John Wall | Ep 32 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | #StayHome with SHOWTIME Basketball

On the newest episode of All The Smoke, Wizards point guard John Wall joins Matt and Stephen to talk about his rehab, his relationship with teammate Bradley Beal, and idolizing Allen Iverson. Wall also recalls his college career at Kentucky with Coach Cal and tells some Kobe stories.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
From my high school team. We have five guys make
the NBA. We head the county Rocket gets some mecca
of basketball. Here are those who come before us, upon
whose shoulders we stand. It's nothing that you can do
to stop the competitive and that's just in the water.

(00:30):
Welcome back to a special quarantine edition. We got a
real special guys. What's up with your Brodie with the
virtual handshake? I'm gonna tell yall something that I never
told no about it. I want to all the smoke.
Welcome back to a special quarantine edition of All the Smoke.
Jack's good, bro my brother? How you doing our the main? Man,
I can't call it. It's ugly out here, raining, nasty,

(00:52):
stuck in the house. What y'all gotta going to well mover?
It's sunny out here. We just can't go in the
where when yesterday fed the ducks and walked, took a
little walk. I go get some bikes and something, take
a ride around the neighborhood. But yeah, man, you best
you can get. That's still. I just need a little
bit of fresh air. What's up? What's your quarantine hair? Gray?
Looking like you're looking like a slave. Nice like this?

(01:15):
I was Eddie, Kay, let me see take take your
hat off real quick. Oh oh yeah, you look like
Dave Chappelle when he played the comedian and nutty professor. Yeah, yeah,

(01:38):
it's time to ask I should struggle it too, if
I should look like I should just be lame there.
Oh my god, I thought you was on happy days
when you took that thing first off. Man, You see
when it's just slip, but that that was kind of clean. Man.
You gotta do the bones look sometimes and you see

(01:59):
how click that should be bouncing back to life though.
Yeah you got that. Yeah you got that ship down
that you you anyway? Man, we got a special guest.
So when I I've really enjoyed watching play playing against
uh to me one of the best point guards in

(02:19):
the game. Welcome John Wall. Go what's good? What's wrong
with you? Man? Chilling man board watching all these NBA games, classics,
watching movies, TV shows, ship like that. How's the family?
How's the family holding up? They're good? You know what
I mean. You got a little one in the house,
so he like want to get outside every day right

(02:39):
around his little bike and run around. But other day
he's just straight chilling. Talk to me about that because
we got something of the same age. I got three
of them. You got your first talk to me about
having a son and how that just changed your life,
man um dis perspective, and everything I do now that's
for him, you know what I mean. Everything I see
before is for myself and my my mom and them,
But now everything I do it for him. Like I
don't even hang out no more like that, Mike, pick

(03:01):
one or two days out of every two weeks to
hang with the guys. But I'm just I just had
the opportunity to be injuried, so I got to watch
him grow every day, you know what I mean, instead
of being on the road and traveling. I wish I
was playing, but just to watch him girl every day.
And now he's fifteen months so he's telling me no,
he telling me yes, he telling me thank you, He
going downstairs to pick up the basketball. So that's all
been a great blessing discouse with me. No, I know,

(03:23):
that's amazing. Man. Like I said, I got the same
I got a fifteen month old two he running running
the house. I know you're loving that. You also told
us before that you got another one on the way. Man. Congratulations. Yeah, yeah,
thank you, thank you, another little another little boy. Yes,
he there you go. You're done. You're gonna, you're gonna
try to get that girl. You're done straight. I ain't dripping,

(03:46):
and I ain't trying. I keep trying to. I keep trying,
smart man, smart man. If I keep trying shoot for
that and I might be six seven in, I ain't
trying to. You don't want to do this? How much
you don't want to do that? Yeah, Jess with Jackson
when you are jack I got seven five five girls,

(04:09):
two boys, okay, three more? You got ahold two teams
you play. I ain't gonna. I've been operations shut down.
I've been operation that's been done. So with us men,
Matt Win this media space now. And you know, when
we were playing, the media used to twist our wards allow,
used to make us seem like, you know, we were

(04:30):
bad people and never really understood our passion for the
game and just never really understood us. And I know
you're dealing with your own side of that, with the
media trying to twist it, make it seem like you
and build don't get together, don't get along. I've been there.
I've got love from both of y'a. At the same time,
I've seen the brotherhood when I can, when you brought
me out there for the games. I appreciate that again.
But but talk about talk about that and how the
media can try to twist your words or try to

(04:51):
make you out to be something you not. Oh, I
think you got too talented young guys man like one
guy that's been there before, the other one that's like
the franchise guy, another guy that come into just his talent,
which its younger. We kind of already mentioned like we wanted.
We both want to be started. People want to take
the game when the shots. We both want to be
talked about in the meet. We both want to be
all this and all that. But at the end of

(05:11):
the day, they always say, well they don't like each other.
They did they downgrading each other, Like I ain't know
John wall without Bradley Bill. Ain't no Bradley Bill without
John Waller. We make each other better, like we accompandiate
yours so well on the court that it works easy
for us. So like when I see the media try
to say or they don't like each other, where he
playing better without him? The ball the team's eating everybody
moving the balls moving all this well in the day. Yeah,

(05:32):
you're gonna play better when another star players not out
there because you get more shots. Everybody's gonna give you
the ball more like everything is predicated around you, and
we don't. We wasn't winning games, so it wasn't good
for us. Like Brad was like, yeah, I'm getting my numbers,
I'm doing this, I'm doing that, but we're not winning games.
Or when Brad is out for four or five games, Yeah,
John Walt might take ten more shots and two or
more shots and his numbers might go from twenty two

(05:54):
a game and thirty two or thirty fourth to that stretch.
But then my winning games or am I getting to
the next level opportunity to get a chance win the
championship one day? No, I can never succeed that unless
I'm playing with my brother made Bradley Bill. So that
didn't really bother me when people are saying that, I said,
that's good because you know, because as players, we know
the relationships we have with our brothers. And then sometimes
that's one reason why we're glad we got this show

(06:16):
because we we didn't have that platform we were playing.
You know what I'm saying when when When I when
I got to that brawl, everybody talked about me going
in the stands and punching their fan, but nobody never
rewinded to tape and see me first getting the stands.
I grabbed her on our test and another beer was
thrown in his face, So it was only right I
would act that way. But now we have the platform
to highlight these things, and I'm glad you spoke on

(06:36):
that because we have us as players. We know y'all
relationship type, we know y'all brothers, and we know y'all
want to rock with each other. Yeah, and that's what
I try to tap anywhere, just to look back at,
like y'all are I love that area? You know what
I mean? Because I feel like that's what the league
was really about. Like it weren't all about getting in
the standard fight, but you were taking your brother. Somebody
knowing something, your brother not gonna stand there and not
help him out. And now days in this new league,
you've got so many guys that the way they called things,

(06:59):
you can't be fel cool, you can't touch everything. The
flagging foul. Now if somebody say something to your brother,
bump your brother. You try to stand up for him,
you might be suspending three or four games, like and
you're like, you're like, you're like, man day, but I
was gonna get spent through four games. I'm outa threw
a punch or something like. You tell so like when
I so when I tell people all the time, I said,
don't get me wrong, these young guys and all these

