January 2, 2025 • 21 mins
On this episode of "The LANDscape," host Serena Winters is joined by Cleveland Cavaliers forward, Georges Niang. The two talk through Niang's basketball journey, from his time in high school, to his rookie season, to now being a seasoned vet on a young team.
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Welcome into the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions. I
am your host, Serena Winters and joining me today the
one and only George Nie. Thanks for taking the time
to sit down.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me honest can be awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hey, I think that one of the really endearing qualities
about you is that you just are who you are.
You're not shy about it, right, you know, I don't
have to dig deep into too much of like who
are you because we get to see it, right. But
where do you think that personality type comes from?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
You know, obviously the larger than life yelling, screaming, dancing
is probably a little too much for some people. But
I don't know. I've always been this way. My mom
is completely different, and my dad isn't loud and screaming
and you on. So I don't know where I got
it from. But there's been plenty of times where I've
been driving around in the car my mom has told
me to shut up and stop singing. So I don't
(01:12):
know where I got it from. But sometimes that's appreciated.
But if it's not my own mother sometimes doesn't appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
You've got a self deprecating way about even just your
humor and how you talk. That's it's got to come
from somewhere, like where did that? When you think about
how you grew up, is there anything that stands out
in terms of this is why you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Are the way? Yeah? You know, I think for me,
when I was growing up, I wasn't you know, the
sexiest looking with you know, my appearance. You know, I
didn't look athletic. You know, I was kind of just
like a rugged, oversized kid in like a you know,
a small world. And I think the easiest way, you know,
to avoid getting picked on was being self deprecating, right,
you know, you make fun of yourself and other people
(01:54):
don't find it, you know, cool to make fun of you.
And I've learned to have a lot of fun with it,
right you know. I think you can laugh at yourself,
the world just can laugh along with you, and I'd
ever take life too seriously. Obviously on the court I
kind of changed demeanors, but I can also laugh a
little bit. But I think, you know, being able to
enjoy life, laugh, smile, and enjoy everything for what it's
(02:15):
worth is something I pride myself on. And you try
to have a lot more good days than you do
bad days.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
You mentioned your mom and how different she is than you.
What role has your mom played in the success that
you've had in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, you know, without getting too emotional, you know, my
mom's been instrumental, and you know who I've become as
a man, And you know my professional journey. You know,
I remember growing up and getting you know, not being
told never being told no, but you know, obviously living
within our means. But you know, I never got to
see my mom go out and you know, buy herself
a new pair of shoes or a coat or a handbag.
(02:54):
But you know, she was the first one to be
driving our car up and down the East Coast to
get me to whether it was a hockey turn in
the basketball tournament, you know, wrestling, I even, I did
all sports, and she was always right there supporting me,
taking me, sacrificing her time, her social life and kind
of made my whole upbringing about George's happiness. And I
(03:14):
could never thank her enough for that. And you know,
even my professional journey, she shows up the games, comes
out for holidays, and she's just been my rock. And
I don't know where i'd be without her. So, you know, Mom,
if you're watching, I love you and thank you so
much for all that you've done and continue to do.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So born in Boston and you go to private school
and Newminis. Sure, we know that you were big time
at Tilton School, big time on the court, but I'm
more interested in the fact that you were school president.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Those are things that you know, we're never supposed to
be found out. You know. I was lucky enough to
be surrounded by you know, real good people, you know
the Tilting School that kind of like pushed me to
get out of my comfort zone, right, you know, being
you know, funny and joking around is one thing, and
being popular in high school, but then actually having to
be on the board of stuff to actually like make
(04:09):
decisions and being a student body president. It was almost
like the perfect way for me to balance you know,
my humor and also being serious going on to college,
you know, with so so I kind of added a
more serious element where I was like, Okay, he has
a personality, but how can he dial it in and
be professional about it? And It's helped me throughout my life.
