The Ariel Helwani Show - Michael Rapaport

Episode Date: October 28, 2021

The New York-born actor joins Ariel for a wide-ranging conversation, beginning with a discussion about Rapaport's role in the 1995 film Higher Learning, where he portrayed a Neo-Nazi. The guys also discuss Rapaport's Knicks fandom and why he's decided to publicly criticize the team he loves so much. Plus, Rapaport opens up about his beef with Kevin Durant (31:42), why he started speaking out about politics on social media, what he still hopes to accomplish in his career (49:46), and the tragedy that rocked the movie industry last week.Michael Rapaport is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and fantasy football guru. He has appeared in more than 60 films (Deep Blue Sea, Dr. Doolittle 2, etc.), several TV shows (Friends, Atypical, etc.) and has also directed an award-winning documentary.You can follow Michael on Instagram @michaelrapaport. He also hosts the I Am Rapaport: Stereo Podcast and will continue a comedy tour next month. For more details, please visit michaelrapaportcomedy.com.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

Hello friends, hope you're doing well. It's Ariel Helwani. Welcome back to a brand new episode of the Ariel Helwani Show. It is Thursday, October 28th, 2021, and it just so happens to be my beautiful daughter Claire's fifth birthday. So happy birthday to her. It's a great day. I'm very excited about today's episode. I love doing this show each and every week. I feel compelled to say this each and every week because it really does bring me a lot of joy. Thanks to everyone who has sent us great feedback over the last few weeks, who checked out last week's episode with Rene Paquette.

Got a lot of great feedback after that episode. A lot of you liked it, which I appreciate very much. And we made some news as well. So that was really cool. Thanks for supporting the much. And we made some news as well, so that was really cool. Thanks for supporting the podcast, but also the YouTube channel as well, youtube.com slash arielhawani. And thanks to the lovely Feathers for this great intro music. It's called Frantic, and I hope you check them out. They are amazing, amazing musicians.

Now, I'm really excited about today's episode because I have been watching and admiring this man since 1995. I first came across Michael Rapaport in 1995 when he played the role of Remy in the film Higher Learning, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love that movie, especially in the 90s. It's a tremendous film if you haven't seen it amazing cast names like Laurence Fishburne and Omar Epps Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes Tyra Banks, Michael Rapaport it's just an incredible film and that's when I first

came across him but of course ever since then I mean the guy is omnipresent he's everywhere, film, TV podcast, does stand up he's really an incredible talent He's a fixture on the Howard Stern Show these days. And of course, he's a New York guy with that iconic accent. And he is very vocal about New York sports. He's very vocal about one of my favorite sports teams, my favorite

basketball team, the New York Knicks. He has been very critical of them, gotten a bit of hot water recently in a situation that involved Kevin Durant, where he was going back and forth with Kevin Durant. Of course, Kevin Durant has nothing to do with the Knicks, but it's a basketball story. And Kevin Durant sent him some DMs that were not very nice, and he made them public. And Durant got fined by the NBA, $50,000. A total mess of a situation. We talk about that in this conversation. We talk about his love of basketball, the Knicks, whether or not they'll finally win another championship. We'll talk about his career, higher learning. We'll talk about being a comic in 2021,

the Howard Stern Show, all that and more in this conversation with Michael Rapaport, which I enjoyed immensely, and I think you will as well. A lot to talk to you about. I have to say, I think if I can break down the fourth wall for a second, I think the first time we spoke was just a couple of months ago. I do believe you slid into my DMs, which you've been known to do. And I have to say, I'm a huge Howard Stern fan as well, in addition to higher learning. And you asked me, I think, a question about the Jake Paul fight, if memory serves me correct. And I immediately tell my brother, you will have no idea. My brother is a huge Stern fan as well, David. Look who just wrote to me. Michael freaking

Rappaport just wrote to me. And so let me ask you, Mike, what's your beef with Jake Paul and Logan Paul? Why don't you like these guys guys because you were pretty anti the Paul brothers going into that fight against Tyron Woodley well it's not personal no I know but you know as you see on my walls here you see you see Sugar Ray Robinson you know there you know Ali's underneath him I'm a I'm a huge boxing fan I'm a huge fan of sports but specifically boxing, you know, and I've learned to like everybody, you know, in the last 15, 20 years, love UFC. And I have such a respect for professional athletes and I have such a respect for talking about boxing. And I just think that they're belittling the sport. They're belittling the come up.

They're belittling what every single other fighter has had to go through. Literally, every single other fighter has had to go through to the benefit of themselves. I watch them. I'm entertained by the fights. I've yet to see an outcome that I'm really happy with I thought Tyron was going to

beat the shit out of Jake Paul I don't know if the is the rematch happening you know you have the insights it's not happening I mean it seems like we're moving in the direction of Tommy Fury who's the half brother of Tyson Fury I don't know if you've seen him you're a big reality fan you may've seen him. I've seen him.

You're a big reality fan. You may have seen Love Island. He was on that show. Yeah, I've seen him. I've seen him. Okay. So it looks like that's going to happen. You know, these guys keep calling themselves boxers and they're real fighters and comparing themselves to this one and that one. Fight someone your age. Fight someone your weight class. Fight someone with a little bit more experience than you uh that's you know like be a boxer cut the bullshit like cut the bullshit like because the really thing is like you could instagram you could talk all that slick you know shit all you want but cut

the crap man because as as boxing fans like you might fool the little youtubers that are your age or younger but if you're a boxing fan we know what the deal is fight you guys keep saying you're real fighters fight someone that's the same weight as you and the same age as you and has the same if not more experience than than you and we'll see what's gucci so that's what it is you know i've so many fighters that i've i've loved you know they wound up broke they wound up beaten they wound up taken advantage of and and you know just the grind you know i just think that they're exploiting the sport and uh you know i'm participating in it because i'm day one as soon as those pay-per-views

go up i'm day one now if this if this uh larry paul versus mike tyson things have happens i'm watching it day one and and i'm hoping uh that he you know he gets his i want him to get i want them to get their comeuppance and i don't know like what the obsession is like with older men like larry paul's like 25 years old why you want to mess around with 55 year old dudes like when i was in my 25 i didn't need to hang around i wasn't yo i'm gonna beat this 55 year old dude i don't care care if it's Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Roy Jones, like fight a guy your own age.

I don't know if it has to do with, you know, like maybe they have resentment to their father. Maybe they need to work this out in therapy. Maybe they have a thing against older men. Maybe it's a fetish. I don't know, but I'm just hoping that Mike Tyson,

you know, has the, the stamina, you know, to knock the crap out of, out of this guy. And then it'll go, I lost to Mike Tyson. Yeah, I lost to Mike Tyson.

