The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - Lakers/Clippers Darren Collison Alert; Zags Legit; Raptors SG Matt Thomas On His Incredible NBA Journey

Episode Date: January 3, 2020

This week, Gottlieb discusses the rumors of a Darren Collison comeback, the Lakers and Clippers pursuit of the currently retired guard, why the Lakers might have to cut Rondo to make it work, and his take on Gonzaga and other top college teams as we enter the new year. This week's guest is Raptors SG Matt Thomas, who tells his incredible story of overcoming obstacles during his childhood, at Iowa State, and playing overseas before landing his current deal with the Raptors. Make sure you download, rate and subscribe here to get the latest All Ball Podcasts! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

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this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett. My mama want you to weigh better. What?

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Amazon is a proud, equal opportunity employer. Happy, happy, happy new year. Welcome in to All Ball, the All Basketball podcast. I'm so fortunate to have met people and tell their stories or help them tell their stories along the way. Our guest this week is Matt Thomas. He's a guard or forward or he's a professional shooter, really, right? For the Toronto Raptors. And I got to know him actually through T.J. Olsenberger, who just pulled off a massive upset of Utah State coaching at UNLV.

TJ's also from Wisconsin. And of course, now the head coach of UNLV. But back then was the assistant coach of Iowa State. And he's like, man, do you know the Matt Thomas story? No. It's an amazing story. I'll let Matt tell some of it. For those of you who haven't read,

I did a piece on it when I was at CBS. Matt was a kid. Grew up in got a hard scrabble, Wisconsin. Not really hard scrabble, whatever. Dad had some issues. Parents got divorced when he's nine. Dad had drug and alcohol addiction issues. And his dad killed himself when he's 11 years old.

Not when his dad was 11 when Matt was 11 years old. and kind of the village of his hometown raised him. And he became a two-time All-State player. They won state championship, magnificent high school career, goes to Iowa State to play for Fred Hoyberg and really kind of struggled. You know, couldn't get minutes. Didn't seem like he had an advocate. And even though you would think a guy that shoots that well is that smart and that tough,

he almost went to play for Tony Bennett at Virginia. Remember, Tony Bennett, of course, grew up in the state of Wisconsin, and his dad was head coach at UW Green Bay, so there's some connection there. Anyway, thought about transferring, and boy, he's just an amazing story, an amazing guy, and making it from Iowa State, going through Spain,

playing the ACB for two years, and now signing a three-year deal with the Toronto Raptors. He joins us on the All-Ball podcast. Let me give you a couple of NBA thoughts coming off of Christmas break or the Christmas Day game, no real break. You've seen the reports now about Adrian Ward. Adrian Wardowski saying,

Darren Collison is likely to come out of retirement. I'd heard that as well from a lot of people in L.A. saying, you know, D.C. is working out. And he's an interesting guy who's a tremendous player at UCLA. And he had a really good NBA career and has made himself into a solid starting point guard. And, you know, he's a Jehovah's Witness. His family and religious issues made him want to retire early, even though he had an offer to play for the Lakers with LeBron James. Well, the Lakers still need a point guard.

The Clippers need a point guard. And Darren Collison would like to play in the city of Los Angeles. I think the whole thing's fascinating. Now, maybe even more interesting is what the Lakers would have to do. Would they just cut Boogie Hussein's and there they'd have the roster spot, although that Boogie Cousins roster spot is probably reserved for Andre Godala? So then you have one more roster. How do you create the other roster spot?

is it Quinn Cook or is it Rondo? And the fascinating thing with Rondo would be, you know, many in L.A. have criticized, well, why are you playing Rondo so much? What about Caruso? And obviously, if you go back to the Christmas Day game, Caruso didn't really look like he was ready for that level of NBA. A little too hesitant to even look at the basket. I think, I just think, is me thinking out loud. I almost think that if the Lakers are going to make that change, they probably make that change and cut Rondo or trade giveaway Rondo to somebody else,

which is fascinating to go from a guy who's a starting point guard of the Lakers to being cut. But I think part of that is there is the belief that Rondo just at this point in his career, personality-wise, can't take a subservient role. Some guys can go from starter to five minute in a game guy, wave the towel, be the world's greatest teammate. Maybe it's because of ego. Maybe it's just because of how he's wired. I don't know. My feeling in watching is that one of the reasons that Rondo has been in in big instances is Frank Vogel.

I don't think he's afraid of him. I think he's just trying to figure out can he win big with Rondo. And I think the answer is no. No matter what he's shooting from. Rondo can't make big shots. He doesn't, he's never really been a great defender. He's just gotten steals. And he doesn't finish well at the rim at all in the last five years.

This is my kind of semi-bold prediction. If the Lakers get Darren Collison, I would think they're going to cut Rajan Rondo. All right, let's work our way to the college game before we get you to Matt Thomas. In the college game, look, I do think we're starting to get some clarity on teams. Do I think there's an incredible amount of parity? Of course. That's why there have been so many number one teams in the country. But I think Gonzaga is real, you know?

In terms of their depth of talent, their culture, program, their ability to score, I think Gonzaga is real. And they're number one in the country. They do have one loss in the season, obviously. That loss was to Michigan, and they got blown out and didn't play well. And look, I don't think, I don't know if Michigan's that as good they played that night. You know, remember in that game,

Michigan ends up 12 of 23 from three point range. Isaiah Livers just lights them up. So you have a stretch four. And Killing Tilly played in that game. And my fear with Gonzaga is that Ryan Woolridge and Admond Gilder, who are two tremendous players, his transfers. And like, Gilder's a bucket getter.

