Club Shay Shay - Club 520 - Metta World Peace on injuring Michael Jordan, playing with Kobe Bryant, guarding LeBron

Episode Date: March 11, 2024

We’re back with Season 2, Episode 48 of Club 520 where Jeff Teague and the guys are joined by Metta World Peace to discuss all things NBA. Metta tells stories about breaking Michael Jordan’s ribs in a pickup game, winning NBA championships alongside Kobe Bryant, guarding LeBron James, and much more! 00:00 - Introduction02:30 - Playing for the Pacers05:20 - Playing on best AAU team ever08:00 - Hooping in New York City11:00 - Jermaine O’Neal got SNUBBED from winning MVP13:20 - Playing pickup vs. Michael Jordan15:40 - Developing offensive game23:30 - Best young players25:30 - Favorite city to play in27:40 - Favorite rappers of all time30:00 - Playing for the Lakers35:00 - Being a role player next to Kobe Bryant40:20 - Hardest players to guard47:00 - Life after basketball #Club #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Volume. the game, both on and off the court. Hennessy and Mitchell and us have come together for the ultimate drop, a limited edition collection to mark their shared love for basketball culture and to celebrate Hennessy's continued partnership with the league. The exclusive collection will have a limited drop available for both in retail and online and will be featured on the Hennessy Arena Tour, making stops in San Francisco

Saturday, March 9th, Dallas Sunday, March 17th, Atlanta Saturday, March 30th. Come see Club 5 March 17th. Atlanta, Saturday, March 30th. Come see Club 520 podcast taped live in each city. For your next pregame, let's share a twist on a classic, the Hennessy Margarita. A squeeze of fresh lime juice. And a bit of agave syrup. Top it off with some ice and a salsa rim.

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Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, we back. Another episode of Club 520 Podcast. I'm the host. My name is DJ Wells. We got a special guest in the building,

a legend in the building. To my left, we're going to introduce my man's last, but to my far left, we got my dog, Bishop B. Hinn. Dr. Purley, how you doing, nasty? How you what? Nasty. I'm good today, baby. Oh, you got the hat.

Yeah, let's go. Let's go. I'm mad you done seen a lot of things. Shout out to Melly. Hey, shout out to Melly. Shout out to JM. Got it in the mall, Mike. I'm mad you done seen a lot of things. Shout out to Melly. Hey, shout out to Melly. Shout out to JM. Got it in the mall, Mike. I got to see that.

Yeah. Shout out to the Merge Gang. Yeah, for sure. I'm big A. To my right, my dog, Young Nacho, Young T. How you up, man? I'm good, man. Hype, man.

We got another legend in the building. Oh, man. He was with your Pacers. Yes, sir. He was. I had a chance to play for the Pacers. I didn't do what he did, but I got a chance to be on the team. But now I'm glad we got him in the building, man.

I'm going to let you do the honors of introducing him. Listen, man, anytime we can get a legend in the building, especially a Pacers legend in the building, you know what it is. We geeked about this. You've seen this man, champion philanthropist,

one of the first people to speak about how important it is for black men to go to therapy, to have a release for their mental health, and to use this platform for other people to feel that type of relief that they needed. We got the dog, Metta World Peace, man. Appreciate you sliding the 520, big dog. Thanks for having me, man.

Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me. That's probably that nigga's best intro. What that hat say? How you doing, Nasty? That's fly. That's my first time hearing that. Nah, that's nap sound lingo. That's good you didn't hear it. You probably missed a place you didn't want to hear that at.

But obviously, man, you a Pacers legend. Being in the city. Before we even ask, like, how was it being in the city when the Pacers was, like, lit? Like, y'all was it. How was that feeling in the city? Because you always got a lot of love, especially for the way you play. Like, a lot of people don't understand how we embrace our players here. Like, if you come to NAP and you hoop, we're rocking with you forever.

I love NAP, you know? So, the history with NAP is interesting because I grew up a Knick fan. I actually grew up a Bulls fan. You know, Micah Jordan is like LeBron James. So, I'm from New York, but I hopped on the Bulls bandwagon. But definitely a Knick guy I'm from New York, but hopped on the Bulls bandwagon. But definitely a Knick guy. I love New York.

But the crazy thing about the Pacers, I have my hood in Queens. We tied to the Pacers. Sean Green played for the Pacers. Vern Fleming. Vern Fleming. I walked, you know, right, same block, Vern Fleming. You know, that's where he from the hood. And we seen the Pacers uniform forever the Paces uniform forever since we was young

then I get to the Paces and then Vern Fleming is my coach oh yeah so it was just crazy being able somebody I idolized

is now passing the rock while we getting shots up now he never I never really seen him because he was older but every day

I just would think about damn Vern Fleming is passing me the ball in practice. And he's sitting right here, you know, right here next to me on the bench. So, you know, the Paces is super special to us. You know, a lot of people don't really understand, but the Paces is super special. And then when I came here, my whole family came here.

Then obviously I left and they just parked. You know, we got about 30 family members here right now. When I left, it was maybe 10, but we popping babies out. You know, the artist,

you know, name and the homes, my other, you know, my mom's last name. You know, we got a couple of the last name, but the bloodline is like,

we love Naptown. We love Indiana, you know, and we always will. The lineage in NAP is crazy hold on though hold on we get a classic

Vern story Vern our guy yeah that's good to hear that's good to hear nah like that's our guy you know what I'm saying you got a classic story that you can share with us

that ain't too fed yeah man well I got the story is I'm 44 I came here I was 20 22

so Vern's niece is has a baby with 20 22 so Vern's niece is has a baby with my cousin so that's one that's one story kept it in the family

yeah and then his brother was nice I don't know his Vic his brother yeah yeah nice

for real super nice and then I played in um you know local ball with Lou Gons who coached

Vern Fleming also so it's like a lot of I don't have any other stories because um you know local ball with Lou Gons who coached Vern Fleming. Also, so it's like a lot of different, I don't have any other stories because, you know, like when he went to the league,

a lot of people still, you know, was still in the hood that he played with, but they were so much older than us. So those stories are over our head.

He was like a kind of a good guy not getting in any trouble. So it wasn't a lot of stories out there. You didn't, Vern go play ball, you never heard any of stories out there. You didn't, Vern, go play ball. You never heard any crazy stories.

Yeah. Yeah. That's fire. We got to take it back, though. We just had a little off-mic conversation about the AAU days. You was part of one of the best AAU teams ever.