Yeah, you lost to Mike Tyson. Go back to doing videos, man, because you're not a fighter. You're not a boxer. Okay, so we don't know about the Tyson thing. Jake, Tommy, Fury, they're around the same age, same skill level. Fury coming from a fighting family. I would presume that would be a little more enticing in terms of what you're saying here but let me ask you um you know the guys on their cards making a lot more money how much more money a lot like like twenty five thousand dollars no no no no no like a couple hundred thousand oh you mean you mean the the tommy fury and the tyron

woodley not only them but the other people who are fighting on their card are getting a bigger spotlight on them because it's a Jake Paul fight. Yeah, so legit boxers are benefiting from the fact that Jake Paul is fighting on a card. That's why he's not taking someone's spot. What I always say is if Master P would have made the Raptors back in the day, if you remember that, he was taking one of 15 spots. This guy's not taking someone's spots. If anything, he is just giving opportunities to other people who may not get the love. Amanda Serrano, who's from the Bronx, she's getting

an opportunity to fight. She's one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet because she's fighting on the co-main event of a Jake Paul fight. You see what I'm saying? No, I get it. And he's made it clear that though, like he's made it clear because he doesn't do anything without telling anybody, like his charity and all this stuff. He's made it clear that the people he he's made it clear you know because he doesn't do anything without telling anybody like his charity and all this stuff he's made it clear that the people on the undercards have made more money how much more money let's say they made let's say the last

the last jake paul fight there was four undercards and all those fighters got 25 000 more than they ever would have gotten before let's say 25 so what does that come out of his pocket a hundred thousand dollars you know it's good that they got the 25 000 more but this is not life-changing Let's say 25. So what does that come out of his pocket? $100,000? You know, it's good that they got the $25,000 more, but this is not life-changing money. I'm saying there's, I'm not talking about whether he, I know these people are performers. I know that Jake and Larry Paul are probably good guys.

They're fun guys. You know it's Logan, right? Larry's, is Larry a bit? What is his name? Logan. Logan. Logan Paul. I didn't know if you were doing that on purpose or not.

No, no, no. I'm sorry. Logan Paul. I'm sure they're good guys. 99.9% of the people in sports are all good guys. Entertainers are all good people. But just as far as a boxer, I want – listen, you root for, you know, with its football, when, when Tom Brady played for the Patriots, I wanted them to get their ass kicked by the giants. You know, when

it's, you know, basketball, I wanted the, uh, the Celtics to lose to the Lakers. This is sports. So when this guy's like people are hating and all this, it's sports homie, and you're easy to not like. So when you watch sports, you have a winner and you have a loser. You have a hero and you have somebody you don't want to watch. You don't want to win. It could be as simple as, you know, the Green Bay Packers versus the Minnesota Vikings. Like, you know, that's just the nature of sports. And if you don't like it, continue to win. And if you continue to win, you'll, you'll keep people like me shut up. But I have a feeling when he gets punched in his face, you know, a few good times by

a real boxer this the end this they'll be on to another thing and god bless them they're making money hand over fist so um this isn't actually really like a fighting podcast i can ask you a lot more about fighting i do want to ask you about other things as well and uh i i heard you on a podcast recently uh and you're like i don't want the you know know, this is my life. You know, it's annoying. You go on these podcasts. They want to talk about when you were seven years old, eight years old. You don't want that. And so I'm not going to do this is your life.

But can we start? Can we start with higher learning? Whatever you want. I'm a fan of yours. I can't remember which one it was. But, you know, every podcast are like assholes. So, you know, everyone has one. But I was excited to come here.

So whatever you want. No, I know. You do but I was excited to come here. So whatever you want. No, I know you do a lot. You do a lot. And I appreciate it. Higher learning to me was so great. Yes. And what fascinated me about it after I read more about it was you're Jewish. Full Jew.

Yes. And you played a neo-Nazi. Yes. Mentally, what was that like for you? You know, to be honest, it was exciting to have an opportunity to play that kind of part. You know, I was 24 years old and as an actor, especially when you're a young actor, you want to have all the opportunities to do things that are different than the way you are because you want to prove you're the next Robert De Niro and you want to prove you're the next Al Pacino and

you want to prove you're the next, you know, Dustin Hoffman. So it didn't it didn't didn't really come into it. You know, we made jokes of it. John Singleton, the late great John Singleton, director of boys in the hood, director of higher learning, um, creative this show snowfall. Um, you know, he, he, we made jokes about it. The other actor, great actor who played the other skin at Cole house. He's also Jewish. So we made jokes about it, but really it, it, it excited me, just the opportunity to do something that was different,

to play a character that was so different for me, to understand the mindset and the isolation and the sort of, you know, the shyness and the vulnerability of the character. That's really what I focused on. You know, I didn't focus on whether I agreed with him or whether I believed the same things of the character. That's really what I focused on. You know, I didn't focus on whether I agreed with him or whether I believed the same things as the character. I focused on just the opportunity to try to understand the character. And it was fun.

It was exciting. It was exciting to be on that set. It was exciting working with Singleton, who was just coming off Poetic Justice with Tupac and Boys in the Hood. And he was just an exciting young director. And all the actors in it. And Omar Amps and Regina King, the great Regina King and Busta Rhymes and Cube. And I just was excited to have that opportunity to have a dope part like that. So no moral dilemma from you or your family? Because for me, when I find out that when I was

a kid, I went to Jewish school, like the swastika. I mean, you had to feel a certain way about that. You know, it made you feel very uncomfortable. You didn't have a moral dilemma about any of that. I didn't have a moral dilemma about playing the part. No, I mean, personally, you know, I did, but you know, like, you know, it's acting, you know, and as much as we get into it and all that stuff, you know, I was saying, you know, and we're this and, you know, and we're all kinds of crazy stuff. And, you know, I never wanted anyone on the set to think that that was real. It's just pretend, you know, it's pretend. It's all make believe. And, you know, you it's like when you're a kid and you're playing Cowboys and Indians

or something like that, it's, you know, it's just a more advanced version that you're just pretending and having, you know, fun and exploring and, you know, trying to be as honest and genuine as you possibly could be. Do you have a memory of, you know, like these are legends that you were on set with. And I know you've done a gazillion things since then, but that one really resonated me, Cube and Busta Rhymes. And again, Tyra Banks. I mean, this is Tyra Banks. This is 20-year-old Tyra Banks.

Like when she was just about to blow up Singleton and all these guys, any memories behind the scenes of, of something that went on that always stuck with you? Well, there's a few of them, but I could tell you one that is, is, is a fun one because it brings in not just the set. It brings in hip hop.

So I believe it was 1994. We were shooting the movie and there was such anticipation about Nas's first record, Illmatic, coming out. And, you know, I was sort of isolated. You know, I was hanging out by myself trying to keep, you know, my space to myself and, you know, and the rest of the actors, you know, the black actors were kind of doing their thing and then the skinheads were doing their thing. And I just was kind of because my character was so isolated. I was by myself. But I remember, you know, one time walking past Omar Epps.

And we were cool, you know, and I was a fan of Omar Epps. He was coming off of Juice. He went to LaGuardia High School. I went to Martin Luther King High School. That was across the street. So we had, you know, people in common and New Yorkers in common. But I remember walking past this trailer and there was a lot of people i'm not saying names there's a lot of people on

that set smoking a lot of weed i remember coming from the set in my remy outfit and i was real thin my skinhead and i remember walking and and little daddy shane big daddy cane's brother was there i was like oh shit because he would just been on the big daddy Kane record. And, um, and I remember, uh, walking past Omar's trailer. We talked about this on my podcast and, and Omar was playing before it came out. This is before bootlegs and internet and all that stuff. He was playing, um, the, the Nas song life's a bitch. And I remember hearing it, you know, um, visualizing the realism that that's a little that only fuck who's about it you know az's part and i was like yo what is that he was like it's ilmatic that's not and i was like oh shit how the fuck did you get that and he was

like yeah you know he didn't really tell me he wanted to tell me the whole story you know years later but i i remember just like because i wanted to be in that trailer right you know hanging out listening to nasa's shit before it came out. So that was one of, you know, many stories. I mean, I just was so excited to work with Cube. I was such a fan of his and auditioning for the part, you know, John Singleton was like, you need to do all this shit with Cube, you know, and Cube would read the different roles.

