Gil's Arena - Norris Cole Tells Gil's Arena About Heat Culture & Playing With LeBron

Episode Date: November 8, 2023

Gil's Arena Debates Heat Culture's Impact on LeBron James as they continue their discussion on King James' dominance with & without the Miami Heat and even get the perspective of former Miami Heat player and teammate of LeBron, Norris Cole. Other NBA Topics Include, Nikola Jokic's potential to average a triple double and became the most dominant big man in NBA History, Cam Thomas' sizzling start to the season for the Brooklyn Nets and a special moment for our very own Brandon Jennings as he releases his collaboration with Steph Curry. Remember to Like and Subscribe!! Sign up for Underdog Fantasy HERE with promo code GIL and get a $500 first deposit match: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gil's-arena Gil’s Arena premieres every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET. SUBSCRIBE:  / @gilsarena   APPAREL PARTNERS TUFF CROWD: https://www.tuffcrowd.com/ ADIDAS: https://www.adidas.com/us/agent-gil-restomod-basketball-shoes/ Gr8ness: https://www.gr8nss.store/ Order Rashad's Book Here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD9ZQ3HD?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 Chapters Intro 0:00:00 Show Start 0:02:40 Cam Thomas Can Carry The Nets 0:05:26 Tuff Crowd x Curry Brand 0:30:09 Norris Cole Enters Gils Arena 0:47:02 Norris Speaks on Heat Culture 1:04:04 True Definition of Heat Culture 1:11:04 Miami Wasn't Bron's 1st Choice 1:24:49 MJ's Impact on Sneakers & Hoops Culture 1:30:29 LeBron's Basketball IQ 1:42:45 Coach Spo's Incredible Coaching Abilities 1:50:23 Norris Cole's Experience Playing With The Heatles 1:56:04 Norris Cole on Lob to LeBron over Jason Terry 1:59:54 Norris Cole on Wemby 2:09:33 Better Hightop - BJ or Norris Cole 2:12:19 MostlyFans 2:15:24 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When does fast grocery delivery through Instacart matter most? When your famous grainy mustard potato salad isn't so famous without the grainy mustard. When the barbecue's lit, but there's nothing to grill. When the in-laws decide that, actually, they will stay for dinner. Instacart has all your groceries covered this summer. So download the app and get delivery in as fast as 60 minutes. Plus enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and

terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. Welcome back to Gilderia. Forget about how to do your fantasy. We talking about flashing lights, baby. Flashing lights everywhere. They just been saying shit about me. They didn't even fucking know me. This is my school.

This is what I was doing when one of my boys lived. Y'all don't know what goes on in practice, or the locker room. Age is zero. Change, yeah. Welcome Welcome back to Gills Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. Woo! It's Wednesday. We halfway there. We almost done.

These shows be long, bro. I be tired. I ain't going to lie. You know, I got the undercover cop fit. Courtesy of the good folks at... I see this looks so weird on the right. Got socked today in honor of Brandon Jay. I broke my no sock streak. In honor of Mr. B, but this is Gills Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. We got the legend Gilbert Arenas here with the Adidas bag is flourishing.

Yes sir. All white. Underdog Fantasy. We got the legend Gilbert Arenas here with the Adidas bag is flourishing. It's that Anthony Edwards in that campaign. I want that. That's real. We got Brandon Jennings here. I know. I thank you for letting me wear the same shoes as you. I felt bad when I walked in. I seen you with the... It's a momentous occasion.

You look much better in them now. And we got KU Martin back here with us. That psycho bunny. It's a momentous occasion. You look much better in them. No momentum And we got KU Martin back here with us right that psycho bunny came through shut out the psycho bunny Yeah Like free Here's was cooking in the arena today LeBron doubled down on his dominance with or without his time at South Beach. But is he the most disrespected superstar in NBA history? With averaging a triple-double,

Saman Joker is the most dominant big man offensively in the modern era. And what does he culture really mean? We got two-time NBA champion Norris Cole pulling up to the arena to discuss. But before we get into all that, as always, show is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy. Do yourself a favor. Download the app. Use promo code GILL. They will match your first deposit up to $500.

They're only doing that $500 deposit match through the end of the week. So make your next move your best move. Go ahead and download it. Get that $500. It's much better than the $100. They're going to go back to, no offense, Underdog, but we're going gonna keep it real and as always we do mostly fans at the end of every show drop a good question in the chat with your underdog fantasy username and we'll give you a 50 bonus and if you drop a video question

to mostlyfansgill at gmail.com you get a hundred dollar bonus you got two questions you got to change your voice with that music dog dog. You got to be softer. I'm trying. You got to look a little softer. Yeah, you got to go softer with that music. Barry White. Barry White.

Yeah, you got to go Barry White or you got to go real, like... Underdog. Yeah, that one. Yeah, that's the one. All right. That's the one.

And we do the show live here on YouTube, but if you can't watch it with us, I don't know why you couldn't, but you can listen to audio versions of the podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, wherever you get your podcasts from. So, you know, we got a lot to get into today. Norris Cole pulling up in a little bit. But let's start the show off with a little bit of hibachi time. We're getting right to it.

Early. So Cam Thomas has been on demon time this season. After setting an NBA record for points off the bench in the season opener, Cam has continued to flourish after getting inserted to the Nets starting lineup. We got some Cam? Oh yeah, Cam. Through his first 10 career starts, he's averaged 29.1 points per game, which surpassed MJ's 27.3 for the most of any player since 1971. That is their first 10 starts.

But through his first 12 starts, he's increased that average to 30.3 points per game. After that 45 piece he dropped on the Bucs' heads Monday, it was a loss, but the 45 is 45 nonetheless. When you drop 45 and you lost,

were you sad? No. I'm just saying. Y'all lost. No. No. I did my job. Mm-hmm.

So the Nets have Ben Simmons under contract until 2025, Mikael Bridges through 2026, Cam Johnson through 2027. Gil, how good can this Nets core four, Bridges, Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, and Cam Thomas be in the East? Core? It's a baby four. A baby big four. It's one dude, man. Right? the dude that they didn't want playing the dude that they like just didn't pay attention to was the best player he was killing

when kevin durant was there right he was showing who he was then and for some odd reason they didn't want to play him and at this point in the season he is the best player and he should have been the best player from when that trade happened so it's one dude the other three at 27 years old they can go you're not rolling with mikhail bridges good they can go he's a fan of the show no i'm just saying that they they can go like I like I got three twenties there the other there three 27 year olds one is 22 Right. So the one that actually has the future there is the 22 year old Right who's averaging 28 some points right now the other three I can if I can I can make a trade somewhere And to get a better piece to help him I can do that. I have leverage

So you're saying that the net should but the two best players is Mikhail and him and to get a better piece to help him, I can do that. I have leverage. So you're basically saying that the Nets should... But the two best players is McHale and him. So should the Nets focus on building their franchise around Cam Thomas? Him and McHale, yes. Okay, thank you. For sure, Cam. Huh?

For sure, Cam Thomas. Cam Thomas, yeah. I think Ben Simmons is a special talent, man. Yeah, you can't get rid of him. I'm not writing Ben off like everybody want to. I think that what they have, what they got back in the trade, and with this little assassin they got. Mm-hmm.

Yeah. That's enough to make the playoffs. Yeah, that's definitely. That's enough to score like Cam Thomas. No, but the team they got with a coach like Jock, the team they got, the bench, I like them. To make the playoffs, at least. Listen, they give you fucking 10 spots to try shit.

That's what I'm saying. They got to be one of the 10 best teams out there. Shit. So Ben Simmons is making 40 mil next year. He'll be a free agent after that. You think he might keep him, but he got to take a discount. Yeah, I think you can't be a free agent after that. You think he might keep him, but he got to take a discount. Yeah, I think he can't be averaging four and a half.

So he's making... He can't be averaging four and a half points making that. He's making 38 this year, 40 next year. Yeah, I don't... Yeah, you got to take a haircut. Now, what if next year he comes in and averages a motherfucker 20, 10, and 8? Well, then we go down. Hey, no haircut needed, damn it. Then we got some situations.

Because in this league, he can if he put his mind to it. Yeah, and that's the thing. If he put his mind to it, it's not hard to do. Players like him, they're so unselfish that if they see someone that can score, they're just going to divert. Yeah. Right? It ain't hard for him to get three layups a quarter. I know, but it's like...

You're trying to pass... Two free throws, two layups. Yeah, for sure. Huh? Yeah, for sure. That is it. But you're trying to be something that's... that doesn't exist. Right? You're trying to be this Magic Johnson style

when Magic did him right he he was he was who he was he was a playmaker he was a player he scored when no one stopped him he didn't stop himself to make passes yeah you had to stop him for him to pass six nine coming down the lane you got to stop that. Getting to the basket, wheel. I got something for you. But him, he literally doesn't look at the basket, and he's stopping himself from being dominant. Yeah, that shit is crazy to me.

I'm watching it like it's like... That would piss me off. It pisses me off, and I ain't even on his team. Yeah, that would piss me off. Just watching him play, like, dude, come on, man. You got to get it off. Like, your unselfishness is making you selfish Yeah, like right now you're being selfish. It's a selfish way to play

We interview Montrezl recently I think he echoed those same sentiments of like, you know I don't have to guard you out there because you're not an offensive threat Like you're only two points the other night like at halftime was a tip-down you got two points at halftime you got ten rebounds two points like sixes and then you had like a tip-down yeah that's considered selfish yeah yeah but I like what they have it reminds me of you like like you're purposely not shooting that is selfish yeah right that is that's what that's called like you're purposely not shooting. That is selfish. Yeah. Right? That is what that's called. Like, you're purposely, like, imagine going into the game and then someone pissed you off.

And you're taking 30-something shots. And then now you want to take two. That's the fix. That's the fix. Yeah. You fixing the games, brother. Right? So it's like, nah, go out there and, you know, you take your eight shots per half.

What's wrong with that? Nothing wrong with that for him. But, yeah, I like that they're cool. I know, you take your eight shots per half. What's wrong with that? Nothing wrong with that for him But yeah, I like it. They call I like what they have as a unit man I like what they bring to the to the east like that. Yeah, it's Good basketball competitive and do like that you got somebody like that Monte Ellis type. Yeah. Yo, so that mean they acts of the day To get four assists your life was on the yeah, I'm going Michael Porter, Jr The other day when we put in the day his feet was facing this way, yeah, we go talk about it backwards He jumped in the air to shoot that thing. I'm gonna get all the thing. Nobody over here

I'm not trusting either one. Me neither, but after me seeing that shot, I laughed to myself like Michael Porter Jr. I got no chance to camp. Not with that move. That was me in high school. That's what I'm saying.

That's what I'm talking about right there. No thought process. I wouldn't even take the ball out of bounds because I had to pass the ball Me to the two because of that get up the court bro, man, so he wouldn't even take that out. They had to move me to the two because of that. Just get up the court, man. Bro, man. He wouldn't even take it out. If you're the Nets, you never want to lose a generational talent with somebody like Kevin Durant. But KD, 35 years old, got some good pieces back in exchange for it.

Got Cam out here just killing it. Did trading KD help the future of the Nets franchise? The future? They already had him. Cam Thomas was already there. The future was already there. Yeah, but the key word is sitting on the bench.

Trading him did help. No matter the pieces they got back, they had somebody who they need to unleash and so to speak. And I don't like that stat that you said earlier ten starts like it's better than Michael Jordan no Jordan did the first two games of the season yeah yeah that was you know he was a rookie you know everybody else is rookies you know he's three years in that's easy I done got my

shit down start me ten games right now, God damn it. But Cam only 22. Obviously MJ did three years in North Carolina. Does that make it? What I'm saying is if you put anybody in, give everybody their third year in the NBA

and then say, all right, we're going to start you 10 games right now. And the game was different. How about Luka? Let's take Luka's third year and then say,

all right, first 10 games of the season, what you going to have for you? That's fair. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, my third, it's three years, man.

Think about who you are in the third year. Different player. We had Cam on the show. Some similarities between your games. What's it like just riding the bench? Obviously, everybody on this couch had different experiences with their time in the league when they came in as rookies. But what's it like riding the bench knowing that you can go out there and cook dudes and then finally getting that opportunity to go showcase it? It's up and down as emotions because there does come times where, you know, you'll see certain players and be like,

damn, I don't know if I'm ready for this league, right? Especially if you're a guard. You're talking about you got Vince out there, you got K-Mart, you got Shaq, you got Kobe. You'll be like, yeah, I don't know about this. I'm about to be overseas. And then it becomes you do something in practice and and they're not seeing it you kill it in practice You think that's what practice is about like killing these dudes in practice They put me in the game and then eventually you start getting angry

Bitter and then eventually something taps in where you want to get better because now you want to prove to them that you're not a bench Player and that's when your game changes That the mother the mother four phases you wasn't ready to play to them that you're not a bench player. And that's when your game changes. The mother four phases, you wasn't ready to play. When you say, I need to prove to them that I belong in this league, that's when you start getting better. Other than that, you just...

So what's harder to adjust to, the offensive side or the defensive side? All of it. In the first 40 games, I really wasn't ready. But it's all of it. The first 40 games, I really wasn't ready. But it's all of it. Speed, you know, strength. Even though I was faster

than everybody, it's still, everyone's fast, right? You know, you see a lane, it all closes up, right? So now you have to, you know,

figure out what your speed is, what your strength is, right? Going in there versus guys who can jump higher, right? Understanding what their strengths are.

Like, it's processing everything in real time. There's no who can jump higher, right, understanding what their strengths are. Like, it's processing everything in real time. There's no, you know, this dude over here can't play. Let me go ahead and go to his side and just work here. No, that's everybody. Everybody you're playing with is elite at something. Renny, you're coming from Italy, obviously playing against grown-ass men, now coming to the league.

You feel like that made that transition easier because you had already seen... I mean, I didn't think I was going to start, though, by coming in because I didn't play all year, and Luke Rudnara was there, and he was already a vet. He ran offense well. So the first couple of preseason games, I wasn't starting at all.

I didn't know until the day before if I was going to start. So I really didn't have any time to really learn either, like the NBA game. I just got thrown into the fire. So it was kind of like a blessing in disguise. So you didn't know you were starting during training camp? No, nothing? Yeah, no, nothing. I mean, he was kicking my ass.

Luke Renard was literally kicking my ass every day. Like, seriously. I mean, I was still coming know the bitterness of not playing and thinking Okay, well, I guess the league I'm gonna have to wait again Mm-hmm, you know I'm saying so I was kind of like just torn with it a little bit and then I just turned it Up, I guess the last couple of preseason games, but I had no idea I was gonna start though For people who don't know Lou Griden our yeah for sure. That's my room. No for sure He was like that. He was like that. He didn't look like that, but when he got on the court, but it was just like, you know

The NBA was different from Europe. Yeah, like the NBA is like you you know playing every Every day picking roles Kurt Thomas trying to you know, I can't I'm getting beat up in practice. Yeah every day Yeah, that was my that was my that was my root. That was my roommate him and Michael Dunleavy That was our three that's my three roommates Wow, and we used to like when they're like whoever they played like during that camp That was my roommate, him and Michael Dunleavy. That was our three. That was my three roommates. Wow. And we used to, like, whoever they played, like, during that camp, you know, that big camp at, what is that, Dominguez?

Oh, Pump Camp? Pump Camp. Yeah. Yeah, so we were always roommates every year, and then we would just give each other notes on who we played. Wow. Yeah. And they would go, like, eight to a room back in those days. It was us three.

Our team was nice. We had a little advantage because Mike Dunleavy was a coach's, you know, NBA coach's son. Michael Redd, Andrew Bogan was there, Charlie Bell. Oh, yeah. You know, Carlos Delfino. You know, Jason.

He was all right. Yeah. Solid team. Yeah, solid team. A lot of defenders. Can you talk about yourself making that transition from Cincinnati to the league?

No issue then had no problem with the NBA No, I'm just so I'm being honest. He came in the league like this I'm just being like I was physically ready to play. Okay. I Just did man with the well, my sister Tats a on I just did five motherfucking years in the joint. Uh-huh. I just did four man, what they say on, I just did five motherfucking years in the joint. I just did four motherfucking years at Cincinnati. I was ready for anything. At that point, after my leg healed, I was ready for anything.

That was my biggest thing, me trying to prove to people that I was still that. That I was worthy of being the number one pick still. Because people still had doubts. Like, is he going to jump the same? Can he play the same? Is he going to be this? Is he going to be that? Yeah, but no.