So I'm so thankful that I had people like push
(04:30):
me to do it because I was so anti anything
that was going to be like I'll be a good student,
you know. I was like, why can't I just be
the class clown? So I'm happy that they diverted me
in that direct.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Interesting, I wouldn't have thought that it was something that
you didn't want to do, Like it seems like something
that would be up your alley, knowing you now, but
I didn't know you that.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, usually I was leading the charge to like skip
class to go to lunch early. But that kind of
changed my senior years.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So you said you had to make decisions. Yes, is
there a decision that you look back on and like
you think about or like, what is a big decision
you had to make?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know? I think it was more or less like
decisions that would like affect freshmen but would kind of
give seniors more like free time or free periods. It
was so making those decisions. It was like, damn, should
I have like thought about how I would feel as
a freshman and been like that damn student body president,
why the hell did he pick that? And you know,
rather than just giving the students thirty more? I think
(05:23):
it was I think it was at night the juniors
and seniors were allowed to, you know, have thirty extra
minutes at the gym to hang out. And I was like,
we could get forty five if the freshman and sophomores
couldn't come. So I was like, yeah, we'll take the
forty five. Freshman and sophomore were gonna come. So yes,
I apologize in advance whoever's in my class of twenty eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Or when we return on the Landscape presented by Hospitality
Staffing Solutions, we learn about how Georgea's basketball journey began
and the lifelong memories it has given him. How did
you actually get into basketball?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
It's actually funny. I had a next door neighbor that
had a basketball hoop, and one day, I think it
was like a weekend. I was watching my dad over
there talking with him, and he was shooting on the
hoop and he was like getting up and like dunking it.
I was like, well, well, why isn't my dad like
a professional superstar, Like he's dunking the ball. Later on
in life, I figured out that hoop was like eight
feet tall. But I was just like the way the
(06:18):
ball bounced, the way it went through the hoop, the
movement while I just kind of became like addicted to it,
and then obviously being someone that was bigger than a
lot of his peers, I was pushed towards like, hey,
you should try basketball, and you know, like one thing
led to another and you just start to fall in
love with the small things, like I said, the dribbling,
the passing, how it sounds going through the hoop, and
(06:38):
from there on out. You know, my mom signed me
up at the YMCA and I've been playing ever since.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
So you decide to go to Iowa State after being
one of the top players on the East Coast in
high school at that time, So why why Iowa State?
How'd that come out?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You know, I've always been like a loyal kind of guy,
you know, and my mentor when I was growing up,
his name was Rick Horman. I was actually best friends
with his I am still best friends with his son,
Michael Gorman, and he was like the mentor and basketball
coach that kind of taught me, you know, the power
of being loyal and being committed to people that I
committed to you and Iowa State. You know, I was
(07:15):
struggling to get high major schools to recruit me. You know,
I wasn't the most athletic or the most skilled, but
you know, I was getting the job done. And Iowa
State was the first high major school to come and
recruit me. Fred Hoiberg came in and he was like, hey,
you're my plan A. I don't want to have a
Plan B. And I was like, that's exactly what I
needed to hear. And from there on out, I kind
of went through with the process and committed to Iowa State.
(07:39):
You know, I don't want to throw shade, but I
never got offer from Boston College or Providence or any
of those local schools that were at a high major level.
So I was like, you know what, why not take
my act to the Midwest. And with that being said,
I was culturally shocked when I got out there, but
I've learned to run them.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Tell me the story about you and your mom driving through.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Oh my god. So when we first went out, this
was before nil. There was you know, unofficial visits where
you the player had to pay for their way to
get out there. So my mom paid for our flights
to get out there, and we get to the des
Moin Airport and we're going to Ames and she forgot
her credit card so we go to rent a car
(08:21):
and they're like, yeah, this is sorry. Like so we
had to take a taxi from Des Moines to Ames,
which is a forty five minute drive, and as soon
as we get to the hotel, Fred Hoiberger is like, hey,
you know, just drive on over to our practice facility,
like you know, we're going to meet over here, and
my mom, you know, was like, well, I don't want
(08:42):
them to know that we don't have a car here.
And this was like pre uber days. So the moment
where I knew Iowa was going to be a crazy
place was there was a beanfield that separated where the
practice facility was where I was meeting Fred Hoiberg in
our hotel, and all I remember is my mom telling me, like,
come on, run through this beanfield so that they wouldn't
catch just walking because she didn't want them to know
(09:02):
that we didn't have a rental card down there. So
that's kind of where I knew i Al was going
to be an interesting place and I made it my home.
But yes, that was an interesting story for at least.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
But isn't it neat that now you are where you
are and like you have that story to look back
on as part of your journey.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, those are the experiences where in the moment you're like,
what the heck is going on? But for some weird reason,
they kind of create who you are and made this
journey so sweet. And I've kind of, you know, realized that,
you know, life is a journey. It's not you know,
it's not just getting to a place, right, it's enjoying
the looking out the window and seeing the views as
(09:39):
you're going and enjoying the journey. And like you said,
those journeys have molded me into who I am and
have created, you know, these opportunities for me to play
at the highest level and achieve my dreams. And I
don't know if i'd want if I could redo it,
I'm not sure i'd want to redo it any other way.
You know, I look back at Iowa State. I think
the things that it was able to do was you'd
(10:00):
be able to mold me into someone that was could
handle success but also could find a way to use
the negative as motivation, because you know, Iowy State was
great to me, right, you know, I won a lot.
