The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - MONTGOMERY & CO - Underrated feat. Ryan Coogler

Episode Date: July 25, 2023

We have Rhyne v. Ryan this week on Montgomery & Co. First, we chat with WNBA Rookie of the Year & 2023 All-Star, Rhyne Howard! Plus, we have the Oscar-nominated, one & only, RYAN COOGLER on the show. Here to talk to MoCo about producing Steph Curry’s upcoming Apple TV+ documentary “Underrated.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm a member of the WGA. I'm in solidarity with the writers. You know, I come to the strikers for a reason. It's a real honest guy, a labor dispute. It's a lot that needs to be sorted out before we give out the work. And I'm hoping that it gets settled in a timely fashion. business, your business, business, and all in your business value, all in your business. You say you're money, your business, my business. What's up, what's up, good people? Welcome into Montgomery Company. I'm a Montgomery. Listen, this episode is underrated.

It's probably not going to get as much love as it should, but we have two people that, I mean, they might feel a little chippin' their shoulder still. I'm sure they do, because that's just how the greatness works of it all. But we got a lot of Ryan on this episode. We're starting out with Ryan Howard, fresh off the all-star game, but I talked to her, Moko, when the go earlier,

the beginning of the season, talking about what she wanted to achieve. Then we also have Ryan Kugler. If you know you know, Wakanda forever, but Ryan's coming on because he's talking about greatness when it comes to Steph Curry, who's underrated, we got a lot, let's go! Oh!

Underrated, we're gonna be talking to Ryan Kugler as I already mentioned, but I wanna talk about underrated. We're going to be talking to Ryan Kugler as I already mentioned, but I want to talk about underrated because I was watching an interview with Steph Curry and Malika Andrews and she was like, you can't actually be underrated anymore. You can't seriously think that. He told her that the events that happened when he was young gave him a permanent chip on his shoulder. So that made me think about myself and like, so things that happen when you're a young, it doesn't matter how much success you may have afterwards. Yeah, you're you through your upbringing. It really does shape you. You really do keep whatever mentality you have when you were young.

It really does stay with you. So he was like, yeah, I have won some awards. I have been MVP, but I definitely still have this chip on my shoulders. So it made me think about myself and I'm like, all right. So what about my upbringing is literally carrying me through. And so it made me think about being an undersized guard and not just a point guard. I was an undersized guard, but I was even still

an undersized point guard. So I just knew I was going to be small, which meant that I had like this much room for air. Like I had such a small room for air. So every time I trained, I trained with that mentality that I can't mess up. Like other people can mess up and I can help them when they mess up. But I can't be the one to mess up because like stuff

mentioned in his interview, he didn't really have the physical attributes that his counterparts had, well neither did I. And so when you know you don't, okay, I can't jump like these people. I was like, you can see, if you watch Britney's psychs jump, it's like girl, what? I can't jump like Britney's psychs.

It's like, okay, well, I'm not tall, like, you know, a Britney Griner. So it's like, okay, well, I'm not tall, like, you know, a Brittany Griner. So it's like, okay, I'm not going to have the height thing, you know, I'm not going to have a physical stature and be built like a Maya Moore somebody that just looks like a physical specimen when they were playing. It's just like, okay, so then what am I going to be? Well, I'm going to be prepared. I'm going to be over prepared. I'm going to always have a good attitude and I'm gonna be prepared. I'm gonna be over prepared. I'm gonna always have a good attitude And I'm always gonna be ready and so now when I think about even my work life as like a professional because No matter when you retire, not you're always still an athlete. It's like I feel what stuff is saying

It's like I'm still gonna be over prepared. That's just my mentality is who I am now I'm still gonna always bring a good mentality or a good attitude to whatever I do. I don't care what it is. I don't care if anybody has met me in a grocery store, they're gonna know that it's me now. Like a positive attitude is literally who I am. And so it's crazy to think that your upbringing can make you who you are, but it's not who you have to stay.

