November 26, 2025 • 21 mins
Episode Four of Nets Pod, presented by Ticketmaster, features Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney joining Sarah Kustok. They dive into his journey to the league, his new documentary From Spartanburg to Brooklyn, his growth and leadership with the team, and more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you welcome you back to NETS Pod with Sarahoustock.
I'm Sarahustock and I'm excited. I got an extraordinary guest,
Noah Clowney, thrilled to be here with you for a
variety of reasons. I got so many questions. You just
had an amazing documentary that the NETS Incredible Content team
put together, just describing your background, your journey, you getting
(00:21):
to this point, the twenty first overall pick by the NETS.
You're here in your third year in the NBA. But
I want you to take me back, take me back back,
because watching that documentary, thinking about you growing up, when
did you first realize you were smart?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And I always knew I was kind of smart, like
like when I was a kid, I was I knew
I was smarter than my peers for the most part,
a lot of them, and so I knew it, but
I didn't want to be arrogant nobody, so I kind
of just I knew it. Teacher knew it, I'm gona
knew it, but I didn't. I didn't want to be arrogant,
(00:59):
so I just kind of did the normal stuff into
Eventually they start giving me excess work and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Excess work. I feel like we see you do a
lot of access work. We're gonna get to where you're
at at this point in your career. But with that
being said, and whether it was school work, whether it
was sports, whatever, when was the first time you felt
like you faced a challenge in how you figured out
how to handle overcoming a challenge.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I'm not gonna lie everything. A lot of things always
came easy to me. My first three and main struggles
I probably faced in life was the first was in baseball.
I used to strike out and I used to get
so frustrated, We're yeah, helpman, after the helmet at the bath,
(01:52):
the helmet. After that, it was pre Call. When I
got the pre Cat, that was probably the first class
I ever took where I really had to like sit
down and study and like lock in. So I did
not fail. I think I finished with a be barely.
But I also think the style that we were teaching
that class was different than what I was used to
cause I did Montosori all the way through eighth grade,
(02:15):
I mean sixth seventh grade, uh one of them. And
then when I got to high school, these ordinary class
settings were strange to me, almost like I'd never been
in a setting like that. And then after that, probably
when I got to the league, like in Cottage, when
I was hooping like it was natural, I just play hard.
N it just came to me in the league, you r,
I really had to like sit down and work on
(02:37):
my game to try to compete with these people.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So, so you bring up baseball. I'm curious. You played
all different sports, right, a lot of them. When when
did you realize that basketball was gonna be the one that.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
You would stick with. I thought it'd be baseball, truthfully,
But again I say, I sent the bandcage, I hit
the foul ball up it my nose, and I never
picked up a bat again. Well, I went to bat
and cage at like a frankiees one part?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Have you recently? Can you still? Do you think you
can still swing? Have you ever taken VP at any
Do we need to get you out of nets er
Yankees or something?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You can go somewhere. I mean, I probably not hitting
nothing over sixty miles POW or no more, but I
might can't. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna pin that. We're gonna
see if we get it. We can get that going.
But why basketball was it? Was it the talent? Was
it the instincts? When did you feel like you first
fell in love with playing the game?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Probably at first I just played it just to like
play it was cool. Probably my tenth grade year going
into my eleventh grade year, after I we had one
state and then my eleventh grade year and I'm sorry,
my eleventh grade year going into the twelfth grade year,
we had lost state this year, and you know, I
went into the AU season. This is the first time
(03:55):
I ever like again working on my game like outside
of practice, Like I just go to practice and that
would be it. And this is the first time I
was like doing personal workouts with my coaches things like that.
And so I ended up doing that and I started
to realize, like I enjoyed the process of getting better,
and then the AAU season hitting out, I seen myself
progressing through there, and Uh, that's probably when they really
(04:17):
like locked in from me.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Describe describe uh high school obviously going to over to
Dormant and just what it was like for you managing
not just the basketball part of it, but overall where
you felt like you were learning your personality and what
it was like not only to be a part of
the team, but how you were growing as a young
(04:40):
man as well.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Mum, Dormant was tough. Uh, my first year, I don't
got no friends there. My pot and the cam we
grew up together, we did like middle school stuff together,
elementary and so when we got he transferred to Dorman
the year before, so he was literally the only person
I knew there. And then uh one of my friend's
mom was the assistant principal, so I would be around
her a lot, and then was the only two people
(05:03):
I knew at the school. And uh S one of
my teammates. I actually played with him when I was
real little. We played flag football together and stuff like that.