And I had to, he was like, call them all this and, you know, say all this N word, this and you fucking this and you fucking that. you know this is not like home alone ice cube this is still ice cube with the cracked tooth and you know like this is like nwa you know america's most wanted cube and i just was such a fan but you know i know as an actor you just have to you know go you know hard body and i did that but i just was so excited to be around buster rimes i mean all those guys and regina king who i've always loved who's still a friend of mine. And it was just an exciting time. And you know, you're young and, you know,

everything is sort of new. You know, 24, I was just very, you know, you're young, man, young. And it was just a great opportunity. And I was very excited. I thought I was doing something cool. You were. Last thing on this,

when's the last time you watched the movie? And I'm wondering how you feel about it, you know, 26 years later, because it's amazing how much hasn't changed. And in a weird way, how much it actually predicted. Because a lot of things, shooting on campus and things like that, a lot of things weren't common back then that became common. Yeah, I mean, I haven't watched the whole thing. I've caught pieces of it on cable when it pops up. I'll watch a scene or watch a couple of scenes.

And, you know, it's hard to watch it as a movie when you see it like that because you're like, oh, yeah, I remember that day. And, oh, yeah, it was freezing when we were doing that. Or, god damn, look how skinny I was. Or, Jesus Christ, I'm old, you know. But, yeah, I mean, you know, I think, you know, some of the criticism of the film at the time is that they thought it might be a little over the top. But, you know, I mean, he really was on to something, John, and it was very honest.

And a lot of things haven't changed and a lot of things have gotten better, but a lot of things have not gotten better and in some ways have gotten worse. You know, I think in regards to race relations and the way we get along and don't get along, you know, it's like two steps forward, three steps backwards, and then six steps forward, two steps backwards. There's, you know, there's always something and race and, and, and, and race and hate and, you know, prejudice. And, and it's like a never, it's a never ending jigsaw puzzle. You know, you're never going to really truly solve it. You know, there's always going to be this stuff, you know, and you just hope to try to minimize it and try to, you know,

continue to push, push things forward and push, you know, people being educated and not being, you know, and being exposed to other people, you know, like people being exposed to other people is really the best thing, you know, and being exposed to other people, you know, like people being exposed to other people is really the best thing. You know, I was lucky to grow up in New York City in the 70s and the 80s and the 90s. And, you know, particularly New York in general, you're around all sorts of other people like, you know, like that, you know, so, you know, it's just that you have like a one up in that way, because, you know, I went to school with white kids, Jewish kids, Puerto Rican kids and Italian kids and black kids and, you know, Dominican kids.

And that kind of just you get a little head start on if you're growing up that way. Of course, you know, it starts in the house. But anyway, that's a little heavy handed. But no, no, no, I get it. And I mean, you've had a legendary career, award winning actor, podcast host. Shout out to I Am Rappaport Stereo, author, fantasy football guru. I mean, you've done a little bit of everything. Yes, fantasy football guru. Don't just sweep that past. Okay, yeah, no, you are a guru.

Please, because you're just like, you're throwing that in like, oh, fantasy football guru. Like, it may be a joke. Like, I come and I play fantasy football to win and dominate. I don't come to play games. By the way, would you? Go ahead. Go ahead. No, I was going to say, when you say fantasy football guru win and dominate. I don't come to play games. By the way, would you... Go ahead. Go ahead. No, I was going to say,

when you say fantasy football guru, you act like I just made that up. No, I went and I got that, like the button says fantasy football guru. I didn't go to the store and have it made, sir. With all due respect. I haven't played fantasy football in 16 years. My neighbors essentially forced me to play this season.

And I think you would hate me because I've been told that this was really bad etiquette on my part. Let me know what you think of this. I'm a huge Buffalo Bills fan. I had to go cold turkey. Why do you – I mean, New York's the only football team. Okay. Please, go on. I'm already not liking where this is going because I feel like the purity and the respect for the game is in jeopardy.

But please go on, sir. Huge Buffalo Bills fan. That's all I like to watch. I'm not a red zone guy. I like to watch my Bills. And when they have a bye week like they did last week, I wasn't watching. Anyway, so I said, fine, I'll join your team. And this is what I did.

You did what? I only drafted Bills players. Is that bad? And how's that working out for you because last week was week seven by right and i scored five points i don't i want to root for my guys i don't want to root for like travis kelsey i don't care about these guys is that bad form like do they secretly hate me secretly i don't even know anybody in that league and i can tell you for sure they hate you, and they hate you aloud.

Maybe they're nice, and they're being too nice. Maybe they were happy to have a big, hot-shot broadcaster in their league. If it was me, I'd kick you right out on the spot. That's me. Why, why? And I'd do it with all due respect. I'd still hang out with you. I'd kick you right out on the spot because you're not playing to win.

You're not in it to win it. You're in here playing games. You're a grown man. You got the the goatee you got all sorts of books that you may or may not read i don't know if that's a green screen behind you but i'd kick you right out on the spot i'd be like no we're what do you think this is this is not a like a seven-year-old birthday party you're a grown man ariel but what okay but what about the fact that if the bills end up being as good as we all expect them to be more often than, they're going to win games and have good performances. What's your record so far? What has it been?

I think I'm one in six. One in six? Yeah, yeah. You're talking about if, could have, should have, would have. I mean, that was the line of thinking. The line of thinking was I could still root for my guy, but it didn't work out. Are you from Buffalo? No, I'm he was. I could still root for my guy, but it didn't work out. Are you from Buffalo? No, I'm from Montreal.

And I grew up in the 90s. And back before there was Red Zone and Sunday Ticket, the NBC game that we would always get back when OJ Simpson was a sideline reporter, you remember that, were the Bills in the early 90s. So I root for those guys. Those are my guys. I have no problem with the Buffalo Bills. I mean, I'm a Giants fan, so you know how we get down.

Wide right. Hashtag wide right. But I like the Bills. I got J I'm a Giants fan, so you know how we get down. Wide right. Hashtag wide right. But I like the Bills. I got Jumbo Josh Allen as my quarterback on my fantasy football team. So do I. So, no shit. You probably got more Buffalo Bills than I even can name. And I'm a fan.

But, you know, anyway, go ahead. Yeah, no. Okay, so fantasy football, et cetera. What I wanted to ask you was doing this, I mean, we kind of went in a different direction, but I'll come back to it here. The fantasy football stuff with the Howard Stern show, which is just incredible as a New Yorker who I'm assuming grew up listening to Howard.

And I think Howard Stern is the greatest broadcaster of my lifetime and the greatest interviewer of my lifetime. Take away all the hijinks and whatnot, like straight one-on-one, there's no one better. He breaks it down unlike any other. Is that surreal for you that you're a character now on The Howard Stern Show as a New Yorker? A hundred percent. And my persona and performance and input on The Howard Stern Show is to never be taken seriously. I don't take myself seriously when I'm on there. I don't, you know, I go on there for the fun.

I go on there to be a part of the chaos, not watch the chaos. So as a fan, I watch and listen to the chaos, but I don't call in there with, I know everything about the Howard Stern show. I'm a super fan. I want to be a part of the circus. And I have no, I know everything about the Howard Stern show. I'm a super fan. I want to be a part of the, the circus. And, and I have no, you know, sometimes there's bumps and bruises to that.

My wife doesn't like it, but it's for me. Cause sometimes, you know, things have got, things have gotten close to the edge and she doesn't like it. And I mean, who really likes Baba fucking big tooth buoy? I mean, honestly, you're a fan who likes that horse tooth jackass so as far as being a part of it and and you know the to me the culture of the stern show is chaos like when i was a kid you know a teenager i'd say you know you'd hear it in delis and bodegas you know you'd you know you didn't know really when it was on you hear in the cab or you hear it like you just would catch it.

