Gottlieb – All Ball - Final Rockets/Westbrook thoughts; KD's puzzling Nets choice; '99 NCAA champ Khalid Al-Amin on U Conn's title run

Subscribe here to the All Ball with Doug Gottlieb Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-ball-with-doug-gottlieb/id1358843497?mt=2.  This week, Gottlieb gives his final thoughts after having time to digest the Russell Westbrook/Rockets trade, and explains why KD's reason for choosing the Nets was puzzling. This week Doug's guest, U Conn NCAA tournament legend Khalid Al-Amin discusses his basketball background and his unforgettable NCAA Tournament run. Download, rate and subscribe here to get the latest All Ball Podcasts:

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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that wrestling was one hundred percent reel. Listen to the
Michael Duda podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, what up, Welcome in.

(01:27):
I'm Doug Gottlieb and you are listening to All Ball
and I feel like this is the beginning of the
summer series. Last year we had Scott Brooks for two episodes,
Jay Bills for two episodes, and you know, summer without
a ton of things changing during the offseason really gives
us usually a greater chance to delve into people's lives,

(01:49):
and we'll continue to do so. So if there's somebody
you'd like me to have a conversation with in college, pro,
high school basketball, international ball. I have some friends who
have already committed to joining us. Hey, man, just give
me a call in when hit me up. At Gottlieb
Show is the Twitter handle, and of course at gotlib
Show is also the IG handle. I don't know if
it's a handle on ig or not. Anyway, and I'm

(02:13):
told I have to tell you. You can listen to
Doug Gotlib Show daily on Fox Sports Radio from three
to six Eastern or twelve to three Pacific. You can listen,
you can download that podcast, or you can listen on
the iHeartRadio app or on your Fox Sports radio affiliate.
We're also on Sirius XM. I think one is two
h three and the other one is two seventeen. Two

(02:33):
seventeen I know is the one. It's like the Dan
Patrick station. That's the station that we're on, not the
Fox Sports Radio station. Anyway, We're like a couple days
removed now from the Russell Westbrook Chris Paul trade. We
did talk about it on last week's All Ball, kind
of the immediate reaction, and now that I've had a
chance to catch my breath, I do sincerely believe that

(02:56):
the Rockets they got a better athlete, a guy who's
closer to his prime, and I do think there's a
little bit of immediate bump. On the other hand, you
have a lame duck head coach, a player who is
challenging a coach. I didn't say Russell Westbrook is not coachable,
but he challenges you. And while Harden and Westbrook are

(03:16):
better friends and have been longtime friends as opposed to
Chris Paul and James Harden, which was kind of like
an arranged marriage, they're both people that have been through
multiple marriages, both coaches and players alike, and so ultimately
I don't see it ending in a championship. I feel
like this is part of the undue pressure put on
by Tilman Fatita that he wants to win, and he

(03:37):
wants to win now, and he doesn't have the patience
to see it kind of quietly and smartly evolve as
the Warriors fell apart, and look, it's fair to say
the rest of the West has gotten better. I think
the Jazz have gotten much better. I love the Grant
acquisition for the Denver Nuggets because the ability to play

(04:00):
small he's say so an athlete. He adds a ton
of value there. And I even like what Portland has. Portland,
you know, smartly you added a rim protector, shop blocker,
and you give because they'll eventually have a couple of centers.
You give the possibility of moving somebody here at midyear
if you think you can add one piece. And so

(04:21):
I look around and I like the Clippers and the
Lakers are pronouncedly better. Did the Rockets get that much better? No? Yes,
you take Oklahoma City out of any sort of playoff contention.
I'll also say this, I think Sam Presty did a
great job this apparently was the plan for next year.
If it didn't work this year, they were going to
blow it up next year, and Paul George walked in

(04:42):
and said, hey, I'm out, and so they sped up
the process. Look at the number of picks he got
in returned. I would expect him to somehow try and
get Chris Paul off the books. They'll probably take on
something on the books to this year and we'll see
how many of those draft picks they could maintain. This
is the way of the NBA Ohklohoma City. He has
known this for years, that signing a free agent is
really really hard, that you have to trade for guys,

(05:03):
you have to draft guys, and for the life of
their franchise, this is how they'll have to succeed is
to find ways to draft guys, trade for guys, and
keep guys as happy as they can as long as
they can. And now they're in rebuild mode. It's a
it's a life cycle. It's you'd much rather be bad,
to be really really good than to be mediocre and

(05:24):
to be super expensive, especially in that market, And so
I actually kind of understand it. I don't think though
the rockets they've gotten away from fit. Fit is everything
in this world. How you fit with your spouse, how
you fit with your neighborhood, how you fit with, how
your kids fit with how they're educated. When you go

(05:45):
and play in college, it's not necessarily about the school.
It's about fit right role, yes, but also are you
a guy that plays better when you play fast or
your point guard the places the ball in your hands.
I look at this and I'm like Harden and Westbrook
worked eight years ago because in the fourth quarter, Harden
was the point guard, Westbrook was the off guard, and
he was a great cutter. But since then they've both

(06:06):
beencome ball dominant guys, and that genie is hard to
put back in the bottle. And so I understand that
the Chris Paul and James Harden relationship probably had to end.
They weren't getting along, they didn't see eye to eye,
and I think Paul had to play ball screen offense,
and they couldn't do that when James Harden's on the court,

(06:26):
and Paul struggled to play with James Harden or to
get by his man on a one on one basis,
and Westbrook will not. But lame duck coach New assistant coaches,
guy who's shown to be tough to coach and a
low percentage, high volume three point shooter with the highest
volume three point shooting team in the league. I don't
see it ultimately ending up in a championship in Houston,

(06:46):
which is what they say they're all about. Be sure
to catch live editions of The Doug dot Leap Show
weekdays in newon Eastern three pm Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeart Radio app. All right, let me
let me take you to the East really quickly, because
I do think it's fascinating the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets
are a team that if you look on paper, I

(07:07):
mean last year they were like the Clip. They were
the Clippers of the East. Everybody loved their culture. People
like their coach, Guys cheered for each other. They were
a fun team. And I'll tell how many people took notice.
Kevin Durants even quoted as saying, like Sean Mark, he
committed to Sean Marks before they'd even said like hey
do you want like he was he was in so

(07:29):
apparently told Sean Marks I love watching him play. You
were never out of a game. You guys played for
each other. YadA YadA, YadA, but stick with me. Okay.
So Kyrie Irving is going to a franchise that emphasized
scoring point guards, had a great culture, had a young
coach to who everybody believed in, and seemed to only

