The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - NBA Bubble on the Brink; Pistons Guard Langston Galloway on Bubble Exclusion, Path from Undrafted to Knicks, Huge MSG Debut

Episode Date: August 28, 2020

In this episode, Doug discusses the players boycotting games and why cancelling the season would be a brutal business hit. This week's guest is Pistons Guard and 7-year NBA vet Langston Galloway. He t...ells Doug what it's like being on the outside of the bubble looking in, why the bubble offensive numbers have been so eye-popping, his path from Baton Rouge, to St. Joe's, to breaking in with the Knicks, crushing his MSG debut, to finally getting his first long term deal in Detroit. 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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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel 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.
Starting point is 00:00:23 Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Starting point is 00:00:52 Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,
Starting point is 00:01:15 or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app,
Starting point is 00:01:32 Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.
Starting point is 00:01:47 Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember all those big dreams used to have? And then life made other plans.
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Starting point is 00:02:46 From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18th stem in. 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 1,800 flowers.com slash tune in. Hey, what up? Welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlieb, and this is all ball. All basketball all the time, but we really tell personal stories. This week's guest is Langston Galloway of the Detroit Pistons. If you download and listen to this entire pod, don't forget to subscribe.
Starting point is 00:03:32 and rate. You'll learn where Langston Galloway was when he was called up to the Knicks from the Westchester Knicks. Pretty cool story. What was like not just his first game, took the train to his first game in D.C., but his second game was in the garden against the Rockets and he did pretty well. Plus the feelings of signing a three-year guaranteed contract for over $20 million with the Detroit Pistons. We go into his background growing up in Baton Rouge, all the guys used to play with and against growing up. lots of good stuff. Can't wait for you to hear my interview with Langston Galilee. Let me start with the bubble.
Starting point is 00:04:09 And look, what Paul George said is a real thing, not just because of the bubble. And we've talked about this in the pod before, which is it's not really natural to be in a hotel for two months. Not just if you're an NBA superstar for anybody. You've ever been stuck in a hotel? You're like, man, at some point, first, there's a moment there where it's really cool. You're like, man, I know the person at the front desk and the people that clean the room. I know every day. And then there's a point of like, oh, my gosh, I've become Groundhog Day where it's the same thing over and over and over again.
Starting point is 00:04:43 And you can say these are first world problems, but you have to also factor in that whatever your normal life is like, especially in the summer, hey man, I like to go fishing. I like to go on vacation. It's like now you're in this enclosed environment. You're still dealing with COVID and all the testing and everyone else going through the stresses of the playoffs. and you're kind of sequestered, however nice the resort is, still just a Disney resort. And it does become Groundhog Day. I believe that Paul George is suffering from some form of kind of COVID-induced depression. Not that he had COVID, but all the other stuff with it.
Starting point is 00:05:16 And then he broke out of it the other night. And it was amazing to see. And while Charles Barkley can say, like, hey, these are first world problems. He's right. But they're real problems. Real problems. If you have kids, you know, you probably have one that's gone through the same. thing where suddenly they lack the motivation where normally they're get up and go kit.
Starting point is 00:05:33 And now you're like, man, get up off the couch. Stop playing Fortnite. Stop texting your friends. Go out. Be. Like, well, I can't be. I have to maintain social distancing. Like, you can ride your bike.
Starting point is 00:05:42 You can go play hoops. You can go, you know, swim. You can do all these other things. Like, you can go and be around friends. And even after quarantine, there's still kind of some after effects. And I also think that that's part of what's factored in to all of the emotion with the NBA players based upon what's happening in Kenos. Look, I respect your right to not just protest, but protest peacefully.
Starting point is 00:06:05 That's what you're supposed to do. Let your stance be known. But at some point, we do, one, have to get back to work, which NBA players will. And two, we have to get to some sort of reasonable solutions. And not playing and boycotting not playing, it's not really a reasonable solution for anybody's business. that you can sit here and say we have the power to not play the power to cancel the season, but the TV rights holders also have the power to cancel their rights deals. There's something called a forced majeure part of the contract.
Starting point is 00:06:40 They can cancel it. And now all of a sudden your team falls into financial despair. And you can criticize owners and saying, we don't have your back or the owners are just saying like, look, we have your back. On the other hand, we're operating a business and we're already losing money. And we're hoping to recruit some of it with playoff money. if you choose to bail now, it's not just going to hurt us immediately
Starting point is 00:06:59 not getting the playoff money. It's going to hurt us into the future. Because then all of a sudden, you got to, you know, your TV contracts come into question. Everything comes into question. How do you pay people for,
Starting point is 00:07:11 you know, the Lakers have Spectrum Sportsnet? How do you pay people if you don't have games to broadcast? You don't. And how can TV companies, how can your arenas, how can they have lease deals where they don't know if you're going to play on a given night?
Starting point is 00:07:24 Like, that's, that you're a professional basketball player. This is part of professionalism. So it is absolutely players' rights to protest. I like any human being with a soul was bothered, disturbed even, by what happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And you can stand in solidarity as a American citizen like,
Starting point is 00:07:48 hey, this is not how we want any of our citizens to be treated. But I do think it's time to get to some solutions. as we would all, I hope, agree that there's a problem. 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. Well, let's welcome him in from the Detroit Pistons. He's Langston Galloway. He's kind enough to join us here in the all-ball podcast.
Starting point is 00:08:15 And I want to go back to the beginnings of your first days in basketball. Before you do that, like what has this, what is this like for you, where you're watching NBA teams, train, play, now play in the playoffs, and you're in the league, but it's like, wait, the league's going on, and I'm not, it's a, it's got to be, it's got to be, it's an interesting existence from my perspective. What's it like from your perspective? Yeah, thank you so much for having me on.
Starting point is 00:08:47 And, yeah, it's weird. It's weird, I guess you say, from the sense of, it almost feels like I'm retired or something like that. It's like I watching basketball from a sense of outside looking in, but I'm still in. It's hard to explain, but, you know, it hasn't stopped me. It's actually been great for me because I've been just watching and just still a little snips and pieces of different guys' game and trying to add it to my own while I'm working out and at home right now. So it's good. But like I said, I wish I was there in the bubble plane, but I'm actually getting more time with the family. my little two-year-old.
