Quinn Cook | Ep 37 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | #StayHome with SHOWTIME Basketball

Lakers guard Quinn Cook joins Matt and Stephen on Episode 37 of All The Smoke to open up about his young career. Cook talks about his path from playing in the G-league to being an NBA champ with the Warriors. He also discusses being an executive producer of SHOWTIME's new documentary 'BASKETBALL COUNTY: In The Water', which tells the story of Prince George's County, Maryland, a hot bed of NBA talent, and his home town.

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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 there's just in the water.

(00:29):
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 you something that I never
told nobody. I want to smoke. Welcome back to another
quarantine edition of all the Smoke coming to you from
l A. My brother Jack's in the bay. My bad,

(00:50):
My brother Jack is in the A. I wish I
was in the bay. Straight up. I'm sad. I got
rid of my house out there. Man. That ship was
the spot up in the hills. Said, was that ship
hurt my soul? To my ship hurt my soul to
get get rid of that house, bro But it just
wasn't cost efficient anymore. Excited about today's guests. Haven't got
a chance to personally meet him, but I've heard a

(01:11):
lot of great things about him. Currently playing for the
Los Angeles Lakers and also an executive producer on Basketball
County in the water showing right now on showtime. Welcome
to Quinn Cook. What's good, bro? Family, how y'all doing? Man?
I appreciate having no thanks for coming. Bro. You want
to show now and you basically fail me. So I
gotta tell you that you look like an e walk

(01:33):
right now. Bro, you gotta get get cleaned up. Huh.
That boy got the mountain man growing out. I'm thuking
until we stil we're back outside and the world gets
back going. Man, I'm talking man, you gonna let it
ride out. See Hey, I was getting rough too, man,
I had to. I told my barber to come in
gloved up, face master, bodied up because my ship was

(01:54):
because I started looking rough. I look in the mirror
like yo, God, damn, I know I face time to
come to my teammates broad uh, Keith does everybody? Everybody
looks rough? So you know we're gonna keeping you still.

(02:15):
You still, you know you can get that off women. Actually,
So how's everything holding up? Man? Right now? This is
obviously new to all of us. You you mentioned a
few of your teammates how you been holding up during
these times? It has been a unique situation for everyone.
Obviously you guys can attest to that. For for me

(02:36):
being you know, still actively playing, it's been unique. But
I think our leaders and our team have have kept
us with the mindset like, look, it doesn't matter how
long we're quarantine, doesn't matter how law on the leagues
on hold, and when we get back, we still gotta
go win this thing. And guys have been speaking every day, um,
you know, working out when you can. Um. A lot

(02:58):
of guys don't have access to certain things, so we
gotta improvise still. But at the same time, we got
to keep that same goal to mind. And personally, I'm
enjoyed this time. For me, I love the fact that
that that's the mindset if and when you guys get
back to work, you got the championship to win, and
that's how you guys are talking, and that's how you
guys are feeling. Yeah, facts, I mean, you know that's
everybody who comes back. We all got to go through

(03:18):
the same thing. I mean, everybody's saying, whoever wins it
will be an asterid next to name. I don't believe
that we all we all got it. We're all going
through it, so I mean, and it's gonna come down
up you know whose teams are closest, who didn't bullshit
during this time, and you know, hopefully we can just
get the league back going right. I love that you

(03:39):
guys got a team of That's what I liked about
your team. Jack picked you guys to win. I picked
the Clippers. But to me, if it's not the Clippers,
it'll be you. I think that the championship is going
to come back to the West. But you guys have
a bunch of veteran guys that have been there, done that.
And then I mean, you got Lebron which is a
cheap code, but you guys got a whole bunch of
veterans that have won championships and been in big games,
which boes well. And you even as a young player,

(04:01):
you know what I mean. You won a championship with
the Warriors, so you know what it's like to be close.
And then I think you hit that on the head.
The team to stay the closest, stay down, and stay
as ready as possible, are going to have a great
opportunity to win. Facts. You gotta knowle being champions, I
mean our targets on our back every night, and you know,
we gotta deal with a lot of ship during the year,
and this is just more stuff to add on about
thinking to make a story better for sure. That's so

(04:24):
you're playing in the to that two K tournament. Who's
your team and who's been your toughest battle? I want
this man right now. I'll put the two K down. Man,
I'll be getting crap. I ain't that good at two K.
I want this man right now. I'm doing I Man,
I forgot my team and two K. That's how bad
I am. I ain't even mad at that. I don't
play I never played See. I never played too because

(04:45):
when I WHO, I still never really played a period.
I never played two I always played MAD and I
played some of the shooting games, but I never played
WHO because like that was our job. I kind of
want to get away from it, you know what I mean.
Like just the other day, my homie See Webb, you know,
shout out Chris wherever he hit me up, Like yo,
I'm doing a a two K tournament and it's gonna
be this is and that. I'm like, bro, I don't
even I'm sorry. I don't even play two K. So

(05:05):
I never really got into two K that much. Even
I'm locked in on call of duty right now. And man,
I don't play two ks. I never played it. But
tell me this Q, what aspect of normal life you
took for granted? You know that that that you appreciate
now while in quarantine? Great question. First thing is going
outside and just like you know, being able to interact
with people, going to grocery stores like now, like you're

(05:28):
very you know, aware of you know who's close to you,
who's coughing, who's touching certain things, and traveling freely and
just being around your family like I haven't. Like I
live in the AIDS as well, and I went to
the AID after this whole quarantine fourteen day thing was
lifted from our team, and like my grandma lives in
the A and I couldn't go see my grandma for

(05:50):
five and attendent and have our little talks, you know that,
because that that kind of hurt me. I ain't see
my mom in a minute because I really we still
don't understand, you know, how this virus work. So that
just just being able just to move friendly and and
and doing what you want to do on a daily
basis is something now, you know, and learning from all
this outside of playing basketball what's the first thing you
want to do? Um, Once this this this band is

(06:13):
lifted in it, it's safe to go back out outside
of basketball. I'm going I'm going to a newsing park.
I'm gonna get on some roller coasters. I'm I'm gonna
be I'm gona be back with the people. I'm you
know what I'm saying, just be outside, would be outside
but legs man, everything being man. Yeah, that's what's up.

(06:40):
So I mentioned in earlier the doc that that UH
is releasing on Showtime. H in the Water. You were
an executive producer on that alone with Kevin Durant, Rich
Climbing and Victor Oldwadipo. Talk to us a little bit
about that because that ship is dope. Like, I didn't
realize how many talented players, legends have to have came

(07:01):
from your area p G County. Yeah, I mean it's
a dream come true for me. It means the world
growing up, you know, I wanted to be something there
for me. I always had, you know, Katie to go
um see and touch and Jerry Jack Nolan Smith Busily,
Jeff Green, Victor it was my best friend growing up.
Same aoutle ofmentary school and middle school, high school. Um,

(07:22):
I just had you know, so much resources to go
touch where. You know, anytime you know I slacked off
or you know it was crying or wasn't on my ship,
I always had those guys to you know, remind me
this is the goal. And uh, for me to be
ep on this, for Katie and Rich to bring me on, Um,
it's something that I was doing on my own already. Um,

(07:45):
and they brought me on and we built you know,
something special and uh guys did a tremendous job with it.
And I know everybody I loved. Yes see, I didn't know,
I didn't know Lynn Bias was from that area. Adrian
Dadley want Williams, the Mark Johnson and gotta think these
are all the names that made it. But we all
know people from our area that were dopest funk that
just never made it for one reason or another. So

(08:06):
I'm sure there's a bunch of other legends out there
that never really even got on. No, for sure, for sure,
like you said, everybody from every hood, every city, we
all have those guys who you know, we're more talented
than us, had the same talented as us. But you know,
the streets could have you know, taking them or made
them make decisions that you know, they didn't reach their potential.