True. Some say it's the best ever. That's crazy. It's up for debate, though. Oh, for sure. For sure it's up for debate. That's 100%. But to hear people say it,

it's wild because we felt like that. But people started to say it, even like the younger generation. I'm like, how did they even find out? But the team was sick. You had me and Eric Barkley picking up full court. We picking up 94 feet. Then you had Lamar Odom, who was 6'11", point guard at that time. You know, in high school, Elton Brand, who was always the best.

Lamar was always number two. And then me, Eric, was always, like, tied for three. And then we had a couple people that was not far behind. Reggie Jesse came off the bench. Yeah, Reggie Jesse, man. Oh, my God. That's crazy. That's the St. John's legend for sure. That's incredible, man.

Reggie Jesse was a sleeper. And I felt bad for him because he playing on our team and we all team ball players. So nobody had 20. Nobody had 30. Elton averaged 14. I averaged 12.8. You know, so it was all about hustle.

And Reggie, you know, he's a team player. Lamar, you see Lamar? Yeah, yeah. Team player. You know, I was the man on my team's head, but when I went to Laker, I had to play a role. I can play a role easy. That's easy.

Four or five shots, be effective. That's how we played. It wasn't about how many shots you miss. It was about just trying to win. So I was never worried about field goal percentage, and that's how we all were. And we respect that Elton as the best player on the team. And then guys like Reggie, he wouldn't play as much.

So he could have went somewhere else. But nobody was thinking about, oh, if I play on this team, I'm not going to get scouted. We was thinking about winning now. You know, and so it was like, he sacrificed a lot. Did you ever go up against Tim Thomas' squad? Tim was a year older than us. Okay. We were younger. Tim gave us 40 one time. For sure. Was he really like that

in high school? Oh my goodness. I mean, he was nice in the league. He was pretty solid in the league too. Did you play the same way? Busy. He was nice. Played the same way. Played the same way. Played the same way. Yeah, okay. But he was older than us, but when he gave us 40 it was a tournament called Portchester. So Portchester, it was New York's at its finest. It was no foul us 40 it was a tournament called Portchester so Portchester

it was New York's at its finest there was no fouls it was a high school tournament with no fouls that's crazy so it was the only tournament

like this no tournament it was the only tournament like this so you can literally you know you're on a fast break they coming at your head

it was just everybody it wasn't just me this was like the league and you know and then so in that tournament he he had 40. In a small gym. That's when I knew he was the truth.

Y'all was playing an above the rim tournament. It wasn't no refs. It was one of my favorite. A lot of people don't know about Portchester. But it was one of my favorite tournaments. Yeah, I wouldn't have played in that tournament. I felt like football. That started to run our test lineage.

You was there to go 94 feet and not get no fouls called? You was in there going crazy. That's slam ball. Yeah, slam ball. Yeah. But yeah, exactly. It really was. It was high school, too.

Because the streets of New York was tough playing in the streets. But it was like an organized tournament. And you wouldn't expect it. Yeah. To be that aggressive. But Tim had, I remember one game, he had 10 threes. I remember the game. And Tim was the truth, for sure.

I had to ask about it, man. We can move on, but I had to ask about it. I mean, speaking about high school and around that time, is there anybody, like, New York is a basketball state. Is there anybody we wouldn't know that was super nice? Like you said, Elton and those guys. Is there anybody we like wouldn't know that was like super nice? Like you said, Elton, those guys. Is there anybody out from New York that was so nice? So many guys.

So, so many guys. And when I came into the league, I would always shout out the guys that nobody heard about. Because I felt like I was obligated. Yeah. You know, it was a guy named Mike Chaffell from my neighborhood, Mike Chaffell. I was 13. He beat me 32 to 2. You know, he was tough.

He later died on 2010. I had his name inscribed on my head. It said Chatty. He died in a drug deal. But, you know, there was players like that, that, you know, they didn't have the support. You know, they didn't have the father figures and stuff. So they, you know, they go on other routes.

But he stands out. And the other thing, some players just couldn't make it. Some players didn't have the street side, but they didn't have the guidance. You get a guy like Ali, you probably heard of Ali.

Hell yeah, the black girl. Recipe. There's that one. Ali was the truth. Elite. BBC guy, bro. Well,

legit, legit, I played against Ali plenty of times, 6'8", you know, throwing behind the back, passes, NBC guy, bro. Well, legit, legit. I played against Ali Moore plenty of times, 6'8". You know, throwing behind the back passes, full court, on target, on time. At 6'8", like, he was incredible. Even though he was in the street playing street ball. I actually brought him to Indiana because he was going through a lot. He was trying to train.

So I'm like, Ali Moore, if you want to play in the league, you got to work hard. So I brought him out to Indiana. He was in the paces, you know. We working him out. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I worked out Ali Moore. Actually you want to play in the league, you got to work hard. So I brought him out to Indiana. He was in the Pacers gym. We working, working him out. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I worked out Alimo. Actually, Chatty was in the Pacers. We was all out here one year, everybody working, just working on our game, you know, when we had access to the gym.

But it was a lot of players, you know, that I thought was nice, for sure. Dang, Alimo could have been a Pacer. Larry, we could have had bro off the bench as a backup one. We'd have been lit. Him and Jamal, we'd have been crazy. He had no cardio at that time. Well, that's a testament to him because a guy here from, we all know,

Andre Owens said the same thing about you, man. He said he used to have runs out on 10th and post and you used to come up there and hoop with him and he was like, man, you can play. And you called Larry and him up there to watch him work out and he made the Pacers team because of that. It was random because I respect Andre's work ethic. Even though he get all the foul calls.

Listen, still to this day. To this day? And immediately get calls. He still owe me some calls. You can't, you're not going to win a battle with Andre. You ain't winning no battle. I'd be like, man, you're a ball. Then he's going to get mad.

He's going to poke his chest out. I ain't getting no battle, man. I'd be like, man, you're a ball. Then he gonna get mad. He gonna poke his chest out. I ain't getting no ball. No foul. You're a ball. But Andre's my guy. Man, he's tough. You know, he was solid. And, you know,

I wanted to rock with him, honestly. I felt like he's a dog. And I forgot that he was actually on that team, but I felt like he was a dog. Nah, yeah, he said that, man.

Shout out to you. Definitely, man. Definitely. I was, Nah, yeah, he said that, man. Shout out to you. Definitely, man. Definitely. I was, I love playing with dogs, man. I'm not going to lie. It's, every practice that we was in,

Indiana practices, it was intense. Man, that's the craziest part is like, obviously when you came to Indy and then the team they formed, like,

that's the one time I was like, the Pacers might win the championship. Like, we were, I felt in our heart of hearts hearts we had a contended team. I don't get to say that often. You know what I'm saying?

Years of heartbreak. I get it. But that time period, especially, I was like, we have everything we need to win this shit. I feel like we was the best team in the league. Yeah, that's the best Pacers team ever. Yeah, bro. For sure.

