support and positivity
(18:30):
and encouragement and not shouting people down for what they
may personally believe in. Right. We can differ in our opinions,
we can debate our differences, but you're not a bad
person or wrong necessarily if you don't see it exactly
the way I see it. And so I think all
of the opportunities for people to come together, it helps
everybody to see that it is possible, whether you're man, woman, white, black,
(18:55):
whatever dissent ethnicity, if you come together you can really
do special things. C J knows that if someone does
not see something exactly how I see it, I do
think they're wrong in a bad person. So now he'll
at least be able to be like Pigan. Derek says
that if they don't see it, just so now you're
giving c J m out like promise. Yeah, no, no, no.
(19:21):
The house, the houses, that's a whole different community, Like
the rules are different at home. Thank you, thank you.
We got we got really into the vlogs coming out
of the bubble. The one we watched most recently was
about this chef who was cooking seven days a week.
I mean, what this woman was doing was so incredible
(19:42):
and like, yeah, to just imagine, oh my god, there's
all these this Russell Westbrook eight thousand tips coming out,
Like all the support staff that goes into it that
we have we can forget about sometimes because they're not
the people on the court. Now, it started out that
the food was sort of being like hounded on social
media by the time you left. Whereas there like stuff
(20:04):
you actually liked about the bubble food pool, what was
something that you actually like enjoyed. Um, wow, that's a
good question. Yeah, I think the food started off rough
at there was perception, you know, like I think when
you go into something and one you're not sure what
to expect, but you're already kind of thinking the worst
of everything because it was just it was such a
(20:27):
sensitive and and anxiety causing situation, like going into it,
we had no clue what this experience is going to
be like. So I think that kind of factored into
why the perception of the food was really bad. Even
on the men's side. There were some early complaints about
the food, you know, in those first three or four
days of quarantine, But I think over time, like you said,
(20:49):
the support staff, the chefs, the hotel staff and representatives, housekeeping,
you know, maintenance security. You know, we were on a
IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, so you know, we were
kind of staying on somebody else's property and like in
their house, so to speak. So they, you know, they
kind of had to get out of the way for
us at times. But I think by the end of it,
(21:11):
I do find that the league I think found a
way to try and serve the players needs as much
as they possibly could. The food needed to improve in
order for you to be able to expect the women
to perform at a higher level. So those things improve,
you know, a lot of adjustments on the hours of
availability for food, like little things that you don't even
(21:31):
think about that it's hard to put on these type
of events, you know when nobody has done, ever, done
this before, So the league had to learn a lot.
I think for me personally, by the end of it,
what I like the most was that it it did
create a little bit more of a team family type
(21:51):
of experience, like where old school like, hey you you know,
it's out of town. It's just us. And I do
think that that linded itself towards more time together as
a team, spending more time getting to know each other,
whereas typically like if we're in l A during a
normal season, as soon as practice is over, like everybody
(22:11):
goes in twenty five different directions in l A. But
in the bubble, we all were pretty much going back
to this place. So I think those things were positive
for sure. It's like summer camp for sure. Yeah it was.
So I want to talk about you know, we're on
the brink of the potential title clinching game for you know,
you're better knock on, so I'm like, so superstitious, and
(22:34):
he's like, let's get champagne. I'm like, oh, oh, you
just have not I'm not saying we're popping it on
Friday night, but I mean, existence yeah, exactly exactly a
little bit of that. But because yeah, Game three, I
was like, oh, yeah, this is sweet. But we all
saw what happened. I mean, and you were in those situations.
I do want to talk about the current team, but
maybe a good way to segue into that is, you know,
(22:54):
you've been in this position several times. You were on
the last five winning Late Gurls championship teams. I guess
can you tell us what that feeling is like personally
and as a team heading into a potential title clinching game. Yeah,
I mean, you know, I had to shake my head
because I'm always still surprised when I'm tied to those
(23:17):
type of experiences and things like I just never imagined
it growing up that it would be a reality because
I grew up a Lakers fan. Magic Johnson was my
all time favorite player, Like, I just never imagine being
in those same positions that he was in that I
watched as a kid. So always surreal when I hear it.
And then so when I think back to the experiences,
(23:39):
you know, it's it's hard to explain, but I think
you you really, like imagine something that you've waited for
for so long, and it's like it's literally right on
the other side of like the door, but the rules
said you can't open the door quite yet, right if
(24:00):
you open the door, you might spoil a surprise. You know,
it might not it might not actually be there. So
you have to still be patient and not just open
the door, even though you know it's right on the
other side. And it's kind of like that type of
feeling where one of the greatest things that you can
ever experience in your life is that close, but you're
(24:20):
gonna violate your ability to access it if you try
to reach forward too quickly. And so that's what it's like,
kind of being in those positions where you know, even
for the Lakers, being up to old like, that's a
different type of performance anxiety and or or pressure that
is because you can start to get ahead of yourself
(24:42):
because you can start to think that, oh man, we're
only two wins away, or if we win this game,
you know that's over. And it takes me back to
some of those times where like the first experience really
was when we played the Pacers in the finals in
two thousands and we went up three one after Kobe
a just like you know, to me, that's when his
(25:05):
hair on his chest like really came with an overtime
against the Pacers, shack filed out and he, I mean,
he had two shots that were just like those are
the shots you grow up watching guys, mate, and he
made them, and so we went up three one, and
I literally remember the process of going to buy cigars
and preparing ourselves and getting ready for us closing out
(25:28):
this series in Game five in Indianapolis, and man, we
went out there in Indiana destroyed us like absolute instruction.
And so then we had to come back to l
A to finish it off in game six, and that
was a learning experience of how you have to stay
in a certain space in order to eliminate the opponent.
(25:48):
So Friday, it's gonna be in for the Lakers in
the position that they're in to mentally have the discipline
and the focus to not get ahead of themselves. It
almost seems like, I mean, I can I'm gonna make
a metaphor to stand up, but it's not gonna work,
where like in stand up you'll go in and you're like, oh,
this room hates me, and so anything positive you do,
(26:10):
you're like, wow, okay, And so like playing as an
underdog is so much more freeing for a team like
the Heat. You know, they obviously have these injuries that
have been really really unfortunate, but they're able to just
go out there and be like, let's just try and win.
And the Lakers, especially Lebron has to think about like
legacy and choking and what will people set in like
(26:30):
so many other aspects than just let's try and win. Correct.
And yes, I do think being like not having the
performance pressure to have to live up to anything, it
is different, I would say for the Heat because of
their relative and experience, like having to play in the
finals in the bubble is somewhat different then if they
(26:53):
were going back and forth, you know, between Miami and
l A and what that experience would be like. But yes,
I do agree that when you can just kind of
show up and relax and just kind of be you
and whatever the results are, people are gonna pat you
on the back anyway, say you did a great job.