(08:28):
The politics ain't work out in high school, college or whatever. So, um,
you know, we're so lucky, we're so blessed to have
made it as far as as we have myself and
you too. You guys know that. But there's always guys,
even till still to this day when you go home
without playing pick up, these guys and nobody's ever heard

(08:48):
of that. Still, you know, would be some of the
best players on the court if they just you know,
made some different decisions in their lives. Short absolutely, yeah,
I know, I know. I played basketball with a lot
with a got that they don't know that went to
o Kill just like you did. As Chef. He rest
in peace as Cheff. You know what I'm saying. He
from he from around that way too. And also shout
out to my man. Shout out to my man Curtis,

(09:09):
to Curtis Malone. But tell me this, what, um, what
was it like growing up in PG County? For me,
it was fun. It was fun. I mean, you had
so much to do. You five minutes outside of the
d C, so you had the city life. It was
a lot going on, and I had so much to do.
My neighborhood it was so many hoopers and so many
football players. Used to play throwback tackle on the concrete,

(09:31):
will be all on the side playing one oh one
thirty three. Um. It was fun. And then you start
getting older, you start getting into a you, and you
started getting recruited by high schools and stuff, and you
got Jerry Jack and Sam Young coming back home pulling
up in the Billies. You got Katie going going to

(09:51):
the league after one year of beas they going so
they got the one year. So you just got so
so many dreams and aspirations being captured. So that made
you go even harder. And you still had that city field,
So it was fun for me. I had the ball.
That's dope. So you said you built a relationship with
Oliver Deepot early. What was it like teaming up with
him at the matha obviously resting peach coach. What was
it like playing there? And what do you what do

(10:13):
you take from that experience the most? It was fun
for me. We met in the fifth grade, y'all transferred
to the school. I had no friends, and literally the
first day he didn't know me. I don't know him.
He came up to me. It was like, yo, if
y'all know, you knew it looked like you know what
I'm saying. You You ain't talking nobody to day. You
don't got no friends, so you know I'm your friend.
Like That's basically how I went first day of school
my fifth grade year, and we playing the same team

(10:34):
from fifth grade for me until my love grade years.
From six straight years. You know, we went from elementary
school basketball to middle school basketball, to high school basketball.
And when we got to high school, we went to
the Matha, which is the biggest school in the area,
and the license on the license bright. Me and him
ain't really play a lot our first year, um, and
then we kind of just got better, got better our

(10:56):
second year together. You know, we kind of took the
league and in the city by storm. In our third year,
it was it was Curtis for everybody we was running
through the city. We both made a first team All
met which is a big deal in our area, and
we kept pushing each other man and it's it's crazy
that we both made it to our dreams and we
still push them. Tell me what your relationship with Katie
was like, um, in your eyes, how was he growing up?

(11:17):
Katie is the same way he is today. Both of
y'all have great relationships with him. Y'all know how cool
with chill and how down on earth he is. Um
for me, Uh, he became our big brother. We played
on the same while. I was on a younger AU team,
the PG Jaguars, and he was on older, the older team,
So obviously we linked there from them. Um, his family,

(11:37):
his mom's dad. I used to always you know, look
after me like I was one of theirs. And uh,
he just always had my back. We used to go
to run the shoot all day and uh, you know,
he would always make sure I got picked. And you know,
he was just a big brother. And back then, Katie
wasn't who he was. He just was a tall, a tall,
lucky kid who had a lot of talent. And you

(11:58):
just seen him every day just getting better and better
and better. And you know, he hasn't changed at all, man,
And he's always had my back. Off seven years old.
His mamma treat everybody like that. She's every time she
seen me, she getting me a hug, like she's like,
oh baby, how are you doing? You know, man, I
just remember her screaming on the sidelines. We used to
play them in the playoffs. But she treats everybody like
her son. Yeah, yeah, she's the best for sure. All Okill,

(12:20):
let's talk about that. We both from Okill. We got
a long line of NBA players, a long a lot
of people. And you know what's funny though, Bro, Two
weeks ago, I got a text from a two six
seven number. I had no idea who it was, right,
and they called me two three times. They called two
or three times. Cute and I hung the phone up right,
I got I read the test mans a couple of

(12:41):
days ago, because I never really read the test man.
It was coach Smith Bro, So I got a call
him back down. I got it, and I haven't talked
to him in years. But tell me about your experience, Okaill,
and how that all came about. Man, it was fun,
you know, growing up and then you started like really
focusing on you know, who's the best players and what
college this guy's going to, and you know what guy

(13:04):
in the NBA is this, And you start really like
doing research and stuff. A lot of guys you when
you find out went to Okill. So and I was
always dreaming my growing up. You know, Mellow was there,
Katie was there, Rondo guys that when I was young. Um,
I know I was there and something I always want
to do because I felt like, you know, you were
doing something well. If coach Smith recruited you, Coach Smith

(13:26):
wanted you to be on the team. So Nolan Smith
was my big brother. He went there and I founded
a relationship with coach Smith UM, and you know, I
decided to go there my senior year. I think you
know what I did in the area of my junior
you know, it was something incredible. The first junior to
win All met Player of the Year in thirty years,
won a championship, and Victor and Jaren Grant Um, those

(13:48):
guys were graduating. So I wanted a new challenge. So
I took my UM senior year. I wanted to go
to o'kill and play for coach Smith and playing the
national schedule, you know, to get everybody's best shot every
single day. Were ones then all the time, and I
want to get ready for college. I wanted to start early,
living by myself, making sure ship is done without my mom,
you know, reminded me and stuff like that, so I thought, yeah,

(14:12):
growing up ship for me and uh I needed that
bade between DeMatha and UM O kill. How many of
your teammates went pro to the NBA? Damn well, My
my sophomore year at DeMatha, we had five out of
our top six players playing the NBA. UM who were

(14:34):
so were they? Myself, Victor all the devote Jared Grant,
Jeremy Grant, Johs Shelby door to the five and we
had ten or eleven gold d one nothing low like
nothing like se State, uh Texas A and them we
had all high majors. O kill. My bad court was
me and been back for more from the Rockets. Jordan

(14:55):
Adams who got drafted by the Grizzlies a couple of
years ago. A J. Hammonds who got drafted by the
mad Rix, Damian Wilson play at Memphis on Keith Hornsby,
who's in the gene the couple um years past, couple
of years and uh, you know, I've had a lot
of time just with pros, you know, since I was young.
So it was a dream come true for me just
to see guys, you know, not just myself making, but

(15:17):
see my guys who I saw ground and I saw it.
Bet the Ozzy deal with bullshit make the league. So um,
I'm definitely proud of those guys for sure. How do
you compare PG County to other uh, you know hot
beds around the country. You know New York has don't
for basketball, Callie does their thing. You know Texas has people.
Uh how do you compare PG County to style play

(15:38):
of other hot beds throughout the country. For me, I
think of what makes it so unique is that you
know what you think of callim or you can say
l A. You know, you gotta think of how big
l A is. New York has all different boroughs. Um,
what makes us unique is that you know, all of
us are ten minutes away from each other, literally go
to the same church, go go to the same Barbara's

(16:00):
just everything. It's just so close. Um. And I just
think the style of players that like, I just think
we we we we kind of have everything, not like
just like we have the swag, like, man, you can
tell that dudes from PG or you know, all of
us can kind of dribble, all of us can shoot
it a little bit, um and uh, everybody has that toughness.