That's what it was at the time. But it was that. Me trying to prove that. And, you know, physically, like, I was ready to play. There was no... There was some dudes I played against that were like, oh, this is strong as shit. But it wasn't like I was overwhelmed with it. Was that the sorry ones who was just there built for just brute and fat?

Oh, no, I'm glad a guy like Aaron Williams was on my team. Uh-huh. Like, if I had to wrestle with him? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Strong. Yeah. Like, other guys who people looked at was like, was strong, I just didn't, it didn't move me.

Mm-hmm. Because I was physically, and then my rookie year, the weight program we had in Jersey, I was still on it. So it wasn't no thing. It was just me adjusting probably to the speed of it. But after I got that, and then I realized, I found, I I realized early And once you start playing and once you got in you realize these things and but for me in my position Mm-hmm. If you're not stronger than me more athletic than me. You're not tougher than me. Mm-hmm You have no wins. Yep

So once I figured I figured that out halfway through my rookie year Mm-hmm, and once I got that be playing against certain guys and I was like oh this is oh just wait yeah it was like just wait and that's what and then that summer man like we went to the finals of my second year bro so just like I figured it out halfway through my rookie year and then my second year I came in I was 100 healthy and but yeah now my rookie year now once you figure it out yeah you figure that part of it out to the point yeah you figure that part out once you figure out what your advantages are against dudes yep yeah and these are all stars I'm talking about like these guys who are all like these are guys who are all stars that I'm comparing myself to

like I'm kicking y'all ass every night. Every night. And, y'all all, like, year three, like, when Sharif playing for Atlanta, and they put him

on the all-star team year three, and I felt that should have been my spot. We the number one team in the East. They put him on the all-star team

because the game was in Atlanta and they wanted to represent him from the team. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Man, I was livid.

Okay, he scored a couple 50-point games with other dudes, but I'm kicking Sharif's ass because he can't match up athletically, height, tough, like nothing. But he was doing other people, but I'm looking at the – Yeah, yeah, our matches. Yeah, and that was in year three. But early on, once you figure that out apart man. Yes Yeah

See I had he didn't he didn't have that I had an advantage. I got the tooth I'm sitting I'm looking at Jason Richardson. Oh my god We used to a after the game we blame. Yeah, are you good? You good here like man. Hey killing out there and when I started looking at the point guards, I'm like, y'all slow. Y'all don't try to score. Y'all trying to run offense. So when I started playing, I realized my natural gift, they wasn't used to it. Sitting there just taking off. One full go.

You're not used to this. I had Eric Dampier in them. So there was no post. We didn't have Shaq and all them where I had to sit there and pass the ball and do all this too. There was none of that. It was screeners. It was just screeners.

So the scoring came from me, Antoine, Jay Rich. So now you got zipper, you got all this pistol action. So I became an offensive threat in a time where the point guard was not that. You know, Iverson had to move to the two. Other than that, there was really no point guards that was actually... Like, I was averaging 29. The second highest was Mike James. Mike James was the second highest point guard scoring.

Nobody would, they wasn't used to, and he was still running offense, but it was such an advantage. So you'd have won. Huh? You'd have won. Oh, no, no, no. I'm no, no, no. You created-

Iverson, they moved Iverson. I'm no, no, no. You created... Iverson, they moved Iverson to the two and put Eric Snow in. When I came in, I'm the one who actually changed the point guard as a score. Because they didn't know what to do with the hybrids. What is this? Right? He's not a two. He can't run the offense.

And then I'm having success, and then that's when like, oh shit, like, okay. Ben Gordon, come on. We know what to do with y'all now. Come on, Ben. Come on. And that's when all those shorter shooting guard hybrids started coming in the league. We know what to do with you now. Just put y'all out there and play.

Fuck it. Change the game. So let's go back to Cam Thomas. And Cam, you talked about that crazy buck he had over Jalen Brown. Well, let's take a look at that for everybody at home. Give y'all some context. So me, you, Steph. Like, you can context. So me, you, Steph, James. Like, you can't really.

Me, you, Steph, James. This ain't something you work on in the gym, I'll just say that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Damn! Yo. Even Jay LeBron's like, wait a minute.

He not finna shoot this. He not finna shoot this. Oh, shit, he shot it. You know what's crazy? Yo, he can get his stuff off in the 80s. Like this? He can play in the 80s. In the 80s? Yeah, the way he shoot. Yo, he can get his stuff off in the 80s But there's a natey's Yeah, the way he shoot like boy he you know off in the 2020s. Yeah, but it would it will look like it's from there Yeah, I mean 80 this you make it

his body frame yeah, yeah, this is liquid feet face, that's a You know so funny, yeah, we already know training is about to start doing this shit, right? Come on y'all. Yeah, this is just him being gifted Few people in the world that can pull this off man. He doing all kind of stretches and Pilates and all kind of shit Yeah, that's shit man He's a score

He's a score like he ain't yeah, like I see like people in the chat They like oh, how about Baron Davis? Bandy was a point guard. Mauby was a point guard. He was a point guard. He was a point guard They get a score. He was a point guard. Ituby was a point guard. He was a point guard. He was a point guard that you scored He was a point guard. It was a score same thing with you know Stephon Marbury same thing with you know, Steve Francis like Steve Francis 16 and 20 There was no guy out there who thought scoring first Yeah, that's like it was Allen Iverson, but they put him to the two and bring in Eric Snow

Like there was no point guard that said I'm just scoring second is passing yeah right it wasn't yeah it wasn't like BD was a poor I think Steph was more Steph was like 90 10 though Steph Mauborgne he was trying to score that bitch he was trying but he was like it down. He's trying to score that bitch on the plays We ain't one time. We're not running play. Yeah, we're talking about run play on the other time But we were there when Steph trying to put that business basket is but that's what absolute running play Literally ran no plays It was like I'm faster than I'm faster than everybody so once I get the rebound

I miss if I could just beat everybody up the court first So there's plays where teams scored. I'm already down the court trying to score new right So it was it was just weird and I just looked back like yo, how did they allow me to do this? Yeah, no, but the only reason is because we didn't have big man So everything I did pick and roll Antoine Jameson. Come on, you know, I'm driving big man. You just there in the way I'm curious. What was that like for you? Because I want you average like 35 a game in high school, but you went to the McDonald's game, and obviously you were playing with other elite guys.

At 35, it was because of watching him. Like watching guys like him in high school. Because he wore my shoes, you know. Yeah, no, I did. I had the custom gills. So that's why, okay, it was personal the other day when y'all got in. Yeah, that's why, you know. Okay, okay.

But yeah, it was because I was just forced. But like I said, I didn't have that mindset. See, I was more of a pass first. So I had to just score that senior year. Even anything in AAU, I was pass first with Kevin Love and all those guys. So that was just usually my natural ability was to pass first.

How did that change come into the league though? Because in your rookie season, you go back and look at those numbers, what, 24 in your second game, 25 in your third season you go back and look at those numbers what 24 and yes that gave 25 your third to 32 in The Nuggets to 55 did that kind of shift a little bit? I mean Michael red went down After what I think in the beginning of the season so I had to take over this They run there. Yeah, they run shift Mike. Yeah, they got everything Once my guy hurt from Mike put that bitch over here boy is it people don't understand that like

you you you're playing the right way someone goes down someone has to take over that scoring usually the problem is when they come back yeah yeah man both of y'all left him oh well like I said you might not understand we definitely getting past Atlanta first round Yeah, you and Michael real help in that thing in the basket where y'all was together to lefties out though Yeah, that would have been like people don't realize I wasn't My first all-star was not really my all-star. It was Larry Hughes's all-star like Larry Hughes was Like leading our team of scoring And then he broke his thumb.

Like, so him and Antoine was leading for all-starts. Like, they were going to be the all-stars. He broke his thumb. And then I took on that scoring position from the guard position. And then so by the time he got back, I'm averaging 20-something. I'm the all-star. Like, we was in Denver. I'd be like, yo, this is your all-star, so bring the family. Shit, we going to celebrate? You know what I mean? And that's how that was. It was really his all-star like it was in Denver. Yeah, yeah, I'm like yo this your all-star so bring the family shit

We gonna celebrate know to me and that's how that was it was really his all-star. He was playing phenomenal That's my first year in Denver. Yeah, that's the first year in there. Yeah. Yeah, that's Throw up when you just said that No, I just the shit that is how it all went down me being in Denver Like I know probably in there with the high it all went down me me being in Denver. Like I ain't got no problem being in Denver, but how it all went down, me being in Denver. Like trying to all-star, like I'm supposed to be in the East still. Yeah, are you still in the East? Come on, man.

Like the situation, like just... Then? Yeah. That position. That position, yeah, yeah. In the East? Yeah. Come on now.

Ain't taking nothing off of trying to play, but come on now. Come on now. You was playing't taking nothing off of touring and play, but come on now. Come on now, you was playing me. Yeah, yeah. You was out there, you saw it. Before I vacated, went out there with them fucking animals at the four. Before at the four, straight to the west. Like, God damn.

Damn. Everybody. I'm starting at six. Like, vote. He's just starting at six. Shit. Oh, who, who? All of a sudden, where? I'm here What vote? Shit. Oh, who? Who? Also where?

With them? Yeah. Nah, I got TG, Tim, Dirt, Mario. Like, yo, fifth off the top. Shit. I'm coming in at fifth. I'm coming in at fifth. When I signed my contract, I was fifth.

Yeah. To go to the West, shit. That's rough. But Brandon, we see you. Go from like one, two to like shit. Shit. That's rough. But Brandon, we see you decked out. Go from like one, two to like shit. One, two to...

Ah. We see you decked out at Tough Crowd, Curry Brand Collab. Yeah. Basketball's opened up a lot of doors, taking you a lot of places.

Compton to Rome, Milwaukee to China. But for you, it all started in Gardena at the legendary Raleigh Park. So this Saturday is a special day for you. 11-11 is the official launch of the Tough Crowd Curry brand collab, but it's also the day where Tough Crowd Curry brand and Under Armour pay homage to the birthplace of your basketball career where your hoop dreams became a reality to help the present and

the future following your footsteps. What do I love about Gardena? It's just home, man. It's just a place that I can't ever leave. Because of the sound of the ball in this gym. This is where I first picked up a basketball. I grew up in a single-parent mother home. My dad passed when I was eight. At the age of 11, you know, 12, 13, you know, basketball became a job.

So that was already a tough crowd because, you know, the things I had to do to survive early at a young age. Just anything in life, I think we just taking a risk. It started when I made a decision to go to Oak Hill. Then I made a decision to be the first player to skip college to go overseas, to live in Rome, Italy. And I think just where the game of basketball took me in my life always led me to other opportunities in life too. What we don't realize is that we see it more than just hoop.

There's different opportunities, different things that we might not know that we're really good at until we really just take a risk and take a chance at it. I just feel like every risk I've taken, I haven't failed yet. So why stop now? The style of Tough Crowd is LA. It's bold, you take a risk, you're not trying to fit in, you're kind of like an outcast. You love life and you're willing to do whatever to be the best. I think it's just a reminder to don't ever forget where I come from and the steps I had

to take to get to this level. The man who started the ball. What's up, baby? How you doing? Hey, man. How you doing? It's been a long day, man. Man, how you doing? Oh, man, this is sweet. Yeah, yeah. Love it, man. Man, how you doing? Oh man, it's sweet. Yeah, yeah. Love it, man. I may come out in return.

Okay, okay, we need, okay, let's do it. Let's do it, let's do it. You wanna get on weekend? Man, without JK, you know, I don't know if I would be playing basketball. You know, him just opening up these doors and these opportunities and being able to have the platform that he had at the time was big for us.

You know, we never had any NBA players coming through the city. So to see Michael Cooper, I mean, Michael Cooper was everything. You know, man, we got a Laker, NBA champion Laker at Raleigh Park at the time, and it had to be about 300 kids in the 90s. I just remember getting my opportunity to play one-on-one in front of the whole camp. And, you know, I did my thing. And, you know, that was like, you know, I was, you know, stunned because I was the young one. I used to cry. And then I, you know, I did my thing and, you know, that was like, you know, well, you know, I was, you know, stunning because I was the young one.

I used to cry. And then I, you know, turned it to Brandon. Oh, man. Yeah. Oh, loving the logo, man. We have a logo. We're going to have Steph's logo on the court, too. Oh, okay.

Tough crowd. We're going to be on the baseline. We're going to keep the Wally Park, you know. Yeah, okay. I still want to keep some of the stuff to let people remember. What we were. Yeah. Yeah.

OK. I've been here since early 80s. We started the Community Involvement League, which was a league developed for kids. When we first started, I was like last year kid. Kids that didn't have a place to go. When they got out of school, and when they came here, they knew that their parents knew that they was going to be protected. Not so much me, but my staff and everybody.

This was the place to come to play ball. And not just basketball. We did everything around here. Basketball, football, baseball. But having this gym, you know, that just says it all for us. And then, again, this floor, oh, I'm loving it. It is so... I'm just so enraged. I just always have loved this floor.

I love this. Love it. How big is Gardena local sports in my family? I mean, it's huge. It's everything. If you visit my aunt Marsha's house, you're going to see from Gardena Mohicans to the Panthers to playing at Raleigh Park, Rush Gym, just all over Gardena. So I mean my Auntie Marsha, she's definitely she's definitely the local Gardena, I would have to stop at my Auntie Marsha's house. No matter what was going on at the park, we would always come right back to my Auntie Marsha's house because the love was here, the family, the vibes.

It's like a whole sports family. We're not just basketball. It's everything. On down the line, that's my oldest son Chris, my youngest son Steve, that's my granddaughter Anaya and that's another granddaughter Dallas. And she got my first Italian jersey, my first one. My first professional jersey too. That's worth a lot. I'll keep it right here though. The last place I was in America before I left to go to Italy was here. It was here.

Like, that was my last place was here, at Monty's house when I went to Rome, too. So a lot of things always happen here before I, like, head off or go make some crazy risk. I think everything is timing in life. You know, with my brand growing and Steph starting his Curry brand back in 2020 or 2021, and me just starting Tough Crowd, I think everything just made sense. Well, you have the silent assassin, and then you have the alter ego, the one that's going really tall. So it balances itself out. So one thing about Curry, like if you text him about basketball, he probably won't text you back.

But if you hit him about other things in life, so like James Brown or some music or anything like that, he'll text you back. I need this beat and this beat I'm praying that I take off I gotta get it where my meat goes I got the right person for you I need a house and then I reload Homie, I would wanna be me too

Family try and pull up Tell them I would wanna see me too Homie, showin' love All the haters try to see me do Balling like I'm Seth Curry my auntie on the bbq hit them with the god flow See this is how you stepping in heaven this how they paying won't you come and take the steps with a reppin This how they hit you you deliver like it's 7-eleven this that Brandon and that Steph call it 11-11 Hit me this what they want

I'm so, so fired. Why 11-11? It keeps you in line. It keeps you in line. If you look up the definition, it keeps you in line. It keeps me focused. It lets me know that I'm in line and I'm in the right where I'm supposed to be in life. No matter what's going on, no matter how many distractions is coming at you, when you see 11-11, that means you're on the right path and just keep going. You know I want to inspire every kid in Gardena to know

whatever you do. Like you know I was a basketball player, I played in the NBA, I played professionally 11 years but also I'm a fashion designer now. I'm also a podcaster, I'm in media. So I just want to let every kid know that you can be more than just a basketball player. This is like one of my biggest accomplishments. Like this is my Hall of Fame, this is my Top 75, this is my All-Star, this is my NBA championship to me because this is where it started. So this whole thing of me doing it is because I want to inspire the next. You know, I want the next kid to come out of Gardena.

I want the next kid to understand that, yes, I came through these doors and I made it out, so you can too. Okay. What's up, homie? Yeah, that's good. Smoke, give it to Smoke. Let's go. Almost had a thug tear watching that.

I wanna give a shout out to DePaulo, Carlos, Gardo, Brandon, Nick DePaulo, the rest of the crew, man. They're the reason this show looks and sounds so good. The reason that piece was so good. So, got to show some love to our crew for all the hard work that they do. I know they was out there double duty and doing the show and going all the way out to Gardena. They didn't get pressed or nothing out there, right?