But other than that, I didn't know nobody. I didn't
talk to nobody. I literally went to class, went to
her office, went to lunch, went through the whole day
with talking to nobody like So that was probably tougher
(05:24):
than the basketball transfer for me. And it's so much
I won't say bigger, but like at my old school,
I knew who everybody was and most people knew who
I was, so it was like s normal there. I'm
just this big new kid who just showed up and
don't nobody know who he is. So it was different, uncomfortable,
but we got through it.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
M looking back, what did you learn about yourself during
that time?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I don't really like like being around a lot of people.
That was probably the main part, Like people that I
don't know. Once I get comfortable with people, I'm cool,
like I'm calm Colick. But back then I really didn't
like I felt like people was always watching me and
people was talking about me, and I didn't know what
people were saying about me, and I cared too much
about people what people thought of me at the time,
(06:14):
and so I think that's what really was the issue.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
When do you feel like that shifted that, Chane, cause
I obviously think about where you're at right now, the
attention that you get going to Alabama, getting in the league,
When do you feel like that maybe shifted your mindset
comfort level?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
When I got to the league at Bama, like bad game,
good game. You know, them fans are gonna be they
f there for you. They go to this school, they
want they want to see Bama wins. So it was
always great there. When you get to the league, it's
a lot more criticism a lot more critiques early on.
My first summer league was terrible, horrible, and I used
(06:54):
to I used to be on Twitter, and I used
to get on Twitter and wanna see what people were
saying about me on there and stuff like that. And
you know, at first, I used to I used to
let the positive, the positives be like, yeah, I'm doing great,
and then the negatives would just throwing me off so much.
But then I, I don't really care no more. I
had to realize a lot of people that are on
the app. I can make a Twitter account right now
(07:17):
and critique somebody who plays tennis, and I ain't never
played tennis a day in my life, So I I
just stopped getting on there. It's a lot of mean
people on there too, so I just stay out the way.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
That's a very smart, very smart w W. How do
you deal with a bad game or for what you
feel like if you've played a bad game? What's w
what is Noah clowney like post game? Next days? How
do you kind of overcome that?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I used to be real hard on myself, but I
learned to take my wins. To be honest, I I
I shifted my mind even from the beginning of this,
either I shifted my mindset away from what I expect
myself to do in the game to just playing hard,
being aggressive and taking what what comes with it, whatever
it is, playing the right way versus trying to alright, know,
(08:05):
you need to get this, you need to average this,
or you need to average that. I just I stop caring.
I don't look at my percentages. I don't look at
the numbers. I do what the coach is asking. Whatever
the results so they are. Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Speaking of your coach, Jordi Fernandez, you had an awesome
exchange when you guys were doing the questions after the
documentary and he asked you about the issues with being
a perfectionist, and you said, it's not issues with I
should get you make sure I get you right. It's
not an issue. It's how you handle when you don't
get the perfection that you're seeking. I agree, Uh, one,
(08:41):
that's beautiful. I love that perspective. I need to write
that down. I'm gonna have that written down in my notes.
But to how how have you and how do you
learn how to handle that?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
To be honest, it's tough, Like you don't imagine you're
seeking to do something over, run over, and you fail
over and over, like you gonna you gonna get tired
of fail and eventually so for me, it was more
or less like I want perfection, but I I look
at my game and bits and pieces I do something well,
and I might do something that else that wasn't so
(09:15):
great that night, And I just tried to take all
the positives of what I did do good and piece
it together and get a full game the next time.
And it's all I can do for I don't know
what game we are, like sixteen, seventeen, seventy more games
I have him anymore we got and just do it
over and over? What? Uh?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
What have you learned most from Jordy and just the
relationship that you have with him as a coach and
and what he's brought to you into this team?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
If I learned most from probably like from him and
the rest of the coaching stuff as well, like the
if I can stay out of my own head, like
that's been the main thing they can keep me out
of my own head, Cause I look at when I'm
not performing, I look at it as if I'm letting
my team down, Whereas I feel like my teammates don't
(10:02):
even look at it like that. They just like would
rather be just keep hooping and not be out of
the game and stuff like that. And so the main
thing I say I probably took away from especially this
year was just like not getting my own heit about anything.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
You've been hooping this year. It's been fun to watch.
