Club Shay Shay - Hawks AF - Dominique Wilkins on his favorite dunks, matchups with NBA legends, & today's NBA

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

On a very special episode of Hawks And Friends, DC heads to Atlanta legend Dominique Wilkins's house, where the Human Highlight Film tells stories from his Hall of Fame career, including his most memorable dunks, going toe to toe nearly every night with NBA legends like Michael Jordan & Larry Bird, and his only regret from his time as a Hawk. Then, DC and Nique hit the court to talk basketball fundamentals, being a coach & role model for kids, and the mentality he played with each game.Timeline:00:00 Intro02:21 Young Nique gets discovered04:30 Impact of Coaches06:30 How the game has evolved09:20 Toughest matchups of his career12:30 Mentality on the court13:30 Most memorable dunks15:05 Biggest regret of his career16:21 Nique on his statue19:30 Working out with Pistol Pete21:00 Players he learned from the most23:45 Craziest fan interaction25:00 Best trash talker26:00 How much could he score in today's NBA27:47 Nique's assessment of the current Hawks30:43 Welcome to my crib34:12 Nique & DC hit the court35:40 Nique coaches DC36:50 Being a role model38:40 Playing with & against his son's friends40:45 DC tries to dunk42:42 Dunk contest memories43:25 In-game mentality46:53 Post game @ ClubShayShay @ Nightcapshow_ #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Brooks and Don, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Fletz, Cole Swindell, Sam Hunt, Megan Maroney, Bailey Zimmerman, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. Yeah, you got the, you got the, oh, you got it down. Yeah, I'm trying to get it right. You got the silhouette down. Ah, we ain't playing. Ha ha ha. Hey, listen man, America, I, I, I,

Hey listen man, America, we're here again on another beautiful day on the Hawks and Friends podcast man. And I'm just trying to keep my composure because we don't get a chance to be shoulder to shoulders with legends. Shoulder to shoulders with legends, shoulder to shoulders with icons, man. And listen, man, today's guest needs no introduction, okay? A Hall of Famer, a icon, a legend. Everybody make some noise for Dominique Wilk-ah! Appreciate it, appreciate it, appreciate it, man.

What's happening? What's happening, man? It's good to see you outside of the Hawks Arena, man. I'm telling you, man. You're not as amped up today as you are at the arena. No, man, because you know I really be into it. I really be into it, you know what I'm saying? But you amped up, but you ain't amped up like that.

I'm amped up because I'm a fan. When I'm at that arena, I paid for them to hear my frustration. I feel you. You feel what I'm saying? No cap because they represent us. I am really from Atlanta, but you have been representing Atlanta

for quite some times, man, and we wanna say thank you. Oh, you're welcome, man. I appreciate it. You know, Atlanta basically made me who I am. When I came out of high school, actually, I moved to Atlanta first before I went to the University of Georgia.

And Georgia kinda got me out of the situation that I was in in North Carolina, which was a pretty intense, dangerous situation. And this was the first city that I came to. Man, and take it back to the 80s, man, the NBA draft. First round, third overall pick. Like, how did that feel? Cause you know, I had a dream to be in the NBA, but it's people that actually lived our dreams.

You know what I'm saying? So we be living through people. So when we say that, and when people say that to me, I really understand. And when we see y'all on the court, everybody had a dream of being the NBA star. Oh, you know what, that was our dream growing up. Cause I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Right.

And at the time, Baltimore had the highest cry rate in America at that time. And I left home when I was 16 and got discovered on a playground the next day in North Carolina, where my high school career started. Right. And a guy asked me, he said, hey, son, you live here? I'm like, I'm not sure yet.

Right. He said, where you going when you go leave from here? I'm like, I'm not sure. And he looked at me. He said, come son, you live here? I'm like, I'm not sure yet. He said, where you going to leave from here? I'm like, I'm not sure. And he looked at me, he said, come go with me. I don't know why I followed. And he showed me his house, showed me a kitchen, showed me the bedroom. He said, you can have all this,

the only trade off is you have to play for my high school team. He was a high school coach. In North Carolina. I looked at him, I'm like, okay. And that's how my career started. We were 76 and one in three years in the state of North Carolina, high school.

Ooh, how many championships? Back to back. Back to back. Back to back championships. See, I don't know how they feel. I don't know how they feel. And you know, in North Carolina, that type of record was in her,

because I came out the same time with James Worthy. We had so many, we had Mitchell Wiggins, we had a lot of, we had a lot of guys come out of North Carolina. Of course, you had Mike come out of North Carolina, and you had Jimmy Black. It was so many guys that played in basketball in the state of North Carolina, back in especially in North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, my high school teammate went to Wake

Forest, so we had a lot of guys, man. So to have that type of record in high school in that state, that's basketball mecca. And for somebody to pull over, for somebody to stop they car, get out and say, man, I want you to play for me. You got talent, because my parents didn't even stop to even for me. You got talent, cause my parents didn't even stop to even watch me. Well, you know, the funny thing is,

his players was playing on the playground that day. And I just went out and started playing with them, you know, after I got off the bus. And he walked up. Right. And, you know, and all was, the rest was history after that meeting. I'm telling you what, he might be the greatest coach

that I ever had outside of Mike Fitello that I've had in my career. He was, he refused to let us lose. I was just finna say that. So we had a different, that team had a heart of a lie. So speak on like having like coaches, cause people don't understand roles are important. Let me explain something about coaching.