Hold on, hold on. Yeah, and no disrespect to the teams that went to the finals with J-Rose, Mark Jackson, and Ricky. We ain't even saying that because he here. Nah, bro. It was different, bro. It was different. We believed it.

Them pinstripes, bro. I mean, I love the flow, but them pinstripe jerseys, bro, that was different. Like, they knew what time it was with us. Y'all had a bunch of two-way players. Yeah, everybody was two-way. Yeah. You know, everybody was two-way.

Jermaine could have won defensive player of the year. Yeah. You know, I thought he should have won MVP. And I don't, you know, KG, that's my dude. It's not to, you know, slight him, but it's to give Jermaine his flowers. For sure. You know, because people forget that Jermaine wants, he actually finished third. I thought he should have been MVP because he was the best on that team.

We won 61 games. That was nice. We was five, seven games ahead That was nice. We was five, seven games ahead of everybody else. So, well, what does that mean?

You know, so I feel like Jermaine was getting slighted in so many, he's so professional. You know, he's, I brought him down

a little bit when I left. You know, when I could request the trades. You know, he don't get the MVP and he's still resilient. Yeah.

And still fly like he was until he was 22 years old. But we definitely had a lot of two-way players. I got to ask you, you talked about this a little bit, but we'd love to hear it again if possible. Your legendary pickup game with MJ, man, how was that playing ball with the GOAT? Incredible.

It was incredible. So I'm from New York, so I pick up basketball. We just take it serious. So that's all I know, you know, is to work hard. So MJ, I idolize MJ. You know, I got defensive player of the year, and his number, that's his number. That's 23. That ain't nothing but MJ, man.

Yes, sir. And then when I was 19, we had these open runs. You know how we play open runs. that's 23 that ain't nothing but MJ man so and then when I was 19 we had these open runs you know how we play open runs you know some

Andre Owens he would love these runs MJ the problem with MJ is when he get the ball he gonna score so that's where you mess up

by letting him catch it so every time he would catch it he was scoring so in my head I'm just like I can't let this dude touch the ball so he was posting me in my head. I'm just like, I can't let this dude touch the ball.

So he was posting me up one time, and I was trying to deny. And they had referees in open runs. So as I was trying to deny him, you know, as I was denying him, I just moved his arm out the way. You know, and then as I moved the arm, I hit him with my right elbow, and I

hit him in his ribs. And then, you know, his ribs, cracked his ribs. And then, so know, his ribs, cracked his ribs. And then, so I seen him go like this, but I didn't think nothing of it. So I seen him holding it. So we go down. We miss a shot. MJ, give me the ball.

MJ get the ball. He hold it. Come down, freak the line. Game winner, and walk off the court. I'm like, damn, MJ, nice. And then the next day, I see in the media, it said, Metta World Peace punched MJ. Damn.

You know? It said, Metta, it ran out of tests. Punched MJ and broke his ribs. So now I'm sick. I can't leave the house. I'm not going to practices. It's summertime. But we still training.

So my agent called me. My agent called me. He called me he like where you at i said you read the read the paper i'm i'm i'm depressed yeah this is my guy and um then mj called me and mj i was really depressed he said hey it's all right man it's all right young fella just on the phone it's all right young fella it happens you're gonna be good i know you didn't mean that's the said, MJ, my bad, man. I was just playing hard. But those runs, it was intense.

I can believe it. Yeah, it was intense. We was going hard. And MJ actually asked me to come back. He was like, hey, I want you to come back. And I was young. And he was like, yeah, because you're giving me that work. But I was in my prime.

And at 19, my defense was crazy the whole time. My offense wasn't there, so it wasn't highlighted. But my defense was like, you know, it was definitely elite at 19. Oh, yeah, you know, you was full of energy one time. Yeah, not tired. Don't get tired. When did that offense click, though? Because you became, hey, you started killing.

20 PPG. When did that click for you? Like, all right, I know I can guard everybody. I'm locking everybody up, but I get buckets too. You know, like, so when I was young, I wasn't able to score. At some point in time in high school, I was scoring the rock. I was hitting threes and all this stuff.

I got to college. For me, I want to win, so if we losing the game, I'm just in hustle mode. I'm not thinking about offense. I'm thinking about running. I'm thinking about running. I'm thinking about closing out. And so I don't have no legs for offense. So a lot of times in college, I'll have 11 points, 8 points, maybe 15 points.

For me, that's a great night for me. When I got to the league, I was averaging 11, averaging 12. And then we were losing. We losing. So I said I had to work on my game because I can't keep leaving this a chance. So every year year I kept improving just in the gym, you know,

four times a day in the gym, almost, you know, five to seven hours every day working on my game. And I just pal-a-none. I just kept getting better. And then when I got

defensive player of the year, I was averaging 18. That next summer, I was in the gym every day. So then Larry Bird was coming down to the gym. And then Larry was working on me every day. I said Larry Bird was coming down to the gym and then Larry was working me every day. I said, I'm not about to miss out on this opportunity.

I'm in the gym every day. I didn't leave Indiana, you know? And then I just, I was getting better every week. Every two weeks, the game was getting crazy. And I came back, I was averaging 20 plus. You know, I was like, before I got suspended, I was at 24, I was at 24 a game. And what happened, well, back then,

you know, guys could hold you. So I had to figure out how to score off one dribble. So you'll see a lot. And that year, you'll see jab, one dribble shot. One dribble right shot. You know, okay? Or one dribble layer, one dribble layer, one dribble layer. And I had to, you know, figure out a way to get people off me and get to the basket.

And then Carlisle kept saying, you know, stop holding the ball. You're holding the ball too long. So I'm like, what you mean I'm holding this? You know what you mean? So I said, all right, if he's saying I'm holding the ball too long, I'm going to get buckets before he can say you're holding the ball too long. You know? So when I would get the ball, he'd, you know, cash.

Fine. He's real boss, though. Eventually, he's just, one day he was in practice he said no you finessed that yeah you finessed that one day he's in practice

he was like Ron you're a unique score you have the unique ability to drive middle and shoot so that's okay he solidified

he solidified in the practice one time but it was just work man man as a Louisville But it was just work, man. Man, as a Louisville fan, it was so hard trying to get tickets to the Louisville-Kentucky game. I know it happens every year, but it's so hard to get tickets. It should not be that hard to get a ticket to support your team and be a true fan.

