March 3, 2026 • 11 mins
Seattle SuperSonics Legend Big Smooth Sam Perkins joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about being on Montlake last weekend for Detlef Schrempf’s event, the potential return of the Sonics, the state of the NBA, NIL in college basketball, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to SOFTI and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R FM.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I remember like it was yesterday, Dick Vane, thirty three
years ago, nineteen ninety three Western Conference Finals. I believe
it was in the right corner, free ball corner pocket
Sam Perkins with a big three to give the Sonics
the lead in Game two of the ninety three Conference
(00:36):
Finals against the Phoenix Suns. And then we all thought
we're coming home with a one to one split.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
We're gonna do this.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, We're gonna play in the NBA Finals, and then
the refs fed us in Game seven. Well, a guy
that knows a thing or two about all that, he
was in the house on Saturday for detl Off Shremp
along with Sean Kempengary Payton, our old friend, big smooth
Sam Perkins with us right now on the radio show, Sam,
how are you pal?
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Good? Everything pointant to, everything's pointing to signs of yes,
I'm good.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, and let's talk about what we had over the weekend. First,
because we had a little bit of a reunion, right,
Gary was there, Sean was there. You were there to
support Detlift on Saturday. The Husky basketball team didn't do
their part on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I'm not sure they were there.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
They were there, though, Man tell me about that about
being there for debt and why that was important for
you to show up and Seattle this weekend.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
Man, Yeah, I was there, and again I was appreciative
to even be there because Detlift, I mean a friend
of mine, best friend of mine reminded.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Me and then Detlift called me and told me that
what was going on, So I said, well, I'll be there.
So yes, we saw Gary and Sean and it was
a moment that you know, not not all players go
through that, you know, retirement jersey thing, but it was
good to see that look get us due at the
(02:00):
University of Washington, and some of the alumni players were there.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
It's a witness.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
But I had a good time and stayed with him
for the before and after and it was a good time.
I took my daughter and everything was peachy.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
King.
Speaker 7 (02:14):
Did you get a chance, Smooth to you know, go
out with them. Did you have any kind of reunion
dinner or anything like that? Or is it pretty much
just an arena where you were talking to Debt and
Sean and Gary.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Well, the reception afterward, that's the only thing, because I
got there, you know, I couldn't get there to the brunch,
you know. But at the same time, I did talk
to some of the people afterwards, and people that were
involved with his foundation and people that worked for him.
We got a chance to sit down and talk at
the reception afterwards. And Medina is it ladinah Madinada Medina.
(02:51):
And so with that said, I was out there with
some friends and we all had a good time.
Speaker 6 (02:56):
And like I.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Said, getting to talk to Debt for a minute was
we haven't talked in a while, but we always keep
in contact.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
No, I love that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Well, give me a take on what you just said
there at the start when you said kind of feels
like the soups or maybe getting close to being back.
Some people are getting fired up, others are a little
skeptical still about the entire process. Are you living in
a world, Sam where you feel pretty comfortable that we're
getting closer to this thing happening than not.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, tell you the truth, the talk has kind of
died down a little bit I don't understand why, but
with all the things going on in the NBA, with
the expansion of maybe possibly going overseas, and being that
Vegas is one of the prime premier places to start
(03:48):
having one, it seems like they concentrate on other things.
Now they just got a relationship back with China. It
all the talk has kind of died down, But I
think Seattle is still on the on the map, but
it's it's kind of like, we'll see what happens with
all the other things that I just mentioned. So with
all that said, I believe it's going to come back,
(04:10):
but not in the time that we kind of we
thought it would be.
