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November 4, 2024 • 13 mins

Cam Thomas enters his fourth season with the Nets as one of the go-to guys in the lineup. He joins Carrino to discuss how Kobe Bryant still inspires him to this day, travel life in the NBA, being fueled by doubt and more.

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Speaker 1 (00:10):
I think your idea of vacation is probably working on
your game in the summer, so I won't ask you
if you went to any exotic places. I know. We
were just talking before we went on the air about
last thing you want to do sometimes is get on
an airplane when you're not during the season. Sure does
that part of it is like you have to just
deal with the travel stuff. I used to say, they

(00:32):
pay me to travel the games. I work for free.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, definitely, definitely, this will come with it. Yeah, comes
with it for real. So I don't have to do
it during all season. I try not to.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
I know you say you don't like long flights. But
you were born in Japan. I think that's a trivia
question that people don't know. Right, you wouldn't know that,
but were you? Was it the kind of thing I
knew your mom was in the military? Correct? Was that
the situation why you were born in Japan?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah? I was like one though, So okay, I don't
really have no remembrance of it, no memories of it,
but they tell me about all the stories in Japan.
Sounds cool, But I would actually love to go back.
I have dual citizenship there, so I would definitely try to,
like go back one of these years and just you know,
really experience it one time. Maybe so we'll.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
See so one year old and you so you never
went back. No, but your mom. So tell me about
your mom, because you know mom in the military, just
you and her. Yeah, tell me about that and your mom.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's been good. We have a good relationship, well, a
great relationship. We're real close. She's always sacrificed for me
and always catered to what I wanted to do, like
what I'm doing now. She always tried to put me
in the best positions to get where I am now.
So you know, I can't thank her enough for that.
And then it's just always it's always tough love, you know,

(01:55):
you get I love it. But at the same time,
as like Goli, Well, no, it's been good. She always
she always pushed me to be the best. She always
sees me as being one of the best, and she
always pushes me everyone since I was younger, trying to
push me to be the best and not settle, not
settle and always be like disciplined. She always really instilled

(02:18):
that in me, disciplined. So I'll just try to do
all that where I am now.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
And was she critical, Like would she be hard on
you in terms of your playing the game, because I mean,
I know, you know, my son on a different level
when he used to be playing like a little league.
It was funny because I was the one that was
always kind of encouraging and my wife to be the
one why did you take the bat off your shoulder?
Why didn't you swing at that pitch? You know? Was
she both for you or was it one or the other?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, she was both, but really more critical because she
saw what I could be and how good I was.
I guess, so I guess she always wanted me to
do it better, do something better, don't be don't settle,
don't be average. So I would put her in more
critical category. But she she would tell me if I
played really good at a LEADO games, she will tell

(03:03):
me like, you know, you play great that game or something.
But she definitely never, you know, had me on the
bag as much. So she does very ill put it
in a critical category.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
And then that you know, it's growing up in like
the Chesapeake area, Virginia, right, and I know you play
you're at o'kill, uh, you play with some great AAU
programs right, was it, Boo Williams that? And then you
go to l s U. I mean your whole life
has been consumed by high level basketball. Uh sometimes that

(03:37):
can go the other way for sure. So what kept you?
Was it? Was it mom? Or was it something else?
Was it? Boo? Was it what kept you on the
path that you were on? Uh?

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Really my mom? And just like I tell tell all
the young kids, just always try to like find somebody
who you want to strive to be or strive to
be better than. And for me, that was Kobe. So
even now, even though I was just to be better
than him or just strive to be as close to
what he was, I mean, I just always try to
use that and just try to use that to drive

(04:08):
me when I was younger, but really just me just
trying to be like Kobe Bryant. So I feel like
that's really like drove me to be my best when
I played a high level basketball as you say, So
I was just just trying to strive to be like
Kobe in that aspect?