(16:23):
So I think we kind of have a lot of
styles in all of our game. That's crazy to think
that that's just like basically the same neighborhoods all around
each other. Really have that much of town, Like you said,
you don't have to really go across the whole city.
It was right in that area. Yeah. Yeah, fact, let's
jump ahead to college. You sign a letter intend to
Duke um Nationally. You were one of the kids that

(16:46):
was you know, it was all over TV where you
were going. You chose over Villanova, u C l A,
North Carolina. What was it about Duke that made you
sign there? Yeah? Coach k was the main reason I
wanted to play for him. You you just grow up,
watch the TV. You see him on the ESPN every day,
just growing up. He was coaching the team USA, and

(17:08):
he had relationships with Kobe and and Braun and and
Jordan and Katie just everybody that I wanted to be like.
You know, he coached, So that was my main thing.
And then it was close enough for my mom. You know,
she used to take the bus down and she couldn't drive.
She'll take the bus down. Easy to make a bus,
ten dollar bus. He'll drive down five hours before the game,

(17:29):
get there for game time, give me a hug, and
get right back on the bus, which was like U
c l A was like far she couldn't really see
me played, Um feeling over had like a lot of guards.
Um and uh, I just don't it made sense, man.
And like I said earlier, my big brother, KNOWA Smith,
went there, so you know, it was definitely an easy
decision for me because you know, they struggled at first

(17:49):
and then became a CNC Player of the Year, National
Player the Year and got drafted. So I wanted to
do just what he did for sure. Speaking of coach
k obviously, uh arguably one of the greatest coaches ever,
not arguably one of the greatest coaches ever. What was
the best piece of advice he gave you that still
sticks with you today. I think the biggest thing that
he taught us when I was there and myself is next,

(18:10):
play next, play in life, next playing basketball. Obviously, in basketball,
if you make it three, you can't fucking celebrate, and
you know chance, you gotta get back on defense. You
turn the ball over, you can't hold your head and
keep that thing, keep that turnover in your head. But
for me, in life, it's like ship, you don't make
the NBA, you get cut from a team. Man, next opportunity, next, uh,

(18:35):
next phase in your life. If you don't get that job,
if you feel that test, you can't dwell on your fay.
You gotta let the fingers keep pushing you to be great,
and and and and the flip side is, you know,
if you get to the league, you can't you know,
just spending money and think you've made it because because
for me, like it was so hard getting the league,

(18:55):
it's even harder staying in the league. And obviously you
guys know that. So um next playing life is just
keeping that mindset. Man, we gotta keep going, gotta keep moving,
gonna keep working. What was the college experience, not not
the basketball side, but what was being a college student
like that? Do? I mean everybody tells you it was
a little different. For me. It wasn't your traditional like
I like, I wasn't your traditional guy who went to

(19:17):
do I was a little different. Uh. And growing up, man,
I grew up besides going to the Mantel, which was
a cadelic school and okaill like, I never really had
experience like you know, with with other races because Prince
George's county is predominantly black. So when I got to
do it was just like a whole new world. So
I was lucky. You know. We had n C and

(19:38):
T down the street. We had no killing a central
downa street we had. I was at you, you boably
thought I went to central. I just I was always
that central, messing around pre dance. Just you know that.
That gave me that Back home, you have to be
creative at kill all day, no, you know, now for show.

(19:58):
But we had the team team, you know, we we
we lived in that house, so we was in the
house all day messing with the team. So I gave
me that. That aln't feel as well. But when I
got to college, man, it was, it was. It was
a lot. It was a lot of changes I need
to make for sure. You got a chance to play with.
Uh Yeah, Duke Ogleford, Tyres Jones, Justice Wooden, low Seth Curry,

(20:20):
Jabari Parker, Austin Rivers. You guys had a squad, a
Duke we did. We did. We did a real squad.
How long did it take for you guys to jail
and come together? Obviously, Coach k is a huge influence
on that. But like you said, everyone is coming from
different backgrounds and has different accolades. And how long did
if you feel that it took your guys team to
really start hitting their stride. I think each year was different.
My first year with myself Austin as freshman, we had

(20:43):
Seth Curry, we had all three Plumber brothers. That team
took took a while because our team was kind of
all over the place. We always had like a new
starting lineup every single year. We were very talented, but
we never really found our identity and we ended up
losing in the first round. To see that mccolor obviously
the famous game and he put us out. He went crazy.
Our next year was my soft here was probably one

(21:03):
of our most talented teams. Um we end up losing
their lead eight to illuisbu Um. But my senior year
was the best year for me um just I think
that was the peerst year. I think everybody was on
the same page. Nobody cared about draft status, nobody cared
about how many points they scored. We genuinely just wanted

(21:23):
to win every single game, and myself, being a senior
on that team, it was my last chance to do
something you know that I'll be remembered for that. Dude.
I had a decent first three years, but that last year,
you know, I think, you know, kind of gave me
a stamp. As you know, I did something in college, man,
because those first three years, you know, we lost two

(21:44):
times early, we lost in the leade eight and that, dude, Man,
you can remember for winning obviously, you know, you always
want to go to the league and be a lottery
pick and ship like that. But I wanted to win
the championship while I was there, and you know, we
finally got it done my senior year, which was, you know,
incredible feeling. You took kind of a similar path to me.
Although I was drafted in the second round, you weren't drafted.

(22:06):
You had to take the other route, you know, Jack
had to take a different route. Talk to us with that.
That because of the ship. I want to say, when
I was in the D League or G League or
whatever the hell it's called, I think it was the
D League back then, it was like the second year.
So that was the worst ship ever, Like, no bullshit.
It was long bus rides, little cropduster LaBamba planes, Like
I'm like fucking I'd rather just a car drive bro,

(22:28):
no bullshit like the planes where it was just fucked up,
and it made me think like, but my grind was like, man,
funk this like I'm not meant like, this is not
what this is not my path, you know what I mean? Like,
so I had to really grind and that was my
hunger behind me getting up out of that D League
man or G league? Was it said? It was that
a similar situation you like you said you had seen
so much great talent from high school to college to

(22:51):
win a national championship, to go undrafted and be like, Okay,
like you said earlier, what's the next grind? Talk to
us about that? Man, great question. Yeah, I got it.
I got in to the D League, I think it was.
I played two years in the D League where it
was called the D League. Um and and and a
lot of guys that I know who played in the
D League they say that it was way worse when

(23:12):
they were in it, So I imagine when you played
in it. But for me now, I was tough man
because ship growing up, you know, I was always the guy.
I was always the guy, and uh um, it was
tough going to going to too powerhouse high school is
going to do. You know, everybody's your bro. You play,
you play a great game. You got thirty text messages,

(23:34):
Timis calls. You know, everybody wants to put up on
you and and and being part of the journeyman, and
you know after being All American my senior year and
winning the chip not getting drafted, you gotta go take
a six hour bus route before Wayne, Indiana and then
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Um, you playing on Facebook Live instead

(23:56):
of Primetown ESPN, and after the game you only get
to text messages and really want because you know Mom's
gonna text you. It was automatic. But other than that,
dudes ain't because I played Can't Ohio, So dudes wasn't
pulling up on me and can and you know, posting
my highlights and stuff like I was at dude, So
it was I needed it. Man. That was real eye

(24:18):
opening for me. That's this ship that made me like it.
When I finally got my chance to the league, it
was like me or youth. So I'm we're gonna fight
do whatever because I'm not going back to that ship,
you know, I mean, I'd rather go play football, funk that.
So now it's obviously better you're seeing kids. What are
your thoughts about kids now jumping from high school to
the G League because obviously it's a lot different now

(24:39):
they're getting bread and and it's a little different than
obviously the league continues to grow. Now it's an amazing
minor league system. But I'm talking about back in the day,
early two thousands. But what are your thoughts on kids
making that jump? I like you. I like it because
I think it's time for GEN League to start getting
the recognition that they deserve. I think, you know, people
can get lost down there. I mean, you know you're
gonna as to what I mean. When I was in it,

(25:02):
you know, there was you know, uh, first round picks.
It was lottery picks, guys that I grew up watching,
you know, in college and the league down they're still
trying to trying to make it work. But guys get
lost down there. Man. Guys blame ship, They blamed the agent,
they blame their their their their previous coach, they blamed
this and that. Um, I mean, can it can wear them?