Just for the people that wanna change you, they are, it's not where you have to stay. But for the people that want to change who they are, it's not where you have to stay, but when Steph Curry, he's releasing his documentary and it's called Underrated, and it goes back from his David Sondays, and it talks about a lot of different things, but it just makes you think, like as an athlete,

we really never slow down until you actually stop. Cause it's like, you lose one year, we lost in 2015, and we won in 2015, and then I'm looking for that back-to-back in 2016. But then we lost in 2016. So now I'm looking for that get back in 2017. Every year, you're constantly thinking about the next year and how to get better, how to elevate. You really don't stop and think, well, let me think about my career and how it's gone or who I am as a human or how sports has shaped me

or how sports has made me who I am. You really don't think about that. So I could definitely understand stuff Curry when he was creating his documentary and title and get underrated. I could definitely see how he could be like, oh yeah, definitely underrated. You know, he said he had a slow burn into his career.

You know, he started out at Davis in a mid major. Like that's, I started out in West Virginia. It's crazy. So yeah, so we're gonna talk a lot about underrated, but somebody that is not underrated where she better not be Amy Moore, is Ryan Howard, our number one draft pick, put some respect on her name. I was excited to see at WMBA All Star,

all of our squad, man, they all made four point shots, which is further back than the three point. It's what you do at All Star Games to make it fun. Shae and Parker made one, Big Owl made one, and of course, Ryan Howard, the sniper made one. So we're gonna have a conversation. I talked to Ryan Howard with Moco on the go at media day is all you guys know,

I've I talked to every single one of the players. I just talked to them about their process, their thoughts, you know, achieving greatness. You know, I talked to Ryan Howard specifically about like, what's your goals, girl? Like you already were rookie of the year. You were already an all-star last year. You know, she was all-star again this year.

So what goals are bigger than that? And you know, she talked to me all about it, but sometimes it's good to keep that ship on your shoulder. All right, let's go champ first of all. Coming off, welcome back, got you a little championship. Do you feel like you have to win a championship to learn how to win a championship? Um, no, I don't think so because my first championship was SEC Championship. Boom.

And so I feel like I learned all the way up until winning it. I love that. So just so people know you're playing as Cheyenne Parker, R squad versus R squad in the Italian Championship. But there's a lot of discussion now because athletes are getting your legacy, right? Your legacy building. You were rookie of the year, all star. Now you've won championship SEC Italian League.

How much does that matter to you as you're building your legacy? Personally, not that much, because I'm big on team, so we won a championship overtly in league. Like it was the we thing for SEC. It's not like that's what I was five on five, not one on one. So it is definitely gonna

add to my legacy as well as everybody who is a part of it. No I love that because this is great because there's a big discussion. Yannis said the same thing. You said like I was the process and it's a team and so as you grow and like what are you trying to do like what's your goals because a lot of people you've reached a lot of people's goals already young but so like what are things that you want to do year two? I mean personal goals of course getting the MVP race you know that. Come on! You got to follow the head up, Rikkiu here if I would have MVP. All W and V8 team, all defensive team but the main goals are team goals.

We want to get into playoffs. Fact. We want to win like we want to show people what they're missing. I love that okay so you said all defense so though I thought you were gonna say all W and V A, but you said all defense. I'm working on it. You are okay, because AGF, because AG was talking about like she was excited that she thinks y'all can hold it down defensively. We got some big guards in the building, so goals defensively. Does that take away from the offense? Do you think that might have to stutter? You like, I'm too way.

Too way. All the way. My offense is gonna from the offense? Do you think that might have to stroke her? You like, I'm too late. Too late. All the way. My offense is gonna fuel the offense. Okay, I'm hype, y'all, cause this is two of more superstars to talk about defense. What? Okay, so with this team,

you're the leader of a team. Second year, what is that like? Because you're pretty much the face of a team. At how old are you? 23. Okay, so what's that like? I mean, it's not a stressful idea to think because everybody's here to help. So as much of a face as I am, everybody's a part of it and they're not like all looking at me.

