The Breakfast Club - Chris Paul, DJ Envy and Gizelle Bryant discuss HBCUs and The Chris Paul Family Foundation

Episode Date: November 18, 2022

Pirates stand up! Hampton Alums DJ Envy and Gizelle Bryant sit down for an exclusive HBCU conversation with NBA legend Chris Paul! The Olympic gold medalist is shining a light on Historically Black Colleges and Universities through his foundation, Chris Paul Family Foundation. Since 2005, the Chris Paul Family Foundation has been making strides to support students in continuing their educational goals. Powered by State Farm and the Black Effect Podcast Network Follow them all on IG: Chris Paul - @cp3 DJ Envy - @djenvy Gizelle Bryant - @gizellebryant Chris Paul Family Foundation - @chrispaulfamfdnSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host. And do I have a treat for you. Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good. We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on. So join me, won't you?

Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence. And we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace and social circle.

We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, everyone. This is Giselle Bryant, one half of the hit podcast reasonably shady on the black effect podcast network you also might know me as one of the stars of the real housewives of potomac but today it's all about being reasonable with no shade required I'll be sitting down for a conversation with a few names you know including including another member of the Black Effect family, DJ Envy. He's a radio hall of famer and a founding member of the Breakfast Club.

We're getting together to talk about historically Black colleges and universities, HBCUs, one of my favorite subjects. Envy and I are both Hampton University alumni and we carry so much pride for the school that helped shape us into what we are today. We hope that many more kids across the country can share the same experiences that we did. And our special guest feels exactly the same way. NBA superstar Chris Paul is working to make sure that the next generation of Black excellence will thrive. Since 2005, the Chris

Paul Family Foundation has been striving to positively impact individuals and families by leveling the playing field in education, sports, and life. So let's learn a little bit more about Chris's foundation and why HBCUs mean so much to him. Here's our conversation presented by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Hey, what up, y'all? It's DJ Envy, and I'm here with my sister, Giselle Bryant, my Hampton alumni sister. Now, we both attended an HBCU, all right? A couple of years apart. Giselle's a little older than me, I would have to say. But, you know, let's start off with, you know, HBCU. Giselle, why did you decide to attend an HBCU? Giselle, why did you decide to attend an HBCU? You know, Envy, I have to tell you, I really

lucked up on going to an HBCU. My dad went to a Black college and he was nudging me in that direction. I didn't know it, but he was. You know, my dad was very influential in the civil rights movement. He's all about empowering the Black community and doing what's best for us. But when I got there is when I figured out I was where I was supposed to be. I was looking around and I was seeing people that had the same background as me, that looked like me, that talked like me, thought like me. And I realized, okay, this is special, right? This is family. This is a community that cares about each other. And you know, black people, we live different, we love different, we learn different. So I was at a place where I was learning with people that knew how to learn like I knew how

to learn. It was an experience that I'm so grateful for. You know, you run into people all the time that went to Hampton and they running up on you like, Hampton, class or whatever. And it's pride, it's legacy. Now, my children are all in high school, have three girls. Hi, Chris, how you doing? I have three girls. And they're looking at colleges. And unlike me, they're not looking up on an HBCU, they're looking for which black college is best for them. So I'm super excited about that, because they understand how important and special it is. You know, it's the energy. It's the, you can't really explain the feeling.

You have to live it. And they want that experience for themselves. So I'm so excited about it. Yeah, for myself, I was the only, the first person in my family to go to college and graduate. So I didn't have a choice. I had to go to HBCU. My parents was like, you don't have a choice. And the reason I went to Hampton is because I watched A Different World and Hillman is based off Hampton. And that's all I knew. So I was like, I want to go there. That's where I want to go. That's where I wanted to go. And that's why I decided to go to Hampton

University. Now we have Chris Paul here and Chris Paul has the family foundation, which, uh, really, really pushes, uh, different communities, definitely our communities. And if you follow Chris Paul or you watch Chris Paul and you watch his games, he always reps HBCUs, different HBCUs, different games, and he pushes it to the next level. So let's, let's ask you a question, Chris Paul, since you didn't go to an HBCU, why do you feel it's so important to, you know, push HBCUs and to make sure HBCUs are heard and seen? Yeah. First of all, thank you all for having me. And I tell you, man, I'm a big fan. And I didn't even know you went to Hampton. And for me, I grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. So I grew up around all HBCUs, right? So I grew up around A&T, Central, Winston-Salem State, all these different schools.