Nah, nah, nah, nah. They good. They good. Made it back safely. Yeah. But, Brandon, when you were coming up, hooping at Raleigh Park did you ever imagine where basketball would take you man no man because I used to always cry because I didn't get my way or you know like being little and the older cousins were football players and uh you know they was always punking me but um man I mean they you know what that park and what that city has meant to me is the reason why I'm here now.

So, you know, that's home, and that's forever going to be home. So were they punking you or they were trying to make you tougher? Trying to make me tougher. Trying to make me tougher. Trying to make me tougher. It's all perspective. Back then, it was all punking. Especially, in your words, if you was always crying, I can only imagine.

Tough enough, man. Uh-huh. Come on, man. Definitely had those. Yeah, yeah. Had a lot. Yeah. Yeah, I can only imagine Yeah, tough enough. Uh-huh. Come on man. We had those a lot of those holding you down Uncle's like me and clauses and shit so I was always like the rustling test test dummy You know, like like come on man, like throwing me way over there sound cool There we are big Jim. Yeah. Yeah, it's uh It's been there since 1990. Okay. I feel like we all have people growing up tormenting us,

but it turned out for the best. My older brother was like that. Like, shit. Still have nightmares about it. I couldn't imagine having an older brother, but my mom would have had to call the police in that shit. Couldn't imagine having an older brother in the house. So you wrote an article for Slam Magazine calling the tough crowd Curry-Brown collab the most impactful collaboration the league has ever seen.

Why is this the most impactful collaboration the league has seen? I think just our journeys. Steph being underrated and becoming who he is. Myself making the decision when I first started to take a risk to go overseas and give a lot of kids opportunities for something different. And then just our history through Under Armour, me leaving the game of basketball, starting my own brand, Tough Crowd,

him having his own brand, and just collabing with my peers. I hope this just starts, just future collabs with other peers. Like me and you, we have a collab coming. So just for us working together, because fashion is one of our biggest things that we like now. Everybody's dressing. So if whatever it is, if it's the wine, if it's podcasts,

if it's anything, I just want to see more of our peers start collabing together. So y'all got a collab coming out? Who? You said you and Gil got a collab? Us. Him and us. Us. The show.

The Gil's Arena. We see the hostile territory. Y'all came through it, and it was kind of mid in here, Gil, I'm going to be real. Then they came through painting it. Yeah, it was there. Added the flair, the color, the texture. Remember, this was all white, boring as hell. I like how you got your young lingo going on, too.

I'm trying. It was mid. I'm saying there's lingo here. Oh, yeah, there's mid. You're trying to get this young lingo going. Undercover copping it. It's funny, though. The chat got a lot of love in his young lingo going. Undercover copping it. It's funny. The chat got a lot of love in the chat,

but as always, the chat loves it. Hey, so they were talking about the tennis serve. Somebody said that serve was weak. Oh, the serve? It's like, you know, they're going to pull out the most random shit, but... They're paying attention. It's good.

They're watching. They're watching. And it's crazy, too, man, because I'm a lot older than you, but when you coming up, it kind of resurged that L point guard, point guard thing. That's when NYC thinks they got the point guards, but people like yourself, BD, the lines of the world, the guys that have come through.

So to see what you've been able to do, and now after your career, because you were that dude coming out, I think people really don't grasp how big of a deal it was for you to go from Dominguez to Oak Hill, Oak Hill to Italy. To Italy, yeah. And kind of with Trent, that was supposed to set, but naturally obviously money got involved, haters got involved, a lot more kids didn't follow your path, but... Yeah, I think just the game of basketball though is what it's shown me. Man, I mean this is a humbling, and I'm grateful, because where my life has been, where all the things that I have to go through,

when I tore my Achilles, I didn't know where life was going to go. So just the opportunity that I have to be able to do things and give back, like my kids will be able to see that forever, and more kids out of Gardena. So, man, I don't want to cry, but it's just like, you know, it's a, man, it's dope. Shit, I did, nigga. Go ahead. Yeah, man,, you know, it's a, um, man. Shit, I did, nigga. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah, man. I mean, it's just a dope feel, man.

It's just a dope feeling with everything I've been through in my life. And to be able to come back and do this has been amazing. Amazing. Is this, when you hurt your Achilles, is this when you started focusing on Tough Crowd? Yeah. It is? Yeah. I was trying to figure out

what was next in my life. You know, I didn't know if I was ever going to play again, but I was able to find something else. And, you know, since I stopped playing, I've been going so hard with it.

And, you know, it's been opening up so many doors in my life. Like, you know, God has been so great to me tremendously. And, man, it's just amazing, man. He's doing his thing with me.

He's doing his thing with me. Yeah, I read the article too. It was a dope article, bro. Thank you. Like, yeah, nah, that's deep. It's dope. Thank you. Nah, it's a blessing, bro.

Nah, you're doing something. You're doing something positive, man. I love giving back, man. Like, you know, the kids, man. They going to be able to, you know, more kids going to be able to come out of Gardena. Yeah. Something. Seeing something positive. Yeah, be able to you know more kids gonna be able to come out of Gardena Something something positive. Yeah, you got to start you got to start somewhere Yeah, a big shout out to step to where we got to go out to Baltimore because you

Brandon do hang out at the Under Armour workout and just talk to it But to see the way that y'all to get along and rock with each other Yeah, and if you in the LA area anywhere close, we need everybody to make your next move your best We'll pull up to Raleigh Park this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tough crowd. Curry Brandt, Under Armour doing the special court dedication. Brandon will be there. The crew will be there.

Out there. Oh. Doorbell time. Who can it be? Come in. Oh, I got to get you your shoes. Oh, yeah. Hey, man.

Okay. We got Norris Cole in the building. I got to get some kicks, though. You hear me knocking? Let him in. Let him in, damn it. I got to get me some kicks, baby. And now we wait.

They look comfortable. Uh-oh. Can't wait. Pull up. So special guest making his first appearance in the arena two-time NBA champion with the heat play six He's hooked all over the world One chip to France in Israel. Hey, you don't play you don't play damn near everywhere, bro Like just but I've been around the ball all over the world. We little bit let's scoot it come down this way but once you just put this

right here yeah all right that's why that didn't be bossy and be though Norris Cole was going on aren't you bro tough man join LA Working out enjoying life. Uh-huh I'm a vet now used to be the young guy I'm the vet. You right down the street apparently late. I am okay You've been in Egypt who hooping in Saudi Arabia. What's the latest on the hoop side? I'm a free agent right now. I'm probably waiting to go back to play in Puerto Rico, which is in the spring.

Okay. That season's starting in the spring. So I'm just spending time with family. I haven't been home this time of year in a long time. So I'm just enjoying the family. My house out in Ohio is where I spend most of my time. So I getting to know my house get the figure stuff out. I never get to be there So I get the joy like really man. I'm got to enjoy my life like this in a long time Okay, long time and people don't understand that man

Like we're playing but we miss a lot. Yes. We miss a lot in life like we We don't like because we're machines so we don't, like, because we're machines, so we don't really get to enjoy what we're doing. Right? Have you ever, like, looked at your highlights and been like, man, when I do that? All the time. All the time.

All the time. Because it's happening so fast that we, when you sit back and you're like, let me see what I did, half the shit surprises you. I had a vet that told me that, Jawan Howard told me when I was like a rookie, he was like, it's going to be hard to enjoy. He said, but enjoy it while you're doing it. And then when you're done, you'll enjoy it more.

He said, it's going to be tough though. And he ain't never lie. I was like, it's tough to enjoy it while you're doing it. Because it's like the next day, no matter how good or bad you played, you got to move on to the next play, the next game. So now I'm getting a chance to sit back and enjoy some of the fruits of the labor with my pops, my sister, and my grandparents. So life is good right now.

So like we mentioned, that's why I brag so much. I didn't get to brag when I was playing. Fuck it. I can't get penalized now. Why not? You're a narcissist. Yes. I had to get the B-1 when I was playing. I'll be all of it right now. So Nuggets, you've been hooping all over the world like we mentioned. You actually last season played with the Nuggets G-League affiliate under head coach Andre Miller. But God ask you actually do you still want to play in the league? And if so, what do you feel like you could bring to a team? I would like to play in the league again I'm okay if I don't but of course I would like to play in the league

Yeah, I think being a veteran that can still show the young fellas the day-to-day Preparation the film sessions the positioning on the court and obviously as a competitor i can still you know i can still get up and down you know but i think showing them how to be pros is the biggest value at this stage of my career because you know guys can run fast guys can jump high everybody can do that but when it comes to being a pro taking care of your body showing up early knowing how to break down films so that when you get out there you can compete and play on instincts i think that's the best value that I would bring right now So we talked about this a lot on the show. It seems like there's really a lack of that veteran president is Do you feel the same way?

It's tough though. It's tough to watch because like I said, these young guys are talented, but sometimes they need the voice of a Not a coach, but a older player who can still play that they can respect, but can show them. And if they ain't going to play a lot, we can show them in practice so that when they get to the game, they can apply it. Because one thing when the coach tell you, and then you watch film on an old player, it's like, I see it, I hear it, but when it's a guy there every day that you know can mix it up

and can play with you, it resonates different. That's the thing. You know what I mean? Like you need a player to show a player. Exactly. Right? A coach is, a coach is, he's there but he's a coach. Like you ain't really... He plays. It's like a father to a kid now. This shit ain't registering like that. It registers, it's just registered differently. Yeah. Unless he played at a high level then it comes from a different place but that ain't that often. Yeah. That's what I was telling them young guys in Grand Rapids when Dre was the coach.

I said, y'all know who Andre Miller is? Some of them guys didn't know. I said, go look on YouTube, go look at his stats, go look at what he accomplished, and come back tomorrow. The next day in practice, they was like, yo, he was like that. I said, I know. So when he say something, he did it already. So understand what we're talking about.

And so, well, that's what they need. They need older guys that play. Because you know these young guys now, it's the highlight. If you don't got 1,000 highlights on YouTube, they don't know. So it's nice to have a. Or if your highlight is the wrong color, if it ain't HD, they're not respecting it.

Oh, for sure. Oh, shit, that's old old he playing the fucking Sabbath. I'm looking at mine like yo what pixel was this? That's what I was looking at. Grainy then I'm like what number is that? And you can feel like that detour. For real. It looked like yeah dude.

When we were coming up it looked crispy now you go back and look at it like damn it. We was watching TV like this? It was not too long ago, and even our pics would look different. When we was in the league, we'd go back and look at them, and we'd be like... It was that long ago? I know, but just yesterday. I'm looking at my highlights now, man,

and I'm like, yo, this some bullshit. Imagine me popping out one of these VHS tapes and putting that bitch in. Kmart, Kmart, brother. That's crazy. When you was at UC, you know I was in Dayton. I'm from Dayton. So, yeah, it looks crazy.

Your highlights. Your highlights. Your highlights. I got a bunch of them. Yes, bro. In the store thing right at the house. A bunch of VHS tapes. I got a fucking, should the double player with the DVD on one side and the VHS on the other.

I got one of them still No TV to hook the bitch up to though. That was advanced when that came Well, you felt like a baller like how you young people there y'all don't realize back in the day We just have to rewind the tapes That's way for shit to rewind. It's crazy that back in the day is still the 2000s now. That's crazy 2007 2008 back in the day. It's considered back in the day now. That's crazy. 2007, 2008. It's back in the day. It's considered back in the day now. That's wild. You still have to go to Blockbuster, search the return bin for the move we want. They have no idea what Blockbuster is. At all. They have no idea what Blockbuster is.

Because your parents in the 30s. Yeah. Grandmother 41. So you mentioned spending your time in the G League, under coach Andre Miller, You know what I'm talking about? So you mentioned spending your time in the G League, you know, under coach Andre Miller. But of the guys you played against in the G League, who do you feel like is the most league ready? That's the most league ready. It's tough to say because the guys that's league ready was actually in the league. I'm saying the young, but...

Out of the young group of guys. Man, all them motherfuckers suck. I can't... That's what he thinks. It's hard to say one that's just ready like that because I tell you a guy who was talented, but he haven't got his chance yet, but Sharif Cooper was talented. He was supremely talented, but he didn't get a chance. But I don't know if it's because it don't translate or whatever.

Small, man. But he do what guards do, paint touches, pick and roll. He can go. He can, you know, snake the screen and roll, manipulate the defense. I mean, he's not a great shooter, but he can make a shot. But I don't know. But he was really, out of all the guards that I played against, he was pretty good. The one thing that if I'm going to tell a guard that's, like, wanting to go to that next level,

the one thing you need to have to do is shoot the ball today for sure like you have to be able to like have a jumper yes that's if you have a jumper everything else is cool but if you can't shoot the ball like it kind of really hurts your game you remember what they used to say create a trigger try to get two on one if you can't shoot they can go so far under now. It's like four on five out there now. And they'll really go under and disrespect you like self-check if you can't shoot now. So, yeah,

you definitely got to be able to at least hit one out of every three, I mean, at least, at the least. Yeah, that was, that's what I said, that was my, that's when I first started, all ping and rolls, under. Mm-hmm. Y'all know I've been shooting this pick and rolls, under. Mm-hmm. Y'all know I'm going to shoot this shit, right?

Yep. And look, if you make one, they're going to try you again. That's why I'm not Mookie Baylock. What the? Everybody just knows serious. Everybody like, because, you know, when you're, it's like your rookie year is usually. They're trying you. They're trying you.

Like, so I'm doing a pick and roll. Everyone's just going under. And I'm like, all right. They don't know I can actually like so I'm doing a pick and roll. Everyone's just going under and I'm not All right. They don't know I can actually shoot They told me when the Skyrim report he fast beat him to the spot That's what Skyrim policy beat him to the spot see if he gonna shoot. Yeah, I can make a couple That's what I used to make one I'm sorry Let's see if it's true. Go under again.

Yeah. And mentally, if you ain't locked in supremely confident, that second one, you might not shoot it. Yeah. Second guess. You were second guess after you just made one. You were still second guess. Second guess. Second guess.

The fact that you, like, that is weird, right, that we're at that level. We're at that level. But because we've been played a certain way, right? When we get to the next level and someone treats us like we ain't who we are, we actually start second guessing. Like being out there getting ready to shoot and

motherfucker just, ah, nah, let him shoot. I heard Lamar I heard Lamar tell somebody, hey, let him shoot. He can't even shoot a gun. What? It was Jay Rich. Jay Rich got so...

Like, this happened... Man, this happened like game 30, bro. Right? Game 30. He can't shoot. He can't even shoot a gun, right? The season over with, that's all he talked about.

Now he just gonna be disrespected like, who? Lamar Odom, game 30? He's like, nah, man, he can't do it. And that's what made him sit in the gym all day. That's a fact. Made him sit in the gym all day. Did you hear it in the game? Bro, we on the bench just sitting there. And he said, let him shoot. He can't even shoot a gun. That's why he got to look over at y'all, the mental stigma. What? Man, listen, dog. You look over to a bit and somebody say something like that,

it's like you're at a comedy show. Yeah, we over here. Everybody on the ground. Ah, he can't shoot a gun. Yeah, just don't look over there. Just don't look over there. It's tough when that's not your role, too. Like for a team I played against, it wasn't my job to shoot right off the first

pick and roll because we got to get action. There's three other killers out there that expect to rock. So when they go underneath and say some crazy stuff, you kind of be like, hold up. And sometimes you take a shot. Just to make them like, hold up, don't disrespect like that. Y'all know these three got to get to rock, but don't just be disrespectful. And if you miss and come out, at least you can sit and live with yourself like, hey. Because it's the worst thing ever when you know, they know that you got to pass them the ball. And so they like, let them go. That's a tough situation, especially when you know you can score. That's tough. I mean, you won chips in the NBA, won chips abroad,

still in your early 30s, still young, obviously, but you playing in a G League with a bunch of young guys Do you feel like they were receptive to the knowledge you were given or they kind of treat you like like you're old head and They you know, they don't want to listen. They listen cuz in practice I was taking it to him Like I'm first in all the sprints one-on-ones and all the drills. They know I'm young I'm older than them But I'm still my body's young so they. And I didn't try to come in like telling them what to do. I let them talk. I listened to hear them to see how they learn. And then that's how my approach to them, because some guys I could go right at and just be like, hey, young fella, don't do that. That's trash. Then other people, you got to kind of massage a little bit like, young fella, listen, let me tell you

something. You talented. But if you want to stay at this level Point guards got to have a two to one three to one ratio So trying the tricky move in the first quarter wait figure the defense out come off see what they doing first So you got to you know, these guys a little bit more sensitive. You got to know which guys you can be like Telling me terrible and he gonna be like, all right Let me show you first is a guy where you gotta be like, hey young fella You're gonna be like alright. Let me show you first as a guy where you gotta be like hey young fella You're gonna be alright But just think about this next time and you learn that as you get older you learn It's almost like being a coach a vet veteran players almost like a coach. You got to know know your troops

Yeah, I mean the most important thing you said was you beat him in every for sure beat him in every sprint up and down So when you started talking they don't They looking like, it's old. He ain't even practicing. He ain't doing nothing. Yeah, he watch. Nah. Mm-hmm.