(07:20):
people in his leading now is talent, don't get wrong.
But I came in into the until you can still
get clothes line, get bumped coming across that lane. If
you breathe on somebody the wrong way, now you might
be suspending on game. Like you take away from the
physicality of the game, and it makes it so it's
so hard for y'all guys that want to be physical
definnis to be able to guard these guys. Yeah that
you can't do it no more, you can't do it.
I mean, it's funny that you kind of caught the end,

(07:43):
but we can't. Even when we came in and the
jack jack you came in late nineties, I came in
early two thousand's. It was more physical than that, you
know what I mean. If they've steadily decreased the physicality
of the game, and to me, almost the competitiveness of
the game because you have to walk the egg shows
you have to worry about Damn if I put just
push someone, am I gonna get kicked out the game

(08:05):
and jeopardize my team? You know? So it's it's it's
a different it's just a different time now, and I
think we kind of have to to understand the direction
they're going. We talked about this with someone else as
another guest, but you know, now it's all about scoring
and all about offensive. It really favors the offensive players.
They want to see three pointers, they want to see dunks,
they don't want to see no good defense, they don't

(08:26):
want to see those close ball games. They want to
see highlights. And I think it's really taken away from
the essence of the game. Yeah, for sure. Like my
even when I first got into playoffs, so I think
like four team fitting in my first year and we're
playing the Bulls first round and play Indiana like it
was the first team at eight points won the game.
Right now, it's like teams got eighty a half, like

(08:47):
I was in one game we played Scramento this year,
they had eighty seven and a half. I'm like, yo,
this is this is if you got eighty seven, you're
about to win the games. You have to make a
couple of free throws at the end, right. So, like
you said, you just got to adapt to what the
new NBA wanted, what the world wants. We want to
back up a little bit. Um, you guys played Utah
uh February and uh probably a week after that, almost

(09:11):
ten days after that, the league was shut down because
of uh, you know, Rudy Gobert contracting the virus. Do
what was the energy and the vibe? Like once you
guys kind of heard that and realized you guys you're
as a team hadn't played him that long ago. Well,
when you get that and you start realizing how serious
the virus was, you kind of thought like, oh man,
everybody has to get tested, Like even me. I wasn't playing.
I was on a beach. But like you know, when

(09:32):
you interact with players dapping the month throughout the game
or sad it up after the game. So you're all like, okay,
take that focus of where have you been recently? Who
have you been around? And me not having a young son,
I'm like, well you definitely have to get tested and
make sure you don't have it, and make sure you're
not passing long because at the time they were saying
if you were elderly, older, or your immune system was
up to bar strong enough, or you got a little baby,

(09:53):
they got it. It's very ready and can fight it.
So that's all I'm thinking about now in that aspect
of making sure my family was straight, and then where
about myself after words? Because I feel like me is
a healthy athlete and young I can fight it more
than what a baby could. Talk to me a little
bit about your work in DC in the community. I
think it's something that goes unsung, but you really do
a lot for that community. You're an advocate for the

(10:15):
other teams, the baseball team, you you cheer on the
w NBA team, you're at the games, but you really
give back a lot. And I don't think we hear
enough about that. Could talk to us a little bit
about what you're doing in the community. UM, I just
have a have a place that I adopted called Bright Beginning.
It's just like a place for like single moms that
like don't have jobs and their kids and have opportunity
to go to school, so we get them somewhere where

(10:36):
they can live or they can they parts near the
opportunity to go get a job, get some money putting
their pocket and their kids and go get a degree.
I work towards the education. So that's big something I
looked at because I like, I never had that as
a platform going up. And I see so many homeless
people out here, and sometimes these kids never actually be
in a situation, but that's just what they're born and
they can't control, so why not try to help them?

(10:56):
But one thing I always instill to myself and my
mom help as a young kid, like if you ever
want to be something like that, like let people remember
you of what kind of person you are, just not
as a basketball player. So like a lot of people
like have these camps and do these charity events and
get back, but they never present and I'm like, what's
the point, Like let these people feel like the you're
normal just like them. So I like to be there

(11:18):
through if I got event from seven hours, I'm different
seven hours and interact and showing I'm normal like you.
Anybody can throw any money or put their name on
any little event or charity being like well, y'all did donate, well, okay,
you donated, but sometimes these kids and these parents might
not never get to see NBA player or a superstar
in a city. And that's what I probably myself off of, Like, yeah,
the money is cool to get in there, but that's

(11:39):
not what I'm doing it for. I'm doing it for
to show these people that I'm normal just like them.
And if you come from a Section eight or in
a struggle situation, you can make it. You just gotta
believe in yourself. I love that. Man, that's beautiful. We
appreciate that. And like I said, it's it's always you
know what the bada rather tell that story? Would they
rather tell the story that you're beef or they're they're
making fake beef up about you and your team? Make

(12:00):
So that's why I like Jack touched on it earlier. Man,
we need platforms like this, having social media on our
own to not so much because you don't do it
for the recognition, but just to know that there we
are doing good things out there. And when you know,
the majority of time the media just wants to point
the bad ship out. Oh yeah, in fact, they're definitely
gonna pick the bad stuff out of everything. So like
I always tep home where they're like, well, you don't

(12:20):
be doing this. You know that I said, I don't
do stuff for the I don't need it for the cameras.
Like a lot of stuff I did in the community,
I never did it for the camera. Like good thing
is like my team and my team have around me
and my Wizards organization. They wanted to put me out
there on that platform and let people see what I'm doing.
But for me, I was doing it for years, backpack
giveaway for years and never was really talked about. But

(12:40):
it doesn't matter if the camera show but not because
these kids getting supplied, they getting booked bads to go
to school and they get to hang out with John
wal for a couple hours. So that was straight for
me and to touch on what we're going next. You
remind me kind of that guy that I'm about to
ask you about. You know what I'm saying you, They
twitsched you. They don't know all the all the love
you get in the neighborhoods and and the love you
give back to the community. But Ai, you know you

(13:03):
you talked about how you looked up to him. You
got in the a our stories that you can give us.
Man him, Yeah, man, my favorite story of all time,
like is when I was coming out, you feel me
like everybody loved George. Everybody love all this when you
come out of getting shoe deals and then want pick
So I'm like, all right, Reebok off of your deal.
I'm like, all right, cool wearing reboxes. I but you
know me at this time and I air with social
media it is I want to be in George and Nikes.