Starting point is 00:09:25 So it's been fun hanging out with him and getting this valuable time that I don't want to miss. Yeah. No, I mean, it's pretty amazing. I have friends that are in the bubble and they're like, man, this sucks. Family's not around. Kind of isolated. Like, you didn't know you're home for three months with your family, which you would never get previously. You know, maybe never get against you try and have the perspective.
Starting point is 00:09:46 And you're having the perspective of, yeah, like, I want to be playing. But I'm getting this time, which I will, you'll literally never get it back. Yep. Some of these offensive numbers are crazy. And I do feel like the rims are like Duke rims, right? They're super, super soft. But is it the officiating? Like, why is it because guys are only worried about basketball?
Starting point is 00:10:09 Like, why do you think we have, like Donovan Mitchell, Damien Lillard, Luca Donchick, like these guys are putting up obscene numbers. And look, we've seen some of that in regular seasons, but now we're talking about the playoffs. Usually, defense has a tendency to dominate, and that's not nearly as much the case. Why do you think we've had these offensive explosions? You know, from my standpoint, and think it back to when we were playing during the year, you've got to think that we're traveling around, year-round, guys are kind of not saying that saving themselves,
Starting point is 00:10:45 but guys are kind of calling us in a sense of like, man, we got a game in two days. He's like, we got to travel back to, you know, wherever and play. But now in the bubble, everybody's on the same playing field. It's no out of elevation. It's no travel. It's literally like AAU ball. It brings you back to AAU ball and say, hey, look, let's go back, play AU, go back to hotel, and then, hey, look, the next day or the day after,
Starting point is 00:11:16 let's just play. Throw it up again, let's play. So I think from that standpoint, that's why you're seeing so many explosions because everybody's putting in the work. That's no question about that. Guys, I mean, went from two months off to back playing. Like, guys want to play. But at the same time, too, it's like, hey, why not go out there and give your best foot forward? I mean, it's nothing that you need to hold back at this point, especially if you don't be in the bubble for the next, when you've been in there the bubble for about a month, month and a half now.
Starting point is 00:11:46 So if you want to stay in there as long as you can, I mean, hey, you might as well soak it all up and play your best basketball and show to the world. And hey, look, I'm here to stake. So I think it's a great opportunity for a lot of guys to showcase themselves. And that's what you're seeing. You're seeing all the young stars, they're really becoming stars. You grew up in Louisiana.
Starting point is 00:12:10 Where's the first place you remember playing hoop? Yeah, growing up in Baton Rouge, we had this facility called Sports Academy. And crazy to say, we've had almost 10 to 15 pros come out of this one gym, one like academy that everybody used to playing back in the day. I mean, you had guys like Big Baby, Marcus Thornton, Taurus, Tom. Thomas, Garrett Temple, myself. I mean, the list kind of goes on and on and on. I mean, that's just a list of guys from right now. And I remember us playing back in the day,
Starting point is 00:12:53 not saying I played with those guys because they're much older than I am, but just the competition. Like they had co-ed games and they had different competition. I mean, they actually had like Simone Augustus. I mean, they had so many, like, just talented players that played in that league. And that was like, if you wanted to come out of basketball, and get your chance to play at a high level, you had to go through Sports Academy.
Starting point is 00:13:18 So that was key back in the day for myself and so many others. Who is your right? Who is your right? Like when I grew up in L.A., growing up, it was Ricky Price and Toby Bailey played on one team. We played against them. And Cameron Murray, who played at Louisville and USC, was on another team. And he played with the Lopez twins'
Starting point is 00:13:43 brother was on a different team. Like we had rivals kind of growing up. Who was your like dude that you did battle with growing up at the Sports Academy? You know what? We really during my age group, there really
Starting point is 00:14:01 wasn't that many guys that I battled with. But like I always played up. So like I would play against guys like it's kind of hard to say in that group because there's a couple guys that played
Starting point is 00:14:18 that did make it to NBA but they overseas Brian, got named Brian Williams another guy Markle Brown I mean those are just a just a couple guys
Starting point is 00:14:27 that were from Louisiana area I know Mark Kelly he went to Oklahoma State which Brian Williams were talking about there was a Brian Williams went to Alabama but he's much older than you
Starting point is 00:14:37 was a guard that was okay yeah yeah Brian went to he went to Oklahoma State say it as well. Oh, okay. I know that Brian Williams as well. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:14:45 Yep, yep. But yeah, now, so it, for me, it wasn't as many guys that were around my age that made it to the professional ranks. Other than those, those names are just listed. But I think from my standpoint, like I can remember, like,
Starting point is 00:15:02 playing against guys in A&U. Like, we played against Brandon Knight. We played against Josh Shelby. We played against, Tim Hardaway. We played against Harrison Barnes. We played against a lot of guys
Starting point is 00:15:19 like AU. And that's why I think AU it's kind of different now because a lot of guys they switch teams up so often where when I went out when we were coming through
Starting point is 00:15:31 it was like you were on that one team and like if you saw that team you were going to see the same players. It wasn't no switch up or hey let's play on this team one weekend and switch up to another team. That's why I enjoyed when I was going up because the competition level was just,
Starting point is 00:15:46 it was through the roof because every team had a pro on it. I mean, not knowing at the time that we were going to be pros, but that's just how it looked from the outside, like looking back now. How'd you end up going to St. Joe's? So it's a lot of different moving pieces right here, right? So my uncle is assistant coach at St. Joe's Jeff on him. My mom is actually from Philadelphia as well. So I wanted my grandmother, aunts and uncles, cousins, all of them to see me play.
Starting point is 00:16:20 Phil Martelli, another huge component of that. He got Jamir Nelson, Delante West of the pros. So I said, hey, look, why not try to get another guard to get to the pros? And then lastly, just the opportunity not saying I wanted to leave Louisiana and play basketball, but every summer I would go back up to Philly and play. I don't know if you remember John Hartnett. He used to have, like, it was basically like a pros, like kind of like workouts slash.
Starting point is 00:16:52 At LaSalle? Is that the one at LaSalle? Every summer? LaSalle. Yeah, no, I, it's funny because I, when I was a player, I worked out in that workout, and then I played in a team that went, because I'm Jewish, the Maccabi team, and we went to Israel.