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If you use code CLUB520, man, you get $20 off. So go ahead, download the GameTime app, sign up, and while you at it, go ahead and use the promo code CLUB520 for $20 off your first purchase on the app. Terms apply. Again, when

you sign up, make sure you use the promo code CLUB520, and we'll get you started off with $20 off your first purchase. Download Game Time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight

to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee no dumb hot takes here just smart hot takes we'll talk every single game every single week but i can't do it alone so i'm bringing in the big guns from nfl media that's patrick claybon steve weiss nick shook jordan rodrigue from the athletic and of course colleen wolf This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen.

Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You was the real two-way player, bro. I used to be like,

how the fuck is he averaging 24 points and still playing the whole game on the defensive end? What the fuck is he taking? Where did that come from? he averaging 24 points and still playing the whole game on the defensive end. What the fuck is he taking? Where did that come from? Is that always how you've been, though?

Like, high energy, I mean. Like, able to play those games like that? What was crazy was I had a heart murmur when I was 13 because I was playing all day one day. Had to go to the hospital

because I was playing from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Right? So then had to go to the hospital because i was playing from 7 a.m to 7 p.m right so then had to go to the hospital i caught pneumonia but then i caught a issue in my valve in my in my lungs so i get drafted they missed the whole thing before i'm assigned my contract donnie wall saying hey you got blood leaking in your lungs say what you mean i go to the doctor they say we got to open you up. I'm like, what? So they was going to open my chest up.

And I'm like, get this shit. I'm like, get it over with. So my agent, Mark Bottlestein, he's like, I'm not letting them open up your chest. I said, well, let's just get it over with a year and a half. I'm like, we'll just do it, whatever. Then they said, nah, we're going to go through your underarm. It's going to be about eight months. I said, all, we'll just do it, whatever. Then they said, nah, we're going to go through your underarm. It'll be about eight months.

I said, all right, cool. Get it over with. Then Mark said, nah, I'm not letting it go down. So then Mark was researching. They went through an artery in my thigh and they plugged up the hole in my heart. This whole time, I'm working

extra hard. I'm like, damn, why am I always tired in the first quarter? I'm like, time, I'm working extra hard. I'm like, damn, why am I always tired in the first quarter? You know, I'm like, oh, I'm always tired.

Meanwhile, I'm playing defense exhausted every time. Man, when they did the surgery, the doctor said it took 40 minutes.

I went from being out a year and a half to a 40-minute surgery. The doctor said, don't play basketball. I was in Chicago. I went to Chicago. Surgery over. He said, don't play basketball. I was in Chicago. I went to Chicago. Surgery over.

He said, don't do anything for a week. I drive right back to the gym to pay for the medicine. I go right to work, right? My heart stopped pumping out of my chest. So I called a trainer.

No trainers. I called my doctor. I said, yo, doc, my heart is like something happened and it was pumping out of my chest. He said, what are you doing? I said, I'm working out. I said, yo, doc, my heart, something happened and it was pumping out my chest. He said, what are you doing? I said, I'm working out.

He said, did I tell you to work out? So I took off about, I took off like two weeks. And then I came back that next year. It was crazy. I had so much energy. Yeah, the blood. I was playing with blood in my lungs. I had this one cough, coughed up some blood. It was natural. And then, you know, ever since then, I was playing with blood in my lungs I had this one cough coughed up some blood

it was natural and then I you know ever since then I was just like the game became easier for me it was crazy it was

that's crazy you had to fight yourself just against them and now what fuck of them never died you got off the surgeon's table

and said alright I'm back to fight pick up next week he said alright just hurry up and get it over with I'm like I would have next week. He said, all right, just hurry up and get it over with. I'm like, oh, he's different.

He's different, bro. I would have been, like, going through every step. But that's a shout out to you, though. Yo, Agent a great agent. Yeah, Mark. Like, Mark Buston is a great agent. But, like, a lot of guys, they agent wanted to do all that. They wanted to take those steps to do that. Obviously, he cared.

Even though I wasn't with him for a long time because I had other things I was going through, I should have never parted ways with Mark. Yeah. But I want to give him credit because without him,

my chest, they would open me up. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And like you said, there's a lot of agents that would have just took that first opinion

and altered life. That could have altered your whole career. Especially that time period. That little bit more lenient with players now developing being out hurt. Yeah.

A year back then was really like two and a half. That could have set your career all the way back. Yeah, I was devastated because I played so hard and it was just so many things going through my mind. And Mark

was like, nah, we're going to find something else. He found somebody from overseas that lived in Chicago to do this special surgery. Incredible. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's dope.

Who would you say, young players now, I know you still follow the league, who are the young players you'd say remind you of you or that you favorite a lot? Yeah, you know, I always answer this question with, I kind of reverse it. Who would I want to be like? That's dope.

Because like my career, it would have been different if I was unstable. I was just playing off the talent I had, the hard work. I still got a lot of awards, but who would I want to be like? Kawhi Leonard won.

I could definitely. You know what I'm saying? I would love to have been like him. And now I'm looking at this Maxie kid Tyrese oh my goodness he's both ways huh yeah he's nice

oh he is so nice I like his game but Kawhi Leonard is somebody I felt like that would have been my career I could definitely see that

that's like a if it was a little more stable if he was if he was your height he'd be the best player in the fucking league Kawhi nah Tyrese Maxie Tyrese he was your height, he'd be the best player in the fucking league. Kawhi? Nah.

Tyrese Max? Tyrese. He is my height. No, he's not. Tyrese only 6'2", bro. No way. Yeah. Yeah, Maxie from Philly?

Yeah, bro. He be mixing here in 6'2". He like my height. Tap in, bro. Yeah, he like be a little guy. It make it even crazier now. If he was your size, and the fact that you compare yourself to him

is incredible, bro. But yeah, compare yourself to him is incredible, bro. But yeah, he ain't big as a dog, bro. I thought he was 6'7". Nah. 6'2", barely. If he was 6'7", we... If somebody kept telling me I gotta watch this kid, because I watch a little bit.

I don't watch a lot of basketball. I watch a little bit. You know, I watch more boxing, honestly. I love boxing. If somebody's like, you gotta watch this kid, you gotta watch this kid, and they be telling me for years, then when I watch, I honestly I love boxing and somebody's like you gotta watch this kid you gotta watch this kid and they've been telling me for years

then when I watch I'm like damn he's nice I thought he was 6'7 nah he not that's crazy that you thought he was that tall yeah he think 6'2

nah he like 6'2 alright well we gonna I'm not you know that's not tall Kawhi I gotta find another player Kawhi that's definitely

for sure that's his giveaway that's crazy Tardis Max and Ky giveaway. That's crazy. That's crazy. Tyrese Max and Kyrie Irving, if they was both 6'5", the world would be in trouble. Yeah. They would be different. Man, now I got to ask you about this. Obviously, you played for a couple of different teams.