(07:52):
be a star away from taking the next step. Doesn't
that feel like Boston? Kevin Durant is going to a
place that the team seems to play with great joy,
great passion, play for each other. Granted much more many
more ball screens than the Warrior, but it doesn't it
feel like both of these guys have been down this

(08:13):
road before. Remember, the Warriors had this unbelievable culture and
playing with joy before Kevin Durant got there. And Sean
Marx has even said, hey, we got to change some
of the way we play because we haven't had these
type of guys before. And oh yeah, by the way,
Then you factor in that Kyrie is going to try
and prove that he's a leader in the first year

(08:33):
where you don't have Kevin Durant. That could either help
him and hurt Durant. What if they have a great
season without Durant, then Durant comes back and they're not
as good, or what if Kyrie can't win and he
needs Kevin Durant to help him win. How does the
Zego handle that? Am I willing to believe that guys
can learn from their past mistakes? Of course? Of course
that's why we watched film, right, so you can learn

(08:54):
from the past mistakes and not make future ones. On
the other hand, and maybe most importantly, what's past this precedent? Right?
And in the past, both these guys have joined great
franchises that have had success without them. Remember the Celtics
went to the Eastern Conference Finals two consecutive years, both
without Kyrie Irving, and the Warriors had won a title,

(09:17):
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(12:15):
I want to I want to in weeks to come
discuss kind of the college landscape and the weird place
we're in college basketball where there's a lot of there's
a ton of talent, and there's guys that have been
passed over by the NBA. There's still good college but
is college basketball going to get swept up by people
thinking the G League is the new minor league system?

(12:36):
Or how does the new NBA draft rules which we
think are going to go into effect in a couple
of years, how does that affect the college landscape. Plus,
we also preview some of the teams we like, and
we'll continue to bring you great personalities and unbelievable stories
like this one. If you're of my age, slightly younger,
slightly over, you remember Khalide l Amine, star point guard,

(12:58):
grew up in Minneapolis, played a Yukon second round pick
of the Bulls. Then what happened to him? Now he's
doing some college basketball on TV works with kids as well.
His path is fascinating. His championship run or his championship game,
which he looks at looks at the camera and mouths
to it, we shocked the world is among the ten

(13:19):
greatest kind of postgame celebrations in Final four history. Let's
catch up with Khalid al Amine, his journey, his championship
and his pro career. Afterwards, we'll join my now by
Khalid al Amine, and I want to get to your
days a yukon your days in the NBA, your travels overseas,

(13:40):
and and talk about your your your broadcasting career. But
let let's start. Okay, you're originally from Minneapolis North High School.
I remember I saw you play in Vegas against Greedy Daniels.
Let's say I can't remember what high school gym was.
You two were the best two best high school player
and you destroyed Greedy Daniels. Was like this, dude, is

(14:01):
um when you grew up you grew up playing what
was the what was the first park that was your
spot where you first learned to be a basketball player.
Well it was a few parts, Doug. Actually, Um, it
was a North Commons Park, which is about five blocks
UH from my home, and we had another park called
Harrison Park, which is about three blocks in the other direction.

(14:23):
And so I was always playing outside. I was always
always affiliated with UH. I was doing basketball. That's what
we did back then, you know, in the early nineties
was play outside, you know. And and so you know
on the blacktop is where you hold your skills. You know,
you're competitive out there. You have guys talking crash. This
is how you're going up in broad up is use

(14:44):
me and and all of that experience helped me become
the man that I am today. But the ultimate players
that I was, that's the Robbinsdale area right of Minneapolis.
Is that my getting money, Well, it's a no, it's
hit minneapoliss right before you get to Robbinsdale, not too
far away from Robbinsdale. You know, uh Minnesota and Minneapolis

(15:05):
and the connected city that's around there. You know, it's
a real uh close type of of city or neighborhoods.
You have a lot of cities that's wiped next to
each other. As you drive through three minutes and you're
already in another city. It's a lot of cities right
there together mixed in together. But um, yeah, Robinsdale had
some good hoop, but Minneapolis is where it is that No.
And and when you were a kid, do you was you?

(15:27):
I think maybe you're in high school? You had that
Sam Jacobson team, Uh that had that had Bobby Jackson.
They had a squad that went to the final four.
Obviously the na stuff was that? Was that your squad?
Growing Were you like? Were you a you guy growing up?
Or did you like somebody else? Come on, I was
I was ruining gold all the way. Do you know
my family, my father, he brought our family from Chicago,

(15:51):
UM to Minneapolis in the seventies. Uh, you know, my
whole family from Chicago has set me. I was the
only child. I was born in Minneapolis, so i'm I
was born and raised here, and um, you know it's
a great city. Coming up, it wasn't known as a
basketball state so to speak. You know, I had to

(16:11):
get my name from or late eighties coming out of Minnesota.
Was very highly talented, I think, you know, being able
to score the ball, being able to put the ball
in the hole. Um, sort of different spots on the
court in different ways really helped me. Um nationally, and uh,
you know, I'm thankful for all the big time players

(16:33):
that came before me from Minneapolis, and uh, you know,
we will all meet at the y m. C A
will have open gym every night of the week from
seven to about eleven, and um, you know, I would
just like a sponge there. I was just young, this
guy playing with this older high and I think that's
where I home field. I was able to, you know,
see different styles was like and when it was very

(16:56):
important because there were so many guys and the gym
back then does that you know, you happen to move,
you might not see the court again that night, or
it'll be a few games before you get back on.
So priding yourself on winning and being smart was always
a part of my game and that's what raised me.
And I'm glad I had the opportunity to win like
I did because it was instilled in the early Yeah. Yeah,

(17:19):
it is interesting now how the guys played. Kids play
so many games with the AU teams that there isn't
the same kind of punishment of losing. All right, So
why did you go to UCA because Minnesota was on
probation right, Well, yes, that is one of the reasons.
And you guess you're right. Coming up, I was a
big you guy. Um. Of course all the Minnesota teams Vikings,

(17:41):
Simuls or Twins back then. But yes, I definitely love
to you and I would commit it to you as
an underclassman. Coach Clem Haskins, you know, I watched him
coach they're growing up, and you know, I was in
awe of him. What I happened. He came to see
me play. I got to meet him. You know, it's
a little bit star struck. And the deal was where
I wanted to go and and it seemed like, you know,

(18:03):
that was going to be my home. I committed to them,
like I said, as an underclassman, and um, you know,
as my time went on through high school, I was
able to go out to the ABCD camp and play
in the national camp. Um with the Kobe Bryants, the
Lamar Oldham um, you know, all the highly challenged, all