My brother actually went to Hampton his freshman year and played basketball at Hampton. So I grew up around all these different HBCUs. But when I was a kid, I didn't know that there was a difference between Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State, if that makes sense. And so I'm actually a student right now at Winston-Salem State, right? Wow. Yeah. So I went two years at Wake Forest, then I went to the NBA, but I'm taking classes right now, hopefully graduating in December from Winston-Salem State University. So, you know, they say when you know better, you do better. I started doing a lot of research on HBCUs and started understanding why they even exist.

Right. So a lot of people don't know why they exist in the funding and all these different things. I went to a class at Harvard a few summers ago, maybe five, six years ago. And it was this dope class about business, entertainment, and all of this. And I was like, man, it's a dope class. But they don't offer it at HBCUs. I actually talked to the professor at Harvard and we started it. And now we have that same class at North Carolina A&T, at Clark Atlanta. I think we're doing it at FAMU and it's about exposure. I was going to ask you that. The one thing I would say about HBCUs, a lot of times they don't have the funding, right? And just like my daughter, she goes to NYU and not because she wanted to, but because she wanted to major in real

estate. And a lot of the HBCUs didn't have that as a major where they teach you how. So what do you think HBCUs need to do to make sure they catch up with some of those other universities that you name, like a Harvard or a Yale or an NYU? What do you think? Yeah. Well, one of the things I always say is you see people repping the gear and all this stuff like that, but you need real dollars and cents. But I think also we got to keep coming together and make sure everybody knows who went where. You know what I mean? I think a lot of times I know for me in the sports department, HBCUs didn't recruit me. Not saying I would have went there, but now wherever you go to school,

the media will come. Right. So the more people that know that you can go to these HBCUs and be unbelievably successful. I did an interview with Spike Lee about a year ago talking about HBCUs and Will Packer went to FAMU. So just understanding all the history behind these HBCUs and really championing them and get the funding because you need money. You need money to do all these different things. You need the resources. A lot of these different PWIs have that funding because when people graduate, they go and they come get money back. Right. So we got to try to continue to get the funding to get some of these school, these courses.

OK, but why do you think that the great kids coming out of high school playing basketball, playing football, they're not choosing a black college? So I'll tell you this. So when I came out, right, I came out of high school in 2003. That wasn't the pathway. Right. It just wasn't. You know, it was the blue bloods. You're going to go to Duke. You're going to go to Carolina because that was the only way you could get that exposure. But now with social media and all this stuff, I'm always talking to kids about, look, imagine if your top three, top four players all went to North Carolina Central and played for Lavelle Moten. Imagine that. ESPN got to come. They got to come. So the education of it and it's gradually changing.

You know what I'm saying? It's not something that's going to happen overnight. But I think if we keep doing what we're doing and talking about it, it's bound to happen. You know, I was going to ask, you know, All-Star Weekend this year, you know, the All-Star festivities, you know, they have the Rookie Challenge, the Slam Dunk, and then the All-Star. This year, you guys put an HBCU game in the middle of that. What made you guys decide to do that? I mean, they called me the DJ this year. I'm like, I'm DJing. I went last year, but I mean, I thought it was dope. So what made you guys decide to do that and i know you were heavy with pushing that to make sure that was done just understanding our power and our influence right just telling the league what we would like

to see it all started back with the bubble and just you know trying to give uh these kids and stuff you know our league is you know what 70 75-75% African American, maybe more. Understanding that these kids, these HBCUs, they need the platform and that's what we're trying to provide. I think that as it relates to the athletes, yes, for sure. The school needs to do more to even make it nice.

