The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: The Truth

Episode Date: February 22, 2024

Hour 1 starts with a bang as the entire show popcorns topics between scams, divorce, Love is blind, and *another* scam wedding. Then, Paul Pierce joins the crew to discuss his new show with DraftKings and All the Smoke Productions, "The Truth Lounge." Paul touches on retirement, the lack of effort in the All-Star game, UD's hate for him, Kevin Garnett's trash talk, and some new stories about his relationship with Ray Allen all before Amin makes the entire interview about him with American Ninja Warrior talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network. This is the Don Lebatore Show with the Stugatz Podcast. I mean, I hate this divorce article. I've been hated. Oh my, I mean like... It's so long. It's long, but it's like so many twists and turns It's am I reading the right one because half of it is her just being like I'm reading these books about yeah I mean that I think the essay got

The way it got filtered into social media made me think it was gonna be different also and then I read it I was like this is just like a fat a sad personal essay. Yeah, it sucks. About her very mentally. I feel like I'm reading the wrong thing. No, you're reading the right thing. She cheated on her husband, so that's hard. But she brushed that under the rug so quickly. I did it, that's none of your business,

and now I can't go do yoga anymore. But also buried it, like she went so many paragraphs about how we're on the wrong page and he's so career oriented and I'm over here, what's wrong with my career? Also I f*** some other guy, but that's not in your business. This line I just read just like sent me and it sent me, my husband would have to forgive me for cheating

and wasting our money. I would have to forgive him for treading on my literary territory. Those are not the same thing. My God, I was like the ego that's happening here. Crazy, and like raging egomania. And I'm not even like, I'm like 75% of the same thing. My God, I was like, the ego that's happening here. Crazy, and like raging ego maniac. And I'm not even like, I'm like 75% of the way through. I've been trying to read it, it's so tough to get to.

That paragraph stands out. That paragraph where she's going, he needs to forgive me for this, I need to forgive him for this. You guys have been talking about this for the better part of four hours during every break. What is it that's so fascinating to the three of you about this story?

Well, I haven't finished it yet. It is a tough rate. I don't think I'm fascinated by it. No? I read it. It's another essay in the cut about a woman. And in the first two paragraphs, she talks about being institutionalized

and having all these mental health issues. But the essay is about her divorce and about all these things that happened with her and her husband and how she convinced herself she needed a divorce. And it's very long and I just, yeah. So basically, this woman is writing about her relationship with her husband

and how she starts upping some anti-depressants during a very stressful time. That leads to her becoming more and more free with her alcohol consumption. And that leads to her coming to the conclusion that me and my husband actually don't get along at all. We should get divorced. And as Jess said, there's a lot of stuff. She gets institutionalized at one point and she has to clean up and when she comes out, she's off the stuff, but she still feels like,

nope, gotta go through with this divorce. And she's describing these things. And I think in her mind, she thinks it is, you know, the things about, hey, the friction between two beings. Like my dad said, like marriage is one of the things that goes Against every human kind of impulse. There's two impulses that all humans have this is what my dad says, right? Number one is the need for companionship the need for someone to share things with the need to be you know in a

Relationship, but then there's also the need to be individual. I do what I want No one tells me what to do. I go where I want. I sleep when I want. And so those two things are conflicting at all times and you gotta balance that to be in a marriage, right? For the entirety of the relationship. This woman, the impulses that she's talking about are very different ones.

One is, hey, my husband is more successful in his career than I am. And also because of where we are at in our careers, we kind of need him to work a lot in order to pay the bills. By the way, this is according to the cut. It wasn't just a kind of cool way of saying, we saw this in the cut. It's like actual. That's what I thought it was when you said it. I was like, oh, it's in the cut. Okay. Well, why, but why is it something that everyone is now talking about?

While Jessica's being made sad, a couple of paragraphs in because people seem to be chewing on something here as conversation that seems depressing because someone is struggling with love, with antidepressants, with depression. I think because it came out at the same time as the scam article. Yes.

Yes. On the same platform too. Yes. It was like the same time as the scam article On the same platform too. Yes. It was like the same day or maybe a day before of the scam article in the cut It happened so close to each other that I confused one for the other I I learned of this story from Ethan Strauss who had who parted about it, right? But as soon as he started talking about it Oh, yeah, the thing on TikTok. And so I click on the article thinking like, it's gonna be a nice write up. And I was like, oh, this is a completely different story.