Speaker 7 (04:15):
Sam, Where are you on the on the state of
the league right now? I mean, financially, it looks like
it's going gangbusters. I mean the teams are making money
handover fist. The attendance numbers are there, the viewing numbers
are there, but a lot of people are critical of
how the game is played. How would you you know,
how would you assess NBA basketball in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Well, I mean, it's making money, Like you said, hands
over fist. I mean, it's just it's just one of
those things. Where you can't be so critical because they are,
you know, at the at the end of the day,
making money, and teams are playing to the best their ability,
and they're building new arenas for teams, so it seems
like it's going in the right direction. I can't can't
(04:57):
be so negative because you know, I was part of
the part of the employment of the NBA, so I
really believe that they are on the right track. I mean,
it's different. Every year is going to be different. Every
every decade, every five years is always going to be
a change. So the change is for the best, I
guess in some ways because they got younger players. Some
(05:20):
of the new something you know, Lebron is leaving, and
somebody on that side of that, of that of the
echelon is going to be you know, coming kind of
like retiring in the next four or five years. So
I think that the young young, it's going to get
younger every time you come in every year because of
the fact that you have players leaving school after one year,
(05:44):
like this class coming in is going to be young,
so you'll see a bit.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well, Sam Perkins again is with us on the radio show,
and Dick asked about the current state of the NBA,
how about your thoughts on the current state of college basketball?
And I still remember that story you told a couple of
years ago. Was was it a chicks butt or chest
that you signed on the Bourbon Street right after you
guys won the national title. Remind me what that was
and how much money you could have gotten, maybe Peyton
(06:11):
Nil to do an autograph signing on somebody's face forty
years ago.
Speaker 6 (06:16):
Man, the things you all remember.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Hey, you told the story, Pal, It wasn't me.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
But you remember that that one thing stood out, I guess.
But it was after the uh it was after the
championship game against Georgetown, and we all decided to come
back home and back to the hotel rather than change
change up. And I guess we were walking that way
and I wasn't. I wasn't the first one. I wasn't
(06:44):
the last one. But this couple wanted to be tattooed,
so as when she lifted up her skirt, the butt
cheeks was already full, you know, with market So.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Oh my god.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, I can't believe I'm talking about this. But I
found the spot and just put my issues because my
name was too long, so I just I didn't want
to be. Yeah, they overly enthused. But it's just one
of those things where as a young, young Southmore I
just couldn't believe when I was signing some of the
things we go through.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Listen, listen, man, I'm fifty two years old, and if
some random gal asked me to sign her, but I'd
be pretty fired up myself even at this age.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
For God's sakes.
Speaker 6 (07:26):
But wow, well he man, let her, let her do it.
I mean let I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Well, how about how about what's going on now with
college basketball?
Speaker 7 (07:35):
Man?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
We got we got guys that are making millions of
dollars a year and not performing.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
We're seeing a lot of them in Seattle on that
Husky basketball team that you saw over the weekend. Got
guys getting up and just deciding they don't want to
play halfway through the year. Like the kid from USC
who were supposed to see tomorrow but he's no longer
on the team.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
What's your take on the state of college basketball today?
Speaker 6 (07:57):
Sam?
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Well, The basketball is fun, it's just the nil that
was implemented, the gratitude that they're getting now they're taking
more advantage of it because they pulling themselves out for
some reason unknown, But I think the NIL has has
to tamper down a little bit or put a cap
(08:19):
or something to the point where these players are not
getting out of hand because you know, there was a
guy or for football, if I can change the subject
a little bit, he's in his eighth year or ninth year,
going into another year of eligibility. So the courts are
going in, the courts are getting involved, and now it's
(08:41):
it's kind of you know, flooded the and messing up
the arrangement of the NIL.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Posture.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
And I think that when you do something like that,
it gets more political. And then you have guys like
you said, sitting out transferring seeing where they can get
them most money, and that kind of hurts. That hurts
the game integrity because college was at once amateur status.
But now that you're getting paid a little bit, it
(09:11):
seems kind of flooded and kind of like messed up
the uh, I guess the scheduling of what they were
really supposed to be doing. And the NILS had made
a dent into everything's thinking about getting paid and how
they get paid and who gets paid more and all
that all that involves kind of some misdisruption and the integrity.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Of the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, Sam, one more from me.