You were phenomenal. You'll get him next time, even as
(27:14):
a competitor, Like you don't think that you're thinking they're
feeling that, but you are, Like you're you're not feeling
the pressure that Lebron is carrying at the moment. You
can't because you haven't lived his life. You're not feeling
what Anthony Davis is feeling. Uh, if you're Tyler Hero,
it's it's just different. And it doesn't mean that he's
(27:36):
okay with losing, but it's just a different experience. And
that's sometimes why you see strange outcomes in these situations, right,
is because the Lakers are feeling that tradition, the legacy.
They're feeling the pressure of, man if we can win
the championship that you know, in the year that we
lost Kobe, you know, we're wearing the Black Mama jerseys,
(27:58):
Like there's so much more than just them going to
play a basketball game. And you know that's why sometimes
you know, you see the games that just you just
can't explain why, how would they come on and play
like that? And I think a lot of those times
it's it's more mental than physical. I Mean, we always
(28:20):
joke about how like Lebron is not just like playing
a basketball game and being kind of the most visible
person in the NBA. He's also trying to like single
handedly and voter suppression um, which is a really hard
He's like, Okay, we gotta get all these felons in
Florida paid off, but I also need a triple double
or stephen A is gonna rippm. And it's like, that's
(28:41):
just like a law on your plate to also then
be a father and a leader and run a production company.
I mean it's a lot. Yeah, he makes me appreciate
and respect what athletes today are doing more than anyone.
Like the way he's found the balance of all of
those things to still like perform at such a high level,
(29:04):
which is what gives your voice the most strength and power.
Right Like if he was averaging two points and two rebounds,
even though he would be saying the same things, people
wouldn't listen to it the same way. But we the
two of you or I could go and say the
exact same things that Lebron says during interviews and it
just isn't the same because we're not Lebron. And so
(29:26):
like his the way he balances his personal life his
professional life, the elite performance, the ability to somehow be
relatable even though he sometimes seems that he's from another planet.
I just think it says a lot about who he is,
his character, his integrity, and nobody's a perfect being, right,
(29:47):
but it just he just feels and presents himself in
a way that there is a tremendous balance and just
from the little one percent of one percent that I
you know, have to deal with compared to what he's
dealing with, it's tough to balance it all. So he
just deserves a lot of credit. You have to tip
your hat to him. And you know, I think what
he's doing for the organization and allowing the Lakers to
(30:11):
be back in that conversation of the best team in
the NBA. You know, it's been a long time coming
over this last decade. But that's life, right. You know.
You think the Lakers of the eighties, right, the Showtime era,
and then it was about a decade or so gap
and then you know the two thousands. You know, we
we kind of had our run that decade and then
(30:31):
there was a gap and then you know, the Lakers
are now back, and you know, Jamie Bust deserves a
lot of credit, uh, in the bus family, joe H Jesse,
you know, rop Olinka, Kurt rameses back, you know, involved
in the family consulting, like they just they all deserve
a lot of credit. Frank Vogel in his first year
and the staff like it's been an enjoyable team to
(30:53):
watch and hopefully they can finish the job. Yeah, I mean,
you played with the last great Lakers duo, and you
know this is just simply like the beginning of almost
the next few years and potentially more championships. What advice
would you give Lebron and a d as This is
pretty much the beginning that you wish you guys could
(31:14):
have heard playing with with Shaq and Kobe back in
the two thousand's. You know that I think each of
them have verbalized and articulated quite well themselves. Right, is
that they seem to understand already that this is not guaranteed. Right,
that as great as they are, they're not entitled to
be where they are, that they really do have to
(31:36):
earn it and respect it and value it and appreciate
the opportunity and the way that they communicate directly with
each other, the relationship that they're forming amongst themselves, like
they're really keeping each other humble and hungry. But they're
also really great teammates, which I think will also allow
the Lakers to, as you know, they figure out over
(31:58):
the next two or three years, as as Lebron continues to,
you know, kind of move closer to whenever the end
of his career would be, they're gonna be able to
bring guys in that enjoy playing basketball with Lebron. James
and Anthony Davis, like they're great players, but they're great teammates.
They passed the ball, they make the right place. So
I think my you know, not even advice, because they
(32:21):
again they're those kinds are other worldly. I can't tell anything,
but my thoughts would be to really, whatever things that
you need to do to keep that mentality, whatever tricks
you need to play on yourself to convince yourself that
literally tomorrow it can be over. Like literally tomorrow you're
gonna be doing an interview about what you did ten
(32:43):
years ago. Like that's how quickly it all goes. They
both seem to approach things from that way, which is
great to see, but um, those would be the mind
tricks that they'll have to play, and then I think
as an organization, continuing the eye players and people that
bring that new kind of like I want to achieve
(33:07):
that as well kind of energy to the team, like
you don't. You don't want winning to ever get old.
And so I think those two guys are are in
the right place, and then they'll continue to try to
make sure the right guys are surrounding them. Of your
five championships, wow, do you have a favorite one? I
know that's probably like picking children, but yeah, they are,
(33:31):
like you know, it's it is because they all mean
so much and you just love them in different ways.
I think for me, probably the two that stand out
the most would be oh one, and then I think, uh,
two thousand and one is to me, like it you
(33:52):
know what we did as a team in terms of
the sixteen and one postseason run, Like to win team
games in the postseason they're only lot once is crazy,
um to begin with, and you know, Shock and Kobe's
dominance at that time was no greater then. You know,
I don't know if any two players were ever playing
better than those guys at that time, but the year
(34:14):
before for me personally super quick, like I came off
the bench on the two thousand team. I struggled most
of the season trying to figure out my role. And
you know, I kind of started to prove myself as
a starter right before Phil Jackson came in. Then he
brought Ron Harper in came off the bench on the
first championship team. I actually did some acting in the
(34:34):
off season and I was on the Jimmie Fox Show
listen l A, why not go out from season? Come on? Yeah?
So so Kevin Garnett asked me because he was on
this episode as well, and he said, he asked me,
whatever you want to achieve, what accomplished, like you've been
on the championship team, Like you know, it's gotta be great,
(34:55):
Like what else is it? And I said, honestly, like I,
as a guy that was coming off the bench a
lot of times, feel would you know there's a certain
point where the starters come back in the game in
the fourth quarter. And I said, honestly, K Like, there's
no disrespect to anybody else, but I really do want
more of an opportunity to be in the game and
(35:16):
the clutch moments and making the big shots and making
the big plays, Like I want my coaches and teammates
to trust that we can win with me on the
court at the end of the game. I had no
idea that I was speaking that into existence at that time.
But first I found out that my right foot was
basically fractured, had an invigicant of fracture my right foot,
(35:38):
so I ended up having surgery. I was out for
six months in that two thousand two thousand one season,
So when I came back in March, I had spent
six months rehabbing. UM. I couldn't walk for three months.