I know there's a lot more to come. Uh, but
when you think about this year and just the the
perspective you've come in, with the growth that you've had
on the floor, off the floor, w what is your
three teaching you about who you are as a player.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I think I'm a lot more capable than I realize
a lot of times. And I think over the summer,
I explored a lot more into my game. And I
think even doing it in the summer, when you gotta
do it against in different teams and different schemes and
people who are preparing for it, it's a lot. It's
completely different. With that being said, I think I'm capable.
(10:59):
I just do what I can and try to be aggressive.
And like I said, the main thing like bits and pieces,
like if I rebounded good this game, let's carry that over.
I defend it well this game, Let's carry that over
and to add more like stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
W what's the biggest thing that surprised you coming in
to the NBA?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Surprise me? Yeah, how good people are, Like you don't
realize how good people are into you're here, Like you
look at it, you like okay, like and I think
being young in that perspective I had, it's like, Okay,
I'm a first round pick, Like when I get here,
(11:38):
I should be like, I mean better than other people
that's here, and that they weren't first round piece. They
might when they're drafted, but they you don't really underr
You don't realize how good people are until you really
get here. How strong people are, how fast I d
how people can think the game, make you do what
they want you to do based on how they play,
Like you don't realize how good they runto you here.
(11:59):
That's probably the biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
What would you go back and tell your your rookie
self once you got in the league, if you can
give yourself a piece of advice during that year rookie.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Year, Yeah, do some ball handling their song, but nah,
for real, I needed to my rookie year. I think
I was in the good head space. I was just
I didn't have expectations for myself. I knew my my
summer league was terrible, so like I knew I could
only go up from there. So like I had no
(12:29):
expectations for myself. I didn't get stressed. I didn't. I
ain't really like overthink it. So my rookie year, I
think if I had told him anything, just to stay
sane for what's to come.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Take me back to draft night? What what was What
was that like for you that whole I think about
the realization of a dream you had been working for.
I guess that actually before we get the draft night,
when did the NBA become a reality and a goal
of as opposed to just this long term dream or
(13:03):
was it always something that you knew was going to
be a part of your story.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So to be honest, I used to tell my mom,
I'm going to play in the NBA, and she'd always
get mad cause they do the career day and then
you know, they had you take this little test with
the algorithm. You know, maybe you like sports science, or
maybe you'll be a math teacher, like all different types
of things and just give you options of careers. And
I was like when I took it, they would get
upset with me because I would never take it with
(13:30):
the intent of, like I honestly, I'm taking this test
to get it over and I'm just spamming answers because
I don't I know what I wanna do. And my
mom used to always tell me, like, when I get
to calls, I need to have an idea what I
wanna do, cause basketball is the backup plan. That she
said it. But I always had the confidence that I
was gonna get here. Now I portrayed that confidence to her,
(13:51):
but in my own head, I didn't know if I
was gonna make it here, to be honest, especially with
like high school. You know, I wasn't ranked. Uh, I
didn't get ranked to like my last year. I barely
snuck in there, stuff like that. I I was a
late bloomer, very late bloomer, and so at times I
didn't think I would. But anyway, leading up to what'd
(14:14):
you say, Draft night?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Draft night?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Draft night, we get there. You know, I know I'm
gonna get drafted. I well, though I don't know that
I was hoping I did, but I I got an
invite to the green room, so office were after draft
you know, i'm'a go on stage and shake his hand whatnot,
But it was it was it was different, like you
(14:36):
know what's happening before it's happening too, cause what they
do is the cameras gotta come to you before the
the timer finishes, because I mean, obviously it's all televised
as TV. So you see all the cameras coming to her.
She's like, oh, like, it's my turn, like and then
call your name, walk up there a lot of camera flashes.
What is fun?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Now? It was?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Is it emotional?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I wasn't a emotional like that's tough. Was it emotional? Somewhat?
But like I wasn't Like I was more just geeked up,
like I was happy, like excited, like it actually happened
type of emotion.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
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(15:38):
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Speaker 1 (15:45):
Slash nets insider jacket, you had what sixty.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Eight, sixty eight overlooked, overlooked COMMA six days something like that.
I think I was. The sixty eight is the highest
I got on any rankings anywhere. I think overall. I
don't know what my net rankings were, but I barely
got to that high. It just was because of the
top one hundred camp. But yeah, I put that in
(16:12):
there as a reminder. Still got that jacket to this day.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Do you try and hold onto things that they keep
a little bit of a chip on your shoulder or
that motivate you in a different way?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
To be honest, me seeing my documentary again and talking
about how everybody said I got a chip on my shoulder,
I felt like I had low KEI like relaxed a
little bit, and they kind of got me back into
a drive of like you gotta I gotta get that back.