Coaches are put there to help you develop, teach you how to play the game, and sometimes coaches use the best players as an example to push all the other players. Correct. All the coaches I ever had always jumped on me harder than anybody else. Because first of all, they know I could take it.

Two is that if they could say stuff like that to me, if you know my case, and sometimes even belittle you sometimes, nobody else can say anything. And so that's the way all the coaches taught and developed me, and that's how I learned how to play the game from a fundamental standpoint, from a toughness standpoint. One thing I hate when guys, when you know, if a coach get on you too hard, you shut down. You clam.

Gotta build aggression. I mean this is what we signed up for. Right. You know, so it's a lot come with being the king when you're the leader of the team. Now. You gotta speak on it. I speak on that. Because you gotta be able to take the heroics

as well as the criticism. You are the target. You are the target. Yeah, and you know what? That's what I love. Right. That's what any great player would tell you from Michael to Magic to Bird, and I played against them, these guys was monsters.

The pressure builds. And the pressure makes us who we are. And the only way you can measure your greatness and you gotta play against the greatest. And I'm glad you said that because I feel like it ain't no pressure in today's basketball. If you look at it, cause OG listen man, when y'all was playing from the 80s and the 90s,

even the early 2000s, you still seen it. Like, they call fouls. It's like the game has gotten soft. Well, you know, you could get away with a lot more. I mean, the fouls. And they shooting from full court. The fouls are, you know, it is what it is. Right.

But this is the thing, big guys. Right. If you stay on the perimeter, I'm gonna use a guy like Miles Turner. If you stayed on that perimeter as a big guy, like he does, and a lot of the big guys, and if you miss four or five of those threes, you coming out.

You coming out. You coming out again. Even at small forwards, and if I wasn't making those shots, Coach said, hey, step in, get to the free throw line, get to the post, take somebody off the dribble. So we was able to mix up our offense. Cause when you see highlights, I mean, what do you see? Slam dunk, slam dunk, slam dunk.

Well, it's very difficult to get over 26,000 points on dunks. I was a creator square every day, and you see these guys. Tokyo talk, Tokyo talk now. Cause you know, the mid range game, post game, getting to the free throw line, jump shot, I had all that back then.

So it's like, a lot of times people think that this is a new invention. It's not. It's been there. We took a lot more high percentage shots. It's just a fact. Cause I hear a lot of times people say, well, the midrange shot is obsolete,

it's just a dumb comment. Because it's the most high percentage shot outside of an airport dunk. Now if you have great shooters like Curry and a lot of these guys, and Luke and all these guys, you have great shooters like them, them guys can make those shots.

But you got a lot of guys taking that shot that shouldn't be taking that shot. You could develop a good mid-range shot. Yeah, you know. You dangerous. Kawhi Leonard. Right. Even Steph, you look at Durant, DeRozan.

Right, right. He rarely ever takes a three. What about Luca? I like Luca. All them guys who can score all shoot mid-range shots. What about Dirt? Well again, guys like that kind of, you know, revolutionize the mid-range shot.

Right. Because you know, it went away for a long time. Everybody trying to shoot three. Yeah, then it came back, but them guys really showed the analytical guys that y'all are dead wrong. Right. Because this mid-range shot, I can still get 30. Right now. I mean, I can still get 30. Right now.

I mean, I've had games where I had 52, 54, and had one three. And people say, oh, it's possible, it's impossible for you to get 57 points and three quarters. You didn't shoot threes. I think you out-got him. But he's on them all day. What that says though, is I shot a lot of free throws.

Right. That's where my threes came in ones. And so my whole objective was to get to the line. And you have to attack people. And that's what we did. So looking at these matchups, because Michael stopped a lot of great, great teams that could have possibly been champions.

If you looking at the matchups right now, what was your toughest matchup? Man, you know Chicago was always tough. Chicago was always tough. New York, Philadelphia, Indiana, had Milwaukee. I mean, Philadelphia, they had a super team back then. Tokyo Talk. So, everybody was tough.

But, you know, I never feared anybody I ever played against. There's one guy that made me nervous. Who? Out of New York, his name was Bernard King. Wow. And if you don't know who he is. You gotta look up Bernard King. What happened, now?

What happened? Because he's getting 40 and nothing you can do about it. Nothing. I mean, I couldn't sleep the night before I played against this guy. And he getting 40 on top. Yeah, and I said, look, I know he gonna get 40. So you know what?

I'm gonna get 40. We just call it. We just gonna call it even. Cause everybody got that Michael Jordan effect like they scared of Michael. Michael and I are the only two foes in the NBA history to average over 30 against each other for a whole career. Every time y'all played each other.

Oh yeah, and I didn't think about it, somebody brought it to my tits, and I look back on those games, I'm like, whoa, he had 47, I might have 42, I might have 45, he might have 40, he had 60, I had, you know, 47. And all those games was like that, man. Because he brought out the best in me. And. Cause he brought out the best in me. And I know I brought out the best in him.