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Is that the twenty four Of course, it's funny because
in amazing because I was talking to Jackie Que and
he's wearing eight because of Kobe, and here's the guy
I grew up in China. H I mean he was
actually attracted to that Mamba mentality. Yeah right. I mean
it's amazing because guys can see things you could do

(04:44):
physically and winning championships everything, but you guys in your
generation see that mental toughness that right, that's something you
lean on.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, definitely something I leaned on. I didn't really start
knowing about his Mama mentality until he started retiring. Well,
when he retires started talking about it about how he
views stuff like, but when I was younger, it was
just his play, Like I really enjoyed watching him play
and just everything about it. Like I honestly felt like
he was the perfect basketball player to look at for me.
So that's why I try to imitate as much as

(05:15):
I can that he did, and you know, the rest
is history. Really, I just really enjoy watching him, you know,
strive to be the best. And now I'm trying to
use that for myself in my career now. But the
my mentality is definitely something you can look at it
too as well, Like because he used that even outside
of sports, as he said, like he used that in
his writing books or just him winning the end of

(05:37):
movie producing movies like just him. I want to ask
her for for like, I guess a little book or
something like yes, So I guess he he can use
my mentality for anything. But I really gravitated towards the
basketball when I was younger. That's what I knew I
wanted to be a basketball player. But it's been good.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
You've needed some mental toughness and perseverance and just your
short time here. So I mean, you've had to go
through teammates being drastically different from playing with the stars
when you first got here. Now being with young players,
You've had to deal with coaching changes, You've had to
deal with your minutes being adjusted. So i'd tell how

(06:22):
you get through that, But I mean that's part of
it too, right, You've had to be very mentally tough
in just a couple of years here.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Definitely definitely had to be mentally tough my first few
years here, especially coming from always playing when I was younger,
starting playing being the guy, always starting doing that stuff.
Until you know, you get to the league's a little different.
You're in and out of rotation. You're looking like I
can actually play out here, but you know, your number
is not getting called, so you're just sitting there and

(06:50):
sometimes you start to doubt yourself. But at the same time,
it's good to have people in your corner who keep
you uplifted and just knowing like and then for me personally,
it was just me knowing myself and knowing work I
put in all these years and even when I got
to lead, just putting the work in and knowing like,
my opportunity is gonna come. So when that, when that comes,
I just have to be ready at all calls.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
So but you you had opportunities and performed, and then
we'ld go back to not playing, and that's got to
be hard to deal with. And I you know what
what was told to you over the years as to
all right, what it's gonna take for me to now
become a regular rotation guy, And how do you how

(07:29):
did you take those messages?

Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, it wasn't really tough much. I feel like it
was just timing, just waiting my turn, timing situations. I
wasn't really been told much about what to do out
there to get on the court more because whatever they
told me to do something, I would do it. But
sometimes it just don't work. On your favor, just how
it goes when you're playing in the league. So I
feel like for me, it was just working out getting

(07:55):
my shots, of getting my reps in and just always
staying ready for the opportunity, like you said, and just
you know, when I got opportunity, I just try to
make the most out of it because you know, at
that time, I didn't know when I was going to
play again after the opportunity, so I just try to
make the most out of it the best I can.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
So, but where where do you think there's room for
growth in your game besides just you know, becoming a
better you know, improving your skills. Where do you where
do you see the room for growth for you?

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, as I said, probably that all the summer just
turned into more of the leader aspect for the team
because I think I'm the second longest tenured guy here.
Amazing right, Yeah, me and day run like player wise,
me and day Ron with the second longest team is
I feel like I just want to develop into more
of the that leadership role because you know, being here
the second longest and just just want to develop that

(08:41):
more and just keep growing in that. Obviously on the core,
wise it's just you want to keep it proving and everything.
Nobody I said before, nobody's a perfect player. So I
just want to keep working everything shooting and scoring, play megan,
defending and all that different stuff. So just want to
keep better, keep getting better in that aspect.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
How are you going to deal with all the attention?
I mean you started to see it last year. I'm
talking about from the opponent all of a sudden. Last
year you were getting double teams. They were trying to
get the ball out of your hand. So what's that
adjustment like for you?

