February 19, 2021 • 34 mins
My next guest is Shelden Williams. The former NBA lottery pick and Duke University Hall of Fame player discuss his career from Oklahoma City to the NBA, life after basketball, and what inspires him to give back. The Shelden Williams Foundation is dedicated to empowering student-athletes and their families by delivering and supporting initiatives that promote emotional and physical health through sports, education, and community involvement. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations, Sheldon Williams.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she
has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and
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(00:25):
my man, Rashan McDonald money making Conversations. Here we go.
Welcome to money Making Conversation. I'm your host, ra Sean McDonald.
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories to
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My interviews provide the consumer and business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs,
(00:49):
and interest and interesting decision makers. My next cast is
a well known athlete. Let's cope an athlete, because sometimes
when you're an athlete, people will just keep you over there.
His name is Sheldon Ms, the former NBA Lottery pick
and Duke University Hall of Fame player were discussing his
career from Oklahoma City to the NBA. In between all
that was a little unknown school called Duke University, his
(01:12):
life after basketball, and how he inspires to give back
to the community. That's really why I wanted on this show.
We had a lot of things by athletes, and we
only hear one side of the story. The Sheldon Williams
Fundation is dedicated to empowering student athletes and their families
by delivering and supporting initiatives that provide emotional and physical
health through sports, education and community involvement. Please welcome to
(01:34):
Money Making Conversation for the very first time, the athlete
Sheldon Williams how on Shelton. I'm good, good, thanks for
having me. All. I emphasized athlete because somehow along the way,
you guys get diminished. You get diminished on your ability
to communicate, your diminished on your education abilities, your articulation.
How do you how do you overcome the athletes stereotype
(01:57):
as you move forward in life? Sheltering H Well, it's
interesting that you asked that. I mean, until Lebron was
probably similar. The most forefront athlete that sit there and say,
don't put us in a box. Make sure that we
know we are more than what we do, whether we
playing football, japan basketball, but more than that. And I
(02:20):
think that was the first time that she like say
it out loud, I guess, and made it more of
a worldly thing. But before then he was always kept
in the box like all right, this is what you
do and it's pretty much it. So a lot of
people now are kind of bringing themselves on the main screen, like, hey,
this is what I used to get to this point,
(02:43):
but the overall me, this is X, Y and Z,
and I try to use my social platform to let
people know this is what I do and not just
what I did in the past or what you know
me asked, this is all me. I I was sharing
a little piece of my life, Sheldon, because you know,
(03:03):
I a sitcom writer, stand up comedian, did death jam
and all that. One of the bigger components in my
life was I managed Steve Harvey. And I bring that
up because of the fact that you know, we had
to ride together like sixteen years and you know when
images together, image awards together, and box office movies, family feud,
(03:24):
hit books, and when I walked away and started to
develop my own career, I kind of was still trapped
into that world. And so I bring that up because
as an NBA lottery pick and at the highest level
that an athlete that can perform, and that is as
a basketball player you want to make an NBA How
were you able to make that transition because a lot
(03:47):
of people kept you in that bottle of being an
NBA player or what's going wrong while you're not still
playing in the NBA talk to us through that that
that that emotional release of trying to build your brand,
the Sheldon Weaves brand. Well, that's always kind of a
I wouldn't say difficult path, it just it's it's a
(04:09):
path that you haven't done. Um, because you've been all
your life been trying to be this athlete that you
inspire to be. Whether you looked up to Michael Jordan
or any other guys that play in your your your
your position, or your sport. You expire to be those guys.
And then once that timeline is pretty much ended, it's like, okay,
(04:30):
what do I do now? So hopefully within that one
or two years before it does actually in, you kind
of started thinking about my next move, my next plan.
It's always hard because you always think that this is
what's gonna be for a lot of number of years,
and it's not always like that. So for me, when
I actually started to think about retiring, I wind up
(04:54):
and say, hey, this is what I want to do.
I want to go ahead and do something that one
keeps me active with my who's now eleven, as well
as keep me within the game of basketball. And I
was able to unfortunate enough to actually be a scowl
broken nets on the West Coast. I did that about
three years before I said I want to try my
(05:14):
hand into coaching. You be more hands on than actually,
you know, kind of being in the back front office site. Well,
you know, the death of Kobe um, you know, it
was still the shock, and I remember I went to
l A after his death, and uh it was like
ghost town. Man, I've never seen l A, which is
like party Central, which is like Glitz, which is glamor,
(05:37):
which is uh as they say, Hollywood. And then you
mentioned your daughter, you know, daddy's girl. You know, I
have a single I'm a father and I have a daughter.
So you know the importance of that role that you
play and and guy, and I remember, I all, I'm
always available for her to have a comment. And then
you see what happens to Kobe and that that whole
(05:59):
daddy Gore sent doing. God, did you get caught up
in there? Did you realize your role that you have
and and with your daughter who's loving now? Well, I
got caught up in it because one my daughter was
actually doing things with uh Gj's team and the team
undneath J's team at the Mamba Academy, so she was
(06:20):
familiar with both of those you know people, So that happened,
it kind of hit a little bit closer. I mean,
obviously was sad for anybody to go down like that,
whether it be a name, well named person or just anybody.
But what really hit me was the girls that were
around my my daughter's age, not able to actually live
(06:43):
their life and got cut short, and talking to her
about it, it really hit home for me. I'm like,
dangn like literally, these are somebody that you was actually
an academy, my mama charity, practicing with, practice against, and
now all of a sudden they're gone, and it's very
sad for that to happen. But that right there kind
(07:04):
of hit closer to home to me because of the
whole girls that were running. My my daughter said, actually
round my daughter as well. You know, my bringing my
daughter because she was a professional athlete. You know, she
was a tennis prodigy, you know, so she was homeschooled
and she played on the tennis Tour, professional tendance Tour,
and then she blew out her knee and and when
(07:26):
she blow I always remember, like the week before Thanksgiving
and she asked me, she said, Dad, what do you
she Dad, can I Can I do something else? And
I said, what you wanna do? She said, I want
to go to college. And you've been an athlete, and
you know, you just was a gifted athlete, you know,
smart guy from Oklahoma City. Like you said, you went
(07:46):
from univosity diversity. Do you feel that you were ever
pushed along or did anybody ever stop and asked Shelton
what he wanted in the early years or you just
positioned to be this great athlete and you had no
other option. Well, growing up, my dad he played basketball,
he played in college as well. But for me and
my younger brother, he didn't want us to follow in
(08:08):
his footsteps. He wanted to kind of find our own path.
