The Breakfast Club - Best Of Full Interview: Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson Talk 'All The Smoke;' Podcast & Book, Kobe, Kamala, Bronny James +More

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

Best of 2024 - Recorded October 2024 - Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson Talk 'All The Smoke;' Podcast & Book, Kobe, Kamala, Bronny James. Listen For More!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Follow us on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wake that ass up. Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Jess is on maternity leave, so Lauren LaRosa is filling in. And we got some special guests in the building. That's right. We got Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson. Welcome fellas.

What's up family? How y'all feeling? Good, good. Tired, but good. Tired, but good. Collectively known as the All the Smoke podcast. That's right. Their new coffee table book is out right now. All the Smoke.

Man, you know, I always say like, I know that there's a lot of athletes who do podcasts and stuff now. I don't know anybody before y'all. I feel like y'all started that whole wave. So to see y'all be the first with a coffee table book, man, that makes so much sense to me. Man, it's been a blessing.

It's been a journey. I mean, our five year anniversary is tomorrow. Wow. If you would have told me like five years later, we'd have a coffee table book, a whole production company and people working underneath us, I would have been like, you're full of shit. I didn't even know what a podcast was at the time.

So, you know, we are blessed to come together and find lightning in a bottle and thankful for the opportunities and obviously being able to partner with you and your company and be able to get this done was dope. How did this happen? A lot of people don't know that, bro. It's passed out to you, a lot of success.

You know, a lot of stuff that we have going on, you brought it our way and you thought about us even with Black Effect, so we appreciate you. A lot of people don't know that, so we gotta give you props too. I love my brothers. How did this come about though? This for a podcast, like I know y'all was partners.

Together? Yeah. I think Jack retired maybe one or two years before me and we both got out and we were doing ESPN and Fox and getting positive feedback and people said we needed to do something together. And we were at my house in the bay one time smoking and I'm just like, you wanna do a podcast?

And he was like, sure, what is it? I was like, I don't really know, but I think we can drink and smoke. Because we were working at ESPN and Fox, you gotta kinda walk that line. So it was just a little bit more to our comfort zone. And he said, yeah, so I started doing the homework, and we landed here, we landed at Showtime.

And you interviewed so many people. Who are some of your favorite people that you guys have interviewed in the past? I mean, I'm a big hip hop guy and a comedy guy, so the comedians and the rap artists like Lil Wayne, having Kevin Hart on the show, you know, been able to laugh, and then I think Jamie Foxx. Jamie.

We was at home doing COVID, that episode. Man, I think everybody needed that one. So when we had the comedians and the hip hop artists on, that was always my favorite. I just think, you know, that episode, man, I think everybody needed that one. So, we had comedians in the hip hop art zone, that's always my favorite. I just think, you know, being a, like you guys, a trusted voice in the space is important. You know, for us to start with JR Smith and end up with Kamala Harris and Kobe's last interview

and Steph and KD and Shaq and the list goes on. Will Smith. Will Smith. Jada Pinkett Smith. I just think being a trusted voice in this space with so many voices is something I pride myself on. I think athletes didn't have a safe space before y'all, especially NBA players. We can't speak the language y'all speak.

So it causes them to open up in a different way. You know, we wear our emotions on the sleeve and everything we've been through in life is on the table for everybody to see and we willing to talk about it So I think when I guess see that it's easy for them to open up to yeah Kamala was your most recent We did joke him Noah after her but yeah Kamala was yeah a big boy for us And how was that I know you a little reluctant a little bit at first

Oh, no, you know that I called him and talked to him about it me and Matt We went at it for a couple days about it. You didn't wanna do it at first? Nah, because I really don't wanna get in politics. I don't even wanna be involved. And a lot of people that support me don't get involved. You know what I'm saying? I look at it the same way I look at it. But as a friend and as a brother to him,

anything that he asks me to do, nine out of 10 times, I'm lured to a fault. You know what I'm saying? Even if it's something I don't wanna do. But I know it was beneficial for our company. I know it was, and I see, after I did the interview, I see now, I have a lot of women in my life. I have eight aunts, six daughters,

so I would look to them after I did the interview, I'm glad I did it now, because they all look at her and look up to her and aspire to be great like her, so I'm glad I did. How did you guys prepare for her? A lot of studying, a lot of smoking, a lot of studying. But I wanna take it back before I get to your question. You know, when he said he didn't want it,

first of all I told him, I said, Stack have I ever led you wrong in a business decision? Or life, and he said no, but you know, when he said he didn't wanna get involved with the politics, I told him, you know, I don't think that was his choice because once he did that George Floyd thing, he put him smack dab in the middle

of the biggest, leading one of the biggest protests this world has ever seen. So a lot of things come with that. A lot of good, a lot of bad, but a lot of things come with that and I think that he implanted himself in the middle. And I always respected his, I always will respect his opinion,

but I just thought this could be an opportunity for, he has a very loyal following, and it could have been, you know, it was an opportunity for him to, you know, get some stuff on his chest or ask straight to the face. You know, ask her straight to the face those questions. So I'm glad he decided to come around. It took him a minute, like literally,

let me tell you bro, until she came in the room, Jack wasn't fucking with you. Right until, so she came in the room, Jack wasn't fucking with me. Right until, so she came in the room and then she took us away from the group and took us on a walk throughout the house and started showing us this dope black art and sculptures and Jack was still tough like, I ain't fucking with this. And then he saw this one piece of art he liked

and she talked about it and she had moved on and I kept following and he went and touched the art and looked at it. I was like, uh oh, she might be getting to him. And then she showed this dope ass chandelier and then once she showed the chandelier and explained it and the jackstarter smiled, I was like, all right, she got him, so we were straight.

So it took him a minute to warm up. Did she know that you didn't wanna do it? She had to know. I think she had a little bit of somebodies show him I'd have handed to her. But how do we prepare? I mean, we prepare like we used to play, like watch game, film, so we study.

You know, we go back and do research and then we get with our research team and find out the strategy. My strategy with this interview was, it wasn't a political interview, it was an all-to-smoke interview. We happened to ask a few political questions, we felt it was close to our community,

but at the end of the day, we wanted to humanize her and get to know her a little better. So, just kind of figuring out, what was that opening question to get her laughing and smiling and find out the story about the blind date with her now husband, Doug. And as soon as we asked that, she started smiling from ear to ear.