I was on crutches, so I was doing things like
sitting in a chair, you know, working on my arc,
doing things that would help me get better. But I
(35:59):
didn't know if that would carry over into getting back
on the court, and it carried over Like when I
got back from that injury, I was starting UM I
shot the ball better than not ever shot it. We
had a great postseason run, so that two thousand one
championship was like, that was a breakthrough for me that
I'm capable at the highest level in the world to
(36:21):
make the right plays to help my team win a
championship in this league. And then two thousand and ten,
of course, like if you're a Laker playing the Celtics
in the finals, like to grow up watching Magic and
Kareem and James Worthy and those guys playing the Celtics
in the finals in the eighties and then too now
like in O eight and then now in playing against
(36:42):
the Celtics in the finals like that, so that you know,
or one like that, those two are there like the
really special children. The other three I love them. But
oh yeah, I was rewatching some of two ten and
you hit at three, you know, I mean, you guys
came back from down thirteen in Game seven against the Celtics,
(37:05):
and it almost was reminding me of watching k CP
in this series. In the playoffs in general, it's like
Lebron and and a D not only the greatest players,
but the greatest decoys. So it is gonna be those
those guys, those role players who have to be ready
in the clutch, and like that. I think that, you know,
that's one of your biggest identities, was a clutch shooter,
and like that's what it takes to be those other
(37:26):
pieces that plays with those you know, those legends, and
so yeah, I mean, what what what was it like?
Did you you knew that fully going well, Like, these
guys can both drop thirty five forty in a game,
but that last moment, the smartest play might be coming
to meet, so I gotta be ready. Yeah, I mean,
I think it's embracing net and appreciating the opportunity to
be in that position, like to be that close to
(37:49):
the greatest basketball players to ever play basketball. That still
means you're pretty damn yeah. So it's like, so I
think appreciating and embracing the fact that it's okay for
those guys to be the stars I don't have. I'm
not competing with them. I'm not trying to steal their shine.
I don't need to shoot as many shots as they shoot.
(38:10):
My responsibility to myself and to my team is to
make sure that we win, and that for me was
always the That's that was my get back to the
guys that statistically we're better than me, quote unquote, I
wasn't gonna score as many points as my baby or
Alan Iverson or Ray Allen or anybody else that had
(38:33):
a role on their team that was different than mine.
That wasn't my job to do. So I think, you know,
just mentally being able to have the discipline to not
try and be something else and that I don't think
people understand how hard that is though, because players like
(38:53):
k C. P Rondo, Danny Green, Alice Caruso. Um, I
always forget which Who's Morris brother? We have we are
markets are Marquis, Marquis Markey right, um cool? So like
you said on down the list, But like those guys
would give you any points at the gym right now.
(39:16):
They are that freaking good. So it's a choice. It's
like if um, Jordan Peele called you and wanted you
to start in the movie and it's like, Okay, are
you gonna be the like the lead actor? Are you?
Are you? Are you gonna be? Okay, bitchy Sidi, I
want neighbor, Like that's who I want to be. Yeah,
(39:39):
Like but right, but but that's accepting, Like it's as
a level of self awareness that comes with embracing your role.
And I think that surrounding Lebron and a d with
those type of players and people that are willing to
embrace the role of the annoying neighbor like that is
(40:02):
what you need in order to win. And being teammates
with some of the best to ever do that Rick Fox,
Robert Ry, Ryan saw uh, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, Trevor Resa,
Sasha Bua Chich like I could go on and on
like that is what really makes the difference between You
can't just put anybody. I read something the other day
(40:22):
where it's like, it doesn't matter who's on the team
with Lebron and a D like the Lakers are. That's
that's the most incorrect statement anybody could ever say about
a sports team. It matters exactly who those guys are
next to a D and Lebron. It matters. It's buying
that accepting the role. I mean, I don't want to Clippers.
(40:44):
I mean, you know, on paper they could have been
better than the Lakers. I know your wife is a
huge fan, so I wanted to get a little close. Also,
just like to be on record that I think you're
better than KCP. So I just want I know TJS
in the comparison out there. I was like those moments now,
man were like when he when he made those uh
(41:05):
he scored those five points later in Game four, it
took me back to like man like to to think
about where he's come from the time he showed up
in l a right and people doubting and questioning and
second guessing and everybody having an opinion about what case P.
Shoulder shouldn't be doing and we shouldn't have him, and
it like that's I remember that, right. I remember being
(41:28):
the guy that everybody thought he's too old, or he
can't guard this guy, or he's not fast enough. And
so when you break through in those moments for your
team that way, it is so fulfilling and gratifying for
you right to be able to just persevere through things.
And so I was really happy for him to have
those moments where he broke through like that on the
biggest stage. Well, Derek, we're so appreciative your time. We know,
(41:51):
you know, aside from being a coach and and NBA legend,
like you're also a parent, so we know walk back.
What's are you now a teacher now that you know
after after the season? Good? Good, good, Yeah, I'm teaching anything.
We try to help them by staying out of their
(42:11):
way as much as possible, but when they need some help,
you know, we're definitely there for m But I tipped
my hat to all educators and teachers even more so
than already did because this this is not easy for
them at all. You're a classroom role player too, you know,
You're like, I'm not going to be the teacher, but listen,
if you have one question, I can maybe everywhere everybody.
(42:32):
I'm self aware that, like fifth graders are actually smarter.
I'm great with Thank you so much for being here
on we're recording this on Thursday, will come out Tuesday,
but on the eve of what could be a potentially
magical day in the city of l a So go
Lakers Go, Dodgers, Go, Sparks and if I if I've
(42:55):
missed anyone else and there, thank you so much, appreciate
it very much. Man, Thank you very much. Nice to
see you, making nice to meet you. Do you mind
if I take just like a little photo of us
on this zoom? Okay, awesome, Okay, thank you, well, hopefully
talk say thanks J all right, take care, all right,
(43:19):
And that's been our episode. Thank you so much, Derek
Fisher for coming on. Thank you to Jack kings Red
who helped make that happen. Thank you for listening to
another episode of the Greatest I've been c J Toldanna
you can follow me in at c J Toldonna on
everything and I've been making gaily at Megan Gaily at
better Megan Gaily on Instagram. Thank you guys so much
(43:40):
for listening, rate review, subscribe, be safe for a mask,
vote voat Boat, and we will talk to you next week. Bye.
The Greatest is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcast from my heart Radio, visit the I heart
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Pointing, pointed Bad
Welcome to the Greatest, a production of I Heart Radio. Hello,
and welcome to another episode of the Greatest. I'm Megan
Gaily and I'm joined by my husband and my co
host and giant Lakers fan, well giant Lebron James is
(00:24):
on the Lakers for the last two years. C J Toldanno,
I'm hi, I'm Megan. Hi, honey. Um, we are recording
on Monday evening. Yeah, this might be like the latest
we've ever Well, we've recorded episodes more currently, so we um.