(13:25):
And then I remember I was in Reebok. I went
to take my visit there like to talk to him,
and he y'all showed up, came out of nowhere talking
to me for like talking to me for like two hours.
He was like, let's here, man, I know what you're
going through. I know what you decide. And because I
was the same person in them shoes coming out of
Georgetown where my George doing all this. But he was like,
why do I change the coachure? Like why not be
yourself and start something in your own way? So once

(13:47):
he said that, like I didn't even have he didn't
even have to walk me upstair. You can bring the
paper down here, I'm signing like my like like my
my Ida just came and talk to me and told
me a reason why I can go this way and
start them on rever Do, and they wanted me to, like,
you know, rebot wasn't the same, and they just wanted
to start open and see if they can build it
back up, which is tough the way they business. But
outside that, I was the reason why I was like, man,

(14:09):
I'm gonna sign these papers forget what anybody else talking about.
So that was so that was like my dopest story
for me, you know what I mean, Like, you know,
every time you see ay now he grabbed your back
in head and love you, You're like, nobody want to say,
come on, you're doing too but like I'm grown man,
like you gotta keep grabbing. He still do that to me.
He still doing but he like still yeah so and

(14:32):
and I seem to do to everybody. So I'm like,
you know, you can't. Who can you say? Like you
know you got older vests and you he doing this too.
But that was just a dupe story for me. That
made me be like, you know what I got respected
from from my item, you know what I mean? That
that's all I really cared about the time being. That's
what's something. Man. So you came up in a in
a single parent household, your mom worked multiple jobs to

(14:52):
to support you and your siblings. Uh, and you went
through something that I went through, man, which was the
toughest thing I personally ever had to go through. I
lost my mom to cancer in in in two thousand
and seven. And really that was that was when you know,
I would say, that's when Jack and I really we're
already teammates. We fund with each other off the rip.
But this dude was here from me every single day. Man,

(15:14):
come to my house, check on me, called me, come
smoke with me, bring me weed, bring me food. He
was just there for me, man, you know what I mean.
So obviously condolences and rest in peace to your mom.
Talked to us a little bit about that and and
and how that affected you. It affected life as a whole,
because to me, the pain never goes away. You just
learned how to deal with it a little better each day. Yeah,

(15:37):
talk to us about that. Well, that was like the
toughest for me anyway, you know what I mean. That's
my best friend, Like I always talked to three four
seven times a day, and all that so like when
she was going through the whole process, it was just
like damn, man, like you know what I mean, like
hoping she can beat this because I lost my dad
from cancer when I was nine, so I kind of
already knew how that route goes. And then it's like

(15:57):
after my twenty twenty nine birthday, man, and she just
started to get real more and more sick, like couldn't
move and I had to stand there. My mom is
one of those moms that, like, you know, get up
five am, six am doing everything, everything is already done
for you, go to school, what she go to work.
So when I started sitting again week and week, I
try to spend as much time as I could with
it every day or every time she came in town
for a keymo or anything like that, just understanding that

(16:19):
there's getting more serious now that she might not make it.
And I remember she came to my birthday party and
we had a blast and all that, and it was
like the last time you see my mom smiling, and
I posted my pictures, So I did that. I started
to get tougher and tough and I'm like still trying
to go through my rehalf, but also make sure I
spend much time with my mom because I don't know
if this is it or not. And I remember I

(16:39):
was like, I'm gonna come down there right after this
and we play. We're about to play Charlotte, and it
was like I think a Monday, we're gonna play Charlotte.
And I was like, yo, you know what, I'm gonna
come down and play Charlotte. After the game, I'm gonna
stay to night drive the I'm gonna see my mom
for like seven eight days. We get out the plane,
I land, I get back to I get to my
hotel and I get a call like she had um.
She had passed earlier that day but came back to

(17:00):
life like they they pumped her back to life. And
then she's on like a bent leke machine and I'm like,
oh no, this crazy is over. Like I asked one
of my homeboy they lived in Charlotte, and he drove
me straight like straight. Riley's like a three hour drive.
I strove straight down and like just to see my
mom on the on the bed. It's just it was
definite thing. So like I passed out of fainting and
then I'm like, yo, this really might be the last

(17:21):
the last couple of days, I get to pee my mom.
So literally every day from that day before, I never
left the hospital, took showers in there, and spent the
night in there, and it was just tough to see her.
But she kept fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting.
Like and this is why I tell you what, Like
people say they don't know our relationship between me and
Brad because everybody was like, well, y'all don't get along,
y'all don't like bro. When I got the phone called,

(17:41):
the first person that came out of my hotel room
the hang out with me was Brad like, come to
hold me, like like, yo, you're my brother, Like what
you're going through, I'm going through. And after they played
that game again, and after they played the game against
Charlotte they lost, Brad didn't even get on the team playing.
He drove down to be with me in North Carolina
for the next two or through. You know what I'm saying.
So like I told to me that, like y'all think

(18:03):
y'all know our situation, But he ain't had to do
none of this had just been a teammate, it's bigger
than who it could have been a teammate, and brother
and be like you know what, man, he are, I'm
gonna call on them leading now. He came to check
on me, see my mom and like that this basketball
stuff in tomorrow. We never fled again. Like that's gonna
be somebody I called my brother because he was there
in the time when I was there. So yeah, like

(18:24):
that was that was like the most difficult and still is.
And like one thing that helped me is we got
a guy to do chapel for his name passed the
battle and I want to talk to him. My mom
was real sick before she passed, and I was like, um,
how do you get through it? Like how do you
get any comfort? Like you know, you don't really feel comfort,
You're always gonna feel that pain, but like you at
peace with her leaving. And when he talked to me

(18:47):
like that and I want to talk to my mom
one on one before she passing, did all that I
knew she fought as much she becauld she was happy
and she was like I'm at peace, I'm ready to go.
That made it more easy for me to set my
mom going even though you still had those pains and
every day about it. Man, that's the that's the exact
same situation because my mom was diagnosed November one and
died November twenty seven, so within twenty six days. So

(19:09):
I was in Golden State with Jack and the rest
of the squad, and I was back and forth constantly
sacramented to the bay. And I remember the last day, Um,
we were playing the Phoenix Suns and I I had
been I had missed practice, and you know, she kind
of saw I was aunty, but I was still spending
time with her, talking to her and everything. She's like,
you know, baby, go play your game. Your team need you, um,

(19:29):
and then just come back after. So I was like,
all right, So man, I drove straight to the game, like,
didn't have shoot around, didn't do whatever. Everyone already knew
the deal. Played played well. I think we beat Phoenix
in either a single overtime or double overtime. Had a
really good game. I hit it when I got done,
like a mouth that you know, you did a good job. Um,
you know, get some rest, come see me in the morning.
And she died like four am that morning before I

(19:53):
got a chance to get back over there and see her.
But you know, to know that, you know, I mean,
I got to have my nights with her and talk
to her, and she was at peace. You know, she said, baby,
I'm tired, you know what I mean, she had been fighting.
She gave me the advice to you know, look over
my brother and my sister, my dad. She she gave
me all the game and then she know, I just
knew she was once she you know, she can kind

(20:14):
of let go. She was going to be in a
better place because she was so tired. She was in
so much pain and she just been handled it no more.
So it's funny that you said that because I had
to come with to come to peace with her being
at peace about it, which is like damn, Like she's
at peace with letting go. So I had I had
to be strong and do that. So it's a tough
thing to go through. Man. Yeah, that and that's the crazy,

(20:34):
like you don't think like those little talks to that
one on one and I mean so much, but for
there to be like you, I'm tired, I'm at peace,
It's like why why would I want her to suffer
and keep fighting? I mean, I'm not the one that
got to be in that body. So you kind of
accept it, but you're still like godly like my best
friend my mom gone. So for me, like I had
my dad for nine years in my life and most

(20:55):
of the time he was in jail most of my
life and my mom for twenty nine so it's like
I know what it like not to be on both
ends and I have either one. So like, that's my
main goal is seeting that aspect. I think quick things
to be taking away. So that's why I tried to
change as much moment as I can with my son. Right,
So absolutely it changed your focus. Then you got a
dear Mama tattoo on your back foot to honor her, right, Yeah, yeah,

(21:17):
I got dear Mama tat my back. And then it's crazy,
I got like your Mama's boy on my chest, like
one of my first tattoos I got because I'm always
everybody always calling me a mom's boy. So then when
she was going through the cancer and I'm just seeing
her fighting and I'm like, yo, like I just like,
dear Mama was just so dope to me, and I'm like,
my mom would always had my back and always be
watching over me. So that's why I put on the
back of my neck. That's what it's dope. That's dope.