We love competing against one another. And that's one of the things. It ain't no competing no more. I had to guard Larry Bird. I had to guard Dr. J. I had to guard worthy English, Dantley, Aguirre every night. We couldn't duck each other because I was not gonna go over there

and play the power four position. They had a license to kick your butt. And I was not gonna go over there and play the power forward position. They had a license to kick your butt. Now I'm not dealing with them guys. So at six, eight and a half, you know, I'm going against some guys who was six, 11, six, 10, small forwards, but that's the way it was. We didn't think twice about it. We were like, hey.

Now they picking, they nitpicking. Yeah, I'm like, hey man. I'm like, I'm like, I'm like bringing on. Because most of the time that I played against Boston, Kevin McHale at seven foot was guarding me. You had to go out there and bust him. It didn't matter. The size, we never, because this is the thing,

most great scorers will tell you. And Bird and Jordan, the prime example of this, we never worried about the guy who was guarding us. We worried about the guy who was double teaming. Because we knew we could beat this guy. But if they bring a shuttle. Only guy I'm worried, and see people ask me sometimes, how do you beat a double team?

You go before it gets to you. You know it's coming, but if you can get by this guy first, the double team comes, it's too late. And then now somebody open. And that's how I used to get a lot of my points because I knew the double team would come. Now if the double team comes quick, you know you're giving the ball up

because you're always gonna come back. So nowadays you don't really too much see a double, a lot of the elements of the game just change. You don't really too much see a double, a lot of the elements of the game is just changed. You don't really see a double team, you don't see a four court. The double teams is like, you play an area. So if he comes to the area, you got help. It was a lot of one-on-one defense back then.

And of course you need to help with certain guys, because certain guys are monsters. They just monsters. And because like I said, my first eight games, I felt like I played against eight Hall of Famers as a rook. And I finally had to get over it because I know I had to play against these gods. But I'm gonna let them know I'm a god too.

And that was my mentality. Because you had to have that mentality. Them guys you're going to need a Dr. J's, and a Gwiyah's, and Worthy and all them. Because Worthy and I, we all came out in 79 out of high school. We actually our high school senior class across the nation got voted as the greatest senior class ever.

Talk, you don't talk. Because of the level of professional athletes that they created. Yeah, we had a lot of guys in that class go to pros. And to speak of that class, like the aggression and knowing like the highlight factor was real back then. So even knowing that nowadays it's like the highlight countdown, it's cool.

You done saw it before, but it was demanded. You had to go out there and make the highlight. Speaking of your iconic dunks, what's an iconic dunk that you remember and remember who you did it on? Man, there's a lot of them, man. I think one of the ones that, and it's been a lot. Well, I think the one that they show a lot of

is the one against Bob Lanier in Milwaukee where the clock was running down and I'm on the post. They throw it to me, I go to the middle, they cut me off. I went back baseline, I jumped. And Bob Lanier, who was 6'11", covered the rim, I think he crossed his arms when he covered the rim, and I turned, and air, he was coming down, I was still going up.

And I dunked it on him right before the buzzer. And that was one of my favorite dunks, because most of my dunks in traffic, those were my favorite. The dunks I had against Boston where I shot and it hit the rim and I caught it over like three or four guys. I mean, those type of plays kinda changes

the momentum in the game. So, I mean, a lot of my favorite dunks, believe it or not, was in high school. In high school, I was looking in the rim in high school. I was really in the room. You're not even the one where you gliding all across the court. Oh, in high school, man, you know,

our point guard was a wonderful point guard, and it was every game on the jump ball, we was trying to get an alley-oop. Every game. If we got the tip, we had a design where we run wide and he'd just throw up the either corner of the backboard and we would go get it. Is there a moment in your career

that you wish you could have done differently? No, you know, only thing that I regret that I didn't do is bring a championship here in Atlanta. I think that's the only thing I regret. But as far as if I would do anything differently, no. Because what I did and the way I did it, it helped build character, personality, respect.

And so, you know, winning a ring, a lot of times people don't understand, it ain't always about winning a ring, it's about competing to the highest level. Because I look at this, my ring was giving me the ability to play something that I love. That's my ring. And so, you know, there's only one team

that wins every year. A lot of great players have never felt that, you know. So, you know, that's the nature of the beast. That's the way it is. But would I change anything? No, maybe one thing. The money they make now, but you know. It's different.

It's different. Yeah. They buggin' 256. They got a good nine piece of beach, great. Yeah, I changed that. 256. Oh man, I can't even fathom that. You know, it's crazy.

That's crazy. Now, me and you enter the same part of the building of the ring, you know, and you got a stature. You got something that's out there that's very, you know what I'm saying, inspiring to the city. Like you said, even though we ain't got no ring, it's you, the energy, the compassion, the aggression, the fight that you wanted to go out there and represent us.

We feel that, and we're thankful for that. That is our ring, it's the love that you showed our city. That's our ring. Will you ever go into the front to even see the statue and just take it all in? I'm gonna tell you a funny story. First of all, let me just say this. What he captured in that statue

is everything about who I am. And so when I saw it for the first time, man, I was blown away. I was so emotional I couldn't even shed a tear. That's how emotional I was that choked up about it. Because it's not just about basketball, when you receive something, it's what you've done in that city,

how you connected with people, relationships, everything. So when it went up, I remember a couple of times I went down, I drove by, so one day I stopped by there, I put a lawn chair out there, had a beer, and I looked up, that's a big fella, we come along. We come along?