And we knew that we kind of got her to open, put her guard down a little bit. And it was a fun interview. The biracial question and the question about the blended family killed it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Cause like it connected with her.

She could, there's no script for that. Nah. You know, you can't go to your talking points for that. You just gotta be honest. You know what I'm saying? Because it connected with her. There's no script for that. You can't go to your talking points for that. You just gotta be honest. You gotta be sure. And that's what we wanted, Charlamagne. We've been lucky to humanize and make our guests feel comfortable to really share their true opinions.

And biracial and step parents we both are, but biracial is something that I've fought with and dealt with really my entire career. And now that this is at the forefront of her campaign, I just thought it would be a great talking point. That's what I was telling Jack too. I'm like, yo, if not you, then who? Because if you got an opinion about these elected officials

and you've been expressing it, express it to her. But I also think too, I mean, she could have went to any podcast. That's right. Like you said, there's 10 of them. But I love the fact that she came in. I said that the other day on the radio. I was like, she needs to do

where people are going. And sometimes these politicians go to places where we don't necessarily go to. And I want to see her do more stuff like that. What were the conversations with her, like, off of the air? Like, were there things that y'all talk about off? Or were you like, dang? I asked her, you know,

cause I knew that the vice president house was probably stiff and white for a lot of years. So I asked her if she added her touch to it, and that's when we kinda started talking about the art and stuff she's done to the house to kind of put her energy around it. What else, we talked about, actually I feel like the last three or four, four minutes of the podcast,

and I think we caught some of it, just it was a back and forth. Do you remember what we was talking about at the very end? We was talking about, she asked about Gianna, we talked about the Warriors and being there, you know, when we played, we believed, son. Did y'all smoke before y'all got there? I did.

Oh, of course, I'm high now. Yeah, it was too presidential to be able to try to sneak it in and get one off. And we was representing a lot of people, so we didn't want to get in trouble, but yeah, definitely we pre-gamed. You know, that was one of them smoke showers, you know. In the shower, yeah.

It got steams so it don't mess with the hotel. You still got after-reasons to the running for office? Oh man, I did, man. I said that in like early 30s. And you know, I started shadowing Kevin Johnson, who was the current mayor at the time. Then I worked with Darrell Steinberg a little bit. And you know, I said it at 50, I'm 44 now.

So we'll see. I mean, year by year, I get more engaged and learn more and try to understand the process. So if my business affairs are in order by the time I'm 50, I may, you know, chase that down. What do you say to people who say that people in sports shouldn't talk about stuff like politics? They should just stick to sports.

Well, I just feel like we're affected by everything. Just because we played a certain sport, we're fathers, we're business owners, we're in the community, we're tied to everything. I respect people whether they wanna be in it or not, but my whole thing with people is kinda learn the process. So if you're gonna be mad, at least you know what the fuck you're mad at.

A lot of people are mad at lies and mad at misconceptions. So my whole thing is learn the process and understand the process and how things, the pecking order and the actual, the power that the president, the vice president don't really have. Understanding Congress and the House and the Senate. And then if you still wanna be mad, be mad.

But I think just a lot of people are headline readers and they wanna get mad at bullshit. So to me, if still wanna be mad, be mad. But I think just a lot of people are headline readers and they wanna get mad at bullshit. So to me, if you wanna be mad, learn it and then find something to be mad at. For me, I think it's just really common sense what we need and what we need to do. It ain't rocket science. So I'm not in the hope dealing.

You know what I'm saying? We all know what we need. We all what we need to stop doing is interchange to get America, everybody have an equality and we will act like everything else need to be done besides the common sense shit. You know what I'm saying?

So that's why I don't wanna be in politics. Do you have a surprise, you know, cause kinda like the Breakfast Club, our clips live on and you always see it, but I see the same thing with your clips. It could be something that y'all did four years ago. Are you ever surprised how long your clips go and how people recognize you from the podcast

and not from the playing days? That goes back to, you know to the law of fan base. That's why we do it, a lot of stuff we do is for the fans, but we got a law of fan base that's been rocking with us since we've been playing, you know what I mean? So to see our stuff resurfacing and we not the ones reposting it, that mean a lot. You know what I'm saying?

That mean we going in the right direction. Definitely. You know, y'all had the last conversation with Kobe Bryant, last interview with Kobe Bryant, and I always wondered, was that the last time either one of y'all actually the last conversation with Kobe Bryant, last interview with Kobe Bryant, and I always wondered, was that the last time either one of y'all actually spoke to him before you played? That was the first and last time I spoke to him since we played against each other.

Wow. I know Matt, y'all had a race. We would see each other a little bit more because he was coaching Gigi and I was coaching the twins. So we had talked maybe one time after that and then he had sent some shoes literally the week, I think he passed on a Sunday, he sent shoes that previous Monday

to the twins and their whole team. So they had just got fresh Kobe. So we had spoken and then obviously like I said, he sent some shoes the week of the actual, the pass. So it was tough, man. What stands out from that conversation? I mean, y'all have it in the all the smoke coffee table book, but what stands out from that conversation,

just from that date? I think, y'all have it in the all the smoke coffee table book, but what stands out from that conversation, just from that date? I think the pre-conversation, we went into his office and how adamant he was of people. The whole ride there though. Oh yeah, oh yeah, we did some shit on the ride, right? The whole ride there, we was like kids. We never got to put that out, right? We never put that out.

That was crazy, we had a dope ride, we filmed and talked a lot of shit, but I think. What, y'all three? Nah, just the anticipation of one interview. We would have to go see him, so we left from LA to Orange County like an hour and a half, hour and a half drive, depending on when you drive, but. How many blunts is that?

One, maybe two. One, two, yeah, one or two. Not too much. But we had a conversation in his office before we actually got on camera, and he was really adamant about this next 20 years, and for the world to be prepared for what he was doing in business.