I don't know how he'll play against St. Mary's. and in big, big, big games. Same thing with Woolridge. Like he's played, they, none of these, Woolridge hasn't played at this level and in super important games in March. How do those guys react?

So I do kind of fear that with their guards. And they didn't play well in that game against that level of competitiveness. But I think in terms of being there for the end of the year, they just have so much talent and so much skill. I can't see Gonzaga going away. I think Duke's really good. I just do.

And I know they lost at home to Stephen F. Austin. And Trey Jones has been hurt some. But it's a good overall team. You can't compare it to previous Duke teams because they don't have to play previous Duke teams. Right? You just had to play this year's teams. And Carolina obviously down, Virginia obviously down. I think Louisville is really good.

By the way, speaking of Louisville, you know, I had them my number one team in the country. And something, maybe Fresh Kimball is just a bad practice player. Maybe he was a little bit thick. took him, I don't know, but he's falling back into favor. He got hurt at the end of Kentucky game, but he's the type of really good college guard leader that this team needs while, you know, their freshmen kind of come of age. I still think Louisville is an elite team. I think Kentucky's an elite.

I mean, Kansas is an elite team. You know, Kansas, Bill has gone to four out one in, and I do think that he should at least tinker in conference play with a super small lineup. playing Sylvia D'Souza at the five maybe and really opening up the floor but they have a big man that I don't know how many big guys are there in college basketball let alone a guy with that much experience

they have a tremendous point guard great coaching staff and awesome culture of those four teams I'd be stunned of two aren't in the final four hey one thing I always thought I'd do on this on this pod is share with you a fun story

something fun something funny and I don't know if I've shared this one before. My man Gary Bell listens to this pod. He's a former teammate at Notre Dame. And so here's my story of the pod. So Gary Bell's from Jolie, Illinois. He was outspoken, loquacious, he was super, super funny. And one of my favorite stories is when I was at Notre Dame during Christmas break,

like I think many schools are still on break and you're downloading and listen to this pod, Some were back in session. Instead of having the dining hall, and now everybody has training table, we used to get money for breakfast and lunch. And then at dinner, we'd pick a restaurant and they'd pick our meal for us so there was like no money limit. And I'll never get this. One night we went to Outback Steakhouse, grape road, Mishawaka, Indiana. The way it would work, as I said, was we would have our entire meal pre-ordered. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing

and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior. and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social. and connect it. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this

podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. App, salad, maybe some soup, entree, dessert. We had no see. We had no say in the matter. None. And what ended up happening was we walked into Outback Steakhouse, we sit down, there's no menu, there's no nothing else, and we're

all talking, we're all drinking our drinks, and they're starting to bring out all the appetizers and we're eating, and G. Bell calls over the waiter and say, yo, my man! Well, we got working for dinner tonight. He's like, you know, steaks, you actually can pick which way you want it cooked. What we got for appetizers?

And he tells us, you know, you got calamari, you got fries, You got baked potatoes. You get the blooming onion. What are you all working for dessert? Brownies a la mode. So my man G. Bell's from Jolie in Illinois. And he's, you know, he's funny. But I don't think this was intentionally funny.

It's one of my favorite stories. He said, Allah, what? It's a brownies a la mode. Man, I don't want no Mexican shit. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800 flowers. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1800flowers.com.

Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune in. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles.

They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too.

Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Let's get to Matt Thomas, who of course is a guard, a wing, a shooter, a sniper for the Toronto Raptors. An amazing personal story. One that takes us from Wisconsin to Iowa State to jail, all the way back to Iowa State, to the NBA.

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Doug Gottlieb show weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app. Matt, thanks so much for joining us in the All Ball podcast. Your story has been talked about some, written about some. I think the whole thing is fascinating. And first, congratulations. What is it like to be an NBA player?

It's good to be here on the pod, but, you know, it's been a fun ride. You know, I had a lot of ups and downs in my life and, you know, in my career. But I wouldn't trade for anything. I wouldn't trade my path for anything. I'm just extremely fortunate to be in the situation I am in now. I'm just trying to live in the moment and have fun with it. So look, you grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. What are your, like, so what are your first, where's the first place you hooped in?

You know, my mom is from Dubuque. I was born in Decatur, Illinois, actually. I only lived there until I was like three or four. And then the family and I moved to Alaska, Wisconsin, where I grew up. All right, so you're in Wisconsin. and, okay, so in Alaska, Wisconsin, first memories of hoop is what? Probably either outside in my backyard, unlike the patio, with the basketball hoop that we had basically stole slash borrowed from our neighbors

who played soccer, so they didn't really use it, but it was one of those basketball hoops that you can kind of, like, roll over. So we got that in our yard. either playing out there or in the house or in the basement. When I was young, we had one of those Fisher-Price hoops, so I used to always play on that. Who is your neighbors that you stole the hoop from? The Moors.

They are the Moors. Like I said, big soccer family, so they always played soccer. For whatever reason, they had a basketball hoop. But they're like, yeah, I mean, once we started playing on it, yeah, you just keep it. You know, we don't need it. And I know you grew up shooting and hooping at the YMCA, right? You know, once I got a little bit older, yeah, the YMCA was a place that I was always at.