I was extremely popular in aims at Iowa State. I
did a lot of cool things but you know, the
(10:22):
times where I did fail, it allowed me to you know,
dig deep and find a routine and still grow and
still want to be the best meat that I could be,
because little did I know at the next level, my
first two years were going to be constant failing. There
was going to be very little success. So it was
almost like I had to use all that success that
I had in college to be able to keep me confident,
to be like, you can do this, because my first
(10:43):
two years were getting cut playing in the G League,
you know, trying to compete for a contract, and then
after that it was like two years of like eating crap,
it felt like, and then I finally like pushed through
and was able to you know, carve out a role
with the Utah Jazz. Then from there, you know, I
was able to continue to gain confidence to finally be
able to you know, get another contractor with the seventy
(11:04):
six ers. Then from there on out that allowed me
to come here and grow and develop, and now you know,
we're in it's early on in the year, we're being
talked about for competing with the championship. So it all
has played a role, and I'm super thankful for my
time that I had it, I would say, especially the
successes coming up.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
George takes us through the ups and downs of his
NBA journey, this and more when the landscape presented by
Hospitality Staffing Solutions returns. So I went back to your
draft last and looked at every second round pick.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Can I name name? I mean there's one other one too,
there's two Malcolm Brogden.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I love how you knew exactly what I was going to.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Ask, yes and zubox yes.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes, Yeah, there's only three total guys that are still
in the league. Wait, I mean that's that's a big deal. Yeah,
you know that you're in the second round. Why do
you think that you've been able to have such a
long career.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I think it goes back to like what you talked
about with like the self deprecating and you know, being
who I am. I think you know, failing at this
level is humbling, right, and if you can take that
on the chin and be like, you know, it's all right.
Like I can realize what I'm not good at and
what I continue to grow at and not be offended
or tell someone like the coach doesn't want me to
be me because it was never really about you. It's
(12:28):
how can you come in and impact the team in
a positive way that allows you to be a part
of something special that is bigger than yourself and compete
for championships. So you know, like I said, I've been
lucky enough to come along a great group of people
that have, you know, kind of molded me into who
I am, and especially on my NBA journey, like great
vets like you know, Rodney Stuckey, Joe Ingles, Tobias Harris
(12:52):
who have kind of like put their arm around me
and kind of showed me how to be a professional
and how to continue to grow and impact when But
I think the common denominator is like I was more
or less willing to put step out, my step outside
myself and be like, Okay, I don't like, you know,
(13:13):
doing X, Y and Z, but if that's what's gonna
get me on the court, like, that's what I'm gonna do.
And I think a lot of guys in the NBA
that don't last kind of forget that and want to
be like, well, I want to play it my way.
Well you can go somewhere else to do that. That's
not how this is going to work. And you know,
Malcolm Brogden has had a decorated career, Zubac has had
a decorated career, and you know, I'm still carving my
(13:35):
way out to continue to have a decorated career. But
I think just being able to humble yourself and you know,
do things that are going to help other people and
help yourself win or help your team win.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
What's been the the high of the basketball.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Journey so far? You know, I would definitely have to
say when I was in Utah, I think finishing, you know,
the first team in the league. And then there's a
fond memory that I have just because it's near and
dear to me, would be playing on Christmas Day in
Madison Square Garden and having my family all watch from home.
(14:10):
You know, it's kind of a thing that growing up
where you know, we'd open gifts and then the noon
game would come on and we'd all watch it together
and you know, watch games throughout the day. And the
fact that I got to be on you know, the
noon game and have my family watch, have my friends watch,
and then actually play really well when I was in Philadelphia,
that was definitely one that was definitely one that was
(14:31):
special to me. And then finally I would say last year,
you know, it didn't really have a lot to do
with me, but it was the Dean Wade game, you know,
to beat I grew up a Celtics fan, so to
be able to beat them in that fashion and be
able to text my friends and talk smack was was
definitely a top memory in my MBA career.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I love that well, adversity those shapes you a lot too.
So if you think about the other side of it,
and it doesn't have to be NBA when you just
think about your basketball journey as a what's what's been
the localin?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
You know? I think when I got cut playing in Indiana,
I know we were trying to avoid the basketball stuff,
but I after my first year in Indiana, I didn't
really play much. I had gotten injured in summer League,
and then they decided to cut me. So here I am,
don't have a job, and I have a bone bruise
on my knee sitting there with ice on it, and
I just remember thinking to myself, like, did I just
(15:28):
you know, blow the only opportunity that I've worked my
whole life for Because I was, you know, kind of unhappy.