(25:23):
But for me, I was I knew I was down there.
This is a pit style. I had to work with myself,
work on my game. I wasn't really trying to do
all that wanting ship because I knew we Ally was
down there for a reason. Man. The politics, the politics
and and all that ship. Yeah, that's life. But I
wasn't trying to blame nobody. Man, I'm down it for
a reason. I told myself, Man, I got to be
the best player while I'm down here in practice. And

(25:45):
you're telling Damon Jones, my coach my first year, and
like literally like we'll work out before I practice. You know,
we'll go as as hard as we can't do in practice,
we'll work out after, man. And I was really just
getting ready for that ten day where you go from
the from the D League, you after thirty. I was
aging like seven eight like something crazy, like like some
crazy numbers. But I was preparing myself forward when I

(26:07):
got called up on that ten day for those twelve minutes.
I might get for those last four minutes because you
rarely you ain't getting called up to score thirty. You
gotta you get called up to be the eleventh and
twelve man. So once once people start realizing that, man,
I think, um, it's great. But the definitely it's getting loved.
Now they're getting bread and you know how school kids

(26:27):
Damon Green is gonna make it even better. And you
know the guys, it's hungry down there. So no, I
think it's great what they're doing. For sure. Talk to
me a little bit about I think you touched on
which was great. Like we all killed in high school,
you know what I mean, killed like thirty average thirty,
did whatever, all these accolades. But when you hit the NBA,

(26:47):
it's a different mindset. You have to it's so important
to know your role as you I killed in the
in the in the D League too, but I knew
when I got that ten day call up, I knew
instantly what the funk I had to do. I knew
I had to play defense. I knew I had to
be a dog, so that normal role you may take
in a lesser situation. I think what allowed me to
last so long was I knew what the funk my
role was, and you obviously seem like it. Really it

(27:11):
made me smile when you said, like I went from
killing to like knowing what the funk I gotta do
in my twelve minutes, because it's a completely different mindset.
You still have to be you, but as a player
that's you know, coming in you really have to try
to look around the team and see what's needed and
plug those holes. Yeah for sure. I mean you guys,
you guys know, you guys know play long cafreer and
you know one TIMPs just been on great teams. I

(27:32):
think it's a skilled would be a great teammate. And
like you said, we all are here, are here for
a reason. O G is Jared Jack. That's like who
I want to be. Like, like, he's a guy. You
know it wasn't an All star, was a great player,
solid player, but he commanded the respect from you know,
his teammates, referees, coaches, um, front office management, all that stuff.

(27:55):
And you know he's not the most athletic guy, he's
not the most talented guy, but he always find will
find himself on the team. He was always you know,
get deal, I could deal, I could deal. Jerk. There
is another guy like that. And I had two bets.
I mean, you guys know will Andre and Sean and
I used to appreciate me every single day, you know,
being stall on your role, be sta on your road,

(28:16):
do this and that. And these guys, these these guys
is a decade in the league and All Star appearances
and uh championships, and they would appreciate me every single
day about how important it is to be a road
especially on the team. We had to go to state,
so I got that to legim in the league, so
I had an advantage over a lot of young guys

(28:37):
for sure. Yeah, I think it's important. Man, if people
don't understand, like obviously everyone could, I think when you
really see dope, basketball is summertime basketball to pick up games,
because then you could really show, you know, what you
could do, you know what I mean. I would always
surprise people on what I can do in the summertime.
But I knew during the season, like we all, everyone
wants to be able to score thirty points, but that's
not your motherfucking role. Like your role is to do

(29:00):
you know. Obviously Jack was a good score, but I'm
speaking for myself, and you know you were a big
time score. I wasn't I could score, but I wasn't
like that was my thing. But I knew that I
had to find other positions. Could I score more? Yeah?
Could I did? I want to take more shots? Yeah?
But I knew what the fun my role was and
that's why I played until I didn't want to play
no more. You're right. I mean that's the that's the
catch twenty two. Because a lot of people see us
on TV. We might like it the minutes we want

(29:21):
you see. It's being a great teammate. People called me
a cheerleader all the time. I've been on great teams
and I'm sitting behind Hall of famers and I'm sitting
behind great players. But don't get this ship funked up.
Like I'm doing this ship my whole life. And guys
in the summer, you know, they think that you could
you know, they could funk with you, and they think

(29:41):
that you know, you're not as good as you think.
The politics only work. He went to demand he wanted
to do. That's the only reason why you leave ship
like that. I mean, that's ship cool. I gotta go
through that all the time, and it's fun. Man, I
love it. Who I'm challenge. I'm going from Jim and
Jim and in DC man, I'm trying to I'm trying
to see who whatever. I like your driving your passion, man,
and your focus because like I went through that same ship,

(30:03):
like you, you knew you was a pro. You didn't
take an overseas job. You knew you was ANRO. You
had a couple of ten days. Then you end up
with the Warriors. How did that happen? How did you
end up with the Warriors? Man? It's crazy. So you know,
I was going to my third year in the league,
and I, uh, I ended my last year the last
year I ended in New Orleans. Man, And you know,

(30:24):
I like the last maybe fifteen games, but I played well. Man,
And after the Seas was over there, Dace is like,
you know, y'all go home. I'm like, Man, I'm staying, Like,
I gotta no guarantee. I got two trigger days now,
I gotta get right for summer league. So I stayed
in New Orleans. I'm working out every single day. I
killed something league, Like, I destroyed some league. Then in
New Orleans signs Rondo Darre's Miller and they got a

(30:46):
cut me. So I'm still so uh. You know, I
end up getting a partial guaranteed with Atlanta. Man, So
I moved down to Atlanta. You know, I'm staying in
the hotel. I'm killing and pick up. I'm killing all
the workouts and stuff. Preseason comes, you know, they're like, man,
start to start looking for your your your your carib

(31:06):
I'm like, hell, no, man, I haven't been cut too
many times. Like I'm gonna keep saying this. I'm gonna
keep saying this hotel and you know, I thought I
was good. Called my age. I'm like, man, they tell
me I'm good. Like am I good? My agent is
like yeah, straight, they love you, blah blah blah. So
preseason comes, I don't play at all, Like I played
one game against Miami other than I ain't playing at all.