Starting point is 00:17:08 And we trained at LaSalle. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.
Starting point is 00:17:31 I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,
Starting point is 00:17:50 my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,
Starting point is 00:18:06 creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.
Starting point is 00:18:32 Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.
Starting point is 00:18:50 I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.
Starting point is 00:19:04 including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.
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Starting point is 00:20:55 So yeah, I know that that was an incredible, that was an unbelievable group that would work out in Philly. Anyway, so you'd go there every summer and that's where you'd work out. Yeah, yeah, so I mean, I would go over there Like I was like, it was me and another kid I can't think of his name right now It was we were the only two high school kids To even get a chance to play And so
Starting point is 00:21:13 I like, I held my own the first day And then they were like, hey look, once you come back And I just, you know, day after day I would I would Hold my own And so I had a lot of opportunity to play Against Pro was growing up And I was like, man, it's no point of me going to To school that I mean
Starting point is 00:21:30 It's great to stay in Louisiana and a great to go to other schools, but I knew I was going to get a chance to play with other proos every single summer. And that was a great opportunity for me to think ahead of the game and not even knowing it while I was doing. On January 19th, 2020,
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Starting point is 00:24:41 you had family in Philadelphia, we'd be kidding ourselves, and we didn't say the kind of culture of Philadelphia is very, very different. What was that first freshman year like to be in Philly at St. Joe's playing hoop, but also kind of adjusting to your life? You know, the one crazy story that I tell everybody that really shocks everybody is that When I got to Philly, my first, that was my first winner, my real first winner. I get to campus and it's like 50 degrees outside. And so I'm like, I walk outside.
Starting point is 00:25:16 I'm like, oh, we're breathing out here. So I put on one of my big cuff jackets that we just got from the team. And like, everybody else is still walking around with so forth and so on. I'm like, man, like, y'all not cold? And everybody's like, man, you're tripping. I don't know why you have on the when the gear on
Starting point is 00:25:35 and when it's feel real good out here so that was my first experience with the winter and it wasn't even winter I think it was still just fall so I was like man I'm in for a rude awakening especially when it starts snowing and all that
Starting point is 00:25:50 here's my story so I grew up in southern California I went to Notre Dame my first year and I'll never forget it was like early October right and it was 50 degrees and I I own like one pair of jeans, right? Like that wasn't, you know, like I never wear.
Starting point is 00:26:06 I always wear either hoop, sweats or shorts, you know, that was it. And so before I left, and this is in the mid-90s, my mom bought me a parka. And I had like a, I had like a Orlando Magic starter parka from the shack days. And I had this like LLB, ugly green parka with a hood. And I woke up and I had to, I had an early morning workout, like individual workout before practice started, right? And I had, I put on a beanie and I put on my parka and I had my sweats and I roll my bike to the gym. And I, and anyway, so I'm walking out and I got all this stuff on and the coaches call me into the office and they take pictures of me. And they're all
Starting point is 00:26:45 clowning and laughing at me like, dude, it's 50 degrees outside. What are you doing? This is not, wait three months and it's cold. So I know exactly what you're going. Okay, so, what about playing for Phil. Phil did have a ton of success. Obviously, that one incredible team that lost in the lead eight that was undefeated in the regular season. They put guys in the pros. He does seem to let his guards play.
Starting point is 00:27:09 And he's quick with a joke. But what's he, he has some interesting kind of thoughts on basketball, some that I think really helped you that I want to get to. But what was, what were your memories of first playing for Phil Martelli? Was it easy? Was it hard? An adjustment? Was he tougher than anything?
Starting point is 00:27:26 Like, what was it really like? it actually was a pretty easy transition because my high school coach was not in the sense of like how he coached but just you know the yelling the screaming the running and the running different things like that so coach martelli was actually real easy a really easy transition for me because he would get on you but it would it would it would be in a sense of like him yelling to like get you in the mindset of hey look this is what you going to be dealing with through a game. Like, how do you do a game and how do you understand that? And so, you know, Coach, he has a different philosophy that, you know, I think a lot of guys, they have a tough time with it. But I think from day one when we all, it was basically five, six of us that were
Starting point is 00:28:18 freshmen that stepped on campus, we had a mentality about us as like, hey, look, we're going to try to turn this program around. And it took one step at a time. I mean, we started out the first year. I think our end of record was like 11 and 20, some. It was terrible. It was terrible. But that was our mindset.
Starting point is 00:28:40 It was like, hey, how can we get Phil back on the pedestal of ruling, fill out of your basketball? Because we saw how people treat it, Phil. And we also didn't want to be treated Phil. So it kind of just doesn't have a bad taste in our mouth. And I think that's the same thing that, you know, Phil has. that sense of, man, I want to get back at these guys as bad as I want to, but I got a slowly but surely ease back into it.
Starting point is 00:29:08 And so first year, it had a rough year, and then it kind of just built up where, you know, by my senior year, we ended up winning the 8-10 tournament and, you know, feels back on top. So that was really the biggest thing for me is, like, we wanted to get Phil back on the pedestal. And, you know, if you wanted to retire, hey, look, that was on him. But, you know, finish our careers, especially at St. Joe. and so many other people that wanted us to win, and we end up winning.
Starting point is 00:29:34 So your first year was, what, 2010, 2011, I want to say? Yeah, 2010, 2011, yep. Yeah, and so then, as you point out by your senior year, you guys had, he has had a really good team. I mean, I love DeAndre Bembrey. That dude could go as well, and Ronald Roberts and yourself, and who's, you know, who's a Jersey cat. So who are you closest to on that team?
Starting point is 00:30:06 You know what? We all are real, real tight. I mean, so we had me, Ronald, and Hillil, all three of us, same class, Darius Quills, same class. We had a couple walk-ons that I'm real close with as well. And then DeAndre, and then DeAndre. You know, DeAndre, DeAndre,
Starting point is 00:30:26 and it's so crazy, Isaiah Miles is on that team as well. I tried out for sixes a couple of times. Didn't make it, didn't pan out. But he really came close to making it. But, yeah, all of us still real close. Me and DeAndre still talk. I mean, we're going to be brothers for life. I mean, we went through so many battles
Starting point is 00:30:46 and so many different things with each other that, you know, it really left a bond between all of us. If you could close your eyes and think back to your senior year, right? Your senior year when you win the A-10, You guys, I mean, like, there was so many ups and so many downs, right? Like, I remember you guys got crushed by Nova by like 30, right? But then there was some, you know, massive wins. You know, you guys beat VCU kind of later in the year.