And you have any interest in getting into coaching? Because you sounding like a coach right now on this couch is the way you're talking. I'm open to it. Okay. I don't close the idea of nothing, really, man. I'm open to trying just about anything. Because the game, basketball, is what we know. We've been doing it for so long.

It's not like you got to make up nothing. You just, this is what comes when you're around the game. You're around great players. You listen to them. It's just like, it's just a result of it.

So I'm open to it. While you know somebody got to need a... I mean, you come over to high school, I'm like... You need stuff right now. Yeah.

Shit, you can do it. You can get a player development job right now. Yeah, fat. Like right now. NBA team. You're young, you still can play. Now you're young, Yeah, like right. It's right now Play now you young you still can play that's what they're looking for. You told me that's yeah, right? Yeah From experience for real had a job on the table

And had seven major surgeries Me seven major ones on these. Mm-hmm everything I bring to the table. I'm honest with him Listen, if you're looking for me because I'm talking to the other assistants, yeah, we play, we this, we third, player development. I'm like, cool. I can give you a couple days a week if that's, but going up and down probably not so much. You don't have court.

I can get token. But the fact that I couldn't go daily, I ain't get the job. Oh, so that's a real thing. No, yeah, they want the player. Yeah, player development, yeah. Yeah, Dante Jones like... Yeah, play at the Redmen. Yeah. Yeah, Dante Jones, he said... I'm out there hooping. I can do that for real, too.

He said, I'm thinking about stars and shit, and everybody start getting hurt. I'm like... That is my thing. Ain't that what happened with Gary Payton Jr.? Ain't that what happened with him? Wasn't he doing some play at the Redmen, and then they called him and played in the playoffs? They was like, you know what? We need a body.

He got a plan. Got him a contract. Get out there. You want to get hurt? Now you're the last one to get treatment? Like, nah. Can't get on the table. Can't get on the table. Now it's 630 night before I get home.

But that makes no sense, though, too, though. Like, you got veterans out here who's playing, but the game is not simplified. Yeah. I don't understand it, Gil. You know what I mean? It's like, huh? Like, what player development? I mean, I know the players that's over in Washington

or the players, I don't know who's over in Golden State, but it's like, yo, some of you guys, like, you know, you got them beat right here. Take this shot first. Yes. Next time he do this, now you can counter. You already threw a first counter out there. What was after this? And you don't need to counter the guy standing back there. What we countering for just take the space

Oh, just take the space off rhythm dribble. Yeah, you was good at that You will only do the one two if a cat crowd as you but other than that it was No, no waste it Yeah. No wasting. I don't like the wasting. That wasn't in my game. Like, I couldn't do all that. I'd be looking stupid, because I'm lefty. I got to get straight to the point.

Yeah, straight to the point. Some days. That's never been my game either. I never was a fancy dribbler. It was... I guess like... R1-2 dribble. Well, I'm going to give you a little tea a bit.

You played for one of the great organizations that bring players back to coach. Reach out. What happened? Say less. Huh? What'd you say? I'm over helping the man. Oh, okay.

They're playing coach? They got to play a coach over there. That's all. Trust me. Nowhere, no better place to start than there. I don't know how your relationship is. It seems like. No, it's really good.

Start there. So speaking of that organization, it's been in the news lately. LeBron was socially active on Tuesday. He took to Twitter to double down on his dominance with or without his four seasons. I've been waiting on this. He said, you're damn right I would still be. I'm chosen. Ain't nothing changing that. Maybe less rings

But dominant from start to finish and without that was on him basically saying he was gonna be dominant no matter what facts So we're gonna start with you. Do you agree with LeBron's assessment of his dominance regardless if he played with the Heat or not? Yes, I believe I mean he was dominant when he came there. He had come off with two MVPs in three years. As a player, he was going to be dominant. I think what Miami helped him do, though, was put some structure in on that, like detailed things. It was subtle things, but there was nothing dramatic that took place. It was subtle things that helped him turn into being one of the all-time greats to being in that gold discussion, those subtle things.

But he was going to be him no matter what. He was coming in there averaging 27, 28, 8, and 8 no matter where he play at on this earth. That's just what he's going to do. So, yeah, I agree with that. Like, I understand what Shannon Sharp was trying to say, but, like, you got to go back in history to see what he was doing and where he was.

He was 25 years old. So the fact that you're saying that he wouldn't have been... It would look different, though, Gil. It would look different if he ain't going to Miami. Would it? Yes. He started getting that post in Miami. And that started to make him really unpopular

This man scored 25 straight fucking points in the NBA game dog. It's a fact In Cleveland, this man scored 25 straight points Not the team Not Cleveland Cavaliers scored 25 straight. This man scored 25 straight points. So dominance, yes. Like he said, less rings. Yeah.

Definitely. But that's what I'm saying. Two rings. Two rings. They have two rings. Two, maybe three. They have two rings. But.

They have two rings. Dominant. But that's what I'm saying. He was going to be dominant. That's what I'm saying. He was going to be dominant no matter what. The thing you have to do when you're trying to get rid of somebody's career, you have to say, all right, if we're going to get rid of the rings, what are we going to replace them with?

Scoring titles? All right, give them the scoring titles. Now y'all mad. Who would be mad? No, but what I'm saying is there's one thing that they're going to always miss. How you guys feel about LeBron today. If he never goes to Miami, you guys don't hate him.

That's one thing you guys have. That's a fact. You guys have the hatred from him because he would still hate him. No, no, no. They still hate him. No, no, no. They still hate him.

He would be dominating the league. No, no, no. When he went there, he would be looked at in the same light as the Ders, the same light as the whole I'm fighting that where you think dark 30 no from they hate they hate they hate them when he first came into the league Oh, no, no, I was not the media after the media. It was the media Because he would have been dominating everything Think about when the media They treated this figure like he was OJ

There would never have been a decision Which OJ All of them He would have had more MVPs More than Mike all that The South Beach comment would have never happened Think about All the things that they

Criticized him for is after he went there before that they was not killing this man's legacy no no they killed his legacy because he left it wasn't but the only thing they was a about the media has a whole it became it became a dark mark and that's what they're gonna they always use so if you're gonna take away those championships you take away this too The media would have been mad just the fact that he's breaking all the records and say he get two rings Okay, he get two rings, and I'm still breaking everything Mike and them did they gonna still hate on that No, he got to know it not it wouldn't have been he became a real villain man

Hey, he came up because of that fucking BS come to it. Not a little bit because that interview It was I still think they would have hated him though. Not the way they did now. Because of that shit. This man is 25 years old. And the colors came, the red made it look like... 25 years old you're talking about going to a culture, which I don't understand because... Gee, it's real.

They still get Kyrie. It's real. But history is history, though, right? Now, this is when we want to talk about legacies in history. We're going to talk about Pat Riley's history, right? What is his culture? Because when he was at the Lakers, right, what was their team? Magic, before him.

Showtime. They didn't win until he took over. No, no, no, no, no. They won a championship already. The Lakers win until he took over as the coach. No, no, no, no, no. They won a championship already. The Lakers won a championship. They had won two years after that without winning one. No, no, no.

They won a championship. The next year, Magic got hurt. They end up losing. During that third year, that championship, the coach was there. He replaced the coach. Yes. They won a championship that year. Pat Riley's first year there.

Then they got, after you win the championship, they got James Worthy as the number one pick. Right? Come on. And then that was a fast break team. Where did your fast break shit go after you left? Because Magic didn't. It was different in New York. It was different in New York.

Magic didn't listen to them. Magic, quote, he was not our coach. We coached our team. Just sit there with your fucking suits on and look cute. And then. With the slick back. Nah, but he did have them in supreme shape though. They conditioning changed when Pat took over. Probably. That's what I'm saying. Probably. Yeah, because ain't nobody out here doing easy runs. But when did the easy run come in? Fuck that shit.

When did the easy run come in? I have no idea, but that's... See, that's what I'm saying. Where's the easy run there? When Shaquille'Neal and James Posey and Antoine Walker partied every motherfucking night in the club? Shaq didn't do no easy run, my nigga. Shaq didn't do nothing. That's what I'm saying. But that's what I'm saying. I can promise you. I'm trying to.

Ask Shaq. Shaq didn't do any. Ask Shaq, though. Listen. Ask Shaq that he had to do the easy run one time like this. The run around the gym. I'm trying to tell you. That's sad that he had to do the Indian run one time like this, the run around the gym. I'm trying to tell you that shit sounds cool today. That team they had when Dwyane Wade's second year, they got Shaq,

they didn't win, and then they brung in Antoine Walker. All this. All the veterans, the club heads. They were so good and talented. If you look at that roster, 12 out of the 15 was first round, I mean, lottery picks. Right? So they were so talented that they didn't listen to that man. They're in the strip club every night.

They built, they had a basketball court and a barbershop in there because it was there so long. I heard about that. We ain't going to practice. We'll just shoot hoops here. That was that team. Where was the Heat culture then? It was still Heat culture though. Those dudes can barely walk today because

they used to have to still practice coming in drunk from the spot. You've been in Heat culture. What does Heat culture mean to you? Just accountability. Everyday accountability. They don't let you... Some people criticize you one day, hold you accountable, but then it's like, not really.

They hold you accountable every day, every week. Weight and body fat, conditioning tests. Our conditioning test is probably the toughest in the league. For sure, it's the toughest in the league. Back in the day, before all the shoe deals and stuff are really, really popular now, and the NBA changed the rules to where you don't have to wear team-colored shoes, but Pat used to make you have to wear, everybody almost wore the same color shoe. Brian kind of changed that up, though, because Brian was like, hey, listen, I got promotions.

I got my CarMax shoes coming out. I got different shoes. So when we go to the garden, Brian got a different shoe, and at halftime, he's switching for Nike promotions. So even if the NBA were fine, Nike go to the garden, you know Brian got a different you know shoe and then at halftime he's switching for Nike promotion, so Even if the NBA will find Nike will pay the fine cuz he's like, you know, we got shoe promotion So Pat kind of backed off then but soon as Ron left he was right back on that back on when we wear red and white You wearing white shoe we wearing red shoes wearing black shoes. So he believed in like accountability But that's what I'm saying. Like you're old schools, but that But that's what I'm saying. If you have a culture, right?

No one breaks your culture. Nobody. So when you say shacking them where they're doing their own thing, fuck off, and they won a championship, right? And then shacking them leave and then, all right, we got a culture again. And then LeBron James and them come in there and then it's like, all right, LeBron want to do what he want. And then when he leaves, it's like, all right. He didn't get to do everything he wanted, though.

That's why they bumped heads sometimes, because he didn't get to do everything he wanted. But you got to let him be him to get the benefit, because Heat Culture helped him, but he helped us too, though. Like, let's not get that mistaken. He helped Heat Culture too, so it was like always a balancing act. Like, let him off the leash a little bit, but then try to bring him back in cuz you got a regardless

He don't care who you are the marine the Marines man gave him a whole he got a whole different set of power, bro I'm gonna hold different power. I was like I ain't never seen no Godfather type stuff in real life. He's really like that He knows everything that everybody's doing at all times. Even if you ain't doing nothing. Yeah, so I'm glad I made the right decision.

I made the right decision because me and Pat would have bumped heads. We got you here. But he cool with that. But he going to let you. 33, yeah. I mean, yeah.

You can't tell. I'm a grown ass man. I got kids in the house. You can't tell me I can't go out, dog. You can't keep your tabs on me. Yeah, I would have probably told you. It ain't that he, you can't tell I'm grown as my guy Can't put the house you can't tell him I can't go out dog. Okay, but he'll keep your tabs on me I mean, yeah, I would probably think that he say you can't go out It's just that he knows what and if you have a rough day you come in the next day I wrote the he like oh he was out last night. Absolutely and I'm gonna tell you

The owners of the every of every establishment. You know everything in there. That's the belief without him knowing. I had a fucking blast. Imagine that. But that's what I'm saying. But that's what I'm saying. He knows everything. I had a blast. He knows everything, but you got... What time of the game tonight?

You got your whole team sitting in this strip club every night, but you can't do nothing because they were so talented and you didn't fuck what you were saying because it's a group of them.

I was about to say, it's a group of them. It's a group of them. And they putting in work, though. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. They putting in work, too, though. They were still working. They used to that, though. Seven of my best players in the strip club, Pat Riley can't say no. It's a group is a group and they put in work though Me seven of my best players in the strip club Pat Ryder case they none then my first seven

What I'm gonna do does that sit like that Riley could see where they know they wasn't the number one seed though No, no, no, they wasn't they might have if they maybe... Like Gary Payton had to convince Shaq to stand down on Dwyane Wade. Like, yo, let Dwyane take the lead. Because Shaq was first team all... People don't know. They were talking about Shaq was on the decline. He was first team all NBA that year. Yeah, it was like, we're going to go through Youngboy. And Shaq was like, all right.

Yep. Best thing he ever did. Yes. So, got a question for you. You don't got to answer it if you don't want to, but something I need to know. Did Pat Riley really take LeBron's chocolate chip cookies off the Heat team playing?

I don't. I never saw that. I'm going to just say that. I never saw that. We had cookies on there. Okay. Okay. So, there was cookies on there. Okay. So there was cookies on there. There was cookies.

Was there ever a point where there was no cookies? I never saw. But it is strict though on there depending on the team. So there was like no... It wasn't just junk food. There was no junk food on there. But there was cookies on the plate at one point. What year was that they did that?

The year he left? It was different when he left. It was different. When Ron left, it was different. I'll just say that. It was different. So there was a point when there was cookies on the plane, and there was a point where there was no cookies on the plane

during the LeBron. Stuff went from being marginally strict to being back to yeah yes and you if you there you noticed the difference yeah

you know me I was a young I was a young fella rookie at first then by the time I was the fourth year I was learning a little bit but I learned

I just watched I ain't get into no politics or hey man what you think of that young fella hey man I don't know you know me I ain't know. You know me.

I ain't getting into it. What's crazy is since we've been there, the shit that a player gets mad at has no impact on nothing but the ego. That's it. Speaking of cookies, your point.

Parking spot, nigga, I can't get my parking spot no more? I don't have this spot. Listen. Yo, I gotta be real mad in practice. I gotta be real mad if you put, especially on game day. Game day, you parking. You pull up on the wrong spot on game day, that's just feeling. They'll make you leave.

Hey, hey, who's a good keys to out? Get that spot, get that out of my spot. Yup. You seen that happen? Man, bro, I'm telling you. Parking spot, man, I'm telling you. Parking spot? I knew it. As a young, I had my parking spot.

It was always away from all the, you know, the Moseyne's and all that makes for my spot was far away from them. They could never be like, move, move young fellas car. I know I'm far away. Where they were? Where they park at? Are they parked down here? Okay, I'm over here.

Stay out they way. That's real thing, man. Cookies. Uh-huh. We're on the team plane. This is finna come across horrible, but because of the recent pitch I seen. But Raymond Felton was on the plane.

We were the team. They passed out cookies. Mm-hmm. The lady on the plane skipped over him. Mm. So they didn't told on the plane he He can't handle right listen this man flipped out Fuck you mean I can't handle come a grown-ass man or UK to listen man No, we had wait now less on the team. They told who could have

She didn't skipped over this man on the plane dog and then get him the cookie listen dog This man was livid i was over that we sit at the car table you know four people at the car table so you know there's three people get cookies and she don't oh you yes or not oh no they say you can't boy i was over that they did big dexter pitman like that they did they used to do big decks like that he couldn't certain stuff he couldn't eat, at least not around the team. But see, that's not good, because then you got to go sneak and eat cookies.

No, but they definitely go sneak and eat cookies. No, but what I'm saying is just something that's simple like that. What ends up happening to your ego is, you doing this on purpose now. Like, this is where we're at. So when you're talking about free agency, and there's $100 million here agency and there's $100 million here and there's $75 million here,

them cookies say, fuck your $25 million, I'm going over here. People don't realize that. Most of these people that's leaving, it had to do with something that had to do with they felt, oh, you're doing this purpose.