Wait. You know, and that really felt good, man, and I looked up as a big fella, we come along. We come along. And that really felt good, man, because it was a moment in my life that I never dreamed of. And even to this day, man, it's still surreal. So I was talking to Steve Coon, GM, and I'm sorry, our president and CEO, I said, I rode by the statue the other day

and it looks a little ashy there. Did you? And you all got. You all gotta put some lotion on that thing. You all gotta put some lotion on that thing. It's the LeBron statue now. Listen, I went back a couple weeks later, it was shiny. Shining.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Shining with the folks. Yeah, yeah, so it's just fun for people to see me go down on the internet because sometimes I'll walk by there and I see people stop by and they look at me and they say, is that you? I said, yeah, most people think it is you. Yeah, it looks like me.

But it's just a pleasure to see people admire it. No, man, it's just amazing, man, just to see you, you know what I'm saying? Just get to smell your flowers while you're still here because, like you say, it's not about the ring. It's about the love. You know how many times I say that? I said, don't wait till someone's gone.

You give them their roses. Give them their flowers while they're here and appreciate what they've done. I remember when I first came to the league and I said to Dr. J the first time I played, I said, I grew up emulating everything you ever done. I just wanted to be that next doctor. And I just wanted to let you know

how much you meant to my life indirectly. You really helped me elevate my game to a different level. And he said to me, he said, I know they're calling you the next doctor, but it's only one Dominique Wilkin or one Dr. J, but today you can start learning. And I remember he had a great game against me and I wasn't upset.

I said, that's the doctor, that's my idol. Doctor! You know, but once I got over that, you know, it was nothing but competing. When did you realize I am Dominique Wilkins? When did you realize like, you know what? I have to start making my own mark in the game because I'm here now.

I knew before I came in the league, to be honest with you, because before I came to the NBA, I used to work out, a lot of people didn't know this because you couldn't do it at the time, but I did. I worked out with Pete Mavich and Maurice Lucas. So I got one of the most skilled guys in history who was for his time, and Pete Marvich, and I got the toughest guy,

and one of the toughest guys that would play the game, and Maurice Lucas, the enforcer. So I came to the NBA, I wasn't ready to go. But the thing about coming to the NBA in those days is the top three picks in the draft. You still gotta pay your dues. You should do, you should do.

I mean, I could have averaged 20, 25 plus my first year, but the old heads, as y'all said. Steelbuth. And you know, I had Dan Roundfield, Eddie Johnson, and Tree Rollins, young fella, just play the game. Don't try to do too much, ain't no time yet. But once I got their blessing, because that very next year,

I remember Dan Roundfield said, now it's time for you to be the captain, you earned it. So you had to earn their respect. They didn't hand you the keys that early. That right, that right. Okay, so speaking of being in the game, was there any time where you got knowledge from an individual that you was inspired by,

especially once you come in and you actually meet somebody that you've seen on TV? You know, Dr. J, that was authentic. That was just so happen to be there. Was there somebody like you were truly like, I wanna meet this guy? Well, he was the one. He was the one.

The guys I really learned from when I first came, it was Dr. J, it was Maurice Lucas, Magic. I started playing summer ball with them before I came in and made George Iceman Gervin. Them the guys, Moses Malone. Them the guys that I learned a lot from when I came late. These was not just superstars,

these was legendary guys still playing the game. And so I learned a lot from them and I said, I wanna be as good or better than those guys. And the only way you do that, you gotta play against the greatest if you wanna be the greatest. And it's crazy that you said that, you played against the greatest, but that, you gotta play against the greatest if you wanna be the greatest. And it's crazy that you say that. You played against the greatest,

but not only did you play against the greatest, your career is longevity. And you can attest to this. In the NBA, nine years is, that's cool, that's good. All right, you play long enough, well you gonna stab this make you some money. Once you get in the double digits, 10 and better, 12, 13, 14, well you gonna stab this make you some money. Once you get in the double digits, 10 and better,

12, 13, 14, like you good good. Like they trying to get every little juice about you. Yeah, you know, I could have played two or three more years if I wanted to, I could have got to 19, 20 years. But at that time it was changing, it was about really kind of nurturing the young guys. Be the man. You know, investing that's in there.

Cause I remember Chuck Daly said to me when I was in Orlando at the end of my career. And I was starting to average in like 19, 20 points in like eight, nine rebounds. But I was only playing like 18 minutes a night. And I remember he came to me and said, we gonna start Matt Harpon cause we need more scoring. And I said Chuck, let me say this to you.

You don't have to blow smoke on that. I said, don't insult my intelligence. Right, right, right. I was leading the league in points per minute. Right. I said, if you want to start the young guys, hey, I'm not no problem with that. I understand things are changing.

That cool. But don't come with me with that, come on, really. It's going 20 points in 20 minutes. Yeah. You gonna score every minute. Yeah, like, guys, this is what I've done. Right. So if it's about development, I'm cool with that,

but let me know upfront, this is what it is. Right, it's about the business too. Instead of insulting your intelligence. Come at me correctly. Yeah, so I saw the change and I said, you know what, maybe I'm gonna retire and go into the front office, and that's what I did. That's ain't no move.