And the thing that always stuck out to me was, what is this really? They're screaming, they're yelling. And if I'm going to be a part of the Stern show in any way, I want to be a part of the screaming and the yelling. I don't want to be like looking at it. I want to be actually in the show. So I love it. I'm a fan of, you know, his and I'm a fan of, you know, the show. of the show. And I love being a part of the fantasy football league. And right now I think I'm in third or fourth place, but I'll make the playoffs and be making a run for the title this year once again.

So I feel like we have a lot in common here because of the Stern Jewish. I've lived in New York for a long time and whatnot. The other thing is the New York Knicks. And I actually understand where you're coming from. So I need to get some clarity first. Knicks were my favorite team. 90s Knicks. Patrick Ewing was my favorite athlete. I would have done unspeakable things for Patrick Ewing back in the day. I adored this man, okay? Charles Oakley.

I mean, I cried when they would lose. Are you a Knicks fan or not? Yes, I'm a Knicks fan. I'll always be a Knicks fan. You know, the thing is, is that I was so frustrated as a Knicks, you know, I was so frustrated as a Knicks fan from however many years after 2000, 2001. And it wasn't just the losing it. You know, I could deal with losing, you know, I'm a Giants fan, you know, uh, you know, even though we have Superbowls, you know, I could deal with losing, you know, I'm a giants fan, you know, you know, even though we have super bowls, you know, I'm not, it's not losing it's the way we were losing. And then when, and I was resistant to the whole James Dolan thing,

I was resistant to it for a long time. I was like, what do you mean by resistant? Oh, I just hating on him, hating on him and thinking he was the problem for a long time. Like I don't have a timeline, but I was like, it has nothing to do with the owner. You know, just like, you know, you know, Patriots family, they go, you know, Robert Kraft this, or, you know, Mark Davis, I was never one of these people like George Steinman.

I was never one of these people. It's like, they have nothing to do with it. But then when I started getting a little bit more information and started to see the cycles and started to sniff around more, I was like, this guy really is a part of the problem. And, and for years I would get free tickets to the games because I'm a huge star. Yes. I mean, huge. And, and, and, um, you know, I was told, you know, you, if you say certain things, um, you know what it was when I was doing, when the garden,

when the garden was eaten 30 for 30, 30 for 30 was it took a year and a half of my life to do on the 1970, 73 Knicks. So am I a Knicks fan? Yeah, I'm a Knicks fan, but I started to learn and hear and understand more things. And, you know, one of the things that really disgusted me was when I found out that James Dolan had fired Marv Albert, the voice of the New York Knicks, for giving constructive criticism about the team. Not they suck, he sucks. Giving constructive criticism, he fired Marv Albert. And I was like,

Marv Albert was a ball boy in the old garden. You're firing Marv Albert? You know, you have a talk with Marv Albert, and you don't fire Marv Albert. And then, you know, with the firing of the coaches, firing the coaches, and then when the Charles Oakley thing, who I know is not a choir boy, but when the Charles Oakley thing happened, I was like, fuck this shit, man. And I know it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

It was a terrible incident, but you figure it out, James Dolan. You figure it the fuck out. And that's when I was like, fuck my tickets. Fuck James Dolan. He's throwing fans out. And I never said I don't like the Knicks. I said I can't support James Dolan. I can't support the Knicks.

I didn't even say I can't support him. I said I'm not going to keep my mouth shut. But because I'm a public person and you know, all the politics of things you could say on certain networks, things you can't say, things you could say to be, um, remain friendly with certain leagues and things you can't say. I was just like, fuck it, man. I'm not, I'm not gonna, you know, be some celebrity fan and kiss ass for these courtside seats to watch what I'd rather watch cats to watch what I'd rather watch cats on Broadway. I'd rather watch Netflix and chill. I'm not sitting here, you know, oh, the Knicks are great. When James Dolan, I was like, fuck this guy. And so that's how that

whole thing got sort of taken out of context. And then, you know, people say to me, like, I go to basketball games all over the country and I'm so fortunate to do it. I've been to, you know, Miami Heat games. I sit on the court. I've been to Miami Heat games. I sit on the court. I've been to Utah Jazz games, sit on the court. Indiana Pacers games, the Vancouver Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors, Lakers, Clippers. You know, when you go to these games, you're a friend of that team. It doesn't mean I don't love the Knicks.

It's like, yo, this team hooked me up. So if they ask me to get on their teleprompter, I'm happy to do it. I'm humbly happy to do it because what a blessing to be such a basketball fan. You put me on the wood. You want to take a photo with me with a Utah Jazz hat? That doesn't mean I'm not a Knicks fan. For sure. And I understand, just to be clear, I understand where you're coming from. I see you getting a lot of hate from people who say, you denounced the Knicks.

You can't come back on. You do this all. And this drives me nuts, actually, because I grewounced the Knicks. You can't come back on. You do this all. And this drives me nuts, actually, because I grew up a Knicks fan like you. And when they traded Porzingis, I did tweet. I said, today's my last day as a Knicks fan. I can't take it anymore. Now, we come to find out a lot more. But in that moment, after all the crap with Phil Jackson, I said, no, I can't take this.

Now, literally 24 hours later, I said, you know what? I slept on it. KD's coming. Kyrie's coming. Of course, we know that they didn't come, but they sold us on this. Okay, I'm back. People still throw that tweet in my face and say, you can't come back. Who the F are you to tell me who can't come back?

And I see people saying this. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, who are you? You want to do Nick? I made it 30 for 30 on the 1970s, 73 Knicks. I was at the garden when, before you were born, I was at the garden when there was smoking weed,

when you could, when there was no security, you know, like you, I should be, there should be a statute for me because I'm the only one with a, with a public platform as big as, as, as the one I have to say, fuck this shit. I'm not, I'm not supporting this team anymore. I should be heralded. You know, I gave up those tickets. I gave up that connection with the Knicks because I'm a real fan.

That's what a real fan does because, rest assured, those people you sit in court with, they ain't going to tell you what they really feel, but they'll talk about it behind closed doors. I should be, when I walk the streets around Madison Square Garden, like they should be throwing rose petals at my feet because I kept it so real. Okay, but what about when you go to the Nets game, when you tweet the picture like you did on Sunday? Are you just trying to piss them off?

Are you trying to troll them? Because then it gets, when it becomes Brooklyn, New York, then I understand that the Jazz game, I understand that the Laker game, but when it's the Nets game and with everything,'s the net game and with everything... Do you think Willis Reid, if he came to New York and the Brooklyn Nets invited him, they sent him a car? That's not how I was at the game Sunday, but if you think Willis Reid

was in New York City and it was an off night and the Brooklyn Nets said, we would love to have you at Barclays. Willis Reid, you're a New York and an NBA legend. You think Willis Reid wouldn't go to the game? You think those dummies on Twitter, those idiot diehard Knicks fans, wouldn't sit courtside for a Brooklyn Nets game? They would sit there.

They would sit. They would go. If they could go in the building for free, let alone on the wood, they would sit there. If they said, you got to sit there naked, they'd go, okay. If they said, you got to sit there naked and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, these dummies on Twitter would be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches naked at the barclays so these guys are you know this social media stuff you deal with that i do these are

these are dingbats these are not real fans i don't even know if they're in america they could be russian robots who knows russia russia russia um was that your first net game since the whole thing with kd yes that's why I tweeted that out. Okay, understood. Did you talk to him, make eye contact with him? Was there any sort of interaction? We didn't talk, but he was very well aware that I was there as soon as he came on the court.