Cause this is a woman who was in a relationship for seven years. The TikTok one. The TikTok one's completely, there's so much happening right now, Dan, on the internet. A lot of personal essays in the forms of personal essays, and also in the form of 50 part TikToks

that are four hours long, which was what Lucy was supposed to report back on about. And then she watched seven hours of Love Is Blind instead, and I'm very disappointed in her. She still needs three more hours to go, by the way. I'm feeling so bad, just in general. I know too much about everybody's business, and normally I like that, but just not all at once.

I can't keep track of all these things. It is a bit overwhelming, is it not to try and keep up with all of the content places where people are gossiping about things that you find interesting. I'm like 75% through this article. I don't know if her and her husband are still together or not, I don't know if they got divorced.

40 to the end. Mind blowing. Mind blowing, I'm not gonna tell you what happens. I'm not gonna read it though, so you gotta have to tell me. Yeah, you can just tell me. It's such a long article. Spoiler alert, should we start with spoiler? No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No to lead people to the content. I want people to read that thing. I want them to read it and find out the spoiler alert at the end without me spoiling it for them altogether.

But just the TikTok scam wedding, that one was insane. And this one we will spoil because some people- Are we gonna spoil this? Cause Lucy does not want us to spoil this. Now it's a scam wedding? What do I not want spoiled? The TikTok saga. You know what, you can spoil it. I it's a scam wedding? Wait, what do I not want spoiled? The Tic Tac saga. You know what, you can spoil it.

I cannot consume all of this content at once. My brain is not working anymore. You haven't even gotten to Laura and Jeremy yet. We haven't even talked about Laura and Jeremy yet. I haven't even started on Laura yet. Man, Jeremy, that guy, red flag. That's love is blind. There was a segment ago.

Yeah, but we had so much more to talk about. This is what it sounds like when I talk about the US open cup. That is correct. Four cups, though. Which one are we saving again? Yeah, except on this one, everyone seems interested. Yeah, it's interesting. It doesn't do anything for me.

It's kind of like a- Mike, which one, though? All of this. And I have a deep-seated need to be liked by everybody and want to take part in things that are popular, but nothing just doesn't register with me. I don't I don't give a shit as an aside I mean you'd hate him so much that you'd be in it's just like when people tell me my sign. I can't retain it I'm allergic to it. I don't know what it is. It might be a cancer I've been called a cancer several times when's your birthday?

October 9th. You are not a cancer Mike is the Lamar hunt trophy named after the Lamar hunt Yeah, he's got a lot of things named after him. Is he the only white Lamar in the history of Lamars? Put it on the pole, please Jude. It's heavy Lamar is Lamar hunt the only white Lamar at Levitard show. It's called full circle So you got no there's more though to all three of these things. It's rare Mike This is and I understand why you would feel excluded from this. It's rare that the whole place, popcorn, pop, pops over the same three things.

Like where the kernels are popping all over. You got the scam, you got the divorce, and you've got love is blind. These are different things. They're all different things. They're all walked in late. Well, there's four things technically, because there's the divorce essay.

Oh, it's cool. I don't give a shit, but I'm happy you guys are super passionate about it Tiktok the US Open Cup is like love is blind. It's kind of an institution at this point It's been around the longest the tick tock isn't the scam wedding. No. Oh, no, this is a complete Oh, my man is completely Blown there's a story what I thought you were referring to was a 50 part, I think over 50 part TikTok series that a woman has been talking into her camera about

on TikTok about a man that she married and what she found out about him after they were married. And it is a saga. John Reed, thank you for bringing the steamer in here. Y'all are funny. First of all, this is an hr violation of the time on a day this is actually like that i read is here with a steamer with a uh... that one of these steamers that take the wrinkles out of shirts that shirt is

going to defeat that steamer this is this is all does it hurt and it's very hot steam coming out of there i i feel like a an animal at the zoo getting washed right now. Is it damp? Is it damp? It's not pleasant, I'll say that. Jessica, you were saying? I have no idea. There's just a lot of things happening right now, Dan,

and clearly none of us can even keep up with either. I can keep up. I can keep up. The one that I thought you were talking about, Jessica, was the one about the woman who married the former professional athlete who told her, hey. The CFL player. The arena football guy?