What was your favorite city to play in? My favorite city? Outside of Nat. Outside of Nat? There's a lot of different variables. I played in LA. LA was crazy. I would say Chicago was pretty insane because of MBC. that outside of that there's a lot of different variables i played in l.a l.a was crazy um

i would say chicago was was pretty insane because mj was there you know and they was they was behind us too man they was behind us um but i gotta say l.a l.a you know l.a um the energy in the end it was crazy because when you came into that building the fans knew somebody was getting locked up it was a different it was a different energy like y'all good tonight you know how y'all feel tonight don't worry too much it was a different energy

so Napa's always going to be in there but you said but I would say LA because you're playing with Kobe and you're playing for championships

I almost didn't even go to the Lakers I was actually trying to come back to Naptown, actually. Really? 100%. I was trying to come back to Indiana. That was my first choice. What happened?

The history. It was too much history. Yeah. You know, can I be trusted? Can I be relied on, you know? I wasn't a reliable player. So it put me in a bad spot. Yeah. See, my favorite version of you as your career went, And I be relied on, you know? I wasn't a reliable player. So it put me in a bad spot.

See, my favorite version of you as your career went, I love when you was in Houston. Boy came with the Mohawk. You was getting buckets. That's when I was like, damn, he really get buckets. Were you still rapping? I was still rapping. I did four albums my last year. Now, nobody heard.

I put it on iTunes. I did four albums my last season. Look nobody heard. I put them into iTunes. I did four albums my last season. Look at the SoundCloud. We got a funder here. No, but I took it off. I took it off. It wasn't like, it wasn't, it was just quick 16 songs. Knock them out, another 16.

But, you know, that was just like fun. Yeah. It was fun. I'm from a, you know, Queens is like Nas is right there. I'm all deep right here. My favorite rapper. Roy Yeager. Huh?

My favorite rapper. Nas. They give me problems about liking Nas. They say I got to grow up. All right. We jump all over the place on this. This is all good. Excuse us, Rob.

Yeah, man. We in the building. Who would you... Who's in your... You don't have to rank them or nothing, but who's your favorite three rappers from NY? Favorite three rappers,

I would say, Nas, Big L, Yeah, R.I.P. Pun. Pun, ooh.

I love Pun, too. Yeah, boss. And that's, you know, it could change, but,

you know, Pun is incredible. Yeah. Obviously, Jay- you know, it can change, but you know, pun is incredible. Obviously Jay-Z is incredible, you know, but yes. What was you warming up to in them games, man? To him? Yeah, I was doing that a little bit. Oh, you was just sitting on me for a minute? That's how you was like a nigga's like.

That's like a nigga having a picture of himself on his phone screen. I was guilty of that. Oh, you had yourself on your phone screen? Oh, that's nasty. Hey, I ain't going to hold you. Hey, you had one of the hardest songs on 2K. When you loaded up 2K, that moment of silence for the champion,

that was that shit. Yeah, that was my most successful record. The other ones was duds. But it was Eminem a little bit. It was Mobb Deep. Out the gate. It was Mary J. Blige a lot. SWV, so I was an R&B. I love R&B. But in Indiana, I had to stop listening to Mobb Deep and Eminem before games because- You were too turnt. Yeah, man. I'm too turnt. I'm listening to Eminem, some shady ringtone like Jim Brady. Like, yeah, let's go. That's crazy.

Yeah. I had to tell my, I coached high school. I had to tell my kids they couldn't listen to NBA Youngboy because they'd be too hype. We listened to Sade before the game. I said, y'all got to calm down. That's why y'all said it. No. Can't tell them to Sade before that. Bro, they'd be too hype. I had to stop listening. That's why y'all saying it. No. Can't throw the shot

before that, bro. That'd be too hype. That'd be too hype. I had to stop listening to rap. I stopped listening to rap before again, 2005. No more, it's over. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, it's too much. I started listening to other types of music. R&B or like jazz or something. I was listening to some jazz like later in my career. Oh, it's moving down.

For sure. Nah, but how was it once you got to L.A., man? How was that? Like, did Kobe make a phone call like, hey, my boy, I need you, slide? Or?

It was crazy because, um, so I was in Houston and I ain't gonna talk about things that was promised. Nah, we ain't fed on here, bro. You know, I'd be going and I didn't even want

to talk about it. But, um, I had a great season. So actually in Houston, I wanted to stay in Houston. I came out, I thought I was going to play. Team Madness, I was playing two minutes a game, five minutes a game, eight minutes. So I said, damn, contract, yeah, I'm sick. I'm in my prime, 28.

I'm sick. I'm like, all right, my career is pretty much over alright I'm gonna deal with it chair chairing on the bench you know I thought I should Shane Batty was playing

T-Mac T-Mac get hurt then I start playing my average go from what at 5 to 17 you know being one of now I'm a feature guy of LBT

so we get to the playoffs we take the team out the first round for the first time in 12 years. Since Akeem was there. You know, next to Brandon Roy, nice. B-Roy.

One of my favorite players of all time. Yo, B-Roy was... You got a classic interview talking about him, too. He nice. Said no flaws in this game. Nice. He was that nice? Ooh.

B-Roy was nice. Can I ask you a question? Like, way nice. So me and Jamal Crawford, one of my good guys, he's a good dude. Me and him used to battle about him and Joe Johnson. Who was better? Out of Jamal and Joe? Yeah.

Out of B-Roy and Joe? Yeah. B-Roy. Not even close? Uh, nah. I love Joe. I believe. No, B-Roy was nice.

Joe was nice. It's not that easy. I'm just saying like, as I was with you. I mean, you guard both of them. And I got to respect it because you are who you are.

Yeah. Yeah. No, Joe, Roy was tougher than, you know, he had that, that knee surgery.

He gave me 40. Nobody gave me 40. You know, he, the 40 was in my face. Damn. You know what I'm saying? And I was like, I was, I was baffled. I'm like, here I am in my prime. You know, the 40 was in my face. Damn. You know what I'm saying? And I was like, I was baffled.

I'm like, here I am in my prime. I'm in his ass and all that. And he just go right, go right. Fake. Oh, oh. Like, this death was crazy, bro. That was crazy. Whoa, yeah, pause.