How do you know that? Well, because he looked right at me. Okay. Did he nod his head? No, I just had my Robert De Niro from Heat face on. It was like. You were ready. I'm just looking at him like that.

So no acknowledgement. No acknowledgement. And I definitely spooked him into 38 points. So I really feel like my presence there, you know, he could have had 40. Who knows? He could have had 50. He only had 38 points. So I definitely think my presence there affected him. I know you've talked about it at nauseam, uh you know he could have had 40 who knows he could have had 50 he only had 38 points so i i

definitely think my presence there uh affected him i know you've talked about it ad nauseum but could you just tell us where do things stand because this was a surreal thing to see play out he gets fined the dm's it was crazy like was there a behind the scenes conversation a a sort of you know meeting of the mind like where do things stand at this juncture between you two i mean listen i didn't know him really before the whole thing um in my opinion he got what he deserved he shouldn't have been talking the way he was talking to me um you know rappers are putting each other's text messages text messages kanye and this one and kanye and that way they're putting each other's text messages out all the time. It didn't offend.

This thing just for some reason took on a life of its own. And it was surreal because if I had to, if I could do it again, knowing that the life of its own, it would have taken, I wouldn't have done it. But at the time he was disrespectful. He was offensive. It had been going on for three or four months.

And I'm like, you're not... And he's like, you know, we're playing. I don't say to people, oh, when I see you, I'm going to spit in your face. He wasn't playing. He was talking stupid. And the whole thing, it really got crazy. I don't care about his fine because

we all know how much money he makes. And you shouldn't be acting like that. You shouldn't be acting like that. You shouldn't be talking like that. And, you know, it was crazy. But, you know, as far as I'm concerned, it's done with. I mean, there's nothing really else to do. So you haven't talked behind the scenes to clear the air?

No, no, no. No, okay. Wait, so when you say you kind of like, in retrospect, regret it, I thought it was because of the fine. What do you regret then, if not the fine? Just the sort of life of its own it took. took okay i didn't like the negativity of the whole thing and and my mother didn't like it and my wife didn't like it and i didn't like it and and um you know i'm all for banter and shit talking and stirring things up it's just you know

and then it was like is this racial as is this you know like is it homophobic i was like this is way beyond anything i had even like this is going like you know it's it homophobic i was like this is way beyond anything i had even imagined this is going like you know it's all over the world it was world news this is crazy um and speaking of social media you're very active there you're you're somewhat of a lightning rod you're must see tv over there if that makes sense and i think it all started with charlottesville um yes you had a rant that went viral here's what i'm wondering as you know social media can be somewhat intoxicating and you could become addicted to it when things are happening especially somewhat out of your lane politics and race and all this stuff does it

become almost exhausted man i gotta talk about this i gotta talk about this i gotta make a video like now is it starting to feel like a job that you have to weigh in on all this stuff and become a little too much and not as fun as it once was? The social stuff and the politics and the race stuff? No. You know, and then the, you know, the pandemic. I mean, I was so, you know, the last four or five years, I was so just sort of shocked that was going on. And I and, and I'm not a political person. I've learned a lot about it in the last five or six years. I had never spoken on politics up until Charlottesville, never. And, um, it didn't take any of the fun away from me. If anything, it gave me an outlet. It's like for me, social media, you know, the videos that people see, uh, that are more seriously

toned. It's like a, um like an outlet. It's like a diary. You know, and it's crazy because so many people, literally every single day, everywhere I go, no matter where I am traveling, it doesn't matter. People will come up to me and they'll say, thank you so much for the videos you did about this. Thank you so much for the videos you did about that, for speaking on this, for saying

what, you know, I wanted to say, I appreciate it. And I never imagined that. And that was never my agenda. And it still isn't my agenda. You know, the videos will just happen. Like I'll be thinking about something and then I'll just be like, you know, I just do it. And, and they're all one take, you know, it's not like they're curated or thought out or written or contrived it's just you know charlotte's for you jews will not replace jews i'm not hoodie creep you know and i just picked the camera up it's like you know i'm just like it's just like an outlet you know as far as the more light-hearted stuff the sports stuff that's you know that's just i'm a fan i am just a. I've never tried to be a analyst. I've never tried to be Marv Albert.

I never tried to do what you do. My sports takes are just as a fan and they're never supposed to be taken literally. I feel like if you, you know, you pay attention, I always poke fun at myself in, in the rants and all that stuff, even with the social media stuff. I mean, even with the political stuff, I always would poke fun at myself, but it gets lost because people are hearing, you know, and people are not used to necessarily seeing an actor or familiar face, you know, fuck this, fuck that, you know, most people in the public eye, they don't speak that way. So I think

the mix of things make it kind of like, Oh, you know, so it is what it is. And it's, it's continued to take on a life of its own. And I'm, I'm happy about it. And you know, when, when something, you know, I feels like it's, it's not right to me. I say something. Any wish you could take back? You're like, eh, in retrospect. The only one is the, the, the, the rant one, just because,

just because, just because of the life it took on its own, not because of it, it hurt his feeling just because the life it took on of its own there's been tweets that i wish i had reworded because they've been misconstrued but not the sentiment like i've never had any real problems with videos it's when i tweet things a word could be or the tone isn't there and i feel like you're you're hearing it the way i'm thinking it and it's not. It's just a written word. But in general, nothing off the top of my head. Being a comic in 2021 as opposed to say 2005, 2004, is it different? Is the gig different now? Do you have to worry about certain things? You don't want to get in trouble, cancel this, that. Do you feel like the mentality and the crowd is different in this day and age as opposed to when you started? Well, I think the crowd and the mentality is right now,

it's probably at an all time high because of the Chappelle, the Chappelle stuff. I feel like it's been brewing for the last three or four years. I think for the most part, you know, when people go out to comedy clubs, they go out for a good time um you know but i think sometimes it's not even the comic you know fans and and people in the crowd are scared to laugh at things you know you could see them like you know like look around like should i is it okay to laugh at things um it's very different um you have to let your hands fly to use a boxing reference or you ufc reference an mma reference you gotta let your hand fly you you you boxing reference or a UFC reference, an MMA reference. You got to let your hand fly.

You got to talk your shit and let the chips fall where they may. And I think most people know the difference between shit talking, a joke, and just being completely mean spirited. And I think, you know, in regards to the Chappelle special, you know, he went out of his way to be as nuanced, as thoughtful, and break it down as slowly and clearly as you possibly could. And still people are the most uproar ever. So you can't win. Even if you're him, you can't win. So, you know, you got to stand behind what you're saying and know what you're saying. You definitely don't want to be playing around up there because, you know, any tweet, any joke could be your last joke. So with regards to Chappelle, which I'm sure you've been following very closely, are you on his side, basically?

100%. Okay. I'm on his side because, you know, he's an artist. I'm on his side because he's a comic. And I'm on his side because I watched the special. And like I said, I felt like he was very nuanced, very thoughtful, very compassionate. It is a comedy special.

He made jokes, Jew jokes. He made the sexuality jokes. But no one was complaining when, you know, he had Rick James who was, you know, obviously, you know, had a drug addiction. No one was complaining about I'm Rick James, bitch. No one was complaining about when it's, you know, him making jokes, you know, that's just about other black people. Um, no one was offended by that. Um, at the end of the day, you know, loose steel ball, the old pie in the face, Laverne and Shirley,

you know, the old pie in the face would be deemed as bullying now. Oh, you're humiliating. So it's like, if you don't like it, don't go to the improv. Don't go to the comedy store.