I was always, you know, the one, like, grabbing the calendar, like checking the calendar online, figuring out when the gym time was going to be open or during the holidays, like, making sure the gym was still open or, like, finding time when I could be there. and then, you know, my mom was always good about making try to ride, ride to the wide, too, and then once I got old enough to try myself, the wine state was definitely a place where I developed and played a lot of basketball. So your dad struggled with addiction growing up. Was it just drinking or was it other stuff?

I mean, it was some drugs and alcohol. I was at such a young age. when everything was going on with him, struggling with those addictions. You know, I didn't exactly know what was going on. I mean, I didn't know anything was going on, you know. So when he took his life, I was 11 years old. I was nine when my parents got divorced. And then it was two years after that when that happened when he took his own life.

So it was an extremely tough time in my life. and but at the same time it's helped shape me to who I am today and it definitely brought our family closer together at that, you know, going through that together. And like I kind of said at the beginning, you know, everything that I've gone through has definitely shaped me and I wouldn't, you know, trade anything for it or trade anything. How do, how have you processed it?

Like, you know, you shared the story with me a couple years ago when you were playing at Iowa State. You shared the story with a lot of other, publications, is it, is it cathartic? Does it feel like a relief to have shared it? Or when you, when you hear it, when people bring it up, and I apologize for bringing it up, if it does make you, do you, do you still feel kind of the, uh, the angst, the agony of what you went through at such a young age? Sometimes, you know, when you, you know, it triggers some memories, you know, talking about it and being it up at the same time, I, I like sharing, I like sharing it because,

uh, I feel like I'm in a situation now and, you know, the platform. form that basketball has given me has, you know, allowed me to, you know, you know, where my story can get out and, you know, reach a lot of people. So, you know, sharing my story can help someone else in need or, you know, people have reached out to me with, you know, with, with addictions or themselves having an addiction just because they saw my story and, you know, I feel like that's kind of what life's all about or, you know, my purpose is, you know, to try to help others and inspire and make an impact on others. And, you know, like I was just saying, basketball has giving me that platform to do that.

So when I share my story, it just allows people to kind of relate to me. It almost came to an end at Iowa State, right? When you got a DUI, what was, take me through that night that you got to do. What do you remember about the night you got to DUI? Most things about it, you know, it was between my freshman and sophomore year. At Iowa State, it was in the summer, though. So I think I was 19 or 20 at the time, and, you know, I remember the house party that I was at when, you know, when it all went down and, you know, I was leaving the house party. And like I had done, you know, growing up in Wisconsin, across Wisconsin, it hit big, you know, drinking is kind of in the culture.

And I had done it before, you know, when, you know, just had a few beers or had a few drinks and, you know, got behind the wheel in drool. home, not to say that it's okay by any means. But, yeah, you know, the chill light was out or the brake lane was out, and I got pulled over, and I, you know, I was underage, but I blew over the legal limit anyways. That was another, you know, big point in my life because, not to say I was going down the wrong path, but it definitely got me back on the path that I wanted to be on, and it helped me, like, reprioritize what was important in my life, you know, and that's, you know, my faith, my family basketball,

some of my friends. And, again, I'm glad I'd happen the way it did. I was able to learn the way I did without hurting anyone else in the process and not hurting myself in the process. And, you know, I'll never get behind the wheel after having alcohol again in my life. What changed in terms of basketball after that moment? Because if you go back, right? If you go back, you had a, you know, your first two years,

you know, you start a couple, you started half the season, your freshman year, you didn't start your second year, and then your junior and senior year. Obviously, Naz Long getting hurt helped you in terms of your minutes and number of shots, but what changed for you in terms of basketball? That changed. You know, I just, I was able to work out more. Like I said, I kind of reprioritize what was important in my life. You know, I wasn't drinking.

I wasn't going out. And that happened after my freshman year. So it actually, you know, right away, the results definitely didn't come because, you know, my entire sophomore year, I was in great shape, my body felt good. I felt like I was good. But because of that DUI,

I actually had, I was suspended the first three games. We had a couple transfers come in, who were really talented, who were eligible to play. And I kind of, I was kind of in that backseat to those guys because of my suspension. It's, you know, in college basketball

and in any sport, you know, at the beginning of the season, you know, roles get established really quickly, you know, and me having to sit out those first three games for the suspension kind of got me off to a slow start. In my minutes, you know, fluctuating were up and down that entire year as a sophomore. But like I said, I thought I had a really good year. I developed a lot of the player and a person that year as a sophomore.

I'm going through that. You know, I was going to probation classes and doing a lot of things that I've never thought I would be in a position to do, but then it helped me once my opportunity did come that junior and season, junior and senior season to fully take advantage of that. I believe you led the country in free throw shooting your junior year. You shot 90% from the line. What's your routine at the free throw line? My routine now, at the time I think it was the same.

Just one dribble. I just do one rhythm dribble and let it go. I try not to overthink it. I know how good of a shooter I am. I know the work that I put in. I try to just stretch my stroke, you know, get that one rhythm dribble and let it fly. You aim above the front of the rim, front rim, back rim? Like, what is your – everybody says why I look for the back of the rim, right?

But I don't know what you – when you actually – and maybe now you don't think of because you've so much muscle memory, is there a spot that you pick out that you aim for? It's funny because, yeah, as a kid and as I've got older, I've been told to do different things that I don't necessarily do as a shooter. I've been told to look at the back of the rim where I always look at the front of the rim. I've also been told never to watch the ball once it leaves your hand and I've always, when I shoot the ball, once it's in the air,

I watch the arc, I watch how it's flying to the air until it goes in. So those are a couple of things that I've just always done and like you said, it's all muscle memory at this point. But yeah, when I'm shooting free throws or any shot on the court, I've always been a front of the room guy. That's probably why when I miss I normally miss short. but no, I've always been in front of the room guy.