(18:23):
the best players in the country, and I one top underclassman.
I was able to win top underclassmen there. Uh as
going as going going into my sophomore year, and so
I had a teammate Lock Lloyd. Uh he's a big
time New York City guy. Yea, yep, Romel Lloyd Yep
and m He was on my same team at ABCD

(18:45):
and so you know, we got to play with each other,
got to know each other a little bit during that week,
and his point guard for a New York City, Gutows,
had got hurt during the camp, so he kind of
asked me to sittle in for him out in Vegas.
So I had the opportunity to think of it, does
a kid for Minneapolis Minnesota had an opportunity to go
on the on the summer circuit with a New York

(19:07):
City team that was on her back in nineteen ninety five.
So um, you know, I was always I was all in.
You know when he asked me, I asked my parents
if they were okay with it. So I had the
opportunity to travel with them and and to become, you know,
a New Yorker because I was always a hip hop
New York hip hop guy coming up. You know. Oh,

(19:28):
anyway you like New York hip hop, se West Coast
h was so much better. I used to remember, we
used to we used to go back some. My my
dad was a New Yorker. He grew up in the
Bronx and we used to go back every summer and
he would, you know, I'd go to I'd play at
all the different places that he played at. He'd like
when I was in high school, to get you to
sit there and wait all day, or he tried to

(19:49):
get me in a game or whatever. And I just
remember we put on a Hot ninety seven and I
wouldn't know any of the music, and I could. I
didn't like. I just didn't like East Coast hip hop
when I was a kid, such a different style than
what I was, what I was used to, all right.
So so so when you're in high school, was was
Minnesota on probation then? Or was it coming up my

(20:11):
my senior year? Uh, it's when everything broke when one
of the former recruits kind of you know, spilled the
being so to speak. And and and then that next
year would have been my freshman year coming in that
they would have got been on probation. So you know,
around that time, a little bit before that time, I
decided I wanted to you know, decommit from Minnesota. I

(20:33):
wanted to take my visits because you know, like I said,
I was traveling with the Gauchos. And then that next
summer I had got to play with the Long Island Panthers,
which Lamarrow old them um kareem uh uh premium myself
um Tamar Bill. So we had some big time New
York guys on that team, and I was just seeing

(20:54):
their recruiting process, how you know. I used to the
roommate was Lamar, and he was getting recruited by everybody, Doug,
I mean Fisher, Steve Fisher from Michigan back then, was
calling uh Tarkanian was calling uh every every school that
you could imagine was recruiting him. And I was kind
of getting, you know a little bit koby like wow,
I was, I got courted like that, a little big

(21:14):
you know. I once I would have waited do I
could have take you know, took some visits and got
to enjoy the recruiting process. So as a junior, I'm
going into my senior year. I committed and I was
able to take some visits and I went to Kansas,
I went to Georgetown, I took an inficial visit to Minnesota,
and then I went to Yukon and went to Connecticut,
and so, um, I was, I was looking at the teams,

(21:37):
uh Doug, and I had to realize that. You know, Minnesota,
they had the great run the year before, but my
freshman year, all those guys that was went to the
they were graduating, they were leaving. You know, they were upperclassmen,
so we weren't going to be the same team, so
to speak. So and I was I wanted to win, Doug,
and I just wanted, you know, to have the best
opportunity to win a national championship because that's what I

(21:59):
wanted to do. And you know, I visited Kansas, visit
in Minnesota, went to Georgetown, and I really felt that
I was going to go to Kansas Doug. And you know,
I took that last visit to Connecticut. I got to
play with the guys and I just fell in love.
You know, it's like a legend around Connecticut that you know,

(22:20):
when I played with them on my visit, I was
like directing some of the upperclassmen, tell them to go
there to what do what to do, or tell them
what to do and it was just a match man
in heaven. And so visiting Connecticut and having the opportunity
to play with the team just really sealed it for me.
And I just knew I wanted to go to Connecticut
from that visit. All right, see show up on campus

(22:41):
and RiPP was there, but he was you know, like
he wasn't superstar Rip Hamilton. Yet they had a big
white dude, Jake Bosco, right, you and Albi Albert Mourning
were like the two star freshmen that that showed up.
And then you know, Ricky Moore's like a junior, but
he'd never really been like the guy, I uh, because
they had they had they had dron Cheffer when he

(23:04):
was a freshman. He played, he started as a sophomore,
but they weren't great, and so he got what was that?
What was the dynamic? Like when you show up and
Ricky's kind of been waiting his whole career to be
the guy and you come in and now he's got
to play kind of off the ball. Yeah. But but
but that's the thing about Connecticut was done. You know,
Conneticut was always a school where they played multiple point
guards at the same time because, as you mentioned, Jron

(23:26):
Schuffer played with Kevin Olly and Ray Allen and then
Ricky Moore came in and and so he had got
a little bit of dron Cheffer, Ricky Moore and you know,
Ricky Moore was a big time player before he had
a shoulder injury. Um, you know, the season player to
me coming in, Doug, you know he was decentive stopper,
we all know that, but he was putting the ball
in the basket at that time and so, um he

(23:48):
was a big time player. And me coming onto the two,
it was like, hey, you know we have two lead
guards on the court and the buggies. That's what you
needed back then to win. And we were just compatible
with each other, you know, we were able to play
over with each other's strength in each other's businesses, and uh,
it just worked out. Well what did you do for

(24:09):
fun in stores? Connecticut? Well, and you know it was
a college town and uh, you know I was able to,
like I said, to come on the scene. And you
know you had to Rickie More you had ripped that,
Uh Kevin Freeman who has been there a year before.
They stowed me. You know, they showed me the places
where here, um you know rocket and you know, other

(24:32):
than that being a college, cheaper cant doorm anyway, or
you're in your study hall or you're at practice only
it wasn't really much to do in stores, but it
was a great college town. We had a great time
and we made it fun. Um, let's go to the
championship season. UM. So, like, look, your your first year,
you guys were I mean, your first couple of years,
you guys are legit, right, you're legit, yep. But your

(24:55):
sophomore year, uh, to you rips back as a junior
you mentioned Kevin Freeman, who's just a monster on the
boards Voscool's back album Warnings Back. So, I mean the
great thing was you have all these guys back from
from the previous year. You had no freshman, no incoming
class at all, just all dudes that were back. What

(25:17):
do you remember about that about that team? Like when
did you when did you know, like, hey, we could
win the whole thing. Well, it was actually during that
summer going into my sophomore season, we took a trip
to Europe. Um for a couple of weeks. We went
to uh, we went to England. He had the opportunity
to play just a couple of professional teams in England,