Now, you've been in the game for quite some time, like what is the most craziest fan interaction that you had? Because today's fans ain't fans. No, no. Back in the day, they was fans. Hey, listen, they had a guy in Detroit called Leon the Barber. I can't even tell you the stuff he said.

Some of the stuff he said to us behind the bench. And he sat right behind our bench. Uh-huh. Two big bodyguards sat there. And some of the stuff he said, you can't sit on air. It's not clean enough for television. But see, people don't know that our fans back then was trash talkers. and some of the stuff is that you can't say on air. It's not clean enough for television. It was bad. People don't know that fans back then was trash talkers.

They didn't get thrown out. Cause it wasn't for us, it was entertainment. You know, we didn't get upset, get fans thrown out. We just didn't do it. Not unless a fan came out of stands and did something. Right. But talking, it only did to motivate us.

Right, cause he's supposed to make you bring the dog out. Because that shows you your toughness too. Kind of like Shuttle Mug. Why I'm gonna get that fan thrown out? He obviously is a fan of mine because he's- He came to see me play. He's talking crazy and because this is what motivates him. But you know, it's something that same fan,

Leon DeBarber, after the game would ask me for my shoes. All the time. So it was never personal. he was supporting his team. So it was a lot of fans around the league like that. I mean, we loved it, we embraced it. Who was the best trash talker as a player? Oh man, a lot of them. My brother was one of them.

Cheryl, yeah, I remember he told me, he said, Big brother, you ain't scoring no more tonight. I said, little brother, I got 40, I don't wanna score no more. I'm done. Matter of fact, little bro, I got 40, I don't wanna score no more. I'm done. Matter of fact, coach, take me out. I don't even wanna play no more. Well, you had to be taken out,

because you too good, versus you asking the coach, why you taking me out? I said that because he was talking trash, but it was a lot. Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers, oh my God. It was almost like we fought every game. We had a fist fight, or a show, we met something. Every game.

Every game. Yeah, and then you got Larry Bird. Larry Bird, if you weren't ready, he took your heart. You know, Larry was great. It was quite a few guys that talked like that, but Larry and Chuck was some of the best. Larry was number one because everything he said, he did it.

He backed it up. He backed it up. He backed it up. That's a bad point. He backed up, he's a bad. And that's why again, I hate when people ask, I had a guy ask me, did I think I could score 15 points a game in today's game? Could you?

I said, is that a trick question? I said, which quarter? I'm like, are you serious? Right. And I said, I averaged 30 in the hand check area. I said, what you think I'd do if you can't touch me? And I'm like, come on, man, really? Can't you touch me? We all like physical contact.

I wanted to bump and grind down around the basket because the thing about when you can feel a guy, you know how to play him. I already know how you play. I already know how you can feel a guy, you know how to play him. I already know how you play. I already know how you can play him because if I can feel you, I got you. Because if I can make you commit one way, I'm going opposite.

And people say, well, what do you mean by that? I said, a lot of times when you guys catch the ball, the first thing you do is dribble. Well, what you do when you can feel a guy, you commit one way or the other. If you feel him move to your right, you know you drop is dribble. What you do when you can feel a guy, you commit one way or the other. If you feel him move to your right, you know you drop and go left. And those are all the things we learned

at high school, college, to prepare us for the pros. So all that stuff, the up and under, drop step, power, we learned that at a very early age. The thing is, how can you put pressure consistently on a team if you don't attack? Right, you have to attack. See, my whole thing was this is my strategy. If I'm playing, I guess another great player

on the other side of the ball. If I can get two fouls on him early, now I create an advantage for myself because now he's not gonna play me as hard. He's going back up, he's going back up. He's not trying to get that third foul. And so you create that advantage early, now you get going, now the ball is going in the basket,

you know, your level of confidence is elevated. And you know, you trying to get that third foul on before you get to halftime. I feel like we getting our coaching on. And since we in our coaching, and this is Hawks and Friends, what you think them Hawks gotta do by me? Well, first of all, we gotta stay healthy, man.

I mean, injury, we've been hit with that injury bug and we got guys out right now, but I gotta give it to these guys, man. They still fighting. We gotta fight. They still fighting, they playing hard. We got to fight. And each night it's a different guy to step up.

The last game was Trey hitting a big shot. Need that. Big fourth quarter that he had. But you look at Reese Desha, he played well that night. Dyson Daniels played well. And that's what you gotta have when you're decimated with injuries. You gotta do it collectively.

It's hard to do it with one guy. Yes sir. And that's crazy because as a collective, as the city, we all wanna say thank you again for bringing that energy and that love. And that's why you got a statue. Ain't nobody got no statue. You know what, there's only one jersey I felt good in

throughout my career. And I'm not just saying this, it's a Hawk jersey. When I was with Boston and LA Clippers and San, I didn't feel right. I didn't look right in those jerseys. Yeah, you didn't look right in them colors, man. Only this red and yellow matter, man. That's right, that's right.

Boss fade. He ain't eating a head. OG, it's an honor, man. Don't let this be your last. Oh no, we can do it anytime, man. And then we eat your crib. They got a Picasso. He got a pool and he got a gazebo.

Don't nobody be over here. The gazebo's with him. You're right. Yeah, that tiny house one, I wanna get away from my grandkids. I'll go over there. He got a tiny house to get away from his house. He got a house to get away from his original house.