Seeing myself on the camera and everybody saying what they
said about me, but yeah, I'm trying to keep that chip.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Now, what did you know about Brooklyn in the Nets,
in the organization and just coming here and understanding what
this was all about and the part that you would
play and in what this team is.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Like before I got here, like my first year, Oh,
before I got to Brooklyn, I do nothing about Brooklyn.
I do nothing about the Nets. So I didn't I
didn't watch pro basketball for real, like until I got
here a rookie year, I didn't really know I was.
I was very like I said I was. I was
just here for the ride along, like I was a rookie.
I was just trying to, you know, keep my head,
(17:19):
who do whatever I'm asked to do. And it's a
new environment, like you don't understand what can I do here?
What can I not do here? What's acceptable? It's not acceptible?
Like like it's been times like say, it's we in
practice and I'm getting into it with somebody like do
I gotta back away from this cause I'm a rookie.
While I get in trouble with a lot, I don't
know what the outcome is of this. So it's like
(17:41):
things like that. And then by my second year, you
know they had they had voiced in me and voiceding
my agents, like they want they want me to be
a part of what's what's to come here, and they
were invested, and so I'm doing my best to make
their investment worth their time.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Does it feel like, I, I know you're you're twenty one,
but you're here in your third year. This is a
young team.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, do you?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Is there almost a a leadership component, a veteran component,
a the part that you have been in this organization
that feels like you're you're older and have more responsibilities
and than what one may anticipate.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Absolutely, I really don't feel like like I know, I'm
twenty one, but I don't be I'd be forgetting truly
that I got here when I was with I got
drafted at eighteen, I think, or yeah, eighteen played nineteen,
so like to be honest, I forget until I realize
like how young the other guys are around us, and
(18:41):
I'd be like, yeah, like I was just there, but
I talked to him all the time. They're actually a
lot they're very intellectual. I think everybody drafted this year
is actually like very intellectual, Like they think they think
before they speak type intellectual like, but I can appreciate that.
(19:01):
I like, you know what I'm saying, Like smart people.
I can see when people are processing things, how they
process things, stuff like that. But have you.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Always processed basketball the ways in what you process other things?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
No, Basketball, The best thing for me is to get
so many reps and what the process should be to
where I don't have to process nothing. It's just instincts.
That's I think that's the best way for me at least.
But I I can, like I process things whereas if
I see they're playing something one way, I'll adjust the
next time. Things like that. But like I try to
(19:36):
just be so repid so much to words instinctual and
in the rest of my life. Nah, I'm I think
a lot. I'm very I like boards like I like boards,
I like pros, I like cons. I like to know
what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
See you're right y, You're you're mapping out.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, I gotta see. Like, if I'm gonna make a decision,
I want to make that decision knowing I made this
decision and this is what's gonna come with that decision,
versus just making the decision and Yeah, like I make
some sporadic decisions. I think everybody does.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But I thought out, I like this, what's the game
day routine?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Game day routine depends on the game. If it's shoot around,
put up to shoot around, eat after, go home, take
a nap.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Are you superstitious?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Nah? Not really. I like popcorn. I eat popcorn on
game days before or after before.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, any butter? What is there a certain type of popcorn?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Nah, skinny pop, kettle corn, butter, whatever's nearby.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Okay, okay, last question for you. I know your your
plan B was being an NBA player, But if Noah
Clowney was not playing in the NBA right now, what
would you be doing?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Mental health counseling? And i'm'a still do it. I'm uh
still in school right now. I didn't do good this
semester cause I started stressing in the beginning of the season.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
But is this online courses?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Is this a ready online? I still take online classes
at Alabama. Wow, well, I take one every so often.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
So you're what's your major?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Uh, Psychology? I think it might've just got changed over
to human development for the sake of the online programs
being a little simpler. Okay, but it's something around there.
But i'm'a end up doing mental health counseling. I'm probably
open my firm. When so I said and.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Die, we well, we'll all be waiting. You're ready, know what.
We appreciate your time, appreciate you look forward to to
continuing to watch you on the court, off the court.
And this has been another edition of Next Pot with
Sarah Coustack. Remember you can't subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts,
and lock in to the next YouTube channel and watch
the amazing documentary.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I know it's as well.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
We'll see next time.