Okay, I mean, and I, and I, your, your story is amazing, but I also think, like, the technical aspects of your thought process as a shooter because there is a repetition to it. There is a work ethic to it. Like, is there a number of shots a day that you always get up? Is there, you know, what is, what is the routine that's built you into this unbelievable shooter? Yeah, I've been, I always get asked, like, the same question is, like,

how many shots do you get in a day or how long do you, spend at the gym and I've never been able to answer it because like for me it's it's uh it's kind of just I I always I'm in the gym and it's it's when I feel like I've put in enough work or I feel good about myself then then I leave and normally that ends up in me sometimes overworking myself so I've I've had to I've had to kind of find that balance um as I've got older and try to be smart not not kill my kill myself or kill my body especially like when it when it's the day right before the game. You've got to stay fresh. But, you know, I've just always been a guy. Like, I want to make sure I get in as much work as I need to feel good. And that's never been,

that's never been, just like, I'm going to make 10 shots at this spot and then 10 at this. And then when that's done, I'm out. It's always, I always normally, I end up to an extra stuff. Matt Thomas is our guest on the All Ball podcast. Let's go back to Iowa State. in addition to what happened with your father, the OWI, which is the term for the DUI that you got, your suspended three games. Fred Hoyberg also left, right? Like you got all these other things going on,

and Steve Prome becomes your head coach. T.J. Altsenberger, he comes back, who of Wisconsin guys, now the head coach at UNLV. How did that work? How did they keep you? You know, what was the relationship like that kept you? you on track in terms of who is your guy that you talked to and you dealt with during your junior and senior year?

Yeah, I mean, with TJ coming back, because, you know, TJ was the guy who recruited me out of high school, who I became really close with and who I'm still close with today, and him coming back from Washington at the time to Iowa State that my junior year was really big for me. Because in those first two years, I didn't really have anyone in my corner. on the staff, you know, and having TJ there, you know, in my corner, definitely helped me in my junior year. Just getting, you know, getting comfortable because those first two years, you know,

they were tough both on and off the court. And like I said, I was in a good place with, you know, with my game and my body. I just hadn't been able to, you know, produce or really had the opportunity to produce until that junior and senior year. So he was a great, you know, resource, and he's been a great mentor for me my entire life. your last game, your senior year, was at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Considering everything you went through, right? Coaching changes, assistant coaching changes, your own kind of personal growth.

When you close your eyes and you think back, kind of the irony to losing and then losing in your home state, losing in Milwaukee, all your family and friends, like, is it positive memory? Like, what are the memories like of playing your last game? Like, look, everybody in college basketball set for one team loses their last game. But sometimes it's the place. Sometimes it's the way. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough, because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, I Heart Radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys?

This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clipper Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You remember about how it ended? It was tough. It was definitely cool, though, for me. If I can remember, yeah, that was the first time, I think, in my entire career that I played back in my home state. You know, we never played Wisconsin or Marquette or Green Bay.

I think we played Milwaukee, but it was in Ames. So that was the first time I actually played in my home state. So it was really cool having so many friends and family there. We had a tough matchup playing against Purdue. I think that year, like, Deonti Burton was playing the five for us. And he's 6'5 on a good day. And Purdue had Caleb Swan again and Isaac Hodge, just two guys. They just had a little bit too much size for us to handle.

So it was a tough matchup for us. but I myself, I remember I played great that game. I really got in a good rhythm from the beginning. I'm pretty sure you'd have to check the stats, but I want to say I was like 9 for 11, 9 for 12 from the field and had 20 points. So it was tough going out that way, especially after having a good game. You know, you want to keep playing.

And I can't remember who else would have done in that bracket who we would have played in the Sweet 16. But just to have another game in my home state and then potentially advance. And it's always tough. You know, it was tough for, you know, your college career has come to a hand. But, you know, I was confident that there was going to be more basketball for my future. Yeah, it's kind of interesting, right, that if you look back, and by the way, you were 9 of 11, 2 of 4 from 3.

You only started with an offensive rebound. You also had three assists, no turnovers, 20 points, 37 minutes. And, you know, you guys made a furious comeback in the second half and came up a little bit short of Purdue. But you look back and your starting lineup, right? Like Deontes in the league. NAS in the league, isn't he? Right? And then...

Yep, he's on. Yeah. And then... Pacers, Montemortez is in Denver. Yes, I mean, we have... So that roster at 3. Is there... And then, I mean, I played with George Nyang,

who's with Utah, Abdul Nader. But those guys... I was a senior that year. Those guys were gone. But I played, yeah. And that's just a tribute to, you know, Iowa State and both Fred Hoybury

and Steve prone for, you know, giving us so much... much freedom offensively and kind of just teaching us how to play the game and how, you know, the way they teach the game definitely translates to the NBA. And that's just a testament of that is all that's having success right now to next level. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options

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That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky.

They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adoption.

U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. If you were to, if you were to advise a high school kid, right? And obviously Iowa State was a place that's near and dear to your heart. How much of, because I've had a lot of. discussions with college coaches. I like, look, the way you should separate yourself is, make yourself like an NBA program, run NBA style stuff.