We had other plans. Yeah, so we interviewed Derek Fisher
(00:45):
you're a listener on Thursday, which you're going to get
to hear very soon. And then we waited to record
this part of the podcast until the Lakers one, which
c J thought was going to be Friday evening times.
Why don't you give just a little rundown of the
stuff you had set up for Friday. Okay, Well, first
of all, any new listeners, if you're listening because you're
(01:07):
a Lakers fan, you're Derek Fisher fan. This podcast does
have a premise where we talk about the great we
have our greatest picks for certain sports topics, categories or
whatever like you know, greatest player, greatest team, grace, whatever.
So this episode is a little bit more specially I
haven't done either of those topics though. Yeah, if you
want a bunch of episodes about Sneakers, we're here for you. Um.
(01:31):
But yeah, so this episode is a little bit different.
We're just so Laker crazy. Over the last few weeks,
we got to interview a Lakers legend who is still
so a part of the l A basketball community as
head coaches the Sparks, and then the Lakers won the
NBA Championship last night. So it feels so. I mean,
(01:52):
my greatest Derek Fisher moment if I if I need
one to talks about it is the point for second
shot against the Spurs. I mean, yeah, there's so many moments.
I mean, I guess, you know, we would be Actually,
it would be kind of redundant for us to because
everyone's been talking about the greatest moments just because the
Lakers have been you know, winning and it went deep
in the playoffs and they went last night. But also
(02:14):
Kobe you know, passing away. There's been a lot of
reminiscing about the Lakers franchise and just just really historic
and I'm actually really embarrassed when you know, in the
last twenty four hours, everyone congratulating me because I, yeah,
I became a fan because we live here now, we'll
probably live here for the rest of our lives. And
I've just followed the brain wherever I've gone, wherever he's gone, Yeah, wherever, oh,
(02:38):
remember he's gone. I'm not. I have to get used
to that. And I don't mean that in a mean way. Yeah,
but the plan was we we interviewed him last Thursday,
the night before what would have been Game five, and everyone,
I mean, we all deserved any anyone who was reading
(03:00):
for the Lakers truly deserved the Lakers losing on Friday
night because I had bought in champagne. We interviewed Derek Fisher.
We were talking about We're asking him questions and you'll
hear it. You invited people to our home. I invited
people to our home social distance. It was social distance,
but it was the most amount of people that have
been in our backyard, just in our backyard. Um masks
(03:24):
masks on, yes, but to the point where distant where
plus ones we're trying to bring plus one, you shut
it down. You shut it down. To be me and
I just we can you can't have a stranger in
your home during pandemic, so we learned from that. It
was still a nice time. It was nice to watch
sports with other people. I think everyone was really safe,
(03:44):
which was good. Even them losing was fun. Yeah, I
mean what a game like, let's think about it. Had
that game ended in a Danny Green game one, That's
not what I mean was fun. I mean it was
fun for me personally to get to see people I
hadn't seen. Yeah, some people have been said, man, if
(04:04):
this is the way I got COVID, I wouldn't be
that mad. Did you say that you mentioned Danny Green?
If you are listening to this and you are one
of the people who sent Danny Green and or his
fiance a death threat, what's going on? It's weird. And
when they say death threats, I I don't well, I
(04:25):
shared this with you. Yes, I don't know what. I
don't know what you're gonna say right now that that.
I don't know if they're death threats that are like
you should die, or if they were more like I
wish you had been on the helicopter. They're both bad. No,
I mean yeah. YouTube comment Megan isn't making that up
Like that's not she doesn't mean that's funny. It's truly
(04:48):
sports fans. It's not even that. I mean, it's like
disgusting in the comments. And I guess, let me not
preface because I'm let me make up for It's like,
I don't want you to think people know I do
not take this lightly. I'm not being flippant about it.
A man once commented on a video of mine that
(05:10):
he wanted to choke me and have sex with my
dead body. So I guess I am able to at
least come to this is no one cares, no one,
no one actually wants to kill me. But I have
had people on the internet say they want to kill me.
So I do feel like I can talk about yea,
but let's keep the podcast. Let's keep the podcast about
(05:34):
the Lakers. The Lakers one, How did how did that
make you feel? Last night? It made me feel mostly
happy for you, and yeah, I was really I'm, you know,
the Kobe of it all. And I love Genie Buss
getting to watch her. I always I don't forget about her.
But like, there's just so few like women in ownership positions,
(05:59):
um and she's just a badass, and just seeing her
interact with the players, it was really a nice We've
been listen, we've been watching the vlogs and hearing the
stuff that comes out of the bubble, but to see
just such a joyous moment in the bubble, and the
joy I think was from the victory and then on
(06:19):
in Adam Silver's part, the fact that they pulled this
off at all. You know, like everyone who went to
the bubble, whether you know it's the Pacers who got
swept or the Lakers who won the championship, should like
really be so so so proud of themselves that they
made this sacrifice for the country. I think, yeah, to me,
a Lakers championship, even if I wasn't a Lakers sound
(06:42):
I'm not just saying that it is. It's just the
perfect exclamation point on the you know, this NBA experiment
which went incredibly but also just we needed to pick
me up in And I even have friends who hate
the Lakers who are like, yeah, this makes sense. This
is like like in momentum going into an election, like
(07:03):
it seemed like right, like the people who don't like
Lebron are insane um and the people like we have
die hard Clipper fan friends who are like, yeah, we
like Lebron. Like Lebron. He again, you said it several times,
you said it in our interview coming up. But he
is not only trying to you know, win it for Kobe,
win it for the you know, to get the the
(07:25):
what is acceptance of the Laker community, but also his
fighting social injustice, getting people to vote, you know, for
for you know, black communities. Was willing to leave the bubble,
willing to leave this opportunity to win a championship because
he did not feel as though the m b A
(07:46):
or the players we're getting to accomplish what they wanted to.
And that is when you saw this deal that the
stadiums will be voting places. I think some of the
places have renigged on that, which is not great. And
in addition to Lebron for the Lakers organization, like you
see those trainers and and the and the owners in
(08:07):
this and all of the people that like not even
the organization. We were just downtown and it's just as
many Kobe jerseys as it is Lebron jerseys. And I'm
sure that will change in some way, but people are
still mourning and and that really was the kickoff to
(08:28):
what has been one of the most difficult years in existence.
And so it does feel like something just and right
happened as a result of all of the other bullshit
that's been bad. Yeah. I remember the first game that
the Lakers played after Kobe's passing. It was against the Blazers,
(08:49):
and everyone was like, oh man, we like it meant
every single game meant so much more. A championship meant
some more for them. And they lost, and it was
told really understandable that they are, like you just saw
there was they were defeated. The look in their eye
they're kind of just like confused, scrambling, Like it was
just a weird emotions in that arena. But for them
(09:11):
to come together as a team, so much stuff happened
with this roster. Avery Bradley sat out of the of
the restart, they added j R. Smith and Dion Waiders
you know there it was just there was so much
adversity that they overcame. Like in Lebron again, so much
on his plate, Like have you ever asked me to
work out on a workday, Like I'm like, that's too much.