(31:29):
Last day before my my contract is guaranteed for the year.
Trade goes down. The trade goes down, I get cut
and that's that's the night. Like I'll never forget. I
called my mom, I called KD and I called Nolan Smith.
I'm like, man, like this, I think I gotta take
a year off. I don't know. I don't think emotionally
I can take this anymore man. And I remember Nolan

(31:49):
was like, man, just sleep on it, like your emotional
right now, sleep on it and call me in the morning.
And I wroke up man By After getting cut by
the Hawks on Friday night, Saturday morning, Steve Kurent called
me like three or four times. And uh, you know,
literally like no disrespects to Atlanta, but that year they
were the worst HIM in league. So I went from
you know, getting cut to the worst HIM in league

(32:10):
to literally the next day, you know, the best seaming
league wanted me on their team. So it was it
was a true drink coming true for me. Blessing for sure.
So to be able to go you get there, Uh
you know, you're going to the G League, back to
the to the to the big boys, back and forth.
Walk us through that process because you're finally here, but
you're going back and forth. You said, I know you

(32:30):
had a great attitude because everyone speaks so well of you,
but what was your mindset to be, Like, Okay, I'm
killing in this G League and I'm gonna be ready
for whatever the words got for me. Walk us through
that process. I went down there with a new motivation,
and uh, you know Steve and and and Bobe Myers,
you know, they were just like, we're gonna treat you
know this two way. I was that was the first

(32:51):
year of the two way too, and nobody really knew
how it will work. And uh, Bob, Steve, like they
just told me, you know, we're gonna treat you as
as our third e G. So you know we're older,
Shawn the rest a lot, Andre might rest um you
know we we we, I just had I saw some opportunity.
So when I was in the G League, man like

(33:12):
I was killing, like I want to show bro, I
was not below down here like y'all need me up
there like straight up and uh but but but we
made that so crazy was Stephite went down. So when
when Steph goes down, you know, I getting started to
the starting line up just so Sean can keep so
Seawan can keep, you know, taking that second rotation, that

(33:32):
second unit. Right. So I go from like three three
or four games I was on the roster with the
Golden State, like I didn't play at all. I probably
got in two games out of out of the four
like ten seconds and maybe two minutes. And I went
from that to starting. But I was in the G
League going so crazy and working so hard. I was
just such in a rhythm, like I was just a rhythm.

(33:55):
So it was just it was just easy for me
to just go out there. And because you're playing, you
still playing with kvee, Clay and Draymond. So the ship
Ain't that hard you go out there? Yeah? So yeah, man,
I was in rhythm and it was fun. And then
obviously later Steph got hurt for a longer period of time,
and you know, guys was hurt. Clay was out. I

(34:16):
think Clay like broke broke his hand or something. Katie
had fractured ribs, and literally like I had to play
forty minutes and that's when I scared. Starts going thirty
and you know, I'm saying I started killing, and you know,
social media kind of took it on the thing about
Storm and guys got backing up to the rotation. So
it was a great year for me for sure. What

(34:37):
did you learn most about playing with them? Dudes? Those
are arguably four Hall of famers you were able to
win the championship? What did you learn, uh most being
with the Warriors? For me, I love their demeanor, I
love their swagger. I love there they just have that
in factor, like they know that they you know, all
the baddest dudes on the plane, and they know that
when we go on each rod, everybody's gonna be against us.

(34:59):
The these guys gonna take their best shot at us,
and and they won't. They will never beat us. They
will never They always felt like they would win every
every single game, how hard they worked. Obviously, it is
something you know that that that caught my mind. And
the attention to detail. Um, like man, you know, uh,
our fail sessions and practices were pretty light before the
playoffs playoffs come. You know, Steve we we in that

(35:24):
talk room for about hour hour and a half going
a different game, players and stuff like that. Just the
tension to detail. Everybody had, uh values to the team,
had a certain input they implemented, and you know, just
for me be the young player man growing up watching
these guys, man, it was a dream come true. Was
honor just to be in our organization. That was kind
of my next question. So you get a chance to

(35:44):
win with someone there was like your big brother growing
up in your neighborhood, looked out for you, and then
you're standing on a podium at the pinnacle of basketball.
What was that? What was that feeling? Like I that
that ship is crazy because like we used to literally
always talk about that, like, man, we're gonna we're gonna
win championships, like not not thinking we're gonna do it together,

(36:06):
but man, I wnna win one you're gonna win one
like sh and for us to do it together, man,
and for it to be a second one. I remember
you guys beat up Cleveland and five years before that, man,
I was in New Orleans and I called Katie like
he was in the locker room just so hype. And
you know, my mom was My mom was with me.
She was crying. And it was when he when he

(36:28):
wanted chip and felt like I want to chip. It
felt like the whole the whole neighborhood and the whole
city want to chip. And then from the next year
for me to be right there with him and bro
like oh, the whole team, like like they showed me
more love than anybody. I don't know what it was like.
Everybody was coming to grand new ship because they knew,
they knew the past, they knew, you know how how
hard it is to me to get there. Man. It was,

(36:49):
it was, it was, it was, It was. It was great. Man.
I appreciate those guys for that for sure. Yeah, all
of us are here obviously brothers with Cobe, you were
a huge fan. You got to sweatshirt on today. Talk
to us about what the connection was. I know through
Coach k he was some when you mentioned and he
knew and you know, Coach k always made sure you
guys run in contact, you know, through college and you

(37:12):
got a chance to to get get a good chance
to to know code. Well, what was it like and
how are you dealing with it? Post? Yeah? I mean
growing up, you know, I'm too young, Like I saw
Michael Jordan, but I I don't really I didn't really
get to live and breathe and live in on a
day to day basis and see him on the night
tonight and really appreciate what he did. Um Space James

(37:35):
my favorite movie, all that ship growing up. So I
love Michael Jordan's but he retired at ninet yate and
then she ninety nine, you know, two thousands. That's when
the Lakers kind of, you know, step into her own.
And my dad used to always be like man Kobe,
like he's Geordan, like he's the next Jordan, like he
does every day resembles no Michael Jordan to a t.

(37:55):
So when when when I when I realized there was
a new Jordan playing That was my guy, That was
my guy. And and you know, my dad was like
the biggest Lakers fan ever. So you know he was
an easy eye on the half of me. And then
you know, I got to see two thousand and two
dollars once two day win a championship, So obviously, like everything,
everything is perfect for me as a basketball guy. And

(38:17):
then you grow up, you see you know how hard
he works. You see you know how hard he uh
you know uh trains his mind and and just you
start to listen to his interviews and you just see
the respect that everybody has, you know for him. You
just start appreciating the war and that was my guy.
But I wanted to be just like him. I want
to do everything like him. And the growing up um

(38:38):
coming into my home. I got to meet him for
the first time, and Coach K new him, and Coach
K will always make sure, like if he came to
a game, I would get the first five minutes with him,
and if he sent the text after a game, Coach
K always bring me back on the plane and showed
me the text that Kobe sin and he knew how
much you know, I loved him, and uh, I got
to meet him, got the form relationship with him, and

(38:59):
you guys on he was he was so so cool man.
He's past a couple of years him after basketball. He
was just so fun. He's always smiling office with his family. Man,
and just tragic, tragic, tragic thing. And I think we're
still you know, all trying to you know, make it
makes sense. It never makes sense, but we got to
just keep us keeps going. Never you did something to

(39:21):
touch me because I was out there work at ESPN,
so I saw it with the memorial was like across
the street from Stable Center. You guys, flew back in town.
You wouldn't grab your jersey and you wouldn't join the
crowd out there. Talk to us about that. Yeah, I
think we all, I think we always just in't shocked.
I mean we all obviously us learned on the plane
we drive. We flying from Philly, um and we all
found it about it on a plane, man, I mean

(39:41):
I was the longest ride ever. Guys was sucked up, man,
and uh we landed. Uh My friend Jack Davis, who
with the Duke where he lives in l A. You know,
he's one of the biggest Kobe fans ever too. You know,
he he linked up with me at uh at our
prox facility. Man just just kind of like consoled me
because I was crushed, and he showed me that they

(40:03):
were doing the memorial. They had fans at you know,
the Staples Center, and growing up, when I thought of
the Staple Cent, I thought of Kobe because that's the
building I grew up watching him playing, and he he
gave the Lakers, you know, twenty years of just you know,
just straight, just straight man, pure basketball, just greatness. Man.