He was just finishing writing one of those children novels he was working on, and he was just like, fellas, I don't want people to remember me from my last 20 years, I want them to remember me from my next 20 years. He had the fund and had won Emmys and doing all kinds of stuff in the business space, and obviously really saw, when I got to see him coach Gigi

and just, he didn't always, never showed a ton of joy, but you can just tell he loved it. I mean, he had these little girls running the triangle offense, which takes grown men a long time to learn. He had these girls practicing four or five days a week, three hours a day. Like, the thing about Coe was he didn't take nothing light

when it came to basketball. So these were little young girls, but they were running the Lakers offense to a tee. He was like a drill sergeant with them, but you could tell he loved it. All those little girls loved him and looked up to him, and just the passion behind that was beautiful to see. For me, I think, seeing him, meeting him as a teenager,

and seeing him grow into the icon he was, I just admired that. With so many players and basketball players you come across doing AAU and traveling, you know, coming up as a teenager, you see so many people that's supposed to be great that don't live up to it. You know what I'm saying? He lived up to it and exceeded it.

So, you know, just to be able to sit there to talk to him after our careers, you know what I mean? And go through the memories, you know what I'm saying? Then before he passed, that meant everything to me. Was Kobe a scooper or a whore? A scooper or a scorer? He was definitely a hooper. Okay.

Yeah, he was a dog on both ends. Definitely a dog, not even close. Probably the mad sky of a hooper. People got mad at you when you said that, but I don't even play ball and I don't understand what you were saying. Yeah, because a lot of those people who got mad are the ones I was talking to.

No. People only get mad when they guilty of it. You know what I'm saying? When the shoe fits. It's a lot of guys that came to the NBA where their job was just to score. They didn't compete on both ends. A lot of them didn't give that effort.

And that's just the facts. I just seen the video again yesterday of you and Kobe going back and forth. Yeah, well I mean when you mentioned that, that was the thing that came to my mind. Like I coach kids now and there become kids that come to me at the A, you turn them in and they weren't even born.

You did that to Kobe. You did that to Kobe, but they didn't even see the minutes before that. No, we was going at it, you know, and it was funny. In that last interview, we talked, I was ready to fight him. You know, Kobe was one of them. What stopped you from swinging on him?

Because he elbowed to your stomach, he was pushing you. It got to the point where I was like, oh, yeah. You gotta respect for certain people where they won't do that either. They know, you know what I'm saying? You'll go to that point, and then some people that you don't even know, they'll go to the point, and then they'll knock you out. But Kobe, they'll go to the point, and then they'll know, I'll knock you out.

But Kobe, like, that's just competition. It ain't personal. But it was personal that day, though. It looked like he was a second, like, one more? Because, I mean, obviously, we all know how great he was as just a player, but he was mentally, too. So, like you said, all the elbowing and shit that the refs claim they don't see or don't wanna see,

like, I was tired of that shit, you know what I mean? And I keep getting called fouls for retaliating so I'm like fuck this man. We fucked up. But that's how y'all got cool though. He said if anybody crazy enough to mess with me like this, I want them on my team. He called me that so I was actually,

my deal was up in Orlando and this was when Braun and Bosch were going to Miami. So I was talking to Pat Riley and even D Wade on the phone one time and Pat was telling me about the lineups and the championships we can win and I got a cold call from a number I didn't even know and happened to pick it up and it was him.

And we talked a little bit and I congratulated him then about winning and asked what I was doing. He said what you said, he's just like, you wanna be a Laker. I'm like, hell yeah, I'm like three days Laker. I was, three days later I was a Laker. Wow. What do you think about the Lakers now?

We see Bronny play the last two games and people are on Bronny's ass right now. That's beautiful. I showed him the picture we got in the car. We saw the family. That's the dopest picture ever. When he helping his dad up there. That's the dopest shit ever.

Whoever hates, die. Yeah, I mean I think if anyone deserves this opportunity to play with his son, I think it's him. You know what I mean? And the fact that that whole thing was orchestrated for him to get to the Lakers is amazing. And I had a moment this past summer

because my twins are 15 now, so I take them and play against grown men. And I remember one time, me and the twins were on the same team playing and we was hooping, I'm just like, man, this is so dope. I couldn't imagine this on the highest level. So to me, I don't give a fuck. I mean, the kid was a 55th pick.

Normally the 55th pick doesn't even make it. So all these crazy expectations for him earlier, ridiculous, like allow him to develop. But we don't live in a world where development is allowed, especially on the highest level. So I think from a father-son aspect, it's incredible. But the Lakers are one of those teams where you gotta produce, what have you done for me lately?

And they haven't necessarily done that. So it's gonna be interesting, scrutinize year, I think. We were talking about that earlier. Do you think that Bronny will actually have the chance to develop? Or you feel like people are gonna pigeonhole him so much that it might get to him? I think he We were talking about that earlier, do you think that Bronny will actually have the chance to develop or you feel like people gonna pigeon-hole him so much that it might get to him? I think he has even more of a chance to develop because his father's there.

Like that's the motivation to have. And he's seen what it takes to be great. So all that is in him already and now he's in the facilities where you have everything here to be great. I think he has everything he need and I think he's definitely gonna blossom over there. And I also think too, I mean I don't think you look at Bronny in the same light as you look at LeBron.

That's what I said. People try to though. Just compare him to other NBA players. I just think he's going to be a very solid role player. I mean he's got a high IQ, plays defense, can make the right play, can shoot the ball. So I just think he needed a little bit more time to develop and now he's developing on the biggest stage. But I think two, three, four years,

he's gonna be a very solid rotational player. Does he start in the G League or do you think there's no G League for him? I think he should, to me it's about playing. I play with JJ and I fuck with JJ Heffey. I think he's gonna be on the hot seat, but I like his mentality. He's very, he teaches, he's a personable person.

So for all the people who say no, the most important thing is getting to play. You don't learn shit from sitting on the bench and watching. So Bronnie has to play, so whether that's gonna be eight to 10 minutes in the real game, or if it's gonna be 30 minutes on the G League level, I think he just needs to play, and I think they'll figure that out. You can't simulate the NBA in the G League though.