(09:33):
Like Lebron has nineteen things he's doing on a daily basis,
and it's like coming through on all of them. So
I'm really happy about it. I'm really happy. I'm it's
you know again, we might be Homer's or bias here,
but like the city of l A. I think really
not needed this, Like you know, every city needs something
right now, but like this was sunny out there. We
(09:54):
walked around Staples and it was a nice feeling, and
I think people in l A, um, yeah, they deserved
this and are are going to enjoy it. I'm gonna
miss the Bubble so much. I got, I like got
choked up telling my therapist last week how much the
Bubble has been. I mean, it really has been a
bright spot and it it's given us something to look
forward to. Um, Like the team I love Number one
(10:17):
in my heart had such like a terrible exit and
I still have fun, like everything about it. Oh, everything
about the Bubble, even I mean the lou Williams, the
everything was fun. I feel so bad for Daniel House. Um,
but I just congratulations to the m b A as
(10:38):
as a whole for for really making everyone else looked
pretty freaking bad. I mean that's like kind of five it.
I hope Adam Silver gets to like really rest now,
but I know that season is already upon us and
there's all of these you know, changes and things that
need to be put in place, and he obviously does
(10:59):
that better than many other commissioner minus the hockey man.
I don't know, um, but but thank you to him
and and best of luck. And I mean, what an
audition if he true, if you wanted to become president,
what an audition he just did. Like it's if the
job of president is to manage a group of people
and you're looking at their financial like you're you're handling financials, health,
(11:23):
you know, residents like man, that's he did it, I
guess in a small samples size, but really came through
not a single case that came from within the bubble.
So shout out to Adam Silver. And we get into
that with Derek. They you know, end up getting less credit,
(11:46):
but also did the same exact difficult fee and an
upheld their bargain with activism and entertainment and everything that
they gave to us. I don't know what we're gonna
watch now, but well we're gonna watch the NFL, which
every day, Hey, the game is this giant game is
postponed or canceled, but you know, and we're going to
(12:06):
watch the Dodgers. Yes, go Dodgers, Um, go anybody, but
the asteris And honestly, yeah, we're shout out to all
the players in every sport who are returning right now,
like we we've seen one comes to a happy conclusion.
Just hope that same for all these leagues that have
done the restart. And yeah, I mean hopefully we're close
to some sort of like tangible phase of the pandemic
(12:28):
being over. You know, they they are estimating November. I
don't know why I'm getting to this talk, but like, yeah,
the vaccine coul potentially happened next month and it's okay,
I don't know what this is what I've heard Without
further ado, UM, here is our conversation with Lakers legend
Derek Fisher, and I hope you enjoy it all right, guys,
(13:03):
the moment we've all been waiting for a very very
special guest in a very very special week in like
the last few months, Laker legend, current head coach of
the Los Angeles Sparks. We are so so thrilled to
have them, ladies, and gentlemen. Derek Fisher, J Man, how
(13:23):
you doing, man, I'm thankfully doing well. Man. I cannot complain.
You know healthy. You know, the kids and the misses
our safe and healthy. You know my mom and dad
and family back home and little Rock are healthy and safe.
And so just right now, there is there anything else
I could ask for. So yeah, I'm good. I mean,
I love your l A hat that you're wearing. I've
(13:45):
never seen it's a it's a Dodger's hat with a
rainbow flag. It's a Dodger's hat, Like you said, rainbow
flag ran across it about a year and a half ago,
right before I started up with the Sparks in terms
of like training camp in my first season, and I
really felt like it just represented how I feel about
life and w and everything right that we we should
(14:07):
support everybody, regardless of you know, their personal beliefs, their
personal choices, like they're still human beings and deserve to
be respected. And you know, I've I've got a lot
of compliments for you know with the hat, and uh,
it stands for something and that's that's why I really
enjoy wearing it. That's great. I mean, yes, before we
get into all the Lakers stuff. I also, yeah, we
(14:27):
want to put a spotlight. I mean, you've been the
Sparks coach for the last two seasons. You just I
mean unprecedented. I mean everyone's saying unprecedented season. You were
in the bubble? Can you tell us a little bit.
I mean you just got out of one a couple
of weeks ago, Like, how was it? How was that experience? Yeah, No,
it's um, it was a life changing experience. Uh. You know,
(14:47):
I hope that we don't have to experience that, you know,
ever again, and that um, it's one of one. Uh,
there isn't anything to compare it to. There wasn't anything
that you could, you know, try and think back on
and say how am I going to get through this
and figure this out? Um? But you know, I think
it's difficult as it was, there were definitely things to
(15:10):
be thankful and grateful for. A lot of folks don't
have jobs that even offer them the opportunity to go
to a bubble and work for a while, which is
difficult to do. But it's a job, right, and it's
something that I love to do, so um So that
part of it was really enjoyable. I think really observing
the women though, was probably the most fulfilling aspect of it,
(15:33):
I think, and I'm sure you know, the mrs can
tell us even better, like just the experience of being
a woman in the WB is predominantly African American and
women of color, and so the burdens that they carried
in terms of trying to excel and be great on
the court, carrying the mantle and their voices off the court,
(15:55):
speaking out for things that they believed in. It wasn't easy,
and I'm just thankful that we were healthy and we
stayed healthy for the most part. We had a couple
of injuries late in the season, but overall the ladies
were healthy and we made it home safely and we
had a good regular season. Like, you know, we definitely,
you know we we everybody wants to win the championship
(16:16):
in advance in the postseason, but a lot that we
can learn from and we'll see how things work out
for us as we come back together for next season. Um,
the NBA has gotten so much credit, all of it
deserved about the bubble and the activism and the awareness
that they've brought to issues that deserved awareness. For a
(16:38):
lot longer than just the last few months. But when
you talk about the NBA, it's like the the w
n b A has always been on the forefront and
has always pushed and really been saying all this stuff,
and it was just kind of a matter of a
spotlight being shown on them and people listening. And you
have now these mega A mega stars in Sue Bird,
(17:02):
who's part of this power couple, where it's like you
can't deny that their celebrities and we have to listen
to them now. So I think what the NBA has
been able to accomplish would not even be possible if
it was not for the leadership and the voices within
the w n b A as well. And so it's
just wonderful to see them finally getting the credit that
(17:24):
they deserve. Yeah. No, I think those are great points,
and I think it underscores the importance of us working
together to solve problems. Right that that even though the
w n B A ladies have always been on the
forefront of using their voices and their platform to stand
up for things that are much bigger and more important
than any of us individually. You know, the voices and
(17:45):
the platform that the men in the w n B
A can add to these ladies voices and these women,
that's what really gives it the true essence and power
that it needs in order to stand strong and over
the test of time. And it was great to see
how both the men on on the NBA side and
the women on the w NBA side the level of
(18:07):
respect and admiration and appreciation for each other's sacrifices and
choices to speak out for those that opted out and
chose not to go and participate to continue their fighting
in the social justice conversation and movement, there's just a
lot of love and positivity and even though these are
difficult conversations that have in difficult experiences, support and positivity
(18:30):
and encouragement and not shouting people down for what they
may personally believe in. Right. We can differ in our opinions,
we can debate our differences, but you're not a bad
person or wrong necessarily if you don't see it exactly
the way I see it. And so I think all
of the opportunities for people to come together, it helps
everybody to see that it is possible, whether you're man, woman, white, black,
(18:55):
whatever dissent ethnicity, if you come together you can really
do special things. C J knows that if someone does
not see something exactly how I see it, I do
think they're wrong in a bad person. So now he'll
at least be able to be like Pigan. Derek says
that if they don't see it, just so now you're
giving c J m out like promise. Yeah, no, no, no.