I'd never played. I've never not played in a season,
and that's kind of was my rookie year. I wasn't
getting any minutes, I wasn't playing, and so I just
was like, did I really blow my only opportunity that
I've worked my whole life for? And I kind of
just sat down, was like, Hey, you may have done that,
(15:50):
you may not, but like try and come up with
a routine that, like you know, is gonna help you
get better every day that you do it, and no
matter rain, sleet, snow, happy, sad, mad, You're gonna get
it completed. And I went into my G league year
and stuck to that routine and ended up paying dividends
for me and I ended up getting another job. But
that low moment had me questioning if I ever was
(16:12):
going to get another opportunity to do something you know
that I that I love. And yes, I had described
it to you as like it was really easy, but
there are moments where I'd come home and be like,
I don't know if I'm cut out for this, but
you know, I'll just show up tomorrow and hopefully he'll
figure itself out. But I think everybody has those moments.
But if you can continue to show up. I think
(16:33):
eventually good things will happen.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Tad Jerome said something interesting to me the other day.
He said, for him, the hardest part of the journey
isn't when you're injured, because when you're injured, like at
least you know what the plane is.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Going to be.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You know you got to do this, this, and that.
The hardest part mentally can be dealing with the highs
and lows when you're healthy because some stuff you have
no control over that Does that vibe with you? Like
does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I think he hit the nail on the head, and
I kind of have a model that I, you know,
kind of live by that. It's just being patiently relentless,
Like you're patient in waiting to earn your opportunity, but
when you get your opportunity, you're relentlessly chasing after it.
Like when you get your opportunity, it's it's full speed ahead.
But until then, you're you're patient, You're trying to keep
(17:21):
your emotions in check until you are given that opportunity.
But when that opportunity comes, you're relentlessly chasing after it
because you know you don't know when your opportunity is
going to come, But you just have to, whether if
it's on the bench or in the G League, you
have to be patient in wait on that and work
relentlessly to earn those opportunities, and then when you get it,
(17:41):
relentlessly chase after it so that you never have to
look back.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
When we come back, George goes in depth about what
makes this Cavaliers team so unique The landscape presented by
Hospitality Staffing Solutions returns right after this. What is unique
about this team? You've been league nine years? What six
playoff runs?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (18:03):
What's different?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Oh? You know, I would first just say the camaraderie, right,
you know, I think when you have a group of guys,
whether if it's you know, max players, role players, minimum,
guys that can just vibe and get along and genuinely
care about each one another and the success of each other,
and the one common goal we have is you know,
(18:26):
we want to win. And when you have that, I
trust me. I've been in this business a long time.
You have That's not everywhere, that's for sure. You know
a lot of guys have their own agendas and for
everyone here to be locked in on the same thing
as a unique thing. And I cherish that every day
that I come in here, and I'm thankful that, you know,
I have the opportunity to come play basketball for this
organization because they do a great job of taking care
(18:48):
of us, and all of us care about each other.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
You also seem like you really enjoy Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yeah, I think the best thing about Cleveland is that
it's very underrated. Right besides from December to February when
it's really dark and gloomy. You know, I'm in a
sports town where people are you know, hard nosed, gritty,
blue collar people, and I feel like I can kind
of relate to them. You know, That's kind of how
I grew up. That's the people that I surround myself.
(19:14):
That's how they grew up. And so whether if it's
I'm driving around my house or coming downtown, you know,
the support that we get is second to none, that's
for sure. I mean, and you know, when you're winning,
the support and love is even better.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So you got this great job. We've learned about you know,
where you come from. But one of the great things
about being in this position is that you also have
the opportunity to give back. What have you done? What
does it mean to you to be able to go
back to an area that you know the people there
and you get to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, I mean it's funny that you say that. You know,
I'm in the midst of still planning. I think it's
my eighth charity golf event, which you know I've done
back in ames IOW and this will be my eighth year.
And philanthropic work has always been important to me. You know.
I realize I've had a village that was able to
support me and build me up, and I realized that
(20:12):
there's other people out there that I've been dealt bad hands,
and I want to be able to reach out to
those people and continue to help them and support them
in any way that I can, because you know, what
is life if you can't, you know, help other people out.
You know, my life has been tremendous and awesome, and
so many people have had a hand in that. If
I could have a small hand in helping a bunch
(20:33):
of people achieve their dreams and support them and know
that they have a support system, I definitely want to
be that. Well, it was great to get to know
you a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Doork, Thanks so much, man, take a test yes, thank you.