(25:37):
and then we flew to Israel and we got to
play a couple of professional teams from Israel. We played Maccabi,
we played another big time team over than Israel. Also
so that Summer Rip was hurt with a thigh injury,
he couldn't travel with us on. You know, we took
our team minus Whip out there and that allowed our

(25:57):
role players to come on and to get significant minutes
and really show who they were and Albert Morning was
lightened up. Back to those two weeks of games, Edmund
Saunders showed he was a beast Rosha Meil Jones who
really accepted Yes, Rosha Meil Jones. I respect him so
much because it was his senior year, Doug, and he

(26:19):
was supposed to go for the gold. It was his
last chance to really show the NBA scouts who he was.
And when I came on the scene, he saw the
type of player that I was, the type of leader
that I was, and he took the motion. Was so
much character. I just love that guy to death, because
any other guy would wanted to transfer, especially this day
and age. They would have transferred, they would have got

(26:39):
out of there because they weren't getting the minutes that
they were supposed to have gotten. But he respected the
game and I just love him for that. And the
role players got an opportunity to really step up and
show their worth to the team. And after that trip,
we said to ourselves, Wow, we can be really good.
And the guys prepared for the season, uh like man

(27:01):
like none other. You know, every workout we were competing
against each other every drill. We wanted to win and
we just wanted to see the next guy do well.
And so that's what we was special about that team.
All right, give me your your calho What what what
was Calhoun like to you as a guy who came
in and he gave you the ball right away? Like
what when when I say Jim Calhoun, give me story

(27:24):
that encapsulates what he's like to you. Oh, he was
a beast. And I don't know if I should use
this story or not. But one time I was a
freshman and it was right before the Biggest tournament and
you know, they had the coaches meeting. They go up
to New York prior to the Big East Tournament. They
had their meeting and then they come back and I
can remember he went up there and came back and

(27:45):
we had a practice right before we were leaving. He
was like, you know, I was at the coaching meeting
and he was explaining what was going on, and he
was like, you know, they're good guys, but I wanted
I want to kick their button. And I know we
we both know he used the words and that you
can it's a it's a pod. You can say if
you said he wanted to kick their ass like that,
that's that's what he said. He wanted to he I

(28:07):
hate all those motherfuckers and that competitiveness. You know, you
had to resay. But the new pro respectful for East
coach that he went up against, but he wanted to win,
and that just that since the urgency really rubbed up
on him. So when you say coach got the best,
he's a genius and he's also just one of the
most competitive people that I know. Yeah, yeah, here's okay. So,

(28:32):
so my mom grew up in Connecticut and when we
go up to Connecticut, like I remember her because Yukon
didn't used to It wasn't a now it's a good school.
It wasn't a good school when she when she was
growing up. So she was super super down on it.
And they started recruiting me when they when they when
they took Ricky, Ricky was like out of Atlanta, right,
So they took Ricky that that that year and it's

(28:54):
funny you say about the multiple point guards. So, um,
Kevin Ollie's from you know, Crenshaw High School Lay So
they were recruiting me and my dad to talk to
Kevin Allie, who he coached against an AU. And Kevin
was around and he was like, what's what's Calhoun like?
And he's like, it's they play fast, they're always good.

(29:15):
You'll play around pros. He's like, but he's gonna bring
another point guard in every year. So if you want to,
because you remember when we played, they used to give
you like two years to your junior year. Then they
would bring in another guy to compete with you. And
if you couldn't, like, if you couldn't beat out a
freshman when you're a junior, like then you weren't good
enough anyway. You just had to figure it out. And
he's like and they're like, Calhoun doesn't play, he doesn't,

(29:37):
he doesn't care at all, and he's just gonna bring
another point guard. So as long as you don't care
about being recruited over because he's gonna challenge you every day,
you'll be all right. So I wasn't really that into that,
and then my mom just couldn't get over she went
to Syracuse. She just thought it was like a She
used to say, it's like other places, like a juco,
Like you don't want to go there anyway. So he

(29:57):
calls me. Actually, actually Coach Hobbs called me, and I
get back from I get back from ABCD and my
my junior year. Going to my junior I wasn't very
good at ABC, I was okay, and then I going
to my senior I was I blew up at ABCD,
I played really well, And so Hobbs calls me. He says, look,
one off your scholarship. I'll put you out with Coach Calhoun. Now, look,

(30:17):
I'm from southern California and everyone seems and I always
feel like California people don't have an accent. And I
had never really heard a Boston accent before. And so
he comes on. He starts talking, and not only does
he have, as you know, a Boston accent, but Coach
Calhoun speaks really really fast, like he talks and all
his wives tat tick out together. As you come out,

(30:38):
you point out you. I come to god a visit.
I'm like, okay, coach, cool, yes, okay, coach. And then
he puts back on Coach Habbs back on, and I
was like, Coach, I actually don't know what he said.
He's like, well, he's just offered to scholarship. You want
to come out and take a visit. So I didn't
even I didn't even visit um. But I always I've
told I've told him that to this day, that that

(30:59):
I did not understand him on the phone call, but
I was I did set up a visit, and then
Ricky committed I think earlier than than I ever ever visited.
But here's what I loved about him. He was a
lot like Eddie Sutton in that he'd kind of manipulate.
I felt like he'd manipulate the media where he'd tell
the media, you go and see one of the Yukon

(31:21):
practice and he'd go like, ah, wish shit. He would
not even good. His fucking guys suck. And and then
so people in the local media would start to write
negative things about him, like about the and then he
would tell the players like, see, the media doesn't believe
in you. I believe in you. What's the matter with
these media guys? Right? And then and then he would
he would always he would sub a dude out before

(31:42):
the first TV timeout. Somebody make a mistake like Edmond Saunders,
who I gotta get your best Edmond Saunders story. At
some point in time, Edmond Saunders would he'd make a
mistake and he'd we would when I was covering him
at ESPN, somebody make a mistake, and we'd have bets
on media row who he was going to take out first,
and he would come almost out to mid court and
hook that motherfucker out for making a mistake like he was.

(32:04):
But he like guys accepted it, like like you go
sit for a second, then he puts you back in
and everybody else got the message and you played hard.
What was it like to actually play for him? It was?
It was great. Um, you know, coming up and being
a point guard. Um, I just had the relationship with

(32:24):
every head coach. You know. I wanted to have a
great relationship because I felt, you know, the point guard
is the extension of the coach on the court. So
I was always in this office picking his brain. Um.
You know. And there's a story going around how you
know most of the players were accommodated a little bit
of coach Calahome because of his presence because of the
way he speak, is the way his character is. You know.