When you welcome you back to NETS Pod with Sarahoustock.
I'm Sarahustock and I'm excited. I got an extraordinary guest,
Noah Clowney, thrilled to be here with you for a
variety of reasons. I got so many questions. You just
had an amazing documentary that the NETS Incredible Content team
put together, just describing your background, your journey, you getting
(00:21):
to this point, the twenty first overall pick by the NETS.
You're here in your third year in the NBA. But
I want you to take me back, take me back back,
because watching that documentary, thinking about you growing up, when
did you first realize you were smart?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And I always knew I was kind of smart, like
like when I was a kid, I was I knew
I was smarter than my peers for the most part,
a lot of them, and so I knew it, but
I didn't want to be arrogant nobody, so I kind
of just I knew it. Teacher knew it, I'm gona
knew it, but I didn't. I didn't want to be arrogant,
(00:59):
so I just kind of did the normal stuff into
Eventually they start giving me excess work and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Excess work. I feel like we see you do a
lot of access work. We're gonna get to where you're
at at this point in your career. But with that
being said, and whether it was school work, whether it
was sports, whatever, when was the first time you felt
like you faced a challenge in how you figured out
how to handle overcoming a challenge.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I'm not gonna lie everything. A lot of things always
came easy to me. My first three and main struggles
I probably faced in life was the first was in baseball.
I used to strike out and I used to get
so frustrated, We're yeah, helpman, after the helmet at the bath,
(01:52):
the helmet. After that, it was pre Call. When I
got the pre Cat, that was probably the first class
I ever took where I really had to like sit
down and study and like lock in. So I did
not fail. I think I finished with a be barely.
But I also think the style that we were teaching
that class was different than what I was used to
cause I did Montosori all the way through eighth grade,
(02:15):
I mean sixth seventh grade, uh one of them. And
then when I got to high school, these ordinary class
settings were strange to me, almost like I'd never been
in a setting like that. And then after that, probably
when I got to the league, like in Cottage, when
I was hooping like it was natural, I just play hard.
N it just came to me in the league, you r,
I really had to like sit down and work on
(02:37):
my game to try to compete with these people.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So, so you bring up baseball. I'm curious. You played
all different sports, right, a lot of them. When when
did you realize that basketball was gonna be the one that.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
You would stick with. I thought it'd be baseball, truthfully,
But again I say, I sent the bandcage, I hit
the foul ball up it my nose, and I never
picked up a bat again. Well, I went to bat
and cage at like a frankiees one part?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Have you recently? Can you still? Do you think you
can still swing? Have you ever taken VP at any
Do we need to get you out of nets er
Yankees or something?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You can go somewhere. I mean, I probably not hitting
nothing over sixty miles POW or no more, but I
might can't. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna pin that. We're gonna
see if we get it. We can get that going.
But why basketball was it? Was it the talent? Was
it the instincts? When did you feel like you first
fell in love with playing the game?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Probably at first I just played it just to like
play it was cool. Probably my tenth grade year going
into my eleventh grade year, after I we had one
state and then my eleventh grade year and I'm sorry,
my eleventh grade year going into the twelfth grade year,
we had lost state this year, and you know, I
went into the AU season. This is the first time
(03:55):
I ever like again working on my game like outside
of practice, Like I just go to practice and that
would be it. And this is the first time I
was like doing personal workouts with my coaches things like that.
And so I ended up doing that and I started
to realize, like I enjoyed the process of getting better,
and then the AAU season hitting out, I seen myself
progressing through there, and Uh, that's probably when they really
(04:17):
like locked in from me.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Describe describe uh high school obviously going to over to
Dormant and just what it was like for you managing
not just the basketball part of it, but overall where
you felt like you were learning your personality and what
it was like not only to be a part of
the team, but how you were growing as a young
(04:40):
man as well.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Mum, Dormant was tough. Uh, my first year, I don't
got no friends there. My pot and the cam we
grew up together, we did like middle school stuff together,
elementary and so when we got he transferred to Dorman
the year before, so he was literally the only person
I knew there. And then uh one of my friend's
mom was the assistant principal, so I would be around
her a lot, and then was the only two people
(05:03):
I knew at the school. And uh S one of
my teammates. I actually played with him when I was
real little. We played flag football together and stuff like that.