He tied on that house. Hey man, it's a blessing and an honor, man. And you know, like you said, we just want to continue to give you your flowers while you're here, and we appreciate you, and we're thankful for everything that you've done for the city. Thanks, man. And we're glad that you came and did it for I City.

That's why I wore this jersey, let you know. Man, it's still here. That's crazy that you could do something so long ago and it still passed. You know what's funny? I'm 33. You know, you can get my jersey, I can't get it. Why?

They said they had to order, which is a good problem. Yeah, I'm about the same person, you created it. No, but no, then the Hawks will always make sure that I have a jersey for the families and grandkids and I have two great grandkids. I'm a great uncle. All right, man, you're too young for a great uncle. That what you say.

My mama had me when she was 45, my daddy was 61, OG. Okay, okay, makes sense. My daddy graduated high school before you. Hey. Ha ha ha. Show you right on that. Show you right. Ha ha ha. Hey OG, a lot of man, you know what's up, man.

Hey, man, it's a great episode on Hawks and Friends. Get it? Yeah, this is my area. You got to have a pad, man. You know, only time I really come in the house I'm gonna eat or go to sleep. Right. These two rooms.

This the getaway, man. This is my humidor right here. That's why I can't wait until my house is rooms this is the getaway man. This is my this is my humidor That's why I can't wait for my house is done so I get my head I say I got my pads down on here. You know why these are here, right? Uh-uh cuz when you smoking here You can't burn my chairs back. Oh Okay, this is Somebody then cover my chair. I thought it was like, you know, I don't keep the plastic on a crunch. Well, it's something like that. Okay I thought it was like, you know how old folk keep the plastic on their furniture? Well, it's something like that.

Okay. It's something like, hey you- You know folk booty stank right here. It's a booty rug. Hey, hey, hey, hey, look, I don't want nobody, you know, burning holes in my chairs. Right. But you know, both of these areas like, it's like my- You drink.

Cigar bar. You drink. Yeah, you know, I got a little- See, this one, this one like more family oriented, even when the family want to get out, but this one I had my bedded meeting. Yeah. Yeah, I have a lot of meetings out here Yeah, you know we do a lot of podcasts from time to time out here, but I wanted this to look more like a log cabin Yeah, I mean wrong with that thing. You know, I have my own my own That's all yeah. I got my own

Bourbon, it's all bourbon I'm gonna give you a bottle. Yeah, give me a bottle. Oh, that whiskey too. That was yours. I was walking around the crib waiting for you. I built the floor myself. I did the floor myself. So you telling me you got down here and you screwed it, leveled it, sand. Until you realized you needed somebody professional to finish it. No, no, I finished it. For real? Yeah, I did this whole floor. I did this.

I did this backsplash here, that whole wall there. That's fire. And the only thing I had, because we had shingles at the top. Uh-huh, you gotta get rid of the shingles. So I had somebody to do the roof, but the floor stuff, I did. Oh yeah, that's the thing. Then I came and put heating in the air and then I put you know cigar So you do you do read so you you be reconstructed houses, too? I don't say all that anybody they can do a flow you that's not the start of something need to flow for you get a

Bill I'm really handy. Yeah, I like that. I'm a country boy myself I've built a lot even a little boards on my tiny house. I built those I put those boards on. Oh, that's all right duck and Actually, we took my old fence down with me my uncle and I built the fence. I built the fence Oh, yeah, you dug it up. Oh, yeah stuck the stuff the wood down, you know I got my nail gun and the whole thing, you know, that's engineering. That's engineer right? See people don't know that that's engineer always been a handyman I come from a family that the men of the family. Right. Always work. You got to. They work inside and out. Right. So yeah. Got to

get dirty. Yeah. Yeah. Only thing I like when my kids they come here they take basketball and they throw them all over the yard and I gotta come pick it up. I'm about to say cuz I thought it was a boat. I was gonna say you don't do no fish. Oh no no no. You don't fish? well, yeah. Yeah, yeah. OK. I'm bass fish. OK, you know, been bass fish. My my dad's father from North Carolina. That's all they did. They used to hunt.

I used to hunt too. I used to steal my grandfather. He had a gun that shoots 16 times. It was silent. I used to go and shoot at the barn. Boy, see, I thought I was good. I ain't good. I'm going to keepshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, pshh, psh experiment a little bit but not I'm not a big time. Well, you know, I'm going to replace this whole floor because I've had it here for a minute and it's starting to fade. So, CBA Sports which I'm partner with. This is what we do. We

do outdoor courts, right? We do indoor courts and yeah, you got this. You got the oh it's you got it down. Yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying to get it right. You got the silhouette down. We ain't playing. Hey, wow. That's the boss paid. I'm talking about man. Hey, that's funny. That's funny. That's so yeah. So we we we have a court building company. Actually, I have my own signature floor coming out. Right. You know, how would

they cuz I referred them to me so we I got diss away if you want to court this call me and I'll make sure they get over and look at your property I need one matter of fact I want this same silhouette matter of fact I want this same court you know what with the Hawks logo make sure you get my information and I'll send the guy to hell because they'll come out and look at your property. Same course. See where you want it. And I got up now and see this is also a tennis court too. Right. Because you have you have you have you have rebounders here. These are rebounders. Right.