Don't go to the laugh factory. Stay at home. And if Dave Chappelle is so bad, why do you still have a Netflix subscription? He's done six specials in the last three or four years. Why are you still watching them? I thought you were going to cancel them four specials ago. What are you still watching it for?

Are you worried as a comic that this will slowly kill the medium, the profession, that you won't, you know, someone like you 20 years, won't be able to break through if, you know, if, if, if people are more sensitive, if there's more controversy and things like that, or do you think it's just the time that we're living in and everything kind of corrects itself? I think that Twitter is not reality. And I think that, you know, I think that great comedians will always have great things to say. And, you know, controversy, controversial things are the relative. And I think that, you know, you need people making people laugh. And, you know, there's a sort of a, you know, like a magic trick. Look here.

You know, then the trick, you know, the joke comes here, look over here, the joke comes here. And, you know, I don't, I don't know, you know, where, where my thing is, if you don't, if you don't like comedy, you don't like Dave Chappelle, you don't like me, you don't like anybody else. If you're too sensitive, watch, you know, watch a door, the Explorer. There's plenty of things, you know, there's children's shows to watch on, on, on, you know, all sorts of cable things, watch it there. That's a safe, a safe platform for you. I mean, you of things, you know, there's children's shows to watch on, on, on, you know, all sorts of cable things. Watch it there. That's a safe, a safe platform for you.

I mean, you look at, you know, the John Gruden thing and, you know, and, and that whole thing, how, you know, that came and like, he's this, but there's just so many contradictions and hypocrisy across the board. And you just, you just got to trust yourself and trust your instinct, trust your, your, what you're trying to accomplish what was your reaction when you found out about the the accident on the set of the alec baldwin film um i know this has happened before uh this is this is a pretty high profile case but you've been on a gazillion sets what was your reaction to that my reaction to the alecc Baldwin tragedy is that a woman, a mother, a wife was accidentally killed on a make-believe movie set with what is supposed to be a make-believe guns shooting make-believe bullets and the shock of what she probably thought when it happened, what everybody around her thought when it happened, and when her family found out what happened.

It's unfathomable knowing those circumstances and being on sets and shooting guns that something like this could happen. It's a terrible, terrible, terrible real life accident that happened in a place that's all make believe. And the fact that some people have politicized it and may turn it into a gun thing and Alec Baldwin got what he's deserved is disgusting to me. And the horror and the anguish that the woman's family is going to go through for the rest of their life. And, uh, or, you know, what Alec Baldwin, um, you know, must be feeling it's, it's just a, it's a, it's a tragedy. It's a terrible, terrible accident and a tragedy. And I don't know how it happened. I don't, you know, read these gossip or the rumor, this rumor that it doesn't matter.

It happens. Obviously it only matters in, in how to, um, make sure it never happens again. But I just was like, Jesus, how could this happen? You know, how could this happen? But I know that it was an accident. Um, and, and, and, and, and, uh, a nightmare, like a nightmare accident. Have you ever been on a set where, I mean, not a life threatening one, but have you seen some some crazy stuff like that? I mean, close to that injuries. I've seen injuries during fights. Yeah. You know, I've seen, you know, it's injuries during fights, but it's, I've never seen anybody intentionally do it. You know, I've hit people.

I've gotten hit Omar Epps, you know, hit me one time. It's accident. Yo, you sorry, you know, accident, you know, you know, um, it's a, yeah, I've seen mostly with, with the stunts. Um, I seen, um, seen one Nick cage accidentally, you know, when I was doing this movie called kiss of death with Nicholas cage and David Caruso you know he was doing a stunt and a guy banged his you know scary but the guy you know fortunately you know was was back on set a few days later it's accidents a workplace accident this is a workplace tragedy and it should not be made light of believable or anything like that because somebody died you know

a mother uh a wife a person with a you know a daughter a friend died in a what was supposed to be a make-believe gun with blanks and dummy uh dummy rounds on on a fake rap western alec born's not a cowboy i think it was a cowboy he's not a cowboy. I think it was a cowboy. He's not a cowboy. He's an actor with actors and cameras and lights and people getting you cranberry juice. It's fake. So it's terrible what happened. Did you buy your mom's apartment? Is that the apartment that you live in now in New York City? No.

No, I didn't buy my mother's apartment. I've had this apartment for a long, like since I've been a young adult. Okay. So, but I read a, a New York times profile of you where that's kind of how it was painted that you like bought your parents or your mom's apartment. And that's the apartment that you live in. Did I get that wrong? Or maybe they got that wrong. That's not all. Well, that's not the reality. We've always had this apartment. I've actually just moved back to New York. I got rid of my place in LA. Like I've always kept the place in LA and New York. So now I'm full time back in New York. And,

you know, we're, we're doing some other things here on the East coast, which I don't even want to get into yet as far as moving and where we're living and all that. But I'm happy to be, I'm happy to be back in New York full time. I was just curious about like living as an adult now,

51 years old in the place where you grew up. Is that, is that wild or what's the neighborhood that I grew up? OK, yeah. The neighborhood that I grew up. No, I love it. You know, I live on the east side of Manhattan. And the thing that I love the most about the east side of Manhattan, number one is Central Park. Number two is Carl Schultz Park. And number three, the east side is not trendy. And where I live, it doesn't change. There's no ebbs and flows. It really just kind of

stays the same. So that's the thing that I really like about the neighborhood that I live in, in Manhattan is that it's very sort of, it just stays the same and there's no, um, there's no hoopla. There's no, it just is the same. And I, and I liked that. And it's very New York over here. What are you most proud of in terms of what you've accomplished? A piece of work, a film, a TV show. If someone would say, like, what's number one on your list? What are you most proud of? That's a good question. I mean, as far as most proud of, you know, I'm most proud that I'm still doing great shit. I'm most proud that I still want to continue to do great stuff. I want to continue to, you know, that I look,

I'm excited and proud that I look forward to going to work every day. You know, specifically, you know, the movie roles, it's not up to me, you know, to decide what people like. You know, I've had so many great opportunities and so many great times working with heroes and Robert De Niro and Spike Lee and Woody Allen and, you know, John Singleton and, you know, and the Tribe Called Quest documentary was an honor to make, a huge honor. The 30 for 30 was an honor. You know, I'm happy that I'm selling out, you know, on tour all across the country. That's huge, but it's not just one thing, you know,

it's really just that after 30 years that I'm still so excited about what I'm doing. That's for me, the thing I'm most proud of and most, I look forward to going to work 99.9% of the time when I have to go to work, no matter what I'm doing, whether it's a podcast or whatever it is. That, to me, is success. If that kid 30 years ago who moved from New York to L.A. to chase his dream, if he would have been told about everything that would have happened, about the successes, about the shows, about the awards, about the recognition, would he have believed this

or have you exceeded your own expectations? No, he would have believed it. He would have definitely believed it. I got a lot more to accomplish and a lot more to do. I would have believed it. When I was 19 or 20, I was so fucking cocky. I would have definitely believed it. I thought I was going to be the next Eddie Murphy.

So I got leather suits to get and Rolls Royces and gaudy houses with bowling alleys in them. Until I get my house with my bowling alley in it, I won't stop. So what is the thing out there that has eluded you, the role or maybe the guy, the director to work with? I mean, at this point, you look at your... Of course, the next one can win an award and you want to maybe win an Oscar or something like that. But what is that thing that keeps you going? What's that dream? That's a good question. I mean, there's always directors and actors I want to work with. You know, I have to figure out a way to work with Martin Scorsese when it's right. There's been a couple of things that have come up.