(21:40):
In eighteen, you started pursuing your bachelor's degree. Uh, talk
about that. You're still doing it. You still taking classes
while you quarantine, you know why you're rehabbing. Yeah, that
was a promise you made your mom right there. She
was gonna go back and get get your degree. Yeah,
And that's crazy because, like before I got on a
call with you all to day, I was just talking
to my administrator from my school, like picking my my
classes and my fall classes. So that's just crazy that

(22:02):
y'all even bring it up. But like I was supposed
to do exam when my mom was going through, she
went through it was about to pass. I was like, yea,
take it like a like a month off and didn't
find my ZAM. So I finally got through that is
ZAM for my last semester and passed that. So now
I'm going to get my classes for summer school. So yeah,
I'm definitely gonna do that. And like my my ultimate
goals even pushed even further to try to take as
many classes more than I came to get it quicker,

(22:25):
you know what I mean. Like when I got my
when I went into the Hall of Fame, it was dope.
Because my mom was there and like when of the
last time, she was very like I got to go
back to Kentucky and see me, so like, do you
know I got put into all the family. You'll probably
see my speech where I broke down and talked about it,
like all that all that was dope to me because
she got to witness that. So like to see my
first son born, to see me going to Hall of Fame,

(22:46):
and see me play eight to nine years in the league.
Like and the only thing that really irks me to
this day is you know you probably pul the same man.
It's like did I do enough? Like did I make
my mom happy? Like that's the only thing that'd be like, Yo,
did I have enough fun with my mom? Did I
do enough? And I have a dope assistance and always
be like, yo, you ever, don't ever question and stuff
and think about that because just go back and watch

(23:07):
the pictures and seeing your mom smile and see that,
Like I got to take my mom so that that
kind of clears my mind a little bit. And then
like I got I put a picture uh me and
my mom at the White House corresponded then like she
got to meet Michelle and Brock, so like to take
my mom and there that lets me know I did
something special. So like, but yeah, I'm definitely going back
to get that degree, though I'm pushing very hard for that.

(23:29):
I love that, I was telling the crew before we
got on the air today. I went back and watched
games six of the We Believe season when we beat
Dallas in the clinching game and this mother fucking Jack
is on fire and I hit him with one of
his I think I hit him with like his assistant.
He hit his six three pointer. Dallas called the time
out and somehow that the camera I had, Like I said,
I had never seen the game. I was watching the
T n T feed that can't pinned right to my

(23:51):
mom and the crowd, and she was up jumping around screaming,
hands above her head, and I'm like that she gave
me instant hills, like just what are the chances at
a twenty thousand people in the arena? Jack was the
motherfucker to hit the shot. I don't even hit the shot.
They just happened to pay on my mom and dad
and go past them. And I'm like, damn, that ship
is crazy. Like I was. I was his Bradley Bill.

(24:12):
I was I was his dog for real. You know,
Jack and I became brothers, man, Like he was there
every single day talking, doing whatever you need and you
need that. That's why you know when it when it happened,
I hit you, I hit you like bro, but you
know whatever you need, you want to talk because I
kind of found that, like you talking about it helped.
At first, I was closed off to the world, you
know what I mean. I tried to play a day

(24:33):
after I was closed off quiet, But then when I
started opening up and talking, I really felt like I
kind of started to heal a little bit and share
the good memories and the fun times. And that's what
Jack was there for. Man. We would just chop it up,
and it really helped me have a different outlook. All
look still hurt. It just gave me a different perspective
on ship. Yeah, definitely gonna be always to be hurt.
But like you said, they're being able to talk about

(24:54):
it has somebody can talk to and you can tell
it like kind of buying y'all have you know what
I mean? Even just by the show, but I'm seeing
y'all before this, how y'all bond like you could tell
that blond ain't fake, you know what I mean. And
that's one thing like we're saying Jack, when when you
was fixing your scream. Man, is like certain things to
be so fake these days, man, Like people want to
be cool with people for a certain reasons. To be
talked about the cloud chasing, like you could tell when

(25:15):
it's genuine loved there and that's when that's when it
all matters to me. It's cool to keep it moving,
But when it's genuine love, you're gonna know. Man, You're
gonna know what something you don't know, you're gonna know. Yeah,
we all everybody in his life, we all normal. We
all gonna go through tough times, you know what I mean.
And tough times don't last last is long. May make
you strong as you're gonna be so, I mean, like
you said, having some people you can talk to, somebody

(25:37):
around and makes it so much better. That's what's up. Yeah,
let's jump back to college, man, because you had the
motherfucking legendary career, legendary teammates, legendary coach. Tell me what
that experience is. Because Jack went straight to the league,
but I went to U C. L A and it
was the best time in my d You want to
dumb as you but you never get really which I

(26:00):
can panther themn tess, Bro, you ain't telling me nothing.
I don't know. I know a lot of people that
go over seas, but that ain't right. But that one
thing I would say, though, Jackie, if you ever had
the opportunity, Bro, that would have been your best time ever.
Man Like for me, I knew I was going for
eight months, you know what I mean. But like I'm like, yeah,
I'm here to win the championship. I don't win it cool,

(26:21):
but I'm gonna have this most fun never and being
able to go to class and get up and grind
every day. Man like we had. Bro. When I tell
you coach college, when the crazy coach act, like two weeks,
I see you. I think I picked the one school
I want to transfer. She was like, she was like, boy,
you stay like this. Every morning we had to be
on the suicide line. We had twenty suicide and twenty
minutes at six am. Every day was summer school. So

(26:45):
like our first ten suicide is like the basic one
free throw line. Then the last ten was baseline baseline
other free throw line like, and I'm like, yo, did
I like this is not basketball? And then want yeah
type thing. So I'll tell you when the funny stories is.
We run the suicide. We got like four left and
like the guards had to finish, like Biggs had to finish,

(27:07):
like thirty the markets feet caught on fire, like he said,
he stopped running like he really he made suicide. He
made suicide. He runs to the sideline to my quick,
man quick, like my feet burn, and I ain't doing
it the more because would be he would want to
be all billy. So he was like, you know what
if he would have finished the suicide, I didn't give
you all the morrow off. No, he wasn't gonna give

(27:27):
us more of just trying to use. So we got
suicide to this morning man the market sitting at a
half court. He ain't got a runk. You know the
reason why we gotta run to there. He's sitting in
at half court, no running. We all look at him like, yo,
we gotta jump him after this because there's no way
we got run suicide and he ain't got a run.
But we don't want to beating the markets up back then.