And then you have the hook up. These right here rebounders. Yeah, that's the rebound for for now. Oh, for the tennis. I mean, they're actually like if you want his shooting by yourself, right? You can just you know, this is this is this your So what's the what's what's what's your technique of a perfect jump shot? Well, I don't know what it is now, but back then is just keep it. It's going straight up and down give balance You know to me, right? I'm pigeon-toed. So, you know, right this go straight up and down It goes right. Let me see. Yeah, you gotta have fun, baby. You gotta see. Oh man

I can't shoot it like I used to or bad That's good looking shot, you know that's good looks not now coach So told me that I wasn't gonna be there, but I'm gonna tell you though I'm gonna tell you though the first thing I would tell you don't right, right start right here Me see most kids just a shot they take the three three You choose you know what see the ball go down take a easy shot You want me take like two of them and then you step out right knock down like two of those There you go. Now you step out or go to the corner with it Whatever you comfortable now, you know see that ball go down. Right.

You know, I've coached both my sons. Both of them? See, but look. And my daughter. Isn't that like a blessing for you to give off some game to your loved one, especially that you know that they can use? I think we have a social responsibility to give back what we've learned. Right. And when I hear people say,

oh, well, I'm not a role model. I don't like being a role model. But you are, and once you put in that position, you have an obligation to give it back. Right. That's why, have you ever seen me with bodyguards, all that stuff? How can you connect to people if people can't

Can't even touch you. Interact with you, touch you. So that's why I get respect from places I go, especially in the city of Atlanta because I'm one of you guys. That's how I like when I'm moving in the city. Like I understand when I'm out. That's cool. At certain times, you may need that. But when I'm in the city, man, I don't need no security. I don't know how to move around. He need neck of

the wood. I go to the grocery store. I'm outside. Yeah, I'm tell you, I go to the grocery store, all that stuff, and people are like, hey, Nick, how you doing? Because they see me so much. How you doing? So, you know, I don't have to have all that around me. Right. So, I'm good. Right.

And that's how you stay connected with the earth, with life. You already know what's going on because I'm a, I'm a, just because I do this, I'm still a human being. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And that's why people, that's why people love you because when you do because when you do that man you got oh you got a little jump shot there. Man I tried to do a little something once he once he told me I wasn't gonna be nothing I put the jump I put it down I put everything down. So my my son is my youngest son six eleven right? Right. He used to come out here

him and his friends all the time and they kept the goal and all they wanted to do is dunk I said man put the goal up what right doing right I said if you want to learn how to play the game put it up ten feet right well dad is just me and the fellows man I like put the goal up I mean I'm screaming in them all the time right now he finally realized why because he doesn't he doesn't try anything with the footer, you didn't do that. I see him. And actually, it was a little bit lower than this. Like, come on, son.

You know, so the funniest thing. So as he got taller. You know, I think he was six, eight at the time. He had a couple of his friends come over and he asked me to come out and play with them. I said, I don't know, I'll be out there in a minute, son. So I saw him on the court from the window and he kept looking back and see if I was safe. You will come. I see, you know what? I got to call. I got to go. I got a call. So it was me and him against two of his guys. And these kids were like

six, eight, both of them six, eight. And, you know, and one of the guys said, don't worry about his pops. This guy, Jacob, I like what? What you try? Oh, man, I started I started out with a little kid out right. And so he tried to go by me. He hit me in the chest. My son said, oh, he hit a brick wall. You go learn today, sir.

Hey, I heard for two weeks. That was the last time. Yeah, that was it. That wasn't in my that wasn't in my forte. Right. Playing with these kids every day. Yeah. And it wasn't in my wheelhouse. I'm just gonna leave some game.

It was fun while I lasted. Because I knew he wanted me to come out. He wanted me to come out. He wanted that experience. He said, tell us, you know, say this friend is dad out there playing with me and daddy bus y'all yeah Yeah, you got pull that go up, but you know first of all it's a God-given talent a gift Being able to elevate me and all but somebody dunk for the first time Make sure to go with that a height that you can reach it. I was there.

No, you know, you know, I believe my first dunk was 13 years old. I had to dump the 10 footer before. I don't think I can do it again. I mean, I don't say came to my vocabulary. I can see practice makes perfect. You know, I don't practice to dump. You know, I just noticed that shirt dunk, you know, I just noticed that shirt man.

Yeah, we're on play. That's nice shirt. We're on play man. We represent right here in Atlanta man. We get it in blood and we represent. All right, they want to see what you got. See what you got. It's all about which which dunk you want me to do.

Wait, what's the best boy? I'm gonna go crazy. I'm finna go crazy. Okay they want it off the back boy. Off the back boy. Off the back boy. I'm thoughtin' that too high for myself. You know that was one of my slam dunk contest winning dunks there. See but this not, now I got to perfect. See it's all timing baby, it's all timing. It's all about time. time it's all about time it's all about how you bounce I know that backboard was hard I know that backboard had a little semen oh yeah that's it there you go there you go dunk contest now I got so hey oh man they doing they be doing stuff looking at I be like Oh, hey, oh, man, they be doing stuff, looking at it. I be like, you ain't do nothing. And you know what? If they, now, McClone is doing it again this year. Right.