That'll do it for this episode of the Landscape. Make
sure to tune back in for future episodes as we
bring you guests from across the land. You can find
us on Rock Entertainment, Sports Network, or wherever you get
your podcasts. Until next time, I'm Serena Winters.
Welcome into the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions. I
am your host, Serena Winters and joining me today the
one and only George Nie. Thanks for taking the time
to sit down.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me honest can be awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hey, I think that one of the really endearing qualities
about you is that you just are who you are.
You're not shy about it, right, you know, I don't
have to dig deep into too much of like who
are you because we get to see it, right. But
where do you think that personality type comes from?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
You know, obviously the larger than life yelling, screaming, dancing
is probably a little too much for some people. But
I don't know. I've always been this way. My mom
is completely different, and my dad isn't loud and screaming
and you on. So I don't know where I got
it from. But there's been plenty of times where I've
been driving around in the car my mom has told
me to shut up and stop singing. So I don't
(01:12):
know where I got it from. But sometimes that's appreciated.
But if it's not my own mother sometimes doesn't appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
You've got a self deprecating way about even just your
humor and how you talk. That's it's got to come
from somewhere, like where did that? When you think about
how you grew up, is there anything that stands out
in terms of this is why you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Are the way? Yeah? You know, I think for me,
when I was growing up, I wasn't you know, the
sexiest looking with you know, my appearance. You know, I
didn't look athletic. You know, I was kind of just
like a rugged, oversized kid in like a you know,
a small world. And I think the easiest way, you know,
to avoid getting picked on was being self deprecating, right,
you know, you make fun of yourself and other people
(01:54):
don't find it, you know, cool to make fun of you.
And I've learned to have a lot of fun with it,
right you know. I think you can laugh at yourself,
the world just can laugh along with you, and I'd
ever take life too seriously. Obviously on the court I
kind of changed demeanors, but I can also laugh a
little bit. But I think, you know, being able to
enjoy life, laugh, smile, and enjoy everything for what it's
(02:15):
worth is something I pride myself on. And you try
to have a lot more good days than you do
bad days.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
You mentioned your mom and how different she is than you.
What role has your mom played in the success that
you've had in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, you know, without getting too emotional, you know, my
mom's been instrumental, and you know who I've become as
a man, And you know my professional journey. You know,
I remember growing up and getting you know, not being
told never being told no, but you know, obviously living
within our means. But you know, I never got to
see my mom go out and you know, buy herself
a new pair of shoes or a coat or a handbag.
(02:54):
But you know, she was the first one to be
driving our car up and down the East Coast to
get me to whether it was a hockey turn in
the basketball tournament, you know, wrestling, I even, I did
all sports, and she was always right there supporting me,
taking me, sacrificing her time, her social life and kind
of made my whole upbringing about George's happiness. And I
(03:14):
could never thank her enough for that. And you know,
even my professional journey, she shows up the games, comes
out for holidays, and she's just been my rock. And
I don't know where i'd be without her. So, you know, Mom,
if you're watching, I love you and thank you so
much for all that you've done and continue to do.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So born in Boston and you go to private school
and Newminis. Sure, we know that you were big time
at Tilton School, big time on the court, but I'm
more interested in the fact that you were school president.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Those are things that you know, we're never supposed to
be found out. You know. I was lucky enough to
be surrounded by you know, real good people, you know
the Tilting School that kind of like pushed me to
get out of my comfort zone, right, you know, being
you know, funny and joking around is one thing, and
being popular in high school, but then actually having to
be on the board of stuff to actually like make
(04:09):
decisions and being a student body president. It was almost
like the perfect way for me to balance you know,
my humor and also being serious going on to college,
you know, with so so I kind of added a
more serious element where I was like, Okay, he has
a personality, but how can he dial it in and
be professional about it? And It's helped me throughout my life.
So I'm so thankful that I had people like push
(04:30):
me to do it because I was so anti anything
that was going to be like I'll be a good student,
you know. I was like, why can't I just be
the class clown? So I'm happy that they diverted me
in that direct.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Interesting, I wouldn't have thought that it was something that
you didn't want to do, Like it seems like something
that would be up your alley, knowing you now, but
I didn't know you that.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, usually I was leading the charge to like skip
class to go to lunch early. But that kind of
changed my senior years.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So you said you had to make decisions. Yes, is
there a decision that you look back on and like
you think about or like, what is a big decision
you had to make?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know? I think it was more or less like
decisions that would like affect freshmen but would kind of
give seniors more like free time or free periods. It
was so making those decisions. It was like, damn, should
I have like thought about how I would feel as
a freshman and been like that damn student body president,
why the hell did he pick that? And you know,
rather than just giving the students thirty more? I think
(05:23):
it was I think it was at night the juniors
and seniors were allowed to, you know, have thirty extra
minutes at the gym to hang out. And I was like,
we could get forty five if the freshman and sophomores
couldn't come. So I was like, yeah, we'll take the
forty five. Freshman and sophomore were gonna come. So yes,
I apologize in advance whoever's in my class of twenty eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Or when we return on the Landscape presented by Hospitality
Staffing Solutions, we learn about how Georgea's basketball journey began
and the lifelong memories it has given him. How did
you actually get into basketball?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
It's actually funny. I had a next door neighbor that
had a basketball hoop, and one day, I think it
was like a weekend. I was watching my dad over
there talking with him, and he was shooting on the
hoop and he was like getting up and like dunking it.