Yeah, I know what this is. That's not to be told. That's not to be told. That's the 50 part one. Finish the story. Well, every time someone's out. That's what Lucy was supposed to watch on the elliptical yesterday,

and instead she watched Love is Blind. And I didn't work out at all. Okay, so again. So it's a woman who's talking about she got married to a former professional football player. Arena League I believe. Yes and what happened was they got married during the pandemic and they tried to buy a house and then very quickly he scammed her out of all her money and she realized very late in the game that he was. He essentially lied about every single thing he ever told him about himself. Everything about himself, including that he has a twin brother.

He didn't tell her about that. And the twin brother actually had the life that he was describing to her. Like the prestige. Exactly. How are scams and lies so in right now? Like how? Stugaz has never been hotter. It's unbelievable.

Stugats is gonna end up being the president of everyone. Like it's just, if scams and lies are always going to win and he's an author who's writing a book without writing anything. The art of the steel. Back in my day, scamming was harder. It's too easy now. Anybody can get scammed. Hey, uh, that's the CIA.

Can we get your, uh, your social security security? You gotta give me 50 grand in a box Back in the day used to have to work for that scam like the pizza driver used to have to work for that shit I'm selling these $499 shoes. Hey, hey, hey I'm broken down by the side of the highway and I need to fly and my family's in the car too Can I have some money sell you my jewelry? Lucy fight the good fight Which of these stories are you willing to retain that you now have a certain amount of bandwidth that's making you feel disgusting

about not being able to keep up with the gossip? It's you're overdosing on gossip. Scam with. Yeah, also I definitely gave out my mom's social security number when I was a kid and we're just talking about this and it made me, I entered my family for like so many free cruises and I was like, oh, we're gonna get it.

They're gonna show up with a big check. I'd ask my mom for her information, she'd give it to me and I'd be like, when this flat screen TV shows up, I, everybody's gonna love me. So it was her fault. She should know I was like a 10 year old with that information. Why would an adult give a 10 year old? They're social. Yeah, that's a really great question. like a 10 year old with that information. Why would an adult give a 10 year old their social?

Yeah, that's a really great question. I gave out so much of my mom's personal information, crazy. My family's Catholic, I don't know any of my parents' personal information. I don't know my kids. What does that mean? I don't know my kids' social. They don't talk about things.

She's Catholic. Wait a second. I have to say that under a fake contact. And there are some times I'm like, I gotta be honest, kind of forget the birthday a little bit, so I just go back and I go to this contact and I'm like, it's not that I forget, but it's just like it reaffirms. Would somebody please put a bow

on the six different scams it is and gossips that we're trying to chronicle here? My mom did not get her identity stolen, shockingly, surprisingly, huge dub for me, and they didn't even get divorced. Well, my mom got divorced to my dad, but the couple didn't get divorced. They're so together.

Spoiler. That's a good question. The Dan Labrador Show was still got to sponsor by BetterHelp. A lot of us spent our lives wishing we had more time. The question is, time for what? Go for a run, take a nap, read a book, show up for a friend.

If time was unlimited, how would you use it? The best way to squeeze that special thing into your schedule is to know what's important to you and make it a priority. With more time available, individuals may find it easier to schedule therapy sessions without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. This can lead to more consistent attendance and greater engagement in the therapeutic process. Therapy can help you find what matters to you so you can do more of it. If you're thinking of starting therapy, get BetterHelp or try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule.

Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with for licensed therapists and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Learn to make time for what makes you happy with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash D-L-B today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P dot com slash D-L-B. Don Lebatard! You getting started on the breakfast flan? Oh man, I've been singing a song to myself all morning while on breakfast flan.

Still got you. You never heard the breakfast flan song? No, hit me with it. Okay, I wish I had some breakfast flan. Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugas. Let's start right there with a beat up Paul Pierce. He's coming in tired. I don't know if he's done a lot of media this morning, but he's an NBA champion. He's a Hall of Famer. He's had 19 seasons in the league and now he's got a new show on DraftKings Network,

all the smoke productions on YouTube The truth lounge with Paul Pierce, but he runs hard He lives hard and so he seems tired this morning. Are you okay? And I'm good. I had a good workout though That's what it really was. I got up at 5 a.m. Got to the gym. I've been disciplined for the last six months man So I was rough on this morning. I'm feeling it. I'm feeling it. Well, but retirement's hard. You're making a comeback, so, you know, so. I'm just getting ready to just get it.