For a three-peat. Right. It's amazing because you got a guy coming out of G League. Talking about the little short one. Yeah, he's been doing that thing. He's like, if I'm an NBA player, man, I'm embarrassed. Embarrassed. No G League guy beat me.

Embarrassed. No sir. Okay, so think about it like this, right? How you how you looking at it? How do you see that right now? You don't have to make it to the NBA. They got so many. That's what it's saying. They got so many avenues.

You're right, coach. I probably won the NBA player, but I'm an NIL Europe League player. Yeah. You never taught me that. I only thought NBA was the only way. You know what? If you're an NBA player,

you work all your life to get to this level. Right. And ain't nobody at this level. Right. And this, that at this level. Right. And this does I'm sure Michael Jordan, imagine all right. He come and beat me. Right.

No, not happening because it's pride. Right. You know, pride. It's all about pride, man. You know, hell, we were going at the toughest guy. Right.

The dude contest. Right. You know, and we had to bring it. You know, my first dunk contest was Dr. J, Larry, Nance, Darrell, Griffith. I mean, these are legendary dunkers. They were in the dunk contest. And again, I didn't do very well in that dunk contest because I'm stargazing because of Dr. J. That was my guy, you know.

And so once I got over that, that next year, I said, I'm not just going to be in the dunk contest. I got to be in pool. I got to show myself. I said, I'm going to win it. Right. And I won it that next year. So that was my mentality.

I played a game of one speed that was all out. That's the only way I knew how to play. Right. No, I wasn't going to come back to it. And I get out on the break, ain't nobody beat me down for and you look at guys like myself James worthy people how Fast we ran the lanes

They suicide all that came about ain't nobody We ran the fast break we wasn't gonna stop at the three-point line We get into that rack especially early in the game see We get into the rack because now you talk easy too. Right. And you get a chance to get a move on. I see too many people right here. So when you want a fast break and there's nobody between you and the basket, especially early in the game.

Now late in the game, the game of course you need to be, of course, but early in the game, you get that too easy too. Now you're seeing the ball go in the basket. But this what we see. You don't start pressing. We see three, four people in the three pointpoint line one person at the post and you like and you got one person on the side Like he waiting on him to come over here with you like no move Y'all ain't making no y'all ain't set up no place a classic way of running a fast break is when you get it

You get it to that point guard right and you feel the lanes you go wide and then you cut in so you got a choice either side. Now if they don't get it, you go through and you cross right now and the big guy come down and you have what they call a secondary break. So the ball never stops. So check this out right just like you said if you would have missed through four five shots back then you getting out the game. Oh I they got Simmons coming up the court with the ball. How when we start doing that? But see the thing is the object of the game to get the

ball up the floor as quickly as possible by any means necessary. So yeah, I brought the ball up the floor a lot, but I was pushing it right but most time I wanted to be the one to finish the play and I started so I get that ball to Doc Rivers, Spar, ball and I just feel those lengths because I know it's coming back to me. But how you gonna get a rebound if your son is bringing the ball up? I got so many layups and dunks and one plays at the rim because we were willing to run. We ran the ball before makes and misses. So we'll never get secondary chances

secondary chances if our son is bringing the ball up. Who gonna make it? Who gonna get the rebound? The guard. How? When the power, when he can't, he ain't taller than the power four. Yeah, but you know, again, it was just a different way of playing back then. Um, we, I was trying to be very efficient. Right. And how you do that, got to attack, got to attack, see the ball going going about get to the free throw line And like when you see in the mid range, I was doing all that mid-range stuff way back then How you how you feel about people doing this because I see this a lot. I

See this a lot God of powerful which everyone on beat they man you can tell the lane in their contract to shoot too many shots They got a free shot already know what you're saying. And here they go. You know what I'm gonna get you. Hey. God. Well, that gets on my nerve. Drive me crazy with big guys to see them get right here. And they pass the ball. They pass the ball. If you did that back in the big guy with a pass the ball back out when you right here. Again, especially early in the game.

Right. You might not see a lot of playing out when you're right here again, especially early in the game, right? You might not see a lot of playing time because you're giving up an easy you giving up or maybe for you know, he ain't going to he ain't going to make it because this is a high percentage shot, but I see so many guys rim is right there and he do this throw it out. That's the that's bizarre to me because even as a smaller guy, I'm not a sent out with small for right. I got the ball in here. It ain't coming out.

I'm trying to get this guy in foul trouble and get it easy to you know, the thing you don't see. I had a jump hook right, you know, I get the ball here, right Apple. I get a step right dribble using using my leverage. I don't have to throw it out but that's holy guy Bay got a jump hook. Or if I get it right, and like I said come here for a second, let me show you something. If I go this way you go with me right? Then go with me. So if I move go with me I'm this. You go. You go. You're done. You know, or if you guard me, right, I take a step up, I rip through, then I come through. Right. Or I go the opposite way. You got opposite. And then I go this way. Right. Then I throw it off the glass and in. Right.

You know, that's that's the things we were taught. You know. The 40s and free agents podcast with Daniel Jeremiah and Greg Rosenthal has prepared you for the 2025 NFL draft. We've told you what last year's playoff teams need to return to the postseason and how teams with new coaches should approach the draft. So as draft season comes to a close, we've got you covered before your favorite team goes on the clock. We'll break it all down once all 257 picks have been made. Listen to the 40s and free agents podcast

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