Speaker 7 (09:38):
We've got the high school state basketball Tournament this week
at the tedme Your guy Bruce Lloyd will be covering
it for the Final Score dot TV. I'll be doing
games for kJ R. Take us back to the to
the late seventies. What do you remember about being the
on the All Tournament team in the New York State
high school basketball tournament back when you were a McDonald's
All American at Shaker High.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Well, it was it was crazy because because the way
it is now, it's more of a popularity thing and
you want to make it. But when you go out
there and just do what you gotta do and not
think about awards or accolades and things of that nature,
it'll come more naturally and you surprise yourself. And that's
(10:18):
what That's what happened when when I was part of
part of the game in high school. High school was
probably more of a place where it was was just
solely just playing basketball, and that's all I did because
of the fact that I enjoyed playing in high school
competitive competition. And at the same time, when you have
(10:40):
you know, if you get awarded and be.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
Presented by by being.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
On the on the All American teams and the playoff
teams and things that nature, be named as a player,
you know, standing out, outstanding player. It's it's good and
but I think they live for it.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
Now.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
People get disappointed, you know, because of the fact they
don't make it. But it's so much, so much talent
out there in high school now. Anyone can make it.
All you got to do is relax and just play
the game. If you make it, congrads. If you don't, congrats,
you know, if you still play to the best of
your ability. But I was just solely playing and then
found rewarded being rewarded afterwards that I made the All
(11:20):
Tournament team and things of that nature.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I love it. Hey, Man, great to hear your voice.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
You sound exactly the same as you did thirty five
forty years ago.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Man, keep it going.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Good to see you this weekend over at heck ed
and we'll talk down the road.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
Man, appreciate you having me, you bet.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Sam Perkins with us. Great to hear his voice, Man,
big smooth with us here on the radio show. Was
in town with Gary and Sean supporting Detleaf on Saturday
over at you dub.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
All right, here's what we got texts
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Coming up next, do a little fun with audio at
five thirty tonight as well as we continue on a
busy Tuesday right here on ninety three three KJRFM
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to SOFTI and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R FM.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I remember like it was yesterday, Dick Vane, thirty three
years ago, nineteen ninety three Western Conference Finals. I believe
it was in the right corner, free ball corner pocket
Sam Perkins with a big three to give the Sonics
the lead in Game two of the ninety three Conference
(00:36):
Finals against the Phoenix Suns. And then we all thought
we're coming home with a one to one split.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
We're gonna do this.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, We're gonna play in the NBA Finals, and then
the refs fed us in Game seven. Well, a guy
that knows a thing or two about all that, he
was in the house on Saturday for detl Off Shremp
along with Sean Kempengary Payton, our old friend, big smooth
Sam Perkins with us right now on the radio show, Sam,
how are you pal?
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Good? Everything pointant to, everything's pointing to signs of yes,
I'm good.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, and let's talk about what we had over the weekend. First,
because we had a little bit of a reunion, right,
Gary was there, Sean was there. You were there to
support Detlift on Saturday. The Husky basketball team didn't do
their part on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I'm not sure they were there.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
They were there, though, Man tell me about that about
being there for debt and why that was important for
you to show up and Seattle this weekend.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
Man, Yeah, I was there, and again I was appreciative
to even be there because Detlift, I mean a friend
of mine, best friend of mine reminded.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Me and then Detlift called me and told me that
what was going on, So I said, well, I'll be there.
So yes, we saw Gary and Sean and it was
a moment that you know, not not all players go
through that, you know, retirement jersey thing, but it was
good to see that look get us due at the
(02:00):
University of Washington, and some of the alumni players were there.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
It's a witness.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
But I had a good time and stayed with him
for the before and after and it was a good time.
I took my daughter and everything was peachy.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
King.