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Oh, it's been good, just knowing how the defense guarded
me last year, and I want to build on that
because I don't know how to do it this year.
Obviously probably some something similar, but we never know. So
just looking at that and being more prepared for that
to start the year off, just preparing to be double
team bliss to get the ball on my hands. So
we'll see how that goes. Necessarially, just being more prepared

(09:34):
and knowing what could happen, so I have a better
understanding that. So it should really helped me this year.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
How about what about being a lead guard as opposed
to being an off the ball kind of guy. Is
there something you favor. Do you think you can be
that lead guard? Like, where do you see maybe that
position where that could be a tough matchup if you're
bringing the ball up and you're working pick and roll
with Claxton or something like that. Is that something you
see this year with this team.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, I feel like this year I'm gonna be able
to do both league are and off. I feel like
that's the beauty of me if I am as a player,
I'm able to do both. I don't really need to
have the ball and honestly and at the same time,
you can put the ball in my hands and have
me make decisions. So I feel like that really makes
me a tough cover in a way. So like defense
don't just have to look on the scout and be like, oh,

(10:19):
he's just gonna icele the whole game. Oh he just
he can't really shoot off the catch really, So I
feel like it really makes me a tough cover because
I can shoot off the catch. You play off, I'm
gonna just shoot it, and you know you want me
to play one on one. I feel like I'm one of
the best one on one players in the league. So
I feel like that's also good to my strength as well.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
So your numbers were good on catch and shoot.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, right, a lot of that stuff.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yeah, and Ione, I want to ask you, I always
see because I try to describe it in my play
by play, but that you're so adept at you're going
across the lane and you you twist your body and
you kind of shoot like like as if I think
somebody made describe it like if you were riding a
horse and you turned to shoot an arrow like that

(11:03):
kind of thing. How did you develop that?

Speaker 2 (11:07):
I developed that when I was younger, real young I
think I think my mom who told me, as long
as your shoulders are squared to the hoop, you know
you can be able to make it. Because your shoulders
are square square, it doesn't matter about you know, the bottom.
So I really try to use that like different, like
just how to try to have that in my game.
It's like a different shot because you know, when people

(11:28):
see you going across the land, they don't expect you
to go up quick and shoot. So I really try
to develop that because going across the land of that
most people expecting you to pass. So I just really
try to use that to my advantage and just try
to go up quick and just try to square my
shoulders and get the ball to going.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
It helps when you have that substantial lower body.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Streams exactly too, for sure?

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Is that natural or you work on the lower body.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
I honestly worked on that. I was trying to dunk
when I was younger. I was trying to learn the dunk,
so I really worked on my lower body, worked on
my legs and stuff. But I think that worked on that.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
When I was younger, you couldn't grow, yeah, and you
couldn't to control how fast you grew, but you can
control how strong.

Speaker 2 (12:07):
You're how strong you are, for sure. It's really up.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
I love that we started the theme about your mom
and her influence and then we talk about her influence
on that shot too. Square on your shoulders for sure,
great stuff. Can really appreciate your time, man, I appreciate you.
Thank you, and certainly I you know, I don't just
I mean one last thing. With the expectation level the team,
we don't really know what to think and there's a

(12:30):
lot of thoughts, so you know, how many games are
they gonna win? But is that can that motivate you
guys a little bit when you see that, you know,
Vegas has it nineteen and a half games over under.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
Oh yeah, that's definitely motivation for me. I can't really can't.
We speak faint body else how they feel, but everybody
feels different. But for me, I always use everything. He's
motivation with someone doubts me on my team, so I'm
definitely gonna go try to go out there and improve,
you know whoever it is wrong in the aspect, so
you know every time, I'm gona go out there and
give them my all. As you guys know, I'm gonna

(13:01):
go out there and play as hard as I can
every game, and if it leads to wins, it does.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
League pass alerts for Cam Thomas, we wanted the reason
to tune in to the Nests this year. I really
appreciate it. Thank you. I appreciate that
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Host

Chris Carrino

Chris Carrino

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