We're all looking at each other like face-to-face. It's not one person is knowing this and one person's doing that. Everybody has a say. Everybody has a voice. I love that this is like, you know what I'm saying? This is the star of our squad right now. What are the things that you're adding to your bag all the time, like in the off season, what you coming back with? You always gonna have to see. Oh, I've been ready for this season since it ended.

For real? So what, like you wanted it indifferent? That was your motivation. Like what was it? I did want it to indifferent. You know, that after that loss to New York, the locker room was I didn't want to feel like that anymore. Oh, I love that.

So when the locker rooms like that now, like they said LeBron, when they were going to the pryouts, he's like step one, he's talking to them. Who's talking in the locker room like now in situations are you one of those? Because you don't have to be. I've had teammates like Amaya Moore, who she didn't that's like talk a lot, but boy, you know, I'm saying she did a lot of like Amaya Moore, who she didn't necessarily talk a lot,

but boy, you know, I'm saying, she did a lot of talking when she was out there, but we had talkers, so what kind of leader are you? Definitely more lead by example, but I will get in the locker room and say, like what I'm seeing in her ass questions, like what are y'all seeing? Like what do y'all think we can fix?

What do y'all see for me? There are needs to fix before I can tell y'all which y'all need to fix. Just stuff like that. And then, I'll say something, everybody else says, put us in an input, and so it's just more of a conversation rather than getting on to somebody. Great. No, and so you're a number one draft pick,

and I was asking a lot of the rookies, what was the translation like, and they were talking about how physical it was, and it was a tough jump. But what's it like like when and I know you're a you're removed now But you're a number one pick coming into a draft. I mean coming into a training camp or a team like Does that change anything for you? Did you feel like look? You know matter? I got to figure this out Yeah, I mean the number only gets you to place so I know that I was I wasn't gonna have any special treatment just because I was number one I'm so apart of this team So I knew that I wasn't gonna have any special treatment just because I was number one.

I'm still a part of this team. I'm looking to be a part of this team for a long time. And so I gotta be treated the same way everybody else is gonna be treated. In order for us to have those same goals and have that connection and chemistry that we have without any animosity. No, I love this.

I'm telling you, this is what I would wanna hear. And I really believe you. I don't think you're just saying it. So what are you looking forward to? Goals, not on the court, off the court. Like, in the world, first of all, we can't see your feet. So, I want people to see your feet, because look at this, what's somebody can look at these levens.

Okay, the patent leather red and white levens. But, what are some of your, I'm sorry, I'm just siding out. What are some of your goals, though, off the court? Um, I want to be more of a presence. Like, I want, you know, what are some of your goals though, off the court? I want to be more of a presence. Like, I want, you know, people are always like, we want to see more of you. So I want to be there. This next year, I'm not planning to go overseas.

And so I'm just going to spend that time, use my platform, however needs to be used, and just give the people a bit more inside of my life. Well, your Twitter's profit, I'm not going to say. So I feel like, now that you say that I'm like, dang, I can see your personality on TikTok. Was that something you're like, I'm gonna just start being myself on social media? Yeah.

But Twitter especially, because every time I get on Twitter, it's full of laughs. Yes. Every one person always comes up sick, also, and I'm like, okay, people know what you're gonna get where, and I'm like, you know what? Yeah.

Who's gonna say anything? If they not say anything about, see it. I'm not gonna you know what? Yeah, who's gonna say anything? If they don't say anything about it, I'm not gonna be as well as it, but. No, it's great though, because I mean in the world of name, image, and likeness, I've literally think even I already knew you, and I'm like, they rinsed Twitter is like,

let your commenting on Tommy thinks. So I love that. I appreciate you staying here and all season doing with us. Ryan Howard, you guys are number one to drop pick rookie of the year all star. And we enter into new stratus fears, okay? I'm Hyattman for real, I'm going to just list a couple of the accolades of Ryan words. One time Golden Globe nomination nominated for two

Academy Awards. You guys know him through Bill station, Black Panther franchise. And now Steph Curry's documentary underrated. I could use so many basketball references, cliches, all he does is win, win, win, no matter what. You know, he's buddies with Michael

Be Jordan. They collab all the time. But I love like y'all know I'm way to into, I call Atlanta Wakanda all the time. If anybody has heard me speak, when I'm always mission in Atlanta, I call it Wakanda down here. So we got that guy. And he's just continuing along with greatest

because I love Black Panther franchise, but then also Steph Curry is like, gonna be the greatest shooter of all time. It's not even gonna be up for debate. So it's just like my worlds are colliding. You guys, I'm about to talk to Ryan Kugler. The man that needs no introduction, Ryan Cougler, he's known for a lot of different projects for Roll Station by Panther and now Steph Curry's documentary underrated, which is out right now on Apple TV. We have the legend, Ryan Cougler.