You ain't treating me right. I'm parking spot, my locker, you done moved my locker, you do this purposefully. You ain't treat me right. You ain't treat me right. Parking spot, my locker, you done moved my locker. I got this locker and an extra one. You done put somebody here knowing damn well I done had two lockers. I got a funny story. When I first got to the Heat, right, because you know it was a lockout

until like our first game was Christmas. So we showed up in December. We got to practice for a couple weeks. When I first walked in, they put me. Brian always got two lockers. I don't know. I'm green. I walked in, and they did it as a joke.

Now that I know, they did it on purpose. So they put me right next to Brian. He only had one locker. They put me right there, and I'm thinking it's cool. You know, he's from Ohio. They just put the cats from Ohio next to each other. I don't know. So he walks in the locker room, and he walks in.

What's up, fuzz? And then was like, made a funny look and was like, what's going on around here? And so, you know, D was like, D-Way, he already know D-Way was like, he just put his head down. And then he was like, what's up, young fella? Everything all right? I'm like, yeah, everything cool. So he sat down, We go through. You know, I put my stuff on for practice. I go upstairs. After practice, I come downstairs, all my stuff gone. The locker over there.

And I'm like, and he came down all smiley face and all that. He put the word in. As soon as I walked out of his sight, he walked in the training room and had the custom. I'm like, hey, y'all know, don't do young fella like that.

Don't have me looking at him crazy. Because he came in and looked crazy like, what's going on in here? Who gave you the locker? Who told you that was the team manager? The team manager? When you're a rookie, you just go where they tell you to go. I had the same shit. Like a rookie job.

Listen, they had to go get the little portable locker. I had two lockers the whole time I was there. I let two people sit right there. Reuben Patterson, DeMar Johnson for a little bit. Okay. Cincinnati guys. Other than that, my seven years in Denver. Seven.

Everybody know, don't sit in on that other one. Two. This one doesn't have nobody. They don't have to go get the portable lock and put it, the little cubby thing. Yeah, you can sit right there. That's a real thing. And if they would have enforced that and be like, nah, he's sitting there. That's his locker.

Cat going to remember that from free agency. Two years ago, y'all made Youngfellas. Y'all let a rookie sit in my chair. Y'all ain't giving me my respect. I'm out of here. It's an important thing. That's what I'm doing. Come on, man. That's what I said, man. If your team,

if a player the recent, Kawhi Leonard. People don't ask why a player left. They just know he left. Kawhi Leonard. People don't ask why a player left. They just know he left. Kawhi Leonard, right? When he said, I want Paul George. He said, I don't know anybody here. These are not my friends.

I'm not DeMar Johnson. They're looking at me sideways because of DeMar. Yeah, we won a championship, but they're not. They won DeMar. DeMar DeRozan. DeMar DeRozan. Yeah. Yeah, and I said the name wrong.

You said DeMar DeRozan. Oh, I did DeMar DeRozan. I was thinking the same thing. I'm like, that was DeMar DeRozan. Because he said DeMar DeRozan. I know what you meant, but you have haters out there in the universe. He did DeMar DeRozan. Yeah, so that's all he wanted.

I want someone that I know, right? And it was like, well, yeah, we won without him, so now we're going to do it. Yeah, so that's all he wanted. I want someone that I know, right? And it was like, well, yeah, we won without him, so now we're going to do it. Yeah, so that's all he wanted. I want someone that I know, right? Yeah, so that's all he wanted. I want someone that I in the round. Yeah, so that's all he wanted. I want someone that I know, right?

And it was like, well, yeah, we won without him, so now we good. All right, and left. LeBron James and Cleveland, the original. Nobody talks about why he left. They acted like his team was last. No, his team not. They were the number one team in the East when he left.

What happened was The whole NBA was fucking free agents, right? You got you got a Him Dwayne Chris Bosch now mean Larry who hello? stack I mean, uh Amari Yeah, Carlos Boozer you had Joe Johnson dirt new whiskey. Oh fucking NBA and fucking NBA, and he's sitting there like, who we going to get? Not a soul. Nobody.

Wait, hold on. You ain't nobody. Like, you know, I'm talking with Dwayne Wade. Bring him over. Like, no. I just bought this team. I ain't spending no money right now. They don't want to say he's the biggest free agency and they're trying to figure out

I got people that want to come here and you're talking about we don't have nobody. We're not going to spend no money. You know what they did? They spent the money on that practice facility that's closer to his house in Bath County. That's how they thought they was rewarding him. Two years later he was like, I don't care. None about that. No.

Normally the practice facility is in some way or form either one place where everybody go or it's at the arena where... I mean, they built one out in like, if you don't know Cleveland, Bath County is like halfway in between Akron and Cleveland. That's where Brian lived at, right? They built the practice facility like a few minutes away from that. So players living in Cleveland, Avon Lake on the west side was driving way down there

to go to practice and they thought That that was gonna keep him there. I guess I Stuff like that, but that's what I'm saying. Just but think about that free agency man like that many people that type of talent is free and They rumbles and who teams up. If he don't get anybody, man, he don't win no championship.

Oh, for sure. Right? LeBron. If he don't leave. If he don't get nobody. No, not if he don't. If he don't team up with some other good players.

Right? All of them are free agents at the same time. All the young talent, too. Okay. So, you know, you got Dirt. He's resigning

and players are going in there. Let's say Joe Johnson and Amari team up in New York. So, you know, you got Dirt, he's resigning and players are going in there. Let's say Joe Johnson and Amari team up in New York. Bosh and Wade is teaming up. He's sitting there like, shit. The only place he could have went that gave him a championship just like that would have been Orlando with Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashad Lewis and them. And that would have been... That would have looked weird. And Cats would have been mad little weird and cats would be

mad cuz they just beat him a few years ago cuz when they went to the finals and play behind him you know the Knicks but if he wanted to go out of there the real story is he what they wanted to go Chicago or New York that's the road they wanted to go to New York or Chicago remember that's when he had the LA Dodger. He was showing you all a sign. They offered Mike Miller $60 million because they thought they were going to get Joe Johnson.

So Knicks was going after him, Joe Johnson. They were trying to put a little package together. So they got wind Joe Johnson was going to stay in Atlanta. So they heard that LeBron is teaming up, Mike Miller and all that. So they threw $60-something million million at Mike Miller Mike Miller turned that down People don't know that Mike Miller turned down 60 million to sign 30 million in Miami Mike was gonna go wherever Brian was gonna go he was waiting the whole time. Okay, wherever he go. I don't care how much it cost me less

I'm going there. Yeah, that's 60 in New York versus that 30 in Miami No, but what I'm saying is What I'm saying is when they say if LeBron didn't go to Miami he wouldn't win You're wrong because he already had a crew that was following they were gonna come there They were they were gonna move just Cleveland didn't want to pay People didn't realize Antoine Jamerson with their Shaquille O'Neal went there. They were just getting the wrong people. Yeah, they was getting that minimum like that at that point. Yeah, but when it was time to really pay that money to bring people up, there were so many free agents that anybody could have came, they didn't-

I don't think nobody really wanted to come to Cleveland though at that time. Nobody wanted to come to- yeah, Bosch told them fuck off. Nah, because I lived in Cleveland. Wasn't nobody- New York was the biggest. Wasn't nobody coming to Cleveland, bro. You played at Cleveland State- That was the problem. Nobody was- I was- yeah. Cleveland when nobody you're gonna come to Cleveland bro. You played it you played a big nobody was yeah how does Cleveland State compared to South Beach I mean I

ain't gonna don't we ain't gonna disrespect Cleveland it's not a different world I'm a little bit more biased because Cincinnati's near and dear to my heart there's no but it. But it's different. You're right. Even Haslam. People didn't realize the two key pieces to that whole thing was Mike Miller and Haslam. For sure. But that's why if he would have went somewhere else, do he have that, though?

They would have won and been successful, but do they get over the top without them and without that structure? Without them taking the pay cut? But that's what I'm saying. Those are players, though. That's what I'm saying. The Heat culture, you didn't convince Haslam to take that pay cut that he got offered with 40-something million

and he came back for nine. That was him. Indy Wade said hey man, I'll take less money. We're going to get it right. That's them. They had that conversation with Mickey way before Pat Riley stepped in. They let him know hey, this is what happened. We come in there. They acting

like, Pat Riley, I got these rings for you. Which rings? Nah. They called you and said, this is what we doing. He convinced them to take less, though. I don't know how he convinced all three of them to take less than the full max. It's just $1 million. It's a respect thing, though.

All three of them was worth the max, and all three of them took, D. Wade took the most off the table. 107, yeah. He took 107. He paid a four. He took one. But you can have both. He paid a four. They wouldn't have got rings in.

No, no, no. But think about who took the pay cut. Like, D. Wade took $3 million less. LeBron and Bosh took $1 million less. Mike Miller turned down $30,000. Haslam turned down a guap from Denver. Haslam took that pay cut to make it all happen. So he waited to the

end. Figure that out and then I'll take whatever's left over. And they made him in full these last three, four years. They made up for that too. And then the rest of that team the rest of that team people talk about the rest of that team was sorry. It was a bunch of $1 million players that was old as fuck.

Which team? That first year, LeBron's first year there. Oh, yeah, yeah. The Mavs. The Mavs. They couldn't even come off the bench there. Well, it was this. Picking LeBron up full court with a small guard, running his energy down.

That's why they drafted me. A little fast dude to guard little JJ and Jason Terry and guys like that. So they didn't have to do it. Yeah, they're picking him up full court. Now, he got to try to run offense, and then now he got to post up. They're going to come and double. They running all this defense at him. But still, you're supposed to punish them little cats.

Yeah, you're supposed to punish them. What do you mean? But he know that, though, and that's why every year since then he's been punishing them. That's what I said. I played against them. We played against them three years, so I watched what it was. I was at y'all games. Oh, you was? I was up in there Okay. Okay. Okay. Yep. Y'all always play my first round Yep, and I was that was the only playoff games. I could go to No, I finally was for the ticket

Every year every year they play they play twice three years in a row I was I got I got one I got one good end and I was hurt about to say the one year you want y'all want a game including you shot a shot almost from half court and did and I was like I Couldn't I was just I was gonna mad at you cuz you know, I was the Cleveland film He out here showing out on us tonight like Literally shot on Boobie Gibson from Like I used to be mad cuz we was more talented

But they kept beating us cuz of him like man y'all sorry what out here I said, I was like y'all are sorry what I hear Let him sit down for five minutes Sit down for five minutes. I've got some for you So you can accept so you can act tough as you want. Oh, I'm so hot, dog. When he first came into the league, when Braun first came into it, he was a shooting guard. He was literally the shooting guard. He had to guard me. Oh, I got tape bopping him.

Like, oh, you could, oh, yeah. Because he was the junior. He was, like, I'm guarding him, he's guarding me that very, his very first year. And then people don't realize he grew. He did. He grew. He was a legit 6'8". Like, oh, he's a little guy.

Little guy right out here. Like, I could have been the post. And then there was one year, like, hold on. Hey, man. Who guarding him now? That ain't even. Like, Twan. He over here.

Tyron Twan. Like, Jared Jeffries. And that's when Jared had to guard him He's a problem, bro. Yeah, he's a problem Shannon sharp But you got he just didn't quite say it right like The bronze said it perfectly he said I might have less rings He said but I was on a warpath to be dominant like cuz he was here But I do would have killed everything, Mike.

I just... No, he was killing everything. Ain't no he wouldn't. He was already killing everything moving. By the age of 25, LeBron was already a six-time All-Star, two-time MVP, runner-up, defense player of the year. That wasn't Mike yet. At the same 25.

All it took was... Back then... It was funny. Easy. One person got one ring, and he got a motherfucking NBA logo. He's the NBA logo. Mike Jordan had one ring, he's the greatest thing on earth. He was shit, he was damn near the greatest thing on earth before he won a championship. But Mike was the best before.

I know, but that's what I'm saying. The champ just solidified. Nobody had, they had never seen nothing like him before. But that's the one, people don't want to talk about. No, and we will never. But what I'm saying is when you think about how the players after Mike was treated, right, it became a multiple championship to be considered great when the greatest man that is being compared to got it off of one.

He got rid of Magic Johnson's legacy, Bird's legacy. Every legacy after that was just one championship, but now it's like, well, you need six to even get in this category. But for him, though, Mike's thought process didn't change until he won three in a row. It was an interview. I just watched it two days ago. He said after he won his third one, that's when he really felt like he was above their level. When he felt, yeah. Because he was like, he said they won back to back. He said none of them ever won three in a row. I won three in a row. Now I feel like I can look at them out of the eye and

be like, I'm that guy. I can feel like that. He would never say himself is the greatest. He never said that, but he was like, I felt like I was as accomplished or more after I got my third one. Because they never won three in a row. Yeah.

He had to go play baseball and humble himself. Nah, it was just... When you go back in history and then look at the journey of them, they're never going to remove him.

You can't. He was so impactful. People didn't, like, he went from, the Jordan went from the wings. Like, it seemed like it was a campaign, his third, that third, that year, on his Jordan 3. It seemed like it was a campaign. He got his logo, Jumpman, right? That's when he won.

That's when the Nike sign stopped being off of him. Yep. And he started putting logos. Yeah, that's when the nike's stopped being off of him yep that's when i'm putting logos yeah that's a mvp all-star mvp he got every guy 1988 was crazy now 19 he won everything but a chip but a chip mvp scoring check dunk check steals 10 had 10 11 straight triple doubles led the league and yeah that year it's like they they went into that year like all right nike this we're gonna do we go we were you ready we ready We need this one individual to get us over the top and let's go all these dudes should be thinking him all these signature

Shooters, they better be thinking this cat Because there was no such thing as negotiating your own brand like now cats get they own their own logos and share it with the brand. Mike ain't know nothing about that. Nike still owns the Jump Metal. He can't separate from them if he wanted to or he had to get a whole new logo. That's why they're paying $50 million every year until the cats

drop though. That's what I'm saying. It's crazy. When you think about the thing he did, it's what we have now and that's what they're never going to remove. That's why he'm saying. It's crazy. When you think about the thing he did, it's what we have now. And that's what they're never going to remove. That's why he's transcended. That's why nobody can ever. That's why he's cemented in his place.

But that's what I'm saying. They don't need to start throwing in, oh, he got six and this and this. Like, listen, just we get it. For sure. Fuck. We get it. And stop using, stop fucking up everybody else's legacy, comparing it to a guy you're not going to get

off that mountain. If you go back in history, we see it. We see what the, we know what the NBA needed at that moment in time, and it was God mode. And he delivered like he was supposed to.

But don't hold that against... Don't hold that against everybody else. Just say, hey, listen, number one, this motherfucker, we're going to put this in bubble wrap. Yep, and see... Everyone fight for number two. Like, bet. I got 14 rings over here.

Yeah, that's true. Number two. Yeah. Six MVPs. Number two. Six MVP. Number two. But that's what I said, but you know, you messed it up. Everybody else's game trying to compete with somebody they think can get in touch, not knowing that he was the NBA. And the reason that you can't put him in the logo is it's going to cost you this whole league.

Yeah. Oh, no, if the NBA wanted him to be the logo, Nike going to be like, oh, we own the NBA now. Nike going to be like, we own the NBA now. Nike going to be like, we own it. Now everybody realize why he can't change the logo. Change it to the cigar from the last day. They can't change the logo. And I don't think you can find anybody ever in basketball to market like that, the NBA. Like that.

Jordan's logo is just as impactful as the regular NBA logo. Like how Mike did. His logo. And there's no other logo that can go toe-to- impactful as the regular NBA logo. Like how Mike did. You're right. His logo, and there's no other logo that can go toe-to-toe with that NBA logo. Would you say it's more impactful though, when you really think about it? I mean, in the urban society- Yeah, that's like the apple. It's like the apple sign. Not for real, in urban society-

You're not really robbing over the NBA logo, you robbing- But that's what I'm saying, it's kids that never had the NBA Jersey that it has Several pairs of Mike's absolutely now you put in every NBA Jersey put them Jordans next to it and every in every signature Jordan in every color I mean, that's I said they can't get they can't put it as a logo because It's who I can't say killing over Jays. Hey, it's low-key bigger than the NBA I haven't seen nobody line up. When Nike came out with the new sponsor,

I didn't see those lines sold out. Every new Jordan that come out that's on repeat, it's still the line is around it. And these are the same ones, the same color. They cost more now than they did then, which is, you know. Just keep repeating the 1 to 13. Hey, trust me. Don't forget the 1 to 13. I live in the valley and never seen so many cutlass was I'm losing cars on them hood cars The 90 was a the cutlass. Oh, I've never seen so many of those

In white neighborhoods where I was living at my oh shit. We're about to get robbed Hey, I don't need the box. Just put these in some Adidas Put my Jordans in the Adidas box. So you got, hey, young fella, what you got? Oh, I just got the new K-Swiss. Yeah, mm-hmm. I bet. Here we go.