You gotta play in the NBA to understand the NBA pacing game. The D League is totally different. But you just have to play though. Yeah, I mean it can get you ready but in order to be successful. It's night and day. But to be successful and to make a name

for yourself in the NBA, you know what I'm saying? You have to learn how to play that game. Yeah, no doubt. What would be considered success for Bronny? Like 15, 14 year career, a long career. You know, in the NBA, I mean, that would say we not expecting him to score 50,000 points. You know what I'm saying?

We expect him to be a star and possibly be an all-star one day. I gotta ask, since we are in New York, New York just made a trade that sent Cat here. What were your thoughts on that trade? Wonderful, I know y'all happy. Yeah, we gotta send him. I love Jordan's rounder, but I'll take cat of him any day.

You know, and cat is way more durable. We lose a shooter though. You lose a shooter, but he does way more than just shoot cat. He does, and then the East two, I think a big guy like that, that can spread the floor on this team. I think he's gonna be good for y'all.

I love him and the Bico attitude, didn't they scrap one time? Yeah, he's gonna be good for y'all. You know, I'm a dog, I like dogs, so obviously seeing Devin Chenzo and Julius Randall leave, you know, I kinda like, ugh, you know what I mean? Because I really feel like- That's what I meant, shooter,

when Devin Chenzo was the shooter. Yeah, you know, they're trying to put something, they put the whole- I'm talking about Devin Chenzo, come on. No, no, I mean we got cat, but we ain't got no spot up shooter. Come on, man, you can replace that, come on, man. Come on, man, you can replace that. Come on man, you can replace that. Let's not do that.

Hold on, Devin Chantel, if I'm not mistaken, he hit the most threes in Nick's history. Yes! And helped us out last year when all of our people were injured. Now he's a very solid role player. I definitely feel like he's going to be missed. But Nick got McHale Bridges now. So I think Cat's really gonna help this team if he's three level, Kat,

not just staying outside and shooting jumpers all day. And I think this fan base, it won't allow some of the stuff he was doing in Minnesota where he would settle a lot because he is so skilled and talented and can score on all three levels and there's a real, real problem. But I think sometimes he settles,

but I think he's coming into a situation that's not only good for him, but his fiance or his girl, because she's kind of into things too. So being in this media market, is it gonna be very beneficial for him if he attacks it the right way? I feel like.

Isn't his family from? Yeah, he from Jersey. Jersey, Jersey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah man, I wish both sides good luck. I'm interested to see too how Anthony Edwards and Julius Randall get along, because that's two dogs right there.

So that's interesting to see how their chemistry works. You know what I wanted to ask you about, Jack? The Malice and the Palace dog, right? Man, I didn't realize how much that situation impacted y'all, you know what I mean? Because when you think about it, yes, y'all could have won a chip that year. I think that was a year for us to win a chip.

If you look when the brawl happened, we probably had the second or best record in the league when it happened, and we was blowing everybody out. And I think we all knew that, that was Reggie's last hurrah, we wanted to win it for him, but like you said, it wasn't the same, I missed two or three all-star games because of that, Jermaine was a shoe in Hall of Famer around that time till that happened,

and Ron was possibly the first to win defensive player in the office, in the MVP in the same year. So all those things were working for us and that one incident killed everything. And it didn't, it didn't seem like it brought y'all together. Not all of y'all. It didn't because everybody didn't do it for loyalty. You know what I'm saying?

Everybody wasn't in that situation for loyalty. Some people was in it because they was there. You know what I mean? I actually rolled with my teammate for, you know, for being a good teammate. A lot of guys just in there doing stuff that wasn't necessary, you know? And it cost us that season.

How many times has that happened to you in your life, Jay? Will you just, I don't give a fuck, this my guy, we going out, you going to war, I'm going to war. I'm law to a fault, I'm law to a fault, but you know what I'm saying? But like, I can sleep that way. You know what I'm saying? If we go somewhere right now,

so I'm gonna be the first one to jump out. That's just how I was taught. That's how I was raised. But you know, as you get older, you get smarter. Is that one of the things that you regret that season? Like how all of that played out? Yeah, I regret it because you know, I was a consider myself a real good basketball player and I missed a lot of all-star games

like accolades because of that, you know. Even when I had great seasons, that still was a cloud over my great plan. And it hurted Ron too and Jermaine, so it definitely wasn't beneficial for none of us. Was it tough to do that doc? Like just to sit there and have to relive all of that? Well, I mean, the reason why it wasn't tough

because it was gratifying for getting some money for talking about it. We lost so much for the one punch, like let me get some money back for talking about it. You threw more than one punch. Well I threw two. That's it? Yep, I'm glad you said that.

We can clear this up right now. We can clear it out a whole row. We can clear this up right now. Well his arms are long. This is why I said I shouldn't have got fined. When it all happened, I jumped up and went over the stands, I went six rows up, didn't hit nobody, got to Ron. A beard was thrown in his face the second time

and that's the guy I hit. When I turned around, a guy was holding Ron, punching him. I hit him. If I was just wanting to be stupid, I could have hit everybody those six rows up, but I went to protect him, so I wasn't really on no idiot stuff, you know what I'm saying? I was just being a protector,

but it just turned out to look that way. So if you look at it, I could have hit a whole bunch of people, I didn't know idiot stuff, you know what I'm saying? I was just being a protector, but it just turned out to look that way. So if you look at it, I coulda hit a whole bunch of people, I didn't. Them hands didn't get as loose as they could've. Nah, hell nah, they nice now. How's it been watching the evolution of marijuana in the NBA? Oh, it's beautiful.

I think we don't get enough credit for it. Nah, for real. You know, to be able to play in the NBA now and not get tested, like, you don't know what we went through. That was a full job, to smoke and leave. And we was paying people and all kind of drinking, all kind of stuff just to be able to smoke. You said diluting the pee and all kinds of stuff.

Man, doing all kind of stuff just to be able to smoke. So now they can do it freely. I mean, I know a lot of guys that might not talk about it publicly, but I know they appreciate being able to smoke and relax after the game the right way without taking all them pills and shit. I think when I retired in 17, that was one of my main focuses, being the shield for the current guys.