Welcome to Montgomery Company. Thanks for having me. I always like to connect sports and entertainment because anybody that's worked with an athlete or work with an entertainer, there's so much synergy and I didn't really know it until I retired because there's certain types of ways that we go about things. So when you first got approached to work on Steph Curry's project, you know, what were your thoughts considering, you know, you're usually in more of the simmnatic film role. So what made you say yes to Steph Curry's underrated? That's a great question. I found that a media company with my wife and our friend,

Seville Hanyan, my wife is Anzacougla. We started proximity media in 2018. We started off with Space Jam, which we were fortunate to work with the Brown one and Judas and the Black Messiah. That was our first couple of movies. And in the years following, we decided to expand all the nonfiction podcasts and television. And when Eric Payton and Steph gave me a call from the anonymous and had this idea for what would become

Steph and Curry underrated, I was actually really excited because we were set up as a company. We were ready to handle to handle an income and call like that. And it was a beautiful idea and Pete Nix, who we recruited the partner with us and run nonfiction for us. Very experienced nonfiction filmmaker and from the in the style of cinema veritate. He had just finished up a trilogy about different communities in Oakland, different systems in the city. He kind of felt that this fit right into that creative line of a thought, that creative dialogue,

doing a story about Steph, who's an adopted son of Oakland, who's brought us a lot of great pride and joy and success and positivity in his run with the Warriors. We're able to get going on that. And obviously Steph means a lot to us being from the Bay Area. I got an alarm in this time there and we were really excited to be the ones

to help them tell the story. It's just crazy. First of all, y'all starting out with Space Jam and Judas and the Black Messiah. Like, congratulations congratulations my goodness that is oh that a way to jump out of the gates. I've watched an ESPN interview with Steph and Malika and I talked about this earlier in the in the podcast but how is it possible? I want you to explain to me how a man like Steph Curry who was one for championships and two MVP. He said

he still feels underrated Ryan like you you were around him, you feel the project. I'm sure it explains further, but like can you just talk about that mentality? I think people who are exceptional at what they do, they tend to have to have a competitive drive that powers them through it. And that tends to be kind of well ties them all together. You know, there's love for the pursuit of their goals.

He's adopted that underdog identity based off of how he came up and Pete does a beautiful job of telling that story in this film. And I think that he could still find like we're all of the analytics and all of the personalities and all of the, it's just a ubiquity of different voices out there in this day and age of media.

There's still people out there who still adopt him. you know, you're still here from them and come and say, yeah, I think it's against conventional wisdom, but, but it exists. You know what I'm saying? And it's not hard for him to find it. You know, I'm sure there'll be people, you know, this year who say, yeah, man, you know, steps do for the client or the wires are going to do X Y Z, you know, and it's just fuel for his fire at this point But what's great about the movie and this project is that you know, the title is underrated He faced crafted a beautiful film that's a testimony to to the community to the family to the mentors that actually didn't underwrite stuff That saw his value saw in him, you know, not just the potential for what could be, but, but the truth that was there at the moment, you know, this was a guy who was committed to, to, to

winning, you know, even when he was very young, who could shoot the ball phenomenally, maybe not at a very young age and, and everybody who, who invested in him, you know, it really paid off them, you know, yeah, definitely. I think that any athlete like, I mean, like when you were saying that, I literally thought about my family because I'm standing at five, six. So when you think, like everybody that sees me, always like, I thought you were going to be taller. You, you, you know, for right, they start the question was, I really the one that was hoping for 11 years of the W and B.A.