Okay, because retirement is hard, correct? Like leaving the game and being near the game and creating a career after you've played for 20 years in the game, that transition is a little bit rough, is it not? Yeah, man, it's definitely rough. Since 80% of us get divorced, you're not being one of those after retirement.

You know, it's rough being a single guy, you know, retired and you know, it's rough. You can wake up and do whatever you want, go anywhere you, date whoever you want, that's rough. Okay, so you've been, you've liberated. You're a hall of famer. Everybody knows this about you. And now you've started a media career as well. Why are you laughing, Amin?

I'm laughing because, man, Paul's my guy, man. Yeah, that's my man, what's up, Amin? What's up, Paul? Man, like, let me, I'm gonna veer this into like a semi-serious part of the conversation, man. Paul, you didn't retire that long ago. But you are a very newly retired player in my eyes. And a lot of your peers are also newly retired.

Yeah. Why is it that in a few short years, we've gotten so far away from when y'all played in the All-Star game and took it seriously, at least in the fourth quarter, to where we are now where nobody tries and they tell you, hey, I am not going to try. You know what, man?

It happens. Every error is different when we got to understand, because even my error was different from the error before. And so, you know, it's just, and I think a lot of that responsibility has to do with the older guys. As we start transitioning to a younger generation, we didn't do a good job with the younger generation, you know, and I good job with the younger generation. You know, and I think we could have did better. Maybe there was a disconnect or something because

you know what I learned and what I brought to the NBA, I learned from the OGs from before. And so maybe the social media, maybe, you know, just the popularity or the money or the business of the game has changed it. You know, it's a lot of things that can factor into it too, man. You know, so I can't really put my finger on one thing, but you know, how you gonna tell a dude who out here making 50 million or a guy who making 20 million off the bench? I mean, I mean, to go out here and play hard

in the all-star game when it's supposed to be your time off. You know, it's just really, it's really, in my eyes is the disgrace to the game of basketball that I grew up giving everything I had to it. You know, my competitive spirit to just go out there and watch this game look like this. But I don't know how we get back to where it used to be either. But disgrace, that's a strong word because it upsets you to see them not trying and you feel like an old head because you're coming after a 21 year old because he wants to be on vacation in the middle of the season. Well, there's over 400 players.

You know, only 24 of them got to go. So, you know, the rest of them get some rest. And, you know, people pay good money. And this is like, you understand,, you understand there's two parts to the NBA season that people always look forward to. It was the All-Star game. You look forward as a fan and me being a fan now, I look forward to the All-Star game. And the NBA finals, the playoffs, you know, the regular season you dip in and out,

watch here and there, but then there's the two big moments as a fan to where people pay lots of money to fly in. People pay lots of money to get tickets to be part of the weekend. And you just want a little bit more effort out of it. You know, it's, it's just you want a little more out of it. Paul, do you, as the one who was coming up and budding up against LeBron James, whose legacy you put up against Dwayne Wade's and say,

I'm the same player when you watch LeBron James still doing it as the oldest player in the league, given however it is you feel physically right now. Do you look at that and Marvel at you can't believe he's still doing it at that age? I really can't, you know, it's a joy to watch man. And I think us as fans got to really cherish it for ever many more years.

The Broncan play at this level, because I'll tell you one thing. When I was like 34, I was waking up and it was hit or miss. If I was going to be ready for the game and then I'm looking at a dude who's 39. The Bronn is probably the greatest athlete we've ever seen. Just just athlete. We've never seen nobody play at this level at this age. And I yeah, you can say Brady, you know, he played till he was 40 plus, but he didn't have to run up and down a court jump.

You still go out there and don't guard. You know, he had a good line to protect them. So at this with the physicality and with the athleticism, athleticism, he's displaying and still putting up these crazy numbers. And you say at 39 LeBron, anything you put him on as a contender at the age of 39 is just crazy to hear and watch. Does it hurt you to have to say it out loud?