(19:21):
The house, the houses, that's a whole different community, Like
the rules are different at home. Thank you, thank you.
We got we got really into the vlogs coming out
of the bubble. The one we watched most recently was
about this chef who was cooking seven days a week.
I mean, what this woman was doing was so incredible
(19:42):
and like, yeah, to just imagine, oh my god, there's
all these this Russell Westbrook eight thousand tips coming out,
Like all the support staff that goes into it that
we have we can forget about sometimes because they're not
the people on the court. Now, it started out that
the food was sort of being like hounded on social
media by the time you left. Whereas there like stuff
(20:04):
you actually liked about the bubble food pool, what was
something that you actually like enjoyed. Um, wow, that's a
good question. Yeah, I think the food started off rough
at there was perception, you know, like I think when
you go into something and one you're not sure what
to expect, but you're already kind of thinking the worst
of everything because it was just it was such a
(20:27):
sensitive and and anxiety causing situation, like going into it,
we had no clue what this experience is going to
be like. So I think that kind of factored into
why the perception of the food was really bad. Even
on the men's side. There were some early complaints about
the food, you know, in those first three or four
days of quarantine, But I think over time, like you said,
(20:49):
the support staff, the chefs, the hotel staff and representatives, housekeeping,
you know, maintenance security. You know, we were on a
IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, so you know, we were
kind of staying on somebody else's property and like in
their house, so to speak. So they, you know, they
kind of had to get out of the way for
us at times. But I think by the end of it,
(21:11):
I do find that the league I think found a
way to try and serve the players needs as much
as they possibly could. The food needed to improve in
order for you to be able to expect the women
to perform at a higher level. So those things improve,
you know, a lot of adjustments on the hours of
availability for food, like little things that you don't even
(21:31):
think about that it's hard to put on these type
of events, you know when nobody has done, ever, done
this before, So the league had to learn a lot.
I think for me personally, by the end of it,
what I like the most was that it it did
create a little bit more of a team family type
(21:51):
of experience, like where old school like, hey you you know,
it's out of town. It's just us. And I do
think that that linded itself towards more time together as
a team, spending more time getting to know each other,
whereas typically like if we're in l A during a
normal season, as soon as practice is over, like everybody
(22:11):
goes in twenty five different directions in l A. But
in the bubble, we all were pretty much going back
to this place. So I think those things were positive
for sure. It's like summer camp for sure. Yeah it was.
So I want to talk about you know, we're on
the brink of the potential title clinching game for you know,
you're better knock on, so I'm like, so superstitious, and
(22:34):
he's like, let's get champagne. I'm like, oh, oh, you
just have not I'm not saying we're popping it on
Friday night, but I mean, existence yeah, exactly exactly a
little bit of that. But because yeah, Game three, I
was like, oh, yeah, this is sweet. But we all
saw what happened. I mean, and you were in those situations.
I do want to talk about the current team, but
maybe a good way to segue into that is, you know,
(22:54):
you've been in this position several times. You were on
the last five winning Late Gurls championship teams. I guess
can you tell us what that feeling is like personally
and as a team heading into a potential title clinching game. Yeah,
I mean, you know, I had to shake my head
because I'm always still surprised when I'm tied to those
(23:17):
type of experiences and things like I just never imagined
it growing up that it would be a reality because
I grew up a Lakers fan. Magic Johnson was my
all time favorite player, Like, I just never imagine being
in those same positions that he was in that I
watched as a kid. So always surreal when I hear it.
And then so when I think back to the experiences,
(23:39):
you know, it's it's hard to explain, but I think
you you really, like imagine something that you've waited for
for so long, and it's like it's literally right on
the other side of like the door, but the rules
said you can't open the door quite yet, right if
(24:00):
you open the door, you might spoil a surprise. You know,
it might not it might not actually be there. So
you have to still be patient and not just open
the door, even though you know it's right on the
other side. And it's kind of like that type of
feeling where one of the greatest things that you can
ever experience in your life is that close, but you're
(24:20):
gonna violate your ability to access it if you try
to reach forward too quickly. And so that's what it's like,
kind of being in those positions where you know, even
for the Lakers, being up to old like, that's a
different type of performance anxiety and or or pressure that
is because you can start to get ahead of yourself
(24:42):
because you can start to think that, oh man, we're
only two wins away, or if we win this game,
you know that's over. And it takes me back to
some of those times where like the first experience really
was when we played the Pacers in the finals in
two thousands and we went up three one after Kobe
a just like you know, to me, that's when his
(25:05):
hair on his chest like really came with an overtime
against the Pacers, shack filed out and he, I mean,
he had two shots that were just like those are
the shots you grow up watching guys, mate, and he
made them, and so we went up three one, and
I literally remember the process of going to buy cigars
and preparing ourselves and getting ready for us closing out
(25:28):
this series in Game five in Indianapolis, and man, we
went out there in Indiana destroyed us like absolute instruction.
And so then we had to come back to l
A to finish it off in game six, and that
was a learning experience of how you have to stay
in a certain space in order to eliminate the opponent.
(25:48):
So Friday, it's gonna be in for the Lakers in
the position that they're in to mentally have the discipline
and the focus to not get ahead of themselves. It
almost seems like, I mean, I can I'm gonna make
a metaphor to stand up, but it's not gonna work,
where like in stand up you'll go in and you're like, oh,
this room hates me, and so anything positive you do,
(26:10):
you're like, wow, okay, And so like playing as an
underdog is so much more freeing for a team like
the Heat. You know, they obviously have these injuries that
have been really really unfortunate, but they're able to just
go out there and be like, let's just try and win.
And the Lakers, especially Lebron has to think about like
legacy and choking and what will people set in like
(26:30):
so many other aspects than just let's try and win. Correct.