You know, allow your guys kind of NBA style of freedom. Is that, like, I think we sometimes we focus too much on, I do think that going somewhere you can play is important, but guys focus on the wrong things. Like to me, go somewhere you can play. I agree with you that you need to have an advocate because, you know, if you have one guy in that coach's office that really fights for you. but I also think go somewhere where the style fits you, right? And then you've got to go somewhere, I would say,

in which you're going to be comfortable if you're not playing basketball in terms of proximity to home or the style of school, small town versus big city. Like, if you were going to advise a kid on how to pick a college, seeing as you've been through it and now you've made your way to the NBA, what's the process you would go through now in your mid-20s as opposed to when you're in your teens? That's, man.

That's a loaded question. I think we could have a whole separate podcast just on this talk. topic. That's the whole purpose of this topic. You've lived, you're living the life that every white kid in the Midwest dreams of, right? And so, right? So, and sometimes you do overthink it, right? Like when I went to Notre Dame, I thought, well, John McLeod's, and we thought John McLeod, NBA coach,

I could play right away, Notre Dame's on TV, and what we didn't pay enough attention to was kind of like style of play. Like, yeah, he'd coach Mark Jackson and had, you know, had success, had two-point guards with the Knicks, But he didn't have necessarily a point guard like me, and he didn't really have, even though he was an NBA coach, it wasn't, it was a weird fit, you know? Yeah, no, for sure. It's interesting because, yeah, but at the same time, so, because I would say, for us at Iowa State, like, that we had so much freedom that that also kind of took away from some of the success. I think we could have had as a team in college because it got to the point where sometimes guys abused the freedom. And that's the thing that some of the great college teams and the teams that usually win, like, national championships,

they're very, very disciplined and they take care of the ball. They don't turn it over. I mean, you look at a team like Virginia last year. And you look at Virginia, too, they're able to translate good pros at the same time while also winning in college, where there's other programs that have had success with maybe similar styles that haven't, you know, necessarily turned out pros, like good. Wisconsin. I say pros.

I'm saying NBA players. Wisconsin? I mean, I'll be the first to say you can go to and have a great career and a great life playing in Europe. You know, that's what I was doing in my first two years. But specifically translating to the NBA, I think, you look at a school like Kentucky. I mean, like Calipari, he's open about it. Obviously, he wants to win, but his first priority is getting these guys to the NBA, where I don't think that's necessarily every college, you know, every coach's goal.

You know, they're trying to win a national title where Calipari is literally just trying to get guys, you know, to the NBA. And he's been doing that every single year. So it's an interesting topic, man. And I think, like you said, we could sit and talk about it for a while. No, I want to sit and talk about it for a while. I mean, like, even the Caliperi stuff, like he runs floppy, but he's not running some of the pistol stuff. Like, he's not, and I'm just, and some of it is, you know, you can't run stuff for shooting bigs when you don't have shooting bigs. Yeah, you got to have the personnel.

You got to have the personnel for sure. Yeah. Whereas I think, I think, you know, Villanova, I think guys are getting drafted out of Villanova, not necessarily because of the stuff they're running, right? They run just a lot of, they run like five things, like a lot of role and replace. But I think it's the culture there, right?

Those guys get better. Those guys, you know, they're unbelievable with their jump stops and their passing and their level of toughness defensively. Like, I think those guys get drafted based upon their culture more than their actual skill. That plays affected too. I mean, you go look at Villanova, yeah, they just, they have guards coming out of there every year now. And like you said, there, if you teach the fundamentals and everything, like an NBA GM knows what you're getting when you draft the guy out of Villanova almost, so to speak.

But, yeah, it's interesting. It definitely is interesting because, and then you're talking about Nova, too, they might run five things, but you look at the NBA. There's no secret. Every team's running the same stuff. You know, you know what teams are going to go, like, run. It's just a matter of if you're able to guard it or you're able to, you know, to make or miss league. You know, you're going to get what you want.

It's just a matter of can you guard it well enough to make them miss, you know. Okay, so you finish up playing, and what was, you get back to Ames, you're packing up your stuff. Did you meet with Prome? Did you meet with T.J? Like, how did it work in terms of trying to figure out who's going to be my agent and what am I going to do? Yeah, you know, Prohm definitely, you know, met with him after the season, just the end of the year type stuff, you know.

He's been good about trying to stay in touch, and we do an alumni event every summer. And actually last year was the first year that I was able to make it. It was tough, you know, when I was playing in Spain because our summers were so short. But he's been great at, like, keeping us as alumni connected to the organization. But back when I was a senior right after, you know, that Purdue game

and trying to think about the next step, you know, T.J. was a guy that I, you know, like I said, has been a mentor for me my whole life. You know, that was a guy that connected me with, you know, my agent, Alex Tirossis, and I met with him. And I just felt like him and I really connected and shared a pretty similar vision for my career. And I decided, you know, to sign with him. him. And I think that was a huge, huge decision, a good decision, you know, that I made.

I'm very fortunate that I'm with him. And right now, you know, it's funny because he actually sat in my living room and kind of said to me, like, look, right now it's probably not realistic for you to play in the NBA, but I think in two to three years, there's no reason why you can't, you know, and it's funny that, you know, that basically came to fruition, you know, two years later now, you know, playing with the Raptors. All right, so you, but you play with the Lakers in the Summer League the first year, and you played pretty well. Did you, did you, what was, what was that like in terms of your thoughts on whether or not you were going to, you know, get an invite or get a contract to stay there? Yeah, no, I mean, the way, it's interesting the way it all went down because, you know, yeah, I was playing in Summer League with the Lakers.