But other than that, I didn't know nobody. I didn't
talk to nobody. I literally went to class, went to
her office, went to lunch, went through the whole day
with talking to nobody like So that was probably tougher
(05:24):
than the basketball transfer for me. And it's so much
I won't say bigger, but like at my old school,
I knew who everybody was and most people knew who
I was, so it was like s normal there. I'm
just this big new kid who just showed up and
don't nobody know who he is. So it was different, uncomfortable,
but we got through it.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
M looking back, what did you learn about yourself during
that time?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I don't really like like being around a lot of people.
That was probably the main part, Like people that I
don't know. Once I get comfortable with people, I'm cool,
like I'm calm Colick. But back then I really didn't
like I felt like people was always watching me and
people was talking about me, and I didn't know what
people were saying about me, and I cared too much
about people what people thought of me at the time,
(06:14):
and so I think that's what really was the issue.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
When do you feel like that shifted that, Chane, cause
I obviously think about where you're at right now, the
attention that you get going to Alabama, getting in the league,
When do you feel like that maybe shifted your mindset
comfort level?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
When I got to the league at Bama, like bad game,
good game. You know, them fans are gonna be they
f there for you. They go to this school, they
want they want to see Bama wins. So it was
always great there. When you get to the league, it's
a lot more criticism a lot more critiques early on.
My first summer league was terrible, horrible, and I used
(06:54):
to I used to be on Twitter, and I used
to get on Twitter and wanna see what people were
saying about me on there and stuff like that. And
you know, at first, I used to I used to
let the positive, the positives be like, yeah, I'm doing great,
and then the negatives would just throwing me off so much.
But then I, I don't really care no more. I
had to realize a lot of people that are on
the app. I can make a Twitter account right now
(07:17):
and critique somebody who plays tennis, and I ain't never
played tennis a day in my life, So I I
just stopped getting on there. It's a lot of mean
people on there too, so I just stay out the way.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
That's a very smart, very smart w W. How do
you deal with a bad game or for what you
feel like if you've played a bad game? What's w
what is Noah clowney like post game? Next days? How
do you kind of overcome that?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I used to be real hard on myself, but I
learned to take my wins. To be honest, I I
I shifted my mind even from the beginning of this,
either I shifted my mindset away from what I expect
myself to do in the game to just playing hard,
being aggressive and taking what what comes with it, whatever
it is, playing the right way versus trying to alright, know,
(08:05):
you need to get this, you need to average this,
or you need to average that. I just I stop caring.
I don't look at my percentages. I don't look at
the numbers. I do what the coach is asking. Whatever
the results so they are. Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Speaking of your coach, Jordi Fernandez, you had an awesome
exchange when you guys were doing the questions after the
documentary and he asked you about the issues with being
a perfectionist, and you said, it's not issues with I
should get you make sure I get you right. It's
not an issue. It's how you handle when you don't
get the perfection that you're seeking. I agree, Uh, one,
(08:41):
that's beautiful. I love that perspective. I need to write
that down. I'm gonna have that written down in my notes.
But to how how have you and how do you
learn how to handle that?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
To be honest, it's tough, Like you don't imagine you're
seeking to do something over, run over, and you fail
over and over, like you gonna you gonna get tired
of fail and eventually so for me, it was more
or less like I want perfection, but I I look
at my game and bits and pieces I do something well,
and I might do something that else that wasn't so
(09:15):
great that night, And I just tried to take all
the positives of what I did do good and piece
it together and get a full game the next time.
And it's all I can do for I don't know
what game we are, like sixteen, seventeen, seventy more games
I have him anymore we got and just do it
over and over? What? Uh?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
What have you learned most from Jordy and just the
relationship that you have with him as a coach and
and what he's brought to you into this team?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
If I learned most from probably like from him and
the rest of the coaching stuff as well, like the
if I can stay out of my own head, like
that's been the main thing they can keep me out
of my own head, Cause I look at when I'm
not performing, I look at it as if I'm letting
my team down, Whereas I feel like my teammates don't
(10:02):
even look at it like that. They just like would
rather be just keep hooping and not be out of
the game and stuff like that. And so the main
thing I say I probably took away from especially this
year was just like not getting my own heit about anything.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
You've been hooping this year. It's been fun to watch.
I know there's a lot more to come. Uh, but
when you think about this year and just the the
perspective you've come in, with the growth that you've had
on the floor, off the floor, w what is your
three teaching you about who you are as a player.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I think I'm a lot more capable than I realize
a lot of times. And I think over the summer,
I explored a lot more into my game. And I
think even doing it in the summer, when you gotta
do it against in different teams and different schemes and
people who are preparing for it, it's a lot. It's
completely different. With that being said, I think I'm capable.