And myself and our brother Al Harrington were flying out here to New York to talk to the Players Association and the league and just understanding the plant, study the plant, until they both got people on both sides to start studying. And from what I heard, that the NBA was really against it still. The PA was more for it,

and they had to come to a common ground. And they ended up doing that. Obviously in the bubble, with the COVID hit, and they had to come to a common ground and they ended up doing that. Obviously in the bubble with the COVID hit and they gave the players time off and then they brought everyone back to the bubble, if they would have tested that probably 85% of the league would have failed because guys were off, didn't know if the season was gonna come or not

and the majority of the guys medicated. So I think that was a very smart move for them to go ahead and bypass it there and then after that it was gone. So I think I say all that to say it was it was tough smoking our entire career because it was you know every time we did it we were risking fines or suspensions so it was a real job to smoke in the league and now like Jack said just to be able to freely do it to relax go to sleep, focus, anti-inflammatory

all the properties for it I think it's it I'm happy for those guys. Were y'all trying to have the conversations then though? Like, yo, this is what's helping us? Like you couldn't even have the conversation. No, we just did. We can't do it, all right. Yeah, the conversations needed to happen, but I think my conversation when I started talking

was after the fact. Because it was just so, like, they didn't want to hear that shit. You know what I mean? It just, it was something you couldn't do. You know what I mean? It was something you couldn't do. You know what I mean? So I think as the world progressed and we started getting research behind the positives

instead of just the negatives, I think that's when the game started to change. Could you physically play high? Because I be reading these stories about Michael and how they used to be drinking Budweiser and going to drop 50. I smoked before I played. I just smoked exactly before the game,

but that day early in the morning, probably yeah, I probably did, but not going to the game. I didn't came down. But like going to the game fresh off one, absolutely not. Not in the NBA, you getting cooked. Yeah, I know a couple dudes that smoked

driving into the gym. We won't say them names, but they was different. So I mean, I could smoke a few hours before, but I wouldn't smoke on the way to the game. One, because I didn't want to smell like it around everybody, but two, it's just like, depending on what you smoking, you putting yourself out there in the atmosphere sometimes.

I was geeked up in the Westlacarfer Finals though. What? Yes, lighten they ass up. Yeah, there's doubtless, I was geeked up. Were you smoking before the game? I smoked right after the shoot around like three hours before the game, and I didn't go to sleep,

so I was just geeked up during the game. Like certain times you don't take that nap, you loaded. And I did in the West Conference finals because I was from Texas, I was just feeling good at the time and went to work. So it worked for me. What was the process of putting this book together? Like how did y'all choose which conversations

to put in there? Shout out Dylan. Shout out to him too in this publishing company. Obviously, yeah, you and the company and then Dylan just understanding where we, the caliber of guests we had and the different topics we spoke on. Again, there's a ton of people in this space now

as far as sports, but I don't look at it as competition. I think everyone had their own journey, their own voice and their own experiences and I think we still think with all the conversations we had, our conversations are still different from everybody else's. So just important, family, mental health, everything that comes along in this journey.

And we've been able to transition from not just. I'm Jason Alexander. And I'm Peter Tilden. And together. On the Really No Really podcast. Our mission is to get the true answers to life's baffling questions like. Why they refuse to make the bathroom door go all the way No Lily podcast. Our mission is to get the true answers to life's baffling questions like, Why they refuse to make the bathroom door

go all the way to the floor. We got the answer. Will space junk block your cell signal? The astronaut who almost drowned during a spacewalk gives us the answer. We talk with the scientist who figured out if your dog truly loves you and the one bringing back the wooly mammoth.

Plus, does Tom Cruise really do his own stunts? His stunt man reveals the answer. And you never know who's gonna drop by. Mr. Brian Cranston is with us today. How are you two? Hello, my friend. Wayne Knight about Jurassic Park. Wayne Knight, welcome to Really No Really, sir.

Bless you all. Hello, Newman. And you never know when Howie Mandel might just stop by to talk about judging. Really? That's the opening? Really No Really. Yeah, really. No, really. Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win $500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition signed Jason Bobblehead. It's called Really No Really and you can find

it on the iHeartRadio app on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A sports show to just kind of a more of a culturally relevant show. You know, we're talking to the Kevins and the Wills and the Jadis and the Jamies and the VP. So I just think, you know, high level conversations with high level people and, you know, being able to be celebrated with that. I mean, if I'm not mistaken, we're the first podcast with the coffee table book, man.

So I think it's a tremendous opportunity. We're very thankful for it and hope that everyone checks it out. I named a couple of names. I want you to tell me what you thought of the interviews, Don Stanley. Well, a lot of people don't know. That's when I've been with my favorite female player

of all time. My rookie year, I wore 24 because of Don Stanley. People don't know that. Yeah, and when I was in New Jersey. So it was an honor to me to be able to talk to her. You know, I never met her in person. So I can't wait to actually take a picture with her, but somebody I admired for a long time.

That's different, what about her? I've never heard a guy say a woman in basketball play an influence like that. What about her influenced you? Her whole swag. She had that rough park basketball style, and she was one of the first females to bring it like AI. She went back and showed her, she did it her way.

She talked and talked, walked and walked, and you didn't see that from a woman in basketball growing up, and then she was at a school, that was a female school that was always on TV. Their basketball game was always on TV, so that's what we seen, so that's what I seen a lot. No air. No, same, I mean just being a fan of her game

and then how she's been able to transition and be a leader of young women and women, I'm always a big fan of that. So being able to get to talk to her, and to me, honestly, and I'm sure you guys probably feel the same way, like we're fans of a majority of the people we talk to and getting a chance to get that in depth, you know, to be able to peel back the layers

and understand who they are as a person and how their upbringing brought them to be the people they are. I mean, that's always the joy and the journey of these conversations for me. What about the Jamie Foxx convo that happened during COVID? Yo, we laughed so hard before we even got on air, bro.

It was incredible. He was funny as hell. Jamie's great. I mean, to me, Jamie's one of the most talented people this planet's ever seen. His versatility across several different fronts is amazing on top of him just being a really good dude, man. So that was a dope conversation.

You have a lot of comedians that's funny when they're doing their work. A lot of them, some of them ain't naturally funny. You know what I'm saying? Jamie's just naturally funny. And like you said, like 45 minutes before we even turned the camera on, he was in rare form. Like he was excited to be on the show as well.