(40:24):
And I just wanted to be out there just to
just to be with the fans and and and and
show my respects to his family and himself. And um,
the fans were cool. They let me be. They weren't,
you know, over buried because everybody was grieving man. And
I thought it was something I needed needed to do, Manuh,
it was. It was something I'll never forget. It's saddening

(40:46):
even to talk about, you know what I mean. In
this wor which we have to talk. We always try
to talk about him in a good lighting and and remembering,
but it's still just some days that just hit you
in the face, like Kobe's gone, like the ship don't
like if Kobe is not supposed to be gone, you know,
I mean, like if anyone was not supposed to be
gone as him so it's it's still just punches you
unit the stomach every once a while, like God, damn,

(41:06):
this ship is real for real, crazy, right right? Sure
you said that the best advice you got was from Kobe.
If you if you don't mind, would you like shanders
and tell us what he told you? Yeah? All you
are you all you can keep it because I know
because I know some things that he told us when
we did our last interview with him that I hold
type that I haven't shared. But it's up to you. Yeah,

(41:26):
I mean not for sure. Man. I think my last
my last moment with him is my favorite, not knowing
that it was my last, but at that time, like
that that that was my favorite moment. In Game five
of the of the Western Commence Finals, it was too
too it was us versus Rockets. Obviously, Um and uh,
I had been out with the rotation in first four

(41:47):
games and Steve put me back in the rotation and
just a little adjustment. Um, get some more shooting out there,
and uh, you know it's I think we're dan one
about minute left, fifty seconds left. I'm guarding Chris Paul.
I get a stop from Chris Paul. Draymond gets the rebound,
he brings it down. He he finds me on the break,

(42:07):
like I had several points at the time. I was
like over too and I'm wild open man, and I
bowed the ball and I shoot it miss. They come down.
We end up losing the game, and you know how
it is now social media is killing me. Uh We're
down three two, and that's my first year Awards. I'm like,
day my first year. We're about to go down, and

(42:28):
I just remember, you know, after the game, you know,
Steph and Katie, like they called me that I was talking.
I went to Katie's room. He was up all night
just talking talking to Justin, talking about the game, what
we need to do. And I was just feeling just
so damn man. And I told myself, Man, it's gonna
be my Kobe moment, like I remember him every gone
three shots gives you talk, you know, in this first
big playoff experience, And I said, I kept telling myself,

(42:50):
kept telling myself, kept telling myself. Fast forward a year later,
we're in the finals. You know, I hit it. I
get the same shot at the same spot, you know,
gets the raptors and if those and I hit him
and from literally three three three threes in a row,
you know the win game too, And uh, you know,
in my head, I'm like, damn, like that's that's my moment.
Like I remember I missed last year, but I had to.

(43:14):
I had enough nuts to take the next shot and
I had enough nuts to to to believe it myself,
and uh, you know, I made the shot. And then
I said cold this summer and he's like, man, I
didn't tell like I hadn't told him, like that was
my mama bone. But like he he's what came to
my mom when I missed the shots. And when I
made the shots, he just came up to me. He

(43:35):
was like, man, that was your moment. You got big
coronas like you missed it here before that. Y'all know,
y'all know him, you missed here before that. And the
next year he took the shame shot and you guys,
you want the bombs game and and he said he
was proud of me, man, And you know that meant
the world to me. I called my mom Rath the
man cold just he you know what I'm saying, just
just me being a fans, also being a friend. Man.

(43:58):
That meant the world to me. And I hold that
dear to my heart for short. That's amazing. I love
hearing that you similar to me. Grew up a Lakers fan.
My ship was crazy too, from almost fighting Kobe to
have him called me to come and play with him.
What was it like finally putting on that Laker jersey?
Tell me with that because that she gives me chills
even talking about it. What was it like when you go,

(44:19):
you got to put that jersey on for the first
sign It was so man, it was a drink on
true when I signed. When I signed with the Lakers,
that was like my draft day. When I got off
the phone with Rob because I didn't get drafted obviously,
so um, that was my draft that you you you
you get off the phone with uh, you know you're
the GM. He tells you that we're signing you to

(44:39):
blah blah blah. You know you're officially a Los Angeles
Laker boom. That was my draft day. I called my mom,
called my sister. My sister was driving. I made her
pull over, you know, my girls with me, and we
celebrated like I just got drafted man, and get into
l a putting on that jersey for the first time.
I started thinking about my dad because you know, me
and him were the biggest Laker fans and and PG.

(45:01):
You know, everything was Lakers, you know, uh anybody who
knew it. And we always had Lakers gear on every
single day. So you know, I was playing for him
this year. Man, I was. This was just big his big,
big dream to see his son obviously in the NBA,
but to to to to play for my Dada's favorite team. Man,
it was different. Man was drink. I'm true, man surreal.

(45:21):
I don't know if you ever sit back because you're
in the process, but you will one day when you
get old, like me and Jack. But you've been although
the journey has been rough, you've been in two amazing
situations to really start your career off, getting a chance
to play with a dynasty in Golden State and picking
the brains of k D Staff Draymond Clay coach Kerr.

(45:43):
Now you're in l A with a whole bunch of
other veterans. You you had a tweet that said, man,
I get to learn from j Kid and rondo'brin every day.
You know, to point guards dream. You've been in very
fortunate situations, not only to you know, be on the
biggest stage playing basketball, but just to soak the game
up from some of the greats. What has that been

(46:03):
like for you. I think that's been the best and
coolest part for me, being being obsessed with the game
and me being a fan of the game, and me
you wanted to get better and learn more. There's no
better you know, opportunities that I could have had. And
I always, you know, just feel blessed and lucky because
the basketball guys are always rewarding. You know, I had

(46:25):
to go through through through hell. I had to go
through this and that to get to where I am. Man,
It's no other way I can fathom it. And now
I just always like to appreciate the ship that I'm in, man,
and um like like and like you say, like, I know,
when I was in high school, when I was at dude,
I was always thinking about what's next. And now you
alway kind of get stuck in the moment. But I

(46:46):
kind of take time. I always kind of take time
to just reflect and just remember how thankful I am, man,
because I know it sounds clear shape, but going going
from you know, where I came from, I wasn't supposed
to be there So for me to play for the
fucking Warriors to win a championship and then coming to
the Lakers, l A's backrocking, and you know, I get

(47:07):
to learn from Bron Rondo, Avery, Bradley, fucking Dwight Howard's
on the team. Just uh, you know, me and A
d grew up playing against each other, and you and
teammates and USA me dawns of Americans together. He's my
class casey be like the Marcus is here. I mean,
it's it's just the best mixture of basketball all in
one locker room. Man. And I always take take time

(47:29):
and just realize how lucky I am. And I don't
take another for Brandon. So I try to learn and
I try to work as much as possible. Yeah, Bron
is in your seventeam Bro, And you know we talked about,
like I said this on my on my page is
one goat, one mom, but one king and they only
once on my rushmore. He's in your seventeen learning from

(47:50):
him and see what he's doing in year seventeen, Man,
talk to explain that to me. What you're seeing like
this is greatness, It's amazing, it's it's it's it's really ridiculous,
like have to play with him while I want to
training camp with with them in Cleveland. He was my event.
I was just rooking. So, uh, you know, I'll never forget.
Um I was. I was living with Kyrie at the time.