Starting point is 00:31:15 You guys swept Dayton that year. There's the, you know, the NCAA tournament game, which went to overtime, which was an incredible game. What's the, to you, what's the most memorable game? I mean, I would definitely say winning the A-10, but, I mean, you know, that's probably, everybody probably would say that. But, you know what? I would say, I would say that my most number of the moment about that year was us losing Nova on Hawkeill. And after that game, I think our record was like three or four, something like that.
Starting point is 00:31:54 And I remember we had a meeting the next day. And I pulled. Okay, so hold on. So, okay, so you lose by 30, wait, you lose by 30 on hockey, it's in your home arena, which, of course, okay? Can't forget that. Lost by 30. Okay.
Starting point is 00:32:08 Sorry, I got a point. And you lost, and you lost the temple of the game before. You're four and four at the time. This is, like, December. That's right. It's right. You got like two games before Christmas break. You got Drexel coming in the next game.
Starting point is 00:32:20 So who called the meeting? Did coach call the meeting? Do you call the meeting? So, so we, we, um, it was basically like a team. me just to catch up and just say hey look what do we want to do going forward um and i remember vividly like coach not yelling not doing anything but just saying hey look it's it's in you you're seeing your court what do y'all want to do do y'all want to fold over and just say hey look we at the end of our careers and st jose do you all want to you know turn us around and really
Starting point is 00:32:54 make this into a heck of a year and um and i remember that's day, finished up that day. The next day, me, Ronald, and Hillil all went to, I took him out, we went to lunch. We all laid everything on the table and said, hey, look, what do we want to do? What do we want to accomplish? Because at the end of the day, everybody wants to go professional, but like, hey, we got to do it as a collective group. And I'm telling you, with that meeting and the meeting before that, like, literally everything turned around, our season turned around, We started having fun, and, I mean, the rest is history. It really, that was that game right there, like, getting blown out on national TV,
Starting point is 00:33:38 coach yelling and screaming. Like, it was just, it was a culmination of everything built up that, hey, look, we needed that wake up call to say, hey, look, we need to get going. And, you know, I'm telling you, that took, everybody's career took all from there. You guys get to the NCAA tournament, and you drew Yukon. What do you remember about the game? I mean, my only memory, which is so crazy, is me missing the shot at the Wendell Regulation. That's the only remember.
Starting point is 00:34:10 I can remember the whole game, but that was my biggest thing. It was like I missed the shot to win it. It might have been like five seconds left. I had the ball in my hands, tried to go right baseline, and I thought I had like an angle that banked it off the glass. And literally, like, I might have just barely, like, move my finger on the ball. And I remember just hitting the side of the backboard and bouncing back to me. Shot clock goes off. There's, like, two seconds left.
Starting point is 00:34:46 I'm, like, sick because I'm like, man, that was my chance to win the game. Like, take us to the next round. I'm having a heck of a game. I think I ended up finishing a game with, like, 20-some points. But, like, I just, I just, that's the only remember I can remember. like man I like I feel like I let the whole team down I feel like I let uh just St. Joe's down that that was crazy that was probably one of my like not saying it's the most like regrettable moment I've ever had but it kind of is though it's interesting though like right you make
Starting point is 00:35:18 that shot you con loses they you miss that shot they win in overtime they win a national championship like that's how you know who knows how history changes on that one shot and it's it's crazy the the part that sticks out to me in listening to you talk about and i've talked to phil there's two things actually first is and this is his coaching philosophy you know i i was up for a couple coaching jobs and i said he's i said what phil what should i do like what should be my game plan if i get one of these jobs and he said look whatever you do spend time every day having your guys play one on one yeah have them play especially in the off season. He goes, you're going to come in, you can take a job, and you're going to want to
Starting point is 00:36:03 to show everybody how great your offense is, how smart you are. He's like, but you know what? Like, you got plenty of time for that. You wear guys out with that. End of the day, you win or lose games based upon your best player, having a chance, having the ball and making a shot. And the more he does it, the greater a chance, and it's an investment in the kid because the kid realizes that it's going to help him take the big shot. But it's also going to help him to get to the next level in that end of the day, all things being equal, if you can get your own shot, take and make your own shot in a big, in a big situation, you're more valuable than the next guy. I thought that was brilliant. I also thought that was a, you know, because you,
Starting point is 00:36:39 you did get open. It wasn't a bad shot. He just missed it, right? I thought that was like his coaching philosophy coming to bear. Is that accurate for, in the offseason, he would have you guys play one-on-one a lot? You know what? He never, he never told us to say, hey, let's go play one-on-one. It was more just us just doing it on our own. and that's why I love about our coach is like he never like hey look this is mandatory
Starting point is 00:37:06 we're going to play one-on-one today it was just like which I want to do and we're like we're going to play one-on-one we're going to play like that's what it is that's that's basketball
Starting point is 00:37:15 and if you're not competitive enough to say hey look this is what I want to do every single day like that's what I love to do like you're in the wrong sport so that's why I loved it I loved every single moment
Starting point is 00:37:29 of just like everybody on my team was always, I was always a small, not saying I was the smallest guy, but I was one of the smallest guys on my team. So I had to compete against guys six, seven, and above every single day. Like, they guard me, I'm guarding them. Like, it just, it is what it is. And that's what, I think it made me into a better player because I had to learn how to score with bigger guys.
Starting point is 00:37:53 And also, too, it really shows the cream rise to the top. It shows who the top dog is. Did you watch the rest of the NCAA term? Did you even watch Yukon beat Kentucky for the national championship? I watched, I didn't watch all the game, like the games. I just watched the highlights because I was just so upset. Yeah, it's hard, right? It's like that should be me.