Granted my dad six eight my mom is to five eleven,
to be in our future. So um, I went from
playing baseball, soccer and footballers Oklahoma is a big football
stay absolutely and was that as the absolutely you come
(08:30):
Oklahoma City, come on that Oklhoba, come on all right, right,
And then I went to basketball, basketball and football all
of until my pressing year where I got moved up
to the high school teams back home. Myth grade was
still junior high, so I was able to do both
those things. But honestly, with my dad, he wanted us
to find our own path. And then once we actually
(08:51):
found our own path, he was, all right, this is
what you want to do. Are you sure? All right?
All right, you're gonna do this? Then this is what
we need to do to get better every year, and
he I laid out guidelines for me and my younger
brother to follow if you want to be successful in
that sport. Well, you know, because we're gonna talk about
your foundation. But I'm just kind of getting everybody assists
on who you are, you know, your story because the
(09:13):
fact that you're a gifted athlete, you know, there are
some steps that go through the process that you can
get pushed along. I know that. You know, as my
daughter got better, you know, specialized coaches are coming around.
You know I was, you know, because they wanted to
fixes fix her her back hand, you know, fix her serve,
you know, fix her groundstrokes and all that. But that's
that period and not fast forward show. Yeah, the IMG academies,
(09:37):
you have social media. What was the worst thing you
had to deal with when you were coming out of
high school that the players have to deal with today,
you know, because technology has to be with the one
thing is the social media or is it? Is it
the academies? Is that the the circuits? What is it? Well,
(09:58):
for me, I kind of missed that area the era
because they didn't come until later on where the old
social media platforms and the I m G s was
kind of later on in my high school career they
kind of kind of made a big time, but when
I was actually growing up, if they had any kind success,
it was in the front page of newspaper. So we're
(10:18):
reading that and then all of a sudden, people circling,
you know every time they play, gets you that Hey,
you know, you gotta target on your back. So minor
compared to what it is with the social media. But
if you read the paper, your parents got the paper,
and your pictures on the front page of that sports section,
people start paying attention to who you are, and then
(10:39):
all of a sudden, your name kind of circulates throughout
your whole area and people are trying to come after
you from that, you know, because you know, because you know,
social media exists now and it's like certain people shouldn't
be certain people shouldn't be on social media. You know
that to show certain people should be cut off. You know,
they Twitter to cut Donald Trump. They need to be
(10:59):
cutting some of these athletes. So as you because you're
a mentor. Now you're a mentor. You as one of
those been there, done that. Uh, the success is part
of your resume. Duke University Hall of Famer. What you know?
And I would tell you this, Sheldan, I you know,
I wasn't a big fan of yours because you're just
so good in college and you played for Duke. And
I'll just tell you I love you as a man,
(11:20):
as a person because Duke was just man. How did
you pick Duke? Man? You're in Oklahoma football country? You
tea right there, University of Texas is right there. You
know what I'm saying, How did you go way over
to Duke to play basketball? Well, that's the question that
I got asked a lot when I was leaving the
state of Oklahoma. Like my h S teammate with the OU,
(11:42):
my high school AU teammate with OU, say, they're trying
to do at the package deal. You let's go, you know,
kind of like you know, Oklahoma boys stay in Oklahoma,
which was cool, but you're trying to tell me the
best of boat world. Duke acts right and do basketball
and you have a chance to go there. Now that's
(12:03):
that compare. Like, my dad was a big educator, so
education was very high on our list of schools when
we actually looking for schools and played for it. So
they have the best of both worlds. It didn't compare
dude Texas Duke. Oh you it didn't know to school
was was this shire to stopped with? Shall stop? It
(12:23):
was no comparison, brother, Okay you team maybe oh you
no way? Duke exceptional universe Because a lot of people
when you when you see a powerhouse like a Duke,
you tend to throw him in the pot and forget
the academics that comes with the school. Like Dude, tell
us about the academic standards that they have there and
why Duke is such a strong academic school. Well, the
(12:47):
academic standards was, like I said, one of the major
reasons why I chose that. Like my dad, as I
said before, it was a big educator. So he stressed
education on us all the time. With him being a teacher,
we had assignments and projects all year round, like whatever
we had going on for school, if we didn't have homework,
best believe that my dad came home all right, well
(13:08):
we got this project to do, or you gotta read
for an hour on this book right here. So it
was always him pushing us to do something the further
us along with our education. The once we got to
do it was the same thing where you're in classes,
you're in study hall, you in all kinds of study
groups that kind of make yourself, you know, put yourself
(13:29):
in a good position to actually be successful. So a
lot of the times where you think you may not
know something, Dude did a good job of having people
accessible to talk to to help you along the way.
And also, I mean just just with the education, alan
we know that if you got a piece of paper
from do It's gonna put you up for you know,
(13:50):
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E R dot ai. Now, when when when you talk
about to yourself sir as a player, you know, when
do you start making a conscious decision that is time
to move on? When you're an athlete, you know, because
(15:59):
that's the hard decision, you know, because of the fact
that it's something in some ways you don't plan for
an exit. How do you know what? And also the
second question is that when did the Sheldon when you
foundation get started? Was it doing you're playing days or
after you left the plane, after you left the court. Well,
it was always in my mind. The Susman's Foundation was
(16:21):
always in my mind to do. I just didn't have
time to do it because once I got done planned,
I had my daughter, you know, the whole off season,
so with me playing, my daughter was getting older and
was like that in't I come, You're always away And
that kind of got to me because like she doesn't
understand we're trying to make a living for her. All
(16:44):
she sees is that is on a road trip or
that's gone for whatever amount of days. That's all she's seeing.
So it kind of got to me. That's why I
kind of retire a little bit earlier, because I like, nowhere,
you're right, some things are more important and you are
more important. So I wind up retiring early so I
could spend extra time with her. And as I said before,
(17:06):
I kind of you know, got into a job where
I was still able to do basketball with the West
Coast Scouting and then be with her. But kind of
going back to the question about the Sheldon Wins Foundation,
that was something I had already in mind. It just
matter up doing it. So once I retired, I want
to say I took about a year before I started
doing anything about it because that whole year I took
(17:28):
off it, which is me and my daughter, and I
was just making sure it I was doing, like no
ballet glasses and recitals and you know, all those other
things that I didn't think about self doing. But I'm
a very front row you know, I'm doing all that stuff, like,
you know, just kind of being with her and making
up for lost time and everything. But I wanted to
do that because one I grew up, my mom was
(17:49):
big into doing charity, foundation whatever you wanna call it.