Cause I don't think you want to give these guys respect even now. You know what man? It ain't even that. I always spoke my truth toward LeBron. And you know, a lot of people always hear the negative aspect of things when I say things like, he ain't this or he ain't that, but people never hear it when I say he is this

or he is that. When he won that championship for the Lakers, I put him up there with Jordan. I even went as far to say he may be the goat all time. People don't hear that. They hear the negative stuff I've said, but we've arrived close to me. He brought the best out of me and I know, he brought the best out of me

and I feel like I brought the best out of him. But at the same time, I thank him that I had a chance to match up with him. And now in retirement, you know, what more can I say? I gotta give it up to him because I probably wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for him. Have you heard this sound from you, Donis Haslam? Surely it's gotten back to you.

It's from the OG's podcast. He is saying that still now, if he sees you guys, you and Kevin Garnett anywhere, well let's just play the sound. My, let's play it. We used to hate the mother, because we used to have to go against and the rivalries and all that shit to this day.

You know what I'm saying? Y'all know how I feel when we gotta play the Celtics. I can't stand the mother, first of all. And I have nothing against, and I have listen, and the crazy thing about it, I like Tate, I like Tate, I like Bram. Well I'd love for you to tell me. I tell you a story about it in the huddle, man? I like Tatum and I like Brown. I would love for you to tell me.

I would love for you to tell me. Can I tell a story about it in the huddle, man? What? I like Tatum, I like Brown. No. The old mother fucker KG and Paul, I don't fuck with y'all. Yeah, I know that. There it go.

It's cool. There it go. I don't fuck y'all. I know that. I'm cool with that. The young generation, y'all can create y'all own beef a y'all can create y'all own whatever the more I see y'all in the grocery store its own Yeah

I don't care what it is. It could be 7-eleven around the motherfucking cheese. It's like whatever all that shit get flipped over man listen That's just how I feel like and they understand that I told him that like they know that just how I feel like and they understand that I told him that like they know that I don't know what the people they told you that he told you that. I first of all I'm trying to remember when he told me that because I never remember hearing that. Second of all when we play Miami when you Donis Haslam was out there I don't remember no hard springs, no hard fouls, shit talking and now that we're in retirement trying to get our podcast off I'm starting to hear this hate. But that's cool.

I know I rub people the wrong way. I never like Miami. I respect them. But it is what it is. I'd rather do it in a telephone booth. But if you need more room in the grocery store, that's cool too. Oh, OK. So just that one.

I'm a grown man. I ain't dodging nothing man. People gonna say what they want to say. So, you know, let it be what it is, you know, but I'm gonna be right before. Okay, but let's talk about some of those great memories. I don't imagine you have a lot of moments that felt as good as hitting the three in LeBron's face in Miami in game five when LeBron built the team to beat your team. Like you guys legitimately hated each other because you were playing for the top of the sport.

Yeah, absolutely. But it was all about basketball. Dan, I'm gonna tell you that because every year when we went to the All-Star game, it was, you know, when we see them, it was a little tension, but it was respect. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't like nobody wanted to fight or put hands,

but we showed that grit that when we was on the court, that was our identity as a Celtics. You know, when we're on the court, you know, I don't like you, you don't like me, so what? I ain't picking you up, you fall to the ground. I'm really gonna shake your hand. And that's what the robbery really was, you know? And so it looked like that on the court,

but to really hate somebody in real life. I hated them as a team. I hated that they formed a team just for us. You know what I'm saying? But that is a that era of basketball is gone just because we was passionate about winning. We was passionate about playing against the best. And that's what I feel like is missing from the game right now. Like what robberies is really out there?

You know, what you don't see people get into it. You don't really see people. It's just it's it's just another aspect of the game that drew interest toward it. And I don't really see that out there no more. You know, when everybody hanging out and shaking hands and that's cool. And all it's a different era. But I like the rivals and there's somewhat of a rival still with Miami and us.

But it really ain't the same. You know that. Paul, what's your favorite part of retirement? My favorite part of retirement, man, I'm enjoying my kids, you know, being a father to my kids. I'm enjoying traveling. I'm enjoying, you know, being in the media, doing things that I'm enjoying it, you know, being in the media, doing things that didn't know I can do business wise, you know, because I always play basketball my whole life, you know, podcast stuff, real estate. I'm in a, you know, different business ventures. And, you know, I like the time we're in.