(27:48):
But yeah, like Jack that that school man, it was
the most fun ever, man, just being able to prepare
every week, having maybe two or three games, and the
most fun with me was going on the road, Like
you don't get you don't get that atmosphere and that
that coach they brought were talking trash and it's just
you and your your fourteen guy and you're going out
there to go to battle and go to war and
it's like, you gotta win a survive out here. Ain't

(28:10):
nobody on your side, and you know, Kentucky fans travel,
but it feels like, yeah, it still didn't feel like
a home game because the way they were treating but
it was dope. Man. You couldn't ask for nothing better.
And like everyone, for me being then one pick, I
wanted to go back to school just to win the
national championship, just to get that atmosphere and that like
fun and high sight and it was tell me about
what that team was like because you played with a

(28:30):
lot of NBA players in college, Like your team was
rock star status, you know. I mean that's when social
media just started hitting, like y'all was the ship you
bled bogie? Like what was that? Like? It was man,
Like we stayed in the Wildcat Lodge, and like we
walked outside our building where we stayed in the practice.
That's why I can't live. It's like where the players stayed,
but we we gotta let like teen regular students stay,

(28:52):
so the like you get extra benefits. It's like where
we stay, like having an apartment, so we had like
a game room and all that in there. But like
from here to like ten steps, it's like what we
practiced that, but it would be like sixty seventy cars
and people wave autographs every day and we couldn't get
away from them. So we're like, yo, we can't even
want the class. But I so like we started like
using the golf car to go to class. Football team

(29:13):
got mad, they told we couldn't use it no more,
so we had to walk. It's like so cold walking
back towards the class. But what was so fun about
that year was, you know, nobody like the returning players
that came, like Patrick Pattison and Ramone Harris and Dere's Miller.
None of these guys never played for Cows. So like
the freshmans in the in the upper classmen, it's all
some new for all of us. So like they didn't

(29:35):
know what coach Kyle was looking for. We didn't know
what coach Kyle was looking for, so we all had
to bond and come together. But we did everything together. Bro,
we weren't bowling together to eat together like we treated
like you do as a league team. That's great commodity
and one of those good teams because they hang out together.
Team just you know, like we had all the other

(29:57):
guys that kind of like, you know, like if you
got like me, Pat the Mark, he bled like, we
know we're about to go, but all the other guys like, man,
they ain't gonna hang with us. They don't really rock
with us. But we're like, no, bro, we're all a brother.
Were all things like we're going to war to fight
every night I get hurt. The fifteen guy gonna hang
with it. So they half like the guys they didn't
think they were the part of our crew all to
get together. That's why our team was so funny, having

(30:17):
so much then. We were just doing whatever, man, we could.
Nothing was wrong for us to do in college at
the time. We walked in the corner stories like oh man,
that go them guys again, we're here. That's us. College.
College was the outside of having children and being blessed
to play in the league like Collins, was the funnest
time of my life. Man, you in l A S

(30:38):
so I know you was having a blast. Yeah, but see,
I think I think different because l A is l
A and it's so big and there's so much other
ship to do, you know what I mean. So it's
not you went to where. Motherfucker, that's religion. I remember
the best part. Obviously going there was dope. But my
freshman year and nine was the NBA lockout, so we

(31:01):
had everybody at our game. So I'm tripping coming from
like Sacramento, Like, motherfucker. We got Shock and Kobe at
our game. We got movie stars like, we got Snoop
coming to our game, and I'm like, damn, this is
what U C. L A Is about. Like the ship
was a trip, but it was because it was the
NBA lockouts. We had Hella NBA players at our game
front and center, and I'm just like, Yeo, this ship
can't be real. Like it was just like that real

(31:22):
La la la in type ship And that's what I
just fell in love with. This ship, bro, ship was
a blast. That was my plan to go to college.
Three months I had. We had the number of recruiting
class that year at Arizona, Me, Mike Bibi, and Eugene Atkinson.
We had a number. Okay, yeah, y'all. I was loaded. Yeah,
I remember that class, and we already had with Michael Dickinson,
Miles Simon. We had all them guys already. So we

(31:45):
was gonna and they end up winning the national championship.
So it worked out how I was supposed to work out.
My start. I couldn't stay at the club. Test was
at eight. I'm leaving the club at five thirty. That
that wasn't gonna work. I ain't gonna lie man. First
time I took that test, man, I fell asleep him.
I don't needed to dance. All right, I'm gonna tell
you one thing. You're gonna be figuring something else outs

(32:06):
that I I got locked it out from me and
snack this second time. First time. I ain't bray, no snack,
no calculu. I got this. You know what I mean,
spelling names, wrong, doing all that. You better get this
right or you're gonna be hurt. Exactly I talk to
us about So you know, Kentucky, Uh, you're project the

(32:26):
number one pick you end up being the number one
pick to the Washington Wizards. UH in two thousand and ten.
Tell me what you remember most about that uh situation,
like going into the draft or like after I declare
just just the whole, just the process of like I
got a chance to be the number one pick in
the NBA Draft. It was crazy because like it's so

(32:47):
crazy because my senior year, there's like, well you're gonna
be in there one people. I'm like, yeah, y'all whatever,
y'all just talking. And then you know, like you got
a lot of guys from back home like, well he's
gonna be in school three four years. He ain't gonna
do what he's supposed to do whatever. So for me
to go there, like first couple of games, like my
first game game winner, I mean at missed two games
game winner. Um. Then we get to play Carolina at Kentucky.

(33:08):
You know, I'm excited for that game because not mean
being from North Carolina, like my dream school, not getting
a scholarship offered because I don't want to commit on
the spot. So like, yea, we get to play Carolina.
Boy Williams, they had Dexion Strickland and l drew the guy.
They're like they had picked over me to go there,
so I felt even a certain way to play. Even
talk to us about that Carolina situation. That's crazy. So

(33:28):
you wanted to go to North Carolina and they wanted
to commit on the spot and you couldn't do it.
So Carolina is my dreams school. Like you know, I
mean either Carolina, Duke NC stay really your main schools.
You've been home, and um, I love, always loved Carolina.
You know, ty Lawson was there the time. I'm like, yo,
ty Lawson killing. I love watching don't play. But then
I also got to see dear Rodes play at Memphis.
I'm like, yo, i gotta play with coach cow But

(33:49):
I'm like, y'all gotta stay home at the time being.
And then I went on to visit. I went on
the visit in Tyler Hansburg that they went to a
football game and they're like, well, we'll give you off
if you commit on the spot. I'm I'm not committing
on the spot. I still want to go watch. I mean,
I'm from where I'm from. I want to see all
these other schools and get to see these other states
take visits. So I'm not committing on the spot. They're like, well,
we're not gonna off you, Like you know what, I'm

(34:09):
never going to Carolina. I'm never going to Carolina. There
then I got to play Larry Drew, not the backtrack.
I gotta play Larry Drew. I think committed to Carolina
at the Blacks of Smith tournament, which is owned by
me now my John Water tournament. So I got to
play him in front of Roy and all them. We
won that game, so we get to play them in college.
I'm like, yo, we gotta kill them. And I'm telling
my team like, we gotta kill him. It's a big
game for me. And we beat Carolina. Did not get

(34:31):
to play ukon with Kimball and Jerome Dison and Stanley
Robinson in the garden, and I think that was my
solidified party of being then one pick because I had
like fifteen of our last seventeen the last five minutes
in the game winner. So now my whole aspect is
like so my whole aspect and there like I'm on
the Great Wall of Sports Illustrated. So I'm like, yeah,
I'm about to go to the league. But like I'm