I was like, well, well, why isn't my dad like
a professional superstar, Like he's dunking the ball. Later on
in life, I figured out that hoop was like eight
feet tall. But I was just like the way the
(06:18):
ball bounced, the way it went through the hoop, the
movement while I just kind of became like addicted to it,
and then obviously being someone that was bigger than a
lot of his peers, I was pushed towards like, hey,
you should try basketball, and you know, like one thing
led to another and you just start to fall in
love with the small things, like I said, the dribbling,
the passing, how it sounds going through the hoop, and
(06:38):
from there on out. You know, my mom signed me
up at the YMCA and I've been playing ever since.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
So you decide to go to Iowa State after being
one of the top players on the East Coast in
high school at that time, So why why Iowa State?
How'd that come out?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You know, I've always been like a loyal kind of guy,
you know, and my mentor when I was growing up,
his name was Rick Horman. I was actually best friends
with his I am still best friends with his son,
Michael Gorman, and he was like the mentor and basketball
coach that kind of taught me, you know, the power
of being loyal and being committed to people that I
committed to you and Iowa State. You know, I was
(07:15):
struggling to get high major schools to recruit me. You know,
I wasn't the most athletic or the most skilled, but
you know, I was getting the job done. And Iowa
State was the first high major school to come and
recruit me. Fred Hoiberg came in and he was like, hey,
you're my plan A. I don't want to have a
Plan B. And I was like, that's exactly what I
needed to hear. And from there on out, I kind
of went through with the process and committed to Iowa State.
(07:39):
You know, I don't want to throw shade, but I
never got offer from Boston College or Providence or any
of those local schools that were at a high major level.
So I was like, you know what, why not take
my act to the Midwest. And with that being said,
I was culturally shocked when I got out there, but
I've learned to run them.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Tell me the story about you and your mom driving through.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Oh my god. So when we first went out, this
was before nil. There was you know, unofficial visits where
you the player had to pay for their way to
get out there. So my mom paid for our flights
to get out there, and we get to the des
Moin Airport and we're going to Ames and she forgot
her credit card so we go to rent a car
(08:21):
and they're like, yeah, this is sorry. Like so we
had to take a taxi from Des Moines to Ames,
which is a forty five minute drive, and as soon
as we get to the hotel, Fred Hoiberger is like, hey,
you know, just drive on over to our practice facility,
like you know, we're going to meet over here, and
my mom, you know, was like, well, I don't want
(08:42):
them to know that we don't have a car here.
And this was like pre uber days. So the moment
where I knew Iowa was going to be a crazy
place was there was a beanfield that separated where the
practice facility was where I was meeting Fred Hoiberg in
our hotel, and all I remember is my mom telling me, like,
come on, run through this beanfield so that they wouldn't
catch just walking because she didn't want them to know
(09:02):
that we didn't have a rental card down there. So
that's kind of where I knew i Al was going
to be an interesting place and I made it my home.
But yes, that was an interesting story for at least.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
But isn't it neat that now you are where you
are and like you have that story to look back
on as part of your journey.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, those are the experiences where in the moment you're like,
what the heck is going on? But for some weird reason,
they kind of create who you are and made this
journey so sweet. And I've kind of, you know, realized that,
you know, life is a journey. It's not you know,
it's not just getting to a place, right, it's enjoying
the looking out the window and seeing the views as
(09:39):
you're going and enjoying the journey. And like you said,
those journeys have molded me into who I am and
have created, you know, these opportunities for me to play
at the highest level and achieve my dreams. And I
don't know if i'd want if I could redo it,
I'm not sure i'd want to redo it any other way.
You know, I look back at Iowa State. I think
the things that it was able to do was you'd
(10:00):
be able to mold me into someone that was could
handle success but also could find a way to use
the negative as motivation, because you know, Iowy State was
great to me, right, you know, I won a lot.