We get to tell our own story, control our own our own media. And I'm excited about my new podcast. I'm coming out with the Truth Lounge. We launching this Friday. So join us. You know, it's going to be, we going to address all these issues too. You know, all these issues people got with me. You know, the wheelchair game, you know, we're going to address lifestyle basketball,

but it's going to be all in good and fun. Well, help me sell this part of it to the people because the truth lounge with Paul Pierce had debuts this Friday on the DraftKings Network and we are in partnership now with all the smoke productions on an assortment of projects and this is one of them and I would imagine you correct me if I'm wrong. Your nickname is The Truth and you're ending in mainstream media. You had a very good job. It was probably felt less honest to you, however that ended.

And I'm wondering if there were lessons in it for you that now birth this project in a way you could do it a little more you than the way you were doing work before. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you're going to get the authentic Paul Pierce. You know, I feel like my ending with ESPN. I think I ended like in everywhere in March. I think that was gonna be my last year anyway. I just feel like I couldn't really express myself like I want to.

With my show, I'm gonna be my authentic self. You're gonna get the whole truth, nothing but the truth. So help me God. And, you know, I get to tell my story and get the stories from other different people. Um, I got truth serum coming. So... Oh, never.

It's gonna be, you gotta tune in. You gotta tune in. Truth serum, is that class that is old or what is it? It's the truth serum. Once you take a seat with the truth serum, hey, better pray. Ha ha ha. Don Libertard.

I think I'd like to know when I'm going to die, because I sort of romanticize the idea of like living like you were dying. When you're on a countdown clock, imagine all the life experiences. Like I could go skydiving or Rocky Mountain climbing. Stugatz. Roy brings up a point though.

Like Roy does bring up a point. Like you might be risking paralysis. And it's a pretty correct. Yes, just totally trample my mind What if God forbid it says you're gonna die like a week? What if it says a week though like or two days or a month? I don't want to know that well then you just love deeper and speak sweeter and give Forgiveness as those that you've been denying Someday, I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying

you've been denying. Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying. Do you have more or is that it? No, thank you guys for letting me go through that smoothly. This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugas. So how does this work for you creatively though? Because I am curious whether this incarnation of your media career, you see the young people in these spaces, everybody's got a podcast. Why will yours be something that's different than everyone else's? Because, you know, I'm not one then to just say things

or do things for clicks. You know, I'm really authentic about mine. I get to tell my whole story. I get to talk with great people and, you know, just live my lifestyle to the fullest in retirement. You know, I don't think nobody's enjoying their retirement more than Paul Pierce the truth. And so I just want to be able to just, you know,

a lot of things I want to get off my chest and a lot of things I want to give to the people, sports wise, pop culture wise, just pure authenticity. And, you know, and like my nickname say, sports wise, pop culture wise, just pure authenticity. And like my nickname says, it's gonna be the truth. And everybody's gonna understand that and really hear from the horse's mouth. Dan, I'm gonna say this about Paul, right? Paul, I said this when you said Duane Wade,

you made your comparison to Duane Wade's career and everyone went crazy. I said, what Paul said is something that a lot of NBA players think, and I'm not even agreeing with you to be honest, but I understood what you were saying was from the heart and the truth, because I know there are a lot of players who think that

but aren't brave enough to say it out loud. And so you asked about what we can expect from the Truth Lounge. I think you can expect Paul to speak his mind, regardless of what kind of backlash he might get for because he authentically feels that way. You know what, I'm not one to shy away from the booze or the criticism.

I think that my career and my life was built on that. You know, even when I got drafted, I was projected number two. I got picked number 10. I get booed in different arenas. I got booed at the All-Star game in LA. So, you know, the crowd noise don't affect me. You know, as a matter of fact, it just, I thrive in chaos, I think.