Ooh, that was good. Pause. Yeah. Shit. That was crazy Oh yeah pause Pause Shit Rewind Damn I was about to run My tail was insane We had nothing for the run But the second one was crazy Yo

I gotta get on my P's and Q's But the second one was crazy. Yo. I got to get on my P's and Q's. You was like, and I was in his hands. I was like, there's so much other hoot shit we can talk about, but that one is crazy. That's good. I just called all, that was crazy, man. Hey, Dink Dash Cam. I apologize. No, no, no. I just called all y'all's crazy hey ding dash cam

I apologize no no no but I can I can respect that because you definitely guarded all the best players in the league so your word

goes a long way he was nice I got him up out of there early we put him out in the in the we played them

in the first round got him up out of there in the first we was a six seed they was a three so we got them up out of there and then the next year I in the first round, got them up out of there. We was a six seed, they was a three. So we got them up out of there. And then the next year, I mean, the next round, I was averaging 25. I was playing really well. So I thought I was going to go back to Houston.

And then I said, all right, since I'm not going back to Houston because they didn't offer, we don't want to get into that. Then I wanted to come back to Naptown. I never thought about going the Lakers just beat us so I'm super competitive you know King James

I would have went to Cleveland but I'm super competitive I want to play against all these dudes so I ain't go to Cleveland because of that not because I love I love King James

and then when Indiana turned me down then I called Detroit I was like I want to go to Detroit because I'm all about the story. I was like, damn, that should be dope if I can win a title here. All right, cool, I can win a title in Indiana.

That should be dope if I can win a title in Detroit. But then Detroit was like, you know, nah, too much has happened. I would love to hear how that phone call went. Well, I told my agent, and my agent was like, they was like, nah, we don't. That's a lot of history. Yeah, a lot of history. Yeah, that's a lot of history.

Too soon, baby. I want to get into, I like to go into the fire. I like to go into the lion's den. You know, I love being in the mouth of the lion. You know, so when that didn't happen, I didn't even want to go to the league. I tried to go to Greece. But I'm like, there's nobody I want to play with. Well, go talk.

My agent was David Bowman. So I said, Dave, I'm not going to go to, you know, Indiana. Or the Knicks was like, the Knicks wasn't an option because then Donnie Walsh was with the Knicks. He was my GM hit. I tried to go to the Knicks. But that was like, it was just too much history there. So I said, all right, cool. I'm just going to go to Greece.

Because I always wanted to go to Europe and just ball out in my prime. But then I get a call from the Lakers, you know, midnight. My agent said, yo, the Lakers, they want to talk to you. And I was like, for what? They just beat us, man. What do they want to talk about? They want you to join their team. I called my family, met married dr. Buster next

morning and I was it I've been watching winning time and just to see how he ran the organization so I can imagine how like you said it was such a smooth transaction you went from I ain't going nowhere to dr. bus call this up he was that good like that good he was that good. He's a hands-off, you know, you got a lot of hands-off owner. You know, he's never, you can't go to Dr. Buss and say,

oh, I'm upset because I ain't playing. You got to talk to the coach. Or you could talk to him. So you feel like you're a part of the organization. You feel like you're really in tune with the owner. He's incredible. He's incredible. R.P. Dr. Buss.

Absolutely. But that championship run y'all had, like, y'all have that series against the Celtics is still one of the best NBA finals ever, man. It is wild. How was it like playing, like you said, you playing with Kobe in that environment in the trenches? How was that feeling? Like, was that probably your favorite basketball series you ever played in? One of the best of them?

Me personally when I was in Houston I was in my prime in Houston but when I got to the Lakers the next year I was still you can't get worse

in your prime in four months. So I was still I was really but you know you playing with Kobe so I had to change my whole mindset.

I actually asked for a trade that year because I just couldn't get off. And then I met with Dr. Buss. He was like, hey, we're just trying to win. And I said, okay, role play, role play time, role play time, role play time.

That was a tough adjustment. So when I got to the point where I accepted the role, I started to excel in a role. You know, it's hard being a volume shooter, then going down to five shots, maybe eight, missing shots. You 0 for 4 one game,

that feel like 0 for 20. 20 for sure. In fact, that feel like 0 for 20. And they be open too. Don't miss the open ones. Oh my goodness, you know?

Yeah, yeah. So then I had to get comfortable with being a role player and almost being a bad player, you know? And, you know, so,

you know, from that perspective, you know, it was a hell of, you know? And, you know, so, you know, from that perspective, you know, it was a hell of a run. You know, Kobe was incredible. And what was the first part of the question? I was kind of ranting. No, no, you're good. I was just saying, like, that environment, like, how was it?

Because, like, we all watched that as fans. Like, that was one of the best series ever. No, it was crazy. So playing as a Celtic, me and Paul got history from Indiana paces. So when we was, you know, with the Lakers paces, I'm sorry, with the Lakers and Celtics, it was tough. It was like a mirror. It was two very identical teams.

Yep. You know, we win game one. They come back and win. You know, we go to their place, get the first win. It's back 2-1 our favor. We had home court. They win the next two in game five Kobe scored 25 straight points and I'm just in awe no we in the finals and I'm just like for about

four five possessions I'm just like you know this dude is incredible in my head I'm not even focused on the game I'm just like I'm like this is incredible this dude got all our points I'm just like, I'm like, this is incredible. This dude got all our points. I'm trying to win a title, and he's doing it without our help. We was playing defense, but he's pretty much doing it all himself. We lose the game. And then we was down 3-2. And then Phil Jackson came to me and was like, I need you to get buckets. He said, I need you to score. And I was like, really?

And I did not expect to hear that. My mindset was just work. Then I came out. I had four points in the prior game. Four, then two. Then in game six, I get 18. Then game 20, I'm in game seven after 20. You know, so I was like, he gave me that extra confidence, you know, to put the ball in the basket.

I'm like, yeah, I've been waiting for you to tell me. You've been holding me back. Yeah me. You better hold me back. Yeah, but it was an incredible run. You really kept your jersey on that whole day? Oh my goodness. It was crazy. I won my first title. I was involved. It was a different feeling because

I'm like, oh my goodness, I had a big game. You know? So everything was complete. You know, I had a great individual career. I got a defensive player of the year. I was trying to get MVP. That didn't happen.

Then I got my title. I've been an all-star once. So I'm happy. I'm content. You know, and then I'm like, damn. I just didn't, I kept my, I kept my finger tape on. I didn't want to take nothing off. I kept my, I went out, we partied at two.

I went out everywhere. I was at like seven different clubs. I ended up in the studio with Dre performing Champion, recording Champions Part Two, blowing it down.

That was the end of my night. It was wild that I gave Chris Brown my jersey because I was just so excited. I was super excited and Chris Brown, he was there. He was like, yo, let me get that jersey. And I was like, damn, you really want my jersey?

Hell yeah, you can have it. You wish you had that shit back now, though. No, I was like, just don't lose it. You know what I mean? Just don't lose it. Like, this is important to me. I signed it. And to this day,

somebody went to his house and he still got the jersey. Oh, well, that's dope. I respect that. Yeah, that's dope. Yeah, man. I was just so happy that, you know, that jersey,

it meant something to me. And for somebody like him in his prime to ask for it, I'm like, hell yeah. Nah, that's love. That's love. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast,

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but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away?

Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Is Paul Pierce up there in like one of your top matchups though. He in your top five so far as opponents.

Yeah, Paul weathered the stone. Because he could have folded. He could have folded the amount of pressure I was putting on him. Every minute, every game. He never folded. You know, he had great games against me. And I had great defensive games

against him and offensive games also. So he's definitely one of my toughest opponents. Yeah, Paul Pierce can hoop. Yeah. He's tough. He's clutch.

You had one of my favorite players under 10 points before too. I was a little upset. Which one? Melo, man. Carmelo.

I love Melo. Melo's tough. Yeah. Melo. I love Melo. Melo's tough. Yeah. I love Melo. I had to get 100% against Melo. I couldn't take a breather. So if you go out to the club against me, you asking to score

to not score. You can't go out. So I don't know what he was doing on some of those nights. Melo was outside. Wait, what he was doing on some of those nights. You know? Oh, Mello was outside. I was going to say, wait, what team was you on when you was? We were Pacers, man.

He was with the Pacers when this happened. Well, one time, you know, Mello, I thought that, obviously, he's a great player. I thought he could have worked a little harder to get in shape. He did at the end of his career. If you notice, at the end of his career, he was hustling. I thought if he would have put that in the beginning of his career, he would have been a different player. But he was just scoring the ball so easy, which, you know,

it made it easier for me. You know, a guy like LeBron, I wasn't ready for that. He's in shape. You know what I mean? He's in shape to play. So if you was out of shape a little bit, you know, it was going to be hard. And that's crazy because one of the first, one of his first games in the league was against the Pacers.

How was that? Like the first time you got to see, like play against them in person? He gave me 25. I remember the day clearly. 25 was a lot. 25 in my prime, that was like 38, 40. And when he did that, I was like,

this kid, nobody was scoring 25. You know what I mean? I was like, wow. To go in a game and telling somebody the average 25 that they not getting 25, you really guarding. Nah, he was like that, bro. Yeah, he was like that. As we know.

He's one of the people, like, when we started to see it now with Steph, he's getting a celebration now. But we're going to really miss Brian. We put so much pressure on him and he overcame all that stuff. But it's just like, y'all don't know. He came into the league and has dominated ever since.

We've not seen somebody step into the league and dominate all the way through. All the way through. Who was the underrated player that probably isn't spoken on or people know that gave you buckets that you secretly like? Yeah, sure. all the way through who was an underrated who was an underrated player that right he just spoke on the people know that gave you buckets that you secretly yeah sure there's like that's true it's true it's people that can you know can say i i i scored on you a lot too yeah but they wasn't superstars yeah you know i would say um some people out of my position like a guy like jamal

crawford not really in my position. I'm 260. You know, he's, you know, but I did have to guard him sometimes. You know, but... How was that? That was tough. That was tough because he going this way,

that's my 260 shift in this way. His 190, his shift in the other way, that's not easy. I got to shift. He got the ball to the screen, too. That was to shift. He got the ball to screen, too. That was the real ABC. With a jumper.

Yeah, facts. So he was always tough. You know, Rip Hamilton. But even low-level guys like, there's guys like Vashon Landy. I don't know if you remember Vashon. Hell yeah, I'm trying to learn it. Stupid clip. We tapped in.

You know what I mean? Like, guys like that. Yeah. Nice little bump, fade. He was nice. Okay. He could definitely? Like, guys like that. Yeah. Nice little bump, fade. Nah, he was nice. Okay. He could definitely shoot that thing. For sure.

Glenn Robinson. Big dog. Big dog was nice. Come on, bro. Yeah, he definitely not. He Indiana. Big dog was nice. But I got a story

when we was playing against you. You was on the Knicks. You were a little older at this time. And I remember I got the ball and I isolated you. I had you in an ISO situation. And I waved somebody off and you said, what the fuck?

I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I didn't say anything. He was older, but I went by you and laid it in.

That was a game. He said, what the fuck? I was like, that was shit. When I was with the Knicks? You was with the Knicks. I was in Atlanta.

You subbed in. You was a little older. He said, watch out. I was like, Kyle was on the wing. He came and cut. And I was like, watch out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rightfully so.

And I was like, oh. I got nervous for a second. And I went by him. And I kind of did a little layup. And then he started laughing. kind of like started laughing. I was like, you know, I was still competing.

Yeah. I didn't have it. Like, I ended my career when I was with the with the Lakers playing against the Spurs. I had meniscus surgery,

right? Yeah. So I was supposed to be out six weeks. I came back in five days. Right? So I come back in five days off meniscus surgery

because it was our last season. Steve Nash was there. Dwight Howell was there. Kobe just got hurt and passed. So I knew it was over. And we just limped into the playoffs. And I was like, this is for sure the last time this group is going to be together.

So I'm trying to play. We're going to try to win it. My mindset is always winning it. Now, it wasn't going to happen. Spurs swept us. But I wish I would have never did that. That pretty much ended my career. So when I got to New York,

you know, it was an honor. I was so happy to be in New York. So in my mind, we're going to try to win it. You know, I'm talking myself into like, I'm locking people up, but I didn't realize, but that's what you heard.

You heard somebody that was trying to talk himself into it. What the fuck? But I didn't have it. It was kind of bogey. I was like, what's up? I was like, man, I'm tripping.

He about to either foul me or he about to block the shit out of this shot. He's about to go back to the league with no foul. Yeah, he started laughing though. That's what made it cool. I remember I was playing against Jeremy Grant. It's two brothers, right? It's two of them, no? Yeah, Jeremy and Jeremy. From Philly. He was in Philly. That's Jeremy brothers right it's two of them yeah yeah yeah

Jeremy and Jeremy from Philly he was in Philly that's Jeremy yeah Jeremy yeah I went up for a layup he punched I was into my career

he's just punching I'm like damn my shit is over that was that moment I remember laughing like yo I can't do I'm trying

I got the rebound I'm right here all I gotta do is lay it up he jumped get that out of here I'm like damn my, my shit over. But that's a real realization, like you said,

especially for athletes. I've been hooping your whole life. That's your job. So then when you get to that point, you kind of like, all right, I got to start thinking about what's next. I got to start thinking about what's next. Even for you, you was just like, all right,

I ain't about to be no vet on the bench. I got to figure out what's next. Yeah, for sure. How is that? Like Mitch, like you said, as far as talking about your mental health and stuff like that, people don't understand, like,

and I've learned being around him a lot more and talking to other people is like, as an athlete, that is your job, but those jobs typically retire at 30. What do you do next? And a lot of people have a hard time even getting to that question. It's true. It's true.