You know, I'm private type of word. Growing up. When
I was doing Rona McDonald House, I was doing the
only listen moment meals. Those things were already still in me.
It was just a matter of back, you know, no
matter of just getting me back into the swing of
things and getting the opportunity to actually fully invested myself
(18:11):
in doing that and that's why I started showing Metals
Foundation about two years ago. Okay, now you said that
she The WI Foundation is dedicated to empowering student athletes
and their family a boy, delivering and supporting initiatives that
promote emotional and physical health. Let's stop right there. I
got the physical health. What is the emotional and physical
(18:31):
health through sports education and community involvement? Talk to us
about that. Well, as you see a lot of kids nowadays,
they're dealing with a lot more than I wouldn't said
a lot more. I think it's more addressed now than
it was back when I played it. Because if you
had any kind of situation where off court problems or
(18:55):
you know, uh, family issues once you got into court,
A lot of coaches already do this, so you can't
do it. I'll find that dost that doesn't ever do
that now past for all these years, like, hey, I
noticed that you're not being yourself. Come over and talk
to me. What's going on? You know, getting to that
point where you know where you more than just you
(19:15):
know in that way, you're a human being, you're a person.
I want to make sure that I'm tying to what
you're doing as well, and talking to you as a
human being and not just a person that comes and
not just like a factor that comes in and out.
You know how it is with sports work, things changed
so fluidly, like everybody's coming in and out. I want
(19:35):
to make sure that you know that I'm here to talk.
This is beyond basketball. It's really important because, like I said,
I I can relate to a lot of the things
that you're talking about because my wife was with Marke,
you know, she she retired, she was practicing atometrists, and
she retired so my daughter could travel and make sure
that a stranger wasn't tied to my daughter and making
(19:57):
sure my daughter was you know, not being is treated physically,
because like you're saying, as an athlete, people will push
you and guess what, and guess what and and and
push you beyond because I see so many stories about
tremendous athletes who failed because they were put in the
situation they were uncomfortable, and they didn't have mentors, or
they refused to tell their parents what was going on
(20:20):
out of fear. What made you survive? Because I love
the way you keep bringing up your parents this whole conversation,
doing this interview were doing, Shelton, you constantly mentioned your parents.
That really is the key to you and who you
are today, right your parents? Of course, I mean my
parents is what made me who I am today and
(20:42):
me and my younger brother who I am today, who
we are Today's said like, if they wasn't able to
steal those things into us, be where we are right
now or what we're trying to do, what we're trying
to accomplish right now. So it's a big credit to
what they did for us growing up, and now it's
more so like, hey, you see a person of them
(21:02):
in us as we are doing things that we're trying
to do later on that life. So I would say, like,
you know, me always missing my parents as a reason
for that because they played and still are playing a
big factor in my life. Now here's the interesting thing
about both our lives. We're black men, Sheldon and and
I tell people, are you know I gotta go back?
(21:24):
You know the George Floyd And like I said, you
and I both know that we all are. I can
speak for myself. A cop stops me for anything. My
flag score. I don't feel comfortable, especially at night. I
don't really feel comfortable at all. And so it's that
part of the education process that you're talking about, the
community involvement process that you're talking about. Trying to develop
(21:48):
relationships for a young black man and female young ladies
can be able to get through life in sports is
just one of the tools that they can get them
out of the neighborhood. Have given them positive options because
the world sees us for who we are based on
the color of our skins. I don't care what anybody says.
The color of our skin creates a different conversation. How
do you correlate that within your your foundation to Shelton
(22:11):
when we foundation Salily, that is a tough be we
constantly have to have for people that look like you
and men. We have to do every time and it's
it's sad to say, but we have to continue to
do that. A lot of this stuff, especially this year,
(22:31):
has been more and more recorded, seeing you know, going viral,
whatever that you're saying or whatever you think it is.
It's been going on for decades and decades, but yet
we're seeing more and more almost on a daily basis,
and a conversation that needs to continue to happen for
people that look like us. Has to be a forefront
(22:55):
conversation because if you're not blessed and not to come
from like rocking from a two parent home right where
I was able to have these conversations daily about what
to do in these situations. A lot of these kids
don't have that, so having somebody actually talk them through
these things so they're not another statistic ended up like
(23:19):
the people you mentioned, which is sad and safe. But
that's how it is for us them nowadays. I know
it's you know, because it's because we're having a real
conversation now, you know, and I'm not saying we didn't
have one earlier, but because of the fact that you
and I both know. You know, you know, you're taller
black man than me, you know, which means that I
(23:40):
do as successful as I have been in my life.
I've walked by a white women clutched their bags. I
saw them look at me in a manner that I
think that they feared that I was gonna do something,
and I'm I'm in tailor suits. I've walked into places
and people have questioned would I would have looked as
to why I'm that facility or why I'm in that restaurant?
(24:01):
Or why am I walking down that street? You know?
And uh, but with that being said, you know, athletes
has always proven to be a vehicle of change, a
vehicle of opportunity. But like we also stated with Lebron,
he's trying to peel back this. We are only dare
to do a service, and that's a physical service. And
(24:24):
I feel that's part of what you're trying to do
with the Sheldon Williams Foundation. Correct, You're more than delivering
a physical service. You're you're you're you're developing people who
are taxpayers, who are gonna get education, who are going
to make a difference in the community. That seems to
be the core of the Sheldon Williams Foundation. Am I correct? Yes,
(24:44):
I mean you kind of putty much it on the
head for a lot of these youth that I'm trying
to help and give back and give opportunities to a
lot of undeserving families and people that want to be
able to get out of situations that they are in.
Right now, I mean you kind of said that already.
You being tailor suits me. I already have the conference
(25:07):
two strikes against me being tall and black. When I'm
walking down the street. You do see those things. And
I'm a guy that I'm not necessarily over, you know, joyous,
and I'm walking around like if I know you're did
something different to her, But if I'm walking around, I'm
very very stow it, I said. People will take that
(25:28):
as a sign of, you know, I don't know something
that makes them afraid, and that couple I've been dealing
with from previous day one, and seeing this, I have
to actually over like, you know, hey, how you doing
over you know, and make myself like, you know, even
make make make sure that feel more comfortable, which is
sad that I've actually do this. Absolutely, you know, you
(25:50):
gotta make them feel more comfortable. You have to change
the way you walk, you have to change your tone
to make people feel more comfortable. But guess what, You're
already comfortable. You know that, you know, like it's saying,
I just wanted to just bring that out, you know,
because on this show, I try to have honest conversations.