Starting point is 00:38:20 Yeah, yeah. And I saw that win in the game, and I'm like, we were to play Nova Boone, like, they beat Nova, man. then they go ahead and I think they played Michigan State and then somebody else and I always say to something like that and they beat down and I'm like
Starting point is 00:38:35 God like now they're going to the final four like we had this team beat and they like dominate these teams and then they go on to beat what Kentucky and Wisconsin or something like that or whoever it was and I'm just like I can't even think who the champion
Starting point is 00:38:53 who was in the championship game no they beat Kentucky in the championship game they beat in the championship game they beat in the semifinal they beat Florida they beat Florida Florida. Florida. That's right.
Starting point is 00:39:02 Florida. And I'm just like, man, like, we would have had a chance to make the championship. And I was stuck in my head, like, the whole pre-draft. And, like, I remember seeing, oh, man, I can't think of anything. What was the, do you remember the shooter's name? He was, he was a foreign shooter on that team. Yeah, yeah, what's his name from, Neil's, Neal's Gaffey, whatever, right? Yeah, Giffy.
Starting point is 00:39:26 He was, he was on the, on the, on the, um, He came to the Portsmouth camp with me. The seniors only, they invite the top, I want to say 60 kids that seniors. And he's there. And I'm like, looking at him, and I'm like, we should have beat y'all. Like, individually, like, we would have beat them. But, like, as a collective group, they had a heck of a group because they had, it was all spread around.
Starting point is 00:39:55 They had shot blockers. They had scores. They had facilities. I mean, their team was well-rounded. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.
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Starting point is 00:40:34 I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement
Starting point is 00:40:51 to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.
Starting point is 00:41:18 So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross
Starting point is 00:41:36 double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,
Starting point is 00:41:53 unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line.
Starting point is 00:42:13 We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years. for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart
Starting point is 00:42:30 radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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
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Starting point is 00:43:36 And we were just, I mean, we were just a small, mid-major school, just trying to make some noise. And, I mean, just, I feel like just, you know, one, one half a meter over, I would have banked it in and we would have won that game. But, hey, I guess, I guess life works his way out. And look, I'm about to be seven years in the NBA and everything else is history. You know, essentially, I think you guys said,
Starting point is 00:43:58 you had more pros than they did, right? You and you and DeAndre, that's, you know, and Haleel. Yeah, me and DeAndre, they only had Shabazz. I was the only one that went prone. Yeah, and you've had a better proker than Shabazz has. The part that jumps out to me is, and I feel this way about my school,
Starting point is 00:44:15 but I didn't make the NBA, you know, I played overseas, is that I feel like, I feel like we do this thing, in the media where we make college basketball only about being a kind of stopping point on the way to the NBA. And we don't realize all the other things that guys get out of it. And to me, it's this, there is this aspect of playing for, like you said, when you missed that shot, it wasn't that you felt like you let you down.
Starting point is 00:44:46 You let your coach, your teammates, your school, like St. Joe, like, it's a real thing that you're a part of something kind of bigger than yourself. and I could be wrong. Again, I've never played in the NBA. And I do think that when you get to the end, the championship, if you're in the finals, like, yeah, there is, and especially now guys in the bubble,
Starting point is 00:45:05 there's probably much better team chemistry than normally. But it's not the same. Like, having played now seven years in the NBA, is there anything close to the feeling of being a part of a team like it was in college? You won't get the same, I guess you say, like just, I won't say naive, but I'll say, like, just blind to the fact of just say, hey, look, it's just pure.
Starting point is 00:45:34 Basketball is pure when it's not about money. And when you get to professional ranks, when money's involved, there are a lot of, like, ego, and a lot of other things that kind of changes things. But I will say there's a few teams I've seen in the bubble that I can tell that, They've thrown at, he goes out the window, and they just have their plan. Like, Toronto, for example, they have to just plan. Like, it doesn't matter who's a free agent. Like, Fred Van Viette is a free agent, and he doesn't even care.
Starting point is 00:46:08 Like, he just has that plan and having a good time. But he's playing well, but, like, at the same time, too, he's just out there playing. I mean, I'm sure there's other guys on the team that are free agents, but it's like he's one of the guy that stands out. Another team is OKC. Like, they're playing well, but it's like, the Rockets are just a better team and they're probably
Starting point is 00:46:28 you know the Rockets they're going to keep battling between two because both I want to win but it's like let's let's see let's see what tonight holds but it's just like those are the instances where when you have a team just playing and not thinking out there they're dangerous
Starting point is 00:46:43 and that's when you kind of see upsets and whatnot in the NBA ranks but for the most part when like I said when the money and and egos and all that become a factor. Like, I've seen tons of the teams that I've been on that came in a factor. And we, we struggle.
Starting point is 00:47:02 We struggled throughout the year. Like, guys get to free agency break or, I mean, like, all-star break. And guys, the only thing about, well, am I ready to get traded? Am I having a good enough year where do I need to sit out? Do I need to, some guys say, hey, look, I'm trying to get injured. so let me just ease my way through. It's a lot of different, a lot of practice, a lot of practice. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com.
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Starting point is 00:48:45 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. When did you, I mean, I'm sure always been a shoe guy, but what was the first kind of creative shoe you decided to wear? My first, I probably would go all the way back to when I was like, I probably was like 13, 14.
Starting point is 00:49:22 And my dad would always bet me. He was like, if you win a championship or something like that, he'll buy me a brand new pair of shoes, which was a basketball shoe, and that's all that I would get for a whole year. I only have one pair of shoes for the whole season. And so every year I would win something along the way or win some award or something, and he would always say, hey, look, you get a chance to pick whatever shoe you want, and I would always go on Nike ID, or if we were Adidas team, I would go on Adidas,
Starting point is 00:49:55 and I would customize a pair of shoes like the Nike ID or Adidas ID and then say, hey, look, this is my shoe. I have to wait, what, three to six weeks until it came in. Once it came in, then I'm like, all right, I'm rocking this for the rest of the year. And so that's probably my first inclination of, like,
Starting point is 00:50:14 I like customizing shoes, it's different. And you get to put your own spin on it. And so that was probably, like, my biggest, like, just goal as a kid is like, look, how can I be different than everybody else? Because everybody else is going to wear the same pair of seasons, but how can I be different? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:31 So you go undrafted. How did you come to pick the Nets for Summer League? I mean, the Knicks, excuse me, for Summer League. Me and my agent, we had a long conversation. Going undrafted, we knew it was a possibility that probably was going to happen just because I played four years. And that's the, I guess you say, the new morale is like, hey, You're a senior, you're too old.