You know what I mean? They need to pay the coaches more. They need to put the resources in for the training. They need to do a whole lot to make the sports even attractive, right? But the ACUs need funding for all the departments. Correct.

When our graduates from Black colleges, they've got to compete head-to-head with their white counterparts. And we all know they've got to be twice as good. So they need the resources just across the board. I would love for it to see it come from sports, and then it would like kind of trickle

throughout the school. But there needs to be like a conservative effort to make black colleges as attractive to your number one, number two, number three kids coming out of school and as attractive to kids, for instance, and be your daughter who wants to go to state, we need to make sure that we are attractive to all of our children in every department and in every way. Yeah, no, I agree. And I think we just need to highlight it more. I think we need to highlight it more. Like we highlight, you know, Anthony Anderson and we

highlight Taraji Henson, Taraji P. Hensonenson we highlight Diddy we highlight uh Chadwick Boseman but you know sometimes we got to highlight Rick Mahorns we got to highlight those players that went to an HBCU that made it to the league that made it to the NBA that made it to the NFL so people understand because like you said as a kid a 16 17 year old kid that's going to college they want to be on television you know what I mean and what they see on television is not necessarily HBCU. So like Chris said, once we start going to those schools, they have to highlight it. They have no choice, but I was going to ask, you know, with all that you doing, I mean,

you're in the NBA and you're successful, you're an all-star. What makes, what gives you the drive to continue on pushing? Because at one time, you know, it looked like you were going to retire. And then you came out the next year and you bust ass. You know what I mean? So obviously you wasn't ready. I was going to retire. Why did it look like I was going to retire?

It really seemed like it. You seemed like you was going to go. And I was like, he still got it. And then you came out the next year like, no, I got 10 more years left. So I was going to ask, you know, what gives you the energy and the strive to continue to push like and not just in the NBA, but also pushing HBCUs? What what gives you that and giving back because you give it back a lot to the community and you don't have to. Yeah, I think is understanding that is bigger than me and understanding all the people that have played a huge role in me even being here and being a parent. I got a 13 year old son and a 10 a 10-year-old daughter, right?

So they're paying attention. They see what's going on, you know, and I want them to know and understand because my kids live in California, obviously, right? So I need them to know their roots and where all that comes from. And I don't know, man. I tell you, everybody in my family

went to HBCU except for me, right? Everybody, everybody. So how did your parents feel about that? in my family went to HBCU except for me. Everybody. Everybody. How did your parents feel about that? You were the only one that was like, no, mom, I'm going here. How did they feel about that? They didn't even think twice about it because you got to think about it, Envy, when I was coming up.

I was getting recruited by UConn, Michigan State, Duke Carolina, the highest level of basketball. Like I said, I'm in Winston-Salem State's backyard, but they didn't even recruit me because they felt like they didn't have a shot at it. At the time, as a kid, I'm unaware. I'm born and raised in North Carolina, so I was a diehard Carolina fan. Diehard Carolina fan. I'm looking at raised in North Carolina, so I was a diehard Carolina fan. Right? Diehard Carolina fan. You know, I'm looking at Donald Phelps. I'm looking at Jerry Stackhouse and all them.

So, Winston-Salem State. And as a kid, you don't know that an HBCU is an HBCU. I didn't. Y'all might have because your parents and stuff, but it was just Winston-Salem State and Wake Forest. Then, after I left school and got older, I was like, oh, you know what I mean? You start aware. And so I'll tell you

one thing that I did in the bubble is when I started every game, I wore a different HBCU. And what was dope about it is before I wore one, I did the research on that different university. Right? And so you start learning because a lot of people just know about the HBCU they want to. And so you don't know all the history of all the

different HBCUs out there. I found out about a little small one in Bluefield. It's called Bluefield College, which is where my wife's parents are from. You start finding out so many little intricacies and stuff and it just gets you more and more passionate like Morris Brown. You know, they shut it down at some point. They didn't have the funding. And so I'm just

always interested in it. And last thing I'll say, because I can talk about HBCUs all day, is think about how many people we have in entertainment, right? And in lawyers and stuff like that, right? People who come from HBCUs. That's something that some of these classes and whatnot, if we give up our time, right? And if you think about the kids at Hampton who would love to hear, you know, from you, right? I did a whole conversation at Winston-Salem State three weeks ago with all the athletes. And I went to Winston-Salem State and I talked to them. Right. Because then they really feel like they know you and they can connect with you.