You know. You know, you can do a lot of
interviews Sheldon and these and these interviews about the success
(26:10):
of your career, but we're talking about now and how
you have to change lives now. Like you said, a
couple of years ago you started to show the Williams Foundation.
It's an extension of who you are. Is this the
voice of who you are now? Because at one point
the voice of who you were was an athlete? Is
this your voice now? This is pretty this is pretty
(26:30):
much my voice. Part A, Part B. You know, like
building up, as you keep growing, you keep balling, right,
and that's we as human beings, continue to do so
a lot of people, especially before social media, you only
see the Wade and then he followed me on social media.
You'll see I'm talking about you know, my daughter, uh,
(26:54):
social issues. You know, you'll see, like I said, Part one,
Part two, Part three, you're seeing a lot of stuff
is going on, and that's involving as I involved, as
in the person I'm gonna become in the future. But
it's always every changing, so you always gonna get something
different that you may see a month, you know, a
(27:15):
year ago. Every case may be. You will see that
I'm not gonna be just put into a category of box.
I'm always gonna try to help me and try to
extend myself and do more things where I'm not gonna
be just one category. Okay, let's let's have some fun here.
You know you you you know you're farmer Lattery, pick
your former NBA player. You're watching games, you know you
(27:38):
you know we we see the big three they then
put together in Brooklyn. Can they win it all? Can
they win it all? Well? The thing, the thing is,
until last this past year, Lebron and A D were
the first team to win Role the Back when they
(27:59):
got for a long time. I mean when Lebron and
uh Lebron and uh the Wade and Chris Bosh when
they got together, they didn't win Roup the Back. They
wait a couple of years before they win their first one.
I mean, you have all these different big three as forming.
The last time I've seen a big three to form
that one brought off the bat was back in Boston
when KG, Paul and Real and first formed up. It's
(28:25):
difficult to do, especially with guys that demand the ball
as much as they did. I know they had a
hard lost last night, but I don't really pay attention
to that loss, just because, like with me being that dude,
a lot of people circle our number are on the
(28:45):
calendar to make sure that hey, no matter we were doing,
we're gonna get up for this game. And that's how
it is for Brooken Nets right now. A lot of
people don't get up for that game. So they lost
to uh Washington Ridges. But when I say one or
two points and is a high scoring game. But until
Washington Wisard can continue to do and play like that,
(29:05):
that game doesn't really mean it doesn't hold much weight
just because they lost. If it's that's the nature of playing.
What's sending two games this season? But when you when
you talk about playing the game and watching a career
and then Sheldon, I look at that their honors or
your jersey number and seeing Dupe in the Hall of Famer?
(29:25):
What what? What stands out to be the most impressive
thing that is happening in your career that you would
always go, man, I can't believe that happened to me,
because you've gotten them all, you know, Gatorade Award to
All American Honors, lottery Pick walked on the stage and
recognized in front of thousand people, is one of the
top athletes in the world. What what? What? What always
brings a smile to your face when you think about
(29:46):
it from an athletic standpoint, I'm probably gonna say being
able to have the opportunity to have much jersey hung
in the raptors of Cameron Or Stadium, being one of
thirteen guys. That's a bad raptor there, Christian Dave, that's
a bad raptor. That baby gret bred Hill. Come on, now,
(30:06):
I know, I know, dude, man of alivating layers that
play it. Dude, my name and my jersey will be
forever at home in that raptor. So I wouldn't say
that's kind of the greatest one is like being a
kid out of Oklahoma. I didn't see myself one leaving
the state of Oklahoma because at that time I've only
(30:27):
seen one player leave to state of Oklahoma play That
was Eaton Thomas, who have to go to Syracuse. Everybody
stay in the state of Oklahoma. So once I got
a chance that actually played for Duke University, yes, my
careers are unfolding, and that opportunity become a player that
was gonna become and had the opportunity be actually have
(30:47):
a jersey return, that was a true blessing because I
didn't go in to do thinking that I wouldn't do
trying to think, hey, I gotta prove a lot of
people wrong from back home in Oklahoma that I can't play,
but the biggest and the best of the college basketball.
And wow, well Sherlton, thank you for coming on money
(31:10):
making conversations. And you're great. You're a great talking boy.
You know what I'm saying you you you guys the
words coming out to your mouth with my friend. You
know you have that little laid back, little stoic personality,
but you can talk. Man. You got something just like
you know, and it continued to make difference. I know
that we was connected and an interview long overdue for
(31:32):
us to connect. Uh COVID slowdown the relationship or one.
You know, we know what COVID is gonna do. From
an athletic standpoint, we see, UH how's affecting UH high school,
the UH college level and players who who want to
go pro, players who want to extend their athletic careers
are being cut shorter and they're given an extra year
(31:52):
of eligibility. But I know that if you ever need
even my man, Sheldon Williams, Sean McDonald's a friend and
I'm always there for your brother. And I hope you
enjoyed this interview. I appreciate that I did enjoy the
n W. I appreciate you having me on. It was
great talk, great discussions also. I mean for us to
actually talk about not just basketball, but the whole life
(32:15):
experience and topics. What's great for me to actually talk
to you about it. So thank you so much for
having me on. I really appreciate my time. Well, you
know the great thing about the Sheldon this that you
know me now. You know that you know when we're talking,
the future is gonna be a different because you know,
coming on and I said hello, a friend saying hello
to you, and we're gonna talk about life, man, just life,
about making sure you and the brand that you're building
(32:36):
now is important and affects millions of people, not just
hundreds of millions of people, because your brands worldwide and
social media allows that to happen. The digital platform allows
that to happen. And my job is to make sure
that you are blessing to everybody. Because the Sheldon Williams Foundation,
like I stated early, is dedicated to empowering student athletes
and their families by delivering and supporting initiatives to promote
(33:00):
emotional and physical health through sports education and community involvement again,
thank you for coming on money Making Conversation shieldon weams.
Thank you appreciate it. Appreciate. If you want to hear
more money Making Conversation interviews, please go to money Making
Conversation dot com. All subscribe in our YouTube channel. I
was Sean McDonald. I'm your host. In this season of giving,
(33:25):
Coals has gifts for all your loved ones. For those
who like to keep it cozy, find fleeces, sweaters, loungeware,
blankets and throws, or support minority owned or founded brands
by giving gifts from Human Nation and Shame Moisture. And
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million dollars to local nonprofits nationwide. Give with all your
(33:46):
heart this season with great gifts from Coals or Coals
dot com. Still living in manually taking notes, There is
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E R dot Ai. Sticky notes email alerts a string
(34:10):
around your finger. They're just not big enough. So here's
a big reminder from the California Lottery tomorrow's Mega Millions
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You must be eighteen years older to purchase Blayer fin
Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she
has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and
Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's given me
advice on many occasions in ocasion didn't notice, I'm not broke.