You definitely don't wear your Jordans to basketball practice. Just take it off. Yeah, you don't wear your Jordans to basketball practice either. No. Not if you in the public school, you know. Bus stop. Hey, listen, bus stop. All you see is socks.

Shit, y'all was rich. Y'all had Jordans. Hell yeah. Shit. What'd you... Jordans was everything. I had to make straight A's to get them. My pops said, if you make straight A's, I'll get you one pair.

I did it one time. Never had no Jordans as a kid. Y'all was rich. Shoot. You see kids. I had Force 1. You had the kid. Trust me, you couldn't put them in your locker.

Those got broken open. What? And then back then, you see a dude at the Bus stop just like this man. No happened to him. You already know what happened Give me those Just told me about the baby. Hey, dude walk around shoelace Jordan's thought I seen it happened. I just wasn't part of it. We couldn't afford it. But Jordan's

taking his stuff anyway. That's what I'm saying. It was, no, it was, trust me. If I'd have had it, they would have tried to take it.

But that's what I said. It's like one of those things when it comes to just worldwide, it's going to always be Jordan and then, you know. Everybody else.

And then everybody else. LeBron, that's just a community of just players. Basketball, the shoe world. Basketball, the shoe world. Basketball, the shoe world. And just rock stars.

Why nobody can come up with no, like people got cool designs, but why can't nobody come out with a consistent where it's like, Jordan's like don't miss, bro. When he was playing 1-13, as they could style. Back then it was the best designers and then he had real input now we don't think it's a comparison to that some other people's shoes it's like they nice but I'm like it don't even like they don't even compare like funny and some of the shoes that we think the like like if you go back and look at old interviews he's looking at some of them she's like yeah we don't mean these trail but it's color, he's looking at some of them shoes like, yeah, we don't need these.

This is colorway. Colors that's hitting today. Or even with the patent leather. Patent leather wasn't a thing. That was foreign. Yeah, that was foreign. That was like, oh, patent leather don't hit. Jordan was one of the only shoes that the patent leather actually.

Concourse is the best ones that ever came out. I think it was just his style of play, too. Yeah, for sure. His style of play. Just look at Mike. That's why they was the best shoe. They wasn't the best shoe just because they was the best shoe. They was the best shoe because he was like that.

He was like that, so it matched his game. We was rocking them at Cincinnati too. Same color wave as the Bulls. 96, 97, 98 when they was on top. My Jordan game was mean at Cincinnati. And they back to it. I love y'all. And they was on top. Yeah, well my Jordan game mean at Cincinnati They was and they back to it Y'all were Nike when I was it. Huh? No Nike when you was a Jordan when you was there Okay

First school first, but somebody how did that's that's a that's inside Nike like somebody Who is this in that he was like I mean? I'm gonna give y'all the hook up one with it you would have you would have thought North Carolina be the first but The executives make who they want same color, but they feel in the Jordans. They filled Nightwater to Cincinnati or something? I was like, yo, they was in there meeting with hugs. Hold on. Hold on. North Carolina. You sure North Carolina didn't have the Jordans?

No, we was first. They had it first. Cincinnati had it first. I feel like he was giving them shoes. They just didn't have a logo. That's cool. That's cool. It was the first one with it.

Yeah. Don't. Don't. It doesn't. Because he was giving them shoes, though, at North Carolina. I'm sure. North Carolina. A&T.

Yeah. The three schools, Cincinnati, St. John's, and North Carolina. A the three three schools in North Carolina You you would think that Michael Jordan's first Would be them be them when it wasn't but I feel like we're like we figured in terms Somebody up. I feel like somebody North Carolina was hating it. Yeah, whatever it was we show Hey, probably you can't like we bigger I feel like somebody North Carolina was hating it. Yeah, whatever it was we should Can't like we bigger We was out there with hoods only warm-ups and the stripes on the side of your phone like like that Jordan logo You you got that Jordan logo. That's

Any back now? Yeah, I'm like that was one of the reason why I went to Oakhill because that Jordan logo Like I was able to get all the Jordans. I had this Nike rep at Nike at the time. His name was Jeff Rogers. He would give me every pair of Jordans that wasn't even out yet. We had everything back then. If that Jordan logo wasn't on O'Kill, I don't think a lot of people would go. What's wild is Jordan wanted to go to Adidas.

He wanted to go to Adidas. You seen the documentary on that air? His mother talked to me in that meeting with Nike. He didn't though. Mama Jordan. You seen the documentary on that air? Mm-hmm. When his mother talked to him into that meeting with Nike, he didn't even want to take the meeting. No, because there was nobodies.

She was a master negotiator. I mean, you see what he walked into? You can be like, who was there at the time? Bird? No, they was Converse. The league was Converse.

The league was Converse. Yeah, Converse, yeah. But somebody wanted to compare him to when he was walking in. I think it was Converse. Yeah, he said, you can be third. That's what his mom said.

He's like, so he's going to always be behind Magic and Bird? He was like, what's wrong with being third? She whispered in his ear like, you got to take this Nike trip. Got to take the Nike trip. Yeah, same thing with D to that. And Sonny V. Sonny Vaccaro again. Getting it done.

That's the best thing ever. Kiss on the cheek. The godfather. So we talk about LeBron playing with him, but basketball IQ, you hear all these stories from other guys. You got to actually experience living. How real is that basketball IQ that LeBron has? It's real from the fact that, one, he really studies the game.

He has natural ability, but even with his natural ability, he still takes the time to study the game. So you will see him going over his, you know, going over, like, the numbers numbers on guy going left versus a guy going right. He remember plays, other teams plays, like how he know our plays. And so it always give him a step ahead. And that's why like when you see him like reacting, he's already computed what you going to do. He knows your defense. He's a drop defense and this guy, he's going low man help. Or drop defense, they help from this corner.

So he already got that program, or they're going to show early in the game, so he passed early in the game. And so guess what? By the second quarter, that guy's tired of showing. He's like, he's going to pass it. And as soon as you think he's going to pass it, now he's going to turn the corner. The low man's going to help. He's going to either dunk you or he's going to pass to the corner.

So he computes the game different, and that's part of it. He's going to either dunk you or he's going to pass to the corner. So he computes the game different. And that's part of film. That's what I learned from him. Because I used to want to know, bro, how did you know he was going to be open? I asked D-Wade the same thing. I said, how did y'all know? He was like, you study the film. Once you play against these coaches, you start knowing coaches.

Coaches, yep. Because he would know Doc Rivers in and out. He would call their plays out. And I'm like, bro, how do you know that? He was like, he said, once you study them, and then you get practice at it, because they're playing 38,

40 minutes. He said, bro, once you play one or two quarters, by the third quarter, I know what they're doing now. I'm playing all downhill. So it's a real thing.

It's a cheat code, because when you're on defense, because when I played against him when he went back to Cleveland, now he know all our plays. You know what I mean? So it's like he know Cole don't do it because he know I like to pressure, get over pick and rolls and certain things and he know I'm going to help. He know how we help. He'd be like, don't you do it. Sometimes you do it just to see if he's going to make the play. Other times you'd be like, nah, let me not do that because

he's just going to pass the ball right past your ear to the dude in the corner or have your man in foul trouble. People don't realize this too. When you go back and look at all his plays, everyone questioned, why did you make that pass? No one ever questions every single one of those passes, those guys wide open. I'm on board. I know what I'm saying for for the most part even the last one right they are going up boom that man is wide that man is fucking wide open

so he's seeing the movement way before it came it's not like he's making a pass at danny green airball he's wide open he is he's wide open yeah i know because because you disagree but the fact that he's making the past though two guys that There's not there's no question in the guy gonna shoot it the guys actually why don't you pay to make those shots too? But also and sometimes it's better to shoot it. Yeah, his feet need to be facing like Cam Thomas shit shoot that bitch I'm just thinking about it That was a point that was a point guard if that was Jason That was that was one of us making that pad It was a great pass a great pass cuz that is that is the he's wide open like he's a shooter

Yeah, you ain't the king Yeah, now his IQ is real is real So we talked about the LeBron IQ But how much of that just the film study and the learning that side was was the heat culture thing versus? Come on But how much of that just the film study and the learning that side was was the heat culture thing versus? Yeah, come on Guys watch film on every NBA team. I understand that was their approach different or just I'll say this Because the brown new stuff before you gotta remember Brian was playing against the heat before and they would beat them

Sometimes no they would beat the heat sometime, you know So his his pedigree of seeing the game was going to be what it was. What Heat culture did was, you know, Brian's a master at making adjustments quickly. The Heat, what we did, we don't adjust quick. We practicing on this. So the easier way might be like stop showing, just down it or whatever. Spoil would be like, no, we're not downing it.

We can always down it. We can always switch. We need to do this the first few months of the season so that this is our foundation and then we can transition to that.

We don't want our foundation to be make an adjustment every time a team do something. Because that's how Brian works. As soon as he sees something, he's going to be like, he didn't already adjust it to it no matter what quarter it is.

And he's going to make you adjust and then when you adjust, he's adjusting again. So if you ain't got a high IQ team, he can do it. Everybody else can't keep making that many adjustments. So the Heat was like, this is how we going to play.

And we going to lose the game sometime. But we going to win the war. Because by the time we got to the finals, our shows was crisp. And then when we need to make an adjustment, they'd be like, Spoke not going to make an adjustment. And then timeout, Spoke going to be like, down it. We ain't down it all year ain't downed it all year. We ain't switched all year. And then the one time, switch.

And that's the difference with Brian and Heat Culture. That's how they kind of, that's how we made it work. It was about, I played. That's what I'm saying. We played against them. Because Brian would be like, why don't we just fucking down it? Why don't we down it? And I'm like, and Spoke would be like, no. And he'd be so mad.

He'd go to bite this. And Spohr would be like, we're not down it. And me, I got to listen to Coach. I can't listen to Brian. Brian can disobey him. As a young player, I can't look at him and be like, I'm doing mm-mm. So I'm planning to keep going inside instead of downing it to the sideline. I'm making him go to the middle.

And Brian be like, bro, trust me, just down it. I'm like, Brian, I can't do that, bro. You can doeline. I'm making them go to the middle and Brian like trust me just down I'm like, I can't do that, bro. You can do that. I get yanked out the game Horses is hard show push him all the way to the like, okay You like doesn't they go hard show a shooting a shooting point guard and a garden issue. You know, that's what I showed you We're gonna go under we're gonna keep rotate. show. Like, it was... I got no... The fucking defense. I know you did Travis. All I think... The heat culture was always there, God damn it.

Because they believe in just... Like, our motto was the most intense, toughest, hardest-playing team. That's how they... That's the heat culture. That's the heat culture. Which, that wasn't Pat Riley's upbringing. What was that like in the Lakers?

When did you go from all offense to just defense? Or they just didn't listen to you then, and then you got a team that was sorry enough, hey, this is what we're going to do, goddammit. We're going to score. We're going to score. We're going to beat them with defense. We're going to beat them with defense. It's hard to tell a bunch of talented guys to play like that.

That Lakers team was a lot of talent. It's hard to tell an offensively gifted, four or five of them, to play dirty, nasty, because they don't have to. They don't have to. That Knick team, though, Patrick Union was the only gifted offensive player. Everybody else was like, got to play off the edge a little bit. Because, I mean, you got Grant Hill in the league, you got Penny, and then you got Jordan.

They ain't more talented than none of them dudes you know I'm saying that was weak I mean just if you go through the room no no no even when even when they say stuff like that BJ because you can watch it what I'm saying is you watch you coming in as a rookie seeing it then the years before that the first round he's a you saw that I't yeah first round fucking I'm up there You know Jeff come on Jeff's all right cool. All right, let's do this You know, we got shot. We got this. Oh, we looking good. Hey, Jeff get the fuck out of here I'm coming down with the championship and then the very next year round, and then lose. Then it's like, I'm going back upstairs.

Like, come on. But, hey, you know, it is what it is. It is what it is. You know what I mean? You know, it is what it is. Let's talk about Spoh a little bit. You know, people credit

a lot of Spoh's early success with that Heat Big 3, but been back to the finals twice. Yes, sir. Last year, Gil, even talking about that roster, what he was able to do with that to get to the finals.

Spoh won the goats now. Yeah, so what's Spoh like as a head coach, and how does he get the most out with that to get to the finals. Spoh won the goats now. Yeah, so what's Spoh like as a head coach, and how does he get the most out of his players? One thing that makes Spoh good, Spoh is not one of those coaches that's stuck in his ways. He adjusts with the time, and he holds himself accountable. Like, he'll say, like, man, I shouldn't have did it.

You know how some coaches will be like, I ain't wrong. It's your fault. Do it harder. Do it smarter. Like, Spoh will look at himself and be like, I messed that up. We're going to do it. I'm going to adjust. And as the years went by, he learned how to coach with talent, which is not easy.

Most people think having a bunch of talented dudes is easy. It ain't because those egos is crazy. It's hard to tell a dude that got more money than you, we ain't doing that. Spoh had three or four dudes, Ray Adams was $100 million, Rashard $100 million, LeBron, gazillionaire, D-Wade, gazillionaire, it's Chris Boss, $200 million, Juwan Howard, $100 million. And Spoh had to keep all that in one bag. So he learned that, and then when they all left,

he learned how to coach with less talent. So he knows all the teams. So if I got a supremely talented team I know how to bounce the Eagles the team that's not that talented I know what I got to do the team that ain't that talented they in there working like slaves mm-hmm I mean we all work but they working like slaves so that they can compete at the highest level against more talented teams that's how they he be winning that but that's what I said that that is they play for real. I don't have the talent no more.

They play harder than all the other teams. But because of my name and because of what these generational players have gave me, I get to really bust their ass. They cannot question me. They can't question. And Pat is not going to fire him.

No, I know. He told, even the big three was there. They was having meetings with Spoh all the time and all that. Pat blew his big, when he blowed the whistle, everybody be quiet. I ain't never seen no stuff like that. He's a big whistle. He got the big whistle, like the big head. Hey, no, listen. Everybody be quiet.

I never seen nothing like this before in my life. Because Spoh got the whistle. Spoh blew the whistle. We was getting ready for practice. He walked out that office and even Spoh jumped and turned around and he said everybody on the wall coaches everybody we all sat on the wall and sat down

and he said there's no more meetings he's going to be the coach he ain't going nowhere I'll follow my sword before he go anywhere I'll leave before he leave there's no more meetings there's no more discussion about him going nowhere. And then that was

the discussion that he... That's your rookie year? He had that two or three times. Your rookie year? No, my third, my fourth year when Brian left,

it was some, you know, it was a new team and there was some stuff going on and he had to remind the new guys, hey,

he's not going nowhere. Y'all better get in line with him or y'all gonna be gone. And see, it's easy to coach like Y'all better get in line with him or y'all going to be gone. See, it's easy to coach like that. Yeah. When you got that upstairs power. But you got to remember, Spoh came literally from the bottom.

He was the video guy. The guy that don't never come out the room. You never see his face. And that's why people didn't realize when Bronham got there that first year, Spoh was a coach. And they were talking about, well, is he good enough to coach his team? People don't want to remember all that. You know what I mean?

So it's not like there was really any foundation that helped LeBron. That was his first year as a head coach. That was his first year as a head coach. So you get LeBron, the big three, and you're the first year head coach. That's a lot of pressure. And that's what I'm saying. That's a lot. That's why when they talk about the Heat Culture Foundation,

it wasn't what you guys. This is not Popovich. This ain't like coming to Steve Kerr right now. This is a guy who's learning at the same time. Right? We played their winning streak. That first year, they were 8-8. They were 8-8.