You know, our first, I want to say first two games, first three games, I didn't play much. You know, they had, that was the year they drafted, Kyle Kuzma, Alonzo Ball, Josh Hart. There's another Villanova guy, Josh Hart. And, like, Brandon Ingram was playing with the Summer League team. They, we were loaded, you know, and a few of those guys had minor injuries, so they ended up sitting out, like, after two, three games.

And all of a sudden, I'm starting with one of their current players right now, too, Alex Caruso. him myself Zubich who's now with the Clippers I think Coosmo yeah Cusmo was still playing and then Travis Ware actually that was like our starting five and yeah

it was like last you know five six seven games of Summer League I was starting playing big minutes and this shot it extremely well I probably shot 60 from three in the summer league so I was hopeful this was one of the first years I think they had the two-way contract with the NBA and the G League so I

was I was hopeful and optimistic that that the Lakers would offer, you know, offer that to me, given, you know, how I played and just how my game translates to the NBA, you know, being able to shoot it so well. But it didn't come. And, you know, I didn't want to do just a G-League, you know, like an exhibit 10 where you go to go to training camp and get cut, and then you're kind of, it kind of holds your right to play solely in the G-League. I felt like I would develop more as a player in person, you know, playing in Spanish.

and that's why, you know, I like to get to make that decision. Okay, so do you remember the conversation you had? Because I think Magic and Rob Polinka were running the team then. Did Rob call you in? Did because I, like I was with, I played last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action. with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field

and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the first. suit of the thing. We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when

we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different

levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me. Kier Gains is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Brett. My mama want you to wave at. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano.

You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice.

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. one ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network

available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In Summerlee with the Lakers, I went to their one of their, three of their free agent camps, but never to their vet camp. Like, you get done with some of them. They call you in and say you should go to the G League? Do they advise you? How did it go down?

No, man, it all kind of just happens to your age. So we were in Summer League in Vegas, and, you know, I went home back to Wisconsin, and then, you know, just got it. I didn't have any, like, direct communication with Robert Magic. You know, I met them in person, obviously, but nothing like business or anything like that, or, you know, what my future could entail, you know, with their organization. You know, that was all just through my agent Alex.

And like I had said, you know, they offered, you know, a training camp deal where I could come to camp and then, you know, they would hold my right, you know, to play in their G-League team. It's called like an exhibit 10 type contract. And like I said, I just thought for me to develop as a player and also a person, you know, to that point, like a player in person I'm saying to go to Spain and develop. because to that point. Never been out of Midwest. Yeah, I hadn't necessarily left my comfort zone.

You know, coming out of high school, I was strongly considering going and playing for Tony Bennett, you know, at Virginia. But the distance was actually one of the things that kind of held me back. I wanted to stay close enough to home where my friends and family were able to see me play. You know, that was important to me. But it was an opportunity for me to kind of get up. out of my comfort zone.

Like you said, leave the Midwest. I feel like, you know, as I've got older, I feel like you can really only grow, grow as a person when you put yourself in situations to kind of get out of your comfort zone and get out of your, you know, the lane, your lane, I guess you could say. That's why I felt like it was a better opportunity to go to Spain and develop as a person, but just the style of play in the game and the role that I was going to be getting myself into it on the team that had offered me a contract in Spain when it was a perfect situation for me.

All right, so what was the team, and what do you remember about the first trip there? The team is called Oridoreo, in San Diego, in Copacelo, Spain. When I first heard about it, I knew nothing about the team, nothing about the league. It's funny, though, I actually did go to Spain. That's where I went on my foreign tour while I was at Iowa State, and that was also right in between my sophomore and junior year.

So we talked about that summer with TJ coming back. We had that foreign tour. Those were all big reasons. I was able to kind of shift years and have such success. My junior and senior year was this foreign tour right before was a good opportunity for me as well back in college. But I had a little experience being in Spain just because I had visited those cities when we went in college. as we were in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. And then Valencia is actually the team I played with my second year.

But that first year in Spain, I was in Overdorio. And my first trip, once I got there, it's just kind of a culture shock. You know, I never, man, my first time I went to the grocery store, I was probably there for like two hours, just trying to get like 10 things. It's just I'm on Google Translate, trying to ask questions. You know, definitely out of my comfort zone, like I was saying. Like when you showed up, like at the airport. Yeah.

Okay, at the airport, you fly anywhere, like Madrid and then connect? Yeah, I went Chicago, Madrid, yeah, and then connected. And then, yeah, San Diego, it's a smaller city, and, like, it's in the northwest of Spain. I would compare it to, like, it rained quite a bit, you know, no snow, which was nice, but it rained quite a bit. It gets a little cold, you know, in a winter month. If I could be you And you could be me

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Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. So you show up at the airport. Do people speak English?

sure because when I was in Russia, nobody spoke English. But it's different in that part of Spain. It feels like a lot of people spoke English. Yeah, different. Definitely the bigger cities, you know, Madrid, like those cities, there's a lot more English. There was still some English being spoken. And, like, within the team, and, you know, my coach, you know, did his best to speak

English. And I got pretty familiar with, like, European, you know, broken English. You know, I can understand it. I mean, their English is much better than my Spanish, so we usually elected to just try to speak English, you know, and that was nice. But when I was out in public, it's where it be a little bit harder. You know, I eventually, over time, learned, you know, learn a little bit of Spanish from it. I was able to, like, get by and social settings and, you know, at restaurants and when I'm at the supermarket or at the mall. But, yeah, right away, I remember there's, you know, that just...