You know. He'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry
decision makers. It's what he likes to do, it's what
he likes to share. Now it's time to hear from
(00:25):
my man, Rashan McDonald money making Conversations. Here we go.
Welcome to money Making Conversation. I'm your host, ra Sean McDonald.
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories to
start writing your own. Now you can be motivated by
the success because their stories can offer direction and help
you reach your goals through your planet in your committeed effort.
My interviews provide the consumer and business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs,
(00:49):
and interest and interesting decision makers. My next cast is
a well known athlete. Let's cope an athlete, because sometimes
when you're an athlete, people will just keep you over there.
His name is Sheldon Ms, the former NBA Lottery pick
and Duke University Hall of Fame player were discussing his
career from Oklahoma City to the NBA. In between all
that was a little unknown school called Duke University, his
(01:12):
life after basketball, and how he inspires to give back
to the community. That's really why I wanted on this show.
We had a lot of things by athletes, and we
only hear one side of the story. The Sheldon Williams
Fundation is dedicated to empowering student athletes and their families
by delivering and supporting initiatives that provide emotional and physical
health through sports, education and community involvement. Please welcome to
(01:34):
Money Making Conversation for the very first time, the athlete
Sheldon Williams how on Shelton. I'm good, good, thanks for
having me. All. I emphasized athlete because somehow along the way,
you guys get diminished. You get diminished on your ability
to communicate, your diminished on your education abilities, your articulation.
How do you how do you overcome the athletes stereotype
(01:57):
as you move forward in life? Sheltering H Well, it's
interesting that you asked that. I mean, until Lebron was
probably similar. The most forefront athlete that sit there and say,
don't put us in a box. Make sure that we
know we are more than what we do, whether we
playing football, japan basketball, but more than that. And I
(02:20):
think that was the first time that she like say
it out loud, I guess, and made it more of
a worldly thing. But before then he was always kept
in the box like all right, this is what you
do and it's pretty much it. So a lot of
people now are kind of bringing themselves on the main screen, like, hey,
this is what I used to get to this point,
(02:43):
but the overall me, this is X, Y and Z,
and I try to use my social platform to let
people know this is what I do and not just
what I did in the past or what you know
me asked, this is all me. I I was sharing
a little piece of my life, Sheldon, because you know,
(03:03):
I a sitcom writer, stand up comedian, did death jam
and all that. One of the bigger components in my
life was I managed Steve Harvey. And I bring that
up because of the fact that you know, we had
to ride together like sixteen years and you know when
images together, image awards together, and box office movies, family feud,
(03:24):
hit books, and when I walked away and started to
develop my own career, I kind of was still trapped
into that world. And so I bring that up because
as an NBA lottery pick and at the highest level
that an athlete that can perform, and that is as
a basketball player you want to make an NBA How
were you able to make that transition because a lot
(03:47):
of people kept you in that bottle of being an
NBA player or what's going wrong while you're not still
playing in the NBA talk to us through that that
that that emotional release of trying to build your brand,
the Sheldon Weaves brand. Well, that's always kind of a
I wouldn't say difficult path, it just it's it's a
(04:09):
path that you haven't done. Um, because you've been all
your life been trying to be this athlete that you
inspire to be. Whether you looked up to Michael Jordan
or any other guys that play in your your your
your position, or your sport. You expire to be those guys.
And then once that timeline is pretty much ended, it's like, okay,
(04:30):
what do I do now? So hopefully within that one
or two years before it does actually in, you kind
of started thinking about my next move, my next plan.
It's always hard because you always think that this is
what's gonna be for a lot of number of years,
and it's not always like that. So for me, when
I actually started to think about retiring, I wind up
(04:54):
and say, hey, this is what I want to do.
I want to go ahead and do something that one
keeps me active with my who's now eleven, as well
as keep me within the game of basketball. And I
was able to unfortunate enough to actually be a scowl
broken nets on the West Coast. I did that about
three years before I said I want to try my
(05:14):
hand into coaching. You be more hands on than actually,
you know, kind of being in the back front office site. Well,
you know, the death of Kobe um, you know, it
was still the shock, and I remember I went to
l A after his death, and uh it was like
ghost town. Man, I've never seen l A, which is
like party Central, which is like Glitz, which is glamor,
(05:37):
which is uh as they say, Hollywood. And then you
mentioned your daughter, you know, daddy's girl. You know, I
have a single I'm a father and I have a daughter.
So you know the importance of that role that you
play and and guy, and I remember, I all, I'm
always available for her to have a comment. And then
you see what happens to Kobe and that that whole
(05:59):
daddy Gore sent doing. God, did you get caught up
in there? Did you realize your role that you have
and and with your daughter who's loving now? Well, I
got caught up in it because one my daughter was
actually doing things with uh Gj's team and the team
undneath J's team at the Mamba Academy, so she was
(06:20):
familiar with both of those you know people, So that happened,
it kind of hit a little bit closer. I mean,
obviously was sad for anybody to go down like that,
whether it be a name, well named person or just anybody.
But what really hit me was the girls that were
around my my daughter's age, not able to actually live
(06:43):
their life and got cut short, and talking to her
about it, it really hit home for me. I'm like,
dangn like literally, these are somebody that you was actually
an academy, my mama charity, practicing with, practice against, and
now all of a sudden they're gone, and it's very
sad for that to happen. But that right there kind
(07:04):
of hit closer to home to me because of the
whole girls that were running. My my daughter said, actually
round my daughter as well. You know, my bringing my
daughter because she was a professional athlete. You know, she
was a tennis prodigy, you know, so she was homeschooled
and she played on the tennis Tour, professional tendance Tour,
and then she blew out her knee and and when
(07:26):
she blow I always remember, like the week before Thanksgiving
and she asked me, she said, Dad, what do you
she Dad, can I Can I do something else? And
I said, what you wanna do? She said, I want
to go to college. And you've been an athlete, and
you know, you just was a gifted athlete, you know,
smart guy from Oklahoma City. Like you said, you went
(07:46):
from univosity diversity. Do you feel that you were ever
pushed along or did anybody ever stop and asked Shelton
what he wanted in the early years or you just
positioned to be this great athlete and you had no
other option. Well, growing up, my dad he played basketball,
he played in college as well. But for me and
my younger brother, he didn't want us to follow in
(08:08):
his footsteps. He wanted to kind of find our own path.