(48:11):
I was Kyrie and wanted me really staying at the hotel.
He kind of want to be the head at home Field.
I was staying the Kyrie. I had a car, he
gave me his whip, everything. So I'm the first day
of training camp. Man, they were just fresh off the finals. Um,
I drove. I drove to the pounds facility. You know,
I wanted to be the first one in there. And
I get there, I changed, uh, go to the breakfast

(48:34):
Lanunge or wherever, and I'm starting to heat breakfast and
all I hear is just like grunting. I hear grunt
and I hear it. You know, you can hear somebody
doing something. And it's about two hours before practice. Literally
Brown was in there lifting, So maybe he said the
time for the first day, let me come back from borrow.
Let's see. I get there, Brons on the court, Brown

(48:55):
shooting and I'm just like, damn, like this is from
year twelve for him at that time and uh five
MVPs in two rings at the time, like he already
had like man like that that that mindset, like he
still have more work to do. So for me fast
for or five years, he's doing the same ship. He's
doing the same stuff. He's the first one in gym Um.

(49:17):
You know he's a tremendous leader. His basketball all that
ship speaks for us SOLF. But the camaraderie that he
he creates around the league and around on team. Man,
he has a relationship with everybody. He's amazing, bro, Like
he's amazing. He's doing doing ship a year seventeen that
guys don't do and in the year eight and their
prim you're not in their prom. So it's just amazing

(49:39):
to watch him on a nightly basis. For sure. I
could tell, you know, I know other people could tell
they played. Y'all really funk with each other and have fun.
Like I see, the bench is always into it. Everyone
is cheering for everyone. Tell me what that locker room
is like, because locker rooms are blast and that's where
you really get your camaraderie your ship talking like is
everybody fair game? But every abody get it. Who's the joker?

(50:01):
Who sensitive talk to us a little bit about that? No,
I mean, you guys know what I mean. I think
for me, the most fun is like the bus ride,
playing ride the joker, the practice in the locker room.
I mean, that's the ship that, you know. My favorite
thing in the NBA is I love getting those stories
from the vets. I love hearing those stories that never

(50:22):
made the media and never made public or real stories
that did. That's my stories, crazy, y'all know what I mean.
That's my favorite. That's my favorite. I think our team now, man,
I think we're all like this jokes as we all.
You know, if you walk in with a bad outfit,
everybody gonna let you go. You walk in with some
bullsh everybody from Avery brand, every Avery Avery, he gonna

(50:44):
kill you. He If Danny Green Cools walks in, Jared
Dully walking with something crazy, every gonna kill you. Bron
gonna kill you. Everybody kills each other man. It's fun.
Nobody's off limits, Everybody gets joked on up, nobody's nobody sensitive.
It's fun. I love it because that's what people would
ask me. Like, I got to play with some great

(51:06):
players because I'm the one that's the ship talker jack
like that. But I'm like, I'm talking, I'm talking, So
I just talked because I'm fun. I like, like I
really think it's important. Like and then when I play,
you know, on balls to the wall for anybody and everybody,
I'll kill for you on the court, but off the court,

(51:26):
I'm the team joker. So everyone, you know, did you
talk to Code? Did you do? Like, I'm talking to everybody,
and that's what I'm saying. Like, those are the teams
where you can talk ship to Steph. You could talk
ship to Claire, you can talk to it to Katie,
you can talk it to Kobe, you could talk ship
to Brun. Those are like the best kind of locker
rooms because that's when you're just with your brothers, because
we're together so much like those loose times on the plane,

(51:47):
the bus, hearing the stories, gambling, you know, in the
locker room like them ship to the best part. I mean,
obviously basketball is the blast, but those are the ship
Like you think back, like, do you do miss I
don't miss playing. I missed just having fun with my
whole boys and talking shit. Yeah, I mean that's I mean,
I always heard no guys who were out the league,
Um you know who retired, who were who were doing

(52:11):
other things. They're like, man, I mean playing was cool.
I mean we all love to play. But that camaraderie,
that togetherness, that filling a part of the team, Um,
you know, that's something that guy's always mentioned they missed.
So for me, you know, I always like to take
advantage of it for sure. What's your best moment up
to this point in the NBA? My best moment up

(52:32):
to this point in the NBA is no, Uh, I'll
say my last two years with the Warriors, actually playing
and contributing in the playoffs. I think that's the big
stage of basketball. Everybody's watching the license on the license
right us. There is no fucking loads of management. It's
no you know, we bat your backs. It's no back
to back. So guys ain't resting, guys, can you know,

(52:53):
there's no excuses. Everybody has time to prepare. You know,
all records are are a race and the lights are
the brightest at that time. So for me to have
some a lot of big games and the playoffs and
um some big games in the finals, I think that's
my that's my biggest couple of moments in the league,
and I'll take the most proud in. But that's dope.

(53:17):
What's your all time starting five? My all time started five? Man.
I always tell my homeboys this. I like my five.
I like I like Broad at the one. I like
Cold at the two. I like George at the two,
I like Cold at the three, I like Katie at

(53:37):
the four. And I like Shack at the five. Sounds
like my line up. That was his line that was
that was his line up. I just had him Duncan
at the fourth. Yeah, I mean, you know, bring minds
thinking like man, you know, you could put Brown anywhere,
but you could play that point. You could play the
power for you can around and put Brown and center
at this point, you know what I mean, Because it

(53:59):
might be tough to guard, but there ain't no way
the sender's gonna be able to guard him on the
other end. Not back then. Back then We're gonna imagine
Shack trying to guard Bron. I mean, obviously Bron, Bron
can't guard Shack, but I'm saying, like we go, he
will run shocks astumping down that court. His motherfucking lips
would be looking like yours tongue stuck to the roof

(54:20):
of his mouth. Ship would be over shat is big
and said, Hey, so your favorite movie growing up in
Space Jam? Mike, you got the you got Lebron in

(54:44):
Space Jam too. Any any inside info anything you stole
or any kind of info you got for us on
the Space Jam. You know, it's crazy. So when I
signed at l A, I signed to the Liquors and
I came out here early looking for a spot not
linked with him. He worked out and uh him and
Randy invited me up to the set. Um me, me,

(55:06):
me and my cousin. So we went up there to
the set and I spent the whole day with him,
and I managed in the theater. So it was cool
for me to like, actually, that's my first time actually
being on the movie set. And literally Bron like worked
down on the morning shower, a breakfast, and he was
at the set on day acting. He would be on
ten minutes take, a five minute breaking go again, take

(55:29):
after take after take, and he's like, y'all know, Bron
He's like has a handshake with the camera crew and
then everybody and every every every actor he's messing around
with and he'd come over to us and you know,
talk ship, we're talking. Who's we're talking? You know? And
you I remember that day Bronnie, Brannie and Brownie's team

(55:53):
and U team never in Vegas. So a little bit
during his lunch break, he was watching the game, man,
and you know, back to back to acting. And the
next day she will back up in the morning working out,
and he did the same thing over again. Man, and
Space Jan was crazy. It's gonna be cool, man. I'm
I'm excited, man, because they put a lot of time
and effort into that ship. You know who the monstar
is gonna be? I don't, I don't. I don't. I

(56:16):
know a D. A D might be one. I'm not
sure though, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But they
they did a lot of stuff, some creative stuff, man,
and I still didn't really understand. And too they started
to bring it down to me. Man, when they make
it all come to life, when they do yeah stuff
and you know a lot of stuff that So it's
gonna be crazy. But I can't wait. It's gonna be crazy.