(32:46):
For me, I didn't even see that. I just saw
that he was the head coach, and I knew I
had to have a great relationship. I had to know
what he's thinking, man, and he has to trust me.
So I was always in his office. I'm picking his brain,
and you know, we were able to to, you know,
have a great relationship for great rapport. And he trusted
me on the court, at least I think he did
trusted me most times. And so um, you know, having

(33:09):
the opportunity to play for him, and and just knew
his history, you know, because I'm a student of the game.
I went him from Northeastern and and and then he
came to Connecticut and how he turned it around. So
I was a big fan of his already. And you know,
having an opportunity, um to run his one of his
clubs and wanting to win and wanting to do the best.

(33:29):
We just wear a great match together. And he really
bring out the best of me on the court and
off the court. All right, let's get to the tournament run.
So you guys are one of the two or three
teams in the country, and I know, it goes down
as an upset and you run around. We'll get to
the game itself in a second, but you guys were legit.
You did get shipped out West, but you're the number

(33:51):
one seed and you played. Do you remember the Texas
San Antonio game at all? Yes, tell me about it.
It was. It was a you know, one of the
better first round games, um, you know for us, being
that the year before we had played Fairley Dickerson and

(34:12):
they gave us a run for our money. They they
steered us, you know, they played us down damn there
to the wire. Elijah Allen went off for forty one point.
So we knew that first game we couldn't play around.
So we all got out to them, built the atmosphere earlier.
Everybody got out there, got their shots. We wanted to
be prepared and wanted to go into this game and
wanted to set it, you know, really set the tone

(34:34):
for the tournament. And um we did just that. And
we had a great practice prior the day before. We're
here and we were ready to do. You know, Coach
came in here this pregame talk you know about this
is our time and you know, guys really responded to that,
and that game really set the tone for the rest
of the tournament. Here we're playing our a basketball. Let's
go ahead to show the country who we really are,

(34:56):
and let's make that next step from the Elite eight
to the final four. All Right, if you remember the
second round, who'd you play New Mexico. Um, they had
uh Kenny oh oh should he'd be tough now because
he'd be like a small ball five now, um, shoot shoot,

(35:16):
shoot shootoot. I'll think it. I'll think of it in
the second Yeah. But he was a he was a
great he was a big time player, um, um, you
know for them, and they had a couple other guys
who could play. And so you know that night was
you know, we got to get out and really jump
on these guys and set the tone on these guys,
you know. So, um, I can just remember um coming

(35:37):
into that game. We were all Kenny Thomas hype, so
ready to play Kenny Thomas. Ye, Kenny Thomas, and I
was I just can't remember Um coming. And we went
on a seventeen to the zero run to start the game.
And so I don't think if we're up seventeen, no
team is going to come back if we're up seven

(36:00):
team on them. So, um, you know, like I said,
it was just an extension of that first game of
us playing at our a level and continuing man and man.
It was just a grateful form and that we were
on the high after that. Then you played what Iowa.
I believe, so the sweet if you play Iowa? Did
you go home? Did did you guys go home? In between?

(36:22):
I'm not sure. I don't even remember that. I can't
tell you the true Um I would, I would say no,
but I don't remember it was it was twenty years
ago a little bit more, so I can't really remember.
But um, okay, So here's I guess. My question is this, like, look,
Calhoun had done so many things, but he hadn't gotten

(36:43):
to a final four, right, and so was what did
you guys? Did you guys feel any of that? Was
there any talk? I mean, obviously the media would ask,
but how how was he during as you're playing in
tournament games? Is he the same? Was he tight? What
was he like? He was always the same to me personally.
That's the genius about him, Like you never really saw

(37:09):
him nervous, or if he was, he never showed it.
He prepared the same way. He made sure that we
were prepared. But his demeanor, the way that he talked
was it never changed, it never faltered. And that it's
confidence in me as the point guarder of the team
to for him to see him have so much confidence.

(37:29):
And you know, whatever he said, I took it and
ran with it. I thought it was the truth for me.
So I just I just felt him, you know. And
I can always remember when he would come into the
room or the gym for practice, or we have a meeting, whatever,
you know, So I could tell what type of mood
that he was in from the first ten seconds when
he walked in the room. He was all business, Doug,

(37:51):
I was all business. You know. If he had a
little couple of jokes, then I knew that the mood
was a little bit lighter. And I can relax and
I can be myself at times, but he was always
on point, and you know, he really instilled that the confidence.
Uh then I carried to this day that be sure
of yourself, You've been working you you are prepared for
this situation, not gonna make the most of it. And

(38:13):
and that's what I love about him. So on, Uh,
what what was ripped like like RiPP became this unbelievable shooter.
I mean basically a lot of it just all floppy, right,
just reading screens, you know, coming off of down screens
and you know, all the different just moving without the basketball.
What was it was incredible does I'm sorry to cut

(38:35):
you off. It's incredible and like you said, coming off
those screens. He's the one who taught me how to
play off the screen. He told me how important that
was to play off the ball and to get easy buckets.
And I think I instilled some of that into my game.
Um after playing him for three you know, he moves important,

(38:55):
you know, when you're off the ball, to make great cuts,
to keep moving, and to use those screens because that's
what they get down for all. He had this move,
Doug where he would use the screen. He would come
off a downstreen. The big guy would come to him
a screen and he would come off of it and
he knew how to And he's coming off the screen
and he and he's going to curl the screen right

(39:18):
and his defender is right on back of him. You
know they're playing the correct way. They're going to trail
the screen, okay, and follow him. But as he would
rush off of his our big man fossil, he would
off the big man and kind of I don't want
to I want to say torpedo a wound him. And
while he does that, he is swinging, he is pushing

(39:41):
the big man into the defender. So it's just like
he's making sure that Jake Street and his man. And
he would come off every downscreen, every curl string so
wide open that he helped to get the ball because
you know, the guy said, such streat screens for him,
and he used it so well that you know, and
put that into my and he was just such an

(40:02):
lethal move and he was open every time he came
up a screen. Yeah he was. He was pretty special. Yeah,
he was special. He was special. I've seen it in ABCD.
Uh my junior year. We were on the same team.
Actually I didn't, you know, tell you about that. I
didn't have a chance. But rich Rip Hamilton and Kevin Freeman,

(40:23):
we all were on the same ABCD team. But Kevin
ended up getting hurt um during during the camp. But
we were on the same team and we went undefeated.
And I think he was rated maybe the fourth or
sixth best player, and that was maybe the ninth or tenth,
so we definitely was a successful camp for us. But
that was our first meeting with each other, and um,