So that was one of the best ones. You know, Jack, you've dealt with a lot of grief over the last few years. Of course, George Floyd, your brother, your sister. How have you been dealing with that level of grief? Support system. These guys, my mom and sister, it's been hard, but it's a part of life, bro.

Too much is given, much is required. I'm not going through nothing that half of y'all haven't been through, but it gets to a point where when it's somebody like your sister and brother, that's different. You know what I'm brother, that's different. You know what I'm saying? That's different.

So I haven't been the same, but it's a day by day process. Thanks for asking. Absolutely. How did you guys know it was time to, you talk a lot about transition, that it was time to transition and lean into the podcast, the merch,

just the business side of things. Was that a switch? It probably was planned, but when did you know, okay, it's time to jump the fence now? Man, the reason why I left the NBA the first year of a three year deal. I had happened to win a championship with Golden State and I wasn't getting a chance to see.

You did get paid to win it after you got planned. I wasn't getting a chance to see my kids. You know what I mean? So it was kind of a perfect storm. We won a championship and I was ready to move. So I was just kind of excited and I think sometimes how why athletes have a hard time transitioning

because they don't get to leave on their own accord. Most of the time it's injuries or a reputation or just teams don't wanna fuck with you no more. But I was someone that just, I was in the midst of a contract and I'm just like, man, this was a blessing we won. I'm missing so much time with my sons. I'm a father first, so that was my transitioning reason.

And then once I transitioned, I'm like, damn, what's next? I had invested well and had some things moving, but I knew I still needed to find something to do. And media came knocking for both of us. And we kind of ran with it. So I mean, Jack is the kind of guy that you know he trusts very few so if you're in his trust circle he's gonna listen to you and when I pitched him idea he trusted me to run with it

and make it happen and you know that's what I was able to do. I feel like even with sports networks y'all was before your time on that too it seemed like when y'all was on it they didn't want y'all to talk so freely. No. Especially you, Jack. They didn't want you. It seemed like everybody could talk freely now, but it seemed like they didn't want you to talk freely.

Because we did it anyway. You know, we did it anyway. I, you know, shout out to Wos, but I remember I was the first one to correct him on TV. You know what I'm saying? All the people like, damn, he correcting Wos? Yeah, cause I got Jimmy Butler right on speed down. Y'all making stuff up.

So like we just being who we naturally are. You know what I mean? And I think that's what kind of took over when we was on TV and we did these shows. Not too many basketball players come up here and speak like that. We was just being our natural self. We wasn't acting or putting on camera

than going off being somebody else. We the same person on and off camera. And I think too a big thing was, you know, Stephen A. Smith, and whether you hate him or love him, I like Stephen A. Smith and he's been instrumental in kind of my journey. We talk often but he was really big on stay off the weed and used to say that shit all the time until I called him on it and he listened to me.

I called him out on social media after I seen it one too many times and then I'm on first take right at the docks talking about weed on ESPN. No one had ever done that before. No athlete had ever done that before. So I think to Jack's point, it's just having real conversations and I think people are always gonna respect that.

And I remember a ton of times, and I was working for Fox and ESPN at the time, where there's certain, well, this is the topic, do you wanna say this? I'm like, no, I don't wanna say that. I wouldn't say that, I don't talk like that. This is how I'm gonna say it. You know what I mean?

So I mean, obviously I enjoyed my time at both networks and it kept my name fresh and it allowed other opportunities to happen. But you know, it's a little different walking on that side of media than it is on the media side that we landed on. Any of those networks getting it right? I think so.

I think, you know, I- Odd Smoke Productions getting it right. Yeah. I think, you know, I think there will always be those big engines, but I don't necessarily think you need them anymore. You know what I mean? The digital switch is on,

the athlete driven content is on, and entertainer, like everyone is experts that are now talking about it. Before it was other people always talking about what they saw, whether it be critics and music, television, film, or sports, but now you actually have the people talking about it. So again, I think there will always be the big ESPNs and Foxes and all that television, film, or sports, but now you actually have the people talking about it. So again, I think there'll always be the big ESPNs

and Foxes and all that kind of stuff, but you don't necessarily need it anymore to get your point across, to have a platform or to go viral. All right. I wanna ask some basketball questions before y'all get about it. Clay Thompson, what you think about him leaving the Warriors

and do you think it was time for him to go? I think it's a breath of fresh air for him. I mean, some guys need that during their career. You know what I mean? You've played at a certain spot for so long. It's a bad feeling about it. Y'all ain't won the last couple years, so a lot of times they're gonna try to find somebody

to blame it on, and it fell on Clay. You know what I'm saying? Which is unfortunate, because he's the reason why they have a big part, why they have all those championships over there. But this is how professional sports goes. Yeah, this is how it goes. And I think it's great for him because he's landing

in a spot where he can do what he do best with two of the best one-on-one players ever in Kyrie and Luka. He can spot up and shoot jumpers. So I think it's a great situation for him because I've been in a situation where I was somewhere and I needed to go to a different team to flourish and be a better player when I came to Golden State, so that's kinda same for him.

Is Clay a Hooper or a Scorer? Clay is a Hooper. Yeah, he play on both ends. D-Royce retiring. Oh man, hurt my soul. Where's the foul word to him? Where's the, he deserves all that from me. You know what I'm saying, he's one of those guys, bro.

I think too, I mean obviously as great as we saw, the injury slowed him down, but everything we're hearing from, as great as a player was, he's a better person. And that's always something that's important to us. Definitely looking forward to sitting down with him one day, but I just think his impact on the game, how pure and real he was will definitely be noted.

But one of the greatest, I hate to say what ifs, because obviously he gave us a lot while he was here, was the youngest MVP of all time, but I couldn't imagine seeing him be able to stay who he was and get older and how much his game would have grown and developed. I think we missed out on something really special with him. He never did all this, Mogun.

Not yet. But what touches to his character that I admire, how he got his wife and his kid's mother to get along and co-parent, how they do it. They are mascots for that, because they do it the right way, so salute to him for that. Who's your score, D-Rose?

He's what? Is he a hoop or a scorer? D-Rose, good question. D-Rose a hoop, I done seen a lot of chase down blocks. He competes on both hands, he's a hoop. Who's the face of the league when LeBron leaves? Who's, and Steph leaves, who's the next face of the league, I should say?