(56:39):
I mean, I don't know when Space Jam one was
our space show. I don't want to miss speak years
ago to think how far technology has come since then,
Like this is gonna insane, is gonna be insane, and
people as the stars it should have happenn used the monstars.
You look like a monster. But people was asking me,

(57:04):
I remember when when when when this was first announced,
people are asking like, well, this movie be big as
big as Mike. This movie, to me is gonna be
way bigger because it's a different atmosphere, a different time,
and the special effects are going to be at another level.
I can't wait. Man, It's gonna be crazy, all right. Normally,
when we asked this question, when you before you ask it, whoever,
you say, if you have a connect on this person,

(57:26):
then you have to hook us up. You gotta make
it happen. So who should be a guest on our show?
Who do you think should be a guest on our show?
Your teammate that you were just talking about, what's going on?
I think I think y'all should get a d D. Yeah,

(57:47):
we've been talking to a D about getting up. Yeah,
we're supposed to get him right before we went into
Lockdown two. When you think of a D like people
don't think mis understood that he went through his whole life,
bro and and you and you know, just just just
just just going to I mean, he was he was
unknown to being the number one player in the country,

(58:08):
like overnight, you know, he was the national Player of
the year, won the championship first pick. And he's like
he went from not being known to all this all
this stuff and going through the New Orleans and he
got to play on the Olympic team in twenty twelve
and being an All Star injuries after how he got
treated in New Orleans last year, just injuries. You know,

(58:28):
people saying like he never you know, won a playoff
game whatever till he played us a couple of years ago.
Just I mean, he's been through a lot, man. And
when he gave to his teammates, to the game, to
the organization, man, I think it is isn't appreciated publicly enough. Man.
I think he's one of the you know, the best
players that to play. So I think, you know, he

(58:50):
should come on here and talk his ship man, because
because he because he needs to start talking and ship
more man, because he's a bad d. He's a healpable
player though, and you don't hear him talking too much,
like you don't ever really hear I don't recall seeing
no one any like you don't hear him, you know
what I mean? Like, that's the player you right, it
is here, come on this show and talking shop. I

(59:10):
was already talking too. We don't get him on, but
he needs to start talking to ship. That's a bad
motherfucker right there. Man. For real, any movies or shows
you're beinge watching or on repeat right now? You always
watched The Wire um once every year. So when all
this ship started, I rewatched that. I rewatched Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Me and my girl we're watching for life right now,

(59:30):
that fifty cents show. That's really it, man, That's that's
really it. Man. I'm playing. I'm playing so many video
games I'm playing. I'm playing way too. Who was your
funniest teammate? I mean it was Baron Davis Disney Man,
he's a character. He's character. The markets is funny as hell,

(59:52):
Rondo's funny, Dudley's that's hilarious. Dollar Andre is funny as hell.
Clay is funny in his own way. Yeah, Clay is
that you want to know? Clay is funny, He's just
Clay is funny in his way. That's funny. You said that. Yeah,
you don't even have to say much to be funny.

(01:00:13):
This is hope to meet their posture. Man, he's a
he's a he's a different dude. Man, I love Clay.
A historical dinner with anybody, just a dope conversation, a
dope night, just kicking back. Any five people, not counting yourself.
Who would be at your table? Michael, Jordan's um, Kobe Bryant,

(01:00:39):
Malcolm X, lor Wayne for last one, jay Z jay Z.
That would be a hand of a dinner board. I'd
be a hand of a dinner Kobe, Mike, Wayne, Jay
and Malcolm X. Y'all gonna fox him up that night. Hey, artists,

(01:01:09):
artists are song gonna repeat? Are you jamming? I know
you're jamming? A little baby man, man, A little my
My my brother man, My brother is dirty. One of
my best friends. We both living a man. I'm with him.
If I'm not working out, I'm with him. Studio, video games,
all that ship. So I listened to Dirk all day,
gonna one of my one of my guys, the dough

(01:01:30):
boy baby going crazy. Obviously, Shot Lizzie. I grew up
with Shot Lizzie. One of my close friends and a
lot mans. It's a Kodak Black, one of my favorite rappers.
So free code that dirty right now. Yeah, man doing
dirty in the pen right now. Man, Ship Ship Ship

(01:01:51):
crazy bron. I'll hope you stand strong and I'm praying
for his family for sure. So, like we said earlier,
you had a similar journey. It was in you know,
sweet to begin with, after everything you've been through up
to this point, although you're just starting, what kind of
encouraging words would you have for someone trying to follow
in your footsteps and keep going? I mean obviously cliche,

(01:02:11):
keep going, Um, stay positive, all the cliche stuff. But
for me, man, like you get caught up in you know, followers,
you can get caught up in money. You can get
caught up in how long. And you know, guys used
to I used to look at guys like man, he
was he was only in college for two years. Um,
he ain't become a start to the third end of league.

(01:02:32):
Stuff like that, Man, And just just run your on race,
keep going, a lot of people gonna tell you ship
that you know that it's really hating Man. For me,
I ain't the tallest, like the fastest, I ain't the strongest.
So now I have a shot coming up. People ain't
giving me a shot like people. You know what I'm saying.
I was too small, too slow, ship like that. But
I I ain't really care about all that ship man. People.

(01:02:54):
When I got out of the court, they're about to
see me, and I was gonna see about them. So
my thing is run your on race man, and that's it.
I love that I could tell, like I said, I
didn't get a chance to really get to know you.
We have mutual friends and teammates and everybody respects you, man,
So it was it was an honor to get down
to get to know you a little bit better. We're
gonna exchange information to get down and with a little bro.
But thank you man for your time today. We appreciate

(01:03:17):
your time. Good luck, God bless you with your family
and ship man. If you guys get back in, go
get that championship. I just want to say thank you'
all what y'all doing for the coach and what y'all
doing as as as as people who has been in
the league as one league, as as been successful in
the league, and you know y'all didn't y'all own way man,
and what y'are doing, you know, for the culture, not

(01:03:38):
just basketball, but but before US African Americans growing up.
Y'all talk about every every situation going on a positive ship.
That the ship that needs to be saying, y'all don't
hold back on nothing, man, and that ship means a
lot to to myself and my peers and everybody. Man.
So I appreciate what y'all doing because I want to
be like y'all, want to make a lot of fucking
money with some chips and play the key back and

(01:04:02):
have my own my own ship after doing my way
after he SPN TV all that, man, I appreciate you all, man,
no doubt. Man, we appreciate that. Thank you sir. Thanks Bro,
Appreciate you bro. Hey, that's a wrap. Thank our guests today, Quinn.
We appreciate you, bro, and make sure you guys check
out the new documentary Basketball County in the Water, executive

(01:04:22):
produced by Quinn Cook, Victor ohlt Depo, and Kevin Durant
right now on Showtime. You can find this on Showtime
Basketball YouTube or all platforms streaming podcast. It's something about

(01:04:45):
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. Now you mentioned Prince Shorts County.
People know it's about it's a meta of basketball. There

(01:05:09):
are those who come before us, upon whose shoulders we stand.
We're here from this area. You have to have tough scares.
The gym became the sanctuary. E G. County guys provide
buckets for America. Prince Georgia has a lot of power,
a lot of character, don't. It's nothing that you can

(01:05:33):
do to stop that competitive and we're pushing the community
and the culture forward. There's just in the water. This
life was all I ever wanted. I'm not leaving, not yet.

(01:05:54):
I was hoping you say that you gotta hit the streets,
make some money. Paple like us, destroy Pable like him.
Buckle up, get Showtime free at showtime dot com.