(10:59):
I just do what I can and try to be aggressive.
And like I said, the main thing like bits and pieces,
like if I rebounded good this game, let's carry that over.
I defend it well this game, Let's carry that over
and to add more like stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
W what's the biggest thing that surprised you coming in
to the NBA?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Surprise me? Yeah, how good people are, Like you don't
realize how good people are into you're here, Like you
look at it, you like okay, like and I think
being young in that perspective I had, it's like, Okay,
I'm a first round pick, Like when I get here,
(11:38):
I should be like, I mean better than other people
that's here, and that they weren't first round piece. They
might when they're drafted, but they you don't really underr
You don't realize how good people are until you really
get here. How strong people are, how fast I d
how people can think the game, make you do what
they want you to do based on how they play,
Like you don't realize how good they runto you here.
(11:59):
That's probably the biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
What would you go back and tell your your rookie
self once you got in the league, if you can
give yourself a piece of advice during that year rookie.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Year, Yeah, do some ball handling their song, but nah,
for real, I needed to my rookie year. I think
I was in the good head space. I was just
I didn't have expectations for myself. I knew my my
summer league was terrible, so like I knew I could
only go up from there. So like I had no
(12:29):
expectations for myself. I didn't get stressed. I didn't. I
ain't really like overthink it. So my rookie year, I
think if I had told him anything, just to stay
sane for what's to come.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Take me back to draft night? What what was What
was that like for you that whole I think about
the realization of a dream you had been working for.
I guess that actually before we get the draft night,
when did the NBA become a reality and a goal
of as opposed to just this long term dream or
(13:03):
was it always something that you knew was going to
be a part of your story.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
So to be honest, I used to tell my mom,
I'm going to play in the NBA, and she'd always
get mad cause they do the career day and then
you know, they had you take this little test with
the algorithm. You know, maybe you like sports science, or
maybe you'll be a math teacher, like all different types
of things and just give you options of careers. And
I was like when I took it, they would get
upset with me because I would never take it with
(13:30):
the intent of, like I honestly, I'm taking this test
to get it over and I'm just spamming answers because
I don't I know what I wanna do. And my
mom used to always tell me, like, when I get
to calls, I need to have an idea what I
wanna do, cause basketball is the backup plan. That she
said it. But I always had the confidence that I
was gonna get here. Now I portrayed that confidence to her,
(13:51):
but in my own head, I didn't know if I
was gonna make it here, to be honest, especially with
like high school. You know, I wasn't ranked. Uh, I
didn't get ranked to like my last year. I barely
snuck in there, stuff like that. I I was a
late bloomer, very late bloomer, and so at times I
didn't think I would. But anyway, leading up to what'd
(14:14):
you say, Draft night?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Draft night?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Draft night, we get there. You know, I know I'm
gonna get drafted. I well, though I don't know that
I was hoping I did, but I I got an
invite to the green room, so office were after draft
you know, i'm'a go on stage and shake his hand whatnot,
But it was it was it was different, like you
(14:36):
know what's happening before it's happening too, cause what they
do is the cameras gotta come to you before the
the timer finishes, because I mean, obviously it's all televised
as TV. So you see all the cameras coming to her.
She's like, oh, like, it's my turn, like and then
call your name, walk up there a lot of camera flashes.
What is fun?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Now? It was?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Is it emotional?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I wasn't a emotional like that's tough. Was it emotional? Somewhat?
But like I wasn't Like I was more just geeked up,
like I was happy, like excited, like it actually happened
type of emotion.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
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the next game, and get next tickets at Ticketmaster, even
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(15:38):
your back when it comes to scoring tickets, and there's
no better brag than saying you saw it live. Get
tickets at ticketmaster dot com.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Slash nets insider jacket, you had what sixty.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Eight, sixty eight overlooked, overlooked COMMA six days something like that.
I think I was. The sixty eight is the highest
I got on any rankings anywhere. I think overall. I
don't know what my net rankings were, but I barely
got to that high. It just was because of the
top one hundred camp. But yeah, I put that in
(16:12):
there as a reminder. Still got that jacket to this day.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Do you try and hold onto things that they keep
a little bit of a chip on your shoulder or
that motivate you in a different way?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
To be honest, me seeing my documentary again and talking
about how everybody said I got a chip on my shoulder,
I felt like I had low KEI like relaxed a
little bit, and they kind of got me back into
a drive of like you gotta I gotta get that back.