And yes, I do think being like not having the
performance pressure to have to live up to anything, it
is different, I would say for the Heat because of
their relative and experience, like having to play in the
finals in the bubble is somewhat different then if they
(26:53):
were going back and forth, you know, between Miami and
l A and what that experience would be like. But yes,
I do agree that when you can just kind of
show up and relax and just kind of be you
and whatever the results are, people are gonna pat you
on the back anyway, say you did a great job.
You were phenomenal. You'll get him next time, even as
(27:14):
a competitor, Like you don't think that you're thinking they're
feeling that, but you are, Like you're you're not feeling
the pressure that Lebron is carrying at the moment. You
can't because you haven't lived his life. You're not feeling
what Anthony Davis is feeling. Uh, if you're Tyler Hero,
it's it's just different. And it doesn't mean that he's
(27:36):
okay with losing, but it's just a different experience. And
that's sometimes why you see strange outcomes in these situations, right,
is because the Lakers are feeling that tradition, the legacy.
They're feeling the pressure of, man if we can win
the championship that you know, in the year that we
lost Kobe, you know, we're wearing the Black Mama jerseys,
(27:58):
Like there's so much more than just them going to
play a basketball game. And you know that's why sometimes
you know, you see the games that just you just
can't explain why, how would they come on and play
like that? And I think a lot of those times
it's it's more mental than physical. I Mean, we always
(28:20):
joke about how like Lebron is not just like playing
a basketball game and being kind of the most visible
person in the NBA. He's also trying to like single
handedly and voter suppression um, which is a really hard
He's like, Okay, we gotta get all these felons in
Florida paid off, but I also need a triple double
or stephen A is gonna rippm. And it's like, that's
(28:41):
just like a law on your plate to also then
be a father and a leader and run a production company.
I mean it's a lot. Yeah, he makes me appreciate
and respect what athletes today are doing more than anyone.
Like the way he's found the balance of all of
those things to still like perform at such a high level,
(29:04):
which is what gives your voice the most strength and power.
Right Like if he was averaging two points and two rebounds,
even though he would be saying the same things, people
wouldn't listen to it the same way. But we the
two of you or I could go and say the
exact same things that Lebron says during interviews and it
just isn't the same because we're not Lebron. And so
(29:26):
like his the way he balances his personal life his
professional life, the elite performance, the ability to somehow be
relatable even though he sometimes seems that he's from another planet.
I just think it says a lot about who he is,
his character, his integrity, and nobody's a perfect being, right,
(29:47):
but it just he just feels and presents himself in
a way that there is a tremendous balance and just
from the little one percent of one percent that I
you know, have to deal with compared to what he's
dealing with, it's tough to balance it all. So he
just deserves a lot of credit. You have to tip
your hat to him. And you know, I think what
he's doing for the organization and allowing the Lakers to
(30:11):
be back in that conversation of the best team in
the NBA. You know, it's been a long time coming
over this last decade. But that's life, right. You know.
You think the Lakers of the eighties, right, the Showtime era,
and then it was about a decade or so gap
and then you know the two thousands. You know, we
we kind of had our run that decade and then
(30:31):
there was a gap and then you know, the Lakers
are now back, and you know, Jamie Bust deserves a
lot of credit, uh, in the bus family, joe H Jesse,
you know, rop Olinka, Kurt rameses back, you know, involved
in the family consulting, like they just they all deserve
a lot of credit. Frank Vogel in his first year
and the staff like it's been an enjoyable team to
(30:53):
watch and hopefully they can finish the job. Yeah, I mean,
you played with the last great Lakers duo, and you
know this is just simply like the beginning of almost
the next few years and potentially more championships. What advice
would you give Lebron and a d as This is
pretty much the beginning that you wish you guys could
(31:14):
have heard playing with with Shaq and Kobe back in
the two thousand's. You know that I think each of
them have verbalized and articulated quite well themselves. Right, is
that they seem to understand already that this is not guaranteed. Right,
that as great as they are, they're not entitled to
be where they are, that they really do have to
(31:36):
earn it and respect it and value it and appreciate
the opportunity and the way that they communicate directly with
each other, the relationship that they're forming amongst themselves, like
they're really keeping each other humble and hungry. But they're
also really great teammates, which I think will also allow
the Lakers to, as you know, they figure out over
(31:58):
the next two or three years, as as Lebron continues to,
you know, kind of move closer to whenever the end
of his career would be, they're gonna be able to
bring guys in that enjoy playing basketball with Lebron. James
and Anthony Davis, like they're great players, but they're great teammates.
They passed the ball, they make the right place. So
I think my you know, not even advice, because they
(32:21):
again they're those kinds are other worldly. I can't tell anything,
but my thoughts would be to really, whatever things that
you need to do to keep that mentality, whatever tricks
you need to play on yourself to convince yourself that
literally tomorrow it can be over. Like literally tomorrow you're
gonna be doing an interview about what you did ten
(32:43):
years ago. Like that's how quickly it all goes. They
both seem to approach things from that way, which is
great to see, but um, those would be the mind
tricks that they'll have to play, and then I think
as an organization, continuing the eye players and people that
bring that new kind of like I want to achieve
(33:07):
that as well kind of energy to the team, like
you don't. You don't want winning to ever get old.
And so I think those two guys are are in
the right place, and then they'll continue to try to
make sure the right guys are surrounding them. Of your
five championships, wow, do you have a favorite one? I
know that's probably like picking children, but yeah, they are,
(33:31):
like you know, it's it is because they all mean
so much and you just love them in different ways.
I think for me, probably the two that stand out
the most would be oh one, and then I think, uh,
two thousand and one is to me, like it you
(33:52):
know what we did as a team in terms of
the sixteen and one postseason run, Like to win team
games in the postseason they're only lot once is crazy,
um to begin with, and you know, Shock and Kobe's
dominance at that time was no greater then. You know,
I don't know if any two players were ever playing
better than those guys at that time, but the year
(34:14):
before for me personally super quick, like I came off
the bench on the two thousand team. I struggled most
of the season trying to figure out my role. And
you know, I kind of started to prove myself as
a starter right before Phil Jackson came in. Then he
brought Ron Harper in came off the bench on the
first championship team. I actually did some acting in the
(34:34):
off season and I was on the Jimmie Fox Show
listen l A, why not go out from season? Come on? Yeah?
So so Kevin Garnett asked me because he was on
this episode as well, and he said, he asked me,
whatever you want to achieve, what accomplished, like you've been
on the championship team, Like you know, it's gotta be great,
(34:55):
Like what else is it? And I said, honestly, like I,
as a guy that was coming off the bench a
lot of times, feel would you know there's a certain
point where the starters come back in the game in
the fourth quarter. And I said, honestly, K Like, there's
no disrespect to anybody else, but I really do want
more of an opportunity to be in the game and
(35:16):
the clutch moments and making the big shots and making
the big plays, Like I want my coaches and teammates
to trust that we can win with me on the
court at the end of the game. I had no
idea that I was speaking that into existence at that time.