So, how did that start? How like, because it seems like so many players nowadays are very, very sensitive to what people say about them in social media, what Skip Bayless said about them, what Stephen A said about them. How did you develop like this thick skinned, you don't care? I mean, I think growing up as an athlete, as a basketball player that I was trying to make it, I always read the criticism and every time I read it, it made me better. You know, it made me work harder. It made me get an attitude, you know, like, all right, they think this

about you. So I'm gonna do this. So I think it carried over in life, you know, not only a sportsman in life, and it's like, hey, I'm gonna brush this off and be better. You know, I use it to motivate me, you know, and so it's just gotten to the point to where, you know, I thrive in it, I welcome it. Somebody's got to wear the black hat. I mean, you know, and everybody can't ride off on the I mean, you know, everybody can ride off on the white horse. You know, somebody's got to be the bad guy. And I don't mind that.

Well, Paul, I hope, I hope you're being prodded into places where you're telling some of the more honest stories because I want to know what's the best of the memories, for example. Kevin Garnett is a world-class trash talker who has an assortment of clashes in his past. You're very close to him. Is there one above all others that is the story that gets told because it's the impressive one about Kevin Garnett had 20 years running where he talked more than anybody in the league? You know what? There's certain things I will not ask Kevin.

You know, there's certain trash talk moments that to this day I don't know things I will not ask Kevin. You know, there's certain trash talk moments that to this day I don't know and I will not ask them. And that went kind of crazy. Too personal, too personal. I promise you, I do not know the answer to like a couple of them that was rumored to be said in the trash talk. And I don't want to know.

And so, but there's a lot of stories that in the locker room and on the court that have been really good. And I'm going to save it for the podcast. So make sure y'all tune in. He's bar going. He's in bar going it. Okay. Everything right now y'all y'all y'all sneaky. Y'all think y'all slick.

Yeah, we'd like to share. We'd like to share with your stories. We don't want you to have them for yourself. We're media partners now, Paul. That's the way that works. You share it over here. We share it over there. You scratch my back.

I don't talk about the poop wheel chair. You know. Hey, when you put your hand, when y'all come in on truth lines, I got a book that's called The Truth Chronicles. You got to put your hand on it and look. I spread it to the truth, the whole truth. Alright, well then tell me one of the most memorable heat Celtic stories that people don't know.

This was the rivalry of our time over a decade. You fighting, they built their team to beat your team. I don't even know how you feel about Ray Allen right now today because he went over to their team to beat your team. I don't even know how you feel about Ray Allen right now, today, because he went over to their team. Like, what's the greatest truth that can be told here of something that hasn't been heard? All right, this is, look, all right, look, this is what I did here, and this is about Ray Allen. And I'm not even sure if this is true.

In game, we played Miami game, I think it was either game two or game five in Miami. Before the series was over, I heard Ray Allen was already looking for houses in Miami. Oh wow. I'm not sure how true that is. Oh wow. Ain't that crazy?

During the series. When did you hear it though? I heard it a little later, like maybe that crazy? During the series. When did you hear it though? I heard it a little later, like maybe that summer. OK. I heard that he was already looking for houses during the middle of the series while we're in Miami, while we're trying to beat them to go to the championship. I did hear that.

I don't think nobody heard that. That's wild. I hadn't heard that one for sure. Well, and I imagine somewhere in there because you explained to me what the rivalry what the rivalry means from a personal place when as you described that all these years later you tell that story because it feels like a betrayal to you. Yeah, it did. It did feel like a betrayal man. You know when you when you you go to war with your brothers and you do family stuff with them and their kids and your wives get along and you and their house and then next thing you know,

you go to the team that we're trying to beat and you don't even tell us or warn us or give us a phone call and you just jump shit without even like no goodbyes, no hugs or nothing. That did feel like a betrayal, you know what I'm saying? That's almost like your girl going to your best friend. And then, I mean, you know what I'm saying? That ain't cool.

That wasn't cool. At least tell him, give me a proper I mean, you know what I'm saying? That that that ain't that ain't cool. That wasn't cool. At least give me a proper break off. You know what I'm saying? So it did feel like a betrayal. And so that's why for a lot of years, we didn't talk to Ray or we didn't address him. And, you know, it was just it was tension. You know, it was tension every time we played him because I just felt like if you brothers, you're supposed to acknowledge one another where you like to or not.