Granted my dad six eight my mom is to five eleven,
to be in our future. So um, I went from
playing baseball, soccer and footballers Oklahoma is a big football
stay absolutely and was that as the absolutely you come
(08:30):
Oklahoma City, come on that Oklhoba, come on all right, right,
And then I went to basketball, basketball and football all
of until my pressing year where I got moved up
to the high school teams back home. Myth grade was
still junior high, so I was able to do both
those things. But honestly, with my dad, he wanted us
to find our own path. And then once we actually
(08:51):
found our own path, he was, all right, this is
what you want to do. Are you sure? All right?
All right, you're gonna do this? Then this is what
we need to do to get better every year, and
he I laid out guidelines for me and my younger
brother to follow if you want to be successful in
that sport. Well, you know, because we're gonna talk about
your foundation. But I'm just kind of getting everybody assists
on who you are, you know, your story because the
(09:13):
fact that you're a gifted athlete, you know, there are
some steps that go through the process that you can
get pushed along. I know that. You know, as my
daughter got better, you know, specialized coaches are coming around.
You know I was, you know, because they wanted to
fixes fix her her back hand, you know, fix her serve,
you know, fix her groundstrokes and all that. But that's
that period and not fast forward show. Yeah, the IMG academies,
(09:37):
you have social media. What was the worst thing you
had to deal with when you were coming out of
high school that the players have to deal with today,
you know, because technology has to be with the one
thing is the social media or is it? Is it
the academies? Is that the the circuits? What is it? Well,
(09:58):
for me, I kind of missed that area the era
because they didn't come until later on where the old
social media platforms and the I m G s was
kind of later on in my high school career they
kind of kind of made a big time, but when
I was actually growing up, if they had any kind success,
it was in the front page of newspaper. So we're
(10:18):
reading that and then all of a sudden, people circling,
you know every time they play, gets you that Hey,
you know, you gotta target on your back. So minor
compared to what it is with the social media. But
if you read the paper, your parents got the paper,
and your pictures on the front page of that sports section,
people start paying attention to who you are, and then
(10:39):
all of a sudden, your name kind of circulates throughout
your whole area and people are trying to come after
you from that, you know, because you know, because you know,
social media exists now and it's like certain people shouldn't
be certain people shouldn't be on social media. You know
that to show certain people should be cut off. You know,
they Twitter to cut Donald Trump. They need to be
(10:59):
cutting some of these athletes. So as you because you're
a mentor. Now you're a mentor. You as one of
those been there, done that. Uh, the success is part
of your resume. Duke University Hall of Famer. What you know?
And I would tell you this, Sheldan, I you know,
I wasn't a big fan of yours because you're just
so good in college and you played for Duke. And
I'll just tell you I love you as a man,
(11:20):
as a person because Duke was just man. How did
you pick Duke? Man? You're in Oklahoma football country? You
tea right there, University of Texas is right there. You
know what I'm saying, How did you go way over
to Duke to play basketball? Well, that's the question that
I got asked a lot when I was leaving the
state of Oklahoma. Like my h S teammate with the OU,
(11:42):
my high school AU teammate with OU, say, they're trying
to do at the package deal. You let's go, you know,
kind of like you know, Oklahoma boys stay in Oklahoma,
which was cool, but you're trying to tell me the
best of boat world. Duke acts right and do basketball
and you have a chance to go there. Now that's
(12:03):
that compare. Like, my dad was a big educator, so
education was very high on our list of schools when
we actually looking for schools and played for it. So
they have the best of both worlds. It didn't compare
dude Texas Duke. Oh you it didn't know to school
was was this shire to stopped with? Shall stop? It
(12:23):
was no comparison, brother, Okay you team maybe oh you
no way? Duke exceptional universe Because a lot of people
when you when you see a powerhouse like a Duke,
you tend to throw him in the pot and forget
the academics that comes with the school. Like Dude, tell
us about the academic standards that they have there and
why Duke is such a strong academic school. Well, the
(12:47):
academic standards was, like I said, one of the major
reasons why I chose that. Like my dad, as I
said before, it was a big educator. So he stressed
education on us all the time. With him being a teacher,
we had assignments and projects all year round, like whatever
we had going on for school, if we didn't have homework,
best believe that my dad came home all right, well
(13:08):
we got this project to do, or you gotta read
for an hour on this book right here. So it
was always him pushing us to do something the further
us along with our education. The once we got to
do it was the same thing where you're in classes,
you're in study hall, you in all kinds of study
groups that kind of make yourself, you know, put yourself
(13:29):
in a good position to actually be successful. So a
lot of the times where you think you may not
know something, Dude did a good job of having people
accessible to talk to to help you along the way.
And also, I mean just just with the education, alan
we know that if you got a piece of paper
from do It's gonna put you up for you know,
(13:50):
whatever you want to do later on. It's finally here,
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(14:10):
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(14:34):
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E R dot ai. Now, when when when you talk
about to yourself sir as a player, you know, when
do you start making a conscious decision that is time
to move on? When you're an athlete, you know, because
(15:59):
that's the hard decision, you know, because of the fact
that it's something in some ways you don't plan for
an exit. How do you know what? And also the
second question is that when did the Sheldon when you
foundation get started? Was it doing you're playing days or
after you left the plane, after you left the court. Well,
it was always in my mind. The Susman's Foundation was
(16:21):
always in my mind to do. I just didn't have
time to do it because once I got done planned,
I had my daughter, you know, the whole off season,
so with me playing, my daughter was getting older and
was like that in't I come, You're always away And
that kind of got to me because like she doesn't
understand we're trying to make a living for her. All
(16:44):
she sees is that is on a road trip or
that's gone for whatever amount of days. That's all she's seeing.
So it kind of got to me. That's why I
kind of retire a little bit earlier, because I like, nowhere,
you're right, some things are more important and you are
more important. So I wind up retiring early so I
could spend extra time with her. And as I said before,
(17:06):
I kind of you know, got into a job where
I was still able to do basketball with the West
Coast Scouting and then be with her. But kind of
going back to the question about the Sheldon Wins Foundation,
that was something I had already in mind. It just
matter up doing it. So once I retired, I want
to say I took about a year before I started
doing anything about it because that whole year I took
(17:28):
off it, which is me and my daughter, and I
was just making sure it I was doing, like no
ballet glasses and recitals and you know, all those other
things that I didn't think about self doing. But I'm
a very front row you know, I'm doing all that stuff, like,
you know, just kind of being with her and making
up for lost time and everything. But I wanted to
do that because one I grew up, my mom was
(17:49):
big into doing charity, foundation whatever you wanna call it.