(34:51):
trying to tell everybody, like just let me focus on
this college moment because I know it's you can go
by like this if you lose early in the n
C Double A tournament. So I told my team, like, uh,
coach Ky always get like his top point guard, top pick.
Did you ever know they gotta Slam cover with all
on them up there like that Coach Kyle and Derek
and Coach Cole and Tarik is supposed to be in
Coach cow And I'm like, yo, na, if you're gonna

(35:13):
put me on the cover again, I'm tired of being
on cover by myself. Put the markets E Blair and
Patrick Pattison on this couple with me. So if you
ever seen the Slam magazine before the tournament, they got
all four of us that they were Coach Kyle and like,
my teammates couldn't believe that I put him on there. Women,
I'm like, that's the type of bond we have, Like
this is a commodity and love my god, y'all is
my brothers. So a lot of people don't even know
that story. So in the article, it's like the cover

(35:35):
of the bowl letters me and yellow. But I said, yeah,
my letters bowl. But you see my other three brothers
up there with me and when I first got in
and not the back trap. When I first got to school, though,
Coach Y like, yeah, I know you're gonna leave. We
all know you're gonna leave, but take four or five
guys with you. And I'm like, Coach, I can't do that, Like,
I can't. I don't know if these guys got that dog,
are gonna want to go to the league at the
one year and we end up having five guys in

(35:56):
the first round. That's never been done before. So talk
to us that you uh injury, the hell injury that
ended uh that you need to have surgery and ended
your season. You're rehabing that. And then at the house
do you slip fall tell your achilles? Yeah, like that's

(36:19):
back to back crazy similar to crazy luck that the
Marcus have talked to us with what your mind state
was like after that? It was so crazy, was because
when I when I can tell you about before that,
I had a boon spare in my knee, Like so
I'm gonna tell the story about all this was like
when all this is over, but I had a boon
spare on my knee like this long like a tooth
like two three inches in my knee, so I couldn't

(36:40):
been my knee. So when I was walking around it
doubt it was like you should have been unbroke your
knee cap, you should never been an All Star. All this,
I'm like, well, I guess I got a high pain tolerance.
So I played through that. I got that fixed. That's
gonna have my best year. Sixteen seventeen, we go to
Game seven against Boston. Then I come back like the
next two years and like certain games my heel would hurt,
Like I'm telling about walking on my tippy toes where

(37:01):
I couldn't even go to the bathroom at night. They're
like somebody would just stab me with a knife in
the back of my head and just keep twisting it,
you know me. Like I feel like I have that mindset.
If it ain't bro you can play well. At the
same time, like I'm I'm really giving my all when
I shouldn't be right now because I'm I can mess
my career up. So going into like eighteen nineteen, yeah,
eighteen nineteen, I'm playing and I was like I having

(37:23):
games where like I'm talking about Jack and Matt, like, well,
I couldn't even like run down the court like anybody
could have got by me and we're playing Cleveland at
the worst game of my life one point and then right,
I should have set myself out at the beginning, but
I'm like, y, I can get through this. I can fight.
It's gonna warm up. It never warmed up, and man,
after that, I was like, ya, I gotta shut it down,
like I gotta, I gotta have surgery to get this
out there. And they're like, well, you might not come

(37:45):
the same, but people don't really know with me slipping
ever really and even the reason why I told my
achilles because I had a bons furt underneath my heel,
so I had to lift my achilles up already to
take the bones for out. So when I did that,
you know what, I made my achilles of a week
and I was in a walking book and stuff. So
it just so it just finally gave. But then when
they put my achilles back down, my bones first out.

(38:08):
But I'm like walking like this, so like they finally
just gave. But the doctors like, it's best you did
it like that because you would have came back and
rehabbing worked out. It would have just talked completely, like
like Caden and so mine fully rushed. You have like
a partial tear in minds, so I was rather bet
off doing that, so you know what I mean. So
let me tell you all the third box and then
I get through that. But I've been through four or

(38:28):
five surgery with that because I kept getting infections m like,
so like now I'm thinking, like, man, y'all might have
to cut my whole leg off. Y'all can't clear the
infection out there because it's deep down in my foot.
So now my mind said this, man, forget the killers
and getting that fixed right now, just please clear this
infection so I can be healthy, like being able to
walk and have my foot still, right. That's all I

(38:50):
was really worried about. So people didn't even know that
side of the stories. I'm like, you, just please get
the infection out. And I kept tired of getting like
open it up, cutting, closing and open and closing, and
so I was like, man, forget even playing basketball. Just
let me have my legs so I can walk and
be normal and play with my kids when there or whatever.
And then I finally got past it, and I finally
got past that stage where now I'm like, I can't

(39:11):
wait to prove everybody and show everybody what I got.
Everybody think I'm done. That's tough. Now, you were on
assignment with the G League and I heard you was
getting back to your ship. How are you? How are you?
How are you feeling and during that? And where do
you feel like you're at right now? And so you
took somebody face off in practice or something. I seen

(39:32):
y'all some private videos. But when I tell you, like
when I tell y'all, when I tell you, I'm like,
you know, like you're playing. So let me tell you
all know my mom sat so when I'm playing, I'm
not when I'm not playing on watching these guys play,
you know, like the young guys and they all like
they're killing our team and they're looking at our bench
and stuff. I just know I got those right down
in my notes when I come back when they started
next season, because I'm like, I can't wait to show

(39:54):
them what I got, what I'm about, But I'm I'm
gonna be better than what I was before. And that's
the scary part about it because then in my whole year, damn,
they're the whole Like my five years I was an
all start, I played with two bones, pers in my knee,
in my hell. And people don't know that. M So
y'all guard. They ain't even get the best to John
Wall yet, so like they just got a clip of
him already already. Know you gotta love a lot, a

(40:18):
lot left for the tanking all this time you missed.
I know you're gonna come back and kill. But speaking
of guards, if you're talking about the guards, you got,
what's who's your top five pgs of all time, all time,
all the time? Man? Magic up there? For sure? It's
just step up there for Sean. I know people like
that's too early, but step definitely up there. Uh see.

(40:41):
I like see like people like down grazy Pino, like
CP because the way you do stuff. I'm not saying
you see, y'all played against him like people might not
like CP, but what he pray into the game like
as a leader, as an i Q guy dog and
don't back down for nobody. I could put him in
my top five because of that, because he don't give

(41:01):
them who it is. He's trying to rip your head
off and it's a love. That's what I love about
CP man because like I like, you know what I mean,
I played to me, you know, second sales. I coach
for a little bit anyone and coach the Clippers, So
I'm like, I'm about the bust CPS. I don't get
then what you say, like gonna bust show as I'm like, well,
we just got to go because you coach both of us,
and that's what I love. The CP. Don't give damn
who you with, and that's the mindset you gotta have. Man,

(41:24):
you gotta have that. You gotta have that. I got him,
I got CP, I got magic. I gotta put John
steinning because he all time since leading, I mean, just
not even that. And then I go out of the times.
I love o Ziah Thomas. Zeke. Yeah, yeah, Zeke. How
can you not love Zeke? Speaking of us? Speaking of CP,
you have a you have a signature motherfucking move that