Starting point is 00:50:57 And so we looked at all the teams. We came down to, like, it was like a couple of teams that I had a choice between. And we thought that, hey, the Knicks probably had the best chance of me possibly sneaking in the roster. And, you know, as an undrafted guy, I'm just trying to get a chance to show myself. Show myself. There's a brand new coach coming in. We had Derek Fisher coming in. brand new regime coming in.
Starting point is 00:51:29 I'm going to blank. Phil, Phil, the president. And so I'm like, all right, well, this might be a chance for me
Starting point is 00:51:39 to kind of learn about this triangle offense as well as, get my name out there. And so, I really wasn't worried about, like, like, just,
Starting point is 00:51:54 I wasn't nervous. I would say that. I wasn't nervous. I just was, out there just playing, just having a good time. And I mean, it's the same thing that we just talked about, like, one-on-one. Like, I'm out there playing one day I'm J-R. Next day, the next day I'm playing Mello.
Starting point is 00:52:09 Like, every single day was a competition for me because I'm playing as dudes that I grew up watching. Like, I'm watching them on TV. Like, now I'm getting a chance to play against them. So I'm like, well, I'm trying to bust them up. I don't want them to bust me up. I want to go out there and showcase a look, I'm here. I'm here. I want to showcase that I want to stay.
Starting point is 00:52:29 And so as like the preseason and all that kind of went on and then we got into me playing with them in summer league, I was like, hey, look, this might be the great opportunity for me to go out there, play against some other older guys in some league, and then see where I'm at from there. You got the chips falling. Play, play well. Play well.
Starting point is 00:52:48 I mean, the first game, I was absolutely nervous in summer league. And then my second game played really well. And then on, I just, I never look back. So you get done with Summer League, but when you play in Summer League, you're not necessarily under contract with the Knicks or to play for the Westchester team. You get done. How long was the process before you decided to sign with the Knicks and play for Westchester? So I remember getting cut on like, I think it was like a Friday. I think it was a Monday.
Starting point is 00:53:23 I got waived on a Monday from the roster. one of my other good friends he ended up making the roster I didn't make it I was the last two last two cut so it was only two of us left and I was the one
Starting point is 00:53:37 to get cut and so I went from there getting cut to having a week off to figure out if I wanted to go play overseas or did I want to be an affiliate player for the Westchester Knicks which was a brand new team
Starting point is 00:53:52 that was just getting started and so my whole whole thing was I can go out and chase the money and play overseas and that be it or I could stay. I wasn't married at the time. I didn't have a kid at the time. I just was out there just ready to play. And so that's why I was like, well, let me just stay here in the United States and see
Starting point is 00:54:13 what I can kind of draw up and just play. And so get an opportunity to go to the G-League, well, D-League at the time, and really work on my skills, it really helped me out in the long run because I was able to work on not just like my shooting anything like that, but like my ball handling, my defense, my work ethic really changed because I had a lot of guys around me that were working hard, so I had to work even harder. So it really helped me along the way because mentally I wasn't ready, but it got me ready. It got me ready.
Starting point is 00:54:54 That's for sure. So when did you get the call? What was the call up for the 10 day? What was that like? So the 10 day, January 7th. I'm actually sitting in the room with my roommate Orlando Sanchez, and we're actually playing video games. What game?
Starting point is 00:55:17 What game? What game were you playing? I think we're playing 2K. I think we're playing 2K. I think we had just that done with practice, and the week leading up into it, like everybody was, like, already on my mind, like, man, I'm telling you going to get called,
Starting point is 00:55:34 you're going to be called up. I'm just like, man, look, January 7 comes. If I get called up, I get called up. January 7 hits. Nothing goes on in the whole, like, afternoon. I'm just, you know, went to practice, came back home, relaxed at this point. Next you know, like, we're playing 2K,
Starting point is 00:55:53 get a call on my phone. answer it. Hey, Alan Houston, I just want to let you know. The Knicks are going to call you up, and you're going to be the first ever call up for the Westchester Nix going to the Nix. And I was like, wow, like, so what's next? And he's like, well, look, you're about to,
Starting point is 00:56:10 I'm going to send you a car? She'll be waiting outside for you the next five minutes. You get in the car, head the Penn Station downtown, and then head on the D.C. Because you got to play the Washington Wizards tomorrow. and I was like, oh shoot, like, I got to go right now. Like, it's time to play. And I remember I didn't get into about like two, three in the morning.
Starting point is 00:56:37 Tired as can be. But it's like, hey, look, my dream is here. I can't be tired now. So I literally was ready to go. I just mentally exhausted, but I was just like, I don't have no time to rest. I got to really take my game to hold on a love of it to get where I need to be at it to make sure I stay here for these these first 10-day contract. So the next day, did you have shoot-round the day of the game or is just to show up at the game?
Starting point is 00:57:07 No, no, yeah, so we have shoot-around the next day. We go down to the arena. We shoot around, then we leave shoot-around, hit back to hotel. We have Team Mill, go from Team Mill, go off there, take a little nap, and then I'm all, I'm, it's so crazy because my routine back then was always riding on the first bus, getting there early, get my shots up, and getting ready for the game. And it still is the same today. Like, I haven't changed that where I always want to be the first one on the court,
Starting point is 00:57:41 first one to work out, get my sweat, and get ready to play. And so back then, it was mandatory. I had to be the first one on the court because if not, everybody else had their time, they're just slotted out. especially because I'm just getting on to the team, everybody else is already ready to go. So we get to arena early. I work out.
Starting point is 00:58:03 Feeling great. You know, everybody around me was, like, really encouraging. They was like, hey, look, look, this opportunity, man, go out there and get it, man. We know what you can do. Just go do it. Coach Fisher, he's the same way. Hey, look, young fella just relax. Go out and have some fun tonight.
Starting point is 00:58:21 And I'm like, all right, cool, cool. And, yeah, I was, that was one of a... What's that like the first time? You're sitting down there. You're on the bench. You're in Washington. And you played a bunch, and, you know, you're... I'll get to your second.