Okay, so... So you start playing, like, did you know right away you fit? I mean, like, they're in League of ACB. What was the level of competition like? I'm a competitive. Like I said, when I got there, I knew kind of what role. I actually had met with the coach and the GM of this club while I was in Vegas. They saw me in Vegas, and that's when they started to show interest, and they offered me the contract.

So I was able to sit down with them, and they kind of shared their vision with me. and like the role that they felt like I could have within the team. You know, so all that happened before I got there, that also helped me with my decision to go over there and just being able to meet them face-to-face and kind of knew what I was getting myself into a little bit. But the league is great. I mean, the league is extremely competitive, I'll say that.

And there's a lot of really good players and the teams compete. The coaching is great. Like I said, I feel like I've developed, I really developed. in my time there. I learned a lot, and I got a lot better as a player. Your second year, you go to Valencia. What's the transition like?

Because I don't know if people, I mean, like, look, hoop guys, they understand that's a huge club. But what was the biggest difference in terms of, you know, going from Rio Natura to going to Valencia? I mean, I think the biggest difference is just I was playing in, once I got to Valencia, I was playing in two competitions. with Obradorio we just played in the ACB just one game a week and that was that was an adjustment too coming from from college where you're playing

they're custom to playing two three games a week and you know the season's maybe five months now my first year playing a professional my season is nine or ten months and I'm playing once a week like we only played like 34 like it's the same amount of games as a college season essentially but it's just extremely stretched out So, like, we're having two days' practices, like, right during the middle of a week. Like, it kind of feels like preseason. And we went through a stretch where we lost, like, six, seven games in a row that year, actually. So we hadn't won a game in almost two months.

Where then I get to Valencia, we're playing in – we're still in the ACB in the Spanish League, but then we're also playing in Euro Cup. So I'm playing two games a week, two to three games a week, and I'm playing in, you know, all over the Europe. I'm playing in Turkey. I'm playing in Russia. I'm playing in Germany and Italy, you know, and then obviously in Spain. But that was a really cool experience for me, just traveling, traveling throughout Europe.

And then it's higher level of competition as well playing in the Euro Cup. When you got to Valencia also, there were other Americans, right? Like Mike Toby played in your team, right? Whereas I think when you were at your first club, were you the only American? We had, so in Spain, and essentially you're only allowed. too. So I had another one in my first team, too. His name is Ben Simon. He played college at Drake.

College basketball at Drake and I still stay in touch with him. He's playing now in Germany. And then now, like you said, in Valencia, Mike Toby, was the other American. And he's still in Valencia now too. And he would always

give me shit about how they beat us. It was my junior, my junior, his senior year. Virginia beat us in the Sweet 16 when we were playing in Chicago. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying,

and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions,

the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver Show, I'm bringing you. conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mere mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more.

Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. so he would from time to time give me a hard time about that loss So when you get to Valencia What is for

Like what was your day like You know Is it just you and Mike Toby hanging around Like what was What was on a daily basis I mean I spent a lot of time

With Mike it was good Because we were both the same age And we were both single You know Once you That's one thing too Once you turn pro You know

You have teammates of all ages And they're at all different points In your life Whereas in college you know, everyone's 18 to 22 and everyone's, you know, kind of doing the same stuff. All of a sudden you turn pro, you know, I had guys

that were 35, 36 who had, you know, wives and two, three kids already. But I, that is one thing, too, in both teams, my teams in Spain, I had extremely extremely good teammates, you know, that were great to me and helped me with the transition.

On both teams, I still stay in touch with guys I played with. In Valencia, I played with, you know, I spent a lot of time with Mike. There's a Canadian that I played with Aaron Dornick Camp and one of the Belgian point guards. His name's Sam Ben Rossum. Those three guys are also there,

and those three guys I'm still stay in touch with to his day. And Aaron, the one from, he's actually from Toronto. So he was pretty pumped up for me when, you know, the deal and everything happened for me this summer with the Raptors. Yeah, so, okay, so you finish in Valencia.

This is going back to, you know, last season. would your agent tell you in terms of the NBA in terms of going back to Valencia what was that like? I felt like I was going back to Valencia you know, Alex had told me in my first years in Spain that team had been

NBA teams had been showing interest and you know it could happen this summer it could, you know, but I never wanted to get my hopes up. I had signed a two-year deal in Valencia so I knew, you know, I knew I was going back we had one Euro Cubs so we were, you know, I was going to have the opportunity to play in Euro League.

in my second year of the contract, and I was excited for that. I also finished the year I was injured, so I actually didn't even, I wasn't even healthy to finish the season in Valencia. So I didn't anticipate, to be honest, anything really happening, you know, with an NBA team for me, you know, this year, I didn't know for sure if it would happen. Like I said, Alex had been telling me things that, you know, that it could. but I never wanted to get my hopes up and I also just tried my best to live in the moment

and until anything happened, that's what I did. But then once I found out, you know, the RAPs were interested in and wanted to put an offer on the table, you know, definitely an exciting time for me and everything moved pretty quick with, you know, getting the physicals and getting up to Toronto, getting the physicals and then, you know, the two sides had to work out the, like I said,

it was a two-year contract, so they had the rapids had to pay the buyout in my contract for me to eventually then sign it with the team. And so your first year is guaranteed, second year partially guaranteed. What is it? I mean, you signed that paper. You knew you were an NBA player. What was that moment like? It was a very special moment, man, because like you said, every kid in the Midwest,

you know, you can grow up watching the NBA and that's your dream and to become an NBA player. and I've worked extremely hard in my entire life, you know, for this moment. And, you know, not just myself either. You know, a lot of people go through the journey with you. You know, my immediate family, obviously, you know, I think back to my mom, drive me all over the Midwest, you know, it's an A.U tournament and, you know, being there every step of the way and all the games, you know, they came to it. At Iowa State, you know, my high school coaches, you know,

guys like T.J. Altslberger who have been mentors for me, you know, it just, you You know, it brings back a lot of memories. And, you know, it definitely makes all the hard work that you put in over the years. It makes it all worth it. So you didn't play the first two games the year. Third game, you play the Bulls. And, you know, you guys are – and by the way, you're coached by a guy who also Midwest Roots, coached in Iowa, right?