It hasn't been the right thing. You know, there's directors, there's actors. I want to direct the film. I want to continue to, you know, just always act. I want to continue to kick gas on my podcast. I want to do a comedy special in the next year, which I'm sniffing around doing. I'll do it when I'm ready. And I want a comedy special to be special. You know, it's so many platforms and people like I put out my special,

you know, and sometimes they're not very special. So I'm such a fan of the genre and the medium and such a fan of comedians that when I do it, I want it to be great and supersede what people might think it might be. And, you know, and, you know, and, you know, do all this shit, you know, like I love talking to people like that. I'm fans. I'm a fan of yours. I love going on the support shows, you know, when I go on Skip and Shannon, you know, like I'm hyped to go on Skip and Shannon because I'm a fan of sports and I'm a fan of those guys and I'm a fan of sports shows. Like, so when I, those kinds of things, I'm like, yo, this is crazy. I'm up here talking about the Knicks or I'm talking about LeBron this, or,

you know, Kyrie that, you know, that shit, that fan in me has never gone away. It has never gone away. So when I get opportunities to do stuff like that or sit on the courtside at Barclays or at the Indiana Pacers game, I'm always there an hour early. I've never been to a professional basketball game. I'm in the building at least 30 minutes early because I'm just a fan. Football, whatever. When's the last time you've been to MSG? I was at MSG for the Jorge Nate Diaz fight. Oh, wow.

Okay. You were there. And how'd you get tickets? You know, friend of Dana's. You and Dana are friends. Yeah. I mean, yeah. We're not like best buddies, but Dana's cool with me.

You don't share the same types of ideologies. But we do. You know, the thing about politics, who cares? Who gives a shit? You know, at the end of the day, you know, people, because I come on so strong about the politics, that don't mean I don't have friends that are Trump supporters. You know, that don't mean that just because I can't stand Trump doesn't mean I don't like a lot of the Republican things. I don't agree with every single thing that the Democrats do. I think it's pathetic that people have lost relationships and friendships over politics, because at the end of the day, it don't matter who's your congressman, your governor, your president, we collectively are all going to be the ones to clean it up.

So, you know, I watch all of it. I think that, you know, I watch Fox news. I watch, you know, Tucker Carlson. I watch Ben Shapiro. I watch CNN. I watch all of them. And I have things I like and don't like about all of these people. And I'm not like, I think because I went so hard after the former administration that people think that I'm just like one of these wacky whacks. I'm not one of these wacky whacks. Like I'm more somewhere in the middle somewhere. Like I wouldn't even say I'm in the middle.

I skirt around the, there is no middle. There's no sides. You know, people say to me, pick a side. This is in third grade ring Olivia. There's no sides. You know, people say to me, pick a side. This is in third grade ring of leave. There's no sides. I'll vote for who I want to vote for a year, an election after election. So it's not about, you know, things have gotten so nuts in the last five years that people, I think, have taken these sides. And you can't.

It's like religion. It's like you can't disavow your side. It's not my thing. When's the last time you went to a Knicks game? Shit. The Knicks. It had to be before the Oakley thing. What year was the Oakley thing?

I don't know. Oakley thing, I believe, was 2017 off the top of my head. 2017. It's been 2017, 2016, probably 2016, or maybe maybe that season i'd have to look at the i think that season but but i made a i was like bye-bye i went on tv the next morning done this is your call this is your call you're you don't want to go it's not like you're banned from going you don't want oh no i'm not getting tickets what i said got me from not getting tickets but i knew what i was saying would not get me tickets. And I was very conscious of that. But I was disgusted by the way it was handled, the way it continues to be handled. And I say it again. I know Charles is not a choir boy, but the way it to get, you know, Jerry Seasting or, you know, one of these,

you know, ML Carr. They'd figure out a way to get him out of the building without an incident where the owner would move away. You wouldn't see that happen in Indiana with, you know, one of the Davis boys. Only in New York would that happen. Only in fucking in Madison Square Garden with James Dolan would that happen. So, you know, my wife said to me the other day, she goes, I can't believe you fucked up our Knicks tickets. You know, we're finally back in New York all the time. I go, I'm glad I fucked up our Knicks tickets. I could speak freely about the Knicks. And just remember, Knicks fans out there, they fired Marv Albert. They fired Marv Albert. So now that they're good, you go.

Since you're such big Knicks fans, wear your James Dolan sucks shirt into the arena and see how it goes for you. Please do it. And all you Knicks fans, I love the Knicks. Wear James Dolan sucks t-shirt into the garden and see how long you get before you get thrown out. You were probably a Knicks fan. I mean, you were definitely a Knicks fan more than most of these people. Now that they are good. Yeah, now they're good.

Is it bothering you? Like, you're like man you know i want to i want to go watch julius i want to go watch obi top and i got an 80 i got 82 inches of good love over there man my okay so it's fine you know i i'll see the knicks play on the road i i don't miss anything going to the garden for next game to be totally honest with you like if they had somebody i'm happy i've never not wanted the Knicks to do well when I disavowed the Knicks uh it never I was never like you know I want them to suck it was just I can't support this person anymore because he's not supporting us right he I was there before you your father gave you the keys to the Madison Square Garden I was here when it was Ray Williams and Bill Cartwright

and Josie Merriweather and Marvin Webster. James Nolan can't make a layup with his left hand. What's a championship team? I've never seen the Knicks win a championship. I've never seen the Bills win a championship. The Montreal Expos were my favorite baseball team. They don't exist.

Is there a championship now that would mean something to you, that would turn you into a 12-year-old kid seeing a team win a championship? Or at this point in the fantasy age where you root for players as opposed to teams and cities? The Knicks winning a championship and being able to go to the parade because James Donald don't run New York City. This is what I was getting at. I'm happy you said that because deep down, you're still a fan. You're still that same kid. I'm trying to said that because deep down, you're still a fan. You're still that same kid. I grew up wanting to be a basketball player, man.

I'm always going to love the Knicks. I'm always going to love basketball. And not just for me, for the rest of the fans. We think that it's my team. He's my favorite player. He's our guy. This is New York my team. He's my favorite player. He's our guy. New York's, this is New York's team. You know, Brooklyn, that team, that big three they put together,

this is not a likable team. The thing that's great about this team is that it has that ingredient that the 70 Knicks has, the 1970 Knicks had, and that the 1990 Knicks had, which is it has the grit. It has the work ethic and the sort of lunch pail sort of mentality of New Yorkers. I ain't talking about the sex in the city. I ain't talking about me, a successful actor, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, who's at the game. I'm talking about the guys in the top. I'm talking about my Rock, Tracy Morgan, who's at the game. I'm talking about

the guys in the top. I'm talking about my father, you know, who was at the old guard. And I'm talking about the garbage men, you know, the union people. This team has that. And that's why I would like to see this team or a version of this team, this core of a team, get it. Because I think it's not just the winning, it's the way they're winning. And it's not just one person, it's a team. And that to me makes me happy. Last thing for you, do you think in our lifetime, you're a little bit older than I am? I ain't that much older. I mean, I look fucking great. You look fantastic. You lost some weight. You lost some weight, right? Yeah, I lost some weight. And look at my skin, Ari. I mean, look at how beautiful it is.

It's fantastic. I heard you say recently you cut the coffee that led to losing weight. But is it just because you put a lot of sugar in your coffee? Because coffee doesn't have a lot of calories. You know what it was? No, it wasn't the sugar. It's the inflammation. As a Jew, and I don't want to get sidetracked with inflammation.