But first I found out that my right foot was
basically fractured, had an invigicant of fracture my right foot,
(35:38):
so I ended up having surgery. I was out for
six months in that two thousand two thousand one season,
So when I came back in March, I had spent
six months rehabbing. UM. I couldn't walk for three months.
I was on crutches, so I was doing things like
sitting in a chair, you know, working on my arc,
doing things that would help me get better. But I
(35:59):
didn't know if that would carry over into getting back
on the court, and it carried over Like when I
got back from that injury, I was starting UM I
shot the ball better than not ever shot it. We
had a great postseason run, so that two thousand one
championship was like, that was a breakthrough for me that
I'm capable at the highest level in the world to
(36:21):
make the right plays to help my team win a
championship in this league. And then two thousand and ten,
of course, like if you're a Laker playing the Celtics
in the finals, like to grow up watching Magic and
Kareem and James Worthy and those guys playing the Celtics
in the finals in the eighties and then too now
like in O eight and then now in playing against
(36:42):
the Celtics in the finals like that, so that you know,
or one like that, those two are there like the
really special children. The other three I love them. But
oh yeah, I was rewatching some of two ten and
you hit at three, you know, I mean, you guys
came back from down thirteen in Game seven against the Celtics,
(37:05):
and it almost was reminding me of watching k CP
in this series. In the playoffs in general, it's like
Lebron and and a D not only the greatest players,
but the greatest decoys. So it is gonna be those
those guys, those role players who have to be ready
in the clutch, and like that. I think that, you know,
that's one of your biggest identities, was a clutch shooter,
and like that's what it takes to be those other
(37:26):
pieces that plays with those you know, those legends, and
so yeah, I mean, what what what was it like?
Did you you knew that fully going well, Like, these
guys can both drop thirty five forty in a game,
but that last moment, the smartest play might be coming
to meet, so I gotta be ready. Yeah, I mean,
I think it's embracing net and appreciating the opportunity to
be in that position, like to be that close to
(37:49):
the greatest basketball players to ever play basketball. That still
means you're pretty damn yeah. So it's like, so I
think appreciating and embracing the fact that it's okay for
those guys to be the stars I don't have. I'm
not competing with them. I'm not trying to steal their shine.
I don't need to shoot as many shots as they shoot.
(38:10):
My responsibility to myself and to my team is to
make sure that we win, and that for me was
always the That's that was my get back to the
guys that statistically we're better than me, quote unquote, I
wasn't gonna score as many points as my baby or
Alan Iverson or Ray Allen or anybody else that had
(38:33):
a role on their team that was different than mine.
That wasn't my job to do. So I think, you know,
just mentally being able to have the discipline to not
try and be something else and that I don't think
people understand how hard that is though, because players like
(38:53):
k C. P Rondo, Danny Green, Alice Caruso. Um, I
always forget which Who's Morris brother? We have we are
markets are Marquis, Marquis Markey right, um cool? So like
you said on down the list, But like those guys
would give you any points at the gym right now.
(39:16):
They are that freaking good. So it's a choice. It's
like if um, Jordan Peele called you and wanted you
to start in the movie and it's like, Okay, are
you gonna be the like the lead actor? Are you?
Are you? Are you gonna be? Okay, bitchy Sidi, I
want neighbor, Like that's who I want to be. Yeah,
(39:39):
Like but right, but but that's accepting, Like it's as
a level of self awareness that comes with embracing your role.
And I think that surrounding Lebron and a d with
those type of players and people that are willing to
embrace the role of the annoying neighbor like that is
(40:02):
what you need in order to win. And being teammates
with some of the best to ever do that Rick Fox,
Robert Ry, Ryan saw uh, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, Trevor Resa,
Sasha Bua Chich like I could go on and on
like that is what really makes the difference between You
can't just put anybody. I read something the other day
(40:22):
where it's like, it doesn't matter who's on the team
with Lebron and a D like the Lakers are. That's
that's the most incorrect statement anybody could ever say about
a sports team. It matters exactly who those guys are
next to a D and Lebron. It matters. It's buying
that accepting the role. I mean, I don't want to Clippers.
(40:44):
I mean, you know, on paper they could have been
better than the Lakers. I know your wife is a
huge fan, so I wanted to get a little close. Also,
just like to be on record that I think you're
better than KCP. So I just want I know TJS
in the comparison out there. I was like those moments now,
man were like when he when he made those uh
(41:05):
he scored those five points later in Game four, it
took me back to like man like to to think
about where he's come from the time he showed up
in l a right and people doubting and questioning and
second guessing and everybody having an opinion about what case P.
Shoulder shouldn't be doing and we shouldn't have him, and
it like that's I remember that, right. I remember being
(41:28):
the guy that everybody thought he's too old, or he
can't guard this guy, or he's not fast enough. And
so when you break through in those moments for your
team that way, it is so fulfilling and gratifying for
you right to be able to just persevere through things.
And so I was really happy for him to have
those moments where he broke through like that on the
biggest stage. Well, Derek, we're so appreciative your time. We know,
(41:51):
you know, aside from being a coach and and NBA legend,
like you're also a parent, so we know walk back.
What's are you now a teacher now that you know
after after the season? Good? Good, good, Yeah, I'm teaching anything.
We try to help them by staying out of their
(42:11):
way as much as possible, but when they need some help,
you know, we're definitely there for m But I tipped
my hat to all educators and teachers even more so
than already did because this this is not easy for
them at all. You're a classroom role player too, you know,
You're like, I'm not going to be the teacher, but listen,
if you have one question, I can maybe everywhere everybody.
(42:32):
I'm self aware that, like fifth graders are actually smarter.
I'm great with Thank you so much for being here
on we're recording this on Thursday, will come out Tuesday,
but on the eve of what could be a potentially
magical day in the city of l a So go
Lakers Go, Dodgers, Go, Sparks and if I if I've
(42:55):
missed anyone else and there, thank you so much, appreciate
it very much. Man, Thank you very much. Nice to
see you, making nice to meet you. Do you mind
if I take just like a little photo of us
on this zoom? Okay, awesome, Okay, thank you, well, hopefully
talk say thanks J all right, take care, all right,
(43:19):
And that's been our episode. Thank you so much, Derek
Fisher for coming on. Thank you to Jack kings Red
who helped make that happen. Thank you for listening to
another episode of the Greatest I've been c J Toldanna
you can follow me in at c J Toldonna on
everything and I've been making gaily at Megan Gaily at
better Megan Gaily on Instagram. Thank you guys so much
(43:40):
for listening, rate review, subscribe, be safe for a mask,
vote voat Boat, and we will talk to you next week. Bye.
The Greatest is a production of I Heart Radio. For
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