(40:45):
you know, I'm so happy I had the opportunity to
play with him because he's he's special. Okay, So you guys,
you get past the Sweet sixteen and now you're playing, um,
you're playing Gonzaga to go to the final four. And
this was a good ZAGGA team and Santangelo was nice.
But like, I can't imagine you guys from Yukon playing

(41:07):
the Big East. You guys won the Big East tournament, right,
you smashed I think you smashed Saint John's in the championship, right,
but you're like your close game with Seaton Hall not
and then you smash Syracuse, you smash Saint John's. You
get all the way, you're in the Elite eight, your
Elite eight. What do you remember about the Gonzaga game?
I mean, that was the over That was the over

(41:29):
the hump game, you know, feute. I don't know was
two or three teams have Coach Calhoun teams have priorly
gotten to that point, but they didn't, you know, get
past that point. And we were there the year before.
So this is the this is the game where we
had to show ourselves. And you know, unfortunately for me,
I didn't have a great game. But as a team,

(41:52):
we played like a team. You know, we had our
ups and downs during the game. Gonzaga was a tough
minded team, had tough players, tough defenders, and they were
a team. So we had to play our best team
game for us to win. And down the stretch, guys
made plays here and there, made free throws and we

(42:12):
were able to sneak out of there. But it was
a total team effort. And if we hadn't gone to
Europe that summer, we might not have won. There was
such a two who were so together that that was
what ultimately gave us the upper hand against Gonzaga. Yeah,
what's interesting is, you know Calhoun's teams always played so fast,

(42:33):
and yet that game especially you had to play, you know,
Gonzaga slowed you down. Ohio State really kind of slowed
you down. So the warded winning Nasal champions you had
to win two games in the sixties, which is not
his style. He liked to get up and down and
press and really run, and they kind of took you
out of it. And you still found a way to win. Okay,
so you go and go ahead. No, I'm just saying
that's just one of his greatness. We could play multiple ways.

(42:56):
We just yes, we would love to play get up
and down and make it a fast say this game,
but we could play the slowdown half court game because
we have such high IQs, you know. And that went
from having two point guards on the court and having
a great shooter and having row guys who didn't care
if they didn't score. They wanted to get other guys open.

(43:16):
And when you have selfless guys like that, your team
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described is optional. You go to the final four. It's

(45:53):
in Saint Pete and you take on Ohio State. They
got Scooney, Penn and Michael Read. They got a good
little squad there. King Johnson the Big Center. Other than
playing in front of fifty thousand people. Do you remember
that about that one? I do remember that, guess the
atmosphere of the Final four finally being you know, being

(46:14):
the first Connecticut team to make it there. But that
wasn't We weren't satisfied with that. We wanted to win.
You know, we gotten there, we were you know, we
kind of got the monkeys off the off our back,
so to speak. But we wanted to show the country
we were there to win and playing against Ohio State,
they were just another team that was in our way,
and we knew they had great players. Like you said,

(46:36):
as you mentioned, we thought that we were a better
team and we kind of hung our hats on that
the whole season. We were we are the better team.
They have good players, but we aren't a better team,
so we U I think that game that I think
we slowed ourselves down. You know, the first half, we
played great, We played great team bar in the second half,
we kind of got a little bit individual and trying

(46:57):
to make plays too much individually, and that's the reason
why they were able to hang close with us when
it came down a stretch. You know, we always came
back true to who we were and we were able
to pull that out, all right. She get ready for
the National Championship game and again on paper in an
our era. The next year's team for Duke had an
unbelievable roster, right but in terms of like highly tattered recruits, Batty,

(47:21):
Ate Brand and even Chrick Chris Burgers like number one
big guy in the country, Trajan Land and Quarry mcgetty,
Chris Carowell, Nate James, Tamon Demzowski's from New Mexico. He
was McDonald's all American, William Avery like, damn dude, they
they had just dudes. Um, so you're you're sitting in
your hotel room in Tampa, what was the prep like

(47:42):
for for the National Championship game? You know that um
that film session or that Scotter report Before the Duke game,
you know, coach Calhoun told us, you know, before the game,
he said, and he's never said this to us before.
Of course, he said, um, you know you're going to
be You're playing the team tomorrow that's better than you.

(48:03):
And he's never said that to us before. And so
of course that got our attention right away. And so
we just had some lands and focus coming into that game.
And I can remember us. You know, we had planned
to double Eldon every time he got the ball on
the block, and we did it. It's like we practiced

(48:25):
that type of defense every day and we hardly ever
doubled on the block. So we were all locked in
laser focus and we weren't able to make the plays
to be the better team game. And like you said,
they had players. They should have beat the boy. On paper,
they should have beat up twenty points. You know, when
the team is blocked in and the team wants to
compete and show who they are, anything can happen. And

(48:47):
that's why basketball is such a great sport. As you know,
he used to tell people that he thought the dude
guys were a little soft. He thought like, look, we
got city kids. We got we got kids, we got fighters.
And his Calhoun would always say like, hey, and his
I can't do his accent, but he would say, like,
you know, if you go anywhere in the country, no

(49:08):
one in the city, no one in the city, we'll
ever wear a duke shirt. All right. Now, you go
to the suburbs that were duke stuff. You go to
the city, they don't wear duke stuff. And he's like
and that's why we well we beat them. It's because
we got city kids. We got just dudes that are tougher. Um,
do you think that was some of it, that you
guys were just a little tough, a little nasty. I don't.
I don't believe that, because you still have to play

(49:29):
the game, and those guys could play. So I just
thought that, like I said before, we were just a
better team, you know, from one through twelve or one
through ten, however many players played that game we had
we were the more deep team, and we were just
a better team that night. And you know, we just
thought coming into the game that gave us a little

(49:50):
bit more motivation. They said that we were going to
lose by ten points. We're the ten point underdog, and
come on, we felt that that was ridiculous. Though we
had a you know, we played with a little bit
of a chip on shoulder, so that really helped us
out to it. Yeah, no, I'm listening. They went sixteen
to zero in ACC Player and they won the ACC tournament.
They only lost. I remember that. I remember the game
they lost. We were watching it. They were playing the

(50:11):
Great Alaska Shootout. Right Since that, Melvin Levitt made a
dunk at the buzzer. Oh man, that is that was
kind of like a that was you know, that was
like unbelievable. You know that they actually lost. But you know,
I think that gave us some of the teams in
the country, you know, the the confidence I, oh, okay,

(50:33):
they are human and we ran up and when we
ran into and we felt like they were human. So
we wanted to go out and improve everybody in that
Hey we belong here and we can win. When when
the buzzer sounds, you're famous for yelling run around. We
was we shocked the world, all right? That we said
we shocked the world? Yes, yes, yes, I kind of
said that. I said that in the pre game, and

(50:54):
I does. I honestly can say I don't know where
that came from because we men coached that home were
being interviewed and they said something to me and I
answered the question, but I said at the end, you know,
we're playing to shock the world tonight, and to this day,
I don't know where that came from. And then, like
you said, when the buzzer sounded and we had one,
and I went over to the desk and said it

(51:15):
like it was just so much indrenaline and and and
you know, joy coming out. And like I said, it
was just it was just I or anything. It just
came out and it was the slogan. You know, it's
been the slogan ever since nineteen ninety nine. And uh,

(51:36):
you know, I'm just happy that we had the opportunity
to get it done and to win for the universe
of Connecticut and Coach Calhoun, why didn't you go pro
after that game? You know, personally, I just felt like
I wasn't ready, Um, you know, my game. I felt
like I needed to polish it up a little bit.