Nick Nurse. Right. He comes down and puts you in. Do you remember checking into your first NBA game against the Bulls? Definitely, definitely remember. That'll be a moment. You know, I don't forget anytime soon. We were on a back-to-back.

You know, we had played in Boston the night before. You know, so I was actually kind of optimistic, you know. You know, like you said, I didn't play in the first two games, but I was like, you know, with us having back to back, you know, it's early in the year. You don't want to just overload guys' minutes, you know, too early. You know, I thought there would be an opportunity potentially for me playing in that game. and it was special for me too because, you know, Chicago's three, four hours from my hometown.

So I had a lot of family and friends there at that game. And that was actually the first game, I think, my mom, all three, my mom, brother and sister were all in, you know, there together. They had visited me in Spain, but at different times. So, like, for those three to all be there together, that was the first time since college. so it was only fitting for me to kind of have my NBA debut and get out there and play my first minute and knock down a couple shots in Chicago on that day. Yeah, it's pretty amazing, right, to go to play in Chicago. You made two-threes.

Did you make your first one? I did. I made my first two, right? In the first half, and then I missed one in the third quarter, I think, or third or fourth quarter. in the second half at some point, but yeah. I ended up playing 20 minutes that night and went two for three. You know, I definitely had a lot of energy, so I was out there, you know, trying to be all over the place. Okay, I got two more for you really quickly.

First, how good is Luca? Man, he's big time. So I actually played him in Spain my first year. I know. So that would have been when he was shoot 17. I don't even know. but like what he's able to do and just the pace that he plays at

he just plays at his own speed I think people don't realize how big he is he's legit like 6 to 8 out there playing point guard he's special man and you know I didn't know that he was going to come to the NBA and have this big of an impact

this quickly you know I didn't think he'd be scoring the way he's scoring but I mean I think he came out and said it as well that just in the NBA, the game, the way it's played, there's a lot more space, and it's easier to put the ball in the bat. It's easier to score than it is in the European game.

But he's a special man, and, you know, a fan should just enjoy him. The best player in Spain that you had never heard of, and then you're like, I had never heard of this guy before, and he's unbelievable. Oh, that's tough. Actually, probably, probably Corey Higgins. he's uh he was playing when i was in spain he was playing in cheska moscow he signed in barcelona so he's playing there

this year but i i didn't know who he was i looked him up he played college at color sure um but he's man he's he's really really good that's the thing people i mean the average fan too i think disrespect europe and just the level of talent that's there there's plenty of guys in europe that could be in the NBA right now in little like when i say that's I mean, they literally could be in the NBA right now, but they just elect to play in Europe because for whatever reason, their wife, their kids, their

their life is there now, they're making better money, they have a better role than they could on the NBA team. But some people, just, everyone here thinks, you know, if you're not in the NBA, then you're not, you know, a good player or whatever. It's a joke because there's

so much talent and really, really good teams playing in Europe. All right, last thing. Best thing about playing in the NBA is what? Well, shoot, man. Right now I'm in Miami talking to you outside, actually, right now. It's like 80 degrees out. So that's one of the good things we stay at five-star hotels,

and we travel and private jets everywhere, and you get to be in all the best cities in the country. That's one of the perks. If you were to give advice to somebody else who's going through what you went through when you were 11, when your dad dead killed himself and seeing your success now, what would it be?

To someone who's going through Yeah, somebody's going through losing a family member, some sort of strife, I mean, hopefully not, you know? For sure. Yeah, no. Yeah, my advice to someone who's going through a tough time, you know, like that would just be, you know, keep your faith, keep believing,

and just continue to work. You know, that's the one constant. thing that I've done my entire life is continue to work through all the highs and the loads, like the work, the work in the process doesn't change. You know, I was told once that if you fall in love with the process

without being emotionally attached to the outcome, you're probably going to eventually love what the outcome, what the outcome brings. And I've tried to continue to have that mindset and just continue to work. And regardless of the outcome, just every single day, just continue to work. And to this point,

it's worth out pretty well for me. I would say. Hey, listen, enjoy Miami. I won't take any more of your time on South Beach. Can't wait to see you when you get to L.A. In the meantime, congratulations, and thank you so much for joining us. Of course. Thanks a lot, Doug. It's good in talking again. Good to catch up. And I'm happy to. Hope you see in L.A. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Doug Gottlieb show weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific.

So that's it for All Ball. Remember to listen to the Doug Gottlieb show, weekdays, 3 to 6 Eastern, 12 to 3 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio app. Make sure you tell a friend, download, subscribe, and rate our program as well. My thanks to Matt Thomas, I'm Doug Gottlieb. Happy New Year. This is All Bowl. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great

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