It was tough for me, too. I remember, you know, my last game in stapleson i had 18 in the second half i wasn't playing all season but i would play one-on-one against jamal brandon i was just trying to stay ready right so i wasn't i was mentoring i was working them out i was training julius so i was working them out but when we was playing i was i was competing so i'm like yo yo brandon let's get this one-on-, Brandon, let's get this one-on-one. D-Lo, let's get this one-on-one. Julius, let's get this one-on-one. So I was

trying to stay ready. So then my last game in Staples Center, I'm playing a lot. I knew I was done. I kind of figured out this was going to be my last year. I scored zero in the first half. I got 18 in the second half. So now we're in Golden State. So I'm like, I just had 18 in the second half. And I felt I was Golden State. So I'm like, I just had 18 in the second half. And I felt,

I was still good. I was still alive. So I'm like, I'm going to get 15 tonight for sure. So coach don't play me. It's my last game. That's crazy. It's my last game. I'm like, I played like maybe 10 minutes. I'm like, no way. So I

walk off the court. I didn't say nothing to the players, Steph, Andre. I was just heated. So I walk off the court. I didn't say nothing to the players, Steph, Andre. I was just heated. So I walk off the court, stay silent. But I'm going to just replay my career in my head. I'm grateful. I'm reminiscing. I'm like, woulda, shoulda.

It was like so much. We're playing. I did have a great time on the plane ride home, though. That was my last plane ride so we got twisted 45 minutes baby we got twisted in 45 minutes

me and Nick Young so the rookies me and my guy Swaggy right so you know they gave me one of the greatest you know

plane rides home you know what I mean cause I was just like you know all the rookies is there they've been really cool I wake up the mean? Because I was just like, you know, all the rookies is there. They've been really cool. I wake up the next day and I'm just super depressed.

And I'm like, damn, what am I going to do? I know this is over, right? And then the next day I applied for school. I applied for school

at UCLA. I was just replaying everything in my head and I like to make decisions quick. I don't like to have time to waste. So I was like,

all right, I replayed everything. All right, we out of here. And that was tough. Even though what I'm doing to this day, seven years, eight years later, I went back to school for digital analytics, business analytics, coding, all the stuff that sports can affect the outcome of success.

But it was about four years where I was like, dang, this is tough. Like, I'm really not doing, I'm not playing defense. You know, I mastered defense. How am I going to master something else? When so many people tell you, you can't. Yeah. You know, but I believe that if you put your mind as an athlete, if you put your mind to something, you know, you don't have to be in a box. Yeah.

You know, just because you're not bowling, you know, walking like a ball player, you might not be walking like a ball player anymore. When you got something else you bring to the table. Yep. You know, you're good because you're a passion. You could have put your passion anywhere. Absolutely. You know what I mean?

So when I said, okay, I'm going to downsize my life. You know, I'm not going to, I don't want to be in a limelight. I'm going to be content. I'm going to strictly. So that was my personal journey, you know, and everybody got different journeys. Some people commentating, some people coaching,

but those options are not available for everybody. Absolutely not. It's not available for everybody. So I didn't want to leave that the chance. So I was an architect major coming out of college, which people don't know, but, you know, so my first major was architecture. I had letters from Princeton, but I was also architect major coming out of college which people don't know but you know so my first major was architecture

I had letters from Princeton but I was also going through a lot you know what I mean so I was like my mind was clouded but when I I said damn

I was an architect I said I could do anything I wanted to and when I told nobody that's when I said I'm going to go back to school I'm going to be comfortable so I went back to school

and just did what I had to do for sure like you said that passion like we got so many black entrepreneurs that don't come from traditional backgrounds go back to school. I'm going to be comfortable. So I went back to school and just did what I had to do. Good show. Good show. Like you said, that passion, like we got so many black entrepreneurs

that don't come from traditional backgrounds, but the things that they went through, that adversity, it's easy to put it somewhere else because you already

went through so much. Like now this is kind of easy. I get to just use what I already got to do. Yeah. Do what I want to do. Oh, 100%. Absolutely, man.

We appreciate you sliding, man. Please tell the people what you got going on, man. Yo, man, thanks for having me. You know. It's a pleasure being here, bro. It's a pleasure, man. We appreciate you sliding, man. Tell your son of people what you got going on, man. Yo, man, thanks for having me. You know. Nice to be here, bro. For sure, man. We love you.

When they told me Naptown Finders was inviting me to Naptown, I'm like, yo. I was just like, thanks, man. Appreciate you.

Love, bro. I was like, you know, my family's here, so it was definitely great to be here. We love Indiana. But yeah, so basically I'm just like

raising a family. I'm coaching girls as if I'm a volunteer coach at Cal State LA. Okay. So I've been doing that for five, I've been coaching girls

for nine years. I was coaching while I was in the NBA. After practice, I was going to coach my girls with the same coach in the last five years

we've been at Cal State LA coaching women's basketball. Last year, we went to the NCAA tournament. Okay. For the first time in five years, we've been at Cal state LA coaching, coaching women's basketball. Um, last year we went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years. They've been there. And this year they had us ranked number one. We had a rough start, but it's just incredible.

It's my favorite thing I'm doing, you know, right now, but the business is, you know, I'm building my business, um, which is like,

you know, I have to do that. But, um, you know, coaching girls is coaching. Women's basketball is great. And, um, you know, I have to do that. But, you know, coaching girls, coaching women's basketball is great. And, you know, building my agency is great and different things like that. But other than that, I just want to say thanks for having me.

I love seeing you back doing stuff with the Pacers because we need that 23 up. We got to keep it real. You're one of the most important Pacers players ever walked through them doors. I told the Pacers i want to see them win the title we we have a different history that a lot of people don't hear the conversations that between the individuals you know um because it was just a lot of wounds that's that's why i was open as being healed yeah you know

from the fans and the executives but from that perspective seeing a ring come here in indiana Would mean the world. That's what I want to see, even though I'm definitely Laker for life, love New York, definitely want to see New York one day too. But, you know, that one coming here, when it come, I'm going to feel like it's mine. That's real. And all the players feel the same way, Jermaine, everybody.

When that ring come here, we're going gonna be just as proud as if and we can't wait cause we knew we had the opportunity to bring it to the city you know and we feel like that was our fault

that was our bad you know Reggie don't got a ring you know that was our bad so we just can't wait till this team just keep building

so you know we support the Pacers all day we appreciate you man like, share, subscribe all that good shit. We'll be back next week. Club 520.

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