(51:57):
You know. I felt like, uh, you know, another year
of school would have done me great. Um, and you know,
just looking after you know, the draft or you know,
I wasn't expected to go very high. So you know,
I kind of just okay, took that in stride and said,
I'm going to get better next year and um, you know,

(52:20):
I'll see what happens next year. And so that's the
route that I took. Maybe it wasn't the right move
and in some people's book, but for me, I was
comfortable with it. No, I'm just I'm I'm just I'm
wondering because Miles Simon's one of my closest friends. And
he came back after winning the MP and you know
he went in the second round. Um, and he probably

(52:41):
would might have gone in the first round. He doesn't necessarily,
I don't know if he has many regrets. We should
be pointed out like that year was a nasty year
in the draft, like right, like we would have been
your sophomore year. Elton brand went one, Stevie Franchise went
to Baron Davis went three, right, lamar Odo went four,
while he's Zerbiak five rip seven? Uh, Sean Murray went nine,

(53:03):
Jason the Jet, Jason Terry win ten? Like that was right?
Mono Janobli I think was the last but one of
the last players of the draft. Um Andre Miller went
eighth like that that was a but I think where
Chard Lewis was the last pick of that draft. Okay, so, uh,
William Avery, No, he wasn't the last pick, but he
he was the last one in the green room. That's

(53:24):
what happened with charge. But dude, William Avery went fourteen?
How did that happen? Oh? Yeah, And you know I've
heard a lot of you know, people tell me that
that's where I would have gone to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Khaleed he went to the Timberwolves. Yes, yes, and so
you know, I'm happy for him that he got the opportunity,

(53:45):
um dream out and um, you know, for me, I
made the decisions. Like I said, I'm comfortable with it.
And it is what it was. What's it like to
try and to go back? Like is there? Do you do?
You guys think you weren't. I mean, there's a bunch
of things. You lost rip, you lost great players, there's
some other stuff going on. But was the letdown the

(54:06):
next year because it's just hard to relive it, to
live up to the expectations. Is it was it because
you're you're you weren't fully back in school emotionally. Why
did you guys have a disappointed next season? Well? I
think you know, we didn't have the type of season,
the great season that we were all hoping for or

(54:26):
that we all were used to, you know, coming off
of you know, thirty four and two season. Wow, come
on now, you know, um, you know and so and
you know we didn't have those same type of players.
Losing Richard Hamilton's uh was a big blow to our team.
Losing Rosa mel Jones, the leader of our team, you know,

(54:48):
losing Ricky Moore and all these guys, you know, uh yeah,
so those are big shoes to feel, Doug and you know, um,
and we filled them with guys that that's just doing
it for the first time. And not to mention when
we got to the tournament, you know, I got hurt
on some freaky spin move that I've done a million
times that I don't still don't know to this day

(55:10):
how I got hurt. How I spramed my ankle doing
a spin move, and so, you know, it's just all
those things accumulated, and we were you know, we were
put out by Tennessee and the I don't know, round
thirty two or whatever it was. So, you know, all
those things multiple multipplied was the reason that we didn't
have a successful tournament run. Um. But it was still

(55:31):
a successful season my junior year and uh, you know
I learned a lot from it and the guys did too.
So you walk into Calhoun's office afterwards, is that how
you how did you decide to leave to go pro? Well? Um,
I was kind of nervous to go into his office,
and because I knew, you know, it was a lot

(55:54):
of talk going on, and he would have wanted me
to stay. And if if he would have told me
to say, I would have. But I was ready. I
think I was ready to go. Um, you know, it
was just time for me too, for a new challenge.
And so, uh, you know, I had my parents to
make the phone call to them or Max. Actually I
think my parents came out and talked to them and

(56:16):
told them and uh, and then I had to meet
him with him. I had to soften them up first,
and then I had to meet them. The meeting with
him and uh, you know that's how we decided that,
you know, it was time for me to move on,
and and we did. You know, I had a good
camp in Chicago. Um, you know, I went thirty four.
I would like to have gone first round, but you
know I had the opportunities to play, and a lot

(56:36):
of first round players, lottery players, they don't get an
opportunity to play right away, you know, it depends on
the team where they go. And I had an opportunity
that I started four team games. I made the Rookie
All Star Game. So I did, wait, you're you're going
You're going too fast? Their colleague. Okay, so hold hold up, DA,
So you your your family, hold on your family moved
from Chicago to Minneapolis. You're were roughly the same age, right,

(57:01):
like I finished in two thousand. You're a little bit
younger than me. Like, and I know Mike was gone
and the Bulls weren't very good. But what's it like,
what's it like to walk into that locker room and
you see Bulls in the front and Elamine on the back.
Oh man, It's a dream come true. And it's unbelievable actually.
And to see the facility, to see the Birdles Center

(57:24):
where m J. Lastiff's up and went to practice every day,
and you know, and to see the pros that was
still there when I was coming up. I saw Tony
Coo coaches working out. Will Purdue was there, you know,
and the legendary you know, stricted conditioning coaches that they had,
and it was just a dream come true. And I

(57:45):
wanted that, you know, to be forever, you know, but unfortunately,
you know, it is a business, and you know, I'm
just happy I had the opportunity to reach my goal
and to play as many games as I did. You know,
I learned a lot about being a professional from being
in the NBA and then helped me my career after Chicago.