Speaker 7 (02:14):
Did you get a chance, Smooth to you know, go
out with them. Did you have any kind of reunion
dinner or anything like that? Or is it pretty much
just an arena where you were talking to Debt and
Sean and Gary.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Well, the reception afterward, that's the only thing, because I
got there, you know, I couldn't get there to the brunch,
you know. But at the same time, I did talk
to some of the people afterwards, and people that were
involved with his foundation and people that worked for him.
We got a chance to sit down and talk at
the reception afterwards. And Medina is it ladinah Madinada Medina.
(02:51):
And so with that said, I was out there with
some friends and we all had a good time.
Speaker 6 (02:56):
And like I.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Said, getting to talk to Debt for a minute was
we haven't talked in a while, but we always keep
in contact.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
No, I love that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Well, give me a take on what you just said
there at the start when you said kind of feels
like the soups or maybe getting close to being back.
Some people are getting fired up, others are a little
skeptical still about the entire process. Are you living in
a world, Sam where you feel pretty comfortable that we're
getting closer to this thing happening than not.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, tell you the truth, the talk has kind of
died down a little bit I don't understand why, but
with all the things going on in the NBA, with
the expansion of maybe possibly going overseas, and being that
Vegas is one of the prime premier places to start
(03:48):
having one, it seems like they concentrate on other things.
Now they just got a relationship back with China. It
all the talk has kind of died down, But I
think Seattle is still on the on the map, but
it's it's kind of like, we'll see what happens with
all the other things that I just mentioned. So with
all that said, I believe it's going to come back,
(04:10):
but not in the time that we kind of we
thought it would be.
Speaker 7 (04:15):
Sam, Where are you on the on the state of
the league right now? I mean, financially, it looks like
it's going gangbusters. I mean the teams are making money
handover fist. The attendance numbers are there, the viewing numbers
are there, but a lot of people are critical of
how the game is played. How would you you know,
how would you assess NBA basketball in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Well, I mean, it's making money, Like you said, hands
over fist. I mean, it's just it's just one of
those things. Where you can't be so critical because they are,
you know, at the at the end of the day,
making money, and teams are playing to the best their ability,
and they're building new arenas for teams, so it seems
like it's going in the right direction. I can't can't
(04:57):
be so negative because you know, I was part of
the part of the employment of the NBA, so I
really believe that they are on the right track. I mean,
it's different. Every year is going to be different. Every
every decade, every five years is always going to be
a change. So the change is for the best, I
guess in some ways because they got younger players. Some
(05:20):
of the new something you know, Lebron is leaving, and
somebody on that side of that, of that of the
echelon is going to be you know, coming kind of
like retiring in the next four or five years. So
I think that the young young, it's going to get
younger every time you come in every year because of
the fact that you have players leaving school after one year,
(05:44):
like this class coming in is going to be young,
so you'll see a bit.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well, Sam Perkins again is with us on the radio show,
and Dick asked about the current state of the NBA,
how about your thoughts on the current state of college basketball?
And I still remember that story you told a couple of
years ago. Was was it a chicks butt or chest
that you signed on the Bourbon Street right after you
guys won the national title. Remind me what that was
and how much money you could have gotten, maybe Peyton
(06:11):
Nil to do an autograph signing on somebody's face forty
years ago.
Speaker 6 (06:16):
Man, the things you all remember.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Hey, you told the story, Pal, It wasn't me.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
But you remember that that one thing stood out, I guess.
But it was after the uh it was after the
championship game against Georgetown, and we all decided to come
back home and back to the hotel rather than change
change up. And I guess we were walking that way
and I wasn't. I wasn't the first one. I wasn't
(06:44):
the last one. But this couple wanted to be tattooed,
so as when she lifted up her skirt, the butt
cheeks was already full, you know, with market So.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Oh my god.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, I can't believe I'm talking about this. But I
found the spot and just put my issues because my
name was too long, so I just I didn't want
to be. Yeah, they overly enthused. But it's just one
of those things where as a young, young Southmore I
just couldn't believe when I was signing some of the
things we go through.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Listen, listen, man, I'm fifty two years old, and if
some random gal asked me to sign her, but I'd
be pretty fired up myself even at this age.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
For God's sakes.