Starting point is 00:58:35 You had 19 your second game against Houston. Your first game, you're playing against the Wizards. I mean, what's that feeling like to where Fish comes down and points to you and says you're in? Like, that's got to be a bit of a big moment. Yeah, and I can remember that moment vividly. I was just sitting there, because I was sitting, I was right close to the top of the bench. I was talking to one of the other assistant coaches because he was telling me, like, making sure I knew the plays and making sure I knew everything.
Starting point is 00:59:01 But the triangle is pretty simple. I mean, it's not simple in a stance of you have to mentally understand where to go when, you know, if something's taken away, you've got to go the opposite way. Right. It's all based upon where the ball, the ball, there's set movement based upon where the ball is and, you know, where the two pass goes, where the three pass goes. Exactly, exactly. Right.
Starting point is 00:59:22 Right. But it sets up perfectly to your game because there's really good spacing. You don't have to be like a true point guard. There's no ball screens. But if you can get your own shot or play off somebody else's penetration, you can really play. You can really play, yeah. And it's all about just having other intelligent people around you. Everybody has to have a high IQ to understand how to make the ball pop and move around.
Starting point is 00:59:44 But, yeah, I think that I was definitely nervous. I won't allow. I was very nervous going into the game. and then I got my first I think I got a steal something like that and took it to the back he got filed
Starting point is 01:00:00 made my first free throw and everything kind of relaxed after that I mean I I play better so so the next game though is the following day you go back and you play in the garden
Starting point is 01:00:15 you're like there's the NBA and then there's I'm playing for the Knicks in the garden. And you drop 19 and hit three-threes in your first game in the garden. What was that experience like? Yeah, I really just was there. And it's so crazy to say that, but it's like I didn't expect myself to do anything like that.
Starting point is 01:00:41 I just was out there just playing. And long of the whole, we were getting blown out. Like, don't forget to mention that. Like, we were playing the rocket. I got a coop-a-cooker for the game before we go out there. My boys are all something, man. Don't we crossed up, man. Don't let Hardin calls you up this and that.
Starting point is 01:00:56 And I'm just like, man, look, I'm not. That's the last thing in a while right now. I'm just trying to make sure I haven't managed myself out here and play terrible. And so I remember I just went out there and just played. And we started getting blown out. We're down by 20. The crowd starts doing.
Starting point is 01:01:14 And then next you know, I come on the game, I hit a couple shots and crowds up getting into the game. I mean, not saying what? coming back and I'm playing well, and I'm playing hard. I got a tip slam dunk and the crowd gets on their feet and teammates that get on their feet and it's a whole different atmosphere then. So I'm like, wow, like this, I think I'm here. And it's almost like I'm a live type moment. Like, man, like, this is what it's going to be like. I want to, you know, feel this. I want to be in this moment all the time. I don't want to
Starting point is 01:01:51 just to be one-time moment. I want to just happen to leave more and more so often. And so it literally just took me from being a kid again. I was like, I felt like I was a kid again just out there in the backyard hooking like, count down five, four, three, two, one,
Starting point is 01:02:08 you know, Kobe, Jordan, or whatever and and shoot my shot. So that's how I feel. All right. You did, I mean, the contract with Detroit, was as like a legit three-year big-time deal. And I know you played in New Orleans. You got to go back and play relatively kind of your hometown. That had to be amazing.
Starting point is 01:02:29 But to sign the deal you sign with Detroit, considering, you know, you weren't a top 20 recruit. And though you had a very good college career, you weren't drafted, you had to go through the G-League. You chose to bet on yourself and stay here instead of going overseas. take me through that moment of signing the big deal with Detroit. Yeah, my agent, I would give him a lot of credit. Michael Siegel, he did a lot of work for me to get that deal. And so it really led up into me getting traded to Sacramento. I actually had one more year on my contract.
Starting point is 01:03:10 It was a two-year deal I had in New Orleans, but it was the second year, it was a play option. and so leading up until the end of Sacramento season we've been going back and forth with the management group over in Sacramento and saying the direction they were heading
Starting point is 01:03:28 and then long of behold Detroit ended up coming in the last minute saying hey look we want you to come and play for us and that was the Stan Van Gundy and I was like man like if a team wants me
Starting point is 01:03:43 that's a great sound Like, I mean, I'm, they're going to let me really rock out and let me, let me, let me play. Because at that point in my career, it was a lot of ups and downs. Like, after getting traded, like, my, you know, my mental, everything was kind of just all screwed up. But then having that moment of like, hey, look, somebody wants you. Like, Detroit really wants you for three years. Like, it really changed my whole mindset in the scope. But, I mean, the business side, yes, I understood that.
Starting point is 01:04:12 That may be understand getting trained. and treating the game as a business as well as a kid's game as well. It really opened my eyes to a lot of different things, but also, too, it really helped me because I knew that, like I said, it gave me a lot of confidence to go into my first year in Detroit. Like, hey, look, I think I can make some noise with signing this contract now, and I've changed a lot of, like, the stereotypes for myself, because if I go out here and, you know, and make the most out of this contract,
Starting point is 01:04:47 I can sign something even bigger than that and really put my name and put my, you know, my family on my back. Toughest dude to cover in the NBA is who? For you? I'll probably would say toughest has been Kyrie. I enjoy playing against Kyrie.
Starting point is 01:05:10 But, yeah, I'm always, like, it's always going back and forth with them, just going to bucket talking, It's a lot of, like, whispering, and he's real shifty, real shifty. So I love competing against him and going after him. So it's always a good matchup. He's a bad boy, right? Like, he can just, I mean, the finishing shots are unreal, the handle is unreal,
Starting point is 01:05:36 the creativity is ridiculous as well. Best teammate you've had in the NBA? You know, that's so hard to say. I'm going to say that there's been a lot of great teammates along the way. So I don't want to specifically name one because I know there's been so many and I don't want to miss anybody. So I've had a lot of great ones, a lot of great ones over my career. What's it like to be on the same court as LeBron?
Starting point is 01:06:10 Just like any other player. Like he does, I mean, I will say that he does. He sees things before the guys see them. So I will say his IQ, his past ability, his eye for the game is at a whole other level than everybody else's. So, yeah, now, I give him a lot of credit because, you know, he studies a lot. And it just comes with the game. He's been in that spotlight for so long. He just knows how to play.