I think it might be by committee. I think Anthony Edwards is one of them. They ain't gonna be one face like Bron. No, they so. Nah, nah. I think it'd be by committee. I think it'd be Ant. I think it could be a little bit of Jason Tatum.

I think it could be some Luca. I think it could be some Shea Gilder, South Xander. Jive, if he get his mind right. Victor Wiminyama. I think there's be some Luca, I think it could be some Shea Gilder, South Xander. Jal, if he gets his mind right. Victor Wimunyama, I think there's a lot of, I think the league is in a great place as far as just young talent, like we haven't seen in a long time. But it's funny you said that because I wish people

would just appreciate the journey more. We're coming to the end of Ron and Steph and Katie and what they've done and what they've meant for this game and still all the criticism and hate they get is just crazy. Because one day they're gonna be here but they're not gonna be in the game anymore and people are gonna be like damn, I miss them.

Instead they're too busy trying to criticize and talk shit about Bronnie and Katie's this and Steph can't do that instead of just kind of enjoying what they've been able to bless the world with. WNBA, what are your thoughts this year? What a new excitement, new life. Sometimes the eye ain't go front, it feels better than the NBA.

What's your thoughts on WNBA, Katelyn Clark and Juaqueline? I think the women's game is pure, man. You know what I'm saying? They all play it the right way. It's refreshing to watch. It's good to see them start to get their money and get the attention that they deserve.

I'm a hooper, so I'm all for anybody that's hooping, that's putting in their work, that's grinded all these years to get to the top. I'm happy that they're getting their just due. I think the growth of the game is tremendous. The fact that we're talking about it and seeing it on ESPN and all the highlights and we're doing a piece that I'm excited about

on Andre Reese and Katelyaden Clark and just their dynamic that they brought to the game and the vehicle of new fans they brought. And you've heard kind of some of the good and the bad that have come with that. You know, Angel spoke out on just the negativity and the racism that have come from some fans and kind of using them but.

Is that normal though? Cause you know, it seems like that's normal in the league. I'm sure that you guys have been called a million more names. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. You're getting into a fight? It's Utah, Boston. You played in Indiana, man.

I know what you talking about. In Utah, remember? I just got into trouble in Indiana. That's back when you still had the space between your teeth. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I had a dude had a cardboard cut out under the goal with me in a jail suit. Oh, shoot. That shit was funny. He, yeah, exactly. I had a cardboard cut out under the goal with me in a jail suit. Oh, shoot.

That shit was funny. He didn't say nothing. He had that whole game. It was funny too. We was all laughing though. We signed it for him and all that. Yeah, but I think the growth of the game is tremendous. I think it's gonna continue to grow.

It's got new eyeballs and new sponsorship and new money and we just wanna continue to celebrate them. I think it's been such a hit or miss with that, but just kind of understanding the lineage and where they are after 28 years. You know, it's arguably ahead of schedule of where the NBA was at year 28. So again, I think the impact of these new young stars

have brought a lot more eyeballs and attention. I hope they continue to carry it. You know, you got Juju coming down the pipeline, who's a monster, so. Paige. Paige. Paige, yeah, so I think that league is gonna continue to grow and flourish and give something, a lot of little girls, something to look up to.

You gotta see it to believe it. You know what I mean? So you see that, you see Kamala running for presidency. I mean, young girls, it's a great time to look up and see all the greatness ahead of them. Can Jah bounce back? Y'all had a great all the smoke with Jah, right? Hell yeah.

Can he bounce back? Of course he can. I mean, that was the whole thing when itay. Can he bounce back? I mean, of course he can. I mean, that was the whole thing when it happened. I was saying, people act like you can't make mistakes. You know what I'm saying? Like it happens. Everybody makes mistakes. They just don't make them on a level for everybody to see.

So he definitely could bounce back. And I think he will. You know, I just think it's gonna take him to make some decisions too about the people he's around. Because I've made the same mistake too. That's what I'm saying, we make those mistakes because we feel we gotta keep it real and all at one point, but you gotta get to the point where you're keeping it right.

You know what I'm saying? I think he's there now. They don't let kids fuck up no more. Like y'all wouldn't be where y'all are right now. They don't let black kids. They don't let black kids fuck up. Black kids, right, black kids, right. Well I just think too, you gotta think

when we were fucking up, coming up, there wasn't cameras on us constantly. We could fuck up. I remember the stud-off I was doing in UCLA, I probably would've never made the NBA if I had cameras in my face. And then, you know, the early days in Golden State where we're out every single night,

drinking and smoking in every single city and fighting and doing God knows what, there was no cameras, you know what I mean? So as long as you could show up and play the game the next day, there wasn't an issue. But now everywhere you move, whether you're filming yourself or other people are filming you,

there's cameras on you, so you just gotta be cognizant of that. That's funny, because you would hear that, you'd hear like, you'd be like, man, Matt Barnes be fucking people up. You'd be like, Matt Barnes? Like, Matt Barnes? Like the back, Matt Barnes?

Hey, y'all don't know the same Matt Barnes. I used to. I used to. I used to. I used to get down a little bit, that was it, back in my early days. We appreciate you guys for joining us, man. You got another one?

I did, but I forgot it. Oh, oh, oh, oh. We were talking about Ja Morant. What's the biggest thing that you repeat all the time to the young players when they call y'all? For like real life advice, like a Ja Morant. Me now is control your own narrative. That's my thing, you know what I'm saying?

Because during your career, they can post certain things on TV, and then a lot of times, the media for the team will tell you not to reply, or not give you the platform to reply, to get what they're saying about you correct, right? So now they're in a position where they have their phones, they have their social media,

it's used the right way, and control your own narrative. Whatever, the media try to say something about you, or try to say you said something to the team, or accounts or something, you can clear it all up on your page, your own social media, so they can hear from the horse's mouth.