(58:09):
Now did they did they like officially did they cut you? Like?
How did it? How did it end? Yeah? Well it
was you know, I think it was fifty one games
maybe into the season and uh, you know before the
before the morning of shooting around I don't know who
we were playing, Cross called me and had a long

(58:30):
talk and you know, he told me that you know,
they were going to wave me, they were going to
let me go. Um, but he told me no, gave
me some expiring words motivation for me to use and um,
you know, and we we parted ways. And that's the business.
You know, it's uh, one day you're there and you
know one day you might not be there. And so

(58:52):
you know, this game that we chold is not always fair.
But you know, you have to be strong and you
have to be willing to go through those type of
uh down in order for you to you have them. Man,
that was definitely what a big time down or Doug.
It was my my dream. I was playing in Chicago.
I had so much Stanley there who had the opportunity
to see me play. Um. Uh, like I said, I

(59:16):
left every minute of it, but I understood it was
a business and it was just time for me to
move on. What was I mean? Like, look, dude, you
did the whole thing, You did the CBA thing. You
played in Germany, you played in Israel, you played in Turkey,
you played a bunch in Turkey, you played in Lithuania. Uh,
you know, you played everywhere Ukraine. Craziest experience, craziest story

(59:39):
you could tell somebody. Oh wow, the craziest story is
wherever we were in Inarel, we were in Turkey, and um,
you know it was unfortunately, you know, a suicide bomber
had decided he wanted they wanted to strike. Um not
so far away from where we were, uh, you know,
you miles away, and um, you know both times we

(01:00:04):
actually we heard the explosion. It was so loud, like
an earthquake almost. And so that was the craziest, most
serious part about being in your or being overseas was
our experience with that. And you know, it was something
that we lived with as a family. You know, we

(01:00:24):
were scared for a while, but you know, we kind
of got over it after a while and we had
to move on because you know, in this day and
as life, and so we were able to do that,
we're able to regroup and h you know, we went
on and have had a terrific season in those those years. Um,
if if you could give the younger you some advice, like, hey, Khalid,

(01:00:48):
you're sixteen, you're north high school. If you here's some
advice that you could use now that you're you know,
you're forty and you played seventeen years professional basketball, what
would it be? I would say, No, I would be
more Um, I would take that, you know, my eating

(01:01:08):
habits more serious. You know I was. I was a
young kid who thought he could eat anything because I
was in the gym every day. And we all know
it doesn't matter how many you know, how much time
he's spending the gym. If you're eating habits are not good.
You know, you're still gonna look the same and you're
still gonna be the same. So I would take my
eating habits a little bit more serious than I did.

(01:01:30):
And um, you know, because later in my career, I
was able, uh, you know to understand the things that
I that I needed to eat and you know, and
I was able to play you know, over sixteen years
or substionally, So, um, I would That's what I would
tell the younger Elmine. And also you know, um, you know,

(01:01:50):
being in the NBA, you have to respect that and
you know it's the best players in the world, so
you have to respect that. And so spending as much
time in the gym if that has to be the
number one thing, and so any young player coming up,
that's what they should be concentrating on. And um, that's
what I would tell the younger. Let me for eat
right and to put as much time into the gym

(01:02:12):
that needs to be. Um, are you at peace? Your
peace with your career? Oh, I'm definitely am. I definitely am.
I would have liked to stay in the NBA longer,
of course, Um, you know that's a no brainer. But
I had an opportunity to travel the world, Doug by
playing basketball. Pretty cool, the coolest, coolest place that you live,

(01:02:38):
Like there's one place just living coolest place. Wow, it's
been too many And you know, I love Istanbul, I
love tele Avis, you know, I love Croatia. Every place
that I have been, so every place that I've been
has been great. And then that's the beautiful city, you know,
beautiful people um, you know, so I would say reveryware

(01:02:59):
that I have been. It's just been unbelievable. All right.
Last thing you mentioned how you change your diet, but
you do love food, favorite thing you ate overseas, so
you're like, man, this is my my favorite thing. See
the food and turkey is unbelievable. Man, with the seasoning.
You know they love the barbecue. Um, the Turks food

(01:03:20):
is unbelievable. I love it. Um. You know, any anyone
dish anyone dish well. I like the Adnna cabab. You
know it's a it's a little bit of a spicy
um um meat red meat beef of course, and they
grill it. But it's just the just the flavor that
has has and it's just sunbelievable. Man. You have to

(01:03:43):
try it. I can't explain that. My explanation wouldn't give
it justice. You just have to try be a Donna
cabab all right. When you when you go into gyms
down now now you you have your own camp. You're
doing broadcasting. Um when when when you walk in like
I had Buddy as a producer, he's only twenty eight.
I was like, man, I'm having clide Elmina and I'm

(01:04:03):
so excited and he's like, I've heard that name wherever
I heard it. How do you feel when when you
walk into a gym, especially now like an AU gym.
What's it feel like for people to know who you
are and all you've done? Oh? Man, it's fantastic. Every
time I walk to a gym up team, people come

(01:04:24):
to me telling me they to watch me. They respect
me as a player. They you know, can I talk
to their son? You know a lot of a lot
of people understand that I'm training now and they get
my number. They want me to get in the gym
with their with their son or their you know whatever.
So it's always been loved though. It's always been like that.
I guess I've I've been a player of the people,

(01:04:45):
so to speak, Doug. You know, I'm only five nine
and three quarters. You know, most of my career I
be on the chubbier side, you know. So I'm like
the average joe professional basketball or college basketball. So I
think the average person, really, um, you know, they have
this bond with me, you know, And so I think
that's why I have the reception that I have every

(01:05:06):
time I step into a gym that everybody. You know,
they give me respect, they give me love, they show
me love, and uh, you know, they want to know
what I'm doing now. So you know, I'm very thankful
for that, you know, being able to be recognized, um
for the you know, the the hard work that I
put into the game. And it's just fantastic to be
remembered for your hard work because that's all we want
to do. We want to leave a legacy for ourselves.

(01:05:29):
And for someone to recognize you as a great player
or a type of player that they looked up to,
it means the world. And I'm thankful for Yeah. And
you're a winner, right, and that's that's the big thing
is you're You're Hey, Khali, man, I love catching up
me this. This is so great. We'll catch up something
here offline and talking about other stuff. But thanks so
much for spending time with us in the All Ball Podcast.

(01:05:51):
Oh yeah, Doug, I'm tuning in you man. I appreciate
it and I can't wait to hear your next big thing.
Be sure to catch live editions so the Doug Got
Leaves Show weekdays in noon eastern three pm Pacific. All right,
my thanks to Khalid el Amine. Thank you for downloading
the All Ball Podcast. Don't be afraid to retweet it,
send it to a friend, Download, subscribe, subscribe and rate it.

(01:06:12):
Make sure you tune into the Doug Gottlob Show three
to sixty Eastern twelve to three Pacific every day Fox
Sports Radio iHeartRadio. You can download every show as well.
Thank you so much for listening. I'm Doug Gottleiban. This
is All Ball. Hey, singles, do you feel like a

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