So we put together a network of all these people from HBCUs. Those are different things that these courses that PWIs can't offer. Right. You get these courses, like I said, my class on sports, business, and entertainment, I show up sometimes at a 7am Zoom and let them ask questions because that's the only way they're going to get ahead. Well, I will tell you this,

if you ever need me and Giselle for whatever that you're doing, we would be glad to do it. I'm going to hold you onto that. I'm serious. Broadcasting, podcasting, entertainment, DJing, investments, we would

definitely love to do it. For sure. Chris, I missed the game where you had on the Hampton shirt. He did. Oh, I did. I did. I posted a picture of my brother because I told you. It's crazy.

I never forget. I actually just finished writing a book of my brother because I told you it's crazy. I never forget. I actually just finished writing a book about my late grandfather. But I talk about dropping my brother off at Hampton his freshman year. It's just me and him. So me and my parents dropped him off. And I was, what, a sophomore in high school. And I remember dropping him off at Hampton like, Lord, have mercy. HBCU is different. If I go there, I don't think I'm in the NBA.

Well, just imagine this. Just imagine a kid from Queens that barely had grass, pulling up on that campus and seeing all that water everything that's there from the sexiness of the campus to the people you're just sitting there like this is amazing that's what made me go to Hampton listen the excitement of the games I was at my brother's game and they was

playing against Norfolk State during the timeout cheerleaders started coming a little bit closer cheerleaders started coming a little bit closer. Cheerleaders started coming a little bit closer, came a little bit closer. They started fighting. My daughters to Florida A&M. Yeah, A&U.

Yeah, to do a whole like tour. I gave them the VIP treatment. We sat with the president. We sat with the dean of affairs. There was a game going on. Listen, that game started and that band came out and they were like, sold! This is it! This is where we're going

because it's just like you can't beat that. For us. We have to like expose our kids because if you show them there's no way they'll turn it down you're exactly right I actually

do a show right now that's on ESPN plus called Why Not Us we're in our third season right now our first season was with North Carolina A&T I mean with North Carolina Central. And it just followed their whole basketball program to show you what it looks like at HBCU. The second year we did FAMU football. Right. And we followed them.

The episodes that are right are out right now are with Southern University, the Dancing Dolls. And it shows you the dancing. So we're just trying show people what it's like being at a HBCU. Absolutely. Well, we appreciate you. Appreciate your time too today, brother. I know you got to run and just say thank you for everything. And thank you for everything that you're doing for HBCUs

and everything you're doing in the community. We appreciate you. State Farms appreciate you. And like, again, again, if you ever need us for any of your Zoom meetings or anything, we would love to do it because we love to encourage the youth, encourage the community and make sure that they're doing the right thing. And if we can do it with our own, it's like no

other. No doubt. I'm going to let y'all know, too. I'm trying to graduate December 16th. So I'll let y'all know when that happens. I'm walking. Are you walking? Oh, I'm walking. I ain't doing all this work not to. Congratulations in advance. Thank you. We appreciate you in state form. We're talking HBCUs with Chris Paul, Giselle Bryant and DJ Envy. Salute. That was our conversation with 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul. For more information about Chris's foundation and its initiatives, go to www.chrispaulfamilyfoundation.org. We also want to thank our partners from State Farm for making this conversation happen. State Farm knows that being good neighbors means uplifting communities wherever their customers find themselves.

They don't just provide a policy, they provide a partner. Because with over 19,000 State Farm agents, they reflect the diversity of America. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best, and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not.

No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys. I'm Kate Max.

You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. and do I have a treat for you. Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good. We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on.

So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people,

but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.