Speaker 6 (07:26):
But wow, well he man, let her, let her do it.
I mean let I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Well, how about how about what's going on now with
college basketball?
Speaker 7 (07:35):
Man?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
We got we got guys that are making millions of
dollars a year and not performing.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
We're seeing a lot of them in Seattle on that
Husky basketball team that you saw over the weekend. Got
guys getting up and just deciding they don't want to
play halfway through the year. Like the kid from USC
who were supposed to see tomorrow but he's no longer
on the team.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
What's your take on the state of college basketball today?
Speaker 6 (07:57):
Sam?
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Well, The basketball is fun, it's just the nil that
was implemented, the gratitude that they're getting now they're taking
more advantage of it because they pulling themselves out for
some reason unknown, But I think the NIL has has
to tamper down a little bit or put a cap
(08:19):
or something to the point where these players are not
getting out of hand because you know, there was a
guy or for football, if I can change the subject
a little bit, he's in his eighth year or ninth year,
going into another year of eligibility. So the courts are
going in, the courts are getting involved, and now it's
(08:41):
it's kind of you know, flooded the and messing up
the arrangement of the NIL.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Posture.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
And I think that when you do something like that,
it gets more political. And then you have guys like
you said, sitting out transferring seeing where they can get
them most money, and that kind of hurts. That hurts
the game integrity because college was at once amateur status.
But now that you're getting paid a little bit, it
(09:11):
seems kind of flooded and kind of like messed up
the uh, I guess the scheduling of what they were
really supposed to be doing. And the NILS had made
a dent into everything's thinking about getting paid and how
they get paid and who gets paid more and all
that all that involves kind of some misdisruption and the integrity.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Of the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, Sam, one more from me.
Speaker 7 (09:38):
We've got the high school state basketball Tournament this week
at the tedme Your guy Bruce Lloyd will be covering
it for the Final Score dot TV. I'll be doing
games for kJ R. Take us back to the to
the late seventies. What do you remember about being the
on the All Tournament team in the New York State
high school basketball tournament back when you were a McDonald's
All American at Shaker High.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Well, it was it was crazy because because the way
it is now, it's more of a popularity thing and
you want to make it. But when you go out
there and just do what you gotta do and not
think about awards or accolades and things of that nature,
it'll come more naturally and you surprise yourself. And that's
(10:18):
what That's what happened when when I was part of
part of the game in high school. High school was
probably more of a place where it was was just
solely just playing basketball, and that's all I did because
of the fact that I enjoyed playing in high school
competitive competition. And at the same time, when you have
(10:40):
you know, if you get awarded and be.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
Presented by by being.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
On the on the All American teams and the playoff
teams and things that nature, be named as a player,
you know, standing out, outstanding player. It's it's good and
but I think they live for it.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
Now.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
People get disappointed, you know, because of the fact they
don't make it. But it's so much, so much talent
out there in high school now. Anyone can make it.
All you got to do is relax and just play
the game. If you make it, congrads. If you don't, congrats,
you know, if you still play to the best of
your ability. But I was just solely playing and then
found rewarded being rewarded afterwards that I made the All
(11:20):
Tournament team and things of that nature.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I love it. Hey, Man, great to hear your voice.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
You sound exactly the same as you did thirty five
forty years ago.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Man, keep it going.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Good to see you this weekend over at heck ed
and we'll talk down the road.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
Man, appreciate you having me, you bet.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Sam Perkins with us. Great to hear his voice, Man,
big smooth with us here on the radio show. Was
in town with Gary and Sean supporting Detleaf on Saturday
over at you dub.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
All right, here's what we got texts
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Coming up next, do a little fun with audio at
five thirty tonight as well as we continue on a
busy Tuesday right here on ninety three three KJRFM
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