I was extremely popular in aims at Iowa State. I
did a lot of cool things but you know, the
(10:22):
times where I did fail, it allowed me to you know,
dig deep and find a routine and still grow and
still want to be the best meat that I could be,
because little did I know at the next level, my
first two years were going to be constant failing. There
was going to be very little success. So it was
almost like I had to use all that success that
I had in college to be able to keep me confident,
to be like, you can do this, because my first
(10:43):
two years were getting cut playing in the G League,
you know, trying to compete for a contract, and then
after that it was like two years of like eating crap,
it felt like, and then I finally like pushed through
and was able to you know, carve out a role
with the Utah Jazz. Then from there, you know, I
was able to continue to gain confidence to finally be
able to you know, get another contractor with the seventy
(11:04):
six ers. Then from there on out that allowed me
to come here and grow and develop, and now you know,
we're in it's early on in the year, we're being
talked about for competing with the championship. So it all
has played a role, and I'm super thankful for my
time that I had it, I would say, especially the
successes coming up.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
George takes us through the ups and downs of his
NBA journey, this and more when the landscape presented by
Hospitality Staffing Solutions returns. So I went back to your
draft last and looked at every second round pick.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Can I name name? I mean there's one other one too,
there's two Malcolm Brogden.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I love how you knew exactly what I was going to.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Ask, yes and zubox yes.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yes, Yeah, there's only three total guys that are still
in the league. Wait, I mean that's that's a big deal. Yeah,
you know that you're in the second round. Why do
you think that you've been able to have such a
long career.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I think it goes back to like what you talked
about with like the self deprecating and you know, being
who I am. I think you know, failing at this
level is humbling, right, and if you can take that
on the chin and be like, you know, it's all right.
Like I can realize what I'm not good at and
what I continue to grow at and not be offended
or tell someone like the coach doesn't want me to
be me because it was never really about you. It's
(12:28):
how can you come in and impact the team in
a positive way that allows you to be a part
of something special that is bigger than yourself and compete
for championships. So you know, like I said, I've been
lucky enough to come along a great group of people
that have, you know, kind of molded me into who
I am, and especially on my NBA journey, like great
vets like you know, Rodney Stuckey, Joe Ingles, Tobias Harris
(12:52):
who have kind of like put their arm around me
and kind of showed me how to be a professional
and how to continue to grow and impact when But
I think the common denominator is like I was more
or less willing to put step out, my step outside
myself and be like, Okay, I don't like, you know,
(13:13):
doing X, Y and Z, but if that's what's gonna
get me on the court, like, that's what I'm gonna do.
And I think a lot of guys in the NBA
that don't last kind of forget that and want to
be like, well, I want to play it my way.
Well you can go somewhere else to do that. That's
not how this is going to work. And you know,
Malcolm Brogden has had a decorated career, Zubac has had
a decorated career, and you know, I'm still carving my
(13:35):
way out to continue to have a decorated career. But
I think just being able to humble yourself and you know,
do things that are going to help other people and
help yourself win or help your team win.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
What's been the the high of the basketball.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Journey so far? You know, I would definitely have to
say when I was in Utah, I think finishing, you know,
the first team in the league. And then there's a
fond memory that I have just because it's near and
dear to me, would be playing on Christmas Day in
Madison Square Garden and having my family all watch from home.
(14:10):
You know, it's kind of a thing that growing up
where you know, we'd open gifts and then the noon
game would come on and we'd all watch it together
and you know, watch games throughout the day. And the
fact that I got to be on you know, the
noon game and have my family watch, have my friends watch,
and then actually play really well when I was in Philadelphia,
that was definitely one that was definitely one that was
(14:31):
special to me. And then finally I would say last year,
you know, it didn't really have a lot to do
with me, but it was the Dean Wade game, you know,
to beat I grew up a Celtics fan, so to
be able to beat them in that fashion and be
able to text my friends and talk smack was was
definitely a top memory in my MBA career.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I love that well, adversity those shapes you a lot too.
So if you think about the other side of it,
and it doesn't have to be NBA when you just
think about your basketball journey as a what's what's been
the localin?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
You know? I think when I got cut playing in Indiana,
I know we were trying to avoid the basketball stuff,
but I after my first year in Indiana, I didn't
really play much. I had gotten injured in summer League,
and then they decided to cut me. So here I am,
don't have a job, and I have a bone bruise
on my knee sitting there with ice on it, and
I just remember thinking to myself, like, did I just
(15:28):
you know, blow the only opportunity that I've worked my
whole life for Because I was, you know, kind of unhappy.