You know, I'm private type of word. Growing up. When
I was doing Rona McDonald House, I was doing the
only listen moment meals. Those things were already still in me.
It was just a matter of back, you know, no
matter of just getting me back into the swing of
things and getting the opportunity to actually fully invested myself
(18:11):
in doing that and that's why I started showing Metals
Foundation about two years ago. Okay, now you said that
she The WI Foundation is dedicated to empowering student athletes
and their family a boy, delivering and supporting initiatives that
promote emotional and physical health. Let's stop right there. I
got the physical health. What is the emotional and physical
(18:31):
health through sports education and community involvement? Talk to us
about that. Well, as you see a lot of kids nowadays,
they're dealing with a lot more than I wouldn't said
a lot more. I think it's more addressed now than
it was back when I played it. Because if you
had any kind of situation where off court problems or
(18:55):
you know, uh, family issues once you got into court,
A lot of coaches already do this, so you can't
do it. I'll find that dost that doesn't ever do
that now past for all these years, like, hey, I
noticed that you're not being yourself. Come over and talk
to me. What's going on? You know, getting to that
point where you know where you more than just you
(19:15):
know in that way, you're a human being, you're a person.
I want to make sure that I'm tying to what
you're doing as well, and talking to you as a
human being and not just a person that comes and
not just like a factor that comes in and out.
You know how it is with sports work, things changed
so fluidly, like everybody's coming in and out. I want
(19:35):
to make sure that you know that I'm here to talk.
This is beyond basketball. It's really important because, like I said,
I I can relate to a lot of the things
that you're talking about because my wife was with Marke,
you know, she she retired, she was practicing atometrists, and
she retired so my daughter could travel and make sure
that a stranger wasn't tied to my daughter and making
(19:57):
sure my daughter was you know, not being is treated physically,
because like you're saying, as an athlete, people will push
you and guess what, and guess what and and and
push you beyond because I see so many stories about
tremendous athletes who failed because they were put in the
situation they were uncomfortable, and they didn't have mentors, or
they refused to tell their parents what was going on
(20:20):
out of fear. What made you survive? Because I love
the way you keep bringing up your parents this whole conversation,
doing this interview were doing, Shelton, you constantly mentioned your parents.
That really is the key to you and who you
are today, right your parents? Of course, I mean my
parents is what made me who I am today and
(20:42):
me and my younger brother who I am today, who
we are Today's said like, if they wasn't able to
steal those things into us, be where we are right
now or what we're trying to do, what we're trying
to accomplish right now. So it's a big credit to
what they did for us growing up, and now it's
more so like, hey, you see a person of them
(21:02):
in us as we are doing things that we're trying
to do later on that life. So I would say, like,
you know, me always missing my parents as a reason
for that because they played and still are playing a
big factor in my life. Now here's the interesting thing
about both our lives. We're black men, Sheldon and and
I tell people, are you know I gotta go back?
(21:24):
You know the George Floyd And like I said, you
and I both know that we all are. I can
speak for myself. A cop stops me for anything. My
flag score. I don't feel comfortable, especially at night. I
don't really feel comfortable at all. And so it's that
part of the education process that you're talking about, the
community involvement process that you're talking about. Trying to develop
(21:48):
relationships for a young black man and female young ladies
can be able to get through life in sports is
just one of the tools that they can get them
out of the neighborhood. Have given them positive options because
the world sees us for who we are based on
the color of our skins. I don't care what anybody says.
The color of our skin creates a different conversation. How
do you correlate that within your your foundation to Shelton
(22:11):
when we foundation Salily, that is a tough be we
constantly have to have for people that look like you
and men. We have to do every time and it's
it's sad to say, but we have to continue to
do that. A lot of this stuff, especially this year,
(22:31):
has been more and more recorded, seeing you know, going viral,
whatever that you're saying or whatever you think it is.
It's been going on for decades and decades, but yet
we're seeing more and more almost on a daily basis,
and a conversation that needs to continue to happen for
people that look like us. Has to be a forefront
(22:55):
conversation because if you're not blessed and not to come
from like rocking from a two parent home right where
I was able to have these conversations daily about what
to do in these situations. A lot of these kids
don't have that, so having somebody actually talk them through
these things so they're not another statistic ended up like
(23:19):
the people you mentioned, which is sad and safe. But
that's how it is for us them nowadays. I know
it's you know, because it's because we're having a real
conversation now, you know, and I'm not saying we didn't
have one earlier, but because of the fact that you
and I both know. You know, you know, you're taller
black man than me, you know, which means that I
(23:40):
do as successful as I have been in my life.
I've walked by a white women clutched their bags. I
saw them look at me in a manner that I
think that they feared that I was gonna do something,
and I'm I'm in tailor suits. I've walked into places
and people have questioned would I would have looked as
to why I'm that facility or why I'm in that restaurant?
(24:01):
Or why am I walking down that street? You know?
And uh, but with that being said, you know, athletes
has always proven to be a vehicle of change, a
vehicle of opportunity. But like we also stated with Lebron,
he's trying to peel back this. We are only dare
to do a service, and that's a physical service. And
(24:24):
I feel that's part of what you're trying to do
with the Sheldon Williams Foundation. Correct, You're more than delivering
a physical service. You're you're you're you're developing people who
are taxpayers, who are gonna get education, who are going
to make a difference in the community. That seems to
be the core of the Sheldon Williams Foundation. Am I correct? Yes,
(24:44):
I mean you kind of putty much it on the
head for a lot of these youth that I'm trying
to help and give back and give opportunities to a
lot of undeserving families and people that want to be
able to get out of situations that they are in.
Right now, I mean you kind of said that already.
You being tailor suits me. I already have the conference
(25:07):
two strikes against me being tall and black. When I'm
walking down the street. You do see those things. And
I'm a guy that I'm not necessarily over, you know, joyous,
and I'm walking around like if I know you're did
something different to her, But if I'm walking around, I'm
very very stow it, I said. People will take that
(25:28):
as a sign of, you know, I don't know something
that makes them afraid, and that couple I've been dealing
with from previous day one, and seeing this, I have
to actually over like, you know, hey, how you doing
over you know, and make myself like, you know, even
make make make sure that feel more comfortable, which is
sad that I've actually do this. Absolutely, you know, you
(25:50):
gotta make them feel more comfortable. You have to change
the way you walk, you have to change your tone
to make people feel more comfortable. But guess what, You're
already comfortable. You know that, you know, like it's saying,
I just wanted to just bring that out, you know,
because on this show, I try to have honest conversations.