(41:46):
you caught me with and it's still getting shown a
lot more, lady, because there ain't no motherfucking basketball when
you did that motherfucking three sixty spin layer, and I've
seen your eyes getting big, and I know you wasn't
crazy enough to try to dunk on me, because you know,
I found the ship out of you, but you was
up like like yo, this motherfucker's eyes are getting real big.
He about to pull some ship. The next thing I know,

(42:06):
this motherfucker jumps, spins around and makes me. I knew,
like I just saw it kind of coming. I just
turned the opposite way and looked like this motherfucker didoth
three sixty lay up on me. Ever, i'mna be realistic, man,
I was about a ducking. But when you started to spin,
like when you move, you moved to the right where
like when I lean it with my lips, I'm like,
I can't do this. I'm a fault. And I know

(42:27):
he ain't grabbing me. He thought me straight to the ground.
So in my mind set, in my mind said, I'm like, yeo,
I gotta spin. You know that's my goal to Like,
I just all playoff instincts. So once I've seen him like,
I'm a spin and I did not know that was
on that Yeah, that was. But the reason why I

(42:47):
was in that mindset wasn't Matt. You probably remember man,
CP was already going there like arguing the whole day.
It was a battle battle, a battle like going after
and then like CPS on the bench and he had
said something a couple of plays before that, and you
gotta think we're that like eight team something like fun
that I gotta start putting on the show. And the
night before I just chewed the legacy. I started putting
on the show. We come back and make it a game.

(43:08):
They Seepe come back in and winning for him. But
like that stretch was like we went on like in
twelve oh one, and that's when Doc brought the Woods
back in. That ship was tough. I remember because I
was I was. I thought for a second, you're gonna jump,
So I start coming towards you, kind of clearing the
way like I'm gonna try to get you before you
even take off. And the next thing I know that
boy just yeah, that ship was code. That was dope.

(43:33):
So obviously the goal in in Washington has been to
win the championship. You and Bill being two of the
best guards um in the league. What do you think
are free agency draft? How do you feel like you
guys And this is no knock on the current team,
you know, I mean this is just real talking and
your goal obviously is to get to the playoffs and

(43:55):
win the championship. What do you kind of feel like
you guys need to have happened for that to have
them well, for one, like you said that you started
right there. I like, I feel like for a couple
of years in the past, we just kept trying to
rebuild through the draft like you do a lot of
other sports. But in the league, your window is kind
of short. You don't have time for that, you know
what I mean. And I feel like me and Brad
is a great cornerstone. We have Ruey's a rookie that's

(44:18):
in there. But I feel like we need We're gonna
We're definitely gonna need us a three that's a dog,
you know what I mean. That's the knockdown shots and compete,
compete and create for us. And then we also got
to build a bit, you know, I mean, just being realistic, Like,
I love the team we have never we have some
great pieces and a lot of young guys that just
getting an opportunity to play where they probably would have
never gotten on other teams. But like I feel like,
if you want to be one of those teams, you
gotta have vettering guys around that's willing to understand they roll.

(44:41):
And that's kind of what we dealt with in the
years past with our teams. Is nobody really understood their
role and trying to get guys to understand that role.
We never accepted it. And you know how hard that is,
Jack and Matt when you got got seven to eight
guys on one year deals every year, like everybody's trying
to fight for the contracts. So they mindset ain't like
thinking about, well, we're gonna be here for a while,

(45:01):
we can build this for you to get to what
you want to They're like, no, I'm not with it.
I'm trying to get paid right now. And I feel
like if we get if we add some pieces where
guy's gonna buy into what's going on, then we'll be fine.
But if guys ain't willing to buy into that, and
then we can't bring those guys a part of our
team because we know men Brad is the main piece

(45:22):
of the team that just back find all these pieces
that fit us, and you never know what the future
gis hold. Two things, we're heading down the whole stretch.
Who's your favorite guy to battle? When you're like, okay,
we're playing solo so tonight, like this is when I'm
gonna be on my ship my guys, Kyrie Man. For
some reason, like because what makes me, because what makes
me so frustrated is we felt like those two years

(45:42):
we posed have been in the the East, coming to find
that when we lost to Boston and then yeah, I
broke my hand against Atlanta and Jack remember that series,
so Up said about that. So I feel like that's
the matchup. Everybody want to see me and Kyrie to
go at it for seven games and four gain I
havev long and I never got the opportunity. So every
time we played them, and it felt like even in
the rec and felt like we was in playoff more
like even when Brian was trying to simulate that, yeah

(46:05):
that crazy when Brian hit that crazy favor without the glass,
Like I felt like every time he played him, it's like, man, Kyrie,
just know this is what it is. Like it's a battle,
and it was at the time, it was like, who's
the best point guard in the East between us, who's
even the second best player in the East behind Lebron,
And that's what my mindset wasn't has always been like
that with him. That was a four court pass to
Bron Carter in the corner, turned and shot it off

(46:27):
the jointing his slot in front of the three point
line and once he told it was the foul him,
we let him take a dripple back behind the three
for a line phase, so he running past me. I
make I'm like, you know that was look he said, no,
you don't feel I do this all the time. He
always he always making shots like this. So like, I
ain't got ship. I can say he got championships, so well,

(46:48):
what can I say to bron But that was the
same game where he got away. He got away with
the Traveler. Yeah, bro, each travel was so bad. I
knew what movie was doing. I know what Brian want.
We all know if people want to do you can't
stop him. He traveled so bad and he missed his
time not and missed it. I really threw the game,
like yeah, and it's currently because I'm like, yo, Kevin

(47:09):
Love outlets this past so perfect, Like you couldn't have
nobody else better to throw that past than Kevin Love. Right,
what's a former player you wish you could get a
chance to go to battle against? Well, I didn't even
gonna say go to battle. We know one player I
wish that I could steal battle when I wish you
never had those injuries because he was the toughest player
I ever played in my life with dead road boy
because coming in my rookie year of the year he

(47:30):
won't VP man, when I tell you it was nothing
you could do, Like I don't care bash you was
how quick he was because he wasn't those guys that
we never seen a guy to be that fast and
the athletic, but had one of the best floaters we
ever seen, like his floating bro he never missed it
off two feet going right, So it was like which
way I'm gonna force some left where he gonna dunk

(47:51):
in my center and going right. It wasn't like he
got to the room all the time. He had LAIDs,
but he had a tough float that was tough to guard.
So he would be that guy. But the guy said,
I wish I would have like with a that would
be my guy. M h ho would have been up
because you bigger just as fast. That's that's scary. You
got a need Kobe stories and you remember when Kobe stories. Yes, man,

(48:11):
my favorite Kobe story with my rookie year, we're going
to play him in l A. You know, I mean,
you know you're still like I can't be I'm about
to play the bean like there's nowhere I'm about to
play Kobe and I got Gill on my team gear.
Come out there, winban and no shoes, strange straps. Yeah,
I'm like, so, I'm gonna play Kobe with a guy
like Year that don't care about nothing Like so I

(48:32):
get I get Kobe and the post he guarding me.
I'm guard him in the post he spends. I blocked
his shot that of course, you know, not chase after
of it. I think I'm about to get the loose
ball and they kick it to him and I run
back over. They shooting three, and it was like that
was a good block to play. Continues. I should have
never said nothing, because he ended up like scoring like
twenties straight on us. And I was like, you know what,
I'm just gonna mind my business and not say nothing.