And be like, look, I ain't feeling what happened with the team. I ain't feeling what's happening with management. They not giving me my money. I'm not starting no more, whatever it is. You, the bonnet, we created a locker room on and off the court. That's something you can talk to us about. Whatever you got with the management and the ownership and Danny Angel and Doc,

that's between y'all, but with your brothers, we were locker-witted every day, we deserve better than that. And that's why it was a lot of tension. And me and Ray was able to clear that up like some years later, we, as a matter of fact, how we cleared it up. We had an exhibition game in China,

and I learned that Ray was there. And I just said, you know what, let me go holler at him. And that's when we kind of cleared the air, and I told him my truth, and I felt about it, and then we've been cool since then. It's interesting that you say that because you don't strike me as the type that would get hurt very often by sports business being cold, right? Like my guess is that you got that's a veteran team there. They know how cold that business is that to hear the hurt in your voice on that one is interesting when you're just talking

about we cared about winning the championship and we went from somebody who played for us and was helping our businesses and our families and our economies and our place in Boston and now he's against us and we didn't even get to say goodbye the way we wanted to. Yeah absolutely I mean come on I mean that that that right there like I said the stuff that we went through you gotta give me a goodbye give me a hug or a dab or something. You know, I know how cold the business is. Yeah, you can leave a free agent, but it's just certain respect levels that you have amongst, you know, players like me, Ray and Kevin, you know, just certain respect levels to this. You know, I would have never been like, look, y'all, hey man, I'm not filling it over here no more.

They're not giving me the money I want. You know, I'm about to go over here, which I think, you know, I'm gonna talk to my family. It's a lot of things that's gonna come in with it. And so, you know, I just think it's a respect level now. And we've all felt disrespected. Dan, you know, on that note, I do have something I wanna ask Paul

that I've been thinking of for a long time. And I never brought it up to him, but I have been hurt by it. You know, when I ran American Ninja Warrior the second time, Paul was there, right? Oh! Oh! So we all show up, we're watching the ninjas go through it,

and Paul looks at me and he says, $500, you can't go through the first obstacle. I said, we're watching the ninjas go through it and Paul looks at me and he says $500 you can't go through the first obstacle. I said you're wrong. And then Michelle said I'll put in another, Michelle Beatles said I'll put another 500 on it. Then a couple more people went and failed and Paul says I'll give you $10,000 if you do this. And so at that point I said okay let me go stretch because, you know, a little bit of money to, man, I could, this could, this life changing for me. I don't make money like that.

So 10,000, let's do this. Paul, I got up on the stage and I looked at you. I didn't even look at the camera, I looked at you. And I would head up 10 figures, like 10, you sure about this? And you said yes. And I ran through it and I got so excited about the money because I was running great through it that I did not pay attention to the last step and I fell through it and I got so excited about the money because I was running great through it

that I did not pay attention to the last step and I fell in the water. You was almost there, you was right there. I was actually pulling it for you. I was actually pulling it for you, boom, boom. Ah! That wasn't the one, that was the first one. That is the most viewed clip in American Ninja history.

This is the, I didn't know there was a second story to this. There was a second one in LA, this one was in Miami, the one in LA. But you're saying you failed the second time. Why have I never seen the video of the second time? Paul Pierce. That wasn't it, that wasn't the one. You know, that wasn't the one.

You choked is what you're saying. Absolutely, because I was thinking about the money. Because I looked at Paul and I said, oh, it's about to happen now. I'm like going boom, boom, boom, boom. And I missed the last step because I was thinking about what I'm going to do with the money, to be honest with you. I was like, should I buy a down payment on a car,

da, da, da, and I saw the rope. I was like, I got a jump. And I ended up skipping that last step. Now, Paul, at any point during my run, did you actually believe that I was going to do it? You know what, I saw the other contestants and they were some pretty good athletes in there. I mean, and not to take anything away

from your athleticism, but I'm looking at their build and your build and they didn't do it. I was like, this is gonna be tough. All right, Amin just wanted to tell Glory Day stories about himself there and ended the interview with total self involvement. Paul, the truth lounge, you will tell your day stories about himself there and ended the interview with total self involvement. Paul, the truth lounge, you will tell your gambling stories, you will tell your deep dirty NBA secrets

and people will have to swear on the truth serum in the Bible that they're there to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, correct? And truth. All right, we can do that. Truth in the modern age of media. He's right here. Thank you, Paul. It's right here. Thank you Paul

It's good to be in business together. I'm looking forward to what what comes from this. All right. Thanks dad. Thanks for me. Thanks Paul