This is like an SNL skit. Jews with inflammation. Butetracked with inflammation. This is like a SNL skit, Jews with inflammation. But it was the inflammation. My wife is laughing because she was like, who is the guy? I said, he's a good, I'm excited to talk to him. She's like, this sounds like the worst interview ever. You're talking about your bowel movements, what's going on? Inflammation of Jews. But there's the coffee and eating better. But the coffee, you know, I definitely think was the inflammation, you know, for me, it's not so much weight. It's, it's like a, like a, like a, like a bloatedness, but now you look, you see the jawline. You see like, you're like, Oh, is that Matt Dillon? No, it's me.

Michael Rappaport. You're like, wait a second. Is that Timothy Chamelet? No, it's just me. Just me. Will the Knicks win in our lifetime? Will the Knicks win what? In our lifetime? Are they goingicks win what? In our lifetime. Are they going to freaking win? Am I going to get to see this? Or do you think as long as Dolan is owner, it's never going to happen?

No, Dolan is out of the picture now. He finally did something smart and got the fuck out of the picture. He hired basketball people. He got rid of Steve Mills. This is another one. This is another one. Fucking Steve Mills was there. You think Steve Mills will ever be hired in the NBA?

He was there for 20 years. No disrespect to Steve Mills, but 20 fucking years Steve Mills was there. He'll never have a job in the NBA. He'll never be brought up or considered to have another job in the NBA. And these dummies on it, I'm the only one who went on TV and said it. So, yes, I do think they're going to win it. And I think this iteration, this core of guys that we have, and Tom Thibodeau will get us a championship in the next five years.

Really? Five years? Listen, if it don't happen in the next five years, Julius Rambles, bye-bye. Like, you know, he's young, but, you know, he's in his prime the next five years. But he's not going to be the guy that we need. We need another guy. Right. But we don't need a guy to – we're not going to do this Los Angeles, Lake, or Brooklynette shit.

See, you know, like the Milwaukee Bucks, they earned that. Whether you could say, oh, they were injured. It's like, that's a team. You know, the Golden State Warriors, it's a team. Now they have ridiculous stars, but they drafted them. You want to earn it. You want to go through some hardships. You don't want to just, oh, we're going to get together

in the hopes of winning a championship. There's no crying in that. Like, let's say the Nets won the championship last year. Who's going to shed a tear tear what did they go through there's no you know those moments of kobe in the locker room or michael jordan crying or or you know those iconic moments you know or the i think back to the to the 70 nicks of those guys pouring champagne because they went through something so this team right here with this core group of people, if they got in the next three, four years, they go, you know,

we put the fucking work in to get this championship. And that's going back to the Jake Paul thing. It's like, you put the work in, you know, you, you, you, it sucks. Failure sucks and disappointment sucks. But when it turns around, it's you're crying. It's not that you're on Instagram talking shit like Jake Paul or one of these guys. You want to pour that champagne to cover the tears, and that'll happen if this Knicks team wins. What a freaking pro. You tie together the first question to the last question, Knicks.

Jake Paul, man, everything they say about you is true, Mike. This was an absolute honor for me. I could talk to you for another hour on higher learning alone, but I will let you go. You've got some couple of big shows coming up here. You're going to San Francisco, fifth, sixth. You're doing standup. You're back in New York City, 11, 12, 13. People can get tickets, michaelrapaport.com, correct? michaelrapaportcomedy.com for all the tickets. And I'm on tour the rest of the year heading into 2022.

And I'm looking forward to it. The show's been great. And I can't wait to meet you in person. Let me ask you a question. What's the next big UFC fight that you're pumped up about? Well, actually, November 6th at the Garden is another big one. Kamaru Usman against Colby Covington. I have a feeling you're usman against colby covington i have a feeling you're not a big colby covington fan uh if you know about that maggot jaw last time he did

he gonna get his ass i'm in i'm in san francisco the fifth and the sixth i had already checked the calendar because i mean listen the garden there's nothing the world's most arena. And we could talk about this place and that place. The thing about Madison Square Garden, and then I'll let you go. No. It has all its history intact. Yes, they've revamped it a little bit. But when Kamaru Usman is standing in the middle of that arena to fight Colby, when Julius Randle comes out, the history of here comes Willis is in that arena.

That's the same building that Ali fought Frazier for 15 rounds in. That's the same building that John F. Kennedy spoke in, that Elton John performed in, that Billy Joel performed in, that the Rangers won the championships. No other major arena has that. The Staples, they've done great things but that's not the form the boston garden is gone chicago stadium is gone madison square garden is the only place with all its history intact and when i was at that i mean this is not even new york guys when i was at that jorge um nick diaz fight there's nothing like being at nate diaz

fight there's nothing like an event in Madison Square Garden. Oh, my God. You had The Rock coming out. It was a scene. It was an absolute scene with the BMF title. This is going to be a great scene. So that's one that I'm looking forward to. Actually, this weekend there's a great one, UFC 267 with two title fights on the carpet. The one I'm really looking forward to is December 11th.

Jorge returns against Leon Edwards, the guy that he gave the three pieces of soda to backstage. Um, and then Francis and Ghanu, who is a freaking superhero. He's returning January 22nd. There's a lot to like in the world of MMA. There's a lot going on. So,

uh, I, I, I, I love how much, you know, and I have so much respect for your, your knowledge and understanding of UFC.

And also when you were doing NBA, but I'm, I'm But I'm just a fan. I appreciate you having me on the pod, man. That means a lot. I'd love to meet you in person. Good luck with the shows in a couple of weeks, starting with San Francisco and then New York the following week. Michael Rappaport comedy.

I am Rappaport stereo podcast, fantasy football guru Howard Stern show. The movie. You say it. You say fantasy football. And then you say, movie you say it you say fantasy football and then you you say yeah guru like you you're a professional i'm a good i'm a jd guy but why do you say fantasy football guru like you you slip that in like you don't want to say guru i would appreciate you to enunciate the way you enunciate everything else ariel please the the the bit with the the dinner and who paid for what with you and JD. I mean, I literally had to park the car and just I was crying of laughter.

It was fantastic stuff. Good. It's all fun and laughs on the Stern Show, no matter how crazy it gets. Well done, my man. Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it. Anytime. And continued success.

I appreciate it, Ariel. So that was my conversation with the great Michael Rapaport. I could have talked to that guy for hours. What energy, very funny. You know, he is controversial. He is polarizing at times. I'm not a big political guy. Obviously, he's drawn attention to himself with some of the political commentary.

But, you know, the one thing that I will say that I really admire about him is he is not afraid to put himself out there, to say what is on his mind, what's, you know, in his heart and deal with the repercussions afterwards. And there's something to be said for that. So kudos to him. He's got the stand-up shows coming up in San Francisco and New York. You can check out the rest on his website that he just plugged. I love talking sports with him. The fantasy football stuff is just absolutely crazy. I can't imagine being that into fantasy sports. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

And if you haven't seen Higher Learning, do me a favor. And I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that have not seen the film. Go watch it. And it's amazing. That's 1995. There's a lot of stuff that they foreshadowed that would happen in America,

and some stuff, of course, that, you know, was happening at the time, race relations and whatnot, but a lot of stuff on campus that would become a lot more common in this day and age, they were talking about back in 94, 95. So a great film, and he did a fantastic job with that role as well. Thank you very much to Michael Rapaport for joining us. Thank you very much once again to The Lovely Feathers. Thanks to all of you for continuing to download, rate, review, and subscribe to this here podcast. I appreciate it more than you know. Check out the video interviews over on youtube.com slash Ariel Helwani.

That's where you can check it out and support as well. And we'll be back next week. Love doing this. Hope you're loving it as well. Appreciate you all. Have a great weekend. Take care. Thank you.