So control your own narrative. I think that's important too. And then I got 15 year old sons that are coming down the pipeline, and just for these young players, I understand that they're brands already. Like you are a walking brand as you speak, and to refer back to the young ladies,

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, they had bigger brands arguably than what the WNBA was at the time they came into it. You know what I mean? So understand your brand power, and then what Jay said, I'm not a businessman, I'm a business. Understand that you're really a business

everywhere you move. And you just have to, unfortunately, like you said, there's nowhere room to fuck up because there's so many cameras on you. So just understand every move you make and everything you say can affect your brand. There was a, speaking of your kids, you talk a lot about your kids,

there was a video last year in November that went viral of you and Derrick Fisher coaching the twins together. That was a really, that video was like, I think the world was like, oh wow. Like you know what I mean? The world? Me? I was there, I'm like, hold up.

Jack wasn't having it. How we doing? I was, I remember 2015, everything before that, right? What was it like getting to that point where now we on the court? It's important to do it, but what was that like? People don't understand that me and Fish squashed that shit the summer after it happened.

Like that shit happened at the beginning of one season and then the next summer, once I found out he was around and the twins cared about him, like we squashed it because it wasn't about my ex and I no more, it was about trying to raise these young men. So Fish has been in the boys' life for almost half their life, you know what I mean? So we've always been, and I was real enough

to sit down and have a conversation with him, like bro, I'm still playing, so you're gonna see my kids more than me, I need you to teach them the ropes while I'm not around. So to me, once I got over and once we talked about how I didn't agree with the move and it could've went a different way, it wasn't about saving that, it was about harvesting

and we gotta raise two young black men. So I mean I think he's done a great job. I tip my hat to him all the time. I mean he's their second dad. And I coach him in the summer during AAU and he coaches them during high school. So I mean when people see us they still kinda trip out but like our beef was for a season.

Wasn't even that long. Love that for y'all. Yeah. It's easy to squash beef when you in the fight. How you been? See how he's trying to throw it back up? You see how he's trying to throw it back up? Don't even answer that.

Don't even answer that. Don't even answer that. Don't even answer that. Go get the merch, go get the merch. Matt Ball and Steven Jackson, we appreciate you. Y'all know, y'all got some shows, right? Live show today. Yep.

Yeah, well I don't, yeah, wherever this drops, you have to, uh. Well Philly, so Philly, Philly's the bar? The ninth. So tonight is the ninth. So tonight is the seventh in New York. So they may miss it, but tonight in New York, if you're around Gramercy Theater,

we got the one and only Larry Johnson. Grandmama. And then yeah, in Philly, we're Wednesday night with Million Dollar Worth a Game and a really special guest coming through with them, man. So we're excited to be on these coasts. Jim Jones, Davies, Alden said they was pulling up, so I'm looking to see y'all in Philly.

Is it gonna be AI in Philly? How'd you know? We gonna see. Is that real? That's what's happening? We gonna see. I saw Paul George. So Paul just hit me yesterday and said he couldn't come.

Oh, gotcha. But is it? Because I'll come to Philly for that. Yeah, we scramble. Yeah, we gon' go. As long as we get him up on the airplane, he'll be here. Oh, okay. That's probably my favorite. I won't come to Philly for that. Yeah, we scramble. Yeah, we come. As long as we get him up on the airplane, he'll be here. Oh. That's probably my favorite.

I will come to Philly for that. The AI all this world conversation is probably my favorite AI conversation. That was deep. And he's different. And for him to like, I don't think people understand how passionate, how much he loves life, and how much he loves people.

You know what I mean? And we try to tell them all the time, bro, like, you got to talk. Like, people love you to death. And they just want to know how you are. They wanna know what you think. And so we're slowly getting them to hopefully sitting down and having his own thing one day.

But I'm- I don't know about him more than we do. Yeah, that's what I thought. How'd you get so cool, Jack? Y'all real cool. I play with Chuck. He play with him. So, you know, I'm just one of those guys,

like every time I played against Chuck, when he get to the city, when his boys would call me and I end up in the club with him hanging out, you know what I played against Chuck, when he get to the city, one of his boys would call me and I end up in the club with him hanging out, you know what I'm saying, from city to city. He lost a friend named Jamal a couple years ago and that passed me counseling. Me and him was real close and during that time,

I stepped in, you know what I'm saying, and then tried to help him out a lot. So we just became brothers during the playing time. Yeah, I was with him early in my big brother. I got traded with Chris Webber after Philly early in my early 2000s and Chuck gave me a car right off the whip or off the rip and told me if I needed it.

So it was just like, this is Allen Iverson. He gave you a car? To drive around. What car was that? It was like one of the Mustangs. When the Mustangs first came out, the two door Mustangs, he let me push that thing for a couple months.

Just whatever you need, bro, just let me know. I'm just like damn. Had that Applebee's poppin'. Aw man. No, TGIF, Friday. TGIF Friday, TGIF Friday. Yeah, it used to really be poppin' bros. We used to get off the plane at 2.30 in the morning. I wasn't playing so I didn't give a fuck,

but he would have limos for us to go to Atlantic City and go chill all night. You know what I mean? Have the penthouse, the Louis the 13th. Like how the fuck is all this free? I learned later that you had to give a little bit of money to the casino to get all that for a bit. But Chuck was, he was just one of them rare dudes,

like you said, that enjoyed life and then gave it his absolute all on that court. If people would see how he used to walk around on off days or in practice with big old elbows and hips all bruised up, and then as soon as it, you know, that popcorn starts popping about six, six-thirty, a different light turns on and he becomes an animal, man. So it was just.

He love hard too, he love hard. That's what people don't understand. You don't give people that caliber that loves everybody in that genuine way. That's why it's kind of weird to people. Yeah. That's right. Salute the bubble choc. That conversation is in the all the smoke coffee table book

which is out right now. All the stars, all the stories, no apologies, go get it. That's right, it's The Breakfast Club, good morning. Wake that ass up. Early in, it's The Breakfast Club, good morning. Wake that ass up. Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. I'm Jason Alexander. And I'm Peter Tilden.

And together our mission. On the Really No Really podcast. Is to get the true answers to life's baffling questions like. Why the bathroom door doesn't go all the way to the floor? What's in the museum of failure and does your dog truly love you? We have the answer. Go to reallynoreally.com

and register to win $500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition signed Jason Bobblehead. The Really No Really podcast. Follow us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.