Seeing myself on the camera and everybody saying what they
said about me, but yeah, I'm trying to keep that chip.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Now, what did you know about Brooklyn in the Nets,
in the organization and just coming here and understanding what
this was all about and the part that you would
play and in what this team is.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Like before I got here, like my first year, Oh,
before I got to Brooklyn, I do nothing about Brooklyn.
I do nothing about the Nets. So I didn't I
didn't watch pro basketball for real, like until I got
here a rookie year, I didn't really know I was.
I was very like I said I was. I was
just here for the ride along, like I was a rookie.
I was just trying to, you know, keep my head,
(17:19):
who do whatever I'm asked to do. And it's a
new environment, like you don't understand what can I do here?
What can I not do here? What's acceptable? It's not acceptible?
Like like it's been times like say, it's we in
practice and I'm getting into it with somebody like do
I gotta back away from this cause I'm a rookie.
While I get in trouble with a lot, I don't
know what the outcome is of this. So it's like
(17:41):
things like that. And then by my second year, you
know they had they had voiced in me and voiceding
my agents, like they want they want me to be
a part of what's what's to come here, and they
were invested, and so I'm doing my best to make
their investment worth their time.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Does it feel like, I, I know you're you're twenty one,
but you're here in your third year. This is a
young team.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, do you?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Is there almost a a leadership component, a veteran component,
a the part that you have been in this organization
that feels like you're you're older and have more responsibilities
and than what one may anticipate.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Absolutely, I really don't feel like like I know, I'm
twenty one, but I don't be I'd be forgetting truly
that I got here when I was with I got
drafted at eighteen, I think, or yeah, eighteen played nineteen,
so like to be honest, I forget until I realize
like how young the other guys are around us, and
(18:41):
I'd be like, yeah, like I was just there, but
I talked to him all the time. They're actually a
lot they're very intellectual. I think everybody drafted this year
is actually like very intellectual, Like they think they think
before they speak type intellectual like, but I can appreciate that.
(19:01):
I like, you know what I'm saying, Like smart people.
I can see when people are processing things, how they
process things, stuff like that. But have you.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Always processed basketball the ways in what you process other things?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
No, Basketball, The best thing for me is to get
so many reps and what the process should be to
where I don't have to process nothing. It's just instincts.
That's I think that's the best way for me at least.
But I I can, like I process things whereas if
I see they're playing something one way, I'll adjust the
next time. Things like that. But like I try to
(19:36):
just be so repid so much to words instinctual and
in the rest of my life. Nah, I'm I think
a lot. I'm very I like boards like I like boards,
I like pros, I like cons. I like to know
what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
See you're right y, You're you're mapping out.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, I gotta see. Like, if I'm gonna make a decision,
I want to make that decision knowing I made this
decision and this is what's gonna come with that decision,
versus just making the decision and Yeah, like I make
some sporadic decisions. I think everybody does.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But I thought out, I like this, what's the game
day routine?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Game day routine depends on the game. If it's shoot around,
put up to shoot around, eat after, go home, take
a nap.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Are you superstitious?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Nah? Not really. I like popcorn. I eat popcorn on
game days before or after before.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, any butter? What is there a certain type of popcorn?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Nah, skinny pop, kettle corn, butter, whatever's nearby.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Okay, okay, last question for you. I know your your
plan B was being an NBA player, But if Noah
Clowney was not playing in the NBA right now, what
would you be doing?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Mental health counseling? And i'm'a still do it. I'm uh
still in school right now. I didn't do good this
semester cause I started stressing in the beginning of the season.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
But is this online courses?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Is this a ready online? I still take online classes
at Alabama. Wow, well, I take one every so often.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
So you're what's your major?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Uh, Psychology? I think it might've just got changed over
to human development for the sake of the online programs
being a little simpler. Okay, but it's something around there.
But i'm'a end up doing mental health counseling. I'm probably
open my firm. When so I said and.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Die, we well, we'll all be waiting. You're ready, know what.
We appreciate your time, appreciate you look forward to to
continuing to watch you on the court, off the court.
And this has been another edition of Next Pot with
Sarah Coustack. Remember you can't subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts,
and lock in to the next YouTube channel and watch
the amazing documentary.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I know it's as well.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
We'll see next time.
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