Because that is literally all of our ethos where, but my family, though, my parents would have been like, yes, and we do. She was about to be in the WBA. So as you're saying that, I feel like the film is gonna do that for people that, if you know you know group, you know, like people like me, like I already feel connected to the project because I'll probably, every athlete,

even probably people like you probably, we all feel underrated, right? Like are there, like, do you feel like you're probably still a little bit underrated? I don't know, like I just feel like it's if you're trying to achieve greatness. I think I think it's such a relatable concept for sure. Like if you work in an industry where you don't fit the packaging for what a successful person is supposed to look like, you know, or you don't behave in a particular way that people associate with the stereotypes that that brings

the session that feels, session that feel like in basketball because it's played on a 10 foot court this work kind of selects off a height, you know, you know, I'm saying, but you have the average height might be this, but you have players that are above and below it, you know, and if height were all that went into it, it'd be a lot of different people in that league than they were, but you know, for me, you know, I work in an art and a film industry, you know, most directors don't look like me. The subjects that my work tends to portray, with somebody in my blood and narrative that says, all of these movies should surely be out of certain budget, or are we going to expect to get this

type of return? That's another form of being underrated, or the cousin of being underrated is underappreciated, or undervalued. You can't listen to that voice. The voices, you got to listen to it or the voices that see the value. And you know, I see the success that's there for them if they were to invest in it. And that's what the film is, is truly the ball. I love that. And I love that. It's told, like you said, like you can see a lens of it through you. It's told through Steph Curry's lens, but I feel like we're all going to have a certain lens

that we can see ourselves through it and that underrated and that underrated mindset. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one.

I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're going to see the next one. I'm not sure if you're't seen it yet. I just got in from Vegas. But I'm just like, listen, I hope that y'all address the fact that there's a large amount of people online that say that Steph Curry is not a real human. And I'm going to give you another reason why. Yeah, like I'm going to tell you why because they say the way he shoots, it's like it's impossible.

He makes it stuff. For this. Have you watched the inside the NBA on T. It's it stepford list. Have you watched the NBA on the NBA? It's definitely. Yes. So then he also recently just won a golf championship, Ryan. I'm sorry, but this is not step is not. What's golf, but like reputation and hand-like coordination, you know what I'm saying? It's something that he cares about. He plays often. He's been in that tournament before he wanted to win. And I'm sorry, sorry for him, man, but, you know, I'm not surprised.

Exactly. No, yeah. I would be surprised if they told me like, he went like a bullfighting competition or something like that. You know what I'm saying? But like, like golf, you know what I mean? I'm like, oh yeah, I make sense, you know what I mean? I mean, I'm so glad you said that because I was just about to say, are certain things

transferable. I honestly firmly believe that a winning mentality is transferable because I went from being a WNBA player and now I'm a co-owner and vice president and I kept my exact same mentality where we're competitive. We got to be the best. Is that graphic? Oh, no, our graphics are hit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's that fire.

It's like, have you seen that, basically, mentality's transfer, like even with you? Absolutely, specifically with athletics. Like, I mean, a lot of people in my industry that were former athletes and really serious. Like, my heart's shivering. Was a college basketball player.

Barry Jenkins played football for months of his life. He was very serious. It's a young woman who made a film called Earth Mama, who was an Olympic volleyball player. In the industry of filmmaking and performance, it does cross over a lot with athletics and business, you know, and a little bit of politics as well, you know. So you'll see people who are very competitive

and understand team dynamics and accountability of show up quite a bit. And it's a military focus too. So yeah, I think look with transfires discipline, transfires ability itself discipline, ability to do what you say you're gonna do. You know, you talk to people you'll be there at seven a.m., you're there at six, fifty five, that kind of thing.