You know. You know, you can do a lot of
interviews Sheldon and these and these interviews about the success
(26:10):
of your career, but we're talking about now and how
you have to change lives now. Like you said, a
couple of years ago you started to show the Williams Foundation.
It's an extension of who you are. Is this the
voice of who you are now? Because at one point
the voice of who you were was an athlete? Is
this your voice now? This is pretty this is pretty
(26:30):
much my voice. Part A, Part B. You know, like
building up, as you keep growing, you keep balling, right,
and that's we as human beings, continue to do so
a lot of people, especially before social media, you only
see the Wade and then he followed me on social media.
You'll see I'm talking about you know, my daughter, uh,
(26:54):
social issues. You know, you'll see, like I said, Part one,
Part two, Part three, you're seeing a lot of stuff
is going on, and that's involving as I involved, as
in the person I'm gonna become in the future. But
it's always every changing, so you always gonna get something
different that you may see a month, you know, a
(27:15):
year ago. Every case may be. You will see that
I'm not gonna be just put into a category of box.
I'm always gonna try to help me and try to
extend myself and do more things where I'm not gonna
be just one category. Okay, let's let's have some fun here.
You know you you you know you're farmer Lattery, pick
your former NBA player. You're watching games, you know you
(27:38):
you know we we see the big three they then
put together in Brooklyn. Can they win it all? Can
they win it all? Well? The thing, the thing is,
until last this past year, Lebron and A D were
the first team to win Role the Back when they
(27:59):
got for a long time. I mean when Lebron and
uh Lebron and uh the Wade and Chris Bosh when
they got together, they didn't win Roup the Back. They
wait a couple of years before they win their first one.
I mean, you have all these different big three as forming.
The last time I've seen a big three to form
that one brought off the bat was back in Boston
when KG, Paul and Real and first formed up. It's
(28:25):
difficult to do, especially with guys that demand the ball
as much as they did. I know they had a
hard lost last night, but I don't really pay attention
to that loss, just because, like with me being that dude,
a lot of people circle our number are on the
(28:45):
calendar to make sure that hey, no matter we were doing,
we're gonna get up for this game. And that's how
it is for Brooken Nets right now. A lot of
people don't get up for that game. So they lost
to uh Washington Ridges. But when I say one or
two points and is a high scoring game. But until
Washington Wisard can continue to do and play like that,
(29:05):
that game doesn't really mean it doesn't hold much weight
just because they lost. If it's that's the nature of playing.
What's sending two games this season? But when you when
you talk about playing the game and watching a career
and then Sheldon, I look at that their honors or
your jersey number and seeing Dupe in the Hall of Famer?
(29:25):
What what? What stands out to be the most impressive
thing that is happening in your career that you would
always go, man, I can't believe that happened to me,
because you've gotten them all, you know, Gatorade Award to
All American Honors, lottery Pick walked on the stage and
recognized in front of thousand people, is one of the
top athletes in the world. What what? What? What always
brings a smile to your face when you think about
(29:46):
it from an athletic standpoint, I'm probably gonna say being
able to have the opportunity to have much jersey hung
in the raptors of Cameron Or Stadium, being one of
thirteen guys. That's a bad raptor there, Christian Dave, that's
a bad raptor. That baby gret bred Hill. Come on, now,
(30:06):
I know, I know, dude, man of alivating layers that
play it. Dude, my name and my jersey will be
forever at home in that raptor. So I wouldn't say
that's kind of the greatest one is like being a
kid out of Oklahoma. I didn't see myself one leaving
the state of Oklahoma because at that time I've only
(30:27):
seen one player leave to state of Oklahoma play That
was Eaton Thomas, who have to go to Syracuse. Everybody
stay in the state of Oklahoma. So once I got
a chance that actually played for Duke University, yes, my
careers are unfolding, and that opportunity become a player that
was gonna become and had the opportunity be actually have
(30:47):
a jersey return, that was a true blessing because I
didn't go in to do thinking that I wouldn't do
trying to think, hey, I gotta prove a lot of
people wrong from back home in Oklahoma that I can't play,
but the biggest and the best of the college basketball.
And wow, well Sherlton, thank you for coming on money
(31:10):
making conversations. And you're great. You're a great talking boy.
You know what I'm saying you you you guys the
words coming out to your mouth with my friend. You
know you have that little laid back, little stoic personality,
but you can talk. Man. You got something just like
you know, and it continued to make difference. I know
that we was connected and an interview long overdue for
(31:32):
us to connect. Uh COVID slowdown the relationship or one.
You know, we know what COVID is gonna do. From
an athletic standpoint, we see, UH how's affecting UH high school,
the UH college level and players who who want to
go pro, players who want to extend their athletic careers
are being cut shorter and they're given an extra year
(31:52):
of eligibility. But I know that if you ever need
even my man, Sheldon Williams, Sean McDonald's a friend and
I'm always there for your brother. And I hope you
enjoyed this interview. I appreciate that I did enjoy the
n W. I appreciate you having me on. It was
great talk, great discussions also. I mean for us to
actually talk about not just basketball, but the whole life
(32:15):
experience and topics. What's great for me to actually talk
to you about it. So thank you so much for
having me on. I really appreciate my time. Well, you
know the great thing about the Sheldon this that you
know me now. You know that you know when we're talking,
the future is gonna be a different because you know,
coming on and I said hello, a friend saying hello
to you, and we're gonna talk about life, man, just life,
about making sure you and the brand that you're building
(32:36):
now is important and affects millions of people, not just
hundreds of millions of people, because your brands worldwide and
social media allows that to happen. The digital platform allows
that to happen. And my job is to make sure
that you are blessing to everybody. Because the Sheldon Williams Foundation,
like I stated early, is dedicated to empowering student athletes
and their families by delivering and supporting initiatives to promote
(33:00):
emotional and physical health through sports education and community involvement again,
thank you for coming on money Making Conversation shieldon weams.
Thank you appreciate it. Appreciate. If you want to hear
more money Making Conversation interviews, please go to money Making
Conversation dot com. All subscribe in our YouTube channel. I
was Sean McDonald. I'm your host. In this season of giving,
(33:25):
Coals has gifts for all your loved ones. For those
who like to keep it cozy, find fleeces, sweaters, loungeware,
blankets and throws, or support minority owned or founded brands
by giving gifts from Human Nation and Shame Moisture. And
in the spirit of giving, Coals Cares is donating eight
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(33:46):
heart this season with great gifts from Coals or Coals
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