Start of the season. The start of the season. We came over there like, oh, yeah, we're going to get these motherfuckers. Because, you know, everybody wanted them, right? And somehow somehow that game They done switch their mode to the brawn at the point this person at the two now boom 23 games winning streak Started because our stupid answers

We won 27 one year and I don't know how Spohle managed that he was like But I give him credit though. Like I said, he hold himself accountable. He's fair. He's honest. He don't look you in the eye and lie to you. I remember he told me one time, he was like, listen, I don't want you to do that. I know at Cleveland State you can do that. I don't want you to do that. This is what I want you to do.

If you do this, I can't guarantee you nothing, but you're going to probably play. If you do that, for sure you're not going to play. And it was that easy. You know, some guys will lie to you. Keep working on your game. You got it, young fella. Knowing that, he ain't playing. He looked me in my eyes and said, if you do this, you keep finding Ray,

you keep setting up those guys, you'll play long enough to where you can get a couple mid-range jumpers, a couple jumpers. He said, but if you take that first jumper when they go under again and you don't make it, you won't be playing too long. So that's how I took that earlier when they'd be disrespecting going under. I ain't even thinking about what he said. I'm thinking about what's supposed to be. If I shoot this shot and I don't make it, I'm for sure going to sit down.

So that made me suppress the ego. I actually played 25 a night. After the lockout, I went down there to visit. My rookie year. It was on the road. I went down there to visit. My rookie year. It was on the road. I went down there, sat down. Everything was great. They laid it out. What's your expectations? Much.

In order for me to be effective, I feel like 25 a night. I can't promise you that. He kept her a hundred. Looked you straight in the eye. Damn! And you K-Mart. Can't promise you that. He kept her 100. Looked you straight in the eye. Damn. And you K-marked. Can't promise you that. Moffa was winning the championship. There was only three people that was guaranteed anything on that team.

Those three. There was only three people that was guaranteed 30-plus minutes, 35. Oh, you was coming in on the championship year. So you was free. Yeah. Right after the lockout. Right after the lockout. Yeah just read, yeah. Right after lockout. Right after lockout, yeah, yeah, yeah. So let's go back to draft night for you.

Get drafted by the Bulls, traded to the Timberwolves, and then you end up on the Heat. So how excited were you to be able to go from Cleveland State to join that big three squad? And to your point, how were you able to carve out a role on that team? I think you had, what, 20 points? Your first game. Your first game, I mean.

So going from Cleveland State to dropping 20 on the Heatles in your first game. When you get drafted, I didn't really care where I went, honestly. But then after draft night, you know, it's a series of trades. You don't go to the other places. You just wait until the end of draft night. Then you know the final place. So it was like I got drafted by Chicago Bulls. Cool, that's where Mike went.

I'm like, okay, I get to go to the Bulls. Trade, Minnesota Timberwolves. Like, ah, it's cold, but we drafted by Chicago Bulls. Cool, that's where Mike went. I'm like, okay, I get to go to the Bulls. Trey, Minnesota Timberwolves. Like, ah, it's cold, but we in the league anyway. First of all, at the end of the night, the Miami Heat has moved up and took the rights. My whole house went crazy. Because, you know, everybody was watching the Heat. And then Brian from Ohio.

So it was like, I went to Cleveland State. So it was like dope. But that switched off the day after. Because I'm like, damn, I'm going to the Heat. I don't want to be on the bench. I want to show them that I can play. So I'm like, I got to earn their respect. These is like the creme de la. So when I got to the team, first place in all the sprints, they're early. When they asked me to do something, I don't got no ego. I do it. And plus, I ain't no 19-year-old. I did four years of college,

so I was kind of like a little bit mature, so I wasn't a he-he-ha-ha type of guy. So they kind of like was like, Rook don't joke around like that. He's serious. So I'm like, I'm trying to get it. I'm not 19. I don't got years to play around. So that first game, I played like I was at Cleveland State, honestly.

I didn't change nothing. I went out there. Every shot I was open, I was going to shoot it. I ain't have no – I was green light all Every shot I was open, I was going to shoot it. I didn't have no. I was green light all day long. Of course, they reeled that in. But Spoh let me do it, though. Spoh wanted to see, naturally, would I get out there and be afraid of the moment or play? And he realized, like, oh, no.

If I don't say nothing to him, that young fella is shooting. He's going to shoot with all three of them on the court. I'll come off that mug and fire. So, of course, they real, because at Cleveland State, I ain't had nobody like that. You know what I'm saying? So, I had all three of them come and shoot that. And so, they went.

Check this pic. Wrong. Bro. D-Wade, we're about to set this down. You first. BJ, when we used to play, I're about to 7-7, you first. BJ, when we used to play, I wasn't scared to shoot, bruh. No. They waited until I had an off game, which is smart.

You wait until I have an off game, and then once I had the off game, they was like, okay, listen, young fella, this is how we're going to need you to play. We like your aggressiveness. We know that you're capable of that. It's going to be some nights that you're going to do that. But this is what we need every night. And I embraced it, because I wanted to play. If I would have fought it, like these young guys now,

they can fight it, and I don't know, and still somehow play. On that team, full of those vets, they had no problem taking me out of the rotation and going with the big lineup. When Mario goes to the bench, Bron at the one, D-Way at the two, Mike Miller at the three, Chris Bosh at the four, UD at the five. If I wouldn't have acted right, that's what it would have been. But I was

able to kind of give D-Way and LeBron a blow off the ball because when one of them was subbed out, that's when I could handle the ball. And I knew how to when LeBron cool being off the ball, if he knows you're going to outlay him the ball. Only time he don't like getting off the ball is if he out there standing around and you ain't passing it to him on time on target.

And I knew that. So I'm like, when I get it, two dribbles, I'm advancing the ball. And same thing with D-Wade. D-Wade, he don't like to run. He like to catch the ball and run with it. So when I get it, he ain't even all the way down the court though, but I'm giving it to him so he can feel the ball and rhythm. Bron, he had run the whole court and didn't catch it.

So I figured that out. And so that's how I was able to play as a rookie. I was like, I know what they need. I know kind of where they like the ball. And if I give them what they want, I play long enough, I can make some shots. Speaking about knowing where they like the ball, we got to talk about one of the most legendary plays from that era.

You already know what we're doing. You already know what we're doing. Speaking about knowing where they like the ball, we got to talk about one of the most legendary plays from that era. Ooh. You already know what we're doing. Talking about Jason Terry. Ooh. You already know what we're doing. An accident that turned into a... You threw that lob. Ron dunked on Jason Terry in TD Garden. I got to know first and foremost, why you do that to that man?

Jason Terry's a good dude. Hey, listen here. Listen. First of all, do you know the back story of how much trash was being talked in that series? It was a lot of trash being talked. And, you know, Jet talked trash a lot to Brian. Because he beat, you know, JT beat them. So in his mind, he felt like he owned them.

He could say what he wanted to say. I got one. He got his championship tattoo. So I turned the ball over. So I'm trying to make up for the turnover. And so I pressured him. D-Wade did the back tip. We got it back. And so I pressured him. D-Wade did the back tip. We got it back.

And so I had a chance to lay it up. But one thing, when you hear Brian, when he runs, you can't hear it. He's like, huh, huh. And I heard it. So I got the ball. And I was about to take a dribble and lay it up. But I heard, huh, huh. And I was like, oh, I don't even got a seam.

I just had to make sure JT couldn't tip it. So I had to throw it just high enough so JT couldn't tip it. And he was running full speed. So no matter who was standing there, it was going to be a freight train. And so I didn't think JT was going to jump. I thought he was going to get out of the way. But he turned around and jumped and was like. They should have arrested you for accessory to murder.

Immersive? They should have arrested you for accessory to murder. For sure. Like you did a drive-by and you set It up. Let me say look we hear not for real. Yeah, real What the hell was Jason Terry thinking but did I after the light the jaw goes stand by and Max him? Then nobody said well we look you saw what we did we look at it Y'all should went on like man. What the hell was you thinking?

Like you had no chance of hell to get in that ball But you know some time a reaction you run back and then you turn into it. Come you did you don't know Yeah, your reaction be oh shit the hell out of there Now I try to take a charge and I took a charge on I tried to fast break and I try to take a charge on Carlos Boozer Mistake it sounded good look Like, oh, yeah, I'm about to, ah. That ain't no guard.

He just left it just, boom, boom, boom, and one. Like, ah. I got Dame Joan on the break. Back set him up, my rookie. Boom, boom, boom. You're going to take a charge. Man, if you don't. You used to be disrespectful, too.

Raised your knees up on people and everything. We was so stupid, man. Like, yo, can I just get out the way? You used to be disrespectful too. Raise your knees up on people and everything. We was so stupid, man. Like, yo, can I just get out the way? Better. Got somebody like that running full speed at you? 6'9", 260. Ain't nobody calling no charge, man.

Ain't it going to hurt? Chunk. And the way, can we rewind the way he landed? Please. Now, it's kind of good that he turned sideways because if he would have got hit in the sternum, he would have broke his sternum, though. No, look at him.

Stop. When he first hit the ground, he on his side. That means you ain't got no body control. Bro, you don't see his... You don't even see him on the other... At this moment, he realized he fucked up. He probably thought it was...

Look at him. He ain't got no control over none of his extremities. Just realize he realized he fucked up None is at this point There's a code Underdog put that on a t-shirt You need right there photo. Hey Gil he looked like he had That real wife, I don't know sir. Yeah, get that for tea surface. Oh, that's good for the t-shirt with the black tea surface So we need we ever shy go ahead. Go ahead and make that one. Yeah, he's not gonna make You and real y'all y'all didn't do it. No Justin is this no we both would have got text Yeah Had I been on the floor somebody got done like that like that, I would have got attacked for damn sure

because I would have stood over you. No question about it. Even in a playoff game? One of my teammates would have dunked on something. That hard? That hard. In a playoff series? And it's so much trash being talked about?

And it's too easy. Man, I would have stood over you. Yes, and it was up too. Man, I would have hit him when Michael Jordan got on. You motherfuckers. I would have been, listen, man. Them old Scotty Pippen from New York. Yes, some of them, dog.

Listen, I'm telling you, man. Where's that bear down for Jason Terry? It got real quiet in here. Yeah, ain't no bear down for that dead body. JT, I still love you, though. Y'all want to see a dead body? Yeah. Yeah, that was...

We didn't know that that was going to be that. I can't... Brandon Knight, there's a few dead bodies that's in the NBA arenas right now. Oh, yeah, yeah. Corpse. That messed this career up. Dog, outline.

They need to put a permanent chalk outline. BK, that's my brother. He a good dude, too. Yeah. He was nice, too. He just had... That knee injury. He got a my brother. Yeah, that was a rough stretch. He a good dude, too. Yeah. He was nice, too. He just had a knee injury. He got a max deal in Phoenix. He had the max.

He was a max player. He was? Yeah, he averaged 20 a game. Yeah, he was. Yeah. I was in the locker room the day he got traded. Yeah, he was. He was in Milwaukee.

The day he got traded in Milwaukee, we had practice and everything. That was tough. That was crazy. Looking back now, though, he had to unleash the honors, though. He had to. But that shit was. He just won MVP of the Puerto Rico League. Yeah, it was crazy Looking back now though. He had to unleash the honest though. He had to He just won MVP the Puerto Rico Tonight one he won. Uh, yeah, that's my training partner when I trained in Miami. This will be trying to get us some time Yeah

Is he is he there was it a go cuz he damn sure did he a corpse right now? But that'll come The big man playing dunking with a little man trying to get credit. DJ could have dunked him and the ball. Could have dunked him and the ball. That was tough. That was tough.

Listen, we try. You know what I mean? Jump up there, you know, I'm trying to block Shaq once. Yeah, okay. Yeah, what was you doing? You know the ego just like I saw some block shack one Was you do I saw too lately about Russ Russ trying to take charges and he getting that Wrong come down it just trying to take a charge. He hit him by like come on and move This risk this is special. You're looking on young people with a little ass item

This I'm a shot block and if I see him coming I'm moving the way I'm telling you too much power Can you know the shot blocker when you gonna move out the way versus when you gonna jump my it depends on momentum Yeah, like if I if I got my step and I'm know I can but if your momentum certain guys come in a certain way I'm not gonna jump. It's just what it is. I'm dating the same I'm act like I'm a gather I am and you might change your mind. I might give you that because you know. Yeah. And if it's a short dude, he definitely going to change if you do that.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. It's how much power you got. I mean, you know, just like anything. You got to, okay. Yeah, we both come in Simon. We both running at the same time. Yeah, I'm going to go. But if I'm standing in the station there and I see you running that, nah, I'm going to

move the fire. Like a cat like Ja, you going for it? Ja. I'm going to run if I'm standing the station there and I see you running that now I'm like a cat like that you going for it Ja more here go for John My body we have West got way more one cuz I way more than once I hit Yeah, this is going back cuz I'm gonna jump out. Oh, that's the thing about a lot of people They jump me straight up. No, you go get your ass put in that basket. Yeah, I'm gonna jump out into your body That's the fact so I'm gonna hit him. He's going to hit the floor. Like Russell would be harder because he's pulling. And he's strong as shit.

And he's strong up top. Did you ever have to make a business decision? Jump over. Russell's jumping. Did you ever have to make a business decision in the league

where you had to get up? Man, I think I was in the pitch when Kobe dunked on Ty McCullough. I was about to cut. I was like, whoa. What the hell? Yeah, that motherfucker

back here. I'm like, God. T-Mac, Vint, like yeah. I don't know why nobody used to try to jump with Vince. Once he made a few examples, it should have been well documented. The only person who kept trying him. The only person who kept trying him and kept getting embarrassed was motherfucker Zo. Zo. Next scene. The only person who kept trying yes and kept getting bears was motherfuckers. Oh, so so so

next one on the bait one The one on the front of the next bitch the behind the back and the one Man, I like you better stop Jumping everybody jump with everybody so they don't know better The one thing he was gonna try to block it no matter what show my Swift though So my was crazy that one when he I think it was to block no matter what. Showmile Swift though. Showmile was crazy too. I think it was with New Jersey and he dunked on somebody from the Bulls.

He dunked on Alex, what was it, Thomas Tyus or Thomas or something? Yeah, Tyrus Thomas. Tyrus Thomas. Yeah. He yanked it back. That's one of the sickest things I've ever seen. See, but those type of dudes, it ain't about just jumping high. Because when Vince go, if you up with him, he just going to change the angle a little bit.

Most people, if you go up with him, it's a block or body contact. But Vince, if you up with him, he going to contort. It might have been rookie year or second year Vince. They playing Atlanta. Dikembe jumped. And they looked like Dikembe was going to block it, and it looked like Vince was like, this motherfucker didn't jump on me. This boy, I was like, yo.

Stretch. Yeah, anybody got that lean, anybody that can do this, you better look out. If they can jump and they can put that bitch here, you better watch out, because hey, it's all That lean, that lean is... That lean, because they're going to hit you. Boom, and that that bitch here. So you better watch out cuz they just all mean that leaves me cuz they don't hit you Yeah, boom that ball up here. I be Francis. I used to oh Shit watch out He couldn't even grip the ball upon the ball That's the thing they said Mike you know, okay. Yeah, you got like a Mari in the mall. Yeah, like yeah, oh Another day about all of a kid. Yeah, go him. Mm-hmm. I'm already dunked on him dead body

Yeah, Lord's got a few more for you So, uh, you played in France a couple years ago You got the chance to play against Wimby much younger version of Wimby yet, obviously So would you see from him out there and would impress you the most about his game now? His coordination for a guy that tall was, you know, that's not normal. Like, he didn't run. You know, most tall people and young, like that tall I'm talking about, they run kind of funny.

They foot placement is kind of weird. They balance is off. He was always coordinated. So that was the first thing that impressed me. Now, I ain't going to lie. I thought he would be good. I didn't know he was going to look like this, though. Some people thought he was going to be all world right away.

I was one of the ones that was like, let me see. He's showing me. Because I thought defensively he was going to be great. But offensively, I wasn't sure. But he's showing me that he's sharp offensively. Like his jab step. He hit a cat with a jab step and one dribble three against Phoenix. I was like,

man. So was it that polished when he was over there when you seen him? No. So that's been... He made a smart decision that at first it was questionable. So he played on a team, it's three teams in pairs. He played for a pair in his non-terror one year when I saw him, he was young.

Then when I left and he played for Asvel-terror one year when i saw him he was young then when i left and he played for asvel the team that i used to play for the tony parker's team he played for that team but he didn't play that much in euro league like he barely could get in the game so i'm like wait is he that good like because luca dominated euro league which is like the nba of europe and his local league which is the spanish. So he didn't dominate EuroLeague. Victor didn't. So I'm like, dang, is he that good? So he left that EuroLeague team to go back to one of the Paris teams.