Starting point is 01:06:42 He knows how to entertain. He knows how to entertain, sure. You mentioned playing a video game, 2K, the first time you got the call for the 10 days. I mean, have you thought you have your own shoe, your own Q4 shoe, right? You have a long, you have a guaranteed contract. You played seven years in the NBA. Now you're on 2K, right? Now you can play yourself.
Starting point is 01:07:03 Nope. Have you had a, do you ever have a chance to have that perspective of, wow, I've really, really made it? Like, even if you never make an all-star team, you've accomplished more than 99.99.99% of basketball players ever even dream of a I never had that chance to just sit back in this blood and just being all because I'm still in the moment I will say I've had the chance to just play against other people as my creative player on 2K yeah I mean that's great because everybody's like man you can play as yourself who you're going to play with like I'm playing with myself I'm talking about like that's no whole more man just like that's just like saying like that's that's a dream like to play as your own creative player on the game and
Starting point is 01:07:51 and to really be in the game and play against yourself. Like, that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. So I will say that. Like, it is a dream come true to play a video game as myself. But, yeah, now I'm so, like, locked into the moment that I think I won't appreciate it until later on once my career is all set, done. And I'm able to, like, look back at it with my son or something like that when he gets old enough to understand what's going on. if you could tell a high school kid,
Starting point is 01:08:23 hey, here's how, you might not make it, but here's how you give yourself the best chance of making it. What would your advice be? My advice to myself right now, and to this day, it's been sacrifice. How can you sacrifice time with your family, time hanging out with your friends, and time sleeping and everything like that?
Starting point is 01:08:49 how can you sacrifice all that to make it to where you want to make it to? And I've had to do that along this way, along this journey. And so I'll say to any of a high school kid now, I was like, if you really want this to be something you want to do in the future, like you want basketball to be your job, you have to sacrifice a lot to get to this point. And it's never going to, it's not going to be given to you, that's for sure, unless like just, you know, you have a God-given ability and it's just, I mean, you're coasting
Starting point is 01:09:24 and LeBron or something like that, but still, you still have to work every single day and sacrifice so much to get to that point. And like everybody says, it's only a small, slim chance that you make it, but it's like, that's going to give you the best shot, just sacrificing and putting in a lot of hard work, putting a lot of hard work. Thanks, man. Listen, it's been awesome to see you grow as a, as, as, as, you're going to as a player, and great to catch up with you. Love to have you on the radio show and very, very near future. In the meantime, enjoy that time of your son,
Starting point is 01:09:57 watching guys hoop and can't wait to see you back on an NBA floor next season. Thanks for being our guest on All Ball. Thank you so much. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Doug Gottlieb show weekdays at 3 p.m. Easter, noon Pacific. All right, let me give you a couple of quick thoughts on the Lakers, as they will get back to playing. and as we told you, Portland wasn't a tough matchup for them. And now Damien Lillard's gone home, so eventually they'll play this game five,
Starting point is 01:10:25 and the series will in fact be over. They're going to win based upon their defense. And if they just get enough scoring from guys, you know, not named LeBron and not name Anthony Davis, and really Anthony Davis, if he can show the ability to score in the fourth quarter, that's huge. But the plan for this team, right, the blueprint for this team was, 75 points between Kuzma, LeBron, AD,
Starting point is 01:10:53 and Kuzma sometimes has and sometimes has not provided his end of the bargain. And then the rest of the team just pick it up, play defense and hit enough shots to keep everybody, to keep everybody out of the lane for LeBron and for Anthony Davis. That's how they play. Like, they mall you defensively. They're the best defensive team in the West, and that's kind of their path to a championship.
Starting point is 01:11:14 So I think they played to their blue print quite well, whereas the clippers are still trying to figure out exactly who they are and what they are. Do they have pieces that tell you they should be a great defensive team? Yes. Are they a great defensive team at times? And I think Paul George making shots, makes Paul George play better defensively, makes the whole thing work. And that's why they scored 159 points the last time out.
Starting point is 01:11:38 The clippers have more top to bottom talent. They have more weapons to score. but sometimes it's just about knowing who you are and the clippers don't seem to know that just yet. All right. Lengthy Galloway was great. Obviously, this is an interesting time in the NBA. I'm happy they're coming back and playing.
Starting point is 01:11:56 It sucks, frankly, as an American, that this is, you know, how I think we're viewed in the world that we just have, we just cannot seem to figure out our issues. And I would like, I would like NBA players. Like, look, you definitely have power and influence. to have reasonable goals and expectations, demand them of our leadership, and stick to those demands.
Starting point is 01:12:21 Like, look, we're not going to defend the police, and you can't speed, at times you can't speed up investigations or mistakes are made, and the legal system is kind of what it is. And you, but you have every right to demand justice for all citizens, not just black ones that are unarmed and shot in the back. I mean, for anybody. But I think that the next
Starting point is 01:12:42 step and the way in which you've gotten everybody's attention is, is good, is peaceful protest, not going to play today. Now we get back to work, but we want to demand change. Here's some smart things that we feel like can change and helped shift us towards moving forward instead of remarking on actions that have taken place. Feel free to tweet at me at Gottlieb Show. You can be up our Facebook page, the Doug Outleaf Show Facebook page. Some of you slide into my IGs and make comments anyway. We'll put this out on IG. In the meantime, appreciate you downloading, subscribing, and listening.
Starting point is 01:13:21 I got a bunch of thoughts for you on college basketball on the bubble. I got great guests coming up for you. Keep listening to Albaugh. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. 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 $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more.
Starting point is 01:14:10 Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funny. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,
Starting point is 01:14:31 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. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.
Starting point is 01:14:53 Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.
Starting point is 01:15:19 I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfills of conversations with athletes,
Starting point is 01:15:37 creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Starting point is 01:15:52 On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode We pick a year unpack what went down
Starting point is 01:16:02 And try to make sense of how we survived it With our friends fellow comedians And favorite authors Like Mark Lamont Hill On the 80s It was a wild year
Starting point is 01:16:10 I don't think There's a more important year for black people Listen to look back at it On the IHeart radio app Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcasts This is an IHeart
Starting point is 01:16:23 Podcast Guaranteed Human Thank you.

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