I'd never played. I've never not played in a season,
and that's kind of was my rookie year. I wasn't
getting any minutes, I wasn't playing, and so I just
was like, did I really blow my only opportunity that
I've worked my whole life for? And I kind of
just sat down, was like, Hey, you may have done that,
(15:50):
you may not, but like try and come up with
a routine that, like you know, is gonna help you
get better every day that you do it, and no
matter rain, sleet, snow, happy, sad, mad, You're gonna get
it completed. And I went into my G league year
and stuck to that routine and ended up paying dividends
for me and I ended up getting another job. But
that low moment had me questioning if I ever was
(16:12):
going to get another opportunity to do something you know
that I that I love. And yes, I had described
it to you as like it was really easy, but
there are moments where I'd come home and be like,
I don't know if I'm cut out for this, but
you know, I'll just show up tomorrow and hopefully he'll
figure itself out. But I think everybody has those moments.
But if you can continue to show up. I think
(16:33):
eventually good things will happen.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Tad Jerome said something interesting to me the other day.
He said, for him, the hardest part of the journey
isn't when you're injured, because when you're injured, like at
least you know what the plane is.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Going to be.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You know you got to do this, this, and that.
The hardest part mentally can be dealing with the highs
and lows when you're healthy because some stuff you have
no control over that Does that vibe with you? Like
does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I think he hit the nail on the head, and
I kind of have a model that I, you know,
kind of live by that. It's just being patiently relentless,
Like you're patient in waiting to earn your opportunity, but
when you get your opportunity, you're relentlessly chasing after it.
Like when you get your opportunity, it's it's full speed ahead.
But until then, you're you're patient, You're trying to keep
(17:21):
your emotions in check until you are given that opportunity.
But when that opportunity comes, you're relentlessly chasing after it
because you know you don't know when your opportunity is
going to come, But you just have to, whether if
it's on the bench or in the G League, you
have to be patient in wait on that and work
relentlessly to earn those opportunities, and then when you get it,
(17:41):
relentlessly chase after it so that you never have to
look back.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
When we come back, George goes in depth about what
makes this Cavaliers team so unique The landscape presented by
Hospitality Staffing Solutions returns right after this. What is unique
about this team? You've been league nine years? What six
playoff runs?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (18:03):
What's different?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Oh? You know, I would first just say the camaraderie, right,
you know, I think when you have a group of guys,
whether if it's you know, max players, role players, minimum,
guys that can just vibe and get along and genuinely
care about each one another and the success of each other,
and the one common goal we have is you know,
(18:26):
we want to win. And when you have that, I
trust me. I've been in this business a long time.
You have That's not everywhere, that's for sure. You know
a lot of guys have their own agendas and for
everyone here to be locked in on the same thing
as a unique thing. And I cherish that every day
that I come in here, and I'm thankful that, you know,
I have the opportunity to come play basketball for this
organization because they do a great job of taking care
(18:48):
of us, and all of us care about each other.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
You also seem like you really enjoy Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yeah, I think the best thing about Cleveland is that
it's very underrated. Right besides from December to February when
it's really dark and gloomy. You know, I'm in a
sports town where people are you know, hard nosed, gritty,
blue collar people, and I feel like I can kind
of relate to them. You know, That's kind of how
I grew up. That's the people that I surround myself.
(19:14):
That's how they grew up. And so whether if it's
I'm driving around my house or coming downtown, you know,
the support that we get is second to none, that's
for sure. I mean, and you know, when you're winning,
the support and love is even better.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So you got this great job. We've learned about you know,
where you come from. But one of the great things
about being in this position is that you also have
the opportunity to give back. What have you done? What
does it mean to you to be able to go
back to an area that you know the people there
and you get to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, I mean it's funny that you say that. You know,
I'm in the midst of still planning. I think it's
my eighth charity golf event, which you know I've done
back in ames IOW and this will be my eighth year.
And philanthropic work has always been important to me. You know.
I realize I've had a village that was able to
support me and build me up, and I realized that
(20:12):
there's other people out there that I've been dealt bad hands,
and I want to be able to reach out to
those people and continue to help them and support them
in any way that I can, because you know, what
is life if you can't, you know, help other people out.
You know, my life has been tremendous and awesome, and
so many people have had a hand in that. If
I could have a small hand in helping a bunch
(20:33):
of people achieve their dreams and support them and know
that they have a support system, I definitely want to
be that. Well, it was great to get to know
you a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Doork, Thanks so much, man, take a test yes, thank you.
That'll do it for this episode of the Landscape. Make
sure to tune back in for future episodes as we
bring you guests from across the land. You can find
us on Rock Entertainment, Sports Network, or wherever you get
your podcasts. Until next time, I'm Serena Winters.
Host
Serena Winters
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