And I'm like, why would he do that? But it was because he already knew he was going to be number one. He wanted to work on his stuff. So that team wasn't EuroLeague, so they wasn't as good. But because of him, they beat Asviel a couple of times because he was able to work on his stuff to get ready for the league. Because he knew in the league, he was going to have to be able to perform. It's more of an open game than in Europe. So he left a better organization, Asviel, to play for that Paris team to work

on his, shoot as many shots as he want. Because everybody, I was like, yo, why he leaving the EuroLeague team? Luka dominated the EuroLeague. He was smart enough to know, I'm not playing for EuroLeague. I'm about to go to the NBA next year. I need to work on my stuff. Okay. Yeah. And so when you miss, he can miss 10 in a row.

It don't matter. He's getting a rep in game. In game. And so he's learning confidence. Because out there, he had games where he 30, 40. He was killing. But he also had games where he had missed five or six in a row but wasn't going to come out. So he ain't going to be shook by nothing that happens

in the NBA. He had a game where he had five points and all right, cool. Next game he got 30. So last question we got for you. Obviously you and Brandon came in around the same time. You know, you guys are fans of unique hairstyles. Who had the better high top in the league Norris Kohler Brandon Jennings, let's see Me his was different though. The styles was different

Man, he look like he got that shit cut in Milwaukee That was no LA barber, bro. Nah, but his... I mean, classic. Yeah, I was about to say, his swag was different with his box. Like, my thing was, I wanted mine to always be sharp. I told my barbers, don't round it out. Like, make sure my stuff is 90 degrees. Listen, I had it at the McDonald's game, too.

So, you know, I was already used to... You know, I already had it early. You know, I had that, and I had the Gumby. But I'm saying, that's... And you can't see the part. I had the part in there too. That's a Bucks barber though, right?

That ain't like the L.A. barber or the D.C. barber. No, no. I was in New Jersey. I got that from New York. I got that haircut the night before in New York. Swear to God. Okay. You should know Milwaukee barber. I'm just saying. Milwaukee got a hood. Yeah, but what you... Gil, relax. Milwaukee... a hood. Yeah. Yeah. What you, yeah.

Gil. Relax. Milwaukee. There's been some times where you go to Barber and they push your shit back. You be like, oh, man, let me just wear a little headband. Yep. It was me, you, and Chump had one. Yeah.

Milwaukee Knicks. Chump had one. And it was all different, though. Chump's style was totally different. His was different. His was like, remember Luke Scott Walker from the Knicks? The dunk champ? Yeah. Kenny Scott Walker, Scott Walker I mean yeah his was more like that yeah everybody had it but I I had it first at the McDonald's hold on I get y'all to McDonald's and then I

hit his out with the Bobby Brown at the I had you know that was elite my dad had it that's why I got it I got it in college my senior year Kenny Scott Danny Skywalker had it, though. I had braids. I had braids one game, and then I didn't have them the next game. What? You had braids for real, Gil? Yeah, I had braids. Yeah, you did. You did. I had braids.

No hang time? No, because I was trying to do the Kobe all the time. I was trying to do the Kobe. You know what I mean? Like, get it, and then it was, like, crinkly. So I'd just get it braided and then have it, like, crinkly and do all That and then the line up was so bad. I just had to cut the whole just so I had crinkly one day and then Ball hit next game. You know what happened shut up Nothing like bad hairline boys get my I used to fly my barber from Dallas to Denver

But when I couldn't the couple dudes pushed me back in Denver. I would go to the barbershop after the shoot around, cut my hair, right? They'll watch the game and I didn't, I'm coming out there, I'm bald. Like, damn, what up, man? No, no, no, no. We not doing that. We not doing that.

We not doing that. Not with this light skin, this guy. Because that shit grow, there's one thing you can see on us, that new growth. Yeah, that new growth. Yeah, that new growth. Will your hair still, can you grow the flat top? Yeah, I still can. I actually had it in the G League for a little bit.

Really? Just to see if I could do it. I wasn't sure if my hair would grow like that again. If I could still do it, yeah, yeah. It'd take about four, five months. Yeah, you should. That's good. Still in your 30s.

Early, yeah. Yeah. Well, Norris, we appreciate you putting up. We do one last segment, if you don't mind hanging out with us. It's called Mostly Fans. OK. Ladies and gentlemen. Hey. Hey.

94.7 away. 94.7. Smooth, James. Remember when you found out Theo wasn't black? Yeah. Yeah. What? What?

Every Sunday, yup, I thought Theo was black. Hey, what's up, y'all? First question comes from underdog user bmac32. He getting big bags off of us. Was it a video question? It is a video question. Okay. What up, Gil?

What up, everybody? Question. What was it like for y'all to transition from once you retire? What was that process like? Like how hard was it? I've seen a lot of former players talk about, you know, it's a big adjustment to make from when you retire from the league. So what was y'all biggest adjustment in retirement

and what was that process like for y'all? So that's for y'all three, Norris. I know you still in the game. It was depressing because it's the first time that I remember, you know, November, I mean when October came and you can smell the season change and you your body getting ready for training camp. There ain't no training camp for you, right? Trying to figure out how to, who you are, right? You're not a basketball player anymore. Your bank account is meaningless. Yeah, you go to the mall and do this, but when it comes down to you watching basketball games

and you're not a part of it anymore and it's like, what do you like to do now? Who are you now? And since 10 years old, you're finding out for the first time, everything you done learned for the last 20-some years is gone. And now do something. And it's like, shit. People don't realize when NBA players, just for me, I don't know other sports, that's when motherfuckers really pick up real bad habits. Gambling habits, drug habits, all that, because they're trying to fill this day up.

Eating. Eating. Eating. Nah, it is crazy. When you see a cat that used to be fit, athletic, then you see him now, you be like, you played in the NBA? That's tough to see. Point is that.

That's tough to see that. Go ahead, B. I think patience. Patience is a big thing. Understanding of who you're becoming. Knowing that the game of basketball is done. You know, unfortunately for me, I was able to find something right after I decided to be done. So I was able to keep working.

But I just feel like what the, you know, the biggest thing is what you see in basketball, what basketball has shown me. Traveling around the world, you know, playing in Russia, playing in China, playing in Italy, you know, what these eyes see is, what these eyes see are very powerful. So I think, you know, you just got to have a better mindset, no matter how your career ended or where you're at. Remember, there's always another opportunity in life. So I think you just got to remember that. Like, just keep going. You got to, like, don't stop.

Just keep going. A lot of us don't get to plan our last year. Like, we don't, nobody, that farewell tour. Guys don't get that. And select few guys have known it's going to be my last year. And they get that love. But for the most part, for damn near every athlete, it's abrupt. It's like we think it's going to happen next year and it don't. So how do you deal with that? And to Gil's point, like, when I got done, like,

I didn't want to watch basketball. I didn't want to go to the gym. I didn't want to see it, be around it. You say basketball, I might cuss you out. You ask me if I play now. Attitude was fucking terrible. Just on edge. Like, want to go hoop, nobody calling.

It's a lot. And now what do you do? And bad habits. People get divorced. People start doing certain things that probably wasn't doing while they were playing because they didn't have the time or the mental capacity to do all those things. But, yeah, no, for a lot of us, it's very depressing because in a way it's like a death. Yeah,

yeah. It is a death. It's a death. So, not in life, but in... To that character. To that character,

it's a death and you have to learn how to deal with the other side, that real person that you see in the mirror every day. Not this,

this quote unquote superhero that you done made yourself up to be be you got to look at the real person and well How do you deal with? wife kids situation people that you didn't have to deal with before and You didn't I didn't have to deal with people for 15 years. Yeah, I Had people I did like regular I didn't have to deal with people for 15 years. I had people, I did, like regular, I didn't have to deal with people. I had people that worked for me, that did stuff for me. I didn't have to deal

with people. So now you 15 years in, now I really got to, now you, I'm, yeah, yeah, who the fuck is you? Yeah, people scared to come out and say, no, you look unapproachable. Like, yeah, because I ain't dealt with people for 15 years? Like I've been sheltered and I've been here and I've been all these things for all this time So now is but then you need to to Brandon's point if you don't have anything else going on It's tough But for me I had my kids and my family to pour into Me to do the things that I didn't get to do where I was playing take my kids to school pick them up from school

Daily go to plays go to this go to it So I poured my free time that I was that I didn't have before to the family. I poured into my family That's a dope. That's dope. Yep So I'm still trying to figure it out and some people don't even know that too because you know for the most part during the Seasons we're not family men like that. You know, we family here, you know You know, hey gotta go then you're gone and come back Like I remember I went to the 24-hour fitness for the first time and got irritated that other people's in that bitch. Yeah Think about it. You go to the jacuzzi, you just, you by there.

The steam room is you. I go there at midnight and stuff like this, and I'm sitting in the jacuzzi, right, and somebody walk in, and I, and I, what the fuck are you? Who the fuck are you? Like, I had to scoot over. This nigga spraying shit. Wait a minute. Goddamn it.

And I left, bruh. I left. Hey, the spray, the spray is, bruh. The spray, who the fuck? Like, what you doing? Are you trying to kill me? God damn it. And I left, bro. I left. Hey, the spray is, bro. The spray, who the fuck? Like, what you doing? You trying to kill me? Like, it took me so long to understand.

That's cold shots. And people, I have a gym. I have a gym, but I train myself to be around other people. Because you're not. You're not. Like, you know, Morton's is closed. I ain't got to eat with the regular folks. Hey, man, I'm giving you tickets to the game. You're going to,'re not. Like, you know, Morton's is closed. I ain't got to eat with the regular folks. Hey, man, I'm giving you tickets to the game.

You're going to, when this shit closes, you're going to open back up for me and the team. People don't know that's the luxury a player has. That's real life. That ain't y'all real life. That ain't everybody's real life. The restaurant is closed at 10 and it's 2 o'clock and they still in here fucking making steaks. Like, you know, go try that shit when you get done playing. Close at 10 and this two o'clock and they still in here fucking making steaks Don't try that shit when you get done playing. Hey, excuse me, sir. Um, our staff is trying to leave

Gonna have to actually pay your bill now get on the plane. We see me. Yeah, we take it off right now Maybe yeah, yeah, yeah, god damn it. Not it. Put your phones away, but Let's see work like that. We notice like we know this ain't real we sitting there taking get off you sober No, because you lift your seat up. Can you move your bag? Can you do this? For what for what? I've been flying for 30 years. I ain't wore seatbelt one No, I got me happy Like it was a little it's the little things that people think is normal, but it's not normal to us Did my wife be tell me she was a fighter today, baby Little things that people think is normal, but it's not normal to us. That's a fact.

My wife be telling me, she was a fighter today. She's like, baby, you can't get mad at her for her trying to do her job. Like, she's asking you to do the stuff that normal people do. I had to check myself. Yeah, yeah. What? Because when they be saying, put your phone away, and we be texting all in the area. Yeah, all in the area. On the private jet.

Yeah, bro. We be taking off that bitch at 10,000 feet. We still trying. Hey, hell, can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Speak with me. And ain't no turbulence.

Yeah, come on. Come on, still trying to Speak no turbulence Ain't no time you gotta walk the plane taking out it coming from the back Shit like come on man. Oh you shit. Oh you shit. I got drinks and shit on the table like It was some way you were I was trying to see if I could slide down all the way to the end. I bet. I bet. I'm sure. I'm sure. Gil, you was crazy. I'm sure. I'm sure. I'm sure.

I'm sure. I'm sure. I'm sure. We got speakers playing. It's all kind of crazy. Hey, listen, Gil, you're a movie, bro. I have to adjust to that. I hate to be his rookie.

What? I would have hated it, too. I had, like, that's what I'm saying. It was so much fun. But now you're a normal you know I think I'm a normal person now like yeah even cops You never get about them anybody like people like yeah, how'd you deal with the cops? What? Hey, mr. Reedus. Hey Big it I remember I got pulled over once I didn't I'm going home Come to the house. No, no about you. Um go to the house. Oh, I didn't even know you was following me

Alright, yo, okay. I got it. I just wanted to tell you good game last night. It's that okay The dude you know my reason pull me over to take the ticket back. Yeah. It's all right. Now that happens. Took the ticket. My homeboy in the car like, who the fuck does that? Like, how does that work? Like, they gonna pull me out the car.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, no. I was letting people rip it. Let my ass get pulled over as a civilian. Different story. Let's move to question number two. Pull me over now. You don't get the same treatment. Question number two over now you're gonna say You better get into this game a cop's coming don't let him in everybody knows you when you're driving the whip around Here's our question from NFL Lou

Yeah, when you're trying to teach your son or watching film with your son, what are you trying to teach him? What are you trying to get him to understand and look like? Kenyon, you as well. When you're watching film with KJ, what are you trying to show him and understand? And the second question is, how would a player view the game versus a coach? NFL Lou with the Yankee hat on. Shout out to the DR.

I mean, you know, you can give, you know, kids all the tools, but they play the game how they see it, right? So, you know, no matter what tool I give them, he's going to play it how he sees it. And how he sees it, all I can do is just, you know, ask him the questions. Okay. What did you see here? What were you doing here? Right? I'm not one of those that's trying to tell him how to play the game because you know You don't have the same skills I had I don't have the skills you had right, you know

Like the luxury he has is you know, I can adapt faster, right? I can see a move and say alright this move would be good for you. Let me add this to your workout. Okay, you don't like that one. I get to do that for him. And then from there, it's watching him play and then say, all right, look, when you're playing against this guard, stop doing all this. He's going to get under you.

He's going to let you go long arm and then he's going to stop you and that right Against you he has to do this guess you he gonna play this way So I all I do is just you know Just correct and then from there just him going over it and over and over playing against these different types He just suggests anyway. Yeah, it was the same thing. Okay. It was in high school and with Cameron now been in high school plan Yeah, I just yeah the things that you see because you want them, you try to, their game. Just tell them how to be effective in their approach and how they play in the game. And yeah, just telling them, yeah. So it's simple, not hard to do, but it's to Gil's point,

man, is you are their eyes and letting them figure it out. So yeah, I'm I'm with it And we don't even know that segment was yeah, yeah, I was trying to see what was the second one something about a coach and Yo, what about coach? Not I was the first part was first part I wasn't a good right, what's the next one? The second part of it is why does it take... We do not have the last one. Budget cuts. Oh, here, I got a question. And then what is a player versus a coach?

Everything. All right. Yeah. That one. It was one of those things where a player asked me, and he said, yo, do you guys remember your last NBA bucket? I don't remember mine.

I don't even remember my last NBA game. I think I do remember mine. My last NBA bucket, man. That's a good one. He said that's one question you ask an NBA player because for the most part what you're saying, no NBA player knows his last bucket to even put in this process. That's yeah I know my mom that you were always remember your you remember your first bucket for sure

He said when you ask him Do you remember your last is gonna take them a while because now they got to try to figure out when was the last game? Where was it at? What was the shot cuz it wasn't't playing. So that was the thing that every, like, my year in Memphis, after every game, I'm sitting there like, oh, my life, was this my last bucket? This is my last bucket. Let me write this down. My last bucket. Alright, nope, nope, this is not my last bucket. This is going to be my last bucket. And that was the thing that I was trying to always

hold on to, remembering my last bucket. That's a good question. Good question. I have no idea. I know where it was. My last bucket was with Milwaukee, so I don't know where it was. But you don't know where it was. It was with Milwaukee. Now you get to go try to figure it out.

I was in Houston when I played in OKC. We share that in common. Yep. Milwaukee. Mine was in Milwaukee. That was the year Russ averaged a triple-double. Oh, with the Thunder. Yep.

That playoff year against the Rockets. James Harden and them. Man, now you got to go back and figure out what it was. Might have been a three. Yeah, see, that's why. It wasn't that many buckets in that game. I ain't scored that much. So before we go, we got the chat poll results for the better high top.

60% Norris Cole, you got it. Yeah! But BJ, you know that's hating see you do good in the community inspiring the youth so they had to do something to bring

balance to the force with the head so keep doing what you do spread the positive you know how the chat moves they don't want to appreciate y'all

BJ's a little flat out but Norris we appreciate you pulling up man you're in the area so you gotta come to the arena more often so

it's been another episode of Gills Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. We will see you all after. so Outro Music