I have a bone. And that's probably a little bit late, honestly, like, if I'd like it, my dad, if I supposed to be there at 7. If I got there at 6.55, I think anything could have went wrong and I'm tripping because I could have easily been five minutes late, rather than just five minutes early. So yeah, yeah, that, that rings a bell. You know, on film stage, man, I can point out the former athletes because we usually there way too early, you know. I can point out the former athletes because we used it the airway to early. Max just in case and I like to get my mind. I like to be there so I can get my mind together being the right

headspace. We used to play sports. Oh, yeah, yeah. I play college football. I play football my whole life. Okay. So that's that's just a whole life now because I'm getting up there. But yeah, like my form of years, yeah.

That's crazy. So that makes a lot of sense, because when you was talking to us for stuff, I was like, dang, he knows me. I was like, oh my God, but you know, you know you. I mean, you play professionally, that's another boy game. I played for, I was on scholarship, you know what I'm saying?

But actually working, getting your checks, and pinching and insurance from playing that boy, that's a whole other line, you know. But you still achieve that 2%. And first of all when you said you getting up there We're around the same baby. So let's calm down Stay right with us. We have more with Ryan Kugler coming up next. We talk about how like Steph Curry, when he's done playing, he will go down as the greatest shooter of all time. There's no debate.

Even the greatest shooters have already said he's the greatest shooter of all time. We like, when you look at like at your career, the Black Panther franchise, everything you're doing now, the Judas and the Black Messiah. I always call it Atlanta Wakanda, you know, I'd be like, listen, I live in Wakanda. There's a lot of black excellence down here. Don't try to add stuff around here. Like, you know, so what has all said and done with your career? Like, how do you want people to view your body of work?

When it's all said and done, you mean like, you mean like, when I'm out of here? No, I'm just saying, when you're looking back at like, as like as athletes, you know, Steph Curry, I watched his interview and he was like, it's kind of weird to look back and I'm still in my career. I never looked back until I was done, but I think like for you, you're creating work as we speak too,

but like, Steph is already gonna go down as the greatest shooter. It's no debate, but you know, what do you want your body of work to be seen as, you know? I think that's where art and what I do is entertainment. So it's art makes for commerce, I guess. But that's where they differ from sports.

Like, sports, it can be very definitive. And I'm saying, there's a pain involved, but it is also statistics. And I'm saying, nobody's made more than three pointers in this car. That's a measurable fact. You know, that can't be argued. We have very few metrics like that in our business besides like a box office type metric

or whatever. You know what I'm saying? You know, there's a lot of opinions and polls and things of that nature. But like, it's not like sports where you're trying to like measure against other people you're trying to win championships or what have you, you know, and I actually appreciate that about it because about the time I got done with ball, you know, I was actually ready to step away from that, you know, I mean, and look at something that was a little more room

for interpretation, a little more room for measuring success, something where everybody could win, like winning, didn't mean having to take somebody else out, you know, I mean, no, yes, I do feel you. So you can collaborate, you know what I mean? Like if you like the works my else is doing, I mean, let's make something together, you know, so I actually quite appreciate that.

And I think if I was to think about like, what I want people to think about after I'm gone is just that, as I may, honest work, you know, I hope I'll have left the industry and the filmmaking community, I'll have some contributions, you know, that paid it for it. You know, that's all I would ask, you know.

Well, I'm gonna tell you then, was somebody who, you know, I study entertainment. We have thing-tank production is my own company as well with my wife. I'm gonna tell you what I think about your work because I've seen almost everything you've done. And I think that every time you do something, there's an underlining message piece that's happening in the actual film. Like there's the film,

and then there's like what it stands for. So there's black panther, but then it's the culture that it stands for. And like it's a whole eighth of like, I call a whole city now. I'm mentality is black panthers. We're conned here Atlanta, because black excellence. And then I think about you did Tread One.

You started our great black boxer hope. Like, you know what I mean? Like you started that whole thing and we know Fruitville station, Judas in the black Messiah. When I think about your body of work, it's like there's a statement being made and I agree with you.