(48:54):
No more, don't wake him up. Sometimes you can't wake
him up. Yeah, And then my last the when I
had with Kobe was one of the best ever. Like
we're battling me in Kobe, like I'm really going at it,
like Kobe scoring, I'm scoring. This fourth quarter is like
the last seven minutes of the game. We're going back
and forth. I'm guarding me, guarding me. They didn't not winning,
But it was like the Kobe like last trip before,

(49:14):
like he tore a killing and stuff, and that was
dope for me to be Like I can tell my
son to show my son at how on YouTube of
going to a battle on war with Kobe to win
the clutch game. Yeah, you touched on the real quick
before we we got a couple more questions. But what
was it like to have Gilbert Arenas as a teammate?
How about it was? It was wild for me because

(49:36):
like he was teaching me the roads, like he wasn't
trying to put me under wrap the same thing, but
just to see him but like he always grouping around
having fun, but like he still had that work as
even though he know he wasn't here. Like I would
go in there some nice to getting shots. He'd be
already in there shooting one hand three from half court.
I'm like, what, I see why you did. I can
see why you did these game winners from back in

(49:57):
the day and turn around. But like gil was still
like a guy that love the game. But he was
funny as hell. Man. He was one of the coolest
guys to be around, and he was layal, like I
remember my first time, like my second, third time walk
in the locker room, and we wore the same size
and like, you know, they had those easy that Louis
Vitty had made with a rail one and the gray
ones in the cream ones, and like he just dropped
the whole box and shoes off in the shoe bag,

(50:19):
like seventy pair of shoes like this for you, young fellow.
And it's when I was a Rebox you know, I
was wearing the signer sneakers of Rebox. Won't too much
I can wear. I was like, man, it's the coolest
bet ever. Man, gotta go by the Louis no nothing.
I got everything I need. So he was always doing
to me and him still kicking and the like if
I need basketball advice, I called him and ask him
and we just chop it up. That's for a lot

(50:39):
of people to understand his basketball mind and how hard
he works. He's a psycho when it comes to work ethic.
And it was funny because I talked to heard him
telling the story about Kobe told had a conversation with
Gil about he needs to start giving back to the
game more and take stuff more serious because he's got
such an amazing basketball mind and obviously you got you

(51:00):
got a chance to touch on that. Yeah, he's starting
to do that, and now he talked about it once
Kobe facts like your Kobe, you want to be doing it,
I'm gonna start doing it. But like you said, Ja,
y'all both y'all said before the show started, is I
wish y'all had this platform back then because people portraye
y'all who y'all are because of your image and your
mind saying the dog and home y'all half for the
love of the game, that people would trade you in
a different way. And now like people look at Gil

(51:21):
and be like, no, Gil ain't like that. Here Kobe
talk about getting that way. People want expect that. They
think gillis, Oh he's always goofing, always not taking the
game serious, but he puts that work in. But and
then they're like, I try to tell people is and
the day everybody got twenty four that day we're not
gonna be in the gym for twenty four hours. So
we're still gonna live out regular lives and do other things.
But you can never knock nobody work at it. You
don't know when they're putting that work in because everybody

(51:45):
and film everything, like everything is not supposed to be filmed.
My work is my work under underground. All right, we
got these quarantine quick hitters. Last couple of questions where
we get you out of your jack, go ahead and
start him up. Who you think should be a guest
on a little smoke? Who you think should be our
next guests? I feel like guests are all smoke. Should

(52:06):
be Bradley gild my teammates. You go, and you're gonna
at the time when you say something, you know the
word is born. Appreciate that. Uh, cur What are you
currently binge watching? Like watching on TV? Yeah, yeah, you're
watching anything on TV? Any shows anything? Yeah, I'm watching
I'll be watching Chicago p D Jack Ryan, and then

(52:29):
I'm on Ozark. I just started Ozark. Okay, see your
in season one of Ozark. Yeah yeah, hey, you start
a little slow, but trust me, when he gets going,
brush it get going. Yeah yeah, my assistant put me
on that one. But yeah, already that going. So I'm
gonna finish that up. That's dope. What's your quarantine snack?

(52:53):
Gold fish? You you and your son fight over those up.
I had to bottom the ones I had abody old fish.
They got like they shaped like Mickey Mouse. So because
he like Mickey Mickey Mouse said, you've been thinking them
joints is real, so him cutting minds, not giving the
Mickey Mouse wars. I figured it out. They got the
tropical color. They got the tropical color through the box

(53:16):
the fish. They got the tropical colors. I ain't trying.
I ain't been in those you put me on the phone. Yeah,
that tropical boy. Hey, so tell me this, what's your
favorite retro Jersey? Favorite retro Jersey, man, I ain't gonna lie. Man,
that Memphis Grizzy war shrieper do with the grizzly on it.

(53:41):
Yeah yeah, man, Like I'll be wearing that joy every summer,
like I were at least want someone every something like
I might go outside. I just love the way that
color hit. You're the second person that color is crazy.
That's what's up. Artists or songs that's don't repeat right now,
who you're working with right now. I'm like, I'm on
NBA young boy right now, slimming, yes, sir, right now.

(54:04):
My favorite song about him is Lonely Child. Yeah, I
love that lonely child. Yeah, I like that, But you
know nothing one that that that you that you don't
take off. Repeat this, Roddy rich Ward, Baby, I don't
take that. I'll repeat neither. Yeah. Yeah, Jack down to
the begging segment, brought to you by Bang Bang Stephen

(54:27):
Jackson's what do you want to what do you want
to do? The drums played Bang. I came begging for
nothing the last couple of years when he had playoff games,
he flew me down, gave me flooring seats, He took
cash Bro more than five times. I have nothing to
ask for my little bro. He always been a great
little bro to me. So I just want to give
me this problem to say thank you for always holding

(54:49):
me down when our call little Bro. You know I
you know I'm gonna call away when you need me.
It's nothing I gonna ask you because you've always been
trilled with me. Doc for Shure. I love me Bro,
Killer killer Man. That's some wrap. We want to thank
our special guests, John Wall. Continue blessing to you and
your family and your journey back to the court. We
can't wait to see what you say. Is is the

(55:09):
best job Wall yet? So we're excited about that. Sure.
Appreciate you all for having me. Man, love and blessing
back to your family. Also, that's a wrap. You can
find this on Showtime Basketball, YouTube or all platforms, streaming podcasts,
all of them. Good job, my boy. It's something about

(55:40):
how this place forms a different kind of person. On
my high school team. We have five guys make the NBA.
We had the County Rock. You mentioned friend Shorty's County peop.
We know it's about. It's the Metha of basketball. There

(56:03):
are those who have come before us, upon whose shoulders
we stand here for this area, you have to have
tough scar Then Jim became the sanctuary. E g County
guys provide buckets for America's press. Georgia acts a lot
of power, a lot of character. It's nothing that you

(56:27):
can do to stop the competitive and we're pushing the
community and the culture forward. There's just in the water.
H This life was all I ever wanted. I'm not leaving,
not yet. I was hoping you'd say that we gotta

(56:50):
hit the streets, make some money. People like us. Let's
destroyed people like him to come up. Get Showtime free
at Showtime dot com.