It's not the metrics that, like I'm not talking about box office metrics. I'm not talking about nominations awards, but I think your body of work is loud. And now knowing that you were a former athlete, it makes sense that you can do a creed or you get that kind of mentality because athletes know a certain grind and I'll even say entertainers. Like there's a certain grind that you've got to have when the show must go on. Everybody ain't evil. Everybody ain't built for the show must go on no matter what's going on in your life. Like you know what I'm talking about, right? Where it's like your world could be crumbling around you. And then it's like I got a game tonight. But I think I got to pull it together. So I just think that your your body of work just it speaks so loudly. That's why I was curious what

what you saw in your body of work. Because to me it's loud. That's why I was curious what what you saw in your body of work as to me. It's loud. That's kind of you to share. Yeah, I'm just working. You know what I'm saying? Trying to make things that I that I honest that make sense that are incredibly inspiring for me when I'm making them in and with this with this film specifically, you know, I got to collaborate with one of my favorite people, you know, Pete Nicks who runs nonfiction

for us high proximity. And it was really just like kind of helping facilitate him delivering his vision on a movie that's about the power of being seen. Stuff was seen by a certain group of people, his family, his coach, the community at Davidson, the community, and Oakland where I'm from. We saw him for what he was.

We were alone for the ride for what was gonna happen. You know, not what could be what was destined. You know what I'm saying? And that part of it was just fantastic. One last thing, we know that you said you create stuff and you just want to create honest pieces. There's currently the strike school and on everybody knows about like,

what are your thoughts and how do you think the strike will affect the industry moving forward. I'm a member of the WGA. So my union is one of the two major unions that I want to strike right now. I'm here in solidarity with my fellow writers and also with our civil union screen actors guild who just joined the strike some days ago. And I'm able to promote this film because it's nonfiction, it was originated with non-WGA or SAG work, you know, so thankfully,

I'm able to promote this, but yeah, I'm in solidarity with the writers, you know, like the strikers for a reason, you know, it's a real honest to God, labor dispute. It's a lot that needs to be sorted out before we give out the work, and I'm hoping that it gets so, you know, in a timely fashion. I see parallels with the women's game.

We, you know, women's basketball is constantly growing and trying to have larger everything, salaries, lifestyle. So I see so many parallels. One last question about underrated, like, what do you take away from working on a project like that? You know, like a lot of times when you work on a piece, a little bit of something leaves with you on every piece. Like, what do you take away from that?

What I take away, what I look at, and I look at the film is, is, you know, I think everybody could identify with Steph. Everybody's been underrated before, but I'll find myself hoping that I can be like coach McKilla, you know, like as a leader, you know, I'm hoping that I can, that I can see people for what is and not what's missing.

Cause I think that that's when you kind of transcend running a meal or or or standard leadership and you can become a great leader. You know, sometimes you gotta believe in people that might not necessarily believe in themselves. You know, like um, but really paying attention to who's in front of you and what makes them great. Man, I sounds like sports will run. I'm a big fan of yours as you know, and I hope the one day work alongside of synergy pull up on as if you're ever in Atlanta. We have a wb 18 the Atlanta

dream here. We're building something special. But thank you for joining me on gum reenco y'all please check out underrated on Apple TV. It covers the years of Steph Curry at Davidson. He tells why he declined Duke stuff covers what made him have a permanent chip on his shoulder.

It's gonna be a masterpiece because Ryan, that's what you do. Shout out to Pete Nix, who also had a heavy hand in this. And honestly, Pete, I still, I'm gonna highlight you, though, Pete, we repeat, we're supposed to chop it up. So thank you for joining me on my Gumbry Company. You know, I was gonna have to do this one time. People, let's go!

Let's go! Let's go. Thank you, Ryan. All right, take care. I tried to tell y'all this episode is underrated because when you get to hear from people that are trying to achieve greatness, have a tree, greatness, like these are gyms that are dropping. And one thing that always sticks with me and most of all the connectivity between athletes entertainers is to control your controllables.

Like if you talk to anybody that Kobe, you can set a watch by him. He walks in the gym at the same time. He eats at the same time. He sleeps at the same time. TV 12, he made a whole package around how he just handles his body, his mind, everything. He controls every controllable.

So one way to achieve greatness or start to do it or to make generational changes is to control your controllables. We'll see y'all